A/N: This chapter took a bit longer, but I made it passed my 4,501 word count goal for this chapter by 2,169 words. :) This chapter mostly consists of lead up, but I know for sure next chapter we'll get to see Auradon and older versions of some of the original Descendants characters. Things have changed for the "Rotten Four" and Auradon since then, so they won't be exactly the same, let's just say that. That being said, here's Chapter Four! Enjoy and please leave reviews/comments, they are the secret to faster updates because they give me a little extra encouragement.
XOXO,
Infiniginity
Chapter Four: The Start of a New Adventure
Later in the day, Nico and I sit around the worktable. Birdie has gone to work at the shop (which is right in front of us) so the two of us are hanging out together.
When I got back this morning from Nico's house, Birdie didn't yell at me like most parents would. Although we've know each other less that three years, Birdie is more a mother to me than anyone else in this town has ever been. I told her immediately about the form the secretary had me fill out. I told her of the last name I gave myself, and a Birdie's eyes crinkled when she smiled at me.
Nico is attempting to train Cal and Vivienne to run through a maze that he's created out of unused wood planks and red plastic cups. I'm perch on a stool, hair wrapped up messily in two buns over the top of my head, dressed in an oversized hoodie and jeans, my gloved fingers turning the pages of a new novel I picked up earlier in the day. As usual, I have my combat boots on. Never know when you're gonna need them.
They're supposed to announce who was picked to go to Auradon. We're not sure if we're waiting for a Runner, or some other official to spill the news. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, though. Despite what the secretary revealed last night about people being hostile, I don't doubt that there were still many teens throughout the Borderlands who put their names in.
I put my book down on the table, which draws Nico's attention. "You okay?" He asks protectively.
"Yeah, I'm just going to go over to the shop," I say, gesturing to the front of the room. "Come with me if you want to be my babysitter." He just shakes his head. Vivienne looks at me curiously, but just continues dancing through the maze.
There's a small entryway that used to be the front of the house, which used to be an actual house, before Birdie moved in two and a half years ago. There's what used to be the front door, but next to it is a creaky old staircase that leads to the second floor, which Birdie converted into a giant, empty, attic-like space. I've only been up there twice. The basement is far safer.
Birdie build her pawn shop attached and in front of the house, so that it juts out into the open street a little more than the rest of the shops, restaurants, and businesses on our street. Birdie's pawn shop isn't that wide because of this, but what it lacks in width, Birdie compensated with length. The shop looks kind of funky, but it's really just an extension of Birdie's personality and lifestyle.
Opening what used to be the front door leads directly to the back of the checkout counter, where Birdie is now, handling a customer. The shop, despite being relatively new, has an old-timey feel to it. The Glass Rose pawn shop really fits into this little town.
The walls and floors are a dark wood that Birdie had commissioned from actual trees. (She planted a whole forest of trees to make up for the ones killed for this shop.) The single room is covered wall-to-wall with a labyrinth of counters and displays of random assortment. This is a pawn shop, so people do sell her some really weird and outlandish items, such as the realistic oil painting of a unicorn wearing a fedora, mustache and a blue chiffon dress with high heels, all the while standing on two hooves and set in a golden rose frame behind the counter. Birdie placed a piece of paper on it that reads 'NOT FOR SALE' in huge red letters.
Yeah. Weird stuff for a weird place, I guess. At least Fedoracorn looks fabulous in that chiffon skirt and heels.
Other things found in the Glass Rose include, but are not limited to: random collections of utensils that are often missing pieces, a spinning wheel that is slightly burned but is labeled 'Most Definitely Not the Spinning Wheel that Maleficent Used on Aurora', used school textbooks, and swords. Lots and lots of swords. All of which are displayed proudly on the walls, each one glistening in the current midday light.
I look out into the street. Children are chasing butterflies and beams of magical light that their parents conjure for them. I watch as a boy blows color changing bubbles into the organized chaos of the street, and is promptly scolded by his mother. Across the street is Nico's family's bakery, which is a hopping spot as families who don't have to bring their children to school today take them there for a treat, perhaps one of Nico's grandfather's renowned warm, fresh baked, chocolate chip muffins.
"You going to help me or not?" Birdie taps me on the shoulder. Oops. Hadn't realized I was daydreaming.
"Okay," I say.
I'm about to start stacking some of the new stuff sold to Glass Rose and start putting price tags on them when the bell on the glass door chimes to signify a customer. I turn around and see two police officers enter the Glass Rose. Two police per patrol was standard, not because we were a highly dangerous town, but because if trouble ever did occur, one would be enough backup.
I recognized the darker, female officer instantly. She was the one who came to break up the last gang fight I participated in. I remember walking out of that pretty bruised up. Officer Jetta Palmer is her name. Palmer was also the same officer who filed the report the last time I was at the station. She was the officer who watched Nico and I for months afterward as well, but stopped when it became clear that I was in no position to ever go back to gang activity ever again.
I notice a stinging sensation in my arm and look down. Shit. I hadn't realized that I'd been scratching the skin just above my wrist, just before my hands meet the fabric of my gloves. I stop. A trickle of blood slides down, which I wipe away with my thumb. I jerk my glove up to try to hide the scratch.
Birdie goes to address the the officers. "How may we help you, Officers?"
Officer Palmer gives a small smile when she sees me. "Nobody's in trouble, Birdie," she says. "We're just here to give a notice to your ward." She holds out a rolled piece of worn paper from her pocket to me, and I hastily scramble to take it from her. "What's this about, may I ask?"
"Just open it and see," the unfamiliar female officer says kindly, with a smile that suggested that she knew what the contents of this notice held. I bet she does.
I unroll the notice, although the paper is worn, it's some nice, sturdy paper. On it is formal, looping cursive handwriting. There is an official seal in the top, right hand corner of the paper. An octopus tentacle wrapped around a partially bitten apple. The Valley of the Lost's seal. The Baroness's seal. Alongside that is the symbol for the Borderlands, a simple outline of a tree.
I begin to read in my head, eyes skittering across the paper faster than my brain can comprehend. When I finish, I reread the paper. Then again, and a fourth time. My mouth drops open a little. "You serious?" I ask. Palmer laughs, "Yeah, sweetie. Serious."
I read the notice for a fifth time, and grin widely. "I'm really going to Auradon?"
"You bet," Palmer says.
I'm going to Auradon! Although it's basically a political arrangement, I'm still going somewhere outside of the Borderlands for once in my life. This is so exciting!
"Well, I'm sure it's best we be off," the officer whose name I still didn't know said. "The rest of the information is in that notice.
"Alright," I said, leading them to the door, Birdie trailing behind us. "Have a nice day, Officers."
"You too, Kitt," Palmer said. "Oh wait! I need to know where your friend Nico is. You're still friends, right? Nevermind. We were just across the street and couldn't find him. It seems Fate would not have the pair of you separating." She laughed.
"You mean…?" I trail off.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."
The door from the workshop opens and Nico comes in, Cal perched on his shoulder, Vivienne scurrying in front of him. "Speak of the devil," I smirk.
"What did I do this time?" He jokes.
"Absolutely everything!" I run over to him, and wrap my arms around him. He reluctantly hugs me, still unsure as to what's going on. Palmer approaches us, fishing an identical notice from her pocket and offering it to Nico. He looks at it just a curiously as I must have. I snigger. He unrolls it, reads it quickly, and gives a rare smile to Officer Palmer. "Thank you, Officer Palmer."
"Thank me? I didn't do anything." She and the other officer whose name I still don't fucking know stroll to the door and open it. "Well, we best be on our way. You two have a busy day tomorrow." The door chimes as the pair exit and presumably head back to the station.
Nico, Birdie, and I look around at each other. "Isn't it strange that two of the people chosen are both from the same town, and both know each other?" I ask. My gaze cuts to Birdie. "How much of a hand did you have in this?"
A sly look crosses the old woman's face, "None whatsoever. Why would you think an ol' beggar like myself had any meddling in business that wasn't my own?" She places a finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture and winks before walking back back behind the counter to finish some work. This leaves both Nico and I in a state of mild confusion.
"What're the two of you just standing around for? You must get ready. You both have a big day tomorrow!"
/
I'm standing in my room staring down at the notice. I still can't believe I, out of all people, was picked to go to Auradon. And Nico and I won't have to separate! The disbelieve still runs it's course like a rushing, wild river through my veins, almost as strong as adrenaline minus the fight or flight response.
The notice lies unrolled on top of my stack of books on the nightstand. There are instructions on where and when we will meet the ar from Auradon, as well as suggested items to pack for the school year.
