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♚ C H A P T E R • T W E N T Y ♚

✦__________✦
"You control your destiny; you don't need magic to do it." - Merida (Brave)
✦__________✦

"Miss Addams," Mr. Hoffman said disdainfully as he added another graded assignment to the pile on her desk. In the top corner, a large 30 was written in thick, red permanent marker.

Aura let out a shaky sigh as she looked through the tests and quizzes her English teacher decided to finally give back. Her blue eyes scanned the dropping grades as the dates at the top grew more recent.

Typically, she would break down into a sob and beg her teacher for extra credit. But her current circumstances were far from typical.

The same three words repeated in her mind with the image of black mist consuming the white shield.

You'll regret this...

It seemed effortless for Hunter to corrode the barrier while it took all of her and her sister's energy to maintain it.

If that wasn't even her worst, what'll happen if they run into her again? Or worse, Onyx?

You'll regret this...

Aura always knew that retrieving the items to fix the Stories would be challenging, that was evident when looking at the number of times that she and her friends almost got captured or killed. However, she and her sister escaped those instances with the help of others, like the pixies and fairies in Neverland or Cinderella in Glassimere. When it came to just her and Carolyn, they could barely fend off Hunter long enough for Bailey to create the portal—and even then, a soldier managed to follow them through. Her grandmother had to save her from certain death.

Gran...

A sharp knife dug into Aura's chest at the thought of her family having to bury her.

You'll regret this...

It was her fault Hunter was able to break through the barrier. It was her fault that Carolyn almost got hurt. It was her fault that the soldier was able to follow them.

Why wasn't she good enough? Why wasn't she strong enough?

"Aura?"

Her eyes finally broke away from the papers in her now trembling hands and fixated on a pair of blue-green irises that, although slightly, calmed down her rapid heartbeat.

"The bell rang like three minutes ago," Jake said, pointing to the wall-mounted clock behind him with his thumb.

It was then Aura finally saw that their typically noisy English classroom was deserted besides the two of them.

"Oh...thanks," she mumbled as she stuffed her papers into her bookbag.

Together they walked the dimly lit hallways as the last few students scurried to their next class.

Jake occasionally looked down at her, eyeing the forming bruises on the parts of her arms that weren't hidden by her t-shirt and the dark circles that hung under her typically bright eyes.

Aura quickly noticed and let out a half-hearted laugh. "You're looking at my bruises, aren't you?"

Jake's cheeks tinged a soft pink.

Quickly forming what she hoped would be a believable lie in her head, she waved her hand dismissively. "Cora and I were having a race to see who could climb the tree in our backyard the fastest. Let's just say I was a little clumsy with my footing and had a not-so-nice ride down to the ground."

Jake slowly nodded his head as they turned a corner.

That's when Aura's heart stopped beating, her veins burning as a sharp sense of fear coursed through her.

Fierce green eyes and fiery auburn hair flashed in front of her blues in a blurry nightmare. Their bodies collided in a sudden impact, sending waves of anxiety crashing over Aura. Her breathing was erratic, her heart still silent in her chest. Anxiety held a suffocating grip around her throat, limiting oxygen from reaching her lungs. How is Hunter here? Is she here to kill me? Has she already killed Cora?

"Sorry, my bad," a bubbly voice stated with a chuckle, interrupting Aura's stream of thoughts. Aura took in a shaky breath, recognizing the girl as a senior who lived down the street from her—not the woman out for her head.

It wasn't her. Hunter was still in Fabula, but Aura's anxiety didn't ease up.

Jake moved to stand in front of her as the girl passed by, his eyebrows knitted together in concern. He tentatively placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to catch her eyes with his own.

Aura carefully looked at him, surprised he was almost as terrified as she was.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

No. "Yeah," she lied, shaking her head to banish the fearful thoughts from her mind. "Sorry, I'm just really tired. I got confused."

Jake's sea-green eyes examined her cautiously as if he could see into her soul. "Do you need to talk? We could get coffee sometime this week." He held up a finger as she opened her mouth to protest. "My treat," Jake added with a small smile.

Aura let out a sigh, not remembering the last time she had taken a deep breath. "Sure," she replied hesitantly. Although she couldn't tell him what was really going through her mind, maybe coffee would convince him that she was okay. A pang of guilt wormed its way through her chest. I wish I didn't have to lie to you...

Two chopsticks carried a lump of noodles to Carolyn's mouth as soon as she had ripped the takeout box open.

"Slow down before you choke," her grandmother warned, unpacking her own meal in the seat across from the twins.

Silvia watched as Aura poked at her food, her bites few and far between. "How are you two doing with...everything?" she asked after some time had passed.

Carolyn shrugged as she cleared her place at the dining room table. "Could be better." She thought to herself for a moment as she made her way back to her seat, plopping down on the cushion. "It is what it is."

The twins' grandmother gave her a knowing look. "You don't have to lie; you know it's okay to talk about what's going through your head."

"Fine," Carolyn stated with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "It sucks, okay? I've almost died more times than I can count, and I feel like we still aren't anywhere close to fixing the Stories."

Silvia nodded solemnly, placing her leftovers in the fridge. "I know it can't be easy." The Fairy Godmother took her granddaughters' hands in her own. "I've missed you two. Sure, only a weekend passes for me here while you're gone, but you've been different—quiet. The second you two get home from school you go straight up to your rooms."

"I wish it didn't have to be like this," Aura murmured, forcefully dropping her chopsticks onto the table.

Her grandmother flashed her a wistful smile, squeezing her hand. "I know, dear" —she paused, carefully choosing her words— "What happened...in Fabula?"

The twins exchanged a glance before delving into their adventures, explaining their retrieval of the magical items while omitting the more dangerous aspects of their journey.

"I'm so proud of you," Silvia stated wholeheartedly as their story came to a close.

Carolyn chuckled. "Well don't say that so soon, we haven't fixed the Stories yet."

Their grandmother rolled her amethyst eyes playfully. "I only wish I could help somehow."

Aura recalled the Genie's voice listing the items they had to gather. The healing waters of life's meadow, a chronicle of Fabula's tales, and the Letters of Destiny. "A chronicle of Fabula's tales," Aura muttered incoherently.

"What was that, dear?"

"Do you know where 'a chronicle of Fabula's tales' might be?" she asked her grandmother.

"The Story Almanac," Silvia stated, her face twisting in concern. "Please don't tell me you need to get it—there must be some other way to fix the Stories."

"Why? Where is it?" Carolyn asked curiously.

The Fairy Godmothersighed, releasing the twins' hands from her grip. "The Dark Forest."

Hello lovelies!
Well, we finally found out where The Story Almanac is, too bad it's not gonna be a walk in the park (er...forest).

Until next chapter!
♡ Melody & Rebekah ♡

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