A Total Drama Story, Hazbin Hotel Crossover Story

Demon's Daughter: Love Across the Divide

Chapter 8

I've Never Been More Stressed in my Life.

~Gwen's POV~

Having departed from the hotel, I made my way high in the sky to Via's palace. My mind was focused on getting to Via's as fast as possible to get started on the plan. My heart was racing with excitement as I picked up speed. My scooter glided with ease like a bird on its journey from point A to point B. At least that's one way to describe it. Another way would be the given freedom of soaring through the sky felt wonderful. It put her mind at ease. Helping me forget her troubles from the other day.

Running away from home was risky, but worth it. I just couldn't stay in the palace anymore with the way my dad was behaving. One would think someone as goofy as my dad would be more open minded about change. A soft sigh escaped my lips. Would he change his point of view on Charlie's ideas in the near future? I don't know, who can say. My dad's not such a bad guy as he is someone who can get easily pissed off over certain things. He has his reasons for doing that. Another soft sigh escapes from my lips. Maybe I'm overthinking the situation on my dad's behavior. Forget him, he's no concern to me now. The only thing I care about is getting the grimoire and getting to Earth.

As I think about it while flying my scooter, I told Via we should use the grimoire in her room, and she should stay behind in case something happens. Thinking about it now, I think it's best to go in another direction. I'll talk to Via about it when I get to her place. Which according to my phone is a few minutes away. Perfect, just enough time to rethink my strategy on the plan. I still think it's a solid plan, but I want to make a few changes. Just a few. The location came to mind, but it's better if Octavia and I stay in her room when the grimoire is in use. Can't have anybody know or see what we're doing. That won't change, but I'm wondering about Stolas. He's not my dad. If he knew what Via and I were up to would he be alright with it? I've seen him when he gets angry. It's not often when that happens, but when it does Stolas means business. He'll take authority and fight back anyone who pisses him off. I respect that. Telling him what Via and I are up to will probably lead to trouble. I don't know what I'm thinking. Charlie must be rubbing off of me more than I thought. This will be kept on the QT unless otherwise.

Maybe the plan doesn't need to change. Via and I went over the details last night before bed, twice. We both agreed. Changing the plan now would complicate things. I wasn't going to do that to Via. We'll stick to the plan and hope for the best. It'll work, it's got to work. Can't have negative thoughts. Via's palace is coming up. I can see the castle-like structure coming into view. I start to bring my scooter down for a landing on the driveway. As I made my way downward, I saw the front door open. Via popped out from inside and looked up at the sky. I couldn't see her facial expression, but I'm pretty sure she was smiling when she saw me. I could tell, she was glad to see me. Especially, when she came running down the front steps waving her arm. I gave her a small wave. Focusing on landing my scooter without an issue. Not that I've had an issue landing, but there were a couple close calls. I won't get into the details right now. There are somethings that need not be said a loud.

I slow my scooter's speed as I land on the ground with a bumpy landing. It's a cobblestone paved road, it's going to be bumpy whenever I ride my scooter down here. I'm not a big fan of a bumpy road, but once my scooter comes to a stop, I'm good. Which is just what happened once my scooter landed on the ground. Stopping a foot away from where Via stood, I put my scooter in parked, took off my helmet, and got off of the seat.

"Hey Via." I greeted my friend with a warm smile. One she returned back to me.

"Hey Gwen, how was the ride here?"

"Clear skies with no problems." I replied. "Thanks for doing this with me Via."

"It's alright Gwen, I'm happy to help you out. I know you'd do the same for me. Come on, my dad's in the kitchen. Better greet him before we get the plan started." Via guided me inside the palace towards the kitchen.

Before we could enact our plan, I had to go greet Stolas. It was the polite thing to do as I've been told by my parents. 'Always greet others with respect and diligence.' they said. That's not a problem. I just wish I didn't always have to bow to royals or overlords whenever a party was thrown at my family's palace. The constant bowing gets boring real fast.

Making my way into the kitchen, I found his highness wearing his usual royal attire. Feeding a raw steak to a large Venus fly trap in the corner. His highness had a knack for gardening unusual plants. Ones that I make sure to stay far away from. Less I become their next meal. As soon as the plant was fed and given a nice pat, Stolas took notice of us from the doorway.