In the year and a half that I've formally been living with Birdie -she took care of me out on the streets for six months prior before I stopped fighting her and began trusting her- I've barely acquired new clothing or shoes. Just a new pair of good quality sneakers, the six new outfits that I wear in rotation, and a warm hoodie for those rare days that the temperature drops below 90 degrees. I throw the five outfits I'm not currently wearing (which mostly consist of tight fitting jeans, flowy pants and tops, tank tops and T-shirts) into a medium-sized suitcase Birdie gave to me for the occasion. When I pulled out my old backpack that I'd been using before Nico brought me to Birdie, the woman in question said, "That old thing? It's falling apart at the seams! It won't even hold a week's worth of clothes, never mind other things you'll need and want to bring along!" Then she proceeded to rummage through the backroom of the Glass Rose before shoving the old fashioned, rustic brown suitcase in my direction. That's how I ended up with an old, but in good condition, suitcase. I briefly wonder where Birdie might've gotten it before remembering that she's been roaming the Borderlands since it was founded forty-one years ago.
Back to focusing on packing, I take what I just threw in back out and I fold them neatly and gently place them in. I arrange my sneakers meticulously next to the clothes. I've spread my toiletries out on my bed- Vivienne sits on top of a bar of soap, playing with my toothbrush even though it's too heavy for her to lift, and I don't object to it. I gather it all up- soap, hair wash, toothbrush, hairbrush...etc.- and place them into a smaller bag, ignoring Vivienne's protests. She hops off the bed, I'm fearful for a moment before I realize se can handle herself, saying that she's going to find Cal. I shove the bag into the mesh netting on the top of the suitcase, right next to my bras, underwear and camisoles. I get two sets of pajamas and put them in there aswell.
There's still a lot of room, and I've check off all I care to from the list. How about a book? Art supplies? Notebooks? Pens? I get some of them out. I decide on three of my favorite beaten paperbacks- Antigone, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Frankenstein. (Don't ask, about Frankenstein. It just is.) I place them flat down on the bottom of the suitcase to make sure they won't get even more damaged. Next I put my pen, pencil and color pencil bag on top of Antigone, which didn't have another book on top of it already, along with my sketchbook. I think it would be frivolous to bring paints or paint brushes, even though I desperately would like to. I'm unable to find a writing notebook with excess pages in it, so I just start fresh, sliding a blank one in the crevice between my books and clothes. I hide my journal on the other side. I close the suitcase -which, now that I think about it, is more like a trunk- and lock it from the top before sliding it under my bed for now.
My spellbook still lies on my comforter. I flop onto my bed, lay back, and casually flip through the pages.
/
At some point, I fall asleep. I know this because I wake up with a jolt, jostling my spellbook to the floor with a rough thump. Looking around, I try to pinpoint what could have possibly woken me up. My eyes sweep my room. The lantern lamps on my desk and nightstand still flicker, though both are near the end of their light. "The shadows are as dark as night, give me a hand, give me some light." The lights flare up, illuminating the basement with warm light. I scoot to the side of my bed, still ever so cautious, and scoop my my fallen spellbook. I smooth out some pages that had bent during the fall while still searching my room. Perhaps it was just a bad dream that I can no longer remember upon waking? It must be, as I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Just a few art supplies I left on the floor before dozing off, and my closet door is open both literally and figuratively. I must have forgotten to close it.
I set my spellbook down as I hop off the bed and collect my supplies from the floor, then place then in their proper places in the old wooden desk before shutting the door. Before I do, however, a shimmer catches my attention from the corner of the closet floor. Nothing else is within the closet. I packed the few outfits I own, and anything I had before Birdie took me in, I destroyed, with the exception of my combat boots and fingerless gloves. Crouching down, I pick up the small, shiny object and hold it within my forefinger and thumb. I gasp when I realize what it is.
A small, silver, ball-shaped belly ring. Oh.
The unwanted memory hits my fast and hard, not like a wave. No, not at all. The memory hits me like a dart piercing a dartboard at Credenza's times a thousand. It comes too fast for me to tell it no.
/
Eight years ago. Younger me sitting in the dark, dank alley between the bakery and the butcher. Clutched in my sweaty palm is a small belly ring stolen from a jeweler in the next town over earlier this week.
Nico stands next to me, watchfully eying the muscled teen in front of me. He holds a needle and a lit candle. I forgot his name. Lee or something like that. Several other members had elected to watch this. Not much else to do besides stealin' and fightin' and lyin' I guess.
"Sure you want this?" The big boy asks, "It might be bad and it might be permanent."
