Descendants 3 Chapter 26

Episode 19A

The sun shined brightly in Hyperion Heights as the spring began. More flowers started to grow on the small patches of grass around the town. Hyacinths and Snow-bells were blossoming. Lena even planted some roses outside of her dad's house. The air smelled of sweet flowers.

Lyra walked quickly over to the grocery store in the morning. She bought a bunch of baby food and some Poptarts. After paying for her things (with what little money she had left from her job at the hospital), she walked out of the grocery store. The doors slid open for her as she left.

She walked down the block making her way back to the apartments when she saw a couple girls in the alley way. They were the cashiers from the grocery store on their break. It was the twitches! They were holding their fingertips together and chanting something quietly. Suddenly, a blue orb formed in their hands.

Lyra gasped, and walked over to them quickly. She looked around to make sure no one else say them.

The two girls separated hands and started walking away.

"No, wait!" Lyra called after them.

The twin kept walking away quickly. Their shoes clicked and clacked on the pavement.

"I know about magic," Lyra called. "I'm a witch too."

Alex slowed her pace, until she came to a stop. She slowly looked back at Lyra.

"Alex?" Camryn called back to her, several feet in front of her. "We don't know her."

Lyra kept walking up to them. "And magic is exactly what I need right now."

Camryn leaned over to her sister. "She's with the coven. C'mon."

"Not anymore." Lyra said. "I realized that Eloise evil. That's not why I'm here."

Camryn folded her arms and shook her head at Lyra. She walked closer to her, making Lyra realize how tall they are. "Doesn't Eloise have five witches now?"

"Still?" Lyra asked.

"Apparently that Candy Killer kept killing her members." Camryn said.

"They weren't all bad people…" Alex said. "Alison was pretty cool."

Lyra made a face, suggested the contrary. "Maybe here, maybe now. But now a year ago."

"Our mom told us about how Eloise sends out its younger members. It's friendlier members to lure people to her." Camryn said. She folded her arms at her.

"I am not with Eloise…but who are her witches? Who does she have?" Lyra said.

"She recruited that manager at Lacey's." Alex said. "And the weather girl, but she died."

"There's that elementary school teacher. I hope she doesn't inflict that on the children." Camryn said.

"And there's this older lady," Alex said. "She used to work at Belfey Towers."

"And there's two younger girls. One was from that asylum and the other came from out of town. She's like 14, I think." Camryn said.

Lyra narrowed her eyes, thinking about who this girl might be. "It's good to know Britt is still okay." She mumbled to herself. She got back to her point. "I need you help finding someone dear to me. She's been missing for months and I believe she's in town."

"Okay? What makes you think we can help?" Camryn asked her.

"Because the person who took her is your stepdad." Lyra said.

Alex and Camryn turned to each other, appearing confused.

"That's a serious crime." Camryn said.

"What's your proof?" Alex asked. She seemed curious, rather than upset at the accusation.

"A friend of mine works for him in exchange for her safety. Please, you have to help me. You've got to have some ideas as to where he could hide someone." Lyra said. "She's my sister and she needs me."

The twins looked at each other again, empathetically.

"I might have some ideas." Alex said aloud.

Camryn nodded. "Yeah."

Marnie knocked on Britt's door early that morning. She found the girl still sleeping her bed while the bright sun shined in through the windows. "Hey." Marnie said, shaking the corner of her bed.

Brittney calmly woke up, rolling over and opening her eyes. She smiled when she saw the girl from her pictures in her room, believing her to be a dream.

"We didn't get a chance to talk earlier." Marnie said.

Britt sat up, realizing it was real. She wasn't sleeping anymore. She glanced at the clock. It was after 10pm. The witches usually have breakfast between 8-9am.

"Have we met before?" Marnie asked. "Because you look very familiar."

Britt put her arms around her knees. "No. We've never met."

Marnie tilted her head. "You know, you're not like the rest of the witches here."

"Because I'm young like you?" Britt asked.

"Well there's that, and you don't seem to hang on every word Eloise says."

Britt but her legs down flat on the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Eloise can be very uh... intimidating."

"You don't like her?"

Britt looked away. "I don't think she really cares about us. But that's just me. She saved me for that I have to owe her." Britt said, gritting her teeth.

Marnie narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure we don't know each other?"

Britt pulled her lips inward. "My power is altering memories through art. My drawings. Eloise needed more witches. She still needs more witches. The visions sort of come to me. I draw them and they happen. They become a reality in their minds. And sometimes I draw what I want to... and I wanted to meet you."