"Ah Via, there you are! Oh, and Gwendalyn, good morning!" Stolas was just as happy-go-lucky energetic as usual. "I see you got here without any problems, good. Did you have breakfast yet? I could whip you up something if you like."

"Thanks, but I ate before coming here." I replied, I didn't want him going through all the trouble to make me food. He's a good man, but he tends to go overboard whenever I come over.

"Ah yes, very good." He claps his hands together. "I suppose you and Via will be getting straight to work on that video she told me about yesterday?"

"Yes sir, Via's got her heart keen on putting together a video for HellTube." I looked at Via who gave a small nod as I continued talking. "We can't give away any hints on what we're making, but hopefully all our hard work pays off."

Stolas seemed to buy everything. He smiled and nod in glee. "I'm sure the two of you will create a wonderful video that'll earn a ton of views. Shall I prepare some snacks for the both of you while you work?"

"That sounds great dad." Via replied making Stolas get all giddy with excitement. Least while he's making snacks, he won't bother us while we grab the Grimoire.

"Thank you, sir, Via and I will just head upstairs and get everything set up."

"Go ahead, I'll be up as soon as I have the snacks ready."

Via and I leave the kitchen. Making our way upstairs to her bedroom, or that would be where we'd go after we made a pit stop in her dad's room. We'd have to snag the grimoire fast. Stolas could make an unexpected appearance any moment. Moving with quick ease up the stairs and down the hallway, Via and I were closing in on her father's bedroom.

"Okay, we'll grab the grimoire from the bookshelf and then head for my room." Via was taking the lead since she knew where her father kept the grimoire. "You sure you want to go through with this?"

I could understand why she'd have doubts. I was having doubts myself. This was a plan I had thought of the day before. It wasn't something I took a month of planning on. I'm playing this out on a whim. Not my best idea, but as long as everything goes without a problem then this will be an accomplishment.

"I get what you're saying Via, I do." I started telling her. "I've never done anything like this before, and I don't usually keep secrets from Charlie. It's just, I've grown sick of my life as a royal. I'm sick of my dad being an asshole. I need a change and what better place for that then Earth."

"I guess that makes sense. I doubt any of the other six rings down here can provide any kind of entertainment from ones boring life." Via pointed out as we continued walking down the hallway. Approaching at the door that led to her father's bedroom.

Via reached her hand for the knob when I stopped her, "Hang on Via, I doubt your dad will come up here, but let me keep watch. You know where the book is, so you'll be able to grab it and get out faster than I would."

"That's actually a good idea. We need to be safe than we do sorry." Via agreed, "I'll get the grimoire and be out momentarily. You stay here and keep watch in case my dad comes up." With that, Via entered her father's room.

I stayed close to the door on lookout. I didn't think Stolas would come to his room, but if there's one thing I've learned from books and occasionally movies are there should always be someone on lookout. It wasn't just books or movies that taught me this fact, but experience.

When I was five, Charlie and I snuck out during bedtime to explore the palace. We were supposed to be in bed, but neither of us was tired and thought exploring would be a great way to kill time and tire ourselves out. We wandered the hallways quietly together. Holding back our giggles. The palace was different during the nighttime. Father used his magic to keep small glowing orbs floating in the air during the evening should anyone still be up. Charlie loved to see dad's magic at work. Her eyes would sparkle like gems every time he used his magic for show to us.

I swear, Charlie was easy to impress. Not that I wasn't, I just didn't want to admit to being a fangirl and have tease me; unfortunately, he teased me anyway when I didn't admit. No matter how many times I asked him to stop he never listened. He thought my behavior and reactions were adorable. I swear, that man teased me on purpose, but back to my childhood. Charlie and I were wandering the halls of the palace at night. We didn't have a location in mind. We just wanted to explore until we grew tired. Maybe we would get lucky, find a room we never been in, and discover some neat new treasures. Only time would tell, and that time was moments away. Charlie noticed this large door that stretched up like a tree. When you're a child, anything that looked bigger than you was considered huge. This door was just that. It looked like an old medieval door from those fairytale books that were read to Charlie and me before bed.

