the fall of red

Your fault

Uma stood by her office window, gazing at the bustling street below. People hurried past, each immersed in their own little world. Amongst the crowd, her eyes settled on Chloe. It used to be that Chloe was always surrounded by a circle of royal friends, engaging in lively conversations and exuding confidence. However, now it was different. Uma observed Chloe walking alone, her attention fixated on her phone screen. She seemed entirely disconnected from her surroundings, only glancing up occasionally to confirm her location.

Uma stood in the dimly lit office, her hand trembling as she tried to shield her face from the world. She couldn't shake off the feeling of disbelief at the sheer ignorance around her, unaware of the dreadful truths. She couldn't be mad because these people had no idea, but it made her feel uneasy.

As the heavy wooden door creaked open and closed, a figure approached with hesitant steps, breaking the eerie silence of the room. "Uma," the soothing voice of the fairy godmother called out, signalling the commencement of an arduous task. Uma knew she had to carefully navigate through the delicate process of unveiling the distressing news, beginning with the fairy godmother and concluding with Chloe.

"Hey," Uma murmured, her voice wavering as she turned to face the fairy godmother. The signs of her recent tears were unmistakable. Both women took their seats at opposite ends of the ornate desk, enveloped in an aura of heaviness. Uma let out a heavy sigh, the day's weight evident in her every movement.

"As you know, I've been searching for Princess Red recently." FGM nodded silently, telling Uma to continue.

"Well, this morning I was erm... I began looking in the forest as my last option." Umas's voice cracked as she tried to keep a strong front but failed.

"Yes, you emailed me asking for the maps." FGM was so unaware and so confused. Uma wished she could be in that position right now.

"Well, I found Princess Red at 8:42 a.m." The specific time meant nothing. It was unnecessary, but Uma couldn't get the time out of her head for some reason. She needed to tell FGM the full story.

"Oh right, was she sent back to Wonderland? And Uma, if you finally found her, why do you look so upset." the older woman's mood increased; hearing a threat was no longer.

"I found Princess Red in the forest..dead. Erm... she had taken her own life. With the gun, she stole. It seemed to have been a few days." Uma couldn't hold herself together as tears fell from her eyes.

"I can't help but feel like this is my fault. Like I pushed the last button for her by sending her back to Wonderland." Uma cried, closing her eyes to lessen the tears.

"Oh. Oh gosh, honey, no, no, I'm sure that's not what pushed her to do it. Oh, that poor, poor girl. Oh." FGM was in complete shock. She didn't know how to respond or feel towards the situation.

"I need to tell Mal and Ben soon. Along with Beast and Belle...I need to tell Reds friends...friend. Princess Chloe charming." Uma wiped her eyes, trying to seem professional.

"I'll stay with you while you tell the queen king." FGM hated that Uma was left to do this in a single day, but there was no way around it. It must be done.

Uma nodded in appreciation as she pulled out her phone, dialled Mal, and placed it on speaker.

The voice that came over the phone was light and happy, and Uma hated that she must ruin it.

"Uma, hey, everything alright over there?" Uma could lie right now. Tell her she accidentally called, and just pretend Red is back in Wonderland. She probably would have if one blue-haired girl wasn't involved. Chloe didn't deserve to be lied to.