"Ellie," Carlos starts yet again. "It said we had a week. We can figure this out!" he says desperately. 

I point to the page again, jamming my finger on the paper. "No cure. No cure. Says it plain and clear. There is no cure."

"But---"

"Carlos, what's the point?" I rub the cut on my hand, smearing blue blood on my skin. "We've looked through every stinking book on curses in this library. There is nothing on cures."

"But we---"

"Stop it!" I snap. "There's nothing we can do."

I'm reacting very differently than I thought I would. I'm not scared. I'm angry. I'm snapping at every little thing, and just from slamming books closed too hard I've given myself three new cuts that are glowing blue. The one time I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror, my eyes were a brilliant sapphire blue. I'm a sickly pale, and whatever makeup I had had on had been washed away when I'd splashed my face in my sink. 

Carlos is reacting different than I would have expected too. He's optimistic, and terrified. He tries to hide it, though not very well. He's torn through every book and website he could find, but nothing from it. 

We've been in this stupid library for four hours, and only now do I remember my promise to get Ben the book. I sigh and rub my face, getting off the ground and grabbing my Aunt Anna's book.

"Where're you going?" Carlos asks, scrambling up.

"I forgot... I have to give this to Ben." I mumble, walking to the door. It opens before I can get there, and Audrey, back from her stupid spa trip, walks in. She stops laughing when she sees me and puts and arm out to stop her friend Poppy Pan from coming in. Audrey slowly pulls her sunglasses down to get a better look at me.

"You look like you're dying." she scoffs. 

It takes all I have in me not to scream at her. Carlos comes up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. 

"Stop it , Audrey. Contrary to what you think, the world doesn't revolve around you." Carlos says firmly. 

I look up at him in surprise. Audrey's mouth drops open. Poppy looks ready to laugh but loses it as soon as Audrey glares at her. She whips her sunglasses off.

"Excuse me, who do you think you are?" She sniffs bossily. 

"I'm not you, and that's enough." I snap, walking forward and deliberately hitting her shoulder with mine on my way out. But outside isn't much better. 

"Hey, Ells, where're you been?" Hector appears out of nowhere and gawks at my appearance. "Woah, what happened to you?"

"None of your business, Hector." I say, pushing past him. Carlos catches up and walks on one side of me, Hector joining the other. 

"Why do you look like that?" he asks. 

"None of you business!" I repeat. 

"Hector, why can't you just go away?" Carlos complains. "You always show up when we hate it most."

Hector just skips next to us with his hands in his pockets. "Because she hangs out with you. She shouldn't be with a villain kid, she's a hero!"

"Excuse me, she is right here and can hear every word!" I tell him. 

He just shrugs. "So?"

"So, I can pick who I hand out with, and it's definitely not you!" I say. He shrugs again and notices my book. 

"Hey, what's that?" He grabs it and looks at the cover. 

I snatch it away. "What is your problem?"

"Why do you have a powers book?" he asks. "And why is their glowy blue stuff all over it?"

"Hector, seriously, why can't you just leave your nose out of other people's lives?" Carlos asks. 

"I do. Just not her life, because she should have better!" He says. 

"You do realize how stalkery that sounds, right?" I say. 

"That's because it is." Carlos mutters under his breath. 

"It is not." Hector snarls. "I've grown up here with her, and she's always been shunned and teased. I never got why but---"

"If you care so much, why'd you never even act like I existed until I started dating Carlos?" I ask angrily. 

"Because this kid is trouble! Ben was so stupid, bringing everybody over from the Isle!" Hector explodes. "You tried to overthrow him at the coronation, and Uma almost got the wand because Mal was stupid enough to try and go back!"

"Hey, I went with her, remember?" I snap. 

"Yeah, because she's a witch and forced you to!"

"Excuse me?" Mal appears in front of our group. 

"Mal!" Hector says silkily. "How are you?"

"Let me see, I'm furious!" She yells. She puts her hands together and green magic bursts from her fingertips, hitting Hector so hard he blasts backward into the wall. His arm hits against my stomach on his way past, and he's wearing a watch. He slams against the bricks, cracking them.

And I laugh.

My hand jumps to my mouth as soon as it bubbles out, but I can't stop the laughter now. Hector watches cross-eyed, and Carlos' mouth is twitching. Mal smiles, satisfied. Then she comes to me and gives me a hug. Mal? Hugging? What's happened? Ben didn't tell her, did he?

