girl almighty // chapter eight
words: 2351 i ii iii iv v vi vii a/n: man just when you thought I was gone forever, i return once more
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Gatsby’s heart drops down to her stomach as Gil gives the news. He holds the crumpled piece of paper out and Uma huffs before walking around him.
“They’re sending a group of 15 kids to Auradon. Including the four of us.” Gatsby’s heart flutters at the fact that they’ve included Gatsby into the grouping. They plucked her away from the group that didn’t want her, and brought her into their group.
Gatsby shoots up, completely forgetting everything that happened moments before Gil and Uma burst in. She snatches the paper from Gil, before Uma could grab it from him. Her eyes scan the paper, the top of it announcing King Ben and Evie’s, his new assistant, plan to bring over 15 Isle kids to join Auradon Prep. In the middle of the list was Gatsby and Gil Legume.
She felt Harry walk up behind her and she felt her own body tense up. She knew the tension would continue to build up between the two of them. It was a given after what almost happened between them before Uma and Gil came about. However, if Harry wasn’t going to bring it up, neither was Gatsby.
“Uma,” He speaks up, causing Gatsby to jump. Her grip on the paper falters and Harry takes that as an opportunity to grab the paper from her. “Thanks lass.” He mutters before walking around her, completely ignoring her. “We have to talk about this.” He drags a finger down the list before stopping by his name.
A jealous feeling burns in a deep part of Gatsby’s stomach. How dare he have the audacity to just completely ignore her and go back to Uma. Gatsby understood that Uma was his best friend and captain, but she felt that her and Harry had created some sort of connection. The hated the way that this made her feel. It brings her back to how she felt with the initial “breakup” with Jay and she felt weak.
She watched as the two of them walked out of the tattoo parlor, completely ignoring the twins. Gil looked as if he was used to it but Gatsby hated the way she felt. She relied too much on this group, and look at where it was getting her.
“Wow, Auradon,” Gil whistles underneath his breath while Gatsby looked over at him. His eyebrows were furrowed as he read the paper once more, his finger stopping right by his name. “This is real. We’re actually going over there.” He trails off before he make eye contact with Gatsby.
“What’s wrong, Gil?” She asks automatically, knowing that there was something that her twin brother was telling her. She could sense it, something about a twin telepathy. “This is what we’ve been working towards.”
“I know,” He nods his head, still lost in thought. His hands clutch at the paper and she could see his teeth chewing on his bottom lip. “It’s just that the isle is safe, you know? We can get away with so much here, nobody cares enough to stop us. There’s so many rules and regulations at Auradon. Don’t you think that there’s a reason that Mal wanted to come back here so badly?” He sinks onto the stool that Harry was sitting on previously, letting his arms hang limply at his side before he looks up at him. Even though the two of them were twins, born only minutes apart, they looked nothing alike. One of them took after their father while another took after their mother. Gil’s blonde hair and brown eyes almost fooled people into believing that he wasn’t a Legume. Gatsby, the older twins and Gaston all looked identical and Gil was just a blonde boy that followed the family once and then never left. However, it only took people a few minutes to realize just how much Gil fit in with the family.
It’s silent for a few moments, Gatsby finally sitting on the stool across from her brother. She watches as his eyes scan the paper again, reading the headline over and over again until Gatsby is sure its engrained into his brain. Finally, his wide brown puppy dog eyes look over at her once again. “What if it’s nothing what we imagined it’d be?” He asks finally, his voice quiet. Gil was never one to shy away, always projecting his voice so that anyone in a five mile radius could hear what he had to say. This was one of the only times Gatsby heard his voice even above a whisper.
Gatsby had no idea what to respond to that. Auradon was always supposed to be the escape. They were supposed to go there and then work towards getting their family and the rest of the isle over as well. There was never a ‘what if we hate it’ that crossed Gatsby’s mind, her goal was always to just make it there. It was almost like she never expected that she’d actually make it to Auradon, so she never worried about it.
“I’m going to Uncle Lefou, he’ll know what to say.” He makes up his mind as he stands up so abruptly that the papers Gatsby had sitting on the table behind him flutter ever so slightly. As he walks towards the door, he staggers for a few moments as if he’s forgotten something right before leaving the tattoo parlor. “You coming?” He asks Gatsby.
“Well, well, well,” Was the first words to come out of Lefou’s mouth when the twins walked into his small cottage. “Look who it is. My two favorite people.”
Uncle Lefou’s small cottage was always overshadowed by Gaston’s larger than life cabin that the two built. Lefou always joked that they didn’t have enough supplies after building Gaston’s large house, so that’s why his house was so small in comparison. The inhabitants of the isle always gossiped about how large Gaston’s house was, as if some of them didn’t try to recreate their castles on the isle and failed.
Lefou’s cottage was small but it was one of only pieces of real estate where sun shined through. Every once in a while, little slants of sunshine that made it through the dense clouds of the Isle were able to shine in through the windows. It made the cottage even more of a place of wonder and a place that Gatsby loved to visit. Her uncle’s home seemed like it didn’t belong on the isle, just like Lefou didn’t belong on the isle. It fit him perfectly.
Lefou sat at one of his kitchen counters, a book open in front of him. Most of Lefou’s house was occupied with books since when he moved to the Isle, he occupied himself with trying to learn how to read, write and be a functioning member of society. He was always known as just another fool who worshipped Gaston and was going to get hurt by him. However, when it was revealed that Gaston was the villain of the story, Lefou stuck by him and ended up trapped on the Isle, because he loved the narcissist too much. Now, he was trying to make up for lost time and did everything that he couldn’t when he was just Gaston’s right hand man. Gatsby and Gil both had Lefou to thank for all of the knowledge he crammed into them when they were younger.
“What brings you two here?” He asks before his eyes shift over to the makeshift he had hung on the wall. “It’s not a dinner night.”
“Did you hear the news?” Gil asks, his words stumble over one another as he tries to get the information out quickly. “They’re sending people to Auradon. Gatsby and I got chosen.” His sentