"What do you mean, King Ben?" Hazel asks calmly. Don't get her wrong she felt quite challenged, but she refuses to lash out. Not at the King of Auradon. Hazel is not like Ara. She has another method of getting her point across.
"They look expensive. Where did Ara get them? The same with your clothing-" Ben says, but Hazel cuts him off.
She lifts her hand as she always does, and somehow it stops everyone's sentences in their tracks!
She grabs her white and gold hand bag. Then she pulls put a ton of receipts and smacks them on the lunch table in front of Ben. His facial expression doesn't even begin to cover how surprised he is.
"They should answer your questions. These are the stores we went to, the things we bought, and the times. Yes, we bought everything, so you don't have to worry. I have earned a job that pays a great deal of money. Consider me lucky. I work with expensive gem stones at the company downtown. Since I have told you my whole life story, I would like to eat without being interrogated, please." Hazel leaves him shocked and with a ball of receipts. She sips her lemonade like nothing happened. That is how Hazel solves her problems.
Ben is dumbfounded. He is also surprised at how fast he got showed up. Maybe she has been taking lessons from Ara?
Hazel doesn't even meet eyes with him as if he was boring. He was about to ask something else, but Doug asks a question instead.
"So, what made you want to hang out with Ara? Has she taught you any evil schemes yet?" he says almost teasingly.
Hazel chuckles to herself a bit. She knows where this is going, but she has a way of handling this also.
George looks almost upset by Doug's statement, but Hazel smiles at George. When she did that, George knew she would handle it.
"No, but you should know that I am aware of what your getting at. The only thing Ara has taught me, is to take care of myself no matter what anyone else says and to open up. Pretty much; to be myself and live life to the full. To stop wishing I was someone else, but to use what I've been born with to make a name for myself in this world. To reach to be the best. If that is an evil scheme, then yes, she has taught me plenty." She says as she brings the cup back to her mouth.
Now it's Doug's turn to be dumbfounded. She completely deflected his comment and replied with something so heart felt that it made him feel bad for even trying to insult Ara. He's supposed to be the smart one. Who do Ara and her friends think they are?!
"I like this girl. She is good at breaking faces!" Freddie says very much impressed.
"You have no idea." Triple G says not worried at all.
Hazel tips her cup up to her in recognition and Freddie does the same. Mal gives Hazel an under the table low-five so Ben won't be upset. The two snicker at their childish antics, that makes Chester tilt his head in confusion.
Mal is impressed at Hazel. All of that and not one single stutter! She sounded very mature; elegant even.
"How about a real conversation. I love your hair! How is it so vibrant? Did you dye it?" Audrey asks. The fashionista was buzzing about her hair. She so happened to be sitting on the left hand side of Hazel.
"Please, one question at a time. But I went to the salon in the mall named Enchanted the other day. They restored the healthy shine of it by moisturization and cut it a little. Other than that, nothing else happened to it." Hazel says.
"Are you telling me that you were born with this hair color?" she asks.
Hazel nods in response to her question. "If you don't believe me, feel free to pluck a hair out of my arm. I can assure you they are the same color also." She says teasingly.
Audrey laughs a bit and says," I think I will pass, but may I touch your hair?"
Hazel saw no problem with it at all. It's not like she has a pair of scissors in the other hand. So, Hazel did not really mind. Actually she was just surprised that things were going this well so far.
"Sure. I don't mind." She says and Audrey waist no time. She steadily runs her fingers through the ruby tresses slower than a heart's beat.
"I wish my hair texture was like yours. It's very silky and warm. It is so vibrant too! It's like it's made out of red pixie dust, or something!" Audrey says as she rubs her hands through her hair instead of stroking her fingers through it.
Hazel leans on her elbows as she lets Audrey do her thing. Hazel reacts to the touches with sighing and small hums that Audrey can hear. It is enough to bring some color to Audrey's face.
Mal has had enough of this. Mal can hear Hazel as much as Audrey can. Mal is sitting on the right side of her! She looks at everyone else and sees that they are now in different conversations with the other kids. So, she is the only one that sees this?
She looks at how Audrey rubs her hand through her hair. She said she wanted to 'touch' it. What is that then!? That is more than touching it!
This makes Mal burn, but considering her past with Audrey, a smoother approach may be what she needs.
Mal decides to take the Auradonian route to solve her problem; to ask for a turn. Simple.
Mal asks, "Hey, Hazel, I never got to touch your hair before. Can I touch it, now? If you don't mind, Audrey?"
Audrey, being the Auradonian she is, unwillingly took her hand away from Hazel's hair with a pout. Thankfully, It did not take long for Audrey to get caught up in another conversation (being the type of person she is).
Hazel turns to Mal and says, "Your turn? I didn't know you actually paid much mind to my hair."
"I know you don't read minds, but, I do love what you've done with your hair. Your hair is- it's stunning Hazel." Mal says as she begins to go through her hair slowly as if to savor the moment.
