Chapter 4- As Good As Gold
That night…
Carlos woke up in front of his old school on the Isle, students around him making sure to be as late as possible to their first classes, like all talented evil VKs did. The air was thick from the rancid smells coming from the local shops and the sewers, and the sky was overcast with constant dark, foreboding clouds.
Carlos immediately felt his breath quicken and heart speed up as the building loomed before him, made of dark, cracked stone blocks, broken windows, slime covered stairs, and graffitied pillars.
Why am I back here? I fell asleep in my bed in Auradon, Carlos thought, panicking.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" a familiar voice asked to his left.
Mal stepped in front of him, smirking, with Jay coming up to his right.
Carlos was relieved for a second, but when he looked closer, he realized that these two weren't the Jay and Mal he knew now.
Mal's hair was darker and shorter, her skin was paler, she was a few inches shorter, and instead of having the warmth in her eyes and kind smile he was used to, Mal was grinning evilly, and her eyes were cold, hard, and hungry.
Jay looked paler, too, as well as less muscular, and was wearing the clothes he'd worn back on the Isle. His friendly yet cocky attitude was replaced by arrogance, aggression, and cruelty.
It suddenly hit Carlos what was going on-he was dreaming about his first day at the Isle high school after being transferred from a school on the other side of the Isle, maybe a few months before Evie came.
Carlos's vision suddenly shifted, and he was seeing the dream from a bystanders point of view. His past self was pale and had less freckles, and his hair was spiked instead of the sideswept look he wore now, as well as wore an old Isle outfit.
Carlos felt a pang in his heart as took note of his past self trying to hide the fact that he was trembling, his eyes wide with fear and his breath quick and shaky. He looked so timid, small, weak, and unsure, the perfect target for bullies like past Mal and past Jay.
"What you are doing here, little boy? This is the big kids school. The elementary school's down the street." Jay jeered.
"I'm not a little boy. I'm transferring from the school on the other side of the Isle. I'm a high school student, like you." Carlos said, trying to sound brave.
"Oh, really? No wonder I didn't recognize you, runt. What's your name?" Mal asked threateningly.
"Carlos de Vil. Son of Cruella de Vil." Carlos said, wiping his hands on his jacket.
"De Vil, huh? You must love dogs, then." Jay jeered, and made a barking noise.
Carlos screamed and squeezed his eyes shut, raising his arms in self defense.
Mal and Jay laughed and began making more barking noises while a crowd of students gathered around. Carlos backed up farther, until his backpack slid off this shoulders, and Jay grabbed it.
"Hey!" Carlos cried, trying to reach for it, "Give that back!"
He tried to charge at Jay while Mal took his backpack, but Jay stopped him in his tracks by shoving him to the group.
Everyone laughed, and Jay taunted, "You weigh as much as a pillow."
Mal pulled his lunchbox out, and looked surprised when she opened it.
"Would you look at that? There's actual human food in here! I thought all you de Vils ate was doggie kibble! Well, I know what I'm eating for lunch, now." Mal jeered, placing his lunch inside her backpack.
"Guys, please, leave me alone! I don't want any trouble!" Carlos pleaded.
Everyone laughed again, Mal cried, "Did you hear that, everyone, a VK doesn't want trouble!"
She threw his backpack to the ground and jumped on it, Carlos's face horrified while everyone around them jeered and yelled insults.
"You just broke one of my inventions!" Carlos screeched.
"Oh, oops! I'm so sorry!" Mal said sarcastically.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" a voice yelled, silencing everyone.
A boy with wavy golden hair in a blood red shirt, distressed navy blue jeans, a large black hooded jacket, and black worn out sneakers shoved his way through the audience, his dark eyes hard and angry, jaw firmly set, and fists clenched.
"Well, well, if it isn't Golden Boy." Mal sneered.
The blond boy stepped protectively in front of Carlos and said, "Jay, Mal, I'll ask you politely once - please give him back his stuff and walk away."
"Why should we?" Jay snarled.
"He's new. It's rather low of you guys to beat up the new kid on his first day, don't you think? Plus, he didn't do anything to justify it!" the blonde guy protested.
"He needs to learn who rules this school." Mal said coldly.
"Just because your mom's Maleficent doesn't mean you're entitled to be the school dictator! You think you're a princess because your mom rules the Isle, but in reality, you're on the same level as the rest of us." the blond guy shouted as he helped Carlos to his feet.
He turned to Jay and said, "Not to mention, you keep him around because you're too 'special' to do any dirty work, so you rely on his muscle and athletic talents and stupidity to prevent you from hurting yourself, because God forbid you chip a fingernail!"
"OOH!" the audience cheered.
"What did you just say?" Jay growled, fists clenching.
"You heard me, meathead." the blond guy said.
"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!" the crowd chanted.
"Hope your strength can back your words, pansy." Jay snarled.
He suddenly charged at the blond guy, who shoved Carlos out of the way and then landed a hard kick to Jay's core.
Jay crumpled for a second, but quickly got up and landed a right hook to his opponent's face, making him grunt.
The blond guy grabbed Jay's wrist as he went in for a left-handed punch and twisted it, making Jay yelp.
