CHAPTER 18

They stumbled out of the stream sputtering. Jim fell to kis knees, grabbing a handfull of dirt.

"Home," he whispered.

Shang stepped forward. "Pocahontas!" he called.

A minute later, Pocahontas stepped from the trees. "Here I am, Father" she said.

"Did we have any visters?" Shang asked her.

"Only one," she answered. "He was surveying the forest. He must have seen something he liked, because he went away smiling."

"Do you know who he was, or where he went?" Eric spoke up.

"No," she shook her head.

"We'll just have to find him, then," Jim decided.

Eric put his hand on Jim's shoulder. "You can't go with us, Jim," he said gently.

"What?" Jim asked, hurt.

"If the cops see you, they'll just arrest you again." Eric explained. "You need to stay in the forest with the others. Until this thing is setteled, you can't be seen."

"Eric's right," Shang agreed. "You have to become an outlaw, like us. You must stay here."

"But what about my parents?" Jim argued.

"We'll do what we can to get them free," Eric promised.

Jim nodded reluctantly. "Ok. I trust you."

"Eric, Cinderella, Aladdin, you three go to town," Shang ordered. "Find out what you can. And be careful."

"Yes, sir," Aladdin said. "Come on, guys."

The three of them left. Jim watched them go, sighing. Kindly, Kida walked up to Jim and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, and she smiled. He managed to smile back.

...

Eric, Aladdin and Cinderella were talking about where to go first as they walked through the park. Suddenly, Eric saw someone he thought he recognised. "Clayton?"

Aladdin and Cinderella looked. A muscular man sat on a park bench, smiling at a notebook he was writing in.

"Do you know him?" Cinderella asked Eric.

"Yeah, I think so," Eric answered. "If I'm not mistaken, that's the man in charge of all the other contractors, the head boss."

"Then we should talk to him," Aladdin suggested. "Perhaps the witch was using her magic to have him agree to this. Maybe we can convince him to stop."

Eric winced. "I don't think she had to use her magic," he told them. "All he cares about is money. Point him to a paycheck, and he'll do anything."

Cinderella shrugged. "Well, it's worth a try."

"Yeah, I guess so," Eric agreed. "Come on." Then he called out, "Clayton!"

Calyton turned and saw him. "Have we met?" he asked, then looked closer. "Ah, yes, I remember you. You worked for that girl, Vanessa."

"Not anymore," Eric said bitterly.

"Whatever," Clayton shrugged, not caring in the least. "What can I do for you?"

"You can leave the forest alone," Eric said.

Clayton smiled. "Are you joking, boy? That forest is going to be the best payout I've had in a long time."

"It's a wildlife preserve," Eric said fimly. "It would be illegal for you to cut it down."
Clayton laughed. "Some preserve! Have you seen it lately? Half of it's a giant ash pile!"

"It will grow back!" Aladdin spoke up.

Clayton shook his head. "It's not worth keeping it as an eyesore until then."

"But what about the animals?" Cinderella asked him. "Where will they go?"

Clayton gave a smile. "Hunting season."

"No!" Aladdin exclaimed. "You can't just kill all the animals the city promised to protect!"

Clayton glared at him. "Try and stop me," he snarled.

"Fine, we will," Aladdin said angrily.

"You'll never suceed," Chayton smiled. "I have the paperwork."

"So do I," Eric spoke up. "It says the land is protected by law."

"Prove it," Clayton challenged.

"I will," Eric met the challenge. "In court."

Clayton looked surprised. "You can't..." he began, but Eric interrupted him.

"I can, and I will. And they'll stop you once and for all."

Clayton glared at the teens. "You'll never win," he finally spat at them, and walked away angrily.

When Clayton was out of sight, Cinderella turned to Eric. "In court?" she asked, shocked. "Are you crazy? We're just teenagers! We're not even out of school yet!"

"Speaking of school, we have to go back in the morning," Aladdin reminded them.

"So we'll schedule the hearing for after school hours," Eric said. "Do you guys want to save the forest or not? This is our only chance!"

Aladdin nodded. "You're right. Let's do this."

"But how?" Cinderella asked. "School starts at eight, and the courthouse doesn't open until nine!"

Eric sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll just play hookie, then."

"But that will show badly on you," Aladdin objected. "Let me do it. I'm not even human anyway. My future isn't half as bright as yours."

"But I've studied law for the past few months. How much do you know about it?" Both Aladdin and Cinderella were silent. "It has to be me. I'm the only one that knows what to do."

"Could you at least ask your father to send you a note, excusing you for the day?" Cinderella pressed.

"My father... would never do that. He doesn't know, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"You can't hide forever," Cinderella told him gently.

"You don't know what he's like," Eric insisted. "He would see me as a monster. He would never understand."

Aladdin put his hand on Eric's shoulder supportively. "You don't know until you try," he said. "Maybe he'll surprise you."

Eric sighed. "I'll try to get a day pass," he said, "but that's all I can promise."

...

"Absolutely not!" Frollo shouted.

"But Father," Eric pressed, "You wanted me to be in law, and this is the perfect starting case! I have proof that they shouldn't tear down the forest, and if I wait until after school, it could be too late!"

Frollo sighed angrily, and glared at his son. Eric was too afraid to even try using his powers. But they weren't needed.

"Fine," Frollo snapped. "But just this once. And you better win!"