Hooks and Seashells

Chapter 6: Welcome to Auradon

     The sound of music filled their ears as they pulled up to Auradon Prep. Uma looked out the window to see several familiar faces waiting for them. "Looks like the whole gang is here to greet us." Uma said as the limo came to a stop. "Well then, let's go greet them love." Harry said taking her hand in his. The driver opened the door and the three VK's made their way out. There was an awkward silence as the two groups stood before each other, neither one sure where to start.
      Taking initiative, Ben stepped forward to begin his welcome speech when a large pair of arms wrapped around him and hoisted him from the ground. "King Ben! Hi, remember me!? I'm Gil, Gaston's son! Gil chattered enthusiastically as he continued to hug Ben. However, as Gil looked over Ben's shoulder he noticed Queen Belle's worried expression and King Beast's glare. Immediately, he placed Ben on the ground and gave them a sheepish expression as he looked away. "Sorry. I get excit... excit..." Gil stuttered as he tried to find the word he was looking for.
     "Excitable?" Ben chuckled as he straightened out his jacket. Gil beamed, "That's it! I get excitable!" Ben smiled, "Well, as I was going to say, Welcome to Auradon. Gil, Harry, Uma, I hope you find everything to your liking and that you get to discover a new way of life here." Uma sighed and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Or... You could help us discover our new quarters so we can unpack." She suggested sarcastically.
     Been nodded. "Very well. Mal, Evie, Jane, and Lonnie will show you to your room in the girls dormitory. Doug, Carlos, and Jay will escort Harry and Gil to their room in the boys dormitory. Curfew is midnight, that means everyone is to be in their own dorms and it is to be quiet. Any questions?" Harry smirked. "Yeah just one. Why aren't you tagging along with us, your highness?" Ben sighed. "I wish I could, but I have a council meeting in 10 minutes. However, if you need anything do not hesitate to ask."
      The three nodded as Ben excused himself and left them in the hands of the VK's and their significant others. "Well," Jay said, breaking the awkward silence, "let's bounce. Boys, you're with us." Harry pulled Uma into a hug and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'll see ye soon, Love." He whispered before dragging Gil off to follow the boys. With a sigh Uma turned her attention to the girls in front of her. "Well? Are we going or not?"
      Mal let out a huff. "Yes Uma, we're going. Come on girls." She said, gesturing for them to follow. Uma trudged along behind them and after a moment she realized Evie had fallen in step next to her. "What do you want?" She snapped. Evie flinched at her tone but kept up her pace. "I just wanted to say I'm happy you're here. Everyone deserves their chance and this is yours. Also, you should totally stop by our dorm later. I have some amazing ideas for outfits I could design for you and the little one you're carrying." Evie's voice was barely above a whisper as she said those last words.
     Uma turned to face Evie, anger burning in her eyes. "How do you know about the baby!?" She hissed. Evie's eyes widened, as she realized her mistake. "Mal told me," she began. "Only Mal, Ben, Belle, Beast, Fairy Godmother, and I know. The choice to tell anyone else is up to you. I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted you to know that I would be willing to help out if you needed anything clothing-wise." Uma relaxed a bit at her words but she was still wary. "Why do you care?" Evie gave her a small smile. "Because I can remember how hard it was to fit in when we first got here. Differences aside, us VK's need to stick together. Besides Mal might be my best friend, but she was once yours too. She won't admit it, but she cares and knows what she did to you was wrong. I think if you both sat down and talked things out, you could be friends again. Just think about what I've said, okay?" With that, Evie made her way back up front to Mal and left Uma to mull over what she had said. Be friends with Mal? Again? She couldn't be serious.... Could she?
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     The boys had just taken off towards the dorms when a voice stopped them in their tracks. "Boys! Hold on a moment!" They turned around to see Queen Belle quickly walking towards them. "Can we help you, your highness?" Doug asked. Belle smiled as she caught up to them. "Would it be alright if I borrowed Gil for a bit? I'll make sure he makes it back to the dorms." Harry started to move in front of Gil, but an outstretched arm stopped him in his tracks. He looked over to see Gil looking at him with a serious expression.
     "What are ye doing mate?" Harry asked. "I know what you were doing Harry. I don't need protection. You go with the guys and I'll go with Queen Belle." Harry looked at him in surprise. "Are ye sure mate? She's not exactly fond of your Da'." Gil grinned. "Well, then it's a good thing I'm not him." Harry sighed. "Fine, but if you don't show up at the dorm in a few hours I'm coming after ye." With that Harry turned and headed off with the boys leaving Queen Belle and Gil alone.
     "So why did you want to borrow me?" Gil asked. Belle smiled as she guestured for him to follow. "As I'm sure you know, Adam and I don't have the best history with your father. However, thanks to Ben's proclamation, we've begun to realize that the children of the Isle are not what we imagined. That's why I'm hoping that we can put the past behind us and start fresh. I want to get to know you as Gil, the new student at Auradon Prep, so that I can come to see you as more than the son of Gaston."
     Gil was shocked. He was expecting her to hate him, maybe even be afraid of him, but she wanted to get to know him? That was unexpected and he had no idea how to respond. Gil rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, um... What do you want to know Queen Belle?" She chuckled lightly as she lead him across the campus. "There's no need for formalities dear, call me Ms. Belle. As for what I want to know, let's start with the basics. Tell me about your family."