With incredible speed, he suddenly hoisted Jay up in the air, making everyone gasp, and then slammed him onto the stone pathway below.
"OOH!" the audience cried.
Jay staggered to his feet, his nose bleeding, and in the blink of eye, he struck the blond boy's face with a series of punches, forcing him to back up.
The blond guy suddenly kneed Jay in the gut, and he yelled in pain and collapsed.
Seeing his chance, the blond guy tackled Jay to the ground, pinning and suffocating him with his weight.
"Give up, Jay. I don't want to have to hurt you anymore." the blond guy said.
Jay shook his head and continued struggling, but the blond guy was too strong.
"You can't escape me. Just say you give up and I'll get off you. I really don't want you to suffocate to death." the blond guy begged.
Jay continued struggling, but eventually croaked, "Okay, fine. I give up."
The blonde guy climbed off of Jay, and everyone was silent was shock.
"He...he did. He won." someone whispered.
"I can't believe it." another person whispered.
"Who would've thought Golden Boy was so strong?" someone else mumbled.
The bell from the school rang, letting everyone know the first classes of the day had started.
Jay got to his feet, coughing and rasped, "I won't forget this."
Everyone scampered off, trying to not be so late to class that they got detentions.
The blond guy turned to Carlos, breathing heavily, and smiled.
Carlos flinched and said, "Please don't hurt me, man!"
"Relax," he said gently, "I'm not going to hurt you. I was trying to protect you."
"Protect me? Why?" Carlos asked.
"Because wanting to help is in my nature." the blond guy said, shrugging.
"So, I thought I heard that you're Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil?" he continued.
"Yeah. Who are you?" Carlos asked.
"My name's Gold Gothel, Mother Gothel's son." Gold said kindly.
"Mother Gothel?" Carlos asked, looking at Gold's hair.
"Yeah, I'm not sure why I was born a blond. It probably came from my dad, because as far as I know, I don't have Rapunzel's healing powers. My little sister Ginny looks more like our mom than I do, but I am her son. Although, she does tell me a lot that she wishes I wasn't…" Gold trailed off sadly.
"I feel you. Listen, thanks for saving me. I'm happy to return the favor sometime." Carlos said, smiling.
Gold looked surprised and said, "Really?"
Carlos nodded and said, "Just holler if you ever need my help, and I'll come running."
"Thanks. While we're here, you want me to help you find your first class?" Gold asked, handing Carlos his backpack.
"That'd be awesome, thanks." Carlos said.
"Follow me, then." Gold said, walking towards the building.
Carlos followed him, and then his vision went completely white.
When it cleared, Gold was laying on his stomach in front of Carlos, extremely thin, coughing and wheezing, sweat and tears pouring down his face, and was trembling all over.
"Gold?" Carlos asked.
Gold looked up at him, his eyes bloodshot, miserable and pleading.
"Help me...you promised…" he rasped.
"What happened? GOLD?!" Carlos asked, grabbing his shoulders.
He felt a sudden chill, and looked up to see the Grim Reaper slowly approaching, a scythe in his bony hands.
"No. NO, GOLD! GOLD!" Carlos cried, panicking.
Gold grabbed his hand as grunted, "Save me...hurry…"
"I-I will. Just hang on, okay?!" Carlos cried.
Gold's eyes grew dimmer as the Grim Reaper got closer, and his breathing slowed.
"Gold, don't go! Hang on! I'll I'll come for you, I promise! GOLD!" Carlos shrieked.
Carlos's eyes suddenly shot open, and he sat up in bed and shouted, "GOLD!"
Jay startled awake and leaped to his feet, assuming a fighting stance, then lowered his fists when he looked around and saw nothing.
"Carlos, you okay?" Jay asked, rushing to his bedside.
"I...I need to talk to Ben! I think Gold Gothel may be dying!" Carlos said, panicking.
"What?!" Jay asked.
Carlos explained the dream he had to Jay, who looked more and more concerned as Carlos went into further detail.
"Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?" Jay asked when Carlos was finished.
"No...but I don't want to take any chances! Gold needs to come here. If he really is sick, he can get the medical treatment he needs to save his life. If it turns out he's not, he'll be away from his horrid mother and finally in the place where he belongs. It's win-win either way!" Carlos pleaded.
Jay nodded and said, "Alright, but it's still the middle of the night. We'll have to talk to Ben in the morning. Unless you think Gold's so close to dying we need to talk to him now."
Carlos hesitated and said, "I think he'll be fine for maybe one more day. I'll talk to Ben tomorrow."
"Alright, then. Good night." Jay said, climbing back into bed.
"'Night." Carlos said, laying down and turning to his side.
But for the rest of the night, Carlos couldn't sleep, his mind occupied with memories of Gold, and the fear that every second he waited was one second closer to Gold dying.
When his alarm clock finally went off in the morning, Carlos leaped out of bed, quickly ran a brush through his hair, and scrambled into his clothes.
"Whoa, dude, calm down." Jay said.
"I'm perfectly calm." Dude the dog said, stretching.
"Not you, him." Jay said looking at Carlos.
"Don't tell me to calm down! This is an emergency!" Carlos cried, still getting dressed.
"Emergency?!" Dude asked, looking concerned.
