. : Laura of Neverland : .

Laura squeezed Agatha tight, wrapping the small girl in her arms. "Gods I'm relieved you're alive and safe."

Her friend smelled of soil and sweat, but she was back. Laura pulled away for a second to smile. Her eyes drifted to Tedros and Sebastian, who were hugging tight, wide grins on both of their faces. 

Laura's eyes flickered as movement flashed on the far side of the graveyard. She frowned, before saying. "Everybody get down."

Without question, the three others obeyed her. She joined them in a crouch, Reaper stalking off into the bush. 

Laura focused on the surroundings, scanning the graveyard. She could've sworn she had seen someone. Gently, she called her magic to the surface, waiting for something to appear. 

There was a loud grunt and she froze, her eyes fixing on a shape near one of the graves in the back. A large hulking figure hung over the grave, cursing as it dug a shovel into one of the graves higher up on the hill. 

Laura frowned, gesturing for the other three to stay silent. Slowly, she began to move around the outskirts of the clearing, stepping in and out of the tree line, using her clothing as camouflage and her training with the Twilight Children to keep silent.

As she got nearer, the figure's voice became clear.

"Other villains got to go after their heroes, but no, guess who gets stuck digging up the graves of other villains." 

Laura furrowed her eyebrows. What Rosalind said must've been true. The resurrected school master must have been bringing back the dead villains, so they could get a chance at changing Ever After. This would ruin the Cardinal Balance.

There was something off about this villain though. His skin was rotting, with patches falling off, and his eyes seemed out of focus and blurry. Nothing about him seemed living.

Laura hesitated, waiting until the villain had paused in his digging to wipe his head with the back of his hand. With a flick of her wrist, the villain screamed as a fire started at his feet, eating its way up him until the undead body collapsed. 

Laura pursed her lips. Everyone nearby had likely heard that scream, and without a doubt, there would soon be more. She jogged her way back to where the other three and Reaper waited.

"We need to go now." 

~~~

Laura walked in time with Agatha. It was mid-afternoon and they were only a few hours' walk from the safe house in the Sleepy Violet Woods. With any luck, hopefully, the rest of the Council would be there with as many fairy tale heroes they could find across the Endless Woods. 

Sebastian and Tedros walked in front of them, quiet chatter passing between them. She focused her gaze on Sebastian's broad back as he walked. His magic was active, bouncing through his veins. 

"We just barely made it out of Gavaldon," Agatha spoke. "Thank you for finding us." 

Laura smiled down at her friend. "I'm just happy you're safe, it's a dangerous world right now. I'm happy for you and Tedros though. You found your happily ever after and still came back when needed."

A shadow crossed Agatha's face, and Laura furrowed her brows as Agatha lowered her voice. "To be honest, I'm not so sure we found happily ever after. We did nothing but argue and were upset with each other the entire time."

"Happily ever after is hard work," Laura responded, speaking slowly to think through her response. "I know my parents took a while to settle into a routine, especially with people watching. It's hard to find happily ever after, but if Tedros is the right person for you, it will work out in the end. The balance always has a way."

Agatha smiled up at her. "Thank you."

Laura nudged her in response, and they turned a corner, only to slam into the boys' backs. They had turned onto a long stone pathway, and off to the side was a cottage, painted a bright yellow colour. The red door was ajar. Snow White's Cottage. 

Laura turned to look at Sebastian, who had the same expression she did. Mild fear. They were supposed to be collecting fairy tale heroes. Maybe one of the Council members had already been here and just happened to be in a hurry to get out. Still, Laura couldn't sense any council members, and her stomach was churning with unease. 

Laura made to face the others, only to realize Agatha was gone. 

"Shit," She spoke, making a move for the cottage door, followed closely by the two males. She could feel her dark hair hitting her back. 

The three of them made it up the porch and were nearly inside, when Agatha came racing out, her face more pale than usual. Behind her, one of the decaying villains staggered, fingers crackling with magic. 

Laura moved into action, but Sebastian was faster, the water from the recent rainfall coming into his advantage. The water slashed out and sliced the villain in half, leaving them to crumple onto the quaint wooden porch.

Laura let out a breath, before giving Sebastian a small smile. "Good job." He smiled back.

Laura turned her attention to Agatha, who was shaking like a leaf in Tedros' arms. "What happened?"

Agatha looked up at Laura, her eyes gleaming with tears. "They are dead, all seven dwarves and Snow White. That witch killed them."

Laura glanced at Sebastian. It was worse than they thought.

~~~

Laura stomped around the nondescript clearing. This was one of the main reasons she hated the safe house in the Sleepy Violet Woods. She could never find the damn entrance. 

Sebastian, Tedros, and Agatha stood off to the edge, watching her with slightly skeptical expressions. 

Laura crouched, running her hand over the grass. She could sense the other Council members below, their magic like a beacon to her. But, she couldn't figure out how to get into the stupid house.

Gently, Laura poked one of the flowers. Its indigo leaves sparkled back at her. Laura let out a breath through her nose, running a hand through her hair. 

 Where was the fucking entrance?

Laura gripped the petal of a flower, and gently, she tugged it back. The ground underneath her began to shudder and she let out a sigh of relief, stepping back.

She stood next to Sebastian and waited until the entrance was open entirely.

"I won't lie," Sebastian murmured. "I was beginning to think you were insane."

Laura rolled her eyes and nudged him towards the entrance, towards where Agatha and Tedros had already vanished into the hole and down the ladder. "Ladies first."

Sebastian snorted but instead of responding, he stepped forward. Laura waited until his red hair had vanished into the entrance, before following suit and beginning down the long set of dark stairs. She paused momentarily to close the entrance before lighting a tiny flame-- just enough light to see her way down the rickety wooden stairs. 

Laura made it to the bottom and followed Sebastian into the main room, only to slam into his back. "What are you doing, you fool?"

Sebastian had gone ice cold, and his magic was radiating off of him in waves. He was stiff, and Laura could sense an undercurrent of fear. Laura peered around him, only for her eyes to widen. So that's what he had stopped at.

"Mom? Dad?"

~~~

Hello, lovelies!

Sorry about the cliffhanger (not really), and as always, feel free to leave feedback.

Until next time

~ Indigo