Hey Descendants!
LAST CHAPTER OF OUR FIRST BOOK!
Thank you everyone who made it this far with us! We've been steadily working on the next book, Cracks in the Mask, but we have agreed that we have to get to a certain level of certainty before we can start posting it. Mostly meaning that we need to get a majority of it written and then go back over it once more before final edits… Then posting can happen.
We have a request though!
If you made it this far, even if you've never left a comment or review before, we'd like to invite you to be seen! We'd love to get every reader of this chapter to leave us a message. You don't have to answer questions if you don't want to. You could let us know your favorite moment(s), or tell us where you think the story is heading. Tell us your ships, tell us what you think about any of it. Literally could be simple as Tarry or more Malvie or whatever just let us know wazzup!?
We'd just love to see a shout out from everyone who got this far.
And now, the final chapter of We Wear the Mask.
Enjoy!
That night …
"Mistress Maleficent." Two goblins call out as they rush to the side of the throne.
Maleficent rolls her eyes, "What? Don't tell me you worthless minions are tired of guarding a stupid child."
"No Mistress. We're not tired of guarding the boy-"
"Well, then why are you disturbing my nightly plotting?" Maleficent demands angrily.
"-because the boy isn't here to guard anymore."
"He escaped."
Maleficent jumps out of the seat and grabs the goblins, "WHAT?" She clears her throat and smiles before she continues, "What do you mean the little fly escaped?"
The goblins blink up at her fearfully, "He managed to slip the chains and pick the lock Mistress. We tried to stop him, many of us have been injured, but he managed to escape us in the end."
Maleficent sighs as she drops the two imbeciles to the floor. She'd planned to keep the kid as collateral. Her little Mal obviously cared about him and the little firebrat. If she couldn't keep one...
"Find me the Daughter of Hades!"
"Yes mistress," One of them blurts out. "Of course." He runs off.
Maleficent nods as she runs a finger over her lips. This put her in a dangerous position. The kid had already demonstrated a talent for getting in undetected. She was more than sure she was in danger from this kid. Wonderful.
"And double the guards. I want the best outside my room and stationed at the windows."
Hopefully having the firebrat as insurance would be enough to keep her daughter in check. And maybe she could offer the girl up in trade if T tried to come back. She shakes her head. How had everything started to finally go so right, and then so wrong?
She knew she'd regret making a contract with that kid. Hades had been far too entertained by him for her liking.
She rolls her eyes, things that entertained that idiotic god was always trouble.
T wasn't thinking as he raced from rooftop to rooftop. His mind consumed with only one thought after being locked up for hours with the knowledge the last month had been completely pointless. All the work he'd put into finding out Shan Yu's plans, as anti-climatic as it'd been, fucking pointless.
He couldn't believe he'd fallen for that trap, and was honestly still confused as to how it happened.
Couldn't believe that after all this time Auradon had finally come to the conclusion that, perhaps kids didn't deserve to be raised by Villains. Talk about a little too late. Hyades was probably beside herself.
This had to do with those letters of hers. How else would they know to take those five specifically? Know their names. Know they were a gang. He couldn't think of any other reason when he'd spent hours trying to distract himself from secretly picking the locks on his wrists whenever the goblins weren't paying attention to him.
There wasn't anything stopping him now. Like fuck was he going to deliver that message to the Sea Three. He'd do a lot for them, go to hell and back. Happily. Without question even.
But there was going to be no stopping Uma and Gil from crying at this shit.
He could feel it in his gut as much as he knew it in every other breath he was currently breathing.
In one short day, their lives had been thrown upside down and disheveled to fuck sakes and back. His stomach rolls at the thought. How was he supposed to fix this? He scoffs.
He couldn't. It was that simple. By the time he'd gotten out, he knew his friends were long gone.
He could kill Maleficent for this stunt. He growls as he lands on a roof roughly, having to duck and tumble to keep from injuring himself with his thoughtlessness. Before he picks himself up and continues racing towards the red lantern district.
But first, he had to take care of his OV.
Hyades' frowns as she stands at the edge of Uma's territory. She'd walked the long way around, carefully avoiding the docks and water's edge.
But now, her feet refused to listen. She frowns as she looks down the alley to the docks and the Chip Shop with trepidation.
"Just do it." She scolds herself.
You can do this. I can do this. It was just Ursula. She was older now. She could take care of herself. She wouldn't be drowned again. Not this time.
She tightens her jaw and wraps a hand around her shell. She belonged with them. She could do this.