Ignoring him, Jay said, "You're running around like there's no tomorrow!"
"THERE MIGHT NOT BE A TOMORROW FOR GOLD IF WE DON'T HURRY!" Carlos yelled.
Jay backed up in fright, his arms raised, and Dude whimpered.
"I'm sorry, it's just...Gold's always been like a brother to me. I finally have a chance to pay him back after all this time, and I'm not going to let it slip it my fingers, especially if it means saving Gold's life!" Carlos said, eyes full of determination.
"Aren't I like a brother to you?" Jay asked, sounding hurt.
"Of course! There's no reason I can't have multiple brothers! I just want to rescue Gold, okay?" Carlos said calmly.
Jay nodded and said, "Go talk to Ben, then. I hope Gold's okay."
"Me too." Carlos said.
He finished putting his outfit on, threw the door open, and raced off down the hall.
Carlos raced down the hall, weaving in between students and teachers, until he finally saw Ben chatting with Mal by the courtyard.
"BEN!" Carlos cried, sprinting up to him.
"BEN, you have to help me! One of my best friends on the Isle's extremely sick, probably dying! You and I are the only ones who can save him! I don't know how much time he has left! You owe me for-!" Carlos cried, breathlessly.
"Whoa, whoa! Carlos, calm down!" Ben said, putting his hands on Carlos's shoulders, "I can't understand a word you're saying. Take some deep breaths and start over, okay?"
Carlos took some deep breaths and said, "I need you to transfer Gold Gothel to Auradon right away. He's extremely sick, he's dying even! Auradon's the only place who can give him the treatment he needs to save him! Please, you owe for helping save you from Uma's pirate crew on the Isle!"
"Why do you think Gold's dying?" Mal asked.
"I had a dream last night about it. It was awful. He looked stick thin, his eyes were bloodshot, he was coughing and wheezing and looked like he was struggling to breathe, and he was sweating so much and trembling. He begged me to help him. And then the Grim Reaper showed up, and Gold warned me to hurry!" Carlos said, tears building in his eyes.
"Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?" Mal asked.
"No, but I'm not risking it! If he's dying, bringing him to Auradon will save him. And he deserves to be here regardless. You remember what a good guy he is. This is where he belongs. Please, you have to help me!" Carlos cried, tears running down his face.
Ben nodded and said, "Alright, you and I will take the limo the Isle to get Gold right after breakfast. If he's healthy we'll take him here, and if he's sick, we'll take to the hospital, okay?"
"Thank you." Carlos sobbed.
"You're welcome. Are you okay, by the way? You look you hardly slept." Ben noted.
"Because I couldn't sleep after my dream." Carlos said wearily.
"Come get some breakfast, and then we'll leave, okay?" Ben asked.
"I'm coming with you. You'll need a good fighter in case some of the VKs on the Isle try to mess with you. Plus, I'm good reasoning with Gothel." Mal said.
"And me," Jay said, coming up behind them "I can drive the limo, and I can also help if you get threatened by a gang."
Everyone nodded, and walked into the dining room, trying to not draw too much attention to themselves.
"Alright, everyone ready?" Jay asked as he climbed into the driver's seat.
Mal, Ben, and Carlos nodded, and climbed into the back.
Jay started the car, and they were off, watching as their school disappeared behind them.
"So, tell me about Gold. What's he like? And why is he named Gold?" Ben asked.
"His name is Gold because he has golden hair. We think he got it from his dad, but we don't know who he is." Mal said.
"Gold's one of those villain kids with a really good heart, but had the misfortune of being born into an evil family on the Isle, like Dizzy and Hadie. He's brave, considerate, kind, strong, friendly, caring, supportive, and helpful. He saved me from being harassed and possibly beaten up by Mal and Jay." Carlos said.
"WHAT?!" Ben asked, shocked.
"Oh yeah, I remember that." Mal said thoughtfully.
"Why would you two do that?!" Ben asked, turning to his girlfriend.
"He was the new kid at school. We were trying to 'show him who's boss' and impress everyone. Mostly our parents. But then Gold came in to defend Carlos, and he ended up beating me in a fist fight." Jay called from the front of the limo.
"I regret now. And I probably should've said this sooner, but I'm sorry, Carlos." Mal said sadly.
"Yeah, me too. In hindsight, it was a rather stupid thing to do." Jay called.
"I forgive you." Carlos said kindly.
"Sounds like Gold's a great guy. He'd been an excellent addition to the Auradon Prep campus. I can't wait to meet him." Ben said, smiling.
Carlos nodded and said, "He deserves a better life."
"Hey, guys, we're approaching Belle's Harbor and the bridge to the Isle." Jay called.
Mal, Ben, and Carlos looked out onto the front window as the magical golden bridge that allowed Auradon cars onto the Isle appeared.
Carlos swallowed, remembering what had happened the last time he ventured into his old home, and felt his heart rate rise.
"It'll be fine, Carlos," Jay reassured, looking at him from the rearview mirror, "We'll be in and out in the blink of an eye, okay?"
Carlos nodded, still feeling tense, and Mal rubbed his back as the car drove through the barrier and onto the Isle.