"Who're you to question me?" I snap. At just 7 years old, I'm a rough, tough, fighting machine. I command my gang well for a little, and anyone who dare test me best be prepared to get fucked. I've beaten several older, stronger, boys and girls solely due to wit and cunning strategy.
"Apologies," the dweeb mutters.
"Why the fuck are you apologizing? Just fucking do it already!"
Nico grips my hand. I scowl. Lee rotates the needle in the flame. He approaches me. "Lean back, I need to see your stomach." I follow orders for once in my life, smirking wickedly as I unzip my leather jacket, handing it to Nico, and lifting my T-shirt underneath.
Lee doesn't hesitate, sliding the hot needle through the top of my belly button. I hiss through clenched teeth, jerking up so hard my horns ram into the wall of the bakery behind me. I wince; the horns are extra sensitive. Nico runs a hand through my hair comfortingly, though I'd never admit it. Lee tugs it up, then back down a couple of times. My stomach feels sore, like, well, I just had a hot needle shoved into it.
Lee extends his hand for me to give him the ring. I fish it from my pants pocket and give it to Lee. He unscrews the top ball and slides it through the new hole, then he twists it back on.
"There you go,"
/
I'm curled up on the floor of my closet, covering my ears and squeezing my eyes closed so tight that I see stars fly dizzily behind my eyelids. My breathing comes heavily, and I have to remind myself, in, out, in, out. Deep, steady breaths. Okay, I'm fine. Everything's fine. Nothing wrong here.
I get up from the floor, trembling and still holding my belly ring in my palm. I open my fist and look at the thing. I'm not sure what it's doing in my closet, but it brings back those terrible memories. But it also brings up memories of when I was powerful. It's a dangerous feeling that courses through me in this moment. No. Birdie has taught me not to forget the past entirely; to learn from it, but not dwell on what could be and might've been. I need to control me emotions and not let them control me. But the power I had. There was safety in leading a gang. Until there wasn't.
My thoughts confuse me, but holding this ring brings an odd sense of security. I shut my closet door, then move until I stand in a patch of firelight. Slowly, as if I will hurt someone besides myself, I lift my hoodie and tank top, exposing my belly. The hole is slightly closed after a year of disuse, but I unscrew the ball anyway. I poke it through the hole, and it hurts a little. I screw the top back on. The little silver ball feels at home in my belly button, but no memories hit me. I kind of like the feel of it in again. I've grown emotionally, mentally, and physically since I was thirteen. Although I am not completely fine, I will admit that, I think that taking back some of the good parts of myself from before might help. If not, I can always take it out and burn it. Never see this stupid thing ever again.
How odd. A belly ring as a good part of me. Damn, I was a fucked up small person.
/
The rest of the day passes peacefully. I memorize the instructions on how to get to the pace where we'll be picked up. Nico and I go visit our friends to tell them the news. We meet up at Credenza's. They are all really excited for us.
"A chance to help Auradon see us better!" Zeek exclaims when we tell him. Bolyee is sitting on his lap as he takes a sip of his drink, reposition the cue.
"Well, I suppose like that it could be beneficial," Bolyee admits. "But the kids at Auradon are still going to be suspicious of the five of you. I mean, there's an attack, and all of a sudden they remember that we exist? Kind of suspicious-making if you ask me."
"I still say you shouldn't go," Itsy says, throwing a dart at the bullseye. "But don't let me stop you, Kitt. If you and Nico truly want to go, then do it. I doubt you were asking my permission. I just want my friend to stay safe. I just want everything to be okay again."
Me too, Itsy. Me too.
"We'll be heading out early tomorrow morning," Nico says from behind me. "To meet the others just outside of the Mountains. There was no estimate on how long it'll take to drive to Auradon, but we'll be arriving part way through their school day, it seems."
"Did you know that they just started their new school year a week ago?" I ask, remembering what the notice had informed us of. "They get longer summer breaks than us, I think."
"Really? Someone should tell the Barons about that!" Bolyee chuckles.
"I don't think I'm jealous of that though. Wouldn't they just get stupid in the summer? I've gotten stupid with this extra week off."
"True, Kitt," Zeek laughs.
Talk soon turns from our impending departure to Elemball stats. Although we all talk animatedly about the upcoming season and last season's unbelievable championship game, there's a sad air about the conversation. The feeling thickens to a blanket as I realize Nico and I won't be around for this season, and probably the Season Forty-One Championship Game.