She makes it down the alley, slowly breaking whatever force it was that stood between her and her family.
They were there. Or at least Uma would be. She just had to get to Uma.
Uma would hold her, tell her everything was going to be okay.
Uma would make it okay.
Uma would get her Gil and Harry. They'd hold her too.
She wasn't alone.
She just had to get to Uma.
She stops when the first sounds of the waves reach her. A tear slides down her cheek. She'd only made it to the second step on the wooden dock. She hadn't even made it to the corner of the fist dilapidated dock shop.
She pulls the drawstrings of the hoodie tight to obscure her face. Her fear. Not that anyone was around to see her. She twists her hand in the cord of the necklace. She could do this.
She forces herself to take another step before she collapses.
She couldn't do this. Uma was right there, and she couldn't get to her.
She pushes herself back to solid ground, coughing when she realizes she'd stopped breathing at some point. She couldn't do it. Ursula was too close this way and the water…
The muffled sound of waves crashing below hit her chest like a hammer on molten metal. The sound had once mocked her before she found peace in it. Now mocked her again. Each turn and swell a taunt, showing her what she could never be.
She curls tightly around herself as she stares at the Chip Shop. It was so close, yet completely out of reach.
Uma frowns as she looks around with desperation. She was so shocked when the news of a limo coming to collect Mal's gang reached her territory. It had left their cabin in ruins. Not one item out had been left standing in her rage.
Why? Why did Mal always fucking get everything? She hadn't even mentioned to Harry her concern T could've been taken as well. Maleficent had always known Hyades was useful, but now she knew how useful T was too.
She could kick her past self for telling that kid that he was valuable. All this shit seemed to hit the fan with him afterward. She still wasn't sure how he'd gotten Mal to agree to reinstate the book club. She just knew he'd managed it despite her telling everyone it had been her decision.
With Mal gone, no one was going to even think twice of her 'claiming' the abandoned territory. Not that she cared what anyone thought right now, she just wanted to know if Hyades was here, or if she'd been taken.
"Anything?" Gil frowns as he walks into the alley hopefully.
Uma slowly shakes her head as she bites back tears. She slams her fist against the wall. Once, twice. Both of them.
"No one I was able to find has seen her either," Gil sighs as he puts his hand over Umas to block her skin from the roughness of the wall, his eyes glassy. "But hurtin' yourself isn't going to help."
"She'd never leave us like this." Uma weeps softly.
"I know she wouldn't." Gil agrees sadly before he smiles, "Maybe Harry's having better luck by the beach."
"I hope so. Why have we never set something up? A meeting place or something. We know she can't get to us without help!" She jerks her hand up to punch the wall again, only to have Gil stop her.
"Uma… It's one thing to break things, but it's not okay to break yourself. If she's here, we'll find her."
Uma sighs. She wasn't trying to break herself, but the rough surface marking up her skin made the hurt in her chest lessen, "I know she can take care of herself." She shakes her head, "But without Mal's gang to cover this territory, Atilla… And he was so bold with her at the Howler…"
Gil frowns in disapproval. "Imma go to the roofs. If Deez isn't here T might be. And the goblins actually talk to him." He grumbles in frustration.
Uma nods and watches as Gil scales the side of the building. T said he was going to take her place. Had something happened and they all ended up in Auradon? She blanks at the thought.
There was no way in hell. T would've gone bat shit if someone told him he was expected to go there. Especially since he clearly hadn't gotten his chance to confront his father.
They would've heard about an OV's death by now.
So if they weren't hearing about a giant commotion at the limo, there was no way T had gone with them.
But then, where the fuck was he?
Because that meant Hyades was in that limo.
Because T hadn't gotten her kicked out of the gang yet.
A growl leaves her throat, T wouldn't ghost them right? Right? Her eyes narrow as her lips purse to the side.
No, not like this. He said he was going to go talk to Maleficent this morning. So if he didn't, that meant something happened to keep him from following through.
Fucking damn it! Gil was right. They needed to look for both of them. She squints as she looks up to the roofline, wishing she could follow him.
Fucking damn it all to the deepest depths of the sea.
T frowns as he looks up at the looming cathedral. Years. They'd spend so many years locked in this place, watching the outside world with curiosity before Faustina finally agreed to let him sneak out.
Or agreed with herself...
He still wasn't sure what accomplishing this meant for him... But he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't get them the justice they both needed to be okay. He glares at the church, happy Faustina was staying silent. He expected her to be screaming at him to stop, but the only thing he could feel was a quiet stillness.