Jay parked the limo in a hidden spot and camouflaged it, then turned to Mal and Carlos and asked, "So, do you guys remember where Gothel lives?"
"Seriously?! She has the most famous jewelry shop on the Isle!" Mal cried.
"Yeah, I know, but I never had the courage to go inside and try to swipe something. They take burglaries extremely seriously there. I know kids who tried, and they ended up getting badly cut by Gothel's knife, pulverized by Ginny, or Gold would twist their wrist until they dropped whatever they stole. No one's ever gotten away with a robbery from Gothel's Glittering Jewels." Jay said, shuddering at the memories.
"I know where it is. But we're going to have to lie low. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves." Carlos said darkly.
Everyone nodded, and followed Carlos through the busy streets and winding alleys of the Isle of the Lost, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.
"Ben, are you okay?" Mal asked, noticing how anxious Ben looked and how he kept flinching.
"I'm afraid I'll get abducted again." Ben mumbled, quickening his pace to keep up with Mal, Jay, and Carlos.
"Don't worry. As long as you stick with us, you'll be fine. We all promised we'd protect you, remember?" Jay asked.
Ben smiled, remembering the letter Mal had made that all the VKs in Auradon except for Hadie, Clay, Harper, Claudine, and Hazel had signed, and said, "Yeah."
"Here we are," Carlos said, suddenly stopping in front of a massive building.
On the bottom part was a rundown large wood shop that had a hand-painted sign reading "Gothel's Glittering Jewels" hanging from the roof. It had been painted black, and the wood looked like it was cracked and splintering in many places.
Above them loomed a sinister dark tower made from gray stone that was covered in thorns and a red roof covered in spikes. All the tower windows were made with glass and had iron bars in front of them.
Ben whistled and said, "This looks more like a prison than a home."
"Gothel's terrified of someone climbing the tower to try to kill her, given what happened to her before she got sent here." Mal explained.
"But Eugene didn't kill Mother Gothel." Ben said, frowning.
"He kinda did. When he cut Rapunzel's hair, he destroyed her only life source, and that's what killed her." Jay said.
"Then why is she here now?" Ben asked.
"She was resurrected with magic, like mine and Evie's moms." Mal said.
"Ah. Anyway, let's go get Gold." Ben said, sounding eager to change the subject.
The four friends climbed the rickety, squeaking stairs, and marched into Mother Gothel's jewelry shop.
"Mal? Jay? Carlos?!" A female voice called in disbelief.
A pale girl with dark frizzy hair and dark eyes in flowy garnet red ¾ sleeve shirt, apple red pants, gold boots, a navy blue short hooded cloak, chipped dangly red earrings, a large black and gold bracelet on her left wrist, and a gold flower necklace that looked like it was missing a few petals was staring at them in disbelief from behind a counter.
"Hi, Ginny. Long time no see." Mal said cooly.
Ginny's face turned into a threatening snarl as she came out from behind the counter and pointed a knife at Carlos's throat, making him quickly back away.
"You'd better not be here to steal from the store." she snarled.
"Ginny Gothel, I assume?" Ben asked respectfully.
"That would be me." Ginny said, leering at him.
"We're not here to steal from your store, although you do have some lovely items. We just want to talk to your mom." Ben said diplomatically.
"My mother? Why?!" Ginny snapped.
"Because we want to take Gold to Auradon. We heard he's really sick and we think he'd be a good addition to our school, but we need your mother's permission to let him go." Ben explained.
Ginny frowned, considering for a minute, and then lowered her knife.
"Fine," Ginny snarled, sheathing her knife in a pouch on her belt, "But you all better not steal anything while I'm getting her. My family doesn't take kindly to thievery."
"We know." Jay said darkly.
Ginny scowled at them one last time, then turned on her heel, opened the door against the back wall, and they heard her footsteps pounding against metal stairs as she ascended.
Carlos breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thanks, Ben. I was worried she was legit going to cut me."
"Well, fortunately, I've had a lot of experience being diplomatic. I'm glad she didn't hurt you, though." Ben said humbly.
Ben and the others suddenly heard a large amount of clanging on the stairs, and braced themselves for coming face to face with the mistress of the household.
The doorknob turned, and Ginny stepped out, glaring distrustfully at Ben, Mal, Carlos, and Jay, followed by a taller, older woman who shared her dark eyes and frizzy hair, pale complexion, and cold, hard eyes.
"Mal, Jay, Carlos, Your Majesty," Mother Gothel said icily, looking at each of them in turn, "My daughter says you want to speak with me about letting my son go with you to Auradon."
"That's correct, ma'am." Ben said respectfully.
"Hmm...what's in it for me?" Mother Gothel asked thoughtfully.
"Well, for starters, is Gold sick?" Carlos asked.
"He has a bad cough." Mother Gothel said casually.
"He's extremely sick. He can't even get out of bed. And listening to him breathe...he sounds like a dying animal!" Ginny said disgustedly, leaning against a counter.
"Ginny!" Mother Gothel cried, turning to her daughter.
"Well, you can't keep denying the truth by calling it a 'bad cough', Mother. Have you seen the state Gold's in? He looks like a plague victim!" Ginny protested.
