Ellie's Flames BOOK 2

18: A Return Trip

"Okay, that's amazing." I confess, looking up at Carlos again. He's still grinning, though his eyes do flick once to Pitch.

"What are we going to do with him?" Carlos asks.

"Simple. I'm going to poof him to the Isle, and---oh, wait." I close my eyes, and when I open them a second later, a similarly bound and gagged Gothel and Cruella are seated before us. Gothel is glaring at me, but Cruella's gaze is on Carlos.

"Hey, mother." Carlos says, his voice quieting slightly. I take his hand reassuringly. 

Carlos turns to me, ignoring his mom. "So... do we go back to Auradon now, or...?"

Still holding his hand, I use my free hand to test the shadows in this room. Most of them I've soaked up, gathering with my fire. But it's not enough. 

"I can't transport all of us." I sigh, releasing my hold on the room. "But I do have a solution." Hoping I know how to work this, I reach a hand in my pocket and envision Endora's wand that she made for me inside. My hand closes around something thin and delicate, and I pull it out.

Carlos stares at it. "I'm an idiot. How did I not remember that before now? That could have solved so many problems."

"Nah. It just would've prolonged them." I say, twirling it like Dori does with hers. "Do me a favor. Touch one of them, okay?" I gesture to the three hog-tied villains. 

Carlos nods and reaches over, placing one finger on his mother's fluffy head. I laugh, shaking my head. "I suppose that counts." I rearrange the three so that each of them are touching one another, and proceed to tell them that if they don't stay that way, I'll send them to my dad the hard way. 

Then, making sure I have a grip on Carlos, I wave the wand in the air and call out Endora's full name. (Which I will not enclose because it would give power over so many spells, since her last name is a fairy name. Like how nobody knows Fairy Godmother's real name.)

I feel a swooping sensation that tugs on my gut, and Carlos and I (And the villains, of course) land on the cobblestoned road of Auradon Prep.

Three people turn around to look at us in surprise. My dad, his jaw unhinging dramatically as he looks at me. Ben, who doesn't seem very surprised to see us. And Sera, who whoops ecstatically and charges me, pulling my hand from Carlos' as she hugs me with a bone-crushing grip.

"Aaaah, I knew ya'd cave and use yer dad's powers to get outta there, Icy!" She hollers, setting me down and clapping my back. I roll my shoulders a few times to pop them back in to place, and then smile at her.

Ben grins at me. "I'm guessing you have control over your powers now?"

"Yes." I say happily. "And, for them..." I gesture to the villains. "So I didn't know if I should get them to the Isle, or bring them here for repercussions." I say nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulder.

Pitch glares my way. I can feel his powers struggling to break free, but his shadows aren't his anymore. They're mine, and my dad's.

Dad eyes Pitch. "So I expect one of you thought his name the other day?"

Carlos swallows hard. "It was an accident."

Dad grunts. "I'm sure."

"Dad---" I clear my throat. "Fact is, we made it out---and I have control over my powers now. Isn't that good?"

He rolls his eyes. "Of course that's good, Lissa. I'm very proud of you. But, the question remains---do you actually have control, or---"

Before he can finish, a wall of blue flames erupts in front of him. Ben yells and stumbles backward, Sera cackles like a witch, and my dad doesn't move as he waves his hand, extinguishing the fire with the only sign of it's existence being his singed eyebrows. 

"Very well, you seem to be doing just fine." Dad gives me a fleeting smile. 

I snap my fingers repeatedly, creating and putting out a miniature candle on my fingertip. "Great. Now, what do we do with Crazy, Crazier, and Craziest?"

"Sera has made way too much of an influence on you." Ben says. 

Sera blushes comically, fluttering her eyelashes bashfully. "Awwww, yer too much, Ben."

Dad rolls his eyes. "We can put them back on the Isle. Fairy Godmother should be able to keep tabs on everyone now that Endora and her have finished putting all their extra defensive spells on the barrier."

"Speaking of--- where is she?" I look around. "I thought the wand was supposed to transport me to her."

"Yes, well, since she's on the Isle right now, she probably built in a back-up spell that could drop you here." Ben explains. 

"Makes sense." Sera chuckles. "But, she should be back any second. Then you can tell her everythin' we've been doin'."

POOF.

"Right on time!" Dad calls to Endora and Fairy Godmother, who brush themselves off before noticing us. 

Endora's eyebrow quirks up, her green eyes flashing. "Please tell me you have a good excuse for having this slimeball at Auradon prep." She gestures to Pitch, who glares at her. 

"Booger brain kidnapped Icy, Carlos, an' I." Sera explains. "I escaped---knowing Icy would go big boom---Icy went big boom---and she won. The end!"

"Always the storyteller, Sera." Endora smirks. "Hi, Ells. Glad to see your powers are under control now. Also, nice job getting this---what'd you call him, Sera?"

"Booger brain."

"This booger brain to shut up." Sera kicks Pitch. He yells something that's muffled, probably 'I'm the BoogeyMAN!!'. 

Dori grins at Carlos and I, and then turns back to Pitch, her gaze slowly moving along to Gothel, and then to Cruella. Her gaze hardens then, her grin disappearing. 

"Oh. You." Dori snarls, and with a twitch of her fingers, her wand appears in her hands, sparking gold-and-green magic. Dori rolls up the sleeves of her green jacket, and with two downward slashes of her wand, Cruella disappears. 

All our group yelps. "What'd you do with her?" Ben demands. 

"Yeah, I never got to punch 'er!" Sera whines. 

Dori rolls her eyes. "Relax, you idiots. She'll be back in... about three seconds." 

We all stare at the spot she vanished from. Sure enough, about three seconds later, Cruella appears again. Soaking wet, her magnificent black-and-white clothes gone, replaced with what looks like demin overalls. 

Cruella wails beneath her gag, and Carlos cracks up laughing. "She lost her furs!"

Doris eyes glint with pride. "That's what she gets for being such an awful mother to one of the best kids on the Isle."

Carlos flushes pink. 

_____________________________________

Yaaaaaaay! Story's almost done! Only five chapters left, if I'm counting correctly. These'll be kinda fluffy---but with STUFF hidden in, now that I know a bit more about D3's plotline.

I cannot WAIT for D3's first song---NEXT WEEK!! AH!!! "Good to be Bad"!!!

Okay, one last thing. then I'm done!

I saw Aladdin the day before it came out, because my mom took me to an early show. 

There are...well, actually there are a dozen words to describe the experience. 

Disney has recreated every magical feeling I felt when I was a kid. Aladdin captured every aspect of Disney Magic that I love, and I have missed more than anything. I couldn't stop smiling---I couldn't stop laughing---and I may or may not have shed a tear or two. They couldn't have done a more perfect job on Aladdin, and I loved every single minute of it. I can't wait until it comes out on DVD!!

Okay. That's it, I think.

Other than I'm officially a sophomore in high school now. SUMMERRRRRRRR, YAAAAR!!!!