Serene's view

"Reenee." Janessa says, nudging my shoulder. I snap awake just in time to see Julian, Dominick, Erika, and Anneliese's carriage driving away down the road to the beautiful finale song.

"Did I fall asleep?" I ask slurrishly. Janessa nods, smiling. 

"I didn't notice. Sorry! But don't worry---" She gestures to Eleanor, Evan, and Lucy, both of whom are also fast asleep. "I'm guessing Freshman year isn't easy, is it?"

"We get up an hour earlier than we did in eighth grade." I mumble, rubbing my eyes. "We should probably go home. I still have a bit of homework."

"That's cool." Finn grumbles. "Leave me here alone with all of them."

"Hey, she's our ride." Isla protests, nudging me. "And Brietta's and Lucy's."

"You won't be alone." Danielle reminds him. "I'm staying, and so is Hayder."

"I am?" Hayder asks in surprise. "I thought we were done and had been set free."

Danielle glares at him. "Oh, come on! There's only a few weeks until the Coronation, you guys. And midterms. We won't be able to hang out as much soon."

"I suppose that's true." Hayder says thoughtfully. He sits back down and reaches for Lucy, gently shaking her shoulder. "Lucy. Hey. Your ride is leaving."

"Wha---" Lucy yawns, stretching. "I'm up, I'm up." She rubs her eyes, then notices the scrolling credits, and her eyes pop open. "NO! Did I miss "If You Love Me for Me"?"

"Sorry." Janessa shrugs. "You lil' guys were out."

"That's okay. I just missed one of the most romantic songs of all time... no biggie." Lucy grumbles. She stands and takes my hand. "So are we leaving?"

"Yep." Max, Isla, Brietta, and Janessa take hold as well, and I transport everyone to their respective palaces. Thanks to my training with Pitch, and my Magic classes, I've gained enough strength that I can transport a greater number of people, so long as I allow myself to recharge at least 24 hours before doing it again.

After dropping everyone off, I finally bring Jenna and I home. The moment I touch down, I feel a chill run down my spine. Janessa lets go of my hand, looking in shock at the room around us, which is covered in a layer of frost, coming from the hallway.

"Mom?" I yell, fear creeping into my voice. "Dad?"

"Serene? Janessa?" I hear, and then a thunder of footsteps. My parents burst into the room, and I'm shocked to see that tears are running down Mom's face, freezing on impact to her skin. Her skin is so pale it's almost blue, and her fingertips are layered with the same frost that's covering the floor. Mom's blue eye is flaming, and I notice with alarm that wherever her feet touch, a snowflake not unlike the one my grandmother had been rumored to create appears.

"You're safe." Mom whispers, running for us. Carlos grabs her quickly, pulling her back. He lets go almost instantly, his hands steaming with newly-made frost.

"Oh---no---" Mom moans, reaching for him before retracting again. Looking at the both of us, I can almost feel the fear rolling off of her.

"Mom, what happened?" Janessa asks. She reaches for my hand again, and we hold onto each other. I've never seen my Mom this way. It's terrifying, like a nightmare.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"We received this." Dad's voice is hoarse, and he holds up a thick, yellowed envelope and matching letter. "Serene... have you been going to the Isle of the Lost?"

I can feel my blood run cold, my body turning rigid. My mouth opens a bit in shock. This can't be happening.

Janessa turns to look at me, laughing with relief. "What? No. That's it? Come on, you guys, she's been with us every day after school."

"Not recently. Before Eleanor's party." Dad clarifies. I still don't move, or speak, or even really breathe.

"Serene?" Mom asks.

I look down at the floor. "I---It was just to go hang out with Blake, Dad. We weren't doing anything. He helped me practice my powers, sometimes."

"Wait. You were going to the Isle?" Janessa asks, dropping my hand. "Serene! That place is dangerous!"

"No, it's not! I've been there dozens of times, and nothing has ever happened!" I protest, looking up. My mom has calmed back down to her normal look, albeit a little paler, and she walks over to take my hands.

"Serene, I don't care if you did go to the Isle." Mom says. "That's the whole reason we brought the barrier down. It isn't dangerous itself anymore. What scares me is that you didn't tell anyone where you were going, and this letter---" She reaches for it, handing it to me, "---says you were the one who kept tripping the alarm."

"Alarm?" Janessa repeats. "Wait, what alarm?"

"The one Endora put there." I explain. "To detect those with bad intentions crossing either way."

"How did you know that?" Dad says in surprise.

I feel my face flush. "I... kind of overheard you guys talking about it." I hedge. "But that's not the point. Mom, you're seriously believing a paper over me? Who even sent it?"

Mom's face tightens, and she points to the signature.

Your friend, Endora.

I look back up at Mom, who has stood and is backing away from me. "Mom."

"Serene, I..." Mom exhales heavily. "Endora said she couldn't find you. When she found out it was you earlier today, she tried looking for you, but couldn't find you. It was like you'd dropped off the face of the Earth. She's looking for you now, that's why she sent this letter. To warn us."