"If Gold's that sick, we can give him the medical treatment he needs in Auradon, as well as a better life once he gets out of the hospital." Ben reasoned.
"Again, what's in it for me?" Mother Gothel asked, turning back to the group.
"Well, for starters, it'd save you from the embarrassment of losing not one, but two kids. You know how people who lose a lot of children get mocked around here." Mal argued.
Ginny bit her lip and looked away while Mother Gothel set her jaw.
"Go on," she said, sounding interested.
"For another, you know Gold doesn't fit in here. He's always been too good for the Isle. Sending him to Auradon won't 'corrupt' him. Not to mention, you've always told everyone how much you loathe him and are embarrassed by him, and how you wish he wasn't your son. It sounds like he doesn't have a place on the Isle, or even in your cold heart. If he disgusts you so much that you don't care about him, why are you still holding onto him? Wouldn't you rather have him out of your hair?" Mal asked.
"You make a good point," Mother Gothel mumbled, scratching her chin.
Ben opened his mouth like he wanted to add something, but quickly shut it.
"Did you have something you wanted to say, Your Majesty?" Mother Gothel asked, taking notice.
"No, ma'am." Ben said, trying to hide the fact that his hands were shaking.
Mother Gothel thought for a minute, while Mal's, Jay's, Ben's, and Carlos's hearts pounded in their chests and butterflies flew in their stomachs while Ginny peered curiously at her mom.
"Fine," Mother Gothel eventually snapped, "Take him away. I hope I never see him again."
"Yes, ma'am." Jay, Mal, and Carlos said.
"Thank you, ma'am." Ben said politely.
"MOTHER!" Ginny cried.
"Is there a problem, Ginny? I hope you're not implying that you're upset that your brother's being sent away?" Mother Gothel threatened, looming over her daughter.
"No, Mother. I was just...surprised. I thought you wanted to keep Gold here to pressure him into becoming evil." Ginny said weakly, trying to hide her shaking.
"Well, I changed, my mind. I'm allowed to do that, aren't I?" Mother Gothel asked coldly.
Ginny nodded, and said meekly, "The shelves look a little empty. I'll go get some more stuff from the store room."
Ginny scampered off through the door that was behind the counter she'd been standing at when they first arrived.
"Guys," Carlos said frantically, waving at them to follow him, "C'mon, let's go!"
"Right," Mal, Jay, and Ben said, following Carlos up the noisy black iron stairs to the top of the tower.
Their hearts immediately broke when they heard a male voice coughing and wheezing like he was struggling to breathe.
"Gold!" Carlos cried, barging into the room to the left of the staircase.
The looks on Carlos's, Mal's, Ben's and Jay's face changed from sorrow to horror when they saw Gold.
He looked exactly the way Carlos had described in his dream. Laying on his stomach on the floor, eyes bloodshot and filled with tears that fell down his face alongside sweat, shaking like a leaf in a windstorm, incredibly thin, and sounded like he was coughing up his lungs.
"Carlos?" Gold asked weakly as Carlos ran to his side.
"It's me." Carlos said trying to smile through the tears on his face.
"Does this mean I'm dying?" Gold rasped.
"No. We came here to rescue you. We're taking you to a hospital in Auradon, and once you recover, you'll be going to school with us." Mal said, her voice shaky from tears.
Gold's eyes widened, and he said, "But, my mom-!"
"She let you go. We convinced her." Jay said, taking deep breaths to control her emotions.
"What about Ginny?" Gold wheezed.
"I don't think we'll be able to convince your mom to release you both. We lucked out that we were able to persuade her to let you go to Auradon with us. Plus you know how Ginny's your mother's pride and joy." Mal said sadly.
"But, she's-!" Gold protested.
He suddenly started having a coughing fit, raising his left hand to his mouth to cover it. When he pulled it away, it had drops of red liquid on it.
"You're coughing up blood?!" Carlos shrieked, horrified.
"This is worse than I thought. We need to get him out of here, now!" Ben commanded.
Jay, Mal, and Carlos nodded, and Jay hoisted Gold onto his back.
"No, wait, there's something I need to tell you!" Gold begged.
"Gold, you need to save your breath and your strength until we get to the hospital. Don't talk, okay?" Mal pleaded.
Gold gave a rusty sigh, but nodded.
Carlos, Ben, Jay, and Mal raced down the stairs and out the door, Mother Gothel giving her ill son one last hateful glare, and made a mad dash for the car, ignoring the strange looks everyone was giving them.
"What are you doing?!" Carlos yelled at Jay as he climbed into the driver's seat and began punching something in.
"I'm setting the GPS to give us directions to the nearest hospital, which, funny enough, is the one I got sent to when I broke my arm and twisted my wrist." Jay reported.
"That's great, now let's go!" Mal barked.
"Okay, I'm working on it!" Jay said, fumbling with the keychain.
He finally got hold of the limo key, started the ignition, and took off down the bridge.
Gold's eyes widened in fear, but Carlos held his hand and said, "It's okay. We've got a button that'll open the barrier for us."
The magical golden bridge appeared, and the look in Gold's eyes changed from fear to wonder as he took in what was happening.
"I know," Mal said, smiling, "It's cool, isn't it?"
