A big thank you to everyone who's keeping up with the story.
A review would mean a lot, it lets me know people are still actively reading along with what I post.
I appreciate all feedback and it will motivate me to keep writing.
Don't be afraid to ask any questions, I always try to reply.
Enjoy!
Chapter 14: Heartache
Red's first full day in Auradon had been eventful, if nothing else.
Not only did she discover she possessed magical abilities, resulting in hours of light-headedness and nausea. Not only had she and her newfound allies been attacked by some freaky girl with superspeed, resulting in many scrapes and bruises. All of that day's efforts had resulted in the most airheaded of Auradonians, Chad, having some sort of seizure from simply touching the pocket watch that they had stolen of the aforementioned superspeed girl.
The pocket watch…
Back on the Isle, Red had never seen a genuine artifact from Wonderland, let alone touched one. All of her mother's old possessions – like jewelry, weapons, clothing, decorative plates and other such trinkets – had been taken away from her when she got banished to the Isle. And now…
This was the pocket watch… THE pocket watch… The one designed by the Mad Hatter and which had long been held in the possession of the White Rabbit. How many times had Red not heard her mother lament the loss of the pocket watch?
Still, despite it apparently being an extremely powerful relic, the Queen of Hearts had never, in detail, explained what it was that made the pocket watch so special.
Red could still hear her mother's voice in the back of her head, as clear as day. 'Oh, Red, dear, if only we still had the pocket watch… We would be out of here in a flash… I could take back my throne from that wretched White Queen, and I could make everyone cower in fear once more…'
That tended to be the pinnacle of the conversations between Red and her mother. A lot of wishful thinking, cursing and harkening back to glorious days past on the Queen of Hearts' part, and solemn silence on Red's.
Now though, with the pocket watch right there for the taking, Red cursed her mother for not having been more clear about how to use it. Really, all Red could think about – her every waking thought – was about how she could escape her current predicament.
She wanted out. She had finally gotten away from the Isle, after years of torment, only to end up in Auradon alongside a group of insufferable Auradonians in the middle of some guerilla war. All Red wanted was some peace and quiet, away from all these people who kept looking at her like she was nothing more than a piece of rotting garbage. In that sense, Auradon was almost no different from Isle.
CJ Hook, the de facto leader of their little group, made it no secret that she utterly despised Red. The other villain kids – Celia Facilier and Carlos De Vil – similarly wanted nothing to do with her. The Auradonian boys – Royce, Chad and Dillon – all looked at her with varying degrees of indifference or mistrust. The only one who had shown even a sliver of interest in her and her wellbeing had been Chloe Charming, which only infuriated Red all the more.
Sweet, innocent, beautiful, kind and helpful Chloe… Barf…
Even now, after Red had consistently rebuked all of Chloe's efforts to get close to her, she still tried to look after her. Chloe's own brother still lay unconscious after his harrowing encounter with the pocket watch, but the blue-haired princess nevertheless kept trying to take care of Red.
There were so many things about Chloe that infuriated Red, but her constant and insistent kindness – which Red just could not accept was genuine – probably took the crown.
And so, with her wits having returned following her bout of nausea, Red started thinking about ways to give her captors – yes, she referred to the Auradonians as her captors – the slip. Before, during their initial introduction, the others had reminded Red about what a bad idea it would be to try to run away. For one, she had no idea where she was or where she wanted to go. Second, there was a pack of bloodthirsty villains on the loose who would probably gladly chop off her head if given the chance. That superspeed girl had proven as much with the way she had specifically targeted and insulted Red during their scuffle.
Red let out an angry grunt as she remembered the way the superspeed girl had taunted her while she had been too shaky and nauseous to retort or try to defend herself. If they would ever meet again, Red swore to herself, she would have to pay her back in kind. Still, in order to do that, Red needed weapons of her own.
CJ was still holding on to Red's sword and dagger, which she had taken from her back on the Isle. Now, Red apparently possessed magic, but had no real idea how to use it. If using magic would always result in these fits of either nearly fainting or puking her guts out, when all she would get in return would be colorful sparks shooting from her fingers, then Red would gladly never use it anymore. The way Celia talked about magic probably meant that Red would have to practice, for how long she did not know, before she could do anything useful with it. Sure, Red liked the thought of being able to simply turn her enemies into frogs or blow up their heads and such, but realized that those types of spells were probably way beyond her current skill level.
