Meet in The Space Between ✔️

27

Now I don't know if we can make it out
Breaking everything with a single touch
I don't even know how to make us stop
This might be the part where you lose me
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WE ENDED up sprawled in a heap on the floor of another larger room that didn't even looked like a proper room. It was a gigantic, lived-in cave with shabby furniture. But I didn't get another second to take it in before I felt someone yank me up violently by my arm.

I gasped, looking up to see Cruella as she tightened her hold. Her fur coat didn't look as glamorous up close anymore. In fact, it reeked.

Jay and Carlos stood at the near entrance. Sure enough, Carlos had Fairy Godmother's wand in his hand.

I caught his eye and my chest tightened with emotion. Something about him felt different. The few seconds of time he had his eyes fixed on me felt like torture. I don't know if I could ever look at him the same.

"There's your little friends." Maleficent spat, stretching her arm out, "Wand first!"

"You're not getting it until you let 'em go." Carlos replied, turning away from me to glare defiantly at her.

The sudden sharpness of his eyes oddly terrified me. His expression was cold and daunting, nothing like the sweet boy who was once afraid of puppies. His feet were planted securely on the ground, stance tall and unwavering. Hearing his voice was difficult. I felt like I hadn't heard it in decades. Familiar but unrecognizable. Or maybe it was just me.

Somehow it felt like we were the only two people in the room, but not in a good way. I snapped out of it.

I glimpsed over at the other girls, who the Evil Queen and Jafar were holding onto. Uma somehow managed to shake free of Jafar before landing a solid punch from under his jaw, snapping his head back and knocking him out completely. The Evil Queen turned to her, astonished, and Mal took that one split second of distraction to stomp on her foot- the Evil Queen didn't have the luxury to wear heels anymore. She howled in pain, letting both Mal and Evie go.

If we weren't in such a frightening situation I would've been impressed as the girls joined Jay and Carlos' side.

"You're useless!" Maleficent shouted at them, though Jafar wasn't even around to hear her.

I felt Cruella's nails dig into my arm as a warning and I winced, struggling and failing to escape. My heart pounded.

"I should've killed you. Should've killed you!" She was yelling at me like the maniac she was.

"Let her go!" Evie demanded.

Cruella was trying to force my arms behind my back but I resisted. As a reward, she smacked me across the face. I gritted my teeth at the sharp sting.

"Take the dang wand!" Carlos blurted, stumbling forward towards the villains, "Just get your hands off her!"

And suddenly his whole posture had faltered and he was no longer menacing to me. My mind was confused- what to think of him?

"Wait, Carlos, no!" Mal exclaimed, "If she gets that wand-"

Carlos ignored her. "Take it!" His terrified gaze was locked on me and his arm was stretched out. "Stop hurting her!"

I wanted to burst into tears but I couldn't.

Maleficent smiled wickedly at Carlos, who had put himself out, the sparkly wand in his hand.

"She's still your weakness, I see."

She turned to Cruella. "Let her go." She ordered.

"Are you serious?" Cruella asked incredulously.

"Yes!" Maleficent snapped.

Cruella glared down at me, then dug her nails painfully into my skin one last time before shoving me forward. Carlos caught me before I lost my balance.

Right as I was bundled up in his arms, Maleficent snatched the wand from his fingers and raised it above her head in victory.

"Move it." Carlos said to me, desperation in his voice as he pushed me behind him.

I heard Jay telling the others the same thing.

"But the wand-" I protested.

He cut me off, frustrated. "Brae. I said go. Now!"

The stern look on his face scared me once again and I jolted out of my hesitation to do as told. Jay was also gesturing wildly at the others to run.

We made a break for it through the tunnels, running for our lives as the villains cackled in glee behind us.

"Jay!" Mal gasped as we ran madly, "You're seriously thinking of leaving the wand with them? Are- are you out of your mind?"

"Actually-" Heck, even Jay was out of breath. "You see, the wand is-"

Maleficent's scream pierced the air around us. "It's fake!"

The cry sent the adrenaline in my veins to pump more urgently than I thought humanly possible.

Jay cursed under his breath, before yelling at us. "Go, go, go, go!"

"After them!" Maleficent commanded far away from their lair.

Then suddenly behind us was the pattering of huge paws that were getting closer and closer. It didn't take long for the beast to close the distance between us.

"Carlos! Look out!" I screamed.

The boy leaped to his right just as it was about to bite his leg off but he ended up on the ground, cornered. I had to stop running. He quickly got back on his feet.

And I watched Carlos de Vil face off the biggest dog I've ever seen in my life.

This was no where near Dude. This was a vicious rabid pack animal. And it could very, very potentially rip out his throat.

I couldn't see if Carlos was petrified in the dark, but I was. Without thinking, I took a rock off the ground and hurled it at the dog. It barely even scratched it, but I definitely got its attention.

It turned towards me painfully slow, teeth bared, growling. Then it charged at me. I think my heart stopped.

"Its attacks forthright, but take away its bite!"

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Hi jenny, schoenstatt I love you.