Gold smiled and nodded vigorously at Mal before going into another coughing fit.
Ben handed Gold a tissue box, which Gold took a tissue from and began coughing into, red spots quickly appearing.
"Jay, how close are we to the hospital?" Ben asked, his voice full of concern.
"About 5 minutes, according to the GPS." Jay reported as he pulled in to Belle's Harbor.
"Can you make it that long, Gold?" Ben asked.
Gold nodded once he stopped coughing, and wiped his mouth with the tissue.
"Is there a trash can in here?" Carlos asked.
"Yeah, here." Ben said, pulling on a knob on the wall that seperated the driver's and passenger's portion of the limo.
A small garbage can rolled out, and Gold shakily placed the tissue inside.
Meanwhile, Mal grabbed her phone and sent a text to the VK group chat.
Gold Gothel coming to Auradon. Very sick-coughing up blood, bloodshot eyes, sweating, shaky, very thin. Taking him to hospital Jay went to when he broke his arm and twisted his ankle a few months ago.
Auradon City Mercy Hospital? Evie replied.
"We're going to Auradon City Mercy Hospital, right, Jay?" Mal asked.
"That would be the one." Jay confirmed, turning right onto a city street.
Yes. Mal texted her friends.
We'll all be there soon. Evie promised.
Sounds like Gold as severe pneumonia. You guys did the right thing, bringing him here. The doctors should be able to treat him. Hope he recovers soon! Hayden responded, adding a praying hands emoji to the end of his message.
"I let all the other VKs know what's happening. They said they'll be at the hospital soon." Mal reported.
"Can't you drive any faster, Jay?!" Carlos snapped.
"I'm going as fast as I can without breaking the speed limit!" Jay cried, looking stressed, "Besides, we're almost there! I just need to turn the corner and drive a little farther down Beast Road!"
"Guys, please don't fight!" Ben pleaded as Jay turned left onto Beast Road.
"How much farther?" Mal asked.
"400 feet. It's on the left." Jay said.
Jay drove a bit farther down Beast Road, then made a sharp left turn and stopped in front of the entrance to the emergency room.
"You guys get Gold inside. I'll find a place to park." Jay called.
Carlos, Ben, and Mal nodded, and stepped out of the car while Ben grabbed Gold.
Once everyone had gotten out, Carlos closed the car door and Jay sped off while Mal, Carlos, and Ben raced inside with Gold on Ben's back.
"Ma'am, can you please help our friend?!" Ben asked the receptionist as he, Mal, and Carlos ran up to the desk.
The receptionist stood up and peered at Gold, her eyes widening in shock.
"My goodness, that's terrible! What on Earth-?!" she cried.
Gold starting coughing again, using his hand to cover his face, and when he pulled it away, it was covered in drops of blood.
"Did you just cough that up?!" the receptionist asked, horrified.
Gold nodded and wheezed, "Help…"
"Can you treat him? Please?!" Mal begged.
"Of course! Let me see who's on standby right now." the receptionist said, turning back to her computer.
The receptionist typed something into her computer and picked up her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, is this Dr. Wood? Excellent. I have a boy here in the ER who needs help immediately. He's showing signs of extreme fatigue, he's unhealthily thin, his eyes are bloodshot, he's wheezing, and he's coughing up blood. Great, thank you!" the receptionist said.
She put the phone down and said, "He'll be here soon. I'm sure your friend will be fine."
The door to the emergency room suddenly burst open, and a team of doctors wheeled a stretcher out and stopped in front of Ben and the others.
"Is that him?" the doctor pushing the back of the stretcher asked, looking at Gold.
Ben nodded and gently placed Gold on the stretcher.
Carlos squeezed Gold's hand and said, "You'll be just fine, now, Gold. When you're all better, you're finally going to get to live the life you deserve. And I'll be by your side whenever you need me."
Gold smiled and rasped, "Thank you, brother."
The doctors wheeled Gold away into the ER, and Carlos was left to stare in shock, tears in his eyes.
"Carlos? What's wrong?" Mal asked, walking to his side.
"He...he called me brother. That's the first time he's ever… I thought Gold just saw me as a good friend." Carlos choked.
"That's great, Carlos." Ben said, beaming.
Tears started falling down Carlos's face, and he asked, "Do you think he'll make it? I told him all that stuff before he went in the ER to reassure him. I'm scared."
Jay put his hand on Carlos's shoulder and said, "I'm sure Gold will be just fine. He's tough and strong. I'm sure he'll make a full recovery."
Mal took Carlos's hand and gently said, "Let's go wait in the lobby, okay?"
Carlos nodded and let Ben, Mal, and Jay guide him to a couch, where they sat in solemn silence until a crooked portal appeared slightly above them, and they heard a guy's shout echoing inside it.
Hayden shot out of it, yelled, "Ah, shit!" and then landed on the floor on his stomach with a large "OOF!"
"Oww…" Hayden moaned as he climbed to his feet.
"Hey, Hayden." Mal called from the couch.
Hayden looked at her, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Thank god. I was worried the portal had transported us to the wrong place."
Hayden turned back to the portal and shouted into it, "You can come through, guys, just be careful! The portal's in kind of an awkward angle!"
