Okay, so pretty pretty please do NOT hate me. I am really sorry it's been so long, but I've worked really hard on this and the next few parts, so I'll be updating faster from now on. But hey! If anybody here has ever been in band in high school, you know what it's like. Anyways, I'm rambling now. So, without further ado, here's chapter 5!

Gladice could not see anything. It was all black, and she seemed to be the only light source, oddly enough. However, with each step she took, her light grew a little dimmer, until it was pitch black all around. She stopped walking, not even sure why she had been walking in the first place. Wasn't she with a group? Where were her friends? "Gladice?" called a feminine voice behind her. The darkness melted into a forest, and Gladice looked for whomever had called her name. Then, she spotted it. The outline of her mother standing in the shadows behind the thick brush of trees. Words formed in her mouth, but they would not come out, no matter how much she willed them from her throat. Her mother stepped forward, and Gladice stumbled back. Yes, it was Cinderella, but a ghastly, decomposing version of her. "Gla-dice..." Then, her mother's skin ripped off onto the ground, revealing thousands of bugs and maggots in the shape or where her body should have been. Gladice screamed and fell backwards. She blinked once. Twice. On the third time, a walking sack-skinned monster stood where the bugs had been only moments ago. It was laughing a hardy laugh. "Oh, Gladice! Gladice!" it mocked. "You ought to know that I'm the one in charge of this nightmare. And here, in your mind, you're on your own."

"No!" she gasped, jolting awake. Panting, her eyes made her way around the tiny living room, where she and the other nine had been cramped to sleep in for the night. Gladice thought back to how they had gotten there, memory replaying in her head several times so she would have a good grasp on reality.

Flashback

James stared at the group of, not one, not two, but ten strangers whom they had seen on the side of the road. His mother was currently inspecting the pretty girl that had tried to speak before he interrupted her. He might have been a tad embarrassed by that, but...

"Wait, you're Belle's girl, yeah?" The pretty brunette just stood there for a moment, and then slowly nodded her head. "Well, why didn't ya say so? Oh, one second." His mother gave him the signal, and he tapped the watch in its center, setting it to 'undisguised.' Their group watched in amazement as the plump, older woman morphed into a slender young lady, her long brown hair had changed into a clean ginger bob, and her blue eyes turned a shade lighter. "Now then, that should fix things up a bit." His mother's voice was no longer an odd, lispy Welsh, but instead a crisp British accent. "I am Jane Darling, and this is my son, James." It felt nice to have his bright ginger bangs halfway covering his eyes, the natural straightness of it giving him comfort.

"Did you use a Genetic DNA Disguiser? How did you get one?" Rosette blurted out. Jane raised an eyebrow, and Gladice nudged her in the elbow, prompting a sheepish grin from her friend's face. Rose cleared her throat and tried again. "My name is Rosette, daughter of King Adam and Queen Belle of the Enchanted Woods. My friends around me are also royalty. A lot has happened, and-"

"We know. We were paid a visit by her Highness, Princess Anna of Arendelle," Jane explained. "We certainly have a lot to talk about. Oh, and this is actually a Portable Exterior Modification Vessel. Let's me take the form of anything of anyone I'd like."

"Right, um, could you explain to us what exactly is going on here?" Lance asked, a twinge of impatience reverberating in his tone.

"Of course. You see, my son and I are portal guards. We regulate any and all portal usage. When you all crossed dimensions, our scanners went livid, so we came to investigate. Which reminds me: You're going to have to tell us who or what gave you permission to use an unauthorized portal into the Overworld." The lady crossed her arms, waiting for the explanation.

"I- uh, this is probably going to take a while… so could we go someplace safer?" Evan asked, glancing around at the very open space that they wherein now. Cautiously, Jane nodded her head, and motioned something to her son. James pulled out a small button, and Rosette had to strain to see that it contained a sparkling substance inside of it.

"Right, then, everyone gather round," he told them. Complying, the group made a compact circle around James, with Gladice being the closest one to him, so she avoided any eye contact. "Alright! One, two..." As soon as he pressed the button, a whirlwind of purple pixie dust surrounded the group. It dissipated just as quickly as it had come, and they found themselves in front of a dainty English townhouse.

"Welcome to our home. Please, watch your step," Jane announced. One by one the group of young royals entered the home, which was a relief to Gladice, since she was longer smushed up against James, whom was surprisingly about her height. Jane told Brook to leave Angelica on the couch in the puny living room, then insisted that Rei and Genevieve stay there with her. Rei looked ready to object, but Gen held him back. The ginger guided the rest of them into the even smaller kitchen, where she leaned against a counter and crossed her arms. "Okay, I only need to know how in the world you all managed to find means to a portal to the Overworld, of all places." Rosette was the one who did the explaining, with help from Evan every now and then: first about how they all blacked out; then the lions; then Melody; then the pixie dust portal. Gladice made sure to show Jane the note, Lance brought up Angelica's condition, , and all the while Jane patiently listened to their story.

