the fall of red

there you are

Uma stared intently at the map, frustration evident in the way her hands forcefully crossed off yet another location where Red wasn't hiding.

She had ventured to the cabin where Audrey had once sought refuge during her malevolent phase, half-hoping to find Red there. Sadly, to Uma's dismay, Red was nowhere to be found. It felt as though Red had vanished without a trace. Uma mused to herself about the tendencies of those on the run – the inevitable slip-ups, the pervasive paranoia, and the exhaustion that led to finding makeshift places to rest. Yet, Red didn't fit this pattern. She wasn't careless or anxious. She wasn't exhausted to the point of dozing off in an obscure location. Red wasn't taking any unnecessary risks.

Unknown to Uma, Red lay lifeless on the forest floor. Oblivious to this harrowing truth, Uma clung tightly to her sword, her heart racing every time she thought she caught a glimpse of Red's distinctive hair or a telltale footprint in the mud.

It was a moonless night when Uma's realisation struck like lightning—there was only one place Red could be lurking. Instead of heedlessly risking her life, Uma decided to retreat to her office.

The dense, foreboding forest. Uma had combed through certain areas but hadn't ventured off the beaten path. She hadn't cast her gaze behind the hulking trees. It seemed inconceivable to her that Red would be foolish enough to seek refuge in the forest. There was no shelter, no real reprieve to be found there. However, it was the solitary locale that Uma's mind gravitated towards. Unless, of course, Red had retraced their steps back to Wonderland. Perhaps the gun wasn't seized with the intent of harming Auradon but rather to inflict harm upon her own mother.

Chloe spent the entire day pacing around her room, her mind reeling after Uma's unsettling visit and the disturbing information she had shared. Despite repeatedly tripping over Red's shoes, Chloe stubbornly refused to move them.

Lost in thought, Chloe found herself contemplating a harrowing scene from Wonderland involving Red when her phone suddenly rang.

She picked up the phone and saw that it was her brother, but Chad's panicked shout nearly deafened her before she could even greet him. It seemed as though the entire neighbouring dormitory must have heard him.

"Chloe! Are you okay?" Chad's voice crackled loudly through the phone, causing Chloe to grimace.

"Of course I'm okay. Why are you yelling?" Chloe asked, noticing a photo of her and Red starting to slip off the wall. She put her phone on speaker, then threw it onto her bed and hurriedly grabbed some tape to secure the photo in place.

"Where's Red?" Chad's urgent tone caused Chloe to raise an eyebrow as she worked to stick the remaining photos on the wall.

"She's out... doing girl things?" Chloe cursed herself for the lame excuse, even as she accidentally whacked herself in the forehead, causing a strip of tape to adhere to her skin.

"Wow, I never knew that girl things involved stealing guns, Chloe! I'll have to let Audrey know that she's been approaching her sewing club the wrong way!" the boy exclaimed loudly over the phone, his face flushing with anger and frustration. Chloe's eyes widened as she hastily tore off the tape, wincing as it pulled out a few of her eyebrow hairs. She then leapt onto her bed, snatched her phone, and turned off the speaker.

"Gun? Red? Chaddy, you're out of your mind!" Chloe laughed uneasily.

"Chaddy?! You only call me that when you're about to lie. Stop it, Chlo. I'm not upset that you disregarded the one rule I emphasised before you left and fell for a crazy girl. Just please be careful, and let's hope Uma finds her. When people are afraid, they tend to hurt the ones they care about, Chloe. I don't want that to happen to you." Chad let out a heavy sigh as Chloe gazed down at her crumpled bedsheets.