"How long ago did you get it?" Janessa asks.

"About five minutes before you two came home." Dad answers. He carefully touches Mom's shoulders, but she doesn't hurt him. "We thought... Endora said she thought you might've..."

"You thought I'd turned bad." I finish, hushed.

"No!" My parents both yell. "We thought something might've... happened to you." Dad explains, looking haunted just at the thought. "We thought someone on the Isle might have done something to you."

"But... she's fine." Janessa says. "She's been with us all day."

"We know that now." Mom says. "But, that doesn't change the fact that you have been going behind our backs without telling us where you were."

"It was just to---"

"Practice your powers together, powers that are very similar, with the son of one of the worst villains on the Isle?" My mother asks coldly.

I'm stunned silent for a moment. "Mom, Blake---"

"Serene, you'd been telling us you were going to Brietta or Lucy's houses on all of the days that the alarm was tripped." Dad interrupts. "Was that true?"

I don't answer.

"So you've been lying to us." Mom snaps. "To go to the Isle of the Lost with the son of one of the most dangerous villains we ever had to face? Why didn't you come to me if you wanted to practice your powers, Serene? Why in the world would you have him teach you? What if he was trying to influence your powers, the way Pitch could influence mine if he had tried? What if he hurt you? What were you planning on doing then? What if---"

"Blake never did anything!" I shout. "Your parents don't make you who you are! Isn't that the whole point of why Ben brought you over?" I point to my father. "Why he brought his wife, the Queen, over? Why he brought the barrier down in the first place? You're judging him when you haven't even met him!"

"Well, maybe we'd judge him better if he hadn't been sneaking our daughter across the bridge all the time, doing who-knows-what with her!" Mom shouts right back.

"All we'd been doing was practicing, having fun!" I scream. "Why don't you trust me?"

"Because we can't!" Those three words cut across the room, silencing everything else. The only thing making any noise is my heartbeat in my ears, and my ragged breath.

"We can't." Mom repeats, quietly.

"Ellie---" Dad starts, but she holds up a hand to cut him off.

"Serene, I don't know you anymore." Mom says sharply. "You say we should trust you, but you've proven that we shouldn't. I... I couldn't live with myself if something ever happened to you. I don't care if it's with friends. I don't care if it's with your sister, even. You're not allowed anywhere but school and here until Isla's coronation."

I open my mouth furiously to argue, but Mom just turns her back on me and leaves. Dad and Janessa don't move for a second, then Dad turns to go after her.

Janessa shuffles her feet. "Were... were you really going to the Isle? With Blake?"

"Yes, I was!" I snap. "And I don't see anything wrong with that! The barrier was brought down, but NOOO, that just means we'll be nicer about who we let over. Not that we forgive everything, not that we've let go of these ridiculous stereotypes!"

"Reenee---"

"DON'T call me Reenee EVER again!" I shout. I reach for my finger, pulling off my ring and pitching it at her head. It misses by an inch, ricocheting off the wall and landing on the floor. "JUST STOP!"

As I usually do, my instinct takes over and I try to collapse the darkness around me to reappear in my room, where I can be alone in the shadows. But something doesn't work. My powers don't come, and I can feel my emotions controlling them more than I am. I can tell they're not going to listen to me, that they're out of my hands. So I run. I run, leaving my older sister behind, looking more hurt than my mother had, and I slam my bedroom door behind me.

It takes only seconds after that for my control to shatter. Shards of horrible, black shadows explode from my chest, physically punching through things in my room, before sucking back into me. Exhausted, I fall to the ground, curling up into a fetal position with tears streaming down my face.

I thought things had changed. I thought I was being noticed. I thought I'd left my stupid choices behind with the Isle. I thought I could just be myself.

But I'd forgotten everything leading up to this.

I had a shield. Put there by Endora and Mal. I was invisible. Nobody saw me but Lucy and Brietta, until I was in the right place at the right time to become part of a group. Now I know the truth. My family never thought well of me, not if this is the way they react when they don't even know the actual truth. And suddenly, I don't care about that. I don't care if the group was nice to me, because now all that I can think about is how if this is how my parents react, how will they?

I don't want to find out.

If there's anything tonight has proven, it's that my mother is right.

She doesn't know me anymore.

______________________________________

Woof. Lot happened here, but I think I'm okay with how it turned out. 

Something fun: The finale for "Elena of Avalor" came out on Sunday and aaaaaahhhhhh it couldn't have been more perfect!!!! Well, Elena and Mateo didn't end up together... but THIS: THIS WAS PERFECT: 

I CAAAAAAN'T! EEEEEE! I screamed when she appeared onscreen. She looked super weird at first, but the longer you looked she looked okay. Besides, she's not the little girl anymore, she's around fifteen-sixteen here. the only thing I'm sad about is that Sofia isn't wearing her Enchantlet. 

BUT STILL!!!! THEY CAME!!!!!!! *screams* MY LIFE IS COMPLETE

*clears throat* okay, sorry, I'm calm. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Mwahahahahahaha... wait'll you see what's next.