Once Upon A Nightmare

- TEN -

- Gothel -

"I'm heading off to school early. Bye," I watched as Azel ran through the door. It was only six in the morning, why would she leave this early?

Something about her was off, she looked different. She wasn't her usual self. She didn't dress properly for school, always wearing those ugly sleeping clothes to school. Her hair was messier the normal and her face told me she hadn't had her beauty sleep for days. She was getting old. Aw, too bad. Not all of us can stay beautiful like me.

A sharp voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Gothel, what about this do you find amusing?"

"I find none of this amusing. I was just thinking about how I could get rid of that stupid boy my daughter is so obsessed with."

Hades piped up. "Not your daughter, hun. More like your, hm, what's the word? Ah, yes, prisoner."

I snarled at him. That pathetic tool! I picked up my coffee mug and tossed its contents at him. His illusion immediately fell.

"Hey, this was a one-hundred percent Egyptian silk dress shirt!"

"Oh, that is the least of your problems."

"And what is?"

We pointed to a mirror located at one side of the room. Upon inspection, his hands flew right to his hair.

"You made my hair go out." Ugh, does he ever stop whining?

Someone sighed. "Your hair being out isn't the main problem, you insolent fool." I looked at Jafar.

The pale freak faced us. "Jafar, why don't you be the creep you are and go harass some teen girl."

Maleficent shouted at us. "If you cannot act as adults, then I will turn you into children and force you to endure the same treatment as your heroes."

We shut our mouths and sat down. Maleficent. Ooh, how much I wanted to hurt her. Bossing me around, making threats; she was nothing, could do nothing, because of that little brat that always sleeps in class.

"No one is killing their story's heroes... not yet. Let them have their happy endings. When the time is right, and they think nothing bad can happen, that is our time. We will rip it from them and all will be good."

Hm, I have to agree that sounds great. Maybe she isn't so bad. But that means one thing: Azel would get hurt. That could result in her finding out that you killed her little boy toy and she could possibly hate her dear, old mother. And if she hates her dear mother, then you could grow old and that so cannot happen, now can it? Hm, that stupid, pesky voice in my head was right, too.

Everyone listened to Maleficent go on about her plan but my mind couldn't get past Azel. I could remember the first time I killed Flynn Rider and I remembered the look on her face when I did. Hate. Hate was the biggest thing I could see. Following it was the pain and her love for him. I lost my little girl in that moment. I lost her because of what I did to her, I couldn't do that again.

Everyone got up from their seats and shuffled outside. All of the beings below Maleficent gathered outside the gardening shed once again. We searched under the rocks and finally opened the door. I took the book in my hands and flipped through the pages.

Ever since the night of the slumber party Azel had, things have been different. What if one of the other girls found out about you? About the others? About their past? Nonsense. That couldn't happen.

I landed on the pages about Azel and began reading them. Apparently, the night of the slumber party, Azel had a terrifying nightmare. That horrible thing kept her up all night and ever since. She had completely avoided Flynn Rider and, oh good, she broke up with him.

Poor baby, she didn't even have the guts to break up with him herself. She had to have her friend do it. I taught that girl better than that, she should know to face her problems head-on. But then again, this was her first heartbreak and they are always the hardest.

As I read on, the book never mentioned what the dream was about or what happened. As each of us flipped through the pages, all the girls at the slumber party woke up from a strange dream and talked about them. Nothing went farther than that. The book was supposed to write down everything that happened to the heroes, so what was happening that wasn't being written?

What was this book hiding from us? What did it not want us to know?

🔽🔼🔽

► Ooh, sounds like the book has even taken sides. Do you think the book is bias or is it trying to help the heroes out a bit? We shall see. ◄