As the night wears down and darkens, our conversation slowly dies down, until we sit in silence for a minute.
"We're going to miss you," Zeek says. "No homo."
"Yes homo," I say, grinning,, as Itsy punches him lightly in the shoulder.
"But seriously," Bolyee says. "Keep in touch while you're on your grand political adventure. Write a letter once in awhile. Just don't forget us." She jumps me, and I freeze before I realize it's just a hug. Hesitantly, I loosely wrap my arms around her neck.
"How could I forget anyone of you guys? You're our best friends. If things go well, I will try and see some more Borderland kids over on Auradon. If things work well, Auradon and the Borderlands will be connected again." I hear sniffling when I finish. Itsy is trying not to cry. "Come here," I motion for her to join the hug, and she doesn't hesitate. I look up to the two guys, who are trying to maintain a safe "no homo" distance from each other. "Get over here," Bolyee encourages, and the boys, Nico dithering for longer than Zeek, join our group hug. After a minute or two, we disband, with varying degrees of tears from all.
"I'll write letters and have them sent out as often as possible," I say after a moment. "Who knows. This might not work out and we'll all be sent back."
"Let's hope not," Nico says. "Because if we're sent back, it will be stripped of our magic and a barrier wrapped around our mountains." We all nod to each other in agreement.
After that, it's really late now, and Nico and I must be up early to leave for Auradon. As much as I hate to admit it in the presence of my friends, a thrill rides up my spine as that thought occurs to me. Tomorrow morning or afternoon, I'll be in Auradon. I have the opportunity to give myself a semi-fresh start, and that's kind of nerve wracking.
We all say our goodbyes and goodnights to each other through our hands as we each cover a yawn, or rub our sleepy eyes. We keep chatting together until the very end, where the road forks and Zeek and Bolyee part from our group. A little while down, Itsy splits off and it's just Nico and I, and we don't leave each other ever. Well, technically, we leave each other where the street parts into the pawn shop and the bakery, but details aren't important.
Nico says another goodnight to me, and I wave to him before heading in the front of the shop. It's closed, but Birdie leaves a key under the flowerpot by the door, along with this week's spell to unlock the door. To be used in the case that I am out past eight-thirty, which is when Birdie closes shop. I could just use the backdoor, but it's eleven o'clock, it's dark, and I'm terrified of the side alley at night.
I put the key into the lock and twist, unlocking the basic locks. Now for the spell. "It's past eight-thirty, the time set by Birdie. The key is turned, but doesn't unlock the door, open this door a notch more."
Eight-thirty. Time set by Birdie. This woman's a genius. The door fully unlocks, and I hide the key and crumble the note with the spell on it in my fist. I lock the door when I'm inside, discarding the paper in the trashcan by the door, and expertly make it through the maze that is the Glass Rose is the dark. I shimmy through the curtains for the back room and into the actual house.
The lights still glow brightly, and there usually would only be a small lamp on, placed on top of the worktable, if Birdie were asleep.
"Birdie, I'm home!" I call softly.
The old woman appears. She's wearing a blue robe over pajamas, and her gray hair is up in curlers. I blush and my gaze zooms in onto her slippered feet. I've never seen her in less than her best.
"Hey," I say lamely. Why am I like this? Oh wait. Never mind. I know that answer.
"This is it," Birdie says. "You're going off on your own adventure." I try not to cringe. What she said isn't embarrassing or even cringe-worthy. That's just my natural reaction to any sort of affection or care given to me by anyone other than Nico. Old habits die hard, I guess.
"Birdie," I pause, thinking of a response. "It might not be for long."
"I know, but I'm going to miss you, sweet girl. We have had so little time together, but you have grown so much in that time, and-"
I hug her. Honest to God, cross the space between us and wrap my arms around her body. "I'm gonna miss you too, Birdie." I say into her shoulder. She still seems taken aback that I've allowed this hug. I'm not one for touching. "But eventually I'd have to leave the nest."
"I love you, Kitt," She says. We break apart and I'm face-to-face with her now. "I reasonably tolerate you, Birdie." I joke. My mentor smiles, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
I'm heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed when she calls after me. "Oh, I've left a new outfit for you on your bed. Just a little something I found that you might like."
"Thank you," I call back, out of habit.
"Don't thank me until you have seen it!"
/
I've showered and headed downstairs to my bedroom. The Fullbrights are on their little bed on my desk. The lamp light by my bed glows dimly, casting just enough light for me to see by. I dump my boots, socks and camisole in a corner.