Hazel smiles at her as she does this. Their eyes meet each other's for a moment, then Hazel folds her arms on the table and rests on them. Mal keeps consistent as her fingers go through her hair.
Chester chuckles to himself. 'You just get all the girls, don't you, Hazel? The sad part is, you are completely oblivious!'
Ben is pretty furious at this point. There was not one time where Mal played with his hair like that. Granted, Hazel does have amazing hair, but still. Maybe it's just the way Mal is touching her hair. She is rubbing her scalp more than touching her hair. Then, her hand would travel down to the girl's cheek and her hand would go back up to her face. Hazel didn't even seem to care. Ben was going insane at this point. Some how he manages to keep his silence.
"Audrey's right, Stutter Butter, your hair is warm." Mal says as she continues her voyage through her hair.
Hazel shrugs. She was enjoying this. Is this what Chester feels when she pets him? All she knows is that she loves this.
Ara and Evie finally return looking like they had witnessed a killing.
George and G look at each other in a concerned manor. "Are you alright, Ara?"
Ara snapped out of her mind at her brother's call. "What?"
"Are you alright? You look kind of off." He responds.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Look at the gift I got from Evie. It's a caramel apple. They are really good too!" Ara brags (to get her mind off of what had happened). For Evie it was not that easy.
"Anyone who gets you to eat something sweet earns my respect." Triple G says.
George smiles as he finishes his box. He gives a thumbs up.
"Well done, indeed. Not too syrupy and not too natural. A perfect combination of Ara's favorites, I believe. Now what's in it for you?" Chester asks as he glides to Evie's shoulder. He sports a grin as he does this.
"Um. Thanks? What do you mean what's in it for me?" she says not used to a cat just flying on her shoulder.
"I know you are her official guardian and all, but the last time I checked giving gifts was not in the job description." Chester says then begins to lick his right paw.
"I am supposed to show hospitality and be a good example. So giving gifts is appropriate!" Evie says becoming slightly offended.
"-But why a gift like that? Those decorations. That takes so much of your time and energy to make. Why get so upset that you want to leave and rid of it instead of getting something else?" Chester presses.
She glances at Doug who sits a bit out of the way from her, across from Ben.
She whispers, " How do you-what are you getting at, cat?
He smirks and says, "So, what are your intentions with my friend?"
"E-Excuse me!?" Evie's completely caught by surprise.
"Shh! You don't want her to hear, now, do you? How attracted are you to her? Sexually, emotionally, or both?" Chester asks in a whisper.
"What- no- I-!" Evie blushes badly due to Chester's prying. "Chester, can we please talk about this later? In an area less…populated?"
"Hmm. I guess your right. Meet me at my quarters; room 463 at five. There we will have solitude so we can get to the bottom of this. Agreed." He says and cleans the other paw.
"Um, I'm not sure…" Evie says.
"It would be nice, healthy, to have someone to talk to. You can't talk to Mal. Do you think she will support her best friend being attracted to her enemy? You definitely can't talk to Doug. Ben doesn't seem like he could keep a secret like this. Same with your other friends."
"How do you know I can trust you?" Evie asks.
"Excellent question, but I should not be your concern. I am Ara's friend so if something were to happen, it would hurt her also, and I wouldn't want that to happen. It would hurt her because she cares for you. She just doesn't know how to deal with it." Chester explains.
"Cares for me? What do you mean?" Evie asks.
"I would love to explain now, but our time is almost up. Three, two, one." The lunch bell rings signaling the end of the group's time together.
Evie was shocked at Chester's timing. She looks at her shoulder to see him gone. Mysterious cat.
"I can't believe it. We survived!" Triple G says while he high-fives George.
When Mal hears the bell, she reluctantly releases Hazel's hair. Hazel smiles at her when she does.
"Why the long face?" she asks Mal.
"Well, I didn't exactly want to stop." Mal glides her fingers throughout her hair one last time.
"Really?" she asks. Why would she care so much about that?
Against all of Hazel's better judgment she says, "I will let you do it again tomorrow. When we meet to work on our project together. If that would make you feel better."
Hazel takes a red pen out of her bag and takes Mal's hand. Mal blushes furiously, but Hazel pays no mind as she scribbles her number on Mal's palm.
"Be still." Hazel says while smiling at Mal's behavior.
"It tickles!" she says while twitching.
When Hazel finishes she says, "There. Text me and I will save your number. I will pick a location for us to study and send it to you. Then you can touch me all you like."
They both blush terribly at her mistake. Hazel hurries to correct it. Goodness!
"T-Touch me-my hair! Touch my-hair all you like…" she stutters.
"O-ok. Thanks, Stutter Butter." Mal says as a good bye. She is impressed that she is able to speak at all after that.
"Your welcome, Mal." She replied as she hurriedly heads off to meet with Ara.
Hazel and Ara and the boys rid of the pizza boxes, then gather together.
"Well, that wasn't a complete disaster." Hazel says.
"Agreed. It was pretty fun" Ara says.