A girl's yelling sounded through the portal, and Evie suddenly fell onto Hayden, knocking him onto the floor.
"OW!" he cried.
"Sorry," Evie said, climbing off of him as Harley came through the portal and landed on the floor with a thud.
"It's fine. Sorry the portal's messed up." Hayden said to Evie and Harley.
"At least it got us to where we needed to be." Harley said as he tried to get to his feet, only to have Harper tackle him as she came through the portal.
"Thank you for breaking my fall." Harper said, climbing off of Harley.
"My back…" Harley moaned.
As soon as everyone had made it through the portal and finished slamming on the ground, Hayden shut it and asked, "Is everyone okay?"
Everyone nodded, and Hazel scoffed and said, "I told you I should've been the one to make the portal! We wouldn't have been slammed into the ground if it had been mine!"
"You're evil! How was I to know that you weren't planning to take us back to Isle, or worse?!" Hayden barked.
"Guys, now's really not the time for fighting! We're here for Gold, remember?" Fran interrupted.
"Right. How is he?" Hayden asked, turning to Mal, Jay, Ben, and Carlos.
"We're not sure. He was taken into the ER a few minutes ago, and we haven't heard a word about his condition since." Carlos reported anxiously.
"Ah." Hayden said darkly, his face concerned.
"We're sorry we're late, by the way. We were going to come sooner, but Fran, Evie, and Claire insisted on stopping by the store to get Gold gifts." Hadie explained, sounding confused.
"We learned in Goodness 102 that in Auradon, the nice thing to do when a friend or family member is hospitalized is to bring them gifts like flowers, cards, and chocolates to cheer them up." Fran explained.
"Wait," Claudine said, frowning at her sister, "There's more than one goodness class?!"
"Yeah." Fran said, smiling at her sister.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Claudine howled.
"Shh!" Everyone hissed.
"Miss, please don't shout in the hospital!" a nurse called.
Claudine snarled at her, and turned back to the group and growled, "This place keeps getting more and more infuriating by the minute!"
"Claudine!" Fran snapped as the door to the ER burst open and Dr. Wood ran up to the group.
"Are you Gold Gothel's friends?" he asked, removing his mask.
"Yes," Carlos cried, leaping to his feet, "How is he?"
"You were smart to bring him in when you did. His pneumonia is one of the worst cases I've ever seen. With the state he's in, I'd say he would have lasted maybe a few more days before he died." Dr. Wood said solemnly.
"That's horrible!" Fran cried, her hands over her mouth and eyes moist.
"Can you cure him?" Jay asked quickly.
"Yes, but it'll take time. His immune system's been heavily weakened, and not just from the disease." Dr. Wood said.
"What do you mean?" Ben asked, frowning.
"He's body's scarily thin because it looks like he hasn't eaten a week. And it appears that he seldom eats at all." Dr. Wood explained.
"Ah." Carlos said, his voice pained.
"Do you know why Gold's starving, Carlos?" Mal asked, turning to him.
Carlos nodded and said, "Mother Gothel doesn't feed her kids if they do something good. And since Gold's so good, he doesn't get fed by his mom a lot. I had to buy him his lunch a lot back on the Isle."
"You're kidding!" Claire cried.
"Wow. And all this time, I thought Gold was naturally scrawny." Hayden mumbled.
"You didn't see the way he hoisted me in the air that one time?" Jay asked, incredulous.
"I wasn't there that day." Hayden explained.
"How long will it take Gold to recover?" Evie asked Dr. Wood.
"He should be able to be released from the hospital in about six weeks, but he won't be able to fully recover for 3-6 months, if he's like most people with severe pneumonia." Dr. Wood explained.
"3-6 MONTHS?!" All the good VKs and Ben cried.
"I'm afraid so. When he's out of the hospital, make sure he gets lots of rest and fluids, have him take an antibacterial medicine twice a day, and don't let him take any cough medicine. Coughing is a way your body fights off an infection." Dr. Wood instructed.
"Can we see Gold now?" Carlos asked.
"Yes, of course. Follow me." Dr. Wood said.
Dr. Wood led them to the elevators, pressed the button for the third floor, and led them through a series of hallways when the elevator stopped.
Dr. Wood knocked on the door to room 352, and Gold's raspy voice replied, "Come in."
Dr. Wood and the friends walked in to find Gold in a hospital gown on a bed, an IV in his right arm, and a vital organs monitor on his left. His breathing was still bad, but had slowed to the point where he sounded relaxed. Gold was staring out the window into the hospital garden, tears running down his face.
"Are you okay, Gold?" Carlos asked, walking to his side.
"Yes. I've just never seen anything so...beautiful." Gold wheezed, smiling through the tears, "Is this really Auradon?"
"It sure is." Ben said, smiling as he walked towards Gold.
"It's prettier than I ever imagined. I feel like I'm in a dream." Gold said, his heart speeding up.
"It's real, Gold. And once you get out, you'll get to see so much more beautiful things and meet amazing people!" Fran said kindly, her eyes shining.
Gold turned and discovered in a shock how many people there were in the room.
"Uh," Gold asked, turning to Fran, Claire, Harley, and Hayden, "Do I know you four?"
