Heart of Glass

I

When Red and Chloe return from the past, Red tenses when she sees her mother shuffling her deck of cards, and Uma calls her out on it. "I just wanted to play my favorite game. Hearts!" The Queen of Hearts exclaims, throwing her cards in the air. Rather than turning into her guards, however, they form heart-shaped bubbles as she turns around and smiles at Red. She approaches her mother and embraces her, smiling widely, while Chloe does the same with her own mother. "Well, isn't this sweet? I'm looking forward to having you both attend Auradon Prep this school year," Uma comments from the stage. "Thanks, Uma," Red says, and Chloe also thanks her. "Oh, I almost forgot! Red, you and Chloe are going to be roommates!" The Queen of Hearts tells Red happily, and Chloe happens to hear her as well. "I don't know..." Red says with a sheepish smile. "Oh, don't be so afraid. I promise I won't bite," Chloe says with a kind smile. Red relaxes a bit and gives her a genuine smile. "I think I'll like being your roommate," she says.

After the Queen of Hearts and Cinderella formally introduce each other to their children, Red and Chloe head to their dorm to unwind for a bit. When they arrive, they find that each side of the room is decorated in their own respective styles, with Red's side decorated in red and black, while Chloe's side is decorated in blue and white. "Huh. This must have been planned in advance," Red remarks, flopping into her bed. "I wonder how long this room has been decorated like this," Chloe says, sitting down on her bed. "Who cares? It's perfect!" Red chuckles, then remembers that she still has Maddox Hatter's time machine in the pocket of her jacket, and she pulls it out. "What should we do with this?" She asks. "We could always donate it to the museum, like Mal did with her mother's spellbook," Chloe suggests, and Red thinks about it for a moment. "No, it would be too dangerous. I mean, remember how easy it was for us to go back in time?" She asks. "True. We could lock it away somewhere," Chloe says. "Yes, but where? It would have to be somewhere that no one could get to, including us," Red says. "You should keep it on you for now, that way no one can steal it without you knowing," Chloe says in response, so Red puts the pocket watch time machine back in the pocket of her jacket. "So, now what? We've still got some time until curfew," Red asks. "Can I show you something?" Chloe asks her. "Depends on what it is, princess," Red replies. "It's not going to hurt you, if that's what you're worried about," Chloe replies. "I don't know..." Red trails off, looking at her feet. "Red, do you trust me?" Chloe asks her. "Yeah," Red says with disinterest. "Then let me show you. It's one of my favorite places in Auradon," Chloe says, and Red gives in, knowing that Chloe won't let it go until she agrees to go with her. The thought of being truly alone with Chloe for the first time makes her heart flutter, and she can feel butterflies in her stomach.

After a short walk through the forest near Auradon Prep, the friends arrive at the Enchanted Lake, which takes Red's breath away. "This place is beautiful," she says, taking in the view. "I thought you'd like it. It's the perfect place to go if you need somewhere to relax after a stressful day. My mom used to take me here when I was having a bad day," Chloe says. "I can see what you mean," Red replies, suddenly unable to take her eyes off of Chloe. She can see her lips moving, but she can't hear her. To her, Chloe is surrounded by sunlight, framing her in a soft yellow light, and her heart skips a beat. "Red!" Chloe shouts, making her friend jump. "Sorry. I lost my focus," she says. "I kept saying your name. It was like you were daydreaming or something," Chloe says, sitting down in the center of a ruin near the lake. Red joins her, but leaves a few feet between them, feeling awkward. "Are you okay? You're acting kinda weird," Chloe says. "I'm... fine, I think. I... I need to think for a bit. I'll see you back in our dorm," Red says, getting up and running off, leaving Chloe alone and stunned.

Over the course of the next few days, Red starts to avoid Chloe wherever she can, making Chloe wonder what she did to make her best friend start avoiding her. She asks another friend, a girl called Paisley, what she should do to get Red to stop avoiding her. "Well, she hasn't mentioned much about it to me, just that she feels weird around you, and she's not ready to confront her feelings just yet," Paisley tells her. "Wait. You've been hanging out with Red?" Chloe asks in surprise. "Uh, yeah. She started hanging out with me a few days ago," Paisley replies, "I wish I could be of more help." Chloe thanks her for the help, making the decision to try to talk to Red after dinner.

In their dorm, Chloe puts her bag on the floor by her bed in its usual place just as Red enters the room. "Hey, Red. Can we talk?" She asks. "I'm not sure that's the best idea at the moment," Red says without looking at her. "Red, I miss talking to you. I feel like I've upset you, and I want to fix it," Chloe says. "You didn't upset me, princess," Red replies, her voice breaking in the middle of the last word, still not looking at her. "Red, look at me. Please," Chloe says, and for a moment, Red simply stands there. Then she turns to face Chloe, who rushes over and hugs her friend when she sees that she's crying. "I missed you too, princess," Red whispers into Chloe's blue hair. "It's okay if you're not ready to talk about what's on your mind. I understand," Chloe replies, rubbing Red's back to soothe her. They simply stand in each other's arms for a while, then they sit down and talk about whatever comes to mind until they fall asleep for the night.

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A/N 8-25-24: Happy birthday to China Anne McClain!

I hope you all enjoy this new Descendants story. Until next time!