Marnie looked away, confused. "I came to this town on my own-"

"But you still come to Eloise's door. And you don't know why?" Britt said, giving it away. "And you thinking we've met was me too."

"You put the image in my head." Marnie said. "That's kind of creepy."

"I'm sorry. But I just wanted to meet you and I wanted you to like me."

"You could have just talked to me." Marnie said. She sat on the edge of the bed, near her.

"I-Eloise keeps me locked in here most of the time. I'm suffocating!" She stood up, clenching her hands into a fist.

She lowered her hands, calming down. "You came to me in a vision and I just... I liked you. Usually my visions don't show me people so far away. I thought it was a sign. That you were someone important. Someone special." Britt said.

Marnie softened her stance. "Oh. Britt-"

Eloise entered the room suddenly.

Britt tightened up immediately.

Marnie stood up off the bed.

"What is all the racket in here?" She seemed really intimidating. Her height and her tone were part of it. "Marnie, come downstairs. We have much work to do." Eloise said.

Marnie left the room without another word.

Britt walked towards the door but Eloise blocked her.

"Please let me out of this room." Britt said. Her eyes looked dark.

"Not until I have all my witches." Eloise said. She closed the door and locked it.

Lyra and the twins spent the day wondering around town in search of Leia/Grace. They checked the hospital's basement but it was empty-or at least, empty of people. They checked the town's museum which had a hidden room. It was empty too. The town's museum was peculiar too. There wasn't much history of the town to document. A lot the exhibits were about the space needle in Seattle and the town's up and coming projects. One exhibit of the museum was on the original Starbucks, located in Seattle. They even went to Samdi's building and checked some of the floors, while trying not to get caught be Samdi himself. Inside the building were no dungeons. No secret rooms. It was just a place of work.

When they left the building, Tia Dalma caught them by the gate. The twins froze, knowing they were caught.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tia asked them with an accusing tone. "Samdi does not like to be disturbed while he is at work."

"He didn't even see us." Alex blurted. For being 21, she still seemed like a child when being scolded by her mom.

Tia tilted her head. "Then what were you doing in his building?" She glared at Lyra.

"Mrs. Samdi," Lyra said through her teeth. Ugh. They hate each other in real life. Oh, if she only knew the truth. Why can't she see the truth? "I can explain. This was all my idea. I dragged them into this."

"My girls are old enough to make their own decisions." She said.

"I need help finding my sister." Lyra said. "And I know knows where she is. He, "she pointed at his building, "has her hidden away somewhere. I thought she might be in the building."

"We couldn't find her anywhere else." Alex said under her breath.

Tia glanced at her daughter, then back at Lyra. She eyed her, up and down. Her eyes narrowed at her, like she was wondering what to think of this girl. Lyra interpreted it at Tia hating her. The glare was very intimidating. Lyra thought she would shrink by the stare alone.

Lyra couldn't read her face. Was she mad? Intrigued? Offended? Would she speak!? Each moment of silence seemed like an eternity.

"You really don't know Mr. Samdi at all." Tia Dalma said.

Alex eyed Lyra, unsure of what that meant.

"If he were hiding something, he wouldn't be so obvious as to hide it in his building." Tia said.

"Where would hide something valuable then?" Lyra asked, taking a step forward.

Tia glanced at the building at back at them. She leaned in closer to them, huddling the girls together. "Not here." Tia whispered to them.

Weaver/Rumple came home from work early that day. He wasn't surprised to see his house full of teenagers. Will was in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes. Nadia/Hope was lounging on the couch with her phone in hand. Charlie was sitting in the armchair, playing cards with himself.

Rumple sighed upon entering his house and went to his room without a word to them.

Tia Dalma led the three witches a few blocks away to the library. They entered the building and went to a study room.

"Mom, what are we doing here?" Alex asked.

"It's the only place I know of where he can't hear us." Tia Dalma said.

Lyra nodded, understanding immediately. He would watch over her, even as his wife, he can't fully trust her. It's not like he even loves her. He's awake. He been awake, maybe this whole time. He is magic too, even in this land that's supposed to be without it.

Camryn looked concerned. "Mom, we're in the library. He's at work. We could have just done this at home."

"He has eyes and ears everywhere, except here." Tia Dalma said.

"Has he been stalking you?" Lyra asked.

"Mom's on anti-psychotics." Alex said. "Or she was." She looked at her mom with a worried expression on her face.

"I'm not crazy." Tia Dalma said. "Just listen." She huddled the girls closer to her. "He has secret dealings with the light rail station. He gets a call whenever people leave or arrive in town."