"I say it was." Jane says.
"Yeah, it went better than expected." Lonnie says.
" Well, I think it's about time that I say that maybe your not that bad after all." Carlos says to Ara.
Ara laughs a bit "Don't get to ahead of yourself, Carlos. That reminds me. Here."
She snaps. A box appears in her hand and tosses it at him. He barely catches the box in time. He considers this being a trap as he states at the box. It's a shoe box?
"Go on." Ara says.
He hesitantly opens it to find something very unexpected. It is a pair of shoes, but not any pair of shoes. It is a pair of Nike SB dog walkers! [AN: To get a clear picture, I suggest looking them up. They are not easy to describe!]
Part of the shoe is green like grass, the top is brown and furry, it has Dalmatian spots, a red Nike check mark, and one shoe comes with a dog tag that says "Dude" on it.
Carl's eyes nearly pop out of his head. "Are these real?!"
"Yeah, they are authentic and very…well interesting. You were the first one I thought of when I saw them. So I bought them. I was going to prank you with them, but Evie made me realize gifts are cool…so go crazy." Ara says basically shooing him away.
But instead he gives her a back breaking hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Not only has Ara been robbed of the air that was in her lungs, but she has no idea how to respond to all of 'this'.
"Line!?" Ara says to anyone who would answer her.
"The proper thing to say is 'Your welcome'." Hazel giggles while watching Ara squirm like a fish oit of water.
"Gah! Your welcome, Carlos." Ara says while using the last bit of her free arm to pat Carlos on the back. "Oh! Bones cracking! Ribs (gasps for breath) crumbling!"
"I think that's enough, Carlos…" Jay says having pity on Ara.
"Oh sorry." Carlos quickly let her go, and Ara happily fell to the ground.
Hazel caught her and lifted back up. "Thank you for having my back, Hazel." Ara says to her.
"Where were you two? This is why y'all don't get gifts." Ara says to the boys.
They just have halved eyes and swallow.
When everyone is ready to leave, they notice that someone is missing from the group. A very important someone.
Ara is somehow already near the exit when everyone turns around. She waves and winks at Evie before she heads off to her class. Leaving Evie to blush terribly.
"Show off." Triple G says.
888888888888
Five came so fast as soon as school ended, and Evie considered if she was going to even meet with the feline. Especially when she will be talking about one of her most personal thoughts, but in all she went. She went just to get his opinion. Chester seems pretty wise, so he will have to act as her psychiatrist for now. Only until she works up the nerve to tell someone like Mal. Hopefully that wouldn't be a mistake.
She goes to the boy's hall and eventually finds room 463 on the left side of the third floor.
'I bet this room is pretty nice. It's on the third floor.' She thinks as she knocks.
She hopes she has the right door, but all of her inner trouble was put to rest when he came out of a small door at the base of the real door. She is guessing it is a dog door (works the same for cats). Instead of having a flap, it is an actual wooden door with gliding hinges. Evie was impressed.
"So you came." He says.
"I am here." She replies.
"Well, do come in. The door is already open." He walks inside his cat door.
Evie takes a deep breath and twists the knob. No going back now.
88888888888
When she enters the room, I see her scanning the area with her eyes. I can see her eyes look over my collection of books, gadgets, collectables, and video games. What? Even I like a bit of Mario every now and then.
I have a nice amount of bean bag chairs due to me being a feline. I should be glad I have these for guests. If it where up to them (Auradon in general) my room would be a cat palace, because they would think it's cute!
I don't want a cat room! I want a room the same as everyone else's. All of that aside.
"Please, sit anywhere you feel comfortable." I say.
She seems tense. Maybe as we talk more she will loosen up.
She sits on my bed and looks at me nervously; like she has gotten in trouble.
"Relax. I am not going to scold you. I am a guy you can talk to." I explain so hopefully she can be less tense. "Now, about Ara. I can tell she cares for you by the way she is willing to spend time with you. She does this with no one else, but you and quite possibly Dizzy. If you were to ask her to drop everything and go do anything with you she would."
She thinks about It. She can't deny it because she knows it's true. The only problem is that she has not had the courage to ask Ara to do anything of the like. That is where I step in.
"How do we know that? How do we know for a fact that she feels this way?" Evie asks. She sounds as if she is scared to hear the answer.
I, on the other hand, have a different question.
"The real question is, does she feel the way you feel?" I ask. I give her some time to think. Her face is laced with confusion. Eventually she gives in and asks.
"What do you… mean, Chester?" She is completely confused. It is not unexpected. These kind of problems are not easy to figure out, but with a mind such as mine, we should be able to come to some sort of solution.
"I mean, well…how do I pit this." I ponder over my words carefully before speaking. It was a useful tip I learned from Hazel. "Your story is a classic Auradon story. Villain kids that turned good over a period of a week? In Auradon a week is a big thing. Much can get done in a week. Some people, on the other hand, need more that a week. It doesn't mean they are bad people. It means what ever has been instilled in them runs deep, and they need time to heal." I say as I clasp my paws together as a form of rest.