He vaults up the steps, more determined than ever to make sure their father would never hurt them, or anyone ever again. His dark expression obscured by his hood, as for the first time in his life, he stepped through the front door of what had been their home.
His feet falter as chills run down his back when he hears Frollo's voice, delivering another hypocritical sermon.
How many times had they listened at the vent in the wall as he preached to the masses?
Calm the fuck down. He hisses in his head. I'm here stupid. We'll be fine if you don't keep pulling that shit. He tries to reassure her. His head nodding in approval when he's finally able to continue walking. He pulls out both daggers, knowing a sword would draw too much attention as he waited back pressed against the wall for the service to finish. His knuckles turning white with the grip of his dagger as his eyes scanned the room.
His foot taps as he impatiently waits for it to wrap up. He'd completely forgotten how long these speeches took. He lets the back of his head hit the wall with a hard thud, his hood falling in the process. Like he gave a fuck if Frollo saw him now? He knew he was faster. Stronger. Skilled. Better.
He was just fucking better. He knew that like he knew Evie's favorite shade of lipstick or where Harry hid his hook. Still, it wasn't him he was worried about. It was the girl who was making his hands tremble worse every agonizing minute that passed.
His eyes sweep up to the ceiling. The archways and paintings that decorated it would probably have interested him at any other time. They were shadowed and the painting depicted several of the stories she loved. His eyes lingering on the man with lions surrounding him as he stood defiantly glaring at the king in the crowd above him. Daniel. That story had always been one of her favorites.
His head makes another dull thud as he looked away from the painting when it didn't seem to do anything to calm the terrified girl in his head.
Though honestly, she was handling it much better than he'd expected her too. His eyes drop back to Frollo. Rolling his eyes in exasperation as the congregation stood up to shake hands.
Oh. My. God.
When the fuck was he going to shut the fuck up? This had been dragging on forever.
How fucking quickly had he made his way here? His trembling hands twitching as he contemplated killing the man now in front of his followers.
When Frollo finally finishes he was sure he'd given himself a bruise on the back of their head. Fucking finally. He waits for the last of the stragglers to exit the church. Several of them glancing his way curiously before moving on.
When their father turns to head up the stairs, T doesn't think as he pushes off the wall and heads after the man in cold determination.
Every step felt like it added ten pounds to him, weighing him down as he trudged on with straight will power. This was his chance to get answers. This was his chance to make the monster face what he'd done to them.
So where was the old man going? Why was he walking towards the door behind the pulpit?
T walks faster, afraid to lose his chance to confront the bastard. His vision tunnels, greying out everything except the coward walking away.
So the strange scent barely registers before a cold, wet cloth covers his face and arms wrap around his hands, pulling them straight back painfully.
"Well now. Look what we caught Stromboli. Another little boy wanting to take a bite outta pleasure island."
What the fuck? Where the fuck had bastard come from. He growls as someone twists his wrists to the point he drops his blades. He bites back a groan. He was sure both his wrists had been dislocated with the jerking quickness in which it was done.
"He do ah be looking like he be ah wanting something." The man's accent was so thick it was hard to understand him.
T growls as he finally starts to react. But he couldn't do shit if he couldn't see what the fuck was happening. His attempt at shaking the rag off to no avail, as his head was quickly snapped back to someone's fat.
"We should see what the boss wants us to do with him." The first gravelly voice suggests.
A deep voice rumbles in laughter, "He certainly is not ah acting much like a fighter. Frollo might indeed be ah wanting ta see him. He be ah having green eyes."
T can't help but stiffen. What? Boss? Frollo? His father had minions? Since fucking when? And who?
And not only one, but two?
How had he not seen this coming? Who the fuck would work with that man on purpose?
It was getting hard to breath. What little bit of light he could see through the cloth was slowly dimming.
No.
No!
Fuck, god, no! Please! Not like this!
His vision fades to black as two laughing voices boom in his ears.
So… Thanks for making it all the way to the end of Book One!
We hope you enjoyed reading as much as we enjoyed writing!
Don't forget to leave us a shout out for making it this far! We'd love to thank you in the first chapter of Cracks in the Mask!
Much love and appreciation
-Dark and Twisted
PSA. The more people who leave comments about how we just ended this, nasty or otherwise, the quicker we'll probably get to posting the next book. We're both creatures of guilt. And we know cliff hangers kill.
Sorry Dob's, this was just the perfect place to end this and like twice the content of the original...
