Searching For Time (book 2) ✔

Moving On

"There's nobody here." Ben said as he, Mal and Jay returned.

"Our side is clear." Uma spoke as she and Gil appeared.

"Good." Harry nodded.

"It's so strange. There must be some traces left behind." Evie said looking confused.

"None of them are enough to cause any issues. It'll dissipate over time." Mal assured.

The group all returned to Carlos and waited for him to wake up. He was no longer trembling or frowning, only breathing slowly and lying still. Harry's hand never left Carlos', his eyes never leaving the teen's face.

Suddenly, after a while of waiting in silence, Carlos' eyes opened wide and he gasped before sitting up. His eyes shot around the room quickly, looking for any signs of danger but he soon settled when he saw his friends' concerned faces and no green fog. He sighed with relief and gently tugged on Harry's hand to assure himself he was back to the present.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked as he rubbed Carlos' back soothingly.

"I'm okay now. There was just a lot to remember."

"You remember everything?" Mal asked.

"Yeah. The Isle, Auradon, all of you, my mother, Audrey... everything." he spoke quietly, his mind and heart heavy.

Experiencing all of those memories showed Carlos that he had had a difficult life. Fighting for survival on the Isle, having to save the world many times, struggling to have confidence and belief in himself, having to control his powers and hide his true self, having to give his powers up and experience brutal and painful torture to save his new home... it was a lot to take in.

But the memories of his friends shone a light upon his life, making him feel better that he had people around him that loved and cared for him. He looked at his friends with a smile before looking into Harry's bright eyes and hugging him. The pirate was a little taken back but returned the gesture immediately, glad to know his love was alright and safe.

"Come on pup, let's get out of here, ay?"

"Yeah." Carlos nodded as he pulled away.

Harry helped Carlos to his feet, balancing him when the boy wavered slightly on his unsteady feet. He placed an arm around his love's waist to keep him upright as they made their way out of the cell and back through to the school. 

Carlos took one last look of the dungeons before turning around with content. Now that he remembered everything, the past seemed so far away. In the present, the Carlos he was now was confident and brave and strong and so very in love. He was proud to be him and knew that he would start this next part of his life with courage. Because being surrounded with the people he loved and who loved him was all he needed, that was a type of magic by itself; it was the only magic he needed.