"What are you trying to say?" Evie says possibly even more confused than before.
Now that I've gotten that covered, I get straight to the point. "You, Mal, Jay, and Carlos fall under that one week category. Ara, Hazel, George, and G do not. In the past week they have done nothing, but get in trouble. Well, most of that was Triple G's fault with George. Ara speaks for herself. I am afraid to mention Mal and Hazel…"
"What about Mal and Hazel?" Evie asks.
"I have a feeling you will find out soon. With that aside, we can plainly see that Ara has barely warmed up to this place at all, but you all seemed to warm up in a day? Maybe two? Then, still had time to try out for cheerleading! It was still the beginning of the year!" I explain in depth. Hopefully she would get my point.
"Okay, okay, but what about how she feels. You know… how does she feel about me?" She says that last part quietly. She is scared to hear the answer, I assume.
There is something else. An emotion in her eyes. Oh, my.
Wow, already? I guess she is in the classic Auradonian category. Now, I must tread lightly. I don't want to upset the girl. This is a very delicate conversation, now.
"Hmm." I start. "This is why I have told you all of this. You are in that classic category. Believe it or not, this is the last of Friday. After tomorrow this week will be over. I dare say that you have already fallen in love with her. Have you not?"
Evie completely freezes. She had not thought her feeling where that deep at all. She didn't know What to say. Except for one thing.
"Yes, yes I have." Evie confesses. There is no point in hiding now. She might as well tell the whole truth. I would figure out if she was lying, and she knows this.
"I don't really know why, but I just do. Maybe it will come to me later, but for now, my mind is everywhere. I'm sorry for that." She explains.
"It's alright. I saw you guy's kiss by the way." I say completely catching her off guard.
She looks super red from embarrassment. I hold my urge to laugh and just grin instead.
"That was super awkward wasn't it?" I ask her.
"Yeah it was. She said it was an accident. I kinda wish it wasn't though."
"How amazing was It?"
"Chester!"
"Ok, fine! I will say this one last thing. If you want Ara to change, or maybe return your love, she needs to be shown love. She needs to feel like she is cared for. She needs someone willing to take care of her if need be. She needs someone to tell her how beautiful she really is, and not just about her looks. On the inside."
"Your not implying that someone would be me, right?" Evie asks with a touch of fear.
"If you love her as much as you say you do, you would do it whether I imply it or not. Because it is out of love you would do these things."
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Belle looks through the government records of all the citizens located in Auradon and surrounding areas. She is hoping to find an Ara'Levina in any of these. She comes up flat every time. She is beginning to run out of ideas. They have virtually nothing recorded on the isle (save for her existence). Now this? She's getting absolutely nowhere.
"I guess there is not much I can do. I could just assume that Gaston is her father, I suppose." She says to herself.
Ben and Adam are out spending some much needed father son time. After this week, some time was much needed for the two of them. While they are out, Belle is free to research on her own without certain opinions. Unfortunately, she has found nothing so far.
Why couldn't Ben choose someone…else? Someone who is less illusive? Someone who is easier to put up with? Someone who is less dangerous?
Well, this is the last resort, but it has to be done if she wants to have a complete rest tonight. She will have to keep pretending Ara is Gaston's daughter and keep pretending like the arrangements are working for her or she will have to talk to her herself. Adam won't like that. Not at all.
She would have to think about that through. If she goes to Ara alone, then she would put herself in danger and worry Adam. To be honest, she is not as concerned about worrying Adam than putting herself in danger. She could talk to Ara armed, but that might not end well. If she scares her then…
What if she goes with armed guards? Wait, no, they might agitate her. They may make her nervous then we have either another storm, or a funeral to plan. She is not considering bringing Adam. That can go nowhere, but bad. It seems the best thing to do is to speak with her directly and alone.
If it has to be done, it has to be done. She has no other resources to lean on. She must speak with Ara. She may even sit in when Ben and Evie talk. So far Evie knows more about Ara than she does. She also works up the courage to talk to her. She said that Ara wasn't that bad, so…
She guesses she will just have to wait and see.
88888888888
"There you go. That's my big girl. That's It. You did it!" a woman's voice says. It sounds so warm and gentle. I don't think I have had anyone else talk to me like that before.
"You are holding your own bottle! Good for you!" she says while looking at me.
I just look around the room carelessly drinking. I don't really have any meaningful thoughts, but all I know is I am happy and I feel safe. I just take in the scenery. Until I see her braid fall into the play pin.
My pupils grow wide. Ooh that looks fun! Can I play with it? Can I eat it? I wonder what it taste like? Well, only one way to find out.
The bottle falls out of my mouth as I look at the braid. It is long so I can reach it. The only thing that really provokes me are those sparkly things on her braid. Ooh, I'm gunna get 'em!
