Chapter Sixteen:
Don't Panic

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     Evie's castle was just as beautiful as the first time Laila had seen it.

     As Laila, Jane, Carlos, Jay, Ben, Harry and Gil—the last two names belonged to two boys from the Isle, friends with Uma; Laila had been introduced to them on the way over here—entered the vicinity, they were immediately greeted with a handful of others: Evie, Mal, Uma (Laila was finally able to put a face to the name!), and—one of the kids from the Isle that had been selected on VK Day—Celia.

     Laila immediately broke out into a grin as her and Evie locked eyes. Evie's face mirrored hers. It wasn't long before they were wrapping their arms around each other, Laila's chin resting on Evie's shoulder, Evie's fingers gripping Laila as though she could slip through her fingers at a moment's notice.

     "I'm so glad you're okay," Evie said to her once they pulled apart. Laila's heart swelled. "I thought Audrey might've... you know..."

     "I know," Laila said. "Believe me, there is no way I'm going back to the cheer squad after this."

     Evie chuckled, her eyes bright.

     "Okay," Mal said, and everyone's attention was diverted toward her. Laila was suddenly reminded of the seriousness of the situation. "We all think that Audrey could be at Fairy Cottage. We've no idea where it is—did she take you there?" She directed that last part to Ben.

     "Every Fairy Godmother's Day," Ben said, nodding. Then he looked grave, and his eyes wandered over to where Jane was sitting. "Where is Fairy Godmother when you need her?"

     Jane sighed. "I wish I knew..."

     After a moment of dispirited silence, chatter between everyone resumed but there was this sort of heaviness in the air. They were all way out of their league. Most of the time, they relied on their parents to help them—and Laila was no exception. Now... they were on their own. But at least they had each other. There was comfort in that.

     "Alright, Jane..." Ben said. "We're going to need to find Fairy Godmother."

     Uma said, "She might need some muscle."

     "Well, I'll go." Gil shrugged.

     That settled it. Jane and Gil would go look for Fairy Godmother, and everyone else would face Audrey at Fairy Cottage... if she was even there. Laila found herself having her doubts that they'd see Audrey at the cottage—she had the scepter, so she had some powerful magic on her side... Laila wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason she had been able to evade capture so far.

     Despite her doubts, the possibility of Audrey being there and being able to easily turn them into stone or put them to sleep kept Laila on her toes as the group snuck toward Fairy Cottage. Under different circumstances, Laila might have been able to admire and appreciate the beauty of the cottage a bit more... Unfortunately, the threat of being turned to stone loomed too close for her to be able to do that.

     Ben opened the garden gate. The gate creaked, making Laila wince. They weren't being very quiet. If Audrey was in there, she definitely knew they were here. Sneaking through the garden in single file, Laila found herself in between Evie and Jay.

     With all his might, Ben kicked down the front door of the cottage. With bated breath, Laila waited for Audrey to strike them with all of her newfound power, but... it didn't happen. Jay went to check upstairs, but came back with a shake of his head. Audrey wasn't there.

     All of a sudden there was this alarming banging noise, so loud against the silence in the cottage that Laila momentarily forgot what was happening. After taking a second to readjust herself, she realised that it was coming from behind a wooden door behind her. Ben cautiously opened it, and when Laila saw who was behind it, her jaw went slack.

     "Chad?"

     Chad, who usually looked cocky and prideful, now looked... scared. Sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs, he didn't look at them at first. "I want my mommy."

     "What happened, buddy?" Ben said, leaning forward to help him up.

     Chad poked his head out of the room and his eyes darted around. He cautiously stepped out of the room. It was obvious he was looking for someone—Audrey, no doubt. When he didn't see her, his senses finally kicked in and he realised who had helped him. "Ben?" He looked around at everyone else. "She's gone, huh? The door's open... I'm free!" He ran for the exit and yelled, "Freedom!"

     It wasn't long after that that they decided to leave the cottage; Audrey wasn't there, anymore, and they couldn't find anything that hinted at where she was now. They had run out of leads to follow. Walking out of the cottage, Laila smiled at Evie, and got a wider one in return. Mal and Uma were laughing with one another.

     "You know, someday, you're gonna have to tell me how you guys all got teamed up," Ben said, referring to Mal and Uma.

     "Actually," Evie said with a smile, "Mal promised to let all the kids off the Isle once this is over."

     "Mal?" Ben said, but he had this funny look on his face. Laila didn't like what was about to come; she could sense it.

     Mal stopped walking. "I have to tell you guys something. Um... I lied to you. The kids won't be coming off the Isle. The program is shut down," Mal said, "and the barrier will be closed for good."

     Ben added, "For Auradon's safety." It was obviously something that had been discussed previously.

     That was when Laila's phone started buzzing in her pocket, indicating that someone was calling her. She ignored it. Whoever it was, they could wait—they had much bigger things going on at the moment! But when it started buzzing again, she pulled it out of her pocket. Her heart dropped.

     Ingrid.

     Fuck.

     Laila wasted no time picking up the call, walking away from the group for some privacy. Shit. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about Ingrid—her little sister.

     "Where are you?" Ingrid said. "And why the fuck are there statues everywhere—?"

     "Ingrid," Laila interrupted with urgency. She could feel the panic rising in her chest, and she fought to keep it down—she needed to have a clear head. "Where are you?"

     Through the other side of the phone, Ingrid hummed. "I don't know, in the middle of some street?" Laila almost groaned—Ingrid was taking too long. Who knew when Audrey would strike next? She needed to get to her sister as fast as possible. "Oh, wait! I'm a few stores down from that pet daycare we dropped Eva and Isak off at the other day."

     "Alright, just—just, um, stay there. Just stay there, okay? I'll meet you."

     "Okay..."

     Laila bit her lip. This wasn't good—far from it.

     She quickly walked back to where the others were, intending to let them know what had happened and that she had to go to her sister, when... Fuck. Laila's worst fears had come true. Jay and Carlos and Ben had been turned to stone, and...

     Oh, no.

     Evie.

     Fuck.

     As Laila stared at Evie's stoned figure, she tried not to lose it. Don't panic, she thought, the hand covering her mouth starting to shake. Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic...

     And then Laila had the horrible thought that she might never unfreeze. If they couldn't get to Audrey, then Evie might stay like that forever. Laila would never hear her laugh again, or see that adorable smile she loved so much... Laila's heart wrenched and her stomach twisted. She tried to focus on the task at hand, but it was hard. Every thought she had led her back to Evie.

     Fuck, she had to focus. Channelling her thoughts and narrowing them into the one, single thought: Ingrid—Laila needed to get to Ingrid. Now.

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Authors Note!!!

i haven't updated in foreverrrrr i'm so sorry—also this chapter is quite short so i'm sorry about that too jsndbfb. but the next chapter shouldn't be too far away... fingers crossed... !!!

word count: 1375
30.12.2021