"I heard." Mal says. "I'm so sorry, Ellie."

"Who told you?" I ask. 

"Ned saw Ben looking it up and told the entire school." Mal growls. "He's already paid for it, don't worry."

"So, wait... the entire school knows I'm dying?" I ask, feeling slightly faint.

"Yeah." Mal says, wincing. Then she sees the book. "Oh, God, Ellie."

"What? It's just my Aunt Anna's b---"

"No, not that." Mal says, pushing the book aside from my stomach. I stare at the enormous amount of glowing blue liquid soaking through my shirt.  Quickly I glance over at Hector. Sure enough, his watch has the same glow on it. 

"Ellie, how'd---" Carlos seems at a loss for words. "That--- But----"

"I don't think..." I trail off seeing the blood on my book as well. And on Mal, when she hugged me. "I..."

Now I know I'm feeling faint. I sink to my knees on the ground. "It was just a watch..." I mutter, still holding Anna's book. 

"Apparently that's all it takes." Carlos says. "Come on, we have to get somebody." He helps me up but I barely notice. 

Is this how I'm going to live? How is this going to end? Will I just freeze? Like Aunt Anna almost did? What is going on? Why am I cursed? My powers have never bothered me before! 

I look down at my free hand. Sera's high-five cut is still there, but it's not bleeding anymore. 

It grows colder inside you, depending on how often you use them... 

Using them will make it worse, but I can't help but feel like...

I summon them in my free hand. Ice coats the cut without me controlling it and melts away, leaving my palm completely normal. Carlos grabs me.

"What are you thinking?? The book said it'd make it worse!" he says. 

"But look..." I hold up my hand and then bring my powers up again. My stomach goes cold for a minute then melts away like what happened to my hand. 

"Ellie, stop it!"

"But I..." I rub my stomach. It doesn't feel painful anymore. My head is clearing again. 

"Ellie, he's right." Mal says. "You might have made it so much worse just by doing that."

"But it doesn't feel bad." I protest. "It feels better."

"That's not the point." Mal says. "Oh, we're wasting time. We need to get this stupid book to Ben, and then you two are coming with me."

"To where?" I ask curiously. 

"To the only person I think might have a chance at healing you." Mal sighs. 

"Oh, no..." Carlos groans. "Tell me you're not actually thinking..."

"Who?" I demand. 

"My father." A delicate voice says. We all spin and see Brit leaning against the wall. 

"Yeah. Your dad." Mal says. "Please don't say you want to come too."

"I must. He is my dad. I've only been here at Auradon for a short time, not even a week... But I've learned so much." Brit says. "I can't be afraid of father anymore. Also, Ellie is my friend. I want to help."

"Brit, thanks, but I---" I start.

"And don't even think about leavin' the mutt behind!" Dude's voice says. I look down at my feet and sure enough, he's there, wagging his tail. 

"Guys!" I yell. "You are not coming to the Isle with me?"

"What's this, Icy? You think you, a dying popsicle, have a right to go alone?" Sera says, appearing behind Brit. Arson waves. 

"Did you just call me a popsicle?" I ask incredulously. 

"Would you prefer an Icy pop? Or an Ellsicle?"

"Ugh." I roll my eyes. "No. Mal can come if she has to, because she knows where Frollo is, but Sera, you just got back from there!"

"You're right. And she's never going back." Someone says behind me.

A chill runs down my back, not like my powers, but a literal chill. I slowly turn around, hoping against hope, that it can't possibly be her...

"How in Hades' name did you get here, Shrimp?" Sera growls. 

Uma twirls her aqua braids in her fingers. "You all are smart. Guess." Harry smiles and waves behind her, and a huge gang of pirates are behind them. A lot of villains. 

I look over at Sera. We left her on the Isle. The hole closed right behind us! We---

Oh, God.

My grip on the book slips and it falls to the ground. "You coming here was never about getting me." I whisper. 

Uma grins. "Icy figures it out first! I'm surprised!"

"She's right, ya know." Harry tells Sera, Mal, Carlos, Brit, and Arson. "We never woulda made it off the Isle if it wasn't for yer friend here." He gestures to Sera. 