I quickly roll to the other side of the pin, so I can do one thing. I sit up the best I can while the woman looks at me with adoration- until I do this-
CHOMP
The bottom of the braid is now in my mouth. Ha, Ha success! I cheer in glee, but my sounds are muffled by the hair in my mouth. I kick happily.
"Ahhh! Gross!" she says as she fishes her hair from my mouth.
Ooh something is still in my mouth! Something super cold too! It feels nice. It's mine!
I swish it around in my mouth enjoying the feeling. I wanted to swallow it, but I got busted. I see her looking at me with irritation. I just look back at her blankly.
"Levina. Spit it out."
I keep looking at her blankly.
She sighs, "Open your mouth." She tries to pry my mouth open, but I am not budging.
No it's mine!
"Araaa." She says getting exhausted with my antics.
She thinks for a moment. She grads something behind me. She holds it up. Ooh it's my bottle. I forgot how hungry I was!
My pupils grow wide once more as I reach for the ba ba. I open my mouth for my ba ba, but when I do so, some fingers jet into my mouth and remove the shiny thing!
Hey…that was mine…
I am now upset. I am sad. She took it from me. It was mine…
My bottom lip begins to quiver and I begin to cry. Large tears roll down my cheeks as I do. The woman allowed me to cry for a bit longer. After that she picks me up and pats me on the back repeatedly.
"Ahh. It's okay, but that was a no, no. I can't let you eat that." She says looking at me with a face I do not like. Is she mad at me?
I burry my head in her neck as forgiveness.
"Aww, I can never stay mad at you. Can I?"
She takes me to her bed and swaddles me in a purple blanket with sparkly colors. I wonder what it taste like.
She picks me up and walks to the window. I look out to see water falling from the sky! There is so much going on out there that I can't focus on one thing! Wow!
"Look, Levina. You did that. You made it rain. Your magic is awake in you early I see. It might be a while before we visit Auradon together."
She says. I look at her, but I do not have the slightest clue of what she is talking about.
"You are going to be very strong when you grow up. Very beautiful too. I love you very much, Ara'Levina. Always remember that." She holds me up to meet her eyes. I stare into them.
She has eyes like mine!
"Your majesty! The crowds are waiting for you!" someone else says.
"Oh! Coming!" she says as she holds me in her arms again.
"Now, listen to me, Levina. I am going to leave you with the maids and your cousins, and so help me, if you give them any trouble-" She stops when she sees the look in my eyes.
"Mommy has to leave. It is important. I will be right back."
The maid has come to take me away from her. When that happens, I feel like I am fading away. No I don't want to go! Wait!
As she walks away things fade to black.
I sit up abruptly. Breathing hard with ragged breaths. I look at the time. It is apparently five-forty five in the morning. I rub my eyes roughly and try to calm my breathing. What was that? That was a dream, right?
But if It was a dream, why did it feel so real? I bring my knees to my chest and hug them. I try to calm my breath and think about something else, but that is all I can think about!
I look over to where Hazel's bed is. It is on the opposite side of the room. I see her sleeping. Her hair wrapped in a cloth to prevent sleep damage. Who am I to judge? My hair is just in a simple fish tail braid for the night though. I rest my aching head in my knees. I can feel my bangs tickle my leg when I do this. The sun has barely risen, but I might as well get up anyway. It's not like I will be sleeping with my heart pounding like this.
I get out of bed and get myself ready for the day. It's Saturday so nothing much should be satisfactory. I redo my fish tail braid and use a small rubber band to tie it at the bottom. I wear a red long sleeved shirt with yellow sequins that form many types of flowers on the shirt. I also wear a pair of black, skin tight jeans, and brown boots today. They have golden buckles! Love it!
I leave my black and gold holographic cape in the closet. I just don't feel like I need it today. I still make sure it hasn't picked up any bunnies of dust lately. That I do make sure of.
After I complete my make-up routine, I take a deep breath and walk out of the bathroom. By then I see Hazel awake. I look to the clock and see it's six thirty-five. Hasn't she ever heard of sleeping in!?
"Aren't You up early." Hazel says to me. Her voice is still raspy from awakening.
"Yeah, I had a weird dream. I was just going to go take a walk." I say.
"In the rain?" she asks.
Is it raining? I properly look out the window to see it is raining. Not only that. Pouring! I could sit outside at least? I will find a nice covered spot.
"I forgot to whom I was talking to." She says while walking into the bathroom. "Enjoy Your thinking time."
She says while closing the door.
888888888
I find an open gazebo outside while I was wondering around. I didn't even feel like using my powers to repel the rain. Sometimes I welcome getting wet. When I am in my outdoor clothing like these, I really don't mind it. This brings me back to my childhood in the isle.
I used to play rough. I used to tackle. I used to wrestle. I used to win too! Why? Well, what do you expect from me growing up with three brothers? J.R., or Gaston Jr. is the oldest. He used to always make sure I was on his team. He would make sure I was included. I would use the bit of magic I had to make fires. We would sit around them with dad, and he would tell us scary stories and his manly hunting tales. He would also tell us all the things he planned on doing after he escaped from the isle. We would all day dream. It was our version of fun back then.
