Secret in the Heart ||Descendants|| (♡Ben)

26

They walked up the stairs and into their hiding place. Kara slipped off her jacket and sank down onto the couch, pressing her fingers to her temples as she took a deep breath. Was she nervous about tomorrow? Absolutely. There was no chance they were getting out of the situation without a fight. She just hoped they would be the ones to win it.

"We'll get Ben back, Kara. Don't worry," Evie reassured her, offering a small nod of encouragement.

Kara nodded back, though her mind still buzzed with unease.

"Let's get some rest. We're going to need all our strength for tomorrow," Mal said, her voice steady.

"Yeah, you're right," Kara agreed.

The three exchanged glances, the weight of tomorrow's challenge heavy between them. Then, Evie and Mal quietly made their way to the beds they had placed in the hideout.

Kara stood up from the couch, retrieving the box she had shoved under the table earlier. She studied the maps again, her brow furrowing in concentration, but nothing new came to her. The dagger wasn't on the Isle; that much was clear. There weren't any trees here—no place that matched the clues they had.

With a sigh, Kara yawned, exhaustion creeping in. She didn't want to leave without having read the books, but there just wasn't time. Maybe she could take them with her tomorrow, stash them in the limousine before heading to Uma's ship. That could work, she thought, stifling another yawn.

With that plan in mind, she headed toward her bed and lay down. You can do this, Kara, she told herself. Believe in your friends. And with that thought, she drifted into sleep.

"Kara!" Evie's voice jolted her awake.

She shot up, groggy, rubbing her eyes. "I'm awake. I'm awake," she muttered, still trying to shake off sleep.

Evie stood beside her, laughing softly. "You know, it's getting harder to wake you every single time," she teased.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry," Kara replied, stifling a yawn.

"Come on," Evie urged, and Kara dragged herself up, joining the others as they started preparing.

The group stood in the middle of the hideout's main space, their jackets on, with Kara's bag of smoke bombs packed and ready.

"We ready to go?" Mal asked, glancing around at everyone, making sure they had everything.

"Let's go," Evie said, grabbing Kara's bag off the ground and heading toward the stairs. Mal followed, but as Kara was about to follow them, something hit her—she needed the box.

She quickly grabbed it and hurried down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, Evie and Mal turned to look at her.

"What's with the box?" Evie asked, curious.

"It's just some stuff from my old house that I need to get through," Kara explained quickly.

"Why are you bringing it with you?" Mal asked, raising a brow.

"Well, the boys are meeting us at the pier by the old garage, right?" Kara replied.

"Yeah," Mal confirmed.

"Then I'll put it in the limo so I can take it with me," Kara said with a shrug.

"That makes sense," Mal agreed.

"But I thought you said you weren't going back," Evie added, eyeing Kara with concern.

"Evie, I need to find something, and it isn't on the Isle," Kara said, cutting her off.

"But—" Evie started.

"I'll explain everything later, but right now we need to get going," Kara insisted.