The next installment...
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Carlos wasn't sure what to do next, "the man" as he was calling his captor in his head had taken their dishes and cleaned them up and then tended to the fire. So Carlos just sat at the table lost in thought.

"You've had a long day, particle travel puts a strain on a person, head on up to the loft there and get to bed." the man said to Carlos not unkindly.

Carlos had, over the last few hours, made a list of questions he eventually wanted answers to. Who was this person? What should he call him? Why did he kidnap him? Where were they? How did he know his mother? All of these would have been reasonable questions to break his silence with, but did Carlos pick one of them? No, he chose instead to go with: "Why so early? It's only 8, the sun is still up."

Not his brightest move.

Carlos realized his error when the man growled at him and before he could offer an apology he felt himself roughly yanked up from the table and propelled towards the loft ladder with a firm smack on his back side. He yelped both in surprise and pain and quickly ascended the ladder least the man felt he needed further motivation.

"There is bedding in the chest, fix up your bed and go to sleep." The man called up to him. Carlos looked around the tiny loft that he supposed was his bedroom for the moment. There was a small bed and a window and a chest. It wasn't a bad little space, if it were under different circumstances he thought. He opened up the chest and found blankets and pillows and a sheet and quickly made up the little bed, he also discovered some clothes that looked like they'd fit him, although if Evie ever saw them he'd never hear the end of it. He pulled out what appeared to be a nightshirt, Carlos raised an eyebrow, who wore those anymore? Still it was soft, and clean, and he didn't have anything else to wear besides the clothes on his back and what he found in the chest so he decided to put it on.

There were also numerous books filed away in the large chest, Carlos picked up a few but before he could glance at the titles he heard the now more familiar growl of the man down below "I said get to bed, pup."

Not wanting to accrue the man's wrath Carlos quickly hopped into bed. He looked out the window, it had stopped raining and there were more stars than he'd ever seen before. The isle was always overcast and Auradon usually had too many city lights to properly see the stars. "Wow." he said to himself as he watched a shooting star fly by, and what had the man called him… pup? Carlos pondered the name for a bit, it had an endearing quality to it but the man had seemed to angry when he first became conscious, but then he fed him dinner, and then he had smacked him, he pouted as he rubbed out the remaining sting. He was so confused but he didn't have long to ponder because particle travel really is exhausting and he was asleep within a few minutes.

/

Carlos woke with a groan, the morning sun was shining on his face. He had slept surprisingly well and not a single nightmare, which was a first without Evie holding him. It took him a few minutes to get his bearings and realize where he was. Deciding it was best not to lay around and be accused of being lazy, Carlos got up, dressed quickly, and headed down the ladder to the smell of breakfast cooking. The man saw him come down and grunted at him and gestured with a nod towards the little table. When Carlos sat down he put a plate of oatmeal with fruit in it down in front of the boy.

"Thanks" mumbled Carlos before starting in. After a few bites Carlos mustered up his courage to ask "Why am I here?"

"This is where you belong." Came the reply.

"I belong at Auradon Prep."

"No. You don't." the answer was firm and said in a way that Carlos could tell any further argument would be useless.

"Where are we?" the boy asked as he shoved another spoonful in his mouth.

The man studied him for a while as if he debated whether he should answer or not. Finally he said "We are beyond the borderlands, deep in the woods."

Carlos almost choked at that, no one ever went to the borderlands, let alone beyond. And the woods was just a story, or so he thought. As much as he hated to admit it, he might as well be on another planet for all the chance his friends had at finding him here.

"Come on, time to feed the pack, they're hungry for their breakfast too." the man said as he opened the door and waited for a terrified Carlos to follow.