I am so happy that you guys are bearing with me and this story. There are only 3 chapters left after this one, and then a grand finale! I'm thinking about writing a sequel, just to pass the time. Tell me what you think it should be about, Odessa's return? How about Eugene and Rapunzel's life after the events of the story? Please tell me, and I will deliver. But for now, here's chapter 12.

Chapter 12: Search and Destroy (Odessa's Tale)

Eugene

"Keep her safe," I told Amanda as I readied to chase after Odessa. She nodded and I took off, following the blue van. I hoped that she hadn't gotten too far away to catch, but when I noticed the car of my interest, I followed it, down the roads, weaving through town. She was onto me, I could tell. The longer I distracted her the longer it would take to complete her plans. I hoped and prayed that Rapunzel would be alright, Amanda was on it and I knew I could count on her. I could only have thoughts that this would all work out. The blue van weaved its way up the gravel path and to the Phillips mansion; she was doing exactly what I thought. She parked and got out; I stayed in the car for a moment. I hoped that by now Rapunzel was safe, and there was only one way to find out. I took out my phone and called Amanda. It rang once, twice, three times before I heard a voice on the other end.

"Hello? Eugene?" I sighed happily and smiled at hearing the sound of Rapunzel's sweet voice. She was okay, she was alive, and Amanda had completed her task.

"Rapunzel, you're okay, you have no idea how relieved I am!" I told her. She giggled on the other end and I could tell that she was smiling. I looked out the front window, and saw Odessa getting something from the back of her car. "I don't know when I'll be back, but I just want you to know that I'm okay and…" I didn't get to finish because the line died. My phone was dead, and I had no form of backup. I got out of the car and hid in some bushes, watching as Odessa brought out a bag filled with something. I didn't know what it was, but I knew she had intentions of selling it. Whatever it was, I was going to prevent it. She made her way up the narrower gravel path, leading to the front door.

"Odessa Linkhart!" I called out into the darkness. She turned around at the sound of her real name. Her fist was inches away from the door, but I had prevented it, to my relief.

"Oh, it's you," she scowled upon seeing my face in the moonlight. I felt pressure against my neck, my chest tightened up and I could tell that Odessa was holding a gun to my neck. "Come on, my business can wait." She led me away from the house and into the exact bushes I had been hiding in moments earlier. I couldn't help but be scared, not for me, but that I'd never see Rapunzel again. "Who else knows?" Odessa demanded. I kept my ground, and kept my mouth shut. "WHO ELSE KNOWS?" she demanded pushing the gun further into my back. If she didn't shoot me it would leave a bruise for sure.

"Just one other person," I said reluctantly. Odessa pulled the gun back and sighed.

"Who?" she asked, circling around me. I tried to hold my ground, but this time the gun was pressed to my heart.

"Amanda… a friend," I told her. The gun was retracted once more, as she circled around me again.

"What else do you know?" she asked, "If you answer, you just might get to escape with your life." She looked me up and down and her face took on a disgusted expression. "Although it wouldn't be a waste if I did shoot you," she added. I averted her gaze.

"I know that you aren't Rapunzel's mother, she's the Phillip's girl… isn't she?" I asked. I couldn't help but be afraid that she would shoot me. I clenched my eyes shut and waited for the shot but it never came. I opened my eyes and Odessa was looking off in the distance.

"I was the nursemaid when she was born," Odessa said. I rolled my eyes and braced myself for the backstory. "She was a beautiful baby. Being sterile myself, I had always wanted a child of my own. That woman, Elizabeth Phillips, was supposedly sterile. But when she got pregnant I grew jealous. The baby that grew in her womb was special, one that would be worth all the money in the world if I ever got my hands on her. I still remember the day of her birth…"

It was a warm summer evening. Elizabeth's water broke in the middle of the night, and the child was coming fast. She had no time to get to the hospital, so I had been summoned. Elizabeth and I were best friends, so of course it was I who she wanted to be there. Her husband was there too, but honestly I knew more. The moment she arrived in the world I knew that she was special. As Elizabeth held her baby for the first time, she looked up at me and sighed in relief.

"What will you name her?" I asked. She looked at the little blonde bundle and then at her husband. Then her gaze fell to me.

"Rapunzel… her name is Rapunzel," she said.

"She later told me that she named the child Rapunzel because as a child her mother read her the story every night. I was overcome with jealousy and took the child in the night as my own. I legally changed my name to Gothel, to match the book, and we moved to Kingsboro. When her hair reached 20 feet in length we moved back here to Corona. But thanks to you…" she said, holding the gun out to me. "She learned the truth, and for that… you must die…" I knew from the start that she had reasoning behind her backstory, stupid back stories.

"Now wait a second… you can't kill me!" I reasoned, backing up as she held the gun up once more.

"And why not?" Odessa asked. "I can't let you live, not if you're going to spill the beans…" I stepped back even further.

"Spill the beans? About what? The fact that you stole the girl with 20 million dollar hair?"

"Exactly…" Odessa said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see Elizabeth. Goodbye, Flynn Rider." I heard a bang, saw a flash, and the next thing I knew a rush of pain shot through my chest. I collapsed on the ground as Odessa made her way toward the mansion. I crawled towards the door and saw a light, as well as the silhouette of a woman and a man. The last thing I saw was a pair of green eyes staring down at me, I heard,

"Maggie! Call an ambulance!" and I blacked out completely.

Oooooohhh, what's going to happen next? Stay tuned for Chapter 13! It'll be up soon!