"So, you see, we are in kind of a bind. We have nowhere else to go. Please, say you'll help us," Rosette pleaded, once they had finished. The dark rings under her eyes made it clear that she had not slept since long before they had been sent from their homes. Jane nodded her head at Rosette's statement, cupping her cheek with one hand.

"Of course, dear. I am so sorry that this has happened to you all. James?" The young teenager met his mother's gaze."Please see if you can find the extra blankets. I think they are in the spare closet upstairs." After James ran off to find the blankets, Jane turned her head to the group. "You may stay here for as long as you need to. I'm afraid that we don't have a guest room at the moment, so you'll just have to sleep in the living room for right now." Jane looked at her watch. "Mercy! It's nearly midnight. Go on to bed, all of you!" They slowly crept out of the cramped room and into the living room. James was handing out blankets and a few pillows. Rei and Genevieve were spreading out blankets on the floor, and they looked hopefully up at everyone as they came into the living room. Lance and Brook curled up together under the blanket next to the couch, where Genevieve was sitting there with Angelica, being the only small enough to actually lie down with her.

Gladice couldn't help but smile a sad smile, knowing that she had been living a lie about love for her whole life. How would she even know love when she did experience it? Sighing, she lied down under a blanket and shared it with Thalia, steadily drifting off to sleep.

Flashback Over

It was then when Gladice had that horrible nightmare. Normally, the nightmare was just, well, a nightmare, and she could convince herself that it was only in her imagination. This time, however, it felt more realistic than ever, and she wondered if that might have been because she remembered more of her dream in vibrant detail. A shiver ran down her spine. Slowly, Gladice stood up and shook her head, as if she could shake the dark away. She dug through her mind to remember where the kitchen was, but there was no need to look for long, because the light was already on in the room down the narrow corridor. Curious as to why someone (besides herself) would be awake at… Gladice glanced at the clock, and chuckled when she read 3 am. Clearly, three hours of sleep was all her body thought she needed at the moment. Being her clumsy self, she stumbled through the kitchen door, right into someone stumbling out. Something cold and wet spilled on her already ruined dress, and she looked up to see who else had been knocked onto the floor

"I- er, I'm sorry, I mean, uh, well…" James' voice trailed off and they stared at each other for a moment. And then Gladice started giggling, while James gave her a confusing look. "S-sorry, Princess."

"Don't apologize, I ran into you. Although, in my defense, I'm kind of still asleep," Gladice sighed, smiling at James, "and so are you, by the looks of it!" At this point, James was chuckling, too. "Oh, and cut the 'princess' stuff. Too formal. Just call me Gladice."

"Right. Gladice." He smiled embarrassedly, and helped her to her feet. "So you aren't mad? I mean, I think i ruined your dress." He looked at the slashed and dirty dress. He was barely able to tell that it was blue. "But, uh, I think I did you a favor." They both softly laughed. James bent and picked up the fallen plastic cup he had dropped on the floor.

"So, I haven't really met you yet. What do you call yourself?" Her hand extended out to him, which James shook gratefully.

"I'm James. I suppose it is about time we met. You are living here now." Gladice stopped grimaced. She would have rather believed that no, they were not living there, but who was she kidding? They had no idea where any of there parents were, and even if they did, how could they help them? So James was right; she was living there. "Gladice? Look, I'm so sorry, I just- it sorta, I mean, I didn't mean it, honestly." A chuckle left her lips at his stammering.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, I'm fine. I actually wanted to hear your story." Gladice leaned against the counter, and was joined by James.

"Really?" Gladice nodded as she grabbed a napkin to wipe herself off. "Okay, well, growing up was pretty normal, up until I got to be about twelve. That was when my grandmother died, and my mom was super sad, as to be expected. Before that, my mom's friend, Peter, was the portal guard. But, uh, after my Grandmother, he gave up his youth and has lived here in London ever since. That's why my mom stepped up, dragging me along with her. She had to quit her job, start drinking youth water; she's gonna put me on it when I get a bit older. We used to live in a big house in the country, but now we live here. Sometimes I wish she could do things… differently. You know, I-" He was cut off by something else against his lips. One of her fingers had shot up to stop his talking. The princess was alarmingly close, now, but he did not pull away when she crept a little closer. James could not take it any longer, and he gave her a gentle peck on the lips. But his eyes widened and he pulled back.

"Oh- oh my goodness. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're a princess and I shouldn't hav-" Gladice repaid him with the same gentle peck, and he melted. Nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing…

A high pitched scream echoed around the tiny house, and the pair were startled from their moment, Gladice unable to help the blush on her cheeks. The ear-piercing, gut wrenching scream kept on, and they instantaneously rushed to the living room, where they saw an awful sight before them.

OOOOOOHHHHHH! Yeah, okay. I'm a jerk. But do I care? Kind of- I mean, no! Anyways, I'm writing a different series based on these OCs, basically one shots about their lives before this mess. So check it out if your interested! Also, I'm still looking for cover art. Seriously people, there are no rules! Just send your art to me, and I'll make it the cover. Okay, now I'm rambling again.

Peace Out! ~Icee~