Chapter Twenty-five: "He's here…."
Early the next morning, everyone had gotten up after a restless night. Patrick had lost a lot of sleep; the confusion of Ariel's origins, and the fear of Gargamel harming his wife and son if he finds out where they live.
"I can't let this happen to my family," he whispered to himself as he got dressed and ready for work. "I've worked too hard at keeping them safe to fail them now."
He walked down the hallway, thinking about what his boss, Odile, has in store for him today.
His head was aching and he could barely shuffle his feet, due to his exhaustion. Slumping in his chair, Patrick opened his laptop and checked his Facebook page. Good, he thought, no messages from Odile.
Grace came in, kissing her husband on the cheek, and poured them each a mug of coffee. She was still wondering if the things she had seen and heard the day before had actually happened or not.
Ariel and the Smurfs sat in the living room, where Papa Smurf was giving important lessons on life in Smurf Village.
"Alright, good," he said as Ariel recited what Mersandra had already taught her. "There's still a lot more to learn, though."
Ariel was having a good time learning the history of her long lost home, until she froze in an instant. This terrified the Smurfs. She blinked her eyes and started gasping for air once she came around.
"Ariel," Papa Smurf leaped from the coffee table to the sofa, just as Patrick and Grace heard the commotion and came running. He placed his hands on hers. "Are you alright?"
"He's here," Ariel muttered. "In a matter of days, he will find us."
"Gargamel?" Papa asked. "He's on his way?"
"Him," she replied, "but someone else, too. Someone worse…."