CHAPTER 21: Fight

As Eric, Aladdin and Cinderella walked back into the forest, Kida saw them and ran up to them. "Where's Jim?" she asked, seeing that he wasn't with them.

"Where do you think?" Aladdin snapped, upset. "They up and carted him off to prisin again!"

"Which one?" Pocahontas asked.

"I'm not sure," Eric admitted.

"Well, use your powers and find out!" Phil insisted.

"No," Eric objected. "The last thing we need to do right now is break someone out of prisin. We need to follow the law, and just keep going."

"Keep going?" Pocahontas asked, offended. "They hurt us, we hurt them!"

Eric quickly spoke up, "That's not the way it works. If we're not honest, they'll never believe us. They'll destroy us and everyone like us! Is that really what you want?"

"No," Pocahontas admitted in defeat.

"Look," Eric said more gently, "the judge said that he would personally see that Jim is treated fairly. I think we should trust the judge, and keep fighting for the forest. Only then can we save Jim."

Phil sighed. "You're right. I just can't believe that we sprung him out of prisin just to let them put him right back in."

"That wasn't prisin, that was torture," Eric corrected. "This time, he'll actually be in a jail. May not sound all that great, but it has to be better."

"Calm down, guys," Cinderella said. "The sooner we get everything figured out, the sooner we get Jim back. So let's focus here." She turned to Eric. "What do we need to know about tomorrow? Will they bring up Jim's case?"

Eric shrugged. "Maybe. But really, Jim isn't the issue here. The issue is you guys, and the forest. Everything else will be placed on the back burner until this is resolved."

"What will happen to Jim?" Kida asked, worried.

Again Eric shrugged. "That depends on how the case goes. If everything goes well, and they see that Jim is telling the truth, the charges may be dropped. However, if the case goes badly, there's no telling what will happen to any of us."

"What about our families?" Cinderella asked suddenly. "You don't think that they would be harmed because of us, do you?"

Eric winced. "There's no telling what the town will do. By now our own families may even be against us."

"If they even know who you are," Shang reminded them. "Do they?"

"No," Ciderella answered.

Eric hung his head. "I'm not sure."

"They have a right to know," Shang told them.

Eric winced. "And if they reject us?"

Shang put his hand on Eric's shoulder gently. "Then know you will always have a home here with us."

"But at what cost?" Eric mumbled.

"If they are truely the good people you say they are," Shang told him kindly, "then they will understand."

"I sure hope so," Cinderella whispered.

But Eric shook his head. "Whenever anyone like us was even mentioned at home, dad would brush it off with such contempt that I was afraid to tell him anything. As soon as he knows for sure, he's bound to never speak to me again." He shuttered. "I can't do this!"

"Then I'll do it for you," Aladdin offered. "But Father is right. They do have a right to know."

"Perhaps it would be better if you both went," Shang suggested.

"I can't!" Eric nearly yelled. "Honestly, I've never felt so ashaimed of who I am in all my life then whenever I'm around him!"

"But it wouldn't it be better to hear it from you than someone else?" Shang asked gently.

Eric sighed in defeat. "I guess so." He turned to Aladdin. "Will you come with me?"

Aladdin smiled supportavely. "Be happy to."

...

When they arrived at Eric's house, they paused. "You ready?" Aladdin asked.

"No," Eric admitted. "But let's get this over with."

As he was closing the door behind them, Frollo called from the next room, "Eric?"

"Yeah, it's me," Eric answered. He led Aladdin into the living room where Frollo was sitting, reading the paper.

"You're late," Frollo informed him harshly. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago. No more staying out late."

Eric winced. "Sorry, I got delayed."

Frollo slammed the paper down. "I don't want to hear your excuses," he snapped. "I want to hear 'Yes, sir.' Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," Eric replied immediately.

"I need to ask you a few questions..." Frollo stopped when saw Aladdin standing there. "Who is this?" he asked Eric. Then he looked closer at Aladdin. "Didn't I see you in court today?"

"He's a friend," Eric spoke up quickly.

Frollo glared at his son. "Well, kindly ask your 'friend' to go home."

"I didn't come here to hang out, sir," Aladdin spoke up.

"Really?" Frollo said sarcastically. "Then you wouldn't mind leaving."

"Dad, wait," Eric spoke up quickly. "There's something I need to tell you. Where's Mom?"

Frollo glared at his son a second, then yelled, "Lady!"

"What?" Mrs Tremaine answered from the bedroom.

"Our son has something to tell us," Frollo called to her.

"What is it?" Lady Tremaine asked, joining them. "And who's this?"

"A friend," Aladdin told them.

Eric took a deep breath. "Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you."

"Oh, no," Lady Tremaine moaned. "You're not gay, are you?"

"What?" Eric said, surprised. "No!"

Lady Tremaine crossed her arms. "Ok then, out with it."

Kayley entered from the kitchen. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Quiet, Kayley," Frollo snapped. "Your brother has something he wants to tell us."

Eric sighed, and reluctantly began: "For a while now, I've been having these strange powers."