That was until my training intensified. Maleficent suggested, no, forced me to change my behavior and take things more seriously. Every thing more seriously! When that happened, time with my family was harder and harder to get. Things continued to change after that, but as I stare into the rain, my mind encourages me to think of the good times.
I lean on the wooden rails and fall deep into my thoughts.
"Is this spot taken?" I hear someone say. Is that who I think it is?
"Ben?" I say surprised. I turn around as confused as ever. It is him. Why is he here; with me? Didn't his parents tell him to stay away? What happened to that?
"Why are you here? Didn't you make an entire speech about staying away from me earlier this week?" I snap at him.
He must have seen how confused and defensive I was becoming. He says, "Calm down. I am not here from my parents and I am not here to get any answers. Not yet at least."
I scoff.
"I swear! I usually come here anyway to clear my head. I am actually surprised to see you're here!" He defends himself quickly.
I guess that's legit reasoning. "You are still supposed to stay away, or am I mistaken." I say this bitterly and cut my eyes at him.
He takes a deep breath and says, "My parents encourage me to make that speech. If it were up to me, we would have met properly a long time ago. Now, I have no idea what to think of my parents. My mom is saying one thing, while my dad is saying another. My dad is so… emotional about this. Then there is Mal. Did I mention this entire thing is all about you?"
I turn to him for the first time, and I smirk at him.
"You really know how to shake up a place." He says with humor.
"I consider it a gift." I reply.
So his parents were behind that. Go figure. I should've seen that coming. Now it looks like King-y boy is having some doubts about who to listen to.
"You're the King." I say staring in to the rain.
"Yes, yes I am." He says looking off into the same distance.
The light sound of thunder echoes and rain pours.
I go back to leaning on the rails. I am so scatter brained this morning that I am not even bothered by his presence like I normally would be. Apparently he picks up on that, and he joins me in leaning on the railing. Again, I am not bothered by this. My thoughts went back to the dream I had. Only to be interrupted.
"I see you're pretty distant, today. If I may ask, what's on your mind?" he asks.
That question tears my mind from space and I look at him. Should I tell him? I don't see where it can really do any harm. I mean, it's just a dream. Besides, if I tell the boys they would be nothing but confused, or they'll think I'm crazy. Hazel might understand, but it is hard to say. There is no telling if Ben would understand either, But he's Ben for crying out loud. He should have an interesting opinion. I will tell him. Why not?
"I had a dream last night." I start. "I believe I saw my mother."
That got his full attention.
"Really?" he says listening closely.
"Yeah. I don't remember the whole thing. I had a bottle and a purple blanket. I am certain that the blanket had my name on it. I didn't understand it then-"
"Because you were a baby." Ben finished.
I nod. "Exactly. I bit her hair and pulled of a beret of some sort with my…gums. I don't think I had teeth then either." I say while I think.
He chuckles a bit while he continues to listen. "What did it taste like?"
"Cold, very cold." I say chuckling. "I saw the rain falling outside. Then she held me up, and when she held me up, I saw her eyes looked just like mine."
"Then what happened?" he asks completely sucked in.
"She had to leave. I didn't want her to leave, but she left. When she left I woke up. Ironically it's raining in real life." I reply.
"Wow, you don't think it could be a memory, do you?"
"It would make sense if it was. Everything felt so real. I felt real. I felt like I was actually living this. I don't remember much, but I do know that-" I cut myself off. I am carried into my mind for a moment. Carried into that familiar feeling of loneliness.
"Know what?" he asks me.
I swallow and say, "That I miss her. I miss her so much."
Ben looks out to the rain for a moment. He opens his mouth then closes it. Then he repeats the process for at least two minutes.
"Yes, Ben." I say without needing to look at him.
"Would you like to play a game?" He finally asks.
"A game? You want to play a game with me? Even worse; in the rain?" Has he completely lost his mind!? Did he forget who I am!? I guess not because he looks at me with a stupid playful grin.
"Yeah! It would help clear both of our minds." he says.
"(Sigh) Fine, but only to get these thoughts out of my head. What game are we playing?" I ask out of curiosity.
**ten minutes later**
"Boom ball!?" I ask full of concern. "What in the wicked world is boom ball!?"
We have left the gazebo to play Ben's game. For this game, he insisted that we go into an open area. No use of arguing. I don't even know what we're playing!
We have barely been in the rain for three minutes, and I already feel at least half way soaked. Ben looks like a wet dog. It is pretty ironic considering his heritage…
Good thing he is just in a t-shirt and jeans and a basic pair of kicks.
"It's the game we are playing." He holds up a blue kick ball and says, "The rules are simple. The ball is a bomb. All we have to do is not let the ball touch the ground. If it does, you blow up! Hence the name; boom ball."
"That's it? Wait, why didn't you just name it bomb ball?" I say. That would sound better in my opinion.