Charlie couldn't take her eyes off the door. I stared at it for a while then tried bringing Charlie back to reality by shaking her arm a couple times. As soon as she came to, she was eager to get inside the room behind the door. Since we were small and couldn't reach the handle, Charlie suggested I climb on her shoulders to open it. She figured my extra height would get to the handle. As crazy as it sounded it did work. After some struggle to keep me on Charlie's shoulders and keep her balance we managed to keep it together and I grabbed the handle. Soon as I moved the handle down, the two of us pushed the door open. Falling down to the ground together with a loud thud. I fell a little further in since I was on Charlie's shoulders.

I couldn't see much in the room. Only some furniture thanks to the light in the hallway. Nothing fancy, just regular old furniture up against the wall. Charlie got up and walked over to where I was laying down. She helped me back on my feet before we looked around. We probably should have looked for a light switch, but we were occupied by the object the hall light was shining on. What looked like ordinary furniture at first was actually something big and shiny. It was a large trunk that sparkled in the light. Kind of like a gem. We were so focused on the sparkles that we didn't even hear the footsteps behind us. It was only when the lights came on that our attention switched from the trunk to whoever was behind us. We were surprised to see dad behind us in his pajamas with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. With a look that said, 'I see two little girls out of bed, and I caught them.'

That's how I came to learn that being on lookout probably would have been a good idea. Of course, I was five so that idea never came to mind. But as I got older and began to read more books, watch movies, TV shows, and occasionally watch a few video game walkthroughs. (I got bored so I thought I'd check a few out just for the hell of it. It's out of character for me, but sometimes I like to expand my horizons with new things. Something Charlie suggested I try out.) This isn't a daily thing. Sometimes when I'm hanging with Via, we'll watch videos.

Sorry, I was getting off topic. I swear, I'm becoming more like Charlie without realizing it. It's scary just thinking about it. (shivers) I love my sister, but I would rather not become her. (sighs) I'm so off track now. The point is, there should always be someone on lookout. Via knows where her father keeps his grimoire. She'll find it easily before her father shows up.

"Gwen? Gwen? Are you still with me?"

The familiar sound of Via's voice broke me out of my train of thoughts. I shook my head, looked at Via, and there in her embrace was the exact book I was hoping to see. The famous grimoire Stolas and that imp use when necessary. Now, it's our time to use the book for its full potential.

"Sorry Via, I was just thinking." I said, "Nice job grabbing the book. Let's get to your room before your dad shows up."

"Agreed." Via nodded, taking the lead once more. This time to her bedroom.

The minute we entered her room, we set out to get the room set up for our charade. Having told Stolas that we'd be working on a video to post online, we set up an area near the windows. First, Via hid the grimoire under her bed. Her father wouldn't think to look under there. Next, we set up a backdrop against the wall that looked like a dark galaxy of colors and stars. A gift Via won from a contest. Curtesy of her favorite HellTuber. Soon as the backdrop was up, I put one of Via's records on while she got her tripod set up. We weren't going to go crazy with the set up. We just had to make it look convincing for Stolas.

You see, Stolas said he was going to bring up some snacks for the two of us. Via and I have to make it look like we're actually doing a video to fool him into giving us the space we need to get our work done. Once he leaves, we can put our plan into action.

"Do you think we should do something to make it look like we're doing a video?" Via was throwing out a suggestion as she finished hooking up her phone.

I thought it over before replying, "That might be a good idea. We've got to make this look as believable as possible to fool your dad."

Via understood, nodding her head in agreement. If we could fool her dad once, that would be enough to keep him out of the room for a few hours. Then on cue, there's a knock on the door.

"Yoohoo, girls. I bought some snacks and drinks to keep your energy up for your video." Stolas had arrived. No time for dancing. Now was the time to put our plan in action.

Via went up to the door opening it. Stolas stood on the other side with a tray of various snacks and two drinks on it. He looked happily at Via as he stepped inside. He placed the tray down on a coffee table near Via's telescope that stood in front of a window. As soon as he finished, he looked at our setup with interest.

"Looks like you two are ready for some video making fun." He said, walking over to examine the backdrop up close. "Via, this is that backdrop you won, isn't it?"

