𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐃 | ʜᴜᴍᴀ [ᴇɴɢʟɪꜱʜ]

chapter thirty six

Harry's pov

When we finish fighting the armor Mal and Uma start arguing about the plan we have to follow, in the end we decide to split up, me, Gil, Jay and Carlos have to go find Ben and take him to Evie's house in 2 hours, instead girls have to go to Audrey's dormitory to look for some clue to defeat her.
Before we part, I call Uma aside, tell her to be careful and start to kiss her, but she stops me, says they could have seen us and still doesn't want to let the others know, especially Mal and her gang.
When they are all ready, we guys head into the woods, follow the directions of Carlos' talking dog, then take a short stop near a bush with berries, Jay and Gil start talking:
<Hey Jay, let's play Evie's game: I like how you move and how you run> Gil says enthusiastically
<Oh, thank you ... I like your enthusiasm for everything ...> Jay replies uncertainly, then Gil continues:
<I often see you in the gym, do you play sports?> It's really stupid Gil, what could he do in the gym ?!
<Yes, I am very often in the gym, the tournament takes a lot of effort> Jay replies.
It really bothers me that they talk without me, ok, yeah, I hate both Gil and Jay, but I want to talk too, so I get in the way:
<The tournament?  It's a child's thing> I say laughing, the two look at me for a few seconds, then continue to talk, swallowing me:
<Hey, do you know what would be cool?  Go rafting on a river in the jungle!> Exclaims Gil
<Discover an ancient civilization!> Jay says even more excitedly.
<Meet some penguins!> Gil continues how and what he had just said was the most beautiful thing in the world.
<Well it's a bit difficult, they live on icebergs, but I'd really like to see them> Jay replies, then I intrude again:
<Ahhh, get it over with!  You are such a bore!> I approach my hook to a bush, I skewer a berry and I bring my father's weapon to my mouth slowly, these berries are really good.  Then I tell Carlos:
<The half-caste went that way> so we head in the direction I indicated and we meet a beast, which we find out to be Ben, he is really nervous, moves fast and screams:
<I know from my father that the Beast King was not responding well to pain, maybe he got hurt> Gil informs us, and indeed we notice that he has a thorn in his hand, so Jay sends Carlos to take it away, before this man can however approaching Ben, the beast attacks us, he was about to scratch his face, but Jay throws me aside and I dodge the prince by a hair.
Carlos manages to get the plug out of his hand, so Ben calms down, then we see a splash of water that wets him and brings him back to normal, we all turn towards the source of the water: a pretty girl is holding a toy gun and she is bathing the prince, Carlos immediately approaches her, they start talking together and nothing is understood of what they are saying, meanwhile Jay makes Ben sit on a log, I go up to the girl and say:
<Harry Hook, and you, my helpless little chick, are you ...?>
Carlos replies immediately:
<She is Jane, and her girlfriend> he spells out the last two words softly to make me understand not to get close to her.
After a few minutes we decide to go to Evie's house;  when we arrive I greet Uma immediately, I whisper to her:
<Are you okay?> She nods and squeezes my hook in her hand, I love it when she does, it's the sweetest and cutest thing in the world.
We talk for a while, then Mal says:
<Listen to me, we think Audrey is staying at the enchanted cottage, Ben have you ever been there?>
<Yes, once with her and the Smemorina Fairy ... where is she?  It's never there when she's needed.> Ben answers, then a very worried Jane joins the conversation:
<I wish I knew too> then Mal continues:
<I have a plan: Doug and Jane, go find the Smemorina Fairy-> but she is immediately interrupted by Uma who says, looking from head to toe, Doug:
<It would take some muscle>
So Gil offers to go with them and Mal keeps talking:
<We, on the other hand, go to the cottage to look for Audrey.>
Everyone nods and we go into the house to get everything we need.
As soon as Gil, Jay and Jane are ready they go to look for the Smemorina Fairy, instead we go to the enchanted cottage, there is no one inside, at least it seems, until we hear a voice asking for help coming from the closet, Ben opens The door and runs out Chad, the son of Cinderella, I know him because he often comes in the room, at night, to use the 3D printer of Carlos and Jay, and I threatened him almost every time.
Chad runs out of the cottage and yells:
<Freeee!>
I burst out laughing, Uma looks at me amused, I smile at her, then we all go out of there, on the way Ben says amused to Mal:
<Someday you will have to explain to me how you and Uma joined forces> Mal laughs and Evie says:
<Easy: she promised to remove the barrier>
<Mal ...> Ben says surprised, but not surprised. In a good way, it looked like he was scolding her, that he wasn't happy at all with the girl's promise.
<Guys I have to tell you one thing: I lied to you.  The boys won't be able to come to Auradon, the barrier will be closed forever.> Mal says, I can't believe it, she's been lying to us all this time, just as they were getting pretty nice to me, then I hear Uma's voice:
<So, we are saving your people, and you for nothing?  I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, Mal.> She bites her superior job, I know her well, and I know she does it to hold back her tears, she trusted Mal again, the girl who teased her her whole life, and she lied to her.
<And you, Beast King!> I start with my usual crazy voice, but I can't keep going like this, so I keep talking, but in my tone you can understand the disappointment and sorrow they caused me:
<you wanted to leave everyone on the Island, huh?>
I see Uma looking at me worried, usually only with her I speak normally, so she understands how much pain I feel;  then Celia intervenes crying:
<You shouldn't have told me that I would never see my father again!  You are a coward.> She takes the stone of Hades from Mal's hand and throws it into a small puddle and walks away, Mal gives a little scream, takes the stone and recites a spell, but the stone has lost its power, so he asks for help from Uma who shows her the unlit necklace and says as badly as possible:
<I'm sorry> then she turns to me:
<We look for Gil and leave them here to rot> so we leave disappointed, we hear Mal scream our names which makes us walk even faster, the only thing I wanted at that moment was to leave, be alone with Uma, without having to think about anything, without having to fear of being joined by Audrey and not being able to defeat her, I wanted to free the other VKs from that prison, they don't deserve to be there, nobody deserves to live in such a place.  I put my arm around Uma's shoulders and hold her close to me, I needed to feel her close, to know that at least the person I cared about most in the world was there and she was fine, I needed to let her know that I was there too. I was for her, so I kiss her on the lips and whisper in her ear:
<I love you>, she kisses me again and says:
<I love you too Harry.> By now she has her face streaked with tears, so I run a hand on her cheek to wipe it off and we go find her, hand in hand, to Gil.