"We can talk about names later, but for now, you need to know that there are other things that apply. For example, if I throw the ball to you and you miss; or it touches the ground, you lose a point while I gain a point."
"That sounds harsh. What if you make a bad throw?" I ask.
"Then… oh snap! There are no bad throws in boom ball!" He says while laughing a bit.
"What if it flies out of range?" I ask.
"Well, If it flies out of range, or we don't think we could catch it, we have to run from it. Whoever is closest to it explodes whether it's my ball or your ball."
"What if it lands in a tree?" I ask while crossing my arms.
"Then it's still playable. As long as it does not touch the ground. There are no other rules against anything else." He says. "So what do you think? Sound fun?"
"It sounds like you made it up." I say.
"Yeah. I did. I just didn't have anyone to test it out on. Every time I ask Mal, she would run like I had a real bomb." He says scratching the back of his head.
I have one more question before I agree to this nonsense. "I can see why. Okay, let me get this right. This whole game is about throwing bombs at each other…"
"Yeah." He says.
"Running for our lives…"
"Uh-huh." He agrees.
"And blasting each other to a crisp for our own selfish gain?" I ask him.
"Well… when you put it that way-" He says actually thinking about it, but I cut him off.
"Why didn't you start with that? I'm in." I say. Hopefully I will not regret this.
"Here. You start us off." He says holding out the ball for me to take.
I took it. The ball feels foreign in my grasp. It has an interesting texture. The kick ball is slightly grip-like. It is also smooth in some way. It smells like fresh rubber. It is a clean ball. Too bad it's going to get ruined in this rainy outdoors.
Ok here we go.
I prepare to throw the ball as hard as I can, but something stops me. I throw it at him lightly and in close proximity.
"C'mon. I know you can do better than that!" he says in disappointment.
I know I could do better than that too! But still…
"Oh, yeah. I know could, but if you get a boo boo, I do not want your over protective parents knocking at my door!" I say rebelliously.
"Ara, don't baby me! I get enough of that from my parents." He smirks before he says this, "Besides, I didn't think that Ara'Levina LeGume, the daughter of Gaston, would give such weak throws."
He throws the ball back to me.
I catch it blankly.
He just did not. Alright. If that's how he wants it…
I step back a bit while nibbling on my cheek. I put the ball on the ground. I back up more. Then I jog a couple times and give the ball a kick.
The ball begins to make a beautiful arch in the air. It is hard to look at it because of rain drops falling in our face.
"Oh no." Ben says as he begins chasing the ball.
On the bright side, it is catchable. So he bolts after it. By some type of miracle, he is able to position himself correctly so he can catch it.
"Ha! Got it!" he says triumphantly. He hold up the ball in victory.
"Oh, yeah? Well next time you might not be so lucky, Baby Ben!" I say confidently.
He gives the ball his best throw. "Spoken like a true villain!"
I chase after the ball and say, "Thanks!"
I jump, twist in the air and catch it. I land in a crouching stance with one leg bent and the other behind me as if I was attempting a half split.
I guess my kung fu training would be beneficial in this case wouldn't it? Might as well use it.
I drop the ball and kick it back to him before it touches the soggy ground. He narrowly drops it due to the rain making his hands slippery. Once he has a firm grip he throws it. Too far.
"Darn it!" I blast after that ball. I can still get it. I still have time before it hits the ground.
I run through puddles as I was trained to do so. I slide on the wet grass like I played baseball, and the ball bounces off my leg. I possess it before it touches the ground.
"Yes!" I exclaim. I hold the ball up. I pay no mind to my entire back being on the wet ground. I am really soaked now, but I don't mind it. Surprisingly I am having fun; the most fun I have had in years!
I jump up off the ground to see Ben running towards me.
"Now that is how you play boom ball! You are going to be on my team when I introduce this to everyone else."
"Won't that be unfair to the others?" I say placing my hand on my hip.
"Well, look who's talking." He says playfully.
I waltz over to him and say, "Keep it up and you'll be exploding." I hold the kick ball between us, then hand it to him.
"So I take it you're ready for another round?" He asks.
I think for a moment.
"Does this answer your question?" I kick the ball as hard as I can. If we were playing kick ball, that would be a home run! Wait…
We both run for our lives. As soon as that ball touches the ground one of us is going to loose. I am not being blown up by my own ball! Talk about embarrassment!
Unfortunately as soon as we start running, we trip over each other. Classic. Now not only did I blow up by my own ball, but I blew up with Ben from tripping on him. In all, I guess we are tied.
I fall out on my back. I open my eyes to see the sky and raindrops falling all over me.
"Ben?" I call as I sit up. Now I know for sure that I am wet. Now that I look at myself closely, I am covered in mud.
"Mhm!" I hear as I gather rain water in my hands.
I look beside me to see Ben on the ground also. The only problem is that he is face down on the ground instead of face up like me. Wait that means his face is-
He looks up at me with a muddy-grass covered face.
