Ellie's Flames BOOK 2

21: In Which I Am Told Something Huge

Spoiler: Beeeeeeg cliffhanger at the end of this chapter

Don't worry---it's a good one!

*makes a weird little giddy face*

DON'T ANYONE DARE SKIP TO THE END OF THE CHAPTER. (haha I'm like Shannon Messenger now--- BUT SERIOUSLY DON'T DO IT!!)

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"There ya are!" Sera grabs Brit and I as we exit Auradon Prep, yanking us both towards the lawn. "We've been waitin' for you two for forever!"

"Sera, I was gone maybe two minutes." Brit laughs. 

"Welp, too bad, cuz we've already picked the "it" person, and it ain't pretty." Sera points to Endora, who has a nasty grin on her face. "All magic allowed!" Sera crows happily. 

"Oh, come on!" Brit complains. "I'll be out in the first second!"

"Hmmm... point. OI! DORI!" Sera waves emphatically to Endora. "NO USIN' MAGIC TO GET THIS ONE!" She points to Brit. 

"Wasn't planning on it!" Endora calls back from her spot. "You guys had better get going, since I've only got about ten seconds left before I'm running!"

"Please, like Dori'll run anywhere." Sera grunts. "C'mon, Brit. Icy, you wanna come with us?"

I glance over at Endora, who raises her eyebrows. "Seven."

"Nah, see ya!" I wave my fingers at them, then close my eyes and appear on the other side of the campus, behind the hedge cut to shape like the Three Fairies. I hear a muffled yelp from my right and turn to see Maira already crouched behind the hedge of the pumpkin carriage. 

"Ellie?" She demands in a loud whisper. Glancing out to make sure Dori isn't coming, she crawls over to my hedge and gives me a tackle hug. "When did you get back? Last I heard, Sera popped up here saying you'd been kidnapped by some guy who needed to blow his nose."

I snort loud, then quickly cover my mouth. "Yeah, I got captured by the Boogeyman. But don't worry, he's not coming back any time soon."

Maira smirks. "Bet ya showed him, right? He never saw you coming."

"Not at first." I peek around the hedge. "I'll tell you in detail later. But nice to know you're okay with playing tag while your friends are being held captive."

Maira shrugs. "I mean, would you rather have us moping around, sharing in a circle about how much awesomeness the Ice Queen is?"

"None of that sentence made sense, but it's nice to see you again, too." I grin at her, and she laughs quietly before ducking behind the hedge more. "Are Mahina and Kalia still going here?"

"Mahina went back to New Motunui to talk to her mom about your episodes." Maira whispers. "Kalia is currently hiding behind the Beast statue, because that's where she always hides. Speaking of, we should stop talking. Dori probably already found her, and Kalia has superhuman hearing when it comes to her friends."

I nod and we both settle further behind the hedge. Then Maira's eyes widen. "Oh! Ellie, use your Mist!"

I mime slapping myself on the forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?" I snap my fingers, creating the tiny blue flame required for the Mist. Blue-gray smoke seeps off of it, blanketing Maira and I moments before I catch sight of Kalia sprinting across the lawn, her gaze sweeping right over us. 

"Yes!" Maira snickers, holding a hand up. I happily oblige, making sure I use my non-flaming hand. 

For a while, we silently crack up watching kid after kid pass by both of us. As far as I can tell, everyone's been found except for Sera, Brit, and Maira and I.