"That's right. I thought it would be perfect for maybe a dance video."

"I agree, the beautiful galactic swarm of stars and cosmic colors on the backdrop is perfect. Oh, maybe, and this is just a suggestion, but maybe the two of you could sing."

"Sing?" Okay, I may be born into a family of singers, but I don't sing.

"It's just a suggestion Gwen, but with something this gorgeous as your backdrop, a sweet melodic song would go great in you girl's video. You don't have to do it. I just wanted to throw that out." Stolas smiled at us.

I know he means well but singing in front of people. I can't do that. It's something I'm not comfortable with. Compared to Charlie and my parents, my voice may as well sound like a cat coughing up a hairball. Yeah, I'm saying my singing sucks.

"Well, I'll get out of the way and let you girls do your work. Good luck and do your best. I'll be in my office taking care of some paperwork." With that said, Stolas left the room. Closing the door behind him.

As soon as the coast was clear, Via ran up to her door. Leaning her head against it to listen to the other side. She stood in that position for a while then moved away to look at me.

"He's gone, we're good."

Hearing that made me smile.

Via walked over to her bed, kneeled down, pulling out the grimoire. "He didn't suspect a thing. We should be in the clear for a while."

"Sounds good, but what if your dad notices the grimoire gone from the bookshelf?" It had occurred to me that when Via took the book, there was going to be an empty spot on the bookshelf that would be noticeable to Stolas.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered. I swiped the grimoire and put one of my books in its place. It looks similar to the book, so my dad shouldn't notice the difference unless he gets close to inspect it." Via explained it to me and now I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Stolas wouldn't notice his grimoire gone, so long as he didn't go up to the bookshelf. He said he would be in his office doing paperwork, and that could last a good couple hour. Depending on how much work he had to deal with.

"Okay, let's get started."

Via nodded, opening the book to a page that I assumed was the one we needed.

"I've got the page with the spell. Will you be alright going to Earth by yourself Gwen?" Via sounded concerned.

"You don't have to worry about me Via. I just need one hour on Earth then you bring me back."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Sorry Via, not this time. Besides, if your dad comes back and we're both gone, he'll freak out. If you stay here, you can cover for me and keep your dad off our backs until I'm ready to come back."

She didn't look happy hearing my idea, but she knew I was right. The last thing either of us needed was Stolas having a meltdown over finding us gone without informing him. Then if we returned after he found us gone, he would demand an explanation while hugging us saying he was glad we were safe. I could see him doing that. Reminds me of my dad when he lost Charlie for five minutes at the park that one time.

"You've got a point. He'll go berserk if he finds we're both gone." Via sighs softly. "One hour?"

"One hour, promise. I'll set a reminder on my phone. If anything goes wrong, I'll call you immediately." I assured her.

"Will you get reception up there?"

That was a good question.

"Well, we have the latest phones that get great reception anywhere in Hell. I would think Earth has the same reception services." I wasn't sure if that was sure, but it was my best guess. "How about we both set timers? After one hour give me five minutes to find a secluded location. Bring me back after five minutes have gone by."

"Got it, and in the meantime, I'll keep the charade going here. I may as well try to make an actual video for HellTube so it wasn't a total lie I told my dad." Via told me.

Now that the two of us had a plan made, it was time to get going. Via and I stood up. We prepared our phones with the timers, then I took my position in the middle of her room while Via looked the spell over.

"Okay Gwen, you have one hour and five minutes before I bring you back. Are you ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright. Just know, the trip forward might be slightly overwhelming and fast. Best brace yourself for landing once you reach Earth. Now, is there anywhere specific you wish to go?"

Anywhere specific I wanted to go. Can't say I thought about that, but if there was one place I wanted to go it would have to be somewhere with new people and a comfortable atmosphere.

"Just somewhere safe, comfortable, and some people our age I could meet."

Via nodded. Chanting the spell with her arm out in front of her and hand glowing blue. Within seconds, I could feel a strong force of wind pulling me backwards. I tried to fight it, but it swept me off my feet and took me away. The last thing I saw was Via and her bedroom before I was embraced by a bright blue light.

End of chapter

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