So, she had no weapons and could not yet rely on her magical abilities… What did that leave her with?
The pocket watch, of course.
It all made sense to her. The pocket watch was a relic from Wonderland. Red was from Wonderland, sort of. The pocket watch would give Red the power she needed to not only run away from her group of asshole Auradonians, but also evade the villains who were hunting them. Now, Red still had no idea how the pocket watch worked, but nevertheless already imagined herself running around at the speed of sound and making everyone eat dust.
Two things stood in the way of her masterplan. One, the pocket watch was currently being held and guarded by CJ Hook, who hated her. Two, Red was unsure if she would be able to operate the pocket watch without turning into a blubbering mess of cross-eyed tremors like Chad Charming.
To an outsider, like her, it had seemed as though the pocket watch had shocked Chad or something. He had thrashed around like a panicked fish, spouting nonsense and foaming at the mouth. It was only later, in the middle of the night, that Chad had woken up and been able to give his own account.
"I-I don't really remember…" He had muttered, Chloe and Royce by his sides. "It was, like, a whirlwind of bright colors. I couldn't really see anything… It felt like I was falling through a kaleidoscope… A-And the sound was deafening, like a thousand people shouting at their loudest all around me at once…"
"Why did you do it? Why did you try to use the watch?" Chloe had asked him in a tender tone.
Chad had sighed. "I-I just wanted to feel useful… I got my ass kicked during that fight with Mabel… I thought that, if I could use the watch, I could, you know, turn the tables…"
Chloe had hugged him tightly. "I love you, Chad. You do more than enough. Please don't try to do anything like that again."
"I won't." Chad reassured her. "I will never touch that cursed watch again." The fear in his eyes was real.
In any case, using the pocket watch did not sound fun, and Red really did not want to run the risk of what happened to Chad happening to her as well.
Luckily for Red, the solution to one of her problems presented itself in the morning.
Bright beams of sunlight streamed through the filthy windows and the creaks in the wooden walls of the shack that Red and the rest of her group had used as a refuge that night when a voice cried out.
"Eureka!"
"What? What? What!?" Multiple voices repeated the same word as everyone straightened up, most of them still half asleep. Even Chad, who had been practically comatose ever since trying to use the pocket watch, sat up and mumbled something about pancakes.
Dillon, his eyes shining behind his glasses, held up one of the books he and Carlos had been pouring over. "I got it!" He announced. "It's right here!"
"Got what?" CJ asked in an interested tone as she made her way over to him.
The others joined her, but Red did not move, instead keeping to her corner.
"Easy! Easy!" Dillon urged the others as they crowded around him, all eagerly examining the text he held in his hands. They were so caught up with whatever it was they were doing, that Red debated trying to sneak out. She didn't, because she knew they'd easily catch up to her and would probably not appreciate her efforts.
"What did you find? Something about the pocket watch? Do you know how to use it?" Royce inquired, somewhat carelessly pushing Celia aside so he could stand right next to Dillon.
"Or have you found out why it turned me into a raving lunatic?" Chad asked. He still looked pale, with huge bags under his eyes, but also interested.
"J-Just hang on…" Dillon sighed, holding the book close to him. "Yes, I found something about the pocket watch. It took me hours to decipher."
"What!?" Everyone repeated.
Dillon turned a page and began explaining. "The pocket watch, wonderous and mystical, shall only show time to those with eyes as wondrous and mystical as itself. Cursed be he from lands afar who would seek to bend it to its will. Be certain, the fragile minds, those unaccustomed to wonder, shall shatter before the relic. The treasures it hides, in distant eons, are not for outsiders' eyes."
A moment of silence.
"That was, ehm, more poetic than I had imagined…" CJ mumbled. "And how does it help us? What does it mean precisely?"
"I think…" Carlos began, leaning over Dillon's shoulder. "That this text suggests than no outsider can truly use the pocket watch… Not for magical purposes anyway… I mean, if it did tell the time, I'd guess anyone could use it for that…"
"No outsider?" CJ questioned. "And with that, you mean?"
"Anyone not from Wonderland, I'd wager…" Carlos sighed, causing Red's eyes to snap in his direction.
