Surviving Camp Cedar

Chapter Fourteen

Elsa pushed back through the crowd, making her way to her cabin again. She stumbled over her own feet, vision blurring from the tears she refused to let fall. This was all her fault. She had done this to him and it was just karma that he would wind up being like this to her because of it. She knew she just needed to find Ursula, to get her powers back, and to make Jack the same, kind-hearted boy he had been when they met. It seemed too easy but impossibly hard at the same time. Lost in her thoughts, Elsa tripped over her sandal and found herself plunging face-first into the dirt.

"Whoa," a deep voice called, rushing forward and grabbing her just in the nick of time. A sharp jerk on her arm had her upright again and in the arms of a handsome stranger. "Are you okay?" He asked. He was tall and handsome, his features all perfectly shaped, with shining brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes. He looked like some kind of exotic prince, the type who would both fit in at a place like this but always seem just a little out of place.

"Uh, yeah. I'm.. Yeah. Thank you for catching me." She stumbled, too tired and drained to even try to be her usual calm self. He seemed to sense that she wasn't really okay, and his hand loosened but did not leave her upper arm.

"I'm Phillip. What's your name?" HE asked her, gorgeous eyes staring deep into her own.

"I'm Elsa." She told him, and he nodded. He lead her over to a fallen log, the perfect size for the two of them to sit on.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what's wrong? Beautiful girls don't often run while crying unless something has happened to them," He asked, both flattering and sort of irritating Elsa. The last thing she wanted rihgt now was to be hit on. Still, he seemed to be genuinely interested and she really wanted to talk to someone.

"Well, I've made a horrible mistake," She started, and before she knew it she was spilling every detail of her miserable summer to this complete stranger.

Rapunzel had never been to a party before tonight. She knew every decision she was making was the wrong one; each cup she drained and refilled just made her judgment even more crowded. She could barely keep her eyes open, but she just kept dancing and laughing and generally letting herself go with the flow of whatever everyone else was doing. She had lost Flynn in the crowd a while ago, but she couldn't remember if it had been minutes or hours since she had last seen him. Suddenly, things were spinning in the flashing lights and the floor was coming up to meet her face at an alarming rate. Had she tripped? She had no idea. 

When she opened her eyes again, it was dark but she was not in the house anymore. She could feel someone's hand holding hers and guiding her away from the party, but it's roughness as not what she was familiar with.

"Flynn?" She questioned, trying to pull her hand away. She stopped, but the movement was ignored; whoever was pulling her was either very strong or very impatient. "Stop! Where are we going? Let me go!" She cried out, panic rising in her stomach as the darkness swallowed up any clues to the strangers identity.

"Calm down, Blondie. Nothing's going to happen," an irritated and definitely female voice replied. She was confused now, certain the hand in hers was a guy's. Her head was still swimming, her heartbeat loud in her ears, but she couldn't see anything. Embarrassingly, tears were falling form her green eyes.

"Is she crying?" Someone asked, snickering at the end. IT was yet another female voice, but Rapunzel couldn't place this one, either. Finally, they stopped moving. Free to focus on other things, she realized there was a blindfold on her eyes. She was told to sit, and she plopped down into a rather uncomfortable chair. She heard sparks and the blindfold was removed to reveal a circle of strange girls around a glowing fire.

"Hello, Rapunzel, and welcome to our meeting." Spoke a third voice and she looked at the unfamiliar faces around her. The one speaking was pale and bony, her hair black with green and purple tones to it. She reminded Rapunzel of a dragon. The girl next to her was heavyset and pale, dressed all in black with her hair pulled back into a tight bun. Her lips were ruby red and her eyes held a glint of terrifying mischief. The third girl, and presumably the leader, was tall and sharp looking. None of the three were very pretty, but this third one had an air about her as if she believed she were the most beautiful girl to ever live. Her hair was black as ebony, skin white as snow, her lips almost as red as a cherry. She could be beautiful, Rapunzel thought, if she didn't seem to be so intimidating or even mean.