Chapter Twelve

"Missing?" Jack echoes. His heart turns into a cold stone when Fawn nods.

"Yes. She's missing." Fawn's eyes are misty. The echoing of the bells ring in Jack's ears.

Hugh sounds defeated, "They don't know where she is."

"Do they know where she was before she disappeared?" Elena asks, eyes dark with worry. Her lower lip is trembling. "When was the last time anyone saw her?"

"According to her tailor, she went to bed." Fawn says. "They went to wake her at noon, but she was gone."

Jack turns to a statue. Gone. Gone at noon. No one had seen her since she had gone to her bed, which meant-

"She was kidnapped." Jack says, coming back to life. "Right out of her bed."

"That couldn't have happened," Hugh says quickly, his face softening at the distress on Elena's and Fawn's faces. "They have guards posted everywhere."

"Her room was clean, Jack." Fawn says. "She left."

"Then why isn't she back yet?" Jack demands. "Something must have happened to her."

Elena sniffles. "They've gone out to find her."

A dark, heavy feeling settles in Jack's bones. Something told him that the guards weren't going to find her.

"They'll find her," Jack says, hoping he wasn't lying. The cold feeling is hard to ignore. It hinted of worse things to come.

Jack pulls Elena and Fawn into a hug, exchanging a glance with Hugh. Hugh's eyes are heavy with the same emotion: dread.

That had two days ago.

"What are you doing?" Fawn's voice broke him out of his trance.

Jack looked up from taking a hammer to the hardening steel.

"Forging a sword."

"No one asked for a sword today." Fawn said. "You sharpened the guards' swords all day yesterday."

Jack cast the hammer down. CLING! "This sword. . ." CLING! ". . . is for me."

CLING!

"What for?" Fawn sounded tired. Exhausted. She had stayed up all night with Elena last night, praying with the rest of Corona. Hugh had offered to help with the swords, but Jack had shaken him off.

CLING! "So I can cut off. . ." CLING! ". . . her captor's head."

"In that case," Fawn yawned, "will you make a sword for me?"

Jack stopped and looked up at Fawn. She was standing so close to him that her hair was brushing his bare, sweating arms. Her light brown hair framed her face, making her appear older instead of younger for once. The shadows under her eyes seemed more visible, giving her an ancient, weary look.

What was he doing?

"F-Fawn-"

"I know," Fawn said, leaning away from him. "Forget I said anything."

Jack's eyes drifted down to his task. "You surprised me, is all."

"I've been doing a lot of that lately." Fawn retorted. "I surprised Elena by not wanting to pray-"

"Not wanting to pray?" Jack's eyes jumped up to Fawn once more.

"We've been praying for days and she hasn't returned."

"Why stop?"

"It isn't working."

Jack set the hammer down. "So you stop praying?"

The skin around Fawn's mouth tightened as she gritted her teeth. "It's none of your business anyway."

"Fawn," Jack's jaw would have dropped if her words weren't so cutting, "you are my sister."

Fawn looked at Jack so blankly that he staggered forward. His hand went to her shoulder.

His voice shook as he gazed at his sister in a new, terrifyingly dark light. "Maybe you need some sleep."

Fawn sharply pulled away. "That is the last thing I need to be doing."

Jack turned back to the sword. He didn't hear Fawn leave, but when he glanced behind his shoulder, he saw that she was gone.

Jack looked down at his sword, uninterested and disturbed. His eyes went to where Fawn had gone and he set the hammer down.

Rapunzel's Point of View

I peeked at the house. Eugene had just left after checking on me for the third time this morning.

I reeked of hay, sweat, and dirt. They had offered many times to run a bath for me inside, but I didn't want to take them up on their offer.

After a few quick glances, I raced from the shed and into the woods to my right. As soon as I was below the treetops, a feeling of freedom making me smile.

I crept through the undergrowth, looking back at the house every few seconds. It has disappeared behind the trees.

A bubble of delighted laughter pops out of my chest. I hide the laughter in my dirty dress and advance forward.

I stumbled past a thorn bush and smiled when I saw the stream waiting.

Everything was fine until I stepped on a fish.

The fish came out of nowhere. It tickled my ankle and I lifted up to scratch my ankle before setting my foot back down onto the fish.

The fish flailed under my foot and dislodged a rock, which I then tripped on. I fell face first into the stream, hitting my head on another rock that tumbled past me.

I pulled myself to my feet, coughing. My vision wobbled and red ran into my eyes.

I dipped a hand into the water and wiped at the wound. It felt like a huge gash, one that needed needles.

I wiped at the blood falling onto my eyes and winced when more blood flowered, blinding me.

I reached back behind me for my gown. I touched fabric and pulled it towards me, soaking the damp dress in the process. I wiped at my eyes and wound, wincing at the pang of pain that shot through me when the fabric brushed against the gash.

I pulled myself out of the water, staggered to a tree for support, and shakily tugged the dress on. My vision wobbled beyond repair. I felt sick, sick to my stomach.

It slowly surfaced to my mind that the best thing I could do was scream for help.

So I did. I screamed so loud my ears hurt.

No one came.

At first, I wondered if it was because I was in the woods, or if I was deeper than I thought I was. Then Flynn's words came running back to me.

You know why we chose this house? No one's around. No one will hear you scream.

I tried to walk back while I shrieked. I couldn't do it. My body felt heavy and my ears rang, making me dizzy.

I would stagger forward, fall down, and throw up as I tried to pull myself up.

By the third time I fell down, I didn't get back up.

Eugene's Point of View

Price threw the door open with a shout, "She's gone!"

"What?" Darius barked, jumping to his feet.

Price nodded and stepped aside as they raced out of the door. Darius was halfway to the shed before he heard Price's words.

"She's not there!"

Darius spun around and Eugene skidded to a halt.

He looked over at the woods as Price began to shout.

"We should have tied her up and kept her inside!"

Darius shouted back. "And have her cut herself free and kill us in our sleep?"

Price scoffed and cried, "We would have hidden the knives!"

"We would have-"

They fell silent as a scream pierced the air.

Eugene led the way into the forests, his heart pounding.

"Help!" Rapunzel screamed.

Price called, making Eugene look over his shoulder, "I'll go this way!" Price turned left and streaked away.

Darius went right while Eugene kept going straight. Panic hit him like a load of bricks when she stopped screaming.

Forget going back to Chal, Eugene thought, if she's hurt . . .

It felt like centuries had passed when he finally broke through a clearing. Rapunzel was a few feet away, lying on her stomach. She was gagging, the muscles in her hands twitching as she tried to compose herself.

Eugene leapt to her side and pulled her up to a sitting position. The pretty girl leaned heavily against him, lips white. She was trembling hard, blood streaming onto her cheeks and staining her eyelids. A gash was on her forehead, the source of the blood.

"Oh my God," Price said. Eugene looked up at the same moment Darius cried, "What happened?"

Rapunzel's green eyes were full of wooziness. She swallowed hard before she spoke.

"I tried to take a bath."

A/N:

I apologize for the two year delay. I had chapters ready for you all and life happened. I am back to updating! :D

-KHW