    Gil took a deep breath. "Well, there's my dad who's well...you know, my older twin brothers Gaston Jr. And Gaston the Third but they prefer to be called Gus and Tony, and well...I never knew my mom." Belle nodded quietly as she took in the information. After a moment she turned back to face him. "If I may ask, what happened to your mother? He shifted his gaze to the ground and his voice became quiet. "She died having me."
     Belle paused in her steps and emitted a small gasp as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry dear. I had no idea. At least you had the rest of your family." Gil's hands clenched into fists at her words. "My family?" He chuckled darkly "My mother died because she had me and my father reminded me of that every day. He'd come home ranting about how it was all my fault she was gone! How he can't move on because looking at me reminds him of what he lost! HOW I DIDN'T DESERVE THE NAME GASTON BECAUSE I DON'T LOOK OR ACT ENOUGH LIKE HIM! AND MY BROTHERS?! THEY DID NOTHING!
     Gil turned and punched a nearby tree as he tried to hold back tears. Belle was shocked by his sudden outburst but it quickly made her realize how hurt the boy in front of her really was. Carefully, she walked in front of him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. Belle felt him tense under her touch but continued to lift his head up so his eyes met hers. "Gil," she said softly. "I'm sorry I brought up bad memories for you. Remember you're in Auradon now, he can't reach you here. You're safe."
     Belle removed her hand from his cheek and pulled him into a hug. Feeling how tense Gil was she began to run his back as she let her mothering instincts take over. He slowly began to relax until the tears began to flow. Gil's whole body began to shake as he sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm...sssorry." he hiccuped. Belle continued to rub his back as she held him close. "You have no reason to be sorry. You're a good boy and there's nothing wrong with that." Gil sniffled as he moved away from her and looked Belle in the eyes. "How do you know that?"
     Belle smiled softly. "Because I'm listening to my heart. Plus, I can look in your eyes and tell you're not evil." Gil wiped the tears from his eyes as he gave her a small smile. "You think so?" She smiled, "I know so. Now that we've got you cheered up, tell me something else. Is their anything you're looking forward to now that you're starting Auradon Prep?" He grinned as he pointed towards the Tourney field nearby. "I want to play sports and be a part of a team that isn't a crew full of pirates." Belle smiled brightly. "That's wonderful Gil. I'm sure you'll make a great addition to the team."
       He beamed as they continued their walk. "Thank you Ms. Belle," Gil said softly. "Of course dear," she smiled. Now, the entrance to the boys dormatory is directly in front of us. Do you want to continue our chat or would you like to head to your dorm?" Gil looked between Belle and the building as he thought of what he wanted to do. "I guess I'll go check out the dorm. Harry is probably wondering where I am. Can I...can I talk to you again sometime?"
     She smiled. "Of course dear, anytime. Here." Belle reached into her purse and pulled out a small notebook with a pen clipped on it. She quickly wrote something down in the notebook and then and then ripped out the page before extending it towards Gil. He took the piece of paper and saw she had written down a series of numbers. Gil's brow furrowed in confusion as he stared at the paper. "Its my phone number. Ben should be giving you each a phone so if you need anything you can just call," she explained. He smiled as he placed the small piece of paper in his pocket. "Thank you Ms. Belle." Belle smiled as she turned back towards the front of the school. "You're welcome. I'll see you soon dear." Gil nodded. "Bye Ms. Belle."
     He watched as Belle walked off. Gil couldn't believe that Queen Belle had accepted him. Not only that, but she comforted him when his walls began to crumble. As he began walking towards the dorm a thought popped into his mind. Is that what it's like to have a mother?
     Gil was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice when another person darted out in front of him until it was too late. The two collided and he stumbled back, immediately going into defense mode as if he were still on the Isle. "Hey! Wa--Oh." Gil froze as his brown eyes locked with a pair of green ones. Before him stood a very short girl with long, wavy golden brown hair. And eyes that sparkled like emeralds. She wasn't exactly skinny, but had a full figure despite her short stature.
     Gil snapped himself from his stupor and extended a hand towards the girl. "H-Hi, I'm Gil. S-Sorry I bumped into you." The girl took a step back and began to notice fear creeping into her eyes. It was then he realized his knuckles were bleeding from punching the tree earlier. "Shoot," Gil muttered as he retracted his hand and extended the other. However, the girl only backed away further before taking off across the campus. "Wait!" Gil cried. "I never got your name!" But it was too late, the girl was gone.

Author's Note

    Hi Guys! I over estimated my abilities as a writer so I apologize that this chapter came later than I promised. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to shed some light on Gil because he's so funny and adorable. I also wanted to develop a motherly type relationship between Gil and Belle because I feel it's something he needs and to show Belle's acceptance of the VK's especially Gil. I will try to get Chapter 7 out soon. I'm sending out a prayer to all the poor unfortuanate souls going back or who have started back to school. May your tides offer smooth rides.

                             -Meloetta246