Chapter 4:
The next day dawned much too early and brightly for some of Auradon's residents, namely the two who were curled up trying to get some sleep after pulling an all-night video game marathon. Someone knocking on their door was ignored by both boys until Dude starting whining from his spot at the end of Carlos' bed.
"What?!" Jay demanded irritably, curling the blanket around his shoulders tighter.
The door opened and Ben stuck his head inside, "Good morning guys, I was heading down for breakfast, you want to come?"
Silence was his only answer, so Ben walked further into the room. "Jay, Carlos?" Glancing around the room, he saw discarded Tourney gear mixed in with a few abandoned jackets, beanies hanging off bed knobs, desks covered in workbooks, papers and pens and a jumble of video game controller cords strung from the tv across the room to the end of a bed. To his right, Jay's bed appeared to be empty, while in front of him Carlos's bed had a few human-shaped lumps on it.
Carefully maneuvering through the labyrinth across the floor, Ben made it to the bed unscathed and smiled at the sight. Carlos was sleeping on his stomach, his head at the foot of the bed, one arm flung over Dude's back, his hand dangling over the edge of the bed, while Jay was curled up on his side at the head of the bed, using the other boy's calves as a pillow, while his long legs hung off the bed.
"So what time did you actually go to sleep?" Ben asked, poking Jay's shoulder.
Bloodshot eyes blinked at him, before shutting again. "Dunno had to beat Carlos at racing."
Ben just chuckled, he'd never met anyone besides Chad who was more competitive when it came to video games. He supposed part of it was because there wasn't even tv on the island let alone video games and they'd found out pretty quickly that while Jay was ruthless when it came to sports or fighting type games, Carlos dominated at racing games. Ben had orchestrated several guy's nights dedicated to junk food and video game marathons, which always came down to a near standoff between Jay and Carlos; neither giving up until one had to admit defeat due to hand cramps and eye strain.
"And how did that go?" Ben asked.
"Controller wasn't working, think it's broken," Jay muttered.
"Only cos you threw it at the wall," Carlos yawned, the talking finally rousing him.
"Still beat you five games before that," Jay argued.
"That's because you know all the combo moves already, you know I hate fighting games," Carlos quipped.
"I asked you last week if you wanted to learn the ones for the character you were leveling, but you were too busy doing something on your computer," Jay said.
Carlos groaned and buried his face back into the bed, while Ben started laughing. He'd never seen anyone bicker and tease each other so much and not for enemies, but Jay and Carlos would sit for hours and bounce insults at each other like he'd play tennis. Watching their verbal matches was much more entertaining, however.
"So guys, breakfast? My father and I are meeting Fairy Godmother this afternoon so I was thinking we could discuss options once I get back," Ben said.
Carlos sat up, stretching his arms above his head until his back popped and tried wiggling his legs that were trapped underneath Jay's head. "Jay you've got to move, I think my legs are asleep."
Jay grumbled and rolled over, pitching off the side of the bed to land in a heap of blankets on the floor. "Alright! Fine, I'm up!" Jay stood abruptly, looking exhausted and tossed his armful of blankets back onto the bed. "Shower's mine!"
Carlos's eyes snapped wide and he scrambled to get off the bed, with his legs asleep it was more of a stiff-legged stumble and he reached out to break his fall just as Ben reached out to catch him. Both boys wound up in a jumble of limbs on the floor, Ben breaking out into gales of laughter at Carlos' mussed bed head and ridiculous pout.
Jay rolled his eyes at his giggling friends and grabbed one of each of their hands to help them up. Ben stepped back as Jay slung Carlos' arm over his shoulders, the blonde's knees tingling painfully as blood flow returned. "We'll meet you downstairs, gotta make sure Carlos can stand on his own or this idiot will drown in the shower."
"Hey! You're the one who slept on my legs," Carlos replied indignantly, while Jay helped him hobble towards the bathroom.
