the fall of red

somethings wrong

Uma had been running on zero sleep for three days as she tirelessly searched for Red. With each passing moment, the weight of uncertainty pressed down on her. She knew Red was armed and harboured a deep-seated grudge. Determined to locate her, Uma poured over maps, meticulously marking potential hiding spots and devising strategic vantage points for an ambush. Her entire existence now revolved around the relentless pursuit of a girl who had been lying lifeless in the woods for the past three days.

Chloe nursed her simmering anger towards Uma for kicking out Red and felt even more indignant about Uma's unfounded accusation that she was involved in hiding Red.

Every day, Chloe's mother called to inquire about her well-being, and every single time, Chloe lied.

"Oh, don't worry, Mom. Everything's fine," Chloe reassured her mother. School's going okay. Red? Well, she's a pretty quiet roommate. She keeps to herself most of the time. It's almost like she's not even around." As Chloe chuckled to herself and strolled across the room, she carelessly overlooked the pair of striking red boots that she had yet to move, only to stumble over them—cursing as she did so. Since Uma threw those shoes in the middle of the room, Chloe tripped over them daily, yet she didn't move them. Something stopped her. Maybe Red would return and ask for them. Chloe could give them her just like her dad did with her mom.

"Okay, well, say hi to Dad for me. Okay. I love you. Bye, Mom." Chloe hung up the phone, throwing it on her bed before someone knocked on her dorm door.

"Come in," she shouted as she began folding laundry that she had thrown on her bed earlier that day.

The door opened as Uma stepped in. Chloe immediately stopped her chores and shook her head.

"No. If I had known you were knocking, I would have said there was no room in the inn. Leave." Chloe never acted this way towards people, not authority figures, but she was so mad at this woman that she didn't even care.

"Chloe, all I'm doing is telling you I'm going to search for red. If you have any information, please tell me now. It's in Auradon's best interest." Chloe held onto the laundry basket, closing her eyes.

"Red wouldn't hurt you. She wouldn't hurt anyone. She's probably in Wonderland right now, having been told how much of a disappointment she is. Thanks to you." Chloe spat venom in her words, but Uma didn't seem affected.

"I was hoping you'd tell me some useful information, Chloe." The disappointment in Umas's voice was unmistakable.

Chloe's words were filled with frustration and disappointment as she confronted Uma. "Yeah, and I hoped you would stick to your word and give people a chance. I guess we both were hoping upon a stupid wish," she said through gritted teeth. Though she knew it was unfair to direct her anger at Uma, Chloe couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness as she imagined herself sitting in bed with Red, sharing laughter and enjoying her card tricks. She often found herself dwelling on the thought that it was Uma's fault, though deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was really Red's fault. Blaming Red made her feel guilty every time; for some reason, she just couldn't blame Red.

I deeply regret my actions and how I handled the situation, but I truly believed that what I did was for the best," Uma said with a heavy sigh, fully aware that her words would elicit a mocking response from Chloe.

"You betrayed the king, escaped from the Isle, attempted to assassinate the king, and attacked the VKs, then were trying to dismantle the barrier illegally. And again, I will say you almost killed the king! And you're telling me that using paint cans and breaking vases was a worse offence? Your idea of helping troubled kids is severely twisted," Chloe couldn't contain her simmering anger any longer. She was hurt and furious about how everything unfolded.

"I had a gut feeling about her, Chloe, and it turns out I was right because while you're defending her, she's out there in Auradon with a weapon!" Chloe stood in shock at umas words.

"What are you talking about?" the principal immediately regretted sharing this sensitive information with Chloe. Mal and Ben had warned Uma not to spread fear if something terrible was happening, and now Uma had done precisely that. She had told the one person she thought could help calm Red down.

"It's nothing. I'm just feeling stressed. I need to go find Red," Uma quickly excused herself, eager to avoid further questions from the concerned teenager.

Uma finally got back to her office after her awkward conversation with Chloe. She sat down at her desk, rubbing her face before pulling out the map of Auradon.

Uma spent quite some time carefully marking four potential hideout locations on the map where she suspected Red might be staying, but she wasn't prepared to leave just yet. She decided to reach out to a friend to get a second opinion on the matter.

She picked up her phone and dialled a number. The phone rang twice before a woman answered.

"Hello?" Audrey's voice sounded unsure, not recognising the number.

"Audrey, hey. Can I speak to Harry?" Uma smiled as she heard a Scottish man laughing in the background.

"yeah, of course. Is everything okay?" Since leaving Auradon prep, Audrey, Chad, and a few others have enrolled in college to learn royal stuff. Meanwhile, Harry and Gil seized an opportunity for education, joining college on a sports scholarship.

"Yeah. No, actually, it's not. Can you put me on speaker? I need all of your help." Uma sighed but quickly smiled when everyone shouted hi to her.

"Hey guys...I need help figuring something out." Uma laughed, knowing a few years ago she would rather go against an army of gators than ask for help.

After receiving encouragement from everyone to proceed, she proceeded to recount every detail of the events that had transpired. After a few minutes of this recap, she fell silent.

"Wait, this Red girl has a gun, and she's in Auradon!?!" Chad exclaimed, seizing Audrey's phone.

"Yes," Uma snapped at the boy.

"Could this Red possibly be the one from Wonderland?" Chad persisted as he struggled with Audrey, who was attempting to retrieve her phone.

"Indeed," Uma responded, perplexed by his seemingly senseless inquiries.

"What did Chloe have to say about this?" Chad asked.

Feeling increasingly impatient, Uma was growing annoyed of Chad's nonsensical queries.

Uma shouted that Chloe wasn't important right now, her frustration evident in her voice. It seemed like nobody was offering to help her.

Despite his rude tone, Chad's concern for his sister was apparent. He urgently told Uma to keep his lovesick and foolhardy sister away from the situation. There was genuine worry behind his words.

With a puzzled expression, Audrey took her phone back from the prince, only to find out from Chad that Chloe had a crush on Red. It seemed like there was more to the situation than met the eye.

Harry, speaking sincerely, advised Uma to seek out Princess Red and have a genuine conversation with her. He believed that understanding Red's motivations was crucial before making any decisions. Audrey nodded in approval, clearly agreeing with Harry's suggestion.

Feeling reassured after her friends' advice, Uma made her way out of the office. She was resolute in her decision to confront Red. A flurry of thoughts ran through her as she locked the office doors. Maybe Red's actions were driven by fear, not just for herself but possibly for others. Uma's determination to uncover the truth grew as she headed towards the forest.

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Hey guys, sorry for only posting one chapter today and missing yesterday. I'm visiting family right now and just trying my best, but if updates are going a bit slow, it'll all be back to normal in a week! This chapter is sort of a filler seeing as the past few have been drama filled! I wanted to bring light to a few ogs aswell
<3