Janessa's view

Finding the ember wasn't nearly as hard as we thought it was going to be. We easily got it out of Mal's ruined room, then went back to Isla's room so we'd be in a little less threatening territory.

Using the ember... that's another matter.

"So... what do I even do with it?" I ask, holding the glowing blue stone in my palm. After hearing so many crazy things about it, I'd kind of expected something more impressive, but even though I can feel the power emanating from it, kind of recharging me the longer I hold it, I don't feel any big... lightbulb, I guess, on how to use it.

"I don't know." Eleanor says. "How did your mom use it? Did she even use it?"

"I think only Aunt Mal did." I say, turning it over. "All I've ever heard is that she used it with this like, big lightning bolt thing to go against Audrey."

"Hades or Pluto would know what to do with it." Brietta sighs. "Why'd we have to escape? Why couldn't the adults? They've done things like this hundreds of times before! I mean, how many times did villains nearly succeed before we came along?"

"But they didn't escape." Hayder reminds her. "We did. So it's up to us to figure something out."

"But we aren't figuring anything out." Danielle snaps. "That's the point. We're just kids! How are we supposed to do anything about any of this? Then, they had all sorts of advantages. What do we have? A stupid rock, two of us with powers, one with wish-powers or whatever, one with powers that need an outlet, so it's useless, and no plan."

"We have more than that." Eleanor says. "We have people counting on us. I don't care if it sounds cliche!" she shouts as Danielle opens her mouth. "It's true! Finn, Lucy, Evan, Max, Isla, our parents---even Serene, is there, and they need our help."

"Serene chose her side." Danielle reminds her.

"No offense, but I'm not so sure she did." I break in. "My parents never put a block on her. I'm positive of that. My mom was pressured to give up her powers when she was younger, and it nearly destroyed her. She's smart enough to know not to do that to one of her kids. And while I won't deny Serene grew up... a little more invisible than I noticed, I don't think she realizes how many people care about her. Pitch and Maleficent---"

"And Blake." Hayder adds.

"---have been filling her head with things that aren't true. Maybe they faked her shield, too." I say. "I wouldn't put it past them."

"Plus, Serene made it very clear she didn't want to hurt us." Brietta said. "She even offered Lu and I to come with her, because of how we treated her."

Danielle taps her chin, considering everything. "Okay. Assuming all of this is true, can you convince her to come back?" she asks me.

I bite my lip. The cut on my cheek feels like it's pulsing, waiting for me to answer Danielle and confirm that I can't do it. "I... I'm not sure."

"That doesn't sound very promising."

I hang my head, fingering the S ring. "I haven't exactly been a good sister. I can... kind of see why Serene was so angry."

"You don't even know the half of it, Janessa." Brietta says sadly. "You have no idea how much Serene talked to us about her life at home."

I look up. Brietta's silver-blue eyes are trained on mine. "She felt more alone than she wanted to admit to us, but we could tell. You all basically ignored her, Janessa. She was closest to her dad, but even he sometimes would favor you or your mom without realizing he was doing it. Did you know your mom practiced with you more often than she did with Serene? Did you know that Serene was waiting for you to come to her, to help her with her powers? Did you notice when Serene started backing away from you more, and coming to us instead?"

"I---"

"We bought books on her powers to help her train." Brietta continues. "Lucy and I helped her gain control, and helped her when she started getting bullied in middle school."

"She was---"

"Yes, she was, and you never once noticed." Brietta doesn't look angry. She's just calmly stating facts. "I get that part of it was her side. She backed away from you, too. But it takes two to have an argument, and neither of you ever once tried to patch it up. All I'm saying is, that if you had fixed this before now, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess."

My heart has sunk to the ground. "I never knew any of that."

"I know." Brietta smiles finally, taking my hand. "But that's why I'm sure that Serene would come back if we could convince her. She never wanted to back away from you, but she felt like she had to in order to get along. She didn't want to depend on you. But she's strong, and she has a good heart. I'm sure that Pitch and Maleficent---"

"---and Blake!" Hayder adds again.

"---are using her." Brietta says, ignoring him. "The Serene I know would never have done all of this if she wasn't 100% sure about it. So she must have been given some seriously concrete proof."

"What I want to know is why she thought she had a block on her." Eleanor says. "If my mother had put a spell on her, she would've known by now. Even with Mal's magic added to it, there's no way someone as powerful as Serene wouldn't have noticed it years and years ago."

"So you want to know what Maleficent and Pitch and Blake," Brietta glares at Hayder, who closes his mouth. "showed her to make her think she had it?"

"One more thing." I say. "When she put Max under that... bubble. Pitch told us what it was, not her. And there was this... I don't know. Look that she had. That made it kind of seem like she hadn't known it would be like that for him."

"Serene isn't evil." Hayder agrees. "And, one more thing." He slips his bracelet off of his wrist. "I have an idea. Eleanor, can you come here?"

She nods, and they go away for a minute, talking in hushed tones. Brietta, Danielle, and I all shrug at one another.

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm going to steal some of Isla's clothes." Brietta says, strutting over to Isla's closet. "If we're going back there without a real plan, or whatever, against big bad villains, I'm expecting a fight. And I am not fighting in a gown."

Danille looks down at her floaty, blue dress and silver heels. "She's probably right. Ugh! Boys have it easy. Just take the jacket off, you're fine."

"You know girls can wear suits, too." I point out, following Brietta to the closet.