Only Wonderlandians could use the pocket watch? Well, well, well… It appeared as though that, for the first time in her life, hailing from Wonderland could actually help Red. She – or her mother at least – was from Wonderland. Everyone else in their group was either born in Auradon or on the Isle. So – in Red's mind at least – the logical thing would be to hand the pocket watch over to her. She expected the others to come to the same conclusion as well, but was quickly disappointed as they simply kept on yapping.
"That Mabel was the daughter of the Mad Hatter, right? That would be an explanation as to why she was able to use the watch, while Chad wasn't. If this is true, then none of us can use it… That sucks…"
"We could still try? Who knows? Maybe Chad's try was just an incident? Maybe, I don't know, if someone with actual magic would try…" Celia opted, nudging her head from side to side.
"Forget it!" CJ snapped. "I won't have you flopping around on the floor just because we want to use the freaking pocket watch so bad."
Celia crossed her arms and pouted. "I just want to help. I bet we would be wicked powerful if one of us could use the watch…"
"I get that.." CJ shrugged and patted Celia on the shoulder. "But I would rather we take on the villains with the weapons we can use now, than run the risk of anyone suffering permanent brain damage… Well, at least now we know… And at least we took the watch away from the villains… That counts for something…"
Royce nodded. "So, what do we do with it? Since none of us are from Wonderland… We can't use it, so should we just hide it?"
The others began mumbling, thinking of places to hide or stow away the watch. They could bury it, or lock it away somewhere or just leave it randomly in the forest. Carlos and Celia started debating whether or not the villains could track magical items like the pocket watch. Royce jumped in that a friend of his, some guy named Lancelot, had been able to track magic users from miles away, but not magical items, hoping that would mean that the villains wouldn't be able to either.
Red did not join in the discussion. Were these Auradonians truly either stupid or ignorant enough to not realize that she – the answer to their problems – was sitting right there? It wasn't until her name was suddenly called out that she started paying attention.
"Wait. But why do we want to discard the watch anyway?" Chloe asked, not to anyone in particular. "What happened to using it?"
"In case you haven't been paying attention, Chloe, the watch apparently only works for Wonderlandians… Which we are not…" CJ replied in a somewhat exasperated tone.
"One of us is." Chloe retorted, looking over her shoulder at Red. "We've got Red."
Red blushed as everyone turned to her, though their expressions ranged from disbelief to plain dislike.
"You're kidding, right?" CJ scoffed. "No way we're handing the pocket watch to Red."
"Why not?" Chloe seemed genuine. "She's from Wonderland."
"Well…" Carlos began, scrunching his face. "Her mother was. But Red herself has never set foot in Wonderland. There's no real assurance that it would work."
"And even if there were…" CJ jumped in. "She's still not getting the pocket watch. Chloe, Red has been with us for, what, a day or two? So far, all she has shown me is that she is still an immature and annoying little pest who cannot control her magic and only gets us into more trouble… Not to mention that she is not on our side. The things she might be able to do with the watch… Just, no… End of discussion…"
Red felt real glad that the matter was resolved so quickly without any input from her. Oh wait, no she didn't. She hated the way CJ outright dismissed her, with no one other than Chloe really doing anything to try and stand up for her. It was terribly frustrating to realize that her only ally at the moment was the insufferable blue-haired princess.
So what if Red had not earned the trust of the Auradonians? Wasn't their situation extremely dire? Shouldn't CJ and the rest try everything in their power to beat the villains? Apparently not, since they were unwilling to trust Red for even a single second. If only Red could get her hands on the pocket watch… Then she could beat them all to mush before they could blink for daring to mistrust her… Wow… Okay… She guessed that maybe there was some logic to their distrust… Still, Red was not above a little lying, groveling or conniving in order to get what she wanted…
"I promise to only use the watch for good." Red spoke up, though even she could not pretend that she sounded genuine.
"Right… Like giving each of us a 'good' smack on the head?" Royce sneered. "Not a chance, sunshine. We're not giving you any weapons, let alone a powerful magical relic."
"Which none of you can use without going insane…" Red nudged her head. "Smart…"
"You shut up!" CJ barked.
"CJ!" Chloe gasped.
"No, Chloe! I don't want Red traveling with us, I don't want her fighting with us, and I sure as hell don't want to just hand her a weapon powerful enough to hurt us! My patience has already warn out, and I am more than happy to just stash her away in a prison or something somewhere at the earliest opportunity…" CJ snapped.