When I was in the shower, I noticed that my roots where showing in my hair, so I used a spell to touch up the brown dye and accentuate the silver highlights. As I towel dry my hair, which can't be good for it, considering it's curly texture, I notice the outfit laid out on the comforter. A note sits on top. "Kitt- Just a little something to make your adventures more magical. :)" (yes, she actually used the smiley face.)
The romper dress is long sleeved, with lace arms and a solid maroon bodice. The skirt part flares out to hide the attached shorts underneath. The best part is that it has pockets.
I quietly change out of my hoodie and jeans, which I'd shimmied and danced back into upon realizing I didn't have pajamas with me in the shower. I slide the dress over my mostly dry body. I love the shorts underneath. I spin around a bit. Yes, Birdie did a wonderful job with this. I'll wear it tomorrow.
When I'm taking the dress off, I feel something in the pocket. I reach in and take it out. It's the necklace I saw Birdie working on a few days ago. It has a gold chain, attached to which is a small. red and green three-dimensional rose. Thorns and all. It's gorgeous. I love it all. Tomorrow I'll thank her by wearing it.
/
My alarm blazes earlier than usual.I reach over and slam my hand around until I snatch the clock and turn it off. I sit there in silence for a minute, head pounding, rubbing sleep from my lamp on my nightstand still smokes; it must have run low while I slept. I guess I should be concerned that I left it on, that I could've started a fire, but someone once said something about "it does not due to dwell on the past" or something like that. So I move on with my day, scooting off the bed, and touching my feet slowly to the cold concrete floor.
Why am I awake so early? It's five o'clock. I think for a second.
Oh.
Oh!
Nico and I are going to Auradon today! I wonder who else will be going with us. I hope they're alright people.
With this remembered information, I rush out of bed, and get the dress Birdie got me from the hanger in my closet.
The Fullbrights are miraculously still asleep in their little makeshift bed. I change in the closet with no light. When I'm done, barefooted I pad over to my bed and slide out my trunk and put in onto the bed. I get out my hairbrush and run through the wild tangles. Toweling my hair dry, on top of sleeping on it slightly damp and unbound has done quite a number on the brown and silver curls. Once untangled, I braid the right side of my hair from the crown to the top of the back, hiding the broken piece of horn, before tying it off into a pigtail. I do the same for the the left part. The curls dangle and bounce freely halfway down my back.
I put on socks and my boots before shutting the truck. On my nightstand, on top of my remaining books, lies the rose necklace and the letter. I clasp the necklace around my neck, fixing the pendant so it's in the front. As I put on my combat boots, I notice my spellbook on my desk.
I pick it up, and just hold it in my hands for a moment. This spellbook that I've tie dyed has been with me since I was five or six, and just learning basic spells and how to write. The inside cover still says "Property of Kitt" in crooked, wobbly, elementary handwriting. It means the world to me, as much as my drawings and writings and books, although I could live without it. Flipping through the crinkled pages, I see the evolution of my handwriting and spell usage. Even if I can't use it in Auradon, I can't leave it behind.
/
I meet Birdie upstairs for an early, early breakfast. She looks as if she's been awake for hours, despite the fact we went to bed at about the same time. Pancakes are already on the table, freshly cooked to golden brown on the stove. Birdie sets the plate in front of me at our worktable, and she sits across from me with her own plate. She hands me some warmed syrup,which I drown my pancakes in. We eat mostly in comfortable silence, only breaking it for the moments when Birdie repeats just how much she'll miss me. Once breakfast is over, we clean the plates, and I go brush my teeth.
Then I get my trunk from my room, and throw my hoodie in there very last minute. As I'm halfway the stairs, Vivienne and Cal catch my attention. They're scurrying like little mice to climb the stairs, and I drop my suitcase with a thud on the stair I'm on and rush to pick the couple up.
"Are you going to just leave us?" Vivienne sobs, shakes wracking her mechanical body, but no tears actually fall. She is sitting in the palm of my hand, her own hands covering her face. Cal holds his wife, but looks up at me, betrayed.
"Were we not good enough?" Cal asks, fiddling with his sword. My heart breaks and goes out to them. I feel so bad. I'd been so excited to go to Auradon, I'd nearly forgotten about my smallest friends. I hold them closer to me. "No, no, no," I whisper to them. "I'm sorry. So sorry. I'll find a way to take you with me."
Vivienne looks up, "You will?"