Danielle shrugs. "Yeah, I know. But I was most complaining because I wanted to complain. I wouldn't wear a suit to something fancy if someone was holding a gun to my head. It just feels weird to me. Other people, sure. I could see Isla or Brietta doing that, no problem. But me? No way."

I laugh. "I guess that makes sense. I can't imagine wearing a suit either."

"Really?" Danielle pulls a pair of leggings off of a shelf and starts looking for a T-shirt. "I could easily picture you in one."

I shrug, and grab a pair of leggings as well. It kind of feels weird stealing from Isla, but I'd rather do that than try and fight a villain in a gown that has no sleeves or shoulder straps or whatever. For a coronation, fine. But now it feels like it's going to fall right off of me. Also, it's skirt is torn from Serene's powers. So more things to trip on!

"I'm going to keep my hair this way, though." Brietta says, coming out from behind a shelf in jeans and a sparkly gold top, with black converse. "That way it won't get in my eyes. Know what I mean?"

"Wow, you guys really are preparing to fight." Eleanor says, coming in. "Don't worry, I made Hayder stay outside. We have a plan, when you guys are done."

"Aren't you going to take that off?" Danielle asks Eleanor.

Eleanor giggles, shaking her head. "I haven't worn pants since I was five." She snaps her fingers, and the skirt shortens to above her knees. She slips her heels off, wiggling her toes. "See you guys in a few minutes!"

Brietta follows her out, talking to her about what she and Hayder had been talking about, while Danielle and I change. I have no idea how Brietta plans on doing whatever it is we're doing in skinny jeans, but then again, she's the kind of person who'd star in a spy movie while wearing high heels and a mermaid gown.

When I get out, everyone's waiting for me. Danielle and I are both wearing borrowed converse, leggings, and T-shirts. The only thing different is that Danielle took her jewelry off, and is in the process of removing her earrings. I also note that everyone took their jewelry off, except for Eleanor. Like Danielle said, all Hayder did was take his jacket off.

"So what's the plan?" Danielle asks, putting the earrings on Isla's dresser.

"Well, Hayder had the idea that if Lucy can get these to repel bad magic, then I could enchant them to really block bad magic. The only problem is that I don't have my wand, so instead we used his magic to make it so that it will trap bad magic."

"So what?" Brietta asks, fiddling with her hook charm. I start removing my jewelry as well, feeling a little embarrassed that I didn't do it before.

"So... if we can get this onto Serene, it'll disable her powers long enough for us to talk to her." Hayder explains. "My powers aren't nearly as powerful as what my mom's or grandfather's are, but I had enough in me so that it'd work on my bracelet. Once this is on Serene, it won't come off until whoever put it on takes it off."

A chill runs down my spine, and I pause in the task of removing my left earring. "Like the gloves."

Eleanor nods. "My mother taught me how to make them for an absolute last resort, for anyone, not for your mom. This will work. We just need to get it on Serene."

"I'll do it." Brietta offers. "I can get close to her. If you guys distract her."

"No." I set my stuff down and hold my hand out. "Let me do it. Please."

Hayder looks at Brietta, who has her eyes narrowed at me. "You're sure you can do it without her beating you?"

"I'm sure."

Hayder drops it into my palm. I hold it tight in my hand. "Okay. That's that. What now? Do we go to Serene?"

"No. We bring her here." Eleanor says, pushing her sleeves back.

"Wait, what?" Danielle yelps.

"The element of surprise. We need Serene on our side to go against Pitch, Maleficent, and Blake. Not to mention whoever else they've freed by now." Hayder explains. "Serene is their main pawn. She has control over all the cages, the bubbles, all of that."

"I... suppose that makes sense." Danielle swallows. "Fine. Right now?"

"Better now than later." Brietta sighs, standing as well. "But let's go to a more open area. I don't want to ruin Isla's room any more than it is."

We all head down to the main ballroom, it's glittering gold walls and floors nearly giving me a headache. It's destroyed, sure, but still shiny and reflecting everything.

Eleanor raises her arms. "Summon spell says thus, Serene De Vil with us!"

There's a crack like a whip, and in a flurry of gold-and-blue sparkles, my little sister is standing in front of us. I quickly duck behind a pillar, making my way behind her, but I do hear the surprise in her voice when she says, "Eleanor? Brietta? What are you---"

"We thought we'd bring you to us." Eleanor says, her usually light voice harder than I'm used to. "We want our friends back. We want our home back."

"I told you." Serene says, annoyance in her voice. "I'm helping you. I'm not hurting anything!"

But I know my sister. I may not have paid as much attention as I used to, but spending time with her again, when we hung out in our group, has reminded me of every little tick she used to have. She has doubts now. Something has changed.

"Serene, this isn't helping anyone." Brietta says as I skip to the next column. I'm now behind my sister. I just need to get close enough. Thank God this bracelet has a clasp, not a tie. Why did Hayder get the clasp one while I got a tie one? I make sure mine is still secured on my ankle because hey, I'll need it.

"Auradon may be flawed, but all Maleficent is going to do to it is destroy it." Brietta continues. "Pitch and Maleficent don't care about you or anyone else, Serene!"

"They care a lot more than others I can name." My sister says angrily. Angry, but without any real fire behind it.

"Serene---"

"Just stop." Serene says. I peer out from behind the column. She looks rigid, ready to react, but her hands are down and clearly not hoping to fight. "Just... stop. I'm not going to---" Her head whips around, looking straight at me. "Janessa!" She shouts, throwing her hand out. A black rope jumps from her wand, wrapping around me, dragging me until I'm maybe three feet from her.

Craaaaaaaap.