AN: PowPow456: Baba Yaga died a few days after Laura tortured her. The magic was just too much for her. Thank you!

NymhadoraTonks: Maddie really wasn't supposed to make sense lol. It's a lot like 'the early bird gets the worm' "early bird gets the longest end of the stick." Matt is the bird, showing his talent at an early age. Therefore, he should've gotten the best from it. "But I think it was just plain bad luck for a good kid." Hopefully, it kinda makes more sense.

In Oakley's view, Chester wanted to run from his problems. Instead of helping Matt, Chester wanted to take Oakley away. When Oakley said no, Chester just left because he hates confrontation. He is used to pulling pranks then disappearing. It's a bad habit.

Well...legally yes Indeevar cheated. But he was also cheated into marriage. I didn't really want to reveal it yet but what the heck, It'll be a long while before I write The Broken Sorcerer.

The truth about Indeevar's love story...

Right after graduation, there was a breakup period between Faybelle and Indeevar. During this time, Indeevar spends a lot of time with Flora. One night, they kiss, which changed everything. Indeevar realized he was in love with Flora for pretty much all of his life. A few days after the kiss, Indeevar is going to tell Flora his feelings

But then Faybelle finds him first. She tells him she thinks she's pregnant. Being the good man he is, Indeevar puts his feelings aside and marries Faybelle. He then later discovers she wasn't pregnant at all until it was too late. Felicity was really conceived after they were married. Indeevar wanted a divorce, but he didn't want to abandon Felicity.

Soon after Felicity was born, Indeevar left with Flora in search of Merlin. It was months before they were sure they faced their final night alive. Flora admitted her love. Indeevar had always known he loved her. He had wanted to spend his life with Flora, who always cared for him in the ways Faybelle couldn't. Faybelle tricked him into marriage, while Flora just loved Indeevar. That's why he cheated. He was sure he was going to die the next day. Which in a way, he did.

Sorry for the long response. But that's the story. Thank you for your support!

Chapter 18

What Had to be Done

Felicity kept her mouth shut about Baba Yaga. She had come back to school as soon as Laura was safe in the hospital. Besides, Felicity couldn't stand the sight of Laura's mother. She wanted to confront her about what happened. How Flora had wrecked any chance of Felicity having a father. But when she saw Flora's face, Felicity couldn't do it. She couldn't make a sound.

She wanted to confront her own mother too. Faybelle didn't even know Indeevar was alive. She thought he had died like the rest of the world. Felicity wanted to tell her the truth, but she didn't want to see her mother's heart become broken all over again. Not now, after she was finally moving on. Faybelle had been seeing a fellow Fae for the last couple of months and finally seemed happy. Felicity couldn't take that away.

Felicity wondered if Laura would ever wake up. She almost hoped Laura wouldn't. It was an awful thing to hope for, but it was clear Laura couldn't handle what was happening to her. Baba Yaga was dead. Laura had killed her. Not directly, but she had tortured her and left her to die. And Felicity was technically Laura's accomplice. No one had questioned her whereabouts that night, but Felicity still felt like she was being watched.

Felicity had almost three sleepless nights before the death was deemed as a natural one. It made sense since Laura had only inflicted pain through magic. There were no real bruises or wounds. Since Baba Yaga died, medics confirmed that the chicken house died when her magic had run out. it was the only logical explanation to them, but Felicity would forever know the truth.

On Friday, the school received word that Laura was awake. She would be returning to school soon. Felicity had to admit she was relieved, even if she had hoped otherwise. Laura was still her half-sister and she should be glad she was recovering. Now that Felicity had completely destroyed the book, perhaps Laura could move on from all of this.

Baba Yaga's funeral was on Saturday afternoon. Felicity wanted to listen to the service, but all she could think about was Indeevar. The desperate look in his eyes when they left. She had seen that same look in Laura's eyes. Hungry for power. More than hungry. Desperate. Baba Yaga had tried to protect Indeevar, and Felicity had tried to protect Laura. But they both seemed to be outmatched.

As Felicity looked into her grandmother's casket, all she could see was the feared expression on the old lady's face that night. She couldn't help but wonder if she looked that way when Laura had dueled her in the woods. Was there pure terror in her eyes as she fought against someone she was supposed to protect? Was this the role Felicity was destined for? Could she have done something differently?

