I was shocked. Have my parents lost their minds? Every single time I was a little girl they grumbled Gaston's name when they told me how my parents met. Now they want me to marry his son? Seriously, is this a prank? Is Peter Pan and his daughter Piper  the hosts of Pan Pranks going to pop out and tell me i'm on a hidden camera show?

By the look of their grim faces, this was not a prank. I can't believe they did this to me. I am going to be shipped off to who knows where, and I will be chained into committal. This is messed up.

"But...." I started to say.

Then I heard a whistling noise. A cannon ball came crashing into the castle. The marble walls crumbled. The chandelier fell onto the ballroom floor. It was a good thing was lit with light bulbs instead of candles. Otherwise it would be just like the Opera Populaire fire from, "Point of No Return," from my favorite movie Phantom of the Opera all over again.

"Hurry, to the safe room!" Lucille and Coletta daughters of Lumiere and Cogsworth. They were my best friends. Lucille or Lucy had platinum blond hair and brown eyes. She got the performing talent from her father, and the sassy attitude from her mother Plumette. She wore a golden mermaid dress with cream flowers in her hair. Coletta or Lettie had chocolate brown hair and brown eyes. She had her father's wound up attitude, her mouth always in a prim and proper line. She wore a dress with a white bodice and a full beige skirt.

My parents, Ben, Mal, Evie, Harry, Lucy, and Lettie ran to the secret trapdoor underneath a throw rug in the parlor. There are rooms all over the castle, so everyone hopefully will be okay. The room was small and dark. Lit by only a few dim torches and candles in order to avoid suspicion. There were the basic four twin beds in each corner, two wooden benches, and an emergency pack of non perishable food.

There were spare clothes to change into. Gone were the ball gowns and suits. The boys wore jeans and polo shirts, and the girls all wore long flowy dresses that looked like night gowns. My mother and Lucy wore yellow, Mal wore purple, Lettie wore pink, and Evie and I wore blue.

Everyone's faces were ashen, Harry's mostly. We were cold and miserable.

"This is all my fault," Harry cried, "I shouldn't have come here in the first place."

"No, I'm glad you warned us," my mother said gently as she placed a hand of his shoulder.

    I lept to my feet as the fear wore off. I remembered what my parents told me. The fury and stress finally gave me enough strength to confront my parents.

    "You want to ship me off to be an arrogant jerk's wife?" I whispered gently enough to be cautious in case the Pirates are near and can hear us.

    "Yeah, you do not want her to marry Gil," Evie spoke up.

    "He's just like his father," Mal chimed in, "All muscle and stomach, no brain."

    "There is nothing we can do," my father roared, "You don't know how many threats we have been given by these villains after the barrier broke on the Isle of the Lost."

    "Gaston's threat was the worst," my mother said with tears in her eyes, "He threatened to raid the kingdom and kill you and your brother."

    "So we made negotiation with him," Ben stated like a king, "We told him many things, some being treasure, fortune, and such, but when we mentioned you, he pounced on the idea of his son marrying you as a way to avenge the lost love he had with mom."

"I just wish you would've not made this deal," I said warily, "This just added to more of my stress load."

"I'm sorry Bella," my mother apologized, "I just didn't know what to do."

A heavy silence filled the room. The room suddenly felt suffocating. It was probably because of how small it was, and the way heavy footsteps thumped on the floor above us. I'm not one for claustrophobia, but the stress level between one and ten, it was over one hundred.

"Are you okay," Harry asked with concern, "You look like you're going to be sick."

"I'm okay," I replied weakly, "Just nervous and faint is all."

I moved to one of the benches and sat down. I still felt dizzy. My face clearly showed it because my parents rushed to my side.

"Annabella, lay down at once," my father commanded.

"Yes, please, you need to rest," my mom said gently before I could protest, "Too much for one day. We'll wake you up the coast is clear."
Before I could protest, Harry scooped me in his arms and carried me to on of the beds. As he moved aside, my mom tucked me in like I was a little kid. It instantly made me feel better. I eyes felt heavy. Harry brushed the hair out of my face and kissed my forehead. I wanted to ask more questions, but I fell asleep in a heartbeat.

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Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update. Things have been crazy. I am in my school's talent show, show choir concerts, etc. I will hopefully update more soon. I've really missed you all. See ya in the next chapter. Bye!!!!!!! ☮❤️😄