Update time.


Blaine paced in Ben's room, his steps sure but agitated. So, murdering Doug had backfired drastically. He had helped Mal escape her mental prison.

Not...so...clever...now...huh? came Ben's voice in his head. Ben's voice reflected his pain. It came out breathy, like he was being crushed under a boulder and could scarcely draw breath. It wouldn't be too much longer until he was silenced completely and his soul would pass on, giving Blaine full control of the king's body.

"Oh, shut up," Blaine hissed and turned to pass the mirror again. His baby brother's voice didn't pipe up too often now, and it was annoying when it did. He would be able to tell when Ben passed, so he knew he was still present. But he sometimes forgot Ben could chime in whenever he had saved up enough strength.

Blaine turned back to the open laptop on his bed. The screen showed a live feed of the royal lounge upstairs. Evie was currently blubbering in a corner. And Mal, Jay, and Carlos were huddled on the couch, pouring over a book. They were speaking too softly for the camera Blaine had placed to pick up and transmit their words.

So, those three had made it back from the Isle safe and sound. Figured. He should have done something to interfere. Now, they were back and armed with an instruction book and Mal's magic. He didn't like that combination, but at least it was less than twenty-four hours until Ben would die. Then, it would be futile to stop Blaine. They would have to destroy Ben's physical body and find a way to explain that to the country. They would be put away as murders and forever condemn any of their kind from being given a second chance in Auradon ever again.

Blaine huffed and shut the laptop in frustration. If they wouldn't speak louder, he might have to go there to eavesdrop. Yet, he knew he couldn't go near them. That was dangerous when they were possibly armed with the right tools to destroy him.

He sighed and began pacing again. He would just have to wait them out.

The bedroom door suddenly swung open, and Blaine stopped to stare at it. There was no one in the doorway. Only the empty corridor outside faced him. He hadn't even moved to shut it when the door instantly slammed shut, rattling some of Ben's tourney trophies on the shelf near the door.

Blaine narrowed his eyes, immediately catching on to what was going on. How many times had he tried tormenting his family with ghostly scares? "Whatever you're planning, Doug, it's a bad idea. Your time of helping is up."

As if in direct response, the floor-length mirror to Blaine's right shattered, its surface now a spiderweb of breaks and distorted reflections of the same thing.

"Now you're just being unreasonable," Blaine said. "I liked that mirror."

Blaine crossed his arms over his chest, trying to predict Doug's next move. It was typical for vengeful spirits to throw child-like tantrums. And murder victims were typically vengeful for some reason. Honestly, Blaine thought it was better if Doug would just let it go. "Come on, Doug, let's be reasona-"

Blaine screamed as pain ripped through his skull. It felt as if someone were drilling a hole directly between his eyes. He collapsed to his knees, holding his head in his hands as the pain expanded through the rest of his body. "Stop!" he yelled. "It's too many souls in one body! And you'll kick Ben out quicker. You're hurting him too."

But still the pain didn't stop as Doug's forced intrusion continued. Blaine's limbs felt light and out of his control as if he were a puppet on strings. No longer in control of his own movements, he was forced to his feet. He tried to fight back, tried to stop his feet from moving forward, but he only stumbled and fell out into the hallway.

Again, the puppeteer inside him forced him to his feet and began dragging him down the hall one painful step after another. Blaine tried to push back at Doug's influence where he had gained a partial possession, just enough to control Blaine's movements but not be inside his head. But the more he fought, the more he hurt. He slammed into walls and tripped up steps as Doug led him through the palace toward the one place he wanted to avoid. And Blaine knew it too. He knew Doug was leading him toward the lounge where Mrs. Potts, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos were sitting plotting his demise. Doug was trying to help, trying to speed up the process by finding Blaine for them instead of sending them on a chase until time ran out for Ben as Blaine had planned.

As they got closer to the lounge, the door now in sight, Blaine fought harder. But now, he could feel the press of Ben's consciousness pushing back. Ben was feeding off of Doug's strength enough to attempt to push Blaine back. And it was working. Blaine may have been in control mentally, but his movements were becoming more and more fluid as Doug and Ben gained motor control.

With one final clash of will power, Blaine found his head slammed into the doorframe of the lounge. His head spun, both physical and mental pain making him dizzy and nauseous.

The door flew open, and Blaine tried to move, but his feet were rooted in place. He stood face-to-face with Evie. Her face was streaked with tears and mascara. Immediately, Blaine felt the control of his limbs return to him as Doug pulled away and Ben's consciousness subsided to a murmur once more.

Blaine tried to moved. He tried to speak. But he was too weak. The battle against Doug and Ben had drained him too much and he had had no time to recover. That's why when he saw Evie's fist raise and arm pull back, it was as if everything were in slow motion. He knew he couldn't raise a finger to stop her. He was about to pass out as it was.

Her fist connected with his jaw, causing his teeth to clash together and the taste of blood to fill his mouth. But it didn't last for long. He blinked his eyes closed. Everything went dark. And he could feel himself falling.


I apologize for the long wait, guys. I've had a rough few weeks. School is kicking my butt. My boyfriend of 1.5 years broke up with me the first day of school. I got a sinus infection that same week. It's been rough. I'm struggling. Please review. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.

Foarrin