"CJ!" Chloe repeated.
"We should never have brought her along…" CJ groaned. "Gods, why did I listen to you back on the Isle? We could have just left her there… Then we wouldn't have an extra mouth to feed…"
Red really tried to hold back her insults. CJ appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and the slightest instigation might make her break out in a violent rampage that she did not want to be on the other end of.
"I will keep looking after her." Chloe adamantly stated.
"Right… Like you did when she started shooting magic sparks in the air…" CJ scoffed.
"I helped to calm her down!"
"Or when she fainted and dragged us down…"
"I supported her!"
"Chloe, don't you get it? You shouldn't have to be the one to take care of her! Red's not some helpless little orphan begging for scraps. She should be able to take care of herself!" CJ ranted.
"I don't care." Chloe crossed her arms. "You and I were raised differently, CJ. You were taught that everyone needs to fend for themselves. I was raised to always extend a hand to those in need. Red might be very capable, I don't know, but she is alone… There are dangerous villains on the loose… Things are bad, I know that, but not bad enough that I will stop trying to help people…"
CJ bit her lip and looked to the others, who all stared sheepishly down at their feet. Red didn't know whether she wanted to applaud Chloe or gag out of pure disgust. Really, with every thing the blue-haired girl said or did, she just seemed more like the picture-perfect Auradon princess that Red had always been taught to despise.
"Chloe, you insufferable do-gooder…" CJ sighed. "Stupid Auradon… Stupid kind acts… Fine! Fine! Chloe, you better stick to that rotten little brat like a freaking wart plaster, got it? If she starts shooting sparks, you better calm her down! If she gets out of line, you hold her back! If she even so much as glances at one of our weapons, you tell us so we can beat some sense into her!"
Both Red and Chloe blushed.
"Understood." Chloe nodded, taking a step closer to Red to let CJ know she understood her assignment.
And that was how Red spent the remainder of that day, practically attached at the hip to Chloe freaking Charming.
The group headed out right after everyone had breakfast and packed up their things. CJ and Royce mapped out their route for the day. The goal was still to reach Beast Castle, which lay a little ways beyond the outskirts of Auradon City. In order to confuse their enemies and not let them know where they were headed, the group would not head there in a straight line. And so, they spent the day crisscrossing through the city and the forest, slowly but steadily getting closer to their destination.
True to her word, Chloe did not let Red out of her sight for more than a few seconds, which was endlessly infuriating. Every time Red lagged behind, tried to look around a little or scanned her surroundings for things to steal or use as weapons against both her enemies and hesitant allies, Chloe would be right there.
"Keep moving." Chloe would repeat again and again. Her tone was never too forceful or condescending. Instead, Chloe always sounded a little scared. Either this was because she feared Red would stand up to her, or because she was afraid that the villains might somehow be able to locate them again.
Despite CJ's threats, Red could not help but occasionally let her gaze drift to the weapons her companions were carrying. Most of her attention went to the satchel CJ had tied around her belt. In there, she had hidden the group's most valuable items – Hades's ember and the pocket watch. If Red had been alone with CJ, she would have maybe tried to snatch it from her. They were however always surrounded by others, and Red had no hope of standing up to all of them.
Red tried to think of a plan, which was easier said than done.
She was still occasionally flabbergasted by everything around her. When she and her companions passed an entirely pink café decked out from top to bottom with all sorts of baked goods, pastries and hundreds of different kinds of ice cream and chocolate, Chloe had to actively drag her along. In the back of her mind, Red could not help but imagine what it would be like to actually live here, only to remember that this was impossible. If her current companions managed to win the fight, then she would get sent back to the Isle at the earliest possible opportunity. If the villains were to come out on top, Red would most likely be killed.
This only served to further fuel her desire for the pocket watch. With it, she could finally carve her own path. First and foremost, in order to even attempt to grab it, she needed to get rid of her freaking bodyguard.