"Me?" She asks in surprise. "Why me?"

"Oh, use your brain!" Uma says giddily. "Icy here knows, I can tell."

"Sera, we used Carlos' invention to get off..." I say.

"Wait, what?" Carlos asks. "How'd you even know what to use?"

"The escape button." I say. 

"I thought it seemed smart." 

"Oh, it was." Uma says. "We couldn't figure it out. But leaving Ar behind, and Ellie knowing Auradon so well, free ticket!"

"You just followed us." I say. "You just waited until we were gone, and then you left!"

"With half the Isle, it seems." Mal mutters. Dude brushes up behind me.

"Why does this lady smell like shrimp?" Dude yells. 

Every pirate, Uma and Harry included, freezes. They all stare at Dude. I can practically feel the DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! warning signs going off in my brain. Dude just keeps wagging his tail. Carlos slowly bends down and picks his dog up, backing away.

"What---did---he--just---say?" Uma snarls. 

"Well, I remember smelling that when I was over there to rescue Ben and Ellie, but I assumed it was the ocean." Dude says matter-of-factly.

"Dude, shut up!" Mal, Carlos and I say.

"That's it. We got one last surprise, and then it's bye-bye, Auradon. Wanna see?" Uma asks excitedly, though not as giddy as before. 

"I'm sure we're all dying  to see." I drawl. 

"You in particular." Uma says. "Gil!"

"Gil?" We all repeat.

Gil comes forward with Ben, who has a black eye and has his hands tied behind his back. Gil---maybe I'm imagining it---looks a little angry. 

"Ben!" Mal yells. 

"Gil?" Brit asks in a tiny voice.

"Sorry, guys." He mumbles under his breath. 

"Now..." Uma straightens up and smiles. "Get 'em."

The pirates all rush forward at once, yelling in triumph.

_____________________________________

We all do the natural thing and scramble backward. Mal lunges forward first, purple magic swirling around her and growing until she roars and blasts fire around in her dragon form. Carlos sets Dude down.

"Go get somebody! Get Beast, or guards!" He yells. Dude nods and runs as fast as his little legs can carry him. 

Pirates swarm everywhere, grabbing at us. Brit gets grabbed first, but her skinny frame does nothing against the gigantic guy. Carlos tries to get to her and gets punched hard in the face, going unconscious. Sera crosses her arms in front of her like an X and whips them out with a roar, sending pirates flying. One pirate gets a hand on my shoulder, but I reach back and tap his hand, ice crawling down his arm and freezing his legs in place. Arson is down now too, and Dragon Mal is covered in pirates wrestling her down. Purple and black smoke fills the air and Mal drops from the sky, seeming unconscious.

Sera and I are back-to-back with a circle and pirates jeering in our faces. I hold my hands out, wincing from the glowing cuts I've just gotten. 

"You better got somethin', Icy. I'm outta ideas." She growls, crossing her arms over herself again in preparation.

"I got nothing." I say.

She groans and flings her arms out again, sending pirates flying. The rush forward before she can do it again, but with a yell at least half of them are on the ground, clutching their heads and screaming in pain.

"GET HER! GET HER!" Uma screeches. Harry draws his sword and advances on Sera. She uses her arm to block him, but it somehow doesn't cut her. I'm running to help when a sword appears inches from my neck.

"And here I was thinking I'd seen the last of your stupid family." Hans Jr. says, smiling.

I groan and grab the sword, cutting my palm again in the process. But it works, ice crawls down the metal before he wrenches it out of my grip. I yelp as the metal makes blue blood spurt from my palm. Pirates jump up and grab my arms, pulling them behind my back and clamping something boiling hot and solid over my hands, keeping them together. 

Hans Jr. puts his sword back on my neck. "Is that all, Uma?"

Uma nods, looking around happily at our sad group. Sera is on the ground snarling like an animal, pirates piled on top of her to keep her down.

"That's all for now." Uma smiles. She takes her sword out and slams the thick butt on my head. 

___________________________________

Mwahaha!

(Okay, THAT was a fun chapter to write. 5.2K views now, I'm celebrating!)

What will happen to Auradon and our heroic team? Huuuuhhhh?? Anyone guess? MWAHAHAHA. ONLY I KNOW!

*wipes happy tear*

I am truly evil. 

Bye!