"And?" Lyra asked.

"The meetings aren't here. They're hidden. Under the light rail station." She said.

Camryn glanced a worried look at her sister. "Mom, I think we should go home."

"I don't think she's lost it." Lyra said. "Are you saying there's a secret passageway the leads under the station?"

Tia Dalma nodded, "Yeah."

"Okay, we need to get her home." Camryn said. "See you around Candace." She took a step closer to her room, putting her hand around her shoulder.

"No!" Tia Dalma said, shaking her arm away. "I must show you."

Lyra smiled at her, glad for the information while the twitches looked concerned for their mother's sanity.

Will left Rumple's apartment they afternoon with Nadia. There was a free movie showing of Back to the Future playing at the movie theater. Will was surprised that cursed Hope would like that movie. Nadia kept telling him "this isn't a date" as they left Rumple's place.

The witches of the coven practiced their magic together for hours at Morgana's large home. The witches were getting stronger with each passing day, even if there were only five of them. Morgana even got a flash of her old life. She saw herself with Eloise and a few other girls standing in a circle. She didn't know it, but it was an initiation into the coven back in their land. An initiation she failed. Eloise wasn't so picky now.

More pressure was put on Brittney to bring the rest of the witches to them. Eloise pulled her out of the room and scolded her like a child.

"We are running out of time. Where are my witches!?" Eloise demanded.

Britt looked away from her. The piercing gaze was too much. "The twitches will be here soon."

"When? Today? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year!?" Eloise asked.

"It's not clear. Something needs to happen before they will join you." Britt said.

"Like what? You drawing it in that book!?" Eloise let go of her arm. "We don't have much time. Our enemies are closing in and we are not ready. You need to draw something."

"I told you, the twitches-"

"Not them! An eighth witch."

Britt bit her lip from the inside. "Okay..."

She held back the tears until she was out of Eloise's sight. Britt didn't have any memories of having a mother. She hoped they weren't like Eloise.

Britt went to the living room and sketched away. She drew a vague image of a girl, a few years older than her. She was blonde. She wore torn up tights. She drew her before.

Too bad no one got to see the image through all the blood dripping down her nose. It covered the image of the girl.

Britt passed out before the image was done. Her color pencils spilled across the floor.

Rumple was surprised to come out of his room to find the apartment so quiet. Charlie was still there, taking out another board game.

Rumple watched the boy for a moment before speaking. "I see you found my board game collection. It's not very much. I don't have company over very often."

Charlie stared at Rumple/Weaver. He was talking. To him. He didn't want to seem rude and he did t want Weaver to stop talking, so Charlie thought of what to say back. "Uh, yeah. It's a good collection. Deck of cards. Checkers and Chess. The classics."

Rumple took a seat in the couch adjacent to the armchair Charlie was sitting in. "Will didn't want to play with you?"

"He'd rather spend time with that Nadia girl. I don't know why he likes her so much."

Rumple tried not to chuckle. "Mind if I play?"

Charlie smiled a little and set up the game. "Sure, but I call red."

"It's a deal." Rumple said to him.

Tia Dalma showed Lyra the secret entrance to the underground of the light rail station. It looked like a sewer when she showed them. Tia and the twins were the only ones who could open it because of blood magic. Lyra remembered back in the Enchanted Forest, Samdi/Facilier was Tia's distance cousin.

They climbed a ladder down about forty feet. It was dimly lit down there, but it was clear, someone had been down there. Water dropped down from leaky pipes above them every few seconds.

"Maybe we should do this later." Camryn said, "when it's not dark out."

"This has to be it..." Lyra said.

They eventually came to a narrow hallway with a door at the end. The lights about them flickered. Alex got a chill just looking at the creepy hallway.

Lyra took the lead, walking hurriedly down. Tia was two steps behind her, followed by Camryn. Alex stayed at the end of the hall.

"I'm not going down the freaky dungeon hallway." Alex said.

Lyra reached the door, slowly reaching for the handle. It zapped her back.

Tia stepped forward and grabbed the knob. She whispered a spell and the door unlocked. She opened the door, letting it slide open.

Lyra quickly stepped into the room and saw a figure huddled up in the corner. Lyra took out her phone and put on the flashlight. She recognized the girl instantly, despite the pale face and raggedy clothes. "Leia!"

Lyra quickly hugged her sister, holding her up. When she let go, she gazed at her sister's face. It felt like an eternity since they last saw each other.

But the girl didn't look so happy. She looked puzzled. Relieved to be saved, sure. But she was still confused why Lyra was hugging her... of course. Leia is still under the curse.