Red tried to think of something. She could probably take Chloe in a fight. She had seen how the blue-haired princess failed miserably in defending herself back on the Isle. However, as opposed to back then, Chloe was now armed, while Red was not. Also, if Red were to attack her out in the open, the rest of their group would naturally instantly jump to her aid. So, maybe, if Red were somehow able to somehow separate Chloe from the group, she could disarm her, take her out and then try to snatch the pocket watch? It was worth a shot…
With that vague outline of a plan in mind, Red realized that she needed to wait for the group to set up camp once more. Chloe would undoubtedly then continue to keep a close eye on Red, probably staying awake as long as she would. However, if Chloe would be on watch duty while the others slept, then not only would she be distracted, but the others would not notice if Red were to take Chloe out. There were a lot of uncertainties there, but it was something. The plan started taking shape more and more, causing Red to smirk.
"Why are you smirking?" Chloe suddenly asked, pulling Red back to reality.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing… Just enjoying my time in Auradon…" Red answered in a monotone voice.
"It's great, right? Normally it's much better! You know, when the people actually move around and such." Chloe replied. She appeared to not have detected the bitter sarcasm in Red's voice. Jeez, how gullible was she?
"Wow, that sounds so great… What do you do all day over here?" Red sighed, still in that monotone voice.
"Oh, well, I'm still in school, so I spend a lot of time studying and reading and such… I'm also on the junior Swords and Shields team… It's a sport… The best sport in the world… But, when I'm with my friends, we love to go to the mall… Or have picnics out in the woods… My parents own a few stables, so I like to go horse riding from time to time… And…" Chloe went on and on. She spoke softly enough that her voice did not echo through the streets and maybe attract unwanted attention, but she just kept speaking. Red pulled up her eyebrows and looked uncomfortably ahead at the rest of the group, hoping someone would tell Chloe to shut up. She spoke almost unbearably fast, like she was trying to tell Red her whole life story in the shortest possible amount of time. Again, she had apparently not picked up on Red's sarcastic tone of voice or her visible disinterest. Chloe spoke so happily, and her eyes shone so brightly, that Red almost felt bad about popping her bubble. Almost.
"Do you ever just stay quiet?" Red asked in an exasperated tone.
Chloe blushed heavily and looked to the ground.
So, two things. One – Chloe liked to talk. Two – Chloe had trouble standing up for herself. Good. Red could work with that.
"You, ehm, asked a question… I just thought…" Chloe shrugged. She really seemed down in the dumps.
"I did…" Red replied. She debated to herself what the best cause of action would be. She could either continue to be rude and condescending, making sure Chloe would keep looking up to her, or she could be warmer and more inviting in an attempt to have Chloe lower her guard. The former would be the easier thing, but would also make it easier for Chloe to eventually pick up her sword and stand against Red. The latter would take more effort from Red, who hated buttering up to people, but it was not like Chloe Charming was a difficult target. "It's just that people don't usually talk to me that much…"
"Oh." Chloe said. Her eyes immediately shifted from slight embarrassment to incredible compassion. "Well, ehm, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. I just want to get to know you better."
"What? Because you're supposed to be looking after me? Don't feel obligated, princess…"
"Even if I would not have to look after you…" Chloe rolled her eyes. "I always like to get to know people who I'm spending time with. That's how I got close to Celia, even though she's from the Isle…"
"Yeah, you two are real close…" Red mumbled, just softly enough so that Chloe wouldn't hear. "So, you like villains, eh? Is that why you suggested I should get the pocket watch?"
Chloe bit her lip. "Well, ehm… If you can use it… And you're on our side… It seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up…"
"Of course I'm on your side." Red nudged Chloe's shoulder, forcing a smile on her own face. "What? Do the others think I want to team up with your enemies? Two of them have already tried to kill me…"
"That's what I'm trying to tell them!" Chloe's eyes sparkled. "I know you can be good, Red…"
Red pulled back. "You don't even know me…"
"I can see the good in people." Chloe half-bragged. "It's sort of a gift…"
Red chewed on her tongue. It took all her willpower not to make a mean or sarcastic comment. Chloe was really asking for it though, with how mind-numbingly sweet and gullible she continued to act. So Chloe thought she could see the good in her? Wow… This girl was on a whole other level of misguided confidence and blissful ignorance. Red had no desire to do good. She had no desire to go out of her way to help anyone. All she wanted was to be left alone. Away from people who smothered her, like her mother, hated her, like the villains, or tried to get close to her, like Chloe. "Oh, really?"
Chloe was just about to answer, probably with some more well-meaning nonsense, when a cry from further ahead stopped everyone dead in their tracks.
