Chapter 10: Horrors of London
It was their final day in London and the kids wanted to go out with a bang so headed off to the London Dungeons. Rachel had already voiced her concerns about it being scary and made sure that she wouldn't be left alone at all. Upon entering she was holding Pucks hand tightly, her hand getting slightly clammy. Santana was holding Brittany's hand, but both girls looked as though they were looking forward to the experience.
The first activity was to go on the Vengeance 5D Ride. The high speed ride whisked them through the dark, becoming disorientated, as they attempted to shoot the ghosts of London that appeared before them. The only girls that actually took part in this activity were Quinn and Santana. The others went on the ride, but just shielded their eyes, tried to stop themselves from feeling ill or clung to the person they were sat next to. The boys had a great time, laughing with each other and shouting as they shot their guns through the darkness.
San: Britt, I'll save you, go to hell ghosts!
Quinn: Your mine sucker!
Finn: hahaha Gotcha loser!
Sam: no ghost can defeat Sam Evans! Take that!
The bloody Mary experience wasn't quite as thrilling, but if anything, Rachel and Tina were thankful of this. As they watched Blood Mary punish non-believers Rachel commented on the horrid smell that had risen in the room. A member of the public was picked upon to be "burned alive at the steak", the girls were just glad it wasn't one of them to be picked.
Not thinking about the fact that they would have to spend the rest of the day in wet clothes, the group boarded the boat ride to hell. Brittany commented about Santana's sea sickness, but seemed satisfied when she was told it's just a ride, it's not on the sea or a river, so it's ok. The group screamed as they made a rapid descent into the murky waters of London. On this particular ride the group had split up into boys and girls. Rachel found herself gripping tightly onto Quinn's arm, who completely out of character put a reassuring arm around the shorter girl. Mercedes and Tina sat at the back of the boat, and screamed at the tops of their voices with the thrill of the ride, feeling their stomachs leap when the ride went rapidly down slope. Santana began the ride with her hand linked with Brittany's, but when the other girl moved closer towards her, she put an arm around her waist, bringing her in tightly.
With dripping wet clothes, the group made their way onto discover the truth behind the great fire of London. Sam realised that he had started to sweat when he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. The temperature rose as the fire surrounded them. They could hear screams and cries of people who had perished in the fire. When Santana looked up into the face of Brittany, she could see that tears where brimming in her bright blue eyes. She rapidly took the girl into a hug, and explained that it wasn't real as they moved on.
The girls in particular felt uncomfortable as they went through the story of Jack the Ripper. A gasp left Quinn's throat when they entered Mary Jane Kelly's bedroom. Other than whispering to each other about how it was totally gross the boys remained silent. Tina and Mike stood hand in hand, mike squeezing her hand gently when he heard her let out a small breath. Puck had his hand protectively around Rachel's waist, not letting her leave her side. Similarly Santana and Brittany both had their arms around each other, Brittany clinging tightly to Santana's t-shirt.
After passing through the Sweeney Todd area, they came to the surgery. Kurt gagged as they entered the makeshift operating surgery of Tooley Street, taking note of the blood stained surfaces. Mercedes thought she was actually going to be sick as they watched horrific surgeries be performed in graphic detail. Actors and actresses surrounded the group wearing filthy blood stained clothes. Rachel made sure to stay close to Puck, and even managed to position herself so that she was between him and Santana, feeling more protected from her brutal surroundings. Brittany was about to talk to one of the "surgeons" before Santana hurriedly pulled her away and out of danger.
Upon entering the gallows, the group waited nervously to hear their sentence as their fate was decided. They each drew a breath as they were lifted to face their doom. Screams surrounded them, and Rachel silently wished that she hadn't agreed to spend their day here. Looking up above her head Mercedes pointed out to the others that there were nooses, hanging ominously above them. Condemned to death, they felt themselves suddenly drop into the darkness below them. Santana could feel the adrenaline pump through her body, her heart shooting into her mouth as they dropped. Next to her both Brittany and Rachel were gripping the safety bars so tight that their knuckles had turned white. Quinn yelled out as they plunged into darkness, their legs rising with the force or the drop, backs pressed hard against the seats. The boys screamed in unison with each other, their breaths catching as they dropped.