Ben left with a smile, always glad to start his day enjoying his friend's antics. Crossing the courtyard from the dorm rooms to the dining hall, he looked across the way out to the Island of the Lost. It was such a depressing sight, a gray, desolate chunk of land filled with the worst people imaginable. It made Ben even more determined to rescue as many of the innocent children trapped there, so they could experience the joys of life instead of the cruelty their parents wrought.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing on the walkway, staring at the crashing waves, but seeing a large piece of debris being launched from one of them with a body wrapped around it broke him from his daze. Running down the flight of steps to a lower balcony that overhung the edge of a cliff, Ben bent over the railing as far as he could to watch as the person was washed onto the beach below. Fearing the person had drowned, Ben waved down several passing guards and pointed to the beach instructing them to help. Four men raced towards the nearest stairway that led down to the beach while two more went to find medical aid. Ben chased after the ones headed to the beach, hoping that they weren't too late.
Uma shuddered violently and spat a mouthful of seawater onto the gritty sand beneath her, her body shivered as the cool air raised goose bumps across her tender burned skin but a gleeful grin cracked her chapped lips as she realized she'd finally made it to land. She'd just shut her eyes when she heard shouts and the muffled pounding of feet against sand, and she rolled her head to the right to watch as uniformed Auradon guards raced up to her. One guard quickly knelt down and began checking her pulse and eyes, asking her if she was alright and where she had come from. Suddenly, another guard grabbed his shoulder and hauled him backward, frantically pointing below Uma's waist at the still visible tentacles.
Ben rushed up to the huddled group of guards, not sure why they were ten feet away from the person laying on the sand and worrying that perhaps they were too late to save them.
"Your highness you mustn't go any further, the sea witch has made it to our shores. We'll go get more help to capture her immediately," one of the guards said.
Ben craned his neck to see around the guards, then took several steps forward, much to the guard's protests. Recognition dawned on him, as the small frame and a multitude of blue-tinted braids became visible. "It's not the sea witch, it's Uma. She's a friend and she's hurt, send for medical aid now!"
The guards looked uneasily from the unmoving girl to their king several times before one raced back across the beach to do as he was bid. Ben knelt down next to Uma and gently took her hand, noticing the angry red burns covering her body.
"Uma, what happened? How did you get here?" Ben asked quietly.
Uma croaked out a laugh, "Apparently you're the barrier is getting weaker. Not by much of course, but I am here so..."
"I can see that, should I be expecting any more visitors?" Ben asked.
Uma shook her head from side to side, her eyes closing. "Harry was waiting for me, hope he doesn't try to sail a boat through or something stupid like that."
Ben looked at Uma's body, her tentacles were in the worst shape, black and charred while the rest was blistered and raw. "Well it looks like you might be here for awhile until you heal, should I send for Harry?"
Uma's eyes snapped open at the offer, not sure what the catch was to it.
Ben could clearly read the mistrust in those flashing orbs and sighed heavily, it was like starting all over with Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. At least he had some experience to draw from now and understood Uma would have some serious trust issues to get over. "You're welcome here in Auradon Uma, but I know how different it is here from the island and if you would feel more comfortable with a friend then I'll gladly extend an invite to Harry."
"And once he gets here? Are you going to lock us both in a dungeon for breaking out?" Uma asked snidely.
Ben laughed at the absurdity, "Of course not! You're my personal guests, you'll probably need to stay at the medical facility until you're healed but as long as Harry isn't planning on overthrowing the school then you'll both have your own rooms."
"What happens once I'm healed? You'll escort us back to the island?" Uma asked.
"Not unless that's where you want to go, and considering our last brief encounter I'm going to assume that you nearly burning yourself to death trying to get through the barrier is a good indicator that you're ready to give it a try here," Ben said.
"I really don't know if I'm cut out to go to a prep school and act all goody-goody," Uma whispered, avoiding Ben's gaze.
"Nobody expects you to change overnight, and nobody is going to force you to do anything you don't want to do," Ben assured.
Uma still looked very doubtful but she wasn't exactly in a position to argue, she couldn't feel anything below her waist which worried her much more than she was going to admit and the idea of having Harry with her while she was so vulnerable made the tension in her chest ease slightly. "Alright, as long as you promise you won't go back on your word."
"I, King Ben, promise that you will be well cared for and treated like a princess for as long as you choose to stay in Auradon," Ben swore, holding a hand to his heart as if stating a royal decree.