She would never know.

Laura had been wandering around since she left the hospital. Any magic she had left in her she used on getting food and warmer clothes. She was weak in this cold weather. Every time the wind blew through the woods, Laura would shudder, feeling her bones become hollow. Her mind only focused on getting back to school. Where at least she could have her friends by her side.

It was midday on Saturday when Laura saw the tip of the flag on Ever After High's tallest tower. She grinned before falling to her knees.

Oakley and Fauna went for one last nature walk on Saturday evening. Eliza had decided to stay inside with Matt until they got back. There wasn't much for conversation as the friends strolled through the paths in the woods. The crisp fall winds were almost becoming too strong to bear now they almost all of the leaves were down on the forest floor.

They were heading back to the school when they heard distant crunches of leaves. "Do you hear that?" Fauna asked Oakley.

"Help!" a distant voice called. Oakley recognized that voice.

Chester.

They darted into the woods. "Chester?!" Oakley called out as he sprinted.

"Oakley!"

Fauna gasped in horror when they saw him. Chester was supporting a limp and weak blonde girl. When he saw the pink hair tips, Oakley gasped too. He kept his eyes on Chester. He had almost thought the Chesire had disappeared for good and here he was with Laura in the middle of the woods. Chester's green cat eyes stared intensely into his.

"Laura!" Fauna ran to her side. Oakley turned away from Chester's gaze. Laura lifted her head at the sound of Fauna's voice. Fauna took her from Chester and cast a spell to give Laura strength. "You're freezing! What happened?"

"I don't know," Chester shook his head. "I just found her laying around."

"We'll have to get her inside," Fauna began to lead Laura down a path, casting warming spells under her breath. Oakley desperately followed. What had happened to Laura?

"Oakley," Chester called softly. Oakley didn't turn. He didn't need to deal with this now. Not when Laura needed him. Chester suddenly appeared in front of him."Oakley, wait."

"Wait for what?!" Oakley snapped. "I haven't seen you for a whole week and you think you can just reappear? Where have you been?"

Chester looked at him with pained eyes. "I've been wandering. Around here. Around Wonderland."

"So you did go without me." Oakley fought back brewing tears. "Is that why you invited me there? We could just run away together instead of facing the situation in front of us? When your roommate was going to the hospital you wanted to run?"

"I visited Matt in Wonderland," Chester defended. "I was afraid for him."

"Afraid for him? Or afraid for yourself? Afraid that you would be branded a fool if you were ever seen with me?"

"I'm sorry—"

"I know you're not," Oakley cut him off. "All you ever do is run from your problems. I didn't realize you were hiding then, but I realize it now." He took a shaky breath and tried to move past Chester.

Chester caught Okaley's arm again, making him turn back. "Oakley, don't do this—"

"I'm going to go help my friends who actually need me. Are you coming with or are you going to run again?"

Chester stared at him blankly. That look confirmed everything. Chester was a coward. A coward who was willing to fight for nothing.

"See," Oakley let a tear fall from his eyes, "I knew you weren't sorry. Goodbye Chester." Oakley yanked his arm out of Chester's grip and walked away. After a few steps, he stopped. He wanted to look back, see if Chester had disappeared. Instead, Oakley took another shaky breath and strode forward.

After trying uselessly to help Matt with his homework, Eliza had given up. She felt bad now that Matt couldn't read hardly anything. Even though he told her he couldn't he still tried to get the words on the page to unjumble themselves. He would get too worked up when they wouldn't. It made Eliza feel even worse than she did before.

"I'll just do it myself. Thanks for the help," Matt said in an angered tone. She wanted to hug him. Try to at least make herself feel less guilty, but she resisted the urge and left.

She was alone in the dorm room for only a couple of minutes before the door swung open. Eliza was surprised at first to see Oakley, but then came Fauna, holding Laura in her arms. Eliza got up from her perch on her bed. "What happened?"

"Chester found her in the woods," Oakley said briskly as he helped Fauna place Laura onto the bed. Eliza watched in horror as Laura's face came into view. Her skin looked like it had been carved from stone. Her eyes seemed hollow and almost dead. Fauna and Oakley desperately covered her with blankets. Eliza fell to her knees beside her friend.

"E-li-za," Laura called in a broken whisper. Eliza's heart skipped several beats.