Hayden, Harley, Fran, and Claire burst out laughing at that, while Gold frowned in confusion.
"What's so funny?" Gold asked.
"Gold, that's Fran, Claire, Hayden, and Harley! You know, they transferred 3 months ago?" Evie asked.
Gold's eyes widened, and he rasped, "For real?! Wow! You guys look great!"
"Thanks." the four of them said, stopping their laughter.
"We're sorry we laughed. It's just we didn't think we'd changed so much that we couldn't be recognized by our old peers!" Fran said.
"Ah. I see your siblings made it here, too. Hey, Hazel, Hadie, Harper, Clay, and Claudine!" Gold said kindly.
"Hey, Gold!" Hadie and Clay said, beaming.
Harper snorted and looked disgusted, Claudine sneered at Gold, but Hazel stared with wide eyes at him, swallowing like there was something in her throat, and her cheeks turning pink.
"How's Ginny?" Harley asked.
Gold's eyes widened, and he rasped, "That's right! There's something I need to tell you all!"
"What is it?" Claire asked.
Gold gestured for them to lean in and whispered, "Ginny's forming an army. She's trying to round up every VK left on the Isle and get them to follow her so she can find a way to break the barrier and take over Auradon."
"How is she going to do that? Ginny's one of the least known villains on the Isle. The only thing that made her notable was you being her brother and your mother being a teacher!" Harper scoffed.
"She's asserting her dominance now more than ever. Since Mal, Hazel, and Harper have left the Isle and Uma epically failed at her mission, she's becoming the one to fear, and she's trying to gain support. And it's working. She's already got Theo, Evelyn, Storm, Alayna, Madison, and Leo behind her, and many others are considering joining her, too. We have to stop her, and quick!" Gold mumbled.
He suddenly went into a coughing fit, making everyone back away while Gold grabbed the tissue box on the left side of his bed.
"Hold on," Ben said, taking out his notepad when Gold stopped coughing, "Who are Theo, Evelyn, Storm, Alayna, Madison, and Leo?"
"Theo's the son of Theodora, the Wicked Witch of the West, Evelyn's the daughter of Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East, Storm is Stromboli's son, Alayna is Alameda Slim's daughter, Madison's the daughter of Madam Medusa, and Leo's Lefou's son." Fran explained.
"Who else is think of joining?" Mal asked Gold.
"Like I said, pretty much every VK that's left on the Isle. Shen-Shan Yu's son, Chev-son of Chernabog, Rick-Governor Ratcliffe's son, Hector-son of the Horned King, Percy-Percival McLeach's son, Nolan-Queen Narissa's son, Amara-Amos Slade's daughter, Hanna-Han's daughter, Moriah-Morgana's daughter, Lily Theresa-daughter of Lyle Tiberius Rourke, and Helena Kathleen-Helga Katrina Sinclair's daughter." Gold listed.
All the VKs were silent with shock as the took in what Gold had said.
"Gold's right. With all that power, Ginny could definitely take down Auradon if she and her gang escaped. We have to stop her!" Evie cried.
"Okay, I'll make a note to bring over Ginny and her followers as soon as we're done reforming Claudine, Harper, and Hazel." Ben said, adding something to his notepad.
"Which is never going to happen!" Harper and Claudine said at the same time while Hazel stared in confusion.
Claudine and Harper turned to each other in surprise, and then quickly looked away from each other.
Ben's phone suddenly rang, and he picked it up and answered, "Hello?"
"Oh, hi, Fairy Godmother. What's up? … Okay, I'll be right there-wait, what? … But there was an emergency! … *sigh* Yes, ma'am. I'm really sorry… I will. Okay, bye." Ben said.
He hung up and announced, "We have to go back to school now. We're in trouble for leaving without getting permission from Fairy Godmother, so she's not letting us staying out anymore."
"You're leaving me?!" Gold cried.
"Yeah, but just for today. We'll catch up more tomorrow, promise." Carlos said kindly.
Gold smiled and said, "I'll be waiting. Thanks so much, guys!"
"You're welcome." Everyone except Harper, Claudine, and Hazel said as they dropped off their gifts for Gold.
"So, since Fairy Godmother wants us back at school as soon as possible, I can teleport us back." Hayden said, his irises glowing blue.
"NO!" Everyone cried.
"I drove Ben, Mal, Carlos, and Gold here in the limo, I'll just drive us back." Jay said.
"Will it fit all of us?" Fran asked.
"Yeah, it's big enough." Jay said, spinning the keychain on his finger.
"Well, it sounds better than risking Hayden messing up another portal, even if it's slower." Hazel spat, still looking bewildered.
"Hey!" Hayden cried.
"I agree. Sorry, Hayden, but I don't want to get more bruises or worse from another awkwardly placed portal. Maybe you could practice more and try again some other time?" Fran asked, taking Hayden's hand.
Hayden sighed and said, "Alright."
Everyone said goodbye to Gold as the left, and climbed into the limo. As Jay started driving back towards Auradon, everyone's hearts sped up, recalling with a chill Gold's sinister warning.
Happy belated Thanksgiving to all my American followers! Sorry for the delay!