Chapter 14
*Mal's POV*
As the guards reclosed the doors that led to the dungeon, Ben and I stepped out into the hallway.
"Well, that didn't go as planned" I replied sadly.
"Don't worry Mal, we're not giving up. I swear to you; we will find them" Ben promised.
"Ben, Uma may be the captain but Harry's her first mate. That means while Uma's gone Harry's in charge of the crew, which also means they'll do whatever he says without question. You may have Harry locked up in the dungeon but he has outside help, he's already one step ahead of us. Three of our friends have already been kidnapped, which means that you, me, and Jay are the next targets" I pointed out.
"We need to go find Jay right now, he could be the next target" Ben said.
"You're right, let's go" I agreed.
Ben and I searched everywhere for Jay but so far there was no sign of him. After checking the dormitories, we decided to go and check the Tourney Field. When we finally made it Ben and I scanned the field where the team was currently practicing and the bleachers but still, Jay was nowhere to be found.
"Maybe I should go in and check the locker room" Ben suggested.
"Yeah, that's the only place we haven't checked" I pointed out.
Soon as those words were out my mouth we heard the locker room door open. Ben and I turned around to see Jay coming out of the locker room.
"Jay!" I called out.
"Hey you guys. How'd it go with Harry?" Jay asked.
"He wouldn't talk" Ben said dejectedly.
"Harry said he'd only tell us if we set him free" I admitted.
"That and he had the audacity to say he'd only tell us if Mal left me for him!" Ben growled.
"What?" Jay asked incredulously.
"Yeah" Mal admitted.
"He's persistent I give him that" Jay acknowledges.
"No, he just has a death wish" Ben grimaced.
"Not to worry, because tomorrow you'll be sending him back to the Isle with armed guards and we won't have to see him again" I reminded him.
"I just hope everything goes smoothly, because the sooner he's back on the Isle the sooner we can focus on locating our missing friends" Ben said determinedly.
"When is Harry being escorted back to the Isle?" Jay asked.
"Hopefully tonight or in the morning" Ben confirmed. "I'm just waiting to hear from the guards so they can let me know when everything is ready, as King of Auradon one of my duties is to be there to oversee the prisoner's transport back to the Isle" Ben informed us.
"So I take it this means you won't be able to stay for Tourney practice?" Jay asked.
"I wish, but I've got an emergency council meeting to go to soon" Ben stated.
"Yeah, Ben and I just came to warn you to stay alert since one of us could be the next target" I replied.
"Thanks you guys, I appreciate it" Jay said sincerely.
"What're friends for?" Ben asked while smiling.
"Sorry I won't be able to stay and watch you practice Jay, with Carlos being gone I need to go and check on Jane and make sure she's okay" I said.
"It's fine Mal. "It kills me to admit it because I'm really worried about what happened to our friends, but until we get any leads on where they are there's not much we can do at the moment" Jay replied sadly.
"Hopefully at the council meeting someone will have good news on the whereabouts of our missing friends" Ben replied.
"Well since you've got your meeting to go to I should probably go back to the dorms to see if Jane's there" I said.
"Do you need me to walk you back?" Ben asked.
"That's okay Ben, I'll be fine" I insisted.
"Mal it's almost nighttime" Ben pointed out while looking up at the sky.
"Don't worry, I can take care of myself" I said trying to reassure Ben.
"I know you can" Ben said confidently. "But you're the love of my life, no matter what I'm always going to be protective of you" Ben said lovingly.
"The feeling is mutual" I said softly while leaning in for a brief kiss. But what started as a brief kiss turned into a passionate kiss. I wrapped my arms around Ben's neck as his arms wrapped around my waist. While getting lost in the kiss we heard a coughing noise, regrettably we broke apart and looked up to see Jay still standing there.
"Sorry Jay, we got carried away again" Ben said while blushing.
"It's fine, I've kind of gotten used to it by now. Besides, Tourney practice is about to start so I'll try and catch up with you guys later" Jay replied while walking away toward the field.
"See you later" I waved.
"I know you're always going to worry, but if it makes you feel any better I'll text you as soon as I get there, okay?" I asked.
Ben sighed.
"Okay, but be careful" Ben advised.
"I'll try" I promised while Ben untangles his arms from around my waist; regrettably letting me walk away without him.
After leaving Ben and making my way back to Auradon Prep I decided to take a shortcut through the forest.
It had been fifteen minutes since I entered the forest and It was already nighttime. Pretty soon I'd be back at the dorms. As I walked I could almost see Auradon Prep's campus in the distance. I sighed out in relief.
The forest was dark and chilly. I felt goosebumps pop up on skin and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I had the eerie feeling like I was being watched again. I pushed away the shiver of fear and continued on.
As I kept on walking I heard a branch break as if someone stepped on it. I quickly turned around but there was no one there. Suddenly I felt something heavy hit me in the back of the head.
I collapsed and fell to the ground. I tried to keep my eyes open to see who my attacker was but it was no use. My eyes closed and I slipped into unconsciousness.