"Everyone! Hide!"
Red looked up just in time to see Royce and Chad duck underneath a narrow shed. Most of the others pressed themselves as closely as possible to the nearest wall, while Dillon squealed and rolled underneath a parked car.
Chloe grabbed Red by her sleeve and pulled her along until the two stood practically nose-to-nose underneath a small tree.
Above them, up in the sky, a dark shape zoomed past, leaving a trail of green smoke in its wake. Red recalled the green-haired girl who had confronted her back on the Isle, wielding the scepter of Maleficent. Apparently, she had somehow made it off the Isle and was once again hunting the group of Auradonians. She did not stop or circle their location or anything like that, meaning she probably had not spotted them.
Chloe let out an audible sigh of relief. She stood so close to Red, that she could feel the heat of her breath. Red pulled back slightly, a look of uncomfortable disgust on her face. Chloe seemed to realize how close they stood to one another, and how tightly she was still clutching Red's sleeve, and immediately stumbled backwards, blushing even brighter than before.
"Damn. I'd hoped she would be trapped on the Isle a little while longer…" Carlos complained, looking up as he emerged from his hiding spot. "So, we still got Levi, Nera, Johnny and Gordon to deal with…"
"Doesn't matter. We have to keep moving." Royce ordered, and the others followed.
Red did not really pay attention as the others started discussing their chances in battle, using hushed voices. No, she paid more attention to Chloe, who was still blushing.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Red asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"What? I-I wasn't l-looking at you… It, ehm… It was just… We need to keep moving…" Chloe stammered, her posture rigid.
Red really enjoyed seeing her this uncomfortable. She had finally stopped talking and looked really out of sorts. Maybe she could be pushed a little further?
"What? Don't you like being close to me?" Red teased, her voice taking on a more flirtatious edge. Her mother, for better or worse, had extensively educated Red in matters regarding so-called 'court culture', which included lessons in how to fake-smile, fake-laugh, bat one's eyelashes and make others feel good about themselves for one's personal gain. In short, Red had been taught how to flirt and seduce in order to get what she wanted.
Red had hated these lessons. She hated having to 'act like a lady', pretending to be vulnerable, kind or oblivious. Back on the Isle, the flirting tactic had seldom helped her out anyway. Everyone knew who she was and already either hated or feared her before she would even have a chance to see if she could actually use her charms to disarm people, or at least have them lower their guard around her. At this very moment, Chloe seemed like a very suitable test subject. Red had seen the way Chloe had looked at her before, and the way Chloe and Celia had interacted. Now, Red was no expert on feelings or romance, but she was willing to bet whatever few possessions she still had on Chloe being about as straight as a corkscrew.
Indeed, following Red's flirty little jab, Chloe's face had turned even redder. "W-We need to keep moving…" Chloe stuttered, quickly hurrying after the others.
Bingo. Red casually strutted after Chloe, lips curled up into a mischievous smirk. "What is it? You couldn't stop talking a minute ago…" Red said with a wink.
"And you told me to stay quiet, remember?" Chloe retorted. Okay, so she did not let Red waltz all over her completely.
"I know… I can be in such a foul mood sometimes… Maybe you can help fix that?" Red playfully nudged Chloe's shoulder as they walked side by side.
Chloe seemed both incredibly weirded out and somewhat intrigued. Red did not know how far she could push her suddenly affectionate behavior. A voice in the back of her head told her to turn it down, but another whispered that there really was no limit to how gullible Chloe was.
"Well…" Chloe began, brushing a strand of her curly blue hair behind her ear. Before she could say anything else, Celia Facilier suddenly popped up next to them, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Hey, Chlo… She's not giving you any trouble, is she?" Celia asked, hooking her arm around Chloe's and pulling her in close.
"What? No…" Chloe blushed some more. She looked back at Red almost apologetically.
"Pff, way to kill the mood, Facilier…" Red snapped, crossing her arms. Really, if Celia freaking Facilier would be the one to put a dent in Red's plans…
"We're on the run, you pest!" Celia hissed. Red noticed she was copying CJ's favorite nickname for her.
"Which is why a bit of levity wouldn't hurt, right?" Red shrugged.
Chloe let out a small giggle while Celia rolled her eyes. Red could not help but smile smugly. Oh yes, Chloe Charming was hers…