Meet in The Space Between ✔️

28

Run, run for your freedom
Better run, run, you don't wanna see the kingdom
Run, run if you wanna see the sun
We don't wanna lose another one
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IT TOOK me a second to realize Mal had casted that spell. Immediately the dog's jaw was snapped shut just a meter in front of me, and it swung its head around, as if trying to shake off the spell.

Carlos grabbed me. "Quit staring! They're gonna kill us!" He yelled, yanking me out of my trance.

"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Jay shouted at Mal as we continued running.

"I didn't even know that was a spell!" Mal shouted back desperately, "I'm just good at rhyming!"

Suddenly they came to a halt in front of me and I realized Maleficent was blocking our way. Carlos instinctively pushed me behind him.

"Going somewhere, children?" She mocked, "I happen to know these tunnels better than you."

I felt my hatred for her build up. How many times has she captured and tortured us? How many times has she screwed up our lives? For what? Her freedom and power that she lost? Mal had to deal with her bullcrap for sixteen years. It's remarkable how she's still alive and standing.

I watched Mal step up to her, eyes starting to glow. "This is between you and me, mother."

Maleficent's eyes turned green too and the mother and daughter faced each other off, their postures unflagging.

"You've caused my friends pain and fear. We've had enough, now disappear!"

It was a good rhyme, but Mal was flinching slightly, losing her side of the fight. Suddenly, Uma lunged forward and grabbed Mal's hand. The shell that hung around her neck was glowing a vibrant yellow.

What happened to 'no magic on the Isle'?

Uma scream-shouted it with her. "You've caused my friends pain and fear. We've had enough, now disappear!"

Suddenly, Maleficent fell backwards. And with a wrenched cry, she disappeared into thin air.

"I'm glad you got your rhyming game up." Uma remarked hastily to Mal.

With no time, we continued sprinting until we reached the gate. I guess Cruella and the Evil Queen gave up the chase. Emma was outside the metal bars waiting anxiously with Celia.

"Ohmygosh." Emma gasped, pulling me into a hug as soon as I made it out.

"Close it!" Evie warned and Celia did so quickly.

As soon as the key turned, we all took a long sigh of relief and collapsed against something.

"That was too close." Carlos said through gritted teeth, leaning against a nearby wall to catch his breath.

"Too close." Evie agreed, "Phew."

"Are you okay?" Emma asked.

I managed a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

Mal was pale. "Did- did I just kill my mom?"

"What?" Evie said, turning to her.

"No. You didn't." Came a voice.

We all turned to see Hades standing on the other side of the gate. He was leaning on his arm against the polished metal. We tensed at the sight of him.

"Yeah. Unfortunately I can still hear her screaming her head off in here." He continued causally, "I'm sure you just sent her back to their lair."

Mal didn't appreciate the joking tone. "What do you want?" She scoffed.

Hades stared at her for a second, then sighed and said "To redeem myself, hopefully".

We watched in dazed silence as he pulled out his ember and held it through the gate. Mal's expression softened. She blinked her dad, then gently took it from him. The moment was heavy on our shoulders, left us breathless.

"Thank you." She said to him quietly.

And I suddenly remembered the little boy who Evie had so generously saved yesterday.

"It's... the least I could do. I- I don't need it anyway." Hades replied awkwardly, shrugging but fully aware how big of a deal this was. Then he turned around and walked away, back into his cave.

We have the ember now.

I touched Mal's shoulder. "You alright?"

She turned and smiled at me. "That was... sweet." She said sadly, pocketing the ember. Then she turned to Carlos and Jay. "Listen, we-"

Jay cut her off. "Explain later." He said lazily, waving a dismissive hand at her. "That was near death experience and I want to go home. Now."

"Can we go back to Celia's first?" Emma asked no one in particular, "I left my stuff there."

Celia raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a look I didn't understand.

"Okay. But we're leaving right after that." Evie said.

"Does Fairy Godmother know?" I asked in Carlos' direction.

Now that we were out of the villains' clutches, Carlos was avoiding my gaze. "No." He mumbled.

I sighed internally, looking away and feeling even more awful. I wanted to tell him I was sorry, more sorry than I've ever been in my life, but I knew now wasn't the right time.

We started for Dr Facilier's Arcade.

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Shorter chapter. My apologies.