"Laura, I'm here," Eliza told her. Laura slowly reached out to her. Eliza hesitated but then took the ice-cold hand. Laura's eyes fluttered shut. That's when Laura could feel it, the power sifting out of herself and something new coming in.

Eliza was shown images she had never seen before. Bright blue eyes desperately gazing. A fire. Pages being burned. Light and warming grey magic. She heard torturing screams and calls. Whispers and winds. Eliza could feel her stomach dropping. Fire licking her skin, Lastly, she could feel everything she had ever known or anything that had felt familiar before drift away.

She felt Laura's losing control of herself.

Eliza let go of Laura's hand and fell back against the fall. She sank down into a ball. Laura's eyes were still closed, but she looked more like herself now. Chills ran around Eliza's body. Her mind felt as if it was becoming stone. Eliza closed her eyes and tried her best to fight off the tears. As her body shook, she knew she had lost her control, just like Laura.

When Laura awoke the next day, both Eliza and Fauna were gone. "Afternoon," Felicity's voice called. Laura sat up immediately. When she saw Felicity, she jumped out of bed and got into her fighting stance. Felicity stood from her seat with wide eyes. "Laura, chill."

"How can I trust you after you betrayed me?" Laura demanded.

"I betrayed you?" Felicity raised a brow. "You were the one who went crazy over that book. You're the one that lost control."

"I didn't lose control," Laura lied.

"Yes, you did," Felicity raised her voice. "Breaking out of a hospital seems like losing control to me."

"I didn't need to be there."

"No, you don't," Felicity shook her head. "Because you should be in prison with our father."

Laura froze. Prison? "What are you talking about?"

"Baba Yaga is dead. We had her funeral at the school here yesterday," Felicity explained. "They found her dying in her cottage."

"Are they looking for..."

"The death was deemed of natural causes," Felicity shook her head. "But we both know the truth."

"I didn't kill her."

"You tortured her!" Felicity let a tear stream down her cheek. "She died of fright and pain. We left our own grandmother to die."

"She betrayed us," Laura reminded as she lifted her hands. "She kept our father a secret from us."

"For good reason," Felicity suddenly grabbed Laura's wrists. Laura tried to break free, but Felicity wouldn't budge. Laura took several deep breaths before she realized what she was doing. "Look at yourself," Felicity said with genuine fear. "You've lost it all."

"I'm not lost," Laura continued to fight, but Felicity had her locked in.

"You're broken."

"No," Laura stopped fighting and began to sob. It was the truth. She was broken. Felicity let go of her wrists.

"I can help you if you." Felicity started to sound like her mother. " If you just—"

"I don't need your help," Laura cut her off. "I need you to get out of my life."

Felicity looked shocked. "But—"

"Get out!" Laura raised her hands. Felicity ran back to the door. With terror in her eyes, Felicity looked back at her half-sister one last time before she ran out the door.

"I'm sorry for being short with you last night," Matt told Eliza. She was sitting in his desk chair, he on his bed. "I'm just...really struggling."

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize, " Eliza assured. "When will you get your tutor?"

"I'm not sure," Matt admitted. There was more he wasn't telling her, Eliza was sure of it. But she didn't push him for details.

"Laura came back last night," Eliza said with distant eyes.

"What happened to her?"

"She lost control of her magic," Eliza told a half-truth. "There was an accident."

"I knew it was dangerous," Matt shook his head. "I'm just glad you got control of it before it affected you too." Eliza suddenly saw the images Laura gave her last night.

"But what if I couldn't control it?" Eliza asked. "What do you think would happen?"

"You would end up like Laura," Matt said simply. "Or even worse. What if Felicity wasn't with her? She could've killed herself."

"I guess I didn't really think about that," Eliza admitted. "I was worried she was hurt but...never dead."

"I saw Mitchell when he heard the news," Matt shook his head. "The worry on his face was unexplainable."

"Do you worry about me?" Eliza asked suddenly. She looked down as soon as she said it.

"Of course I do," Matt answered. "You forget that I watched you faint. It was like a rug had been ripped from under my feet. I don't ever want to do that again." He reached out and tilted her chin up. She looked into his kind blue eyes. "Promise me I won't have to worry. Please."