I laugh at first sight. I laugh so hard that I spill some of the rain water I gathered in my hands. I laugh so hard that I drop the water and use my hands to keep myself from falling back on the ground. At this point I am shaking with laughter.
"Hey! It's not that fu- plegh!" While he was talking, some stray mud made its way into his mouth. Now he is repeatedly wiping his face and spitting everywhere.
I don't even care if I get spat on or not. This is too funny. I never laughed this hard in my life! I am laughing so hard that it's starting to hurt.
"Ah! The pa-a-a-ain! H-ha ha! Ple-please- B-hahaha!"
He gets most of the mud off of his while I calm myself. I look around to see that we ended up in the same area that the outdoor activities we're held. My laugh finally fades into a chuckle as I move my wet bangs out of my eyes.
Ooh, I have an idea!
"C'mon Ben!" I say as I stand and run off.
"Pleh! Coming! Slow down a bit!" He tries his best to get up and sprint after me.
I run all the way to the fountain. The same fountain where I had my magic show. The same fountain that is now overflowing with glowing water, surrounded with plants, and is looking brand new.
"Hey! It's the old fountain. I never got to say this but I like what you've done with th-" He would have finished his sentence. If I hadn't used my powers to spray water on his face.
I manipulate the cleaner waters from the fountain to spray his face off. It's working too!
He is now spitting again and trying to catch his breath.
"Hmm. One more should do it." I say as I spray him once again.
"Okay! I get it, Ara quit it!" He says while I keep spraying him.
"You know magic is illegal right? Stop that!" He continues.
"I am a special case. Asking me not to use magic is like asking me not to breath. As long as I live, it lives in me." I say as I gather fountain water in my hands. I gladly wash my face off with it.
"Well, I guess I can make an exception this once." He looks in my direction to find I am not there. He looks around to find me.
I appear behind him. Shh! Don't tell him!
Turn invisible again. I sneak up behind him. Time to pounce. I run to him ready to scare the wits out of him.
He smirks and grabs a pebble.
He going to do with that? Try to hit me with it?
He throws it into the air. I watch it until it comes all the way back down to the ground. What was that supposed to do? Oh well back to my-
Wait where did he go…?
I turn back to normal wondering what went wrong in my plan. Lets see, I turned invisible. He was in my sight.
Okay, there is not much in thus plan but it should've went better than this. Where is he-
All of a sudden I was tackled to the ground!
"Ahh!" I scream as we are reunited with the muddled ground.
He pins me to the ground while he is laughing hysterically.
Oh, I get it. The pebble was a distraction. Got it. I guess I underestimated him. I will never tell him that!
He is really getting a kick out of this. Isn't he?
"Yeah, yeah funny." I say. I open my eyes to see a very annoying view. Ben over me laughing. And laughing. And laughing. And laughing…
I fold my arms and chill on the ground until he finishes. While he is "throwing down", I access our current position. Someone can easily get the wrong idea just by seeing this. I probably should tell him to move. The last thing I need is more trouble.
"Ben? Ben?" I call while I poke him in the chest.
In the corner of my eye see a flash of purple I think? It could just be lightning? I am not sure. I look to my left and… it's gone. Nothing. Maybe it was just me?
"Yeah?" Ben says.
"I would love to get out of the mud, now." I say to him.
"Oh, sorry." He says and he reaches a hand out for me to take.
Oh no you don't! I still have my dignity to keep!
I back bend from the ground and kick over. There we go.
Ben looks at me surprised, Then that surprise changes to his head shaking.
"I should have expected that." He says.
"Yes, you should have." I say standing tall with my hands on my hips and…covered in mud.
"We should get cleaned up." I say looking down at my very much ruined out fit.
"Yeah." He says giving himself a look. "Let's head back." He says as we start to walk.
"I think I'm going to take a warm bath when I go in. Are you cold or anything? I know I am and wet." Ben says shivering a bit.
Now we are walking up the stairs to enter Auradon prep. Unfortunately more people are awake by now. That means many people are looking at us. Mostly because we are completely wet and covered in mud, I am sure. Other than that, it is probably because we are in each other's company at all.
Ben waves at everyone while I have a nervous smile. We walk into the halls and I start to feel the breeze he was talking about.
Ben starts, "Maybe if we run, we can get to our rooms before anyone important finds-"
"Oh, my!" Queen Belle says as she sees us. At this point, I go back to nervous smiling.
"You know what? Scratch that." Ben says seeing he is already doomed.
"You two have some explaining to do!" She says as she point behind us.
We both turn to see that we tracked mud from the bottom of the steps, to where we are now in the hallway!
We both look at each other with "Oh crap" faces.
Dang it!
Alright guys there was another! There were so many important events that happened in this chapter that I just couldn't help but to write over 8,000 words. Whew that's a lot!
As always, I love you guys support. Comment or pm me anytime. Don't be afraid to ask me questions either. I don't bite… much.
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SuperNova out⭐