Frollo tensed. "What kind of powers?"

"Psycic control," Eric admitted.

Frollo scowled. "Mind control?"

Eric shrugged. "That is an addition to it, yeah."

"And you thought we didn't need to know that?" Lady Tremaine snapped.

"I thought that they would go away with time, you know, like acne or something!" Eric tried to explain.

"But they haven't, have they?" Frollo asked angrily.

"They're getting worse," Eric admitted. "My powers are getting stronger, not weaker."

"What do you mean by psycic powers?" Kayley spoke up.

Not knowing what else to do, Eric said, "This," and lifted the lamp with his mind, then placed it gently on the coffee table. Kayley looked at him in surprise, but his parents looked at him as though he had just admitted to murder.

"What happened to you?" Frollo asked.

"It's a long story," Eric said, not wanting to get into that.

"Tell us!" Frollo snapped.

"Look," Aladdin spoke up, trying to avoid a fight. "How it happened is not important; that it happened is."

Eric looked at his parents. They stared back at him, horrified. "What are you going to do with me?" Eric asked, a little frightened at their reaction.

Frollo began walking toward the phone. "I'm going to call the authorities. Let them handle this mess."

Eric was shocked. "Father, please!" he begged.

Frollo whirled, turning on his son. "I will not have a freak of nature living in this house any longer!" he snapped furiously.

"Then I'll live somewhere else," Eric decided sadly.

"Who else would take you in?" Frollo asked him.

Aladdin put his hand on Eric's shoulder supportively. "We would."

Frollo scowled at Aladdin. "And who are you?" he asked. "Another freak of nature?" Frollo stepped forward and pushed Aladdin back roughly.

"Don't touch me!" Aladdin yelled, frightened.

Eric was afraid as well, but was also angry. "Leave him alone!"

Frollo walked toward his son until they were face to face. "Don't you talk that way to me, boy," Frollo warned.

"Then don't push my friends!" Eric snapped back, refusing to back down. Glaring at Eric, Frollo slapped him.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Aladdin demanded.

Frollo looked at Aladdin. "Get out of here. This does not concern you."

"It fully concerns me!" Aladdin insisted.

"Guys, please," Kayley begged.

Frollo whirled to face her. "Kayley, go to your room," he commanded.

"No," Kayley said, standing her ground shakily. "Not until I know what you're doing to my brother."

Frollo looked disgusted. "He's not your brother anymore. Think of him as dead."

"He's not dead, he's standing right here!" Kayley objected.

"He is dead!" Frollo yelled furiously. "And if this boy ever returns here, I am going to call the cops, and have him shipped off."

"How dare you!" Aladdin snapped. "How could you disown your son just because he's different from you? You don't even know what he's been through!"

Frollo fumed. "Get out of my house!"

Aladdin shook his head in fury and disgust. "Gladly. Come on, Eric."

The boys left the house for the last time. Eric glanced back sadly, but all he saw was his parents staring at him like an unwelcome intruder. It hurt more than he would ever admit.

As soon as the door closed, Kayley turned to her father. "Daddy!" she cried, but he cut her off.

"Don't you go siding with him, missie. There's enough freaks out there as it is without you joining them."

Kayley turned to her mother. "Mama?" she begged, but Lady Tremaine just shook her head. "I think your father's right this time, Kayley."

Kayley couldn't believe her ears. "But he's family! You can't just..." she objected, but Frollo interrupted her furiously.

"He is not part of this family!" He glared at her. "Now go to your room, or you will be punished."

But Kayley refused. "How? Will you disown me too?"

Frollo walked toward her menacingly. "Come to think of it, I just might."

Lady Tremain's eyes grew wide. "No! Please, leave her out of this!"

Frollo glared at his wife. "She got herself into it," he reminded her. "She can get herself out."

Kayley scowled. "Out is right," she spat. "If you disown my brother, you disown me too."

"Kayley," Lady Tremaine tried to stop her, but Kayley wasn't backing down; not this time.

"I mean it!"

Shaking with fury, Frollo slapped Kayley so hard she fell back. Tears began to fall from her eyes. "If you ever go near that freak again," he warned her, "I will ground you until you're 40!"

Kayley sniffed, holding her cheek where he had struck her. "As if you could keep me around that long. I want to go live with my brother."

Frollo fumed. "Then get out of here, and if either of you ever come back, I'm calling the cops!"

"Frollo," Lady Tremain said pleadingly, but he cut her off.

"What?" he snapped. "You want to go with them? Go on! Live with the freaks!"

Lady Tremaine begame angry. "I am not living with any freaks!"

"Then let them go!" Frollo ordered.

Lady Tremaine turned back to her daughter, her face determined. "If you want to leave, go, but you're never coming back."

Scrambling to her feet, Kayley rushed to the door. "Kayley," Frollo yelled. "If you walk out that door, you will never be allowed to come here again!"

Kayley turned to him one last time. "Then get in your head that you lost both your children today, not just one!" she cried. Then without a second thought, she ran outside, slamming the door behind her.