Authors Notes: Here we are again, back with chapter two! Just fyi, I decided that I wanted to give Miss Heinous's assistant a name. It was getting pretty annoying just calling him "the monster" or "the creature" over and over again. So, I made a Tumblr post asking for names, and Kelseyjannings won. His name is now Igor. That's all I have for now. So, without further delay, onto chapter two!

"Right this way." the one-eyed creature said sharply, walking briskly down the seemingly endless hallway. "Like I said before, Miss Heinous is expecting you. And it's best not to keep her waiting." he advised Marco warningly.

The boy remained silent, too busy looking around for a familiar head of blonde hair to give a reply. All he saw however, were countless eerie paintings lining the wall of "reformed" princesses, all with lifeless eyes and blank expressions. Marco's sense of foreboding increased.

"You know, I was quite surprised when I first saw you." Igor said conversationally, not even blinking as they passed a room full of what appeared to be torture devices. Marco cringed at the sight, and the thought of any of them being used on Star made him feel sick. He was suddenly glad that he had decided to keep the dimensional scissors.

He snorted. "Alright, fine. I'll bite. Why were you so surprised?" he asked, trying to distract the creature in front of him while he kept searching for Star.

"If I'm being honest," Igor began, unexpectedly making a sharp turn down a hallway that Marco almost hadn't noticed. "We thought you were a girl." The boy smacked his palm against his forehead.

"Of course you did." He rolled his eyes. The two finally reached the end of the hallway, and paused before an elaborately designed door.

"We're here." The creature announced solemnly, his voice echoing unsettlingly throughout the winding hallways. Marco narrowed his eyes, though he was secretly relived that he was now much closer to getting Star back, and marched up to the door unwaveringly.

"Alright, I'm here. Now where is Star?" he demanded loudly. The door suddenly creaked open, and the boy's sense of dread skyrocketed. But when he thought about seeing his best friend again, his determination returned, and he marched through the doorway fearlessly.

"Well hello there, Princess Marco. I see you got my message." The Headmistress greeted pleasantly, her chair spinning around so that she was facing him. The boy scowled at the sight of the far too calm smile on her face, but her expression never faltered.

"Um, about that…" Igor began, but the woman's composed expression had already transformed into one of surprise as she looked at Marco.

"You're not a princess!" Miss Heinous declared, looking extremely shocked and almost offended. The boy sighed heavily.

"Yeah, pretty sure we already established that." He rolled his eyes, jerking his thumb to point at the creature that had accompanied him.

Igor nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's true. I was just as shocked as you are."

"Glad we got that out of the way. Now, where is Star?" Marco asked dangerously, his eyes cold. The woman quickly regained her composure, and sneered at the boy.

"How impudent. Have some manners!" Miss Heinous berated him. "Just because you are apparently not a lady, does not mean you can be rude." Marco clenched his fists, but an image of Star flashed through his mind, and he remained silent. "That's better. And if it's the blonde one you're so worried about, don't bother. I can assure you that she is quite unharmed. In fact, I would say she is doing... perfectly." At these words, a smug expression appeared on the woman's face.

"What is that supposed to mean? What did you do to her?" he had tried to remain calm, but the desperation in his voice and on his face was painfully obvious.

"Well, I could tell you, but I think it would be easier to just show you. Igor!" the hunchback jerked to attention.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"What do you say we take this young man to see our guest?" the woman suggested, a secretive tone to her voice that did not go unnoticed by Marco. Igor grimaced.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Miss? Isn't she…"

"Yes, she is. But if our friend here is truly so desperate to see her," she smirked as she looked the boy in the eyes. "well then, who are we to stop him?" she said tauntingly. Marco glared at her.

"Whatever you say, Miss Heinous." Igor sighed, reluctantly agreeing. He crossed the room, opened the door, and gestured for the boy to follow him.

"You seem oddly insistent on finding that troublesome girl for some reason. I find it amusing." The headmistress called after him. Marco paused just outside the doorway, but didn't turn to face her. "Nevertheless, I feel that it's only fair to warn you, you may not like what you find." She said cryptically, the door swinging closed with a foreboding creak.

"What does that mean?" the boy demanded, but silence was his only answer. He was now even more worried about Star than he had been before. Igor cleared his throat.

"Follow me." He said, walking down yet another hallway. Marco scrambled to catch up. As they continued walking down the winding hallway, the boy drew comfort from the fact that he was finally on his way to his best friend.

'Hang in there Star, I'm on my way.'

After what seemed like an excruciatingly long amount of time, Igor and Marco finally came to a stop before a large steel door. The boy noted with disgust that it was bolted shut.

"She's through here." Igor stated, pulling out a key ring from his pocket and unlocking the door. "But Miss Heinous had a point. I don't think you'll like what you find." Marco didn't reply. The second the door was opened, he ran through without a thought, not noticing it close firmly behind him, nor registering the click of the lock.

"Star?" he cried out, desperately searching the seemingly empty room. He almost didn't see her, but just before he was about to demand answers from Igor, he noticed a curled-up figure with blonde hair in the corner. "Star!" he ran to the girl, dropping to the floor and wrapping his arms around her. "There you are! I was so worried about you." He admitted, finally allowing his anxiousness to show. "Are you okay, did they hurt you?"

The girl didn't answer, and Marco pulled away slightly so that he could look at her face, though he didn't remove his arms from around her shoulders. Confusion clouded his head and dread clawed at his heart. "Star?" he asked cautiously. "Why aren't you answering…" His eyes widened and he gasped in horror when he saw her face, her eyes. "Oh my god." Her eyes... they were completely blank, devoid of any spark of life. It shook Marco to his core seeing the usually bright and energetic princess like this. And her hearts…

"They're gone." He whispered to himself in shock. "Star, what did they do to you?" She didn't respond, and a suffocating silence settled throughout the room.

Author's Notes: Hello everybody! Now now, please put down your pitchforks and torches. Remember, if you kill me, you won't get to know what happens. I can promise you though, that there will be a happy ending. I don't believe in sad endings. And there will be Starco! Though I'm not sure if it would be too cheesy if they kissed. Hmm. Anyway, let me know what you thought! If you want me dead, please let me know, and in the meantime, I'll start working on chapter three ASAP. I hope you enjoyed!