It had been a whole 24 hours since Carlos went missing. Fairy Godmother and other magic users in Auradon tried their best to determine where Carlos went but to no avail.
Many parents had come to pick up their precious offspring fearing that more children might go missing. Mal, Jay, and Evie along with their new friends, Ben, Lonnie, Doug, and Jane hung out in the boy's dorm room brain storming any idea they could. The dorm chaperones didn't even try kicking the girls out knowing that they would refuse to leave. But they were running out of ideas. With each passing day they were losing hope. Royal guards had checked the nearby forest as well as every home in Auradon City. The manifest of the last barge to the isle was reviewed and workers had been questioned. Other regions were conducting their own search as well. Missing children was unheard of these days so it drew national attention.
News of Carlos' disappearance had reached the isle too, but unlike in Auradon, most people didn't care or knew that he was with Cruella. No one was dumb enough to rat them out unless there was a significant reward (such as amnesty and a chance to move back to Auradon).
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two weeks later
Carlos was a shadow of his former self. His eyes were dark and sunken. His mother would wake him up in the middle of the night in a rage and force him to clean for hours. He had only managed to get out of the house a few times to get food, not that the pickings at the market were much to go on, it was at least a few mouthfuls. His face showed various stages of bruising from the ones that were that yellow faded color that meant it was almost gone, some that were blue and purple still, and the new bright red one from last night. The marks on his back from the thrashing were scars now, with new marks on top of them, and newer marks on top of those.
But mostly Carlos missed his friends, at least before he had had them. They were his escape. With his friends by his side he was free to roam the isle, to do so alone was much more dangerous. Evie was the one that would hide him when Cruella was particularly bad or help bandage him up. Jay would help keep the thugs at bay when running around the isle. And Mal, with her mother being who she was, only had to look at people before they ran off. He was so lonely it hurt more than the beatings.
Carlos woke up early, it was barge day, he had figured out a plan, and now he had to get down to the docks and hope it worked. It HAD to work he knew he only had one chance. He snuck out the back door and climbed over the fence surrounding the property, he was about a quarter mile down the dirt road when he heard his mother whistle for him. He tensed for a moment, but then, just this once, ignored her call. He knew he would pay for it later, but he had to get to the docks. She whistled again, louder this time, and Carlos broke into a run.
"Wait! Please wait!" Carlos cried out as he ran down the street towards the docks. The barge had unloaded and was about to return to Auradon. One of the goblins turned and looked at the boy running towards him. "Can you take this to Auradon and make sure this person gets it" Carlos pointed to the label on the small package in his hands.
The goblin looked amused at the request. "And why should I?"
Carlos knew that him being missing and that the entire kingdom was looking for him would be of little concern to the goblin. Carlos drew out a few Auradon coins and offered it to the goblin.
"Please." The boy said again as a whistle was heard in the distance and he tensed slightly. The goblin looked him over suspiciously no one on the isle said please, ever, but he took the coins and package. Carlos relaxed momentarily when he saw the goblin board the barge and they pushed off from the dock. And then his stomach growled in protest. He wandered around the market and managed to swipe a boiled egg, something that resembled a muffin, and loaf of bread. He ate the egg and most of the bread as he walked back to Hell Hall. For the first time in two weeks his stomach felt full. He hoped he'd be able to save what remained of the bread for later.
Carlos carefully opened the back door and cautiously entered the house hoping his mother wouldn't hear his return.
"Don't even bother sneaking in" she said from the other room "get in here." Carlos sighed, he was done for, he obediently walked into the room she was in. "I called for you. Where were you?"
"Getting some food." He held out a shaky hand with the muffin towards her, Cruella slapped his hand way.
Cruella grabbed his hair and yanked his head so he had to look up at her. "Don't lie to me, boy. Jafar said he saw you by the docks. What were you doing there?"
"Just walking by, Momma."
"He said he saw you talking to one of those goblins."
"I didn't, Momma." Carlos said, hoping she would believe him; it was always harder to lie when looking right at her.
"Are you calling me a liar, boy?" Jafar had been standing in a corner behind him so Carlos hadn't seen him when he entered the room.
Fear flicked across Carlos' face before he was able to hide it, he swallowed. There was nothing Carlos could say, to continue with his story would accuse the former sultan of lying or he would be admitting to lying in the first place which was just as dangerous. He was caught and they all knew it. His mother blew a puff of smoke in his face and grabbed his arm then proceeded to put out her cigarette. Carlos cried out in pain and tried to pull his arm away but her grasp was too strong for him. The crazy woman dragged him into the hall where she threw him in the closet and locked it.
"I must find a leash for that puppy so he doesn't run off again." She muttered to herself as she locked the door. Carlos' stomach clenched tightly, he wouldn't put it past her to do that, again.
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