Eliza wanted to promise. She wanted to scream it out. There was nothing more in the whole world she wanted more. She didn't want him to worry. She didn't want Matt being pulled into this. Eliza gazed back at his eyes. She saw the boy laying down on the field unconscious. She felt his hand reaching for her as he called her name.

"I promise," Eliza whispered the lie.

Matt grinned as his thumb brush her cheek.

"Laura! Thank goodness you're alright!" Mitchell scooped her up into an embrace. Laura accepted it, but now it just didn't feel right. Before, she felt complete in his arms. But now, Laura felt nothing.

"I'm glad to see you," Laura put on a fake smile.

"Where have you been?" Mitchell asked. They were in a hallway. They were both on their way to find each other when they met in the middle.

"I was at the magic hospital," Laura told him. "Didn't you know?"

"Yes, I was told," Mitchell nodded. "But what put you in the hospital? Someone said Felicity was with you. Did she hurt you?"

"No," Laura answered rather quickly. "I was just doing a spell when I lost control of my magic."

"Is it because of that book?"

"No," Laura answered again faster. "That book is gone."

"What? But I thought you liked the spells."

"It's gone," Laura shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it now."

"Tell me what happened."

"He wants to know you, not just some face you put on for him. He hates secrets."

"There's nothing to tell," Laura shook her head. She hadn't even told Eliza and Fauna what had happened. She didn't think she was going to anyway. What happened last Saturday was going to stay a secret that died with Laura. As much as she wanted to expose Baba Yaga and her mother, she knew there was no fight. Indeevar would stay in bars, no her mother might get him out without Luara in her life, and Baba Yaga would remain dead. There really was nothing to tell.

"There has to be something," Mitchell insisted.

"Nope."

"Laura," Mitchell rubbed his temples, "I can tell something is bothering you."

"There's nothing bothering me. Well, besides you right now."

"You're going through something and you won't let me understand. I'm just trying to be a good boyfriend."

"Well don't be," Laura snapped. "I'm just trying to get back up on my feet. I don't need your questions, your pressure, or you."

She had hit him where it hurt. Laura didn't even mind that she did. After last weekend, nothing would go back to the way it was before. Mitchell wouldn't understand anyway. The only problem he had in his life was Molly. That was a minor problem compared to what she had just gone through. She didn't belong in his near-perfect world. She understood that now. As much as she was absorbed into it, Laura knew he was too good for her.

"What are you saying?" Mitchell asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm saying we're breaking up," Laura said without emotion. She thought she would at least shed a tear for him, but her eyes were dry. It felt almost more like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Or maybe she had just taken her weight off of his shoulders.

Mitchell's expression hardened. "If that's what you want. I suppose it would be the first time you told me what you want. You never tell me anything else."

Before she could say anything, Mitchell turned and walked down the hall. Luara didn't bother watching him leave. She simply turned around and walked down the hall. It led her to the glass door of the student balcony. Laura was just going to pass it, but then she saw Eliza standing there against the fall sunset. Her auburn hair turning gold in the light.

Laura opened the door silently. The rush of cool air made Laura shiver, but she continued to walk towards her friend. Eliza was staring blankly into the sky. Her hands gripping the rails. "Are you alright?" Laura asked.

"No," Eliza said quietly. "I wasn't sure before, but I know for sure something is wrong with me."

"Something is wrong with both of us," Laura linked her arm through Eliza's. "I just broke up with Mitchell."

"What?"

"I figured, after everything that has happened, he deserved to be set free."

"What did happen last weekend?" Eliza asked.

Laura would never tell Eliza the truth. About Felicity, her sister. Indeevar, her father. Baba Yaga, her grandmother. None of it. She would never tell them. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. Admit that she found and lost her family.

"I lost it all. I had lost control, my magic, and myself that night. I don't know if I'll fully recover, but I certainly don't want to be pulling others with me."

"I understand that feeling."

"Matt?"

With a shaky breath, Eliza nodded. "I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it after..." She didn't finish her statement. Sniffling, Eliza let out pooling tears. Laura hesitated, then wrapped her arms around Eliza. Even if she didn't like Matt, she didn't like seeing Eliza like this.

As Eliza continued to cry, she whispered into Laura's shoulder, "He's so broken."

Laura gazed into the setting sun. The last rays of light started to fall beyond reach. "We all are."