"Of course…" I think for a second. "Oh! You two could hide in my pockets and I'd take you out when we got there and it was safe!"
"Excellent idea!" Cal says, sheathing his sword. I lower the Fullbrights into my dress pocket carefully. The pockets are deep, so hopefully there is enough room. "How's that?" I ask. Cal and Vivienne peek their little mechanical and porcelain faces out of my pocket. "Perfect!" Vivienne hiccups, the last of her sobs fading. The two duck back down into my pocket, and I start back up the stairs. Cries of "ow!" and "slow down, please, Kitt!" rise up from the pocket, and I slow my pace on the stairs. As I pick up my suitcase- making sure that it bounced against the opposite leg, not the one with the pocket holding my friends- I wonder how I can keep up with anybody while still not hurting Vivienne and Cal. I guess longer strides?
"Kitt," Birdie scolds when I'm back at the table, resting my trunk on it. "You are not allowed to have magic in Auradon." She looks down at my left pocket. Caught.
"I know," I explain. "But I just can't leave them! There my friends. They won't cause any trouble, promise."
She sighs, setting glue in the broken crack of a teacup. "I know you mean well, but you cannot bring them! Do you not understand what a chance this is to the Borderlands? Bringing Cal and Vivienne, although they are not harmful, per se, may be seen as a threat by those who have not seen proper magic in nearly half a century."
"But it wouldn't be right to leave them home when it's simple to bring them with me. I brought them to life. It's my responsibility to care for them."
Birdie considers this, then relents. "Alight, as long as you keep them out of trouble." I silently give myself a high five.
It's already nearing six in the morning. The sun is just starting to rise above the clouds and darkness. Soon, there's a knock on the backdoor; I look over and see through the glass that it's Nico, with his backpack hanging from his shoulders. I open the door and greet him. "Hey."
"Hi. Our ride's here." Nico says.
"Alight, give me a moment," I say. Nico turns around and walks down the back steps, and sits with his bag between his knees.
I turn back to Birdie. "I'm gonna miss you."
"I am am going to miss you too, sweet girl, but this is the start of a whole new adventure for you." She rubs my shoulders gently. I hoist up my trunk and head to the door. At the door, I turn back and wave. "Bye." But Birdie doesn't say a word. As I close the door, I hear "goodbye, Kitt."
/
Outside, Nico and I are greeted by the same pair of officers who delivered the notice. After a few words of greeting, we load our stuff into the back of a horse-drawn carriage. It's not actually run by real horses. Because of the long distance from the Valley of the Lost to the Forbidden Mountains, the usual team of four horses has been replaced with four wooden, mechanical horses. They have been brought to life the same way Cal and Vivienne were.
During the drive, Officer Palmer manages the horses while the second officer, who tells us his name is Locke, briefs us on the expected code of conduct in Auradon. Basically it boils down to:
No magic
No stealing
No lying
No fighting
Be nice and happy most of the time
Don't hurt others
They're probably going to hate you because you use magic and there's really nothing that you can do about it except prove them wrong and show them that you're not evil.
Basic things that any decent human being/ magical entity should know.
We cut what should be a day or two's journey by normal horse into just a single hour. The horses move at an astounding speeds, due to the fact that they run on magic and require no food or water to fuel them, and no stops to take a crap. I notice as our journey brings us closer to the Forbidden Mountains, and thus Auradon, my head starts to throb a bit, and when I look over to Nico, he seems a little uncomfortable. It doesn't hurt, exactly, but it's not a nice feeling.
There is a small pass that leads out of the mountains that is too small for our carriage to go through, so Nico and I get out and grab our stuff, We say goodbye and thank you to the officers, and we walk through the short pass.
I notice three things when we make it through the dirt pass.
The first thing I notice is that the throbbing in my head borderlines, pounding. The second thing I notice is the group of teenagers huddled together, looking at something in front of them. The third thing is what the trio is staring at.
Beyond the Borderlands is a charred mess. Beyond the Borderlands, just outside of where I was found as a baby, hundreds of family homes, business and schools have been disturbed by some sort of evil magic.
Nico gaps. "Oh my God," He mutters. I'm in shock that anybody possessing magic could possibly do such a thing. It's been years since all the fairytales closed and everybody got their Happy Endings and the Villains were shipped off to the Isle of the Lost. We were told what we would find, but seeing it in person is eye opening.
No wonder Auradon hates magic, if this is what can be done with it.