The group made their way out of the dungeons and met the blinding sunlight that waited for them outside. Looking around at each other, they noticed that many of them had turned white as a sheet. Even Kurt, who was always incredibly pale, had turned an even more ghostly shade. Rachel felt as though her knees were going to give way beneath her, until Puck guided a strong arm around her to steady her. Brittany still looked as though she was going to cry and Santana held her tightly, rubbing soothing circles on her back and whispering to her. Mike held Tina in his arms as she regained her composure. Finn, Sam, Artie and Lauren were taking it in their stride, waiting for the others to calm down so that they could head back to the hotel. Mercedes was just sat on the floor, head between her knees trying to stop herself from throwing up.
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Once they got back to the hotel, they were met my Mr Shue and Miss Pillsbury who had been waiting for them to return.
Mr Shue: so guys, what did you get up to today?
Finn: we went to the London dungeons, it was awesome
Mr Shue: all of you?
Rachel: yes, although I regret going, it was horrifying
Miss Pillsbury: I had heard that it was filthy in there
Mercedes: I still feel a bit sick
Puck: we had a good time though, right guys
They had all enjoyed themselves, in the way that even though you feel like you are about to die when going on a rollercoaster or watching a scary movie, the adrenaline gets pumping, your heart starts racing and you end up having the time of your life.
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Mr Shue had told them to get ready to go out for dinner as a group, and to dress up, as they would be going somewhere nice for their final night in the city. Santana was in the shower, and Quinn was sat looking at herself in the mirror as she carefully made the finishing touches to her hair. Brittany was rummaging through Santana's suitcase looking for something to wear, they had ended up putting all of their dirty clothes in Brittany's case, and clean clothes in Santana's. As she picked up Santana's jacket to move it out of the way, a small black box fell on the floor with a soft thud. Brittany bent down to pick it up. As she knelt on the floor, with the black box in her hand she couldn't resist the urge to look inside. Her crystal blue eyes widened as she took in the site of the silver ring. Thinking about it for a second, she knew that the ring was meant for her, and she didn't want Santana to know that she had ruined the surprise so she returned it to the jacket pocket. They got dressed and Brittany pretended that she had never seen the ring. Many girls would have seen the gift and jumped to paranoid conclusions, or ruined the surprise, but not Brittany, she was smarter than that.
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At dinner there were a couple of toasts made, Mr Shue emphasised how proud he was of the group, and that he hoped they had enjoyed their trip. Rachel thanked Mr Shue, and Kurt thanked Rachel for the musical tickets.
After eating they made their way back to the hotel, walking back along the Themes. Santana made sure that she and Brittany hung back a little, and when they got to a point that she considered to be romantic, held Brittany back, her hands resting lightly on the girls face. The sun was starting to set, becoming hidden behind the talk building of the city, and the reflections on the calm river appeared to be dancing to the tune of the bustling city. Santana pressed a soft kiss against Brittany's lips before pulling away. Brittany watched Santana with wide eyes, as the girl in front of her pulled the small black velvet box from her jacket.
San: I got you a present Britt Britt
Britt: what is it?
She already knew what it was of course, but Santana had no idea, as she watched her girlfriends face light up with curiosity. Brittany's face lit up like a thousand fairy lights as she opened the box, revealing the silver ring inside, the diamond glinting in the remaining sun.
Britt: It gorgeous San! You didn't have to get me this
San: I wanted to, now you can look down and see that I will always love you. Look inside it B
Brittany gently pulled the ring from the box, peering inside to see the inscription: stars in the sky. Brittany hadn't noticed the inscription earlier, and as she read the message out loud, she couldn't hold back the tears that fell from her eyes, slowly sliding down her cheeks, leaving tracks against her pale skin. Santana softly cupped her face, brushing the tears away from her cheeks with her thumb, before leaning in and kissing the girl on the tip of her nose.
San: you like it then?
Britt: I love it!
San: I promise that I will love you forever B, and one day, I'm going to marry you
Britt: I can't wait for that day. I will love you forever too. Can I put it on now? And show the others?
San: you can show it to the whole world B
Santana gently took the ring from Brittany and slipped it onto her ring finger, it was a perfect fit.
By the time they got back to the hotel, the glee club spent their evening like all of the others, playing games, talking and having a few drinks. Brittany spent the night flitting between people making sure that everyone had seen her ring at least twice. Santana watched, smiling proudly.