Several medical aids showed up with a stretcher and Ben waved them forward so they could lift Uma onto it. He quickly grabbed her hand back up when he noticed her try to lash out at one of the aids who looped a band around her waist to keep her on the stretcher.
"It's okay, it's just so you don't fall off. We've got to get you up several flights of stairs and the ride can be a bit bumpy," Ben said, pointing to the way they had all come.
Uma glared threateningly at the aids but settled down and let them strap her securely to the stretcher and begin their long walk.
To keep the tension down, Ben started telling Uma all about the school and all its amenities and what she might like to see and do once she was feeling better. He was very curious as to why Uma had forced herself through the barrier and if anyone besides her and Harry knew about it's apparent weakening.
Just as they reached the top of the winding staircase, Ben's father pushed through a crowd of students who had noticed that something interesting had been going on down at the beach and rushed to see what was happening.
"Ben, we're extremely late meeting Fairy Godmother, what in the world is going on?"
Ben gave a sheepish smile, "Father, meet Uma, she's going to be staying with us for awhile."
Ben's father gave Uma a startled look, before composing himself and giving a bow of his head. "Welcome to Auradon Miss Uma, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Uma's been injured and will be requiring medical aid, I'll explain everything later father," Ben said, giving the guards and students surrounding them a pointed look.
Ben's father nodded tersely and continued to follow everyone into the medical building. Soon Uma was settled into a comfortable bed and the nurses began to fuss over her while the doctors began their exam. Uma clenched Ben's hand nervously, not sure what to expect with the multitude of people suddenly surrounding her and rapidly firing questions at her.
"Just take a deep breath and relax, nobody here is going to hurt you. The nurses in the white uniforms are going to get you anything you need, water, food, more blankets or pillows. The doctors are going to try to figure out the best way to get you better, so they need to know as much about you as possible," Ben said.
"Indeed, can't say we've had many cases quite like yours young lady," one doctor added, a fairly young man, long waist length blonde hair, fair skin and a pair of small round silver glasses perched on his straight nose.
"I don't normally have these, I can transform legs but I think they're too badly burned right now," Uma said, gesturing towards her tentacles.
"Have you ever been burned before? I can't say my knowledge of sea creatures is too extensive but if memory serves me right if an octopus loses a tentacle they usually grow back, correct?" the dr asked.
"I've never been burned like this, and yes they will grow back if I lose them but they're still there," Uma replied.
"May I?" the dr asked, stopping short of touching Uma.
Uma nodded and relaxed slightly when she realized she couldn't feel his hands.
"Can't feel that, can you?" the dr guessed, as he increased the pressure of his hands until he was sure she should have been shouting in pain.
Uma shook her head no.
"Well, we have a few options then, we can treat this like any other burn and wrap your tentacles in a healing salve and hope there is some flesh left underneath to heal, we could amputate and remove all the burned flesh and perhaps your tentacles will grow back or we could consult with the fairies and see if they have any magic to reverse the burns effects," the Dr said.
"Do you think any of those are going to work?" Uma asked.
"Honestly I have no idea since there is no pain I would suggest going the least drastic course of action first, we wrap them and consult the fairies. If neither of those pan out we can revisit the amputation option as a last resort."
"All I wanted to do was get off that horrible island, stop having to mop floors and serve fried fish," Uma muttered, giving a self-deprecating scoff.
"Hey, don't get so discouraged now. You did manage to get away, you're here now and you can have someone else serve you fried fish," Ben said, giving Uma's hand a gentle squeeze.
"If I ever see fried fish or french fries again it'll be too soon. Ok, doc let's get this torture session over with already," Uma sighed.
The Dr laughed gently, "I promise it won't be that bad, it's an herbal wrap so at the very most it might be slightly chilly but the nurses will bring you as many heated blankets as you want."
Ben smiled encouragingly as the doctor began mixing the salve together in a large basin, dipping long strips of gauze into it and then gently wrapping each tentacle, working his way up until he finished off with Uma's arms and a few spots on her face and neck.
"I feel like a seaweed wrapped appetizer, but at least it doesn't smell as bad," Uma commented, giving herself a once over look.
"The bandages will need to be replaced every morning, and if you notice any itching, burning or pain let one of the nurses know immediately so we can check. None of the burns look infected, the ocean's salt water would have helped with that quite a bit but we still have to keep an eye on them," the Dr said.
"Okay, thanks," Uma replied.
"Well now that you're in good hands, I've got a very important meeting to attend and I've got to send someone to get Harry. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Ben asked, standing up from his seat beside Uma's bed.
"No, I'm good but before I completely forget again there's a reason why I forced my way through the barrier and we really need to talk about it," Uma replied, lowering her voice and glancing around to make sure nobody else was close.
Ben knelt closer to the bed, "I already know and we're working on fixing it, I'm afraid you didn't come at a very good time. If the villains managed to escape from the island, I don't know if you'll be safe here. As soon as I know more I'll let you know, for now just get some rest so you can heal."
With that Ben quickly spun on his boot heel and strode out of the medical building, waving at Jay and Carlos who were coming out of the dining hall before jumping inside a waiting carriage. As glad as he was that the barrier hadn't completely failed yet, it was clearly just a matter of time now and Carlos' warning about the artifacts rang loudly in the back of his mind. There just simply wasn't a contingency plan in case the barrier failed, and as acting king, Ben wasn't sure he was up to the task.
Harry paced outside Ursula's fish and chips shop restlessly, Uma had set off the night before and he'd expected her to come back within a few hours grumbling about idiot fishermen who couldn't tell a wave from a whale and that there was absolutely no way to get through the barrier. He'd watched Uma swim away until he'd lost sight of her and then sat on the edge of the dock until it started to rain. Gil had roused him sometime the next morning, where Harry had taken shelter against a wall in a nearby alleyway but Uma still hadn't come back. He'd told Gil to mind the shop, serve the customers and tell Ursula that Uma was getting supplies and would be back later but now it was later, nearly dusk and still no sight of Uma.
"Harry, it's getting really busy, help!" Gil pleaded from the shop's swinging doors, flinching as a plate sailed over his head to crash against a dock piling.
Harry grimaced and stormed past the other boy, taking in the ruckus that the customers had started. "Everyone shut up! If I see one more plate get broken I'm gonna kick you all out!"
Uplifted chairs were slowly put back onto the floor, and plates were carefully set back onto tables while Gil quickly rushed around to serve up more food. Looking over the mess, Harry suddenly understood Uma's hatred of her life. He was pretty much free to come and go as he pleased, his father was dead, he had nobody to tell him what to do or responsibilities to tie him down. Harry had met Uma and Gil years earlier and when offered as much fish and chips as he could eat if he'd help clean up the shop it had seemed like a pretty sweet deal. Now he chose more often than not to help Uma at the shop simply because he had nowhere else to go and Gil hung around because the two of them were the only people on the entire island who could stand the blonde for longer than 2 seconds. But Uma was right, their lives were going nowhere fast and Harry's dream of getting The Jolly Roger up and sailing again was never going to happen.
Harry had sent Gil home shortly after sundown when he'd noticed the boy falling asleep while leaning against a mop but he was hesitant to go too far in case Uma came back. Just as he was putting away the last of the clean plates and silverware, a pair of Auradon guards came into the shop and Harry tensed nervously.
"Harry Hook, your presence has been requested by King Benjamin of Auradon."
Harry stood dumbstruck for a moment, not sure what that meant.
"His Highness said a mutual friend was in need of your assistance at Auradon Prep and we were to escort you there immediately."
"Friend? Uma!" Harry said, realization dawning on him. She must have made it through then, it was the only explanation as to why she'd been gone so long, and somehow she'd convinced Ben to come get him as well. Leaving a short note for Ursula, about both he and Uma being recruited for Auradon Prep he quickly followed the guards to a shiny black limo sitting outside on the dock. For a moment Harry hesitated before climbing into the sleek car, he was about to leave everything he'd ever known behind him and even if that wasn't much to brag about it was familiar, whereas Auradon was completely foreign and possibly hostile territory. Biting his lip and hoping Uma hadn't been bewitched by some spell already, Harry slid onto the soft, black leather seats and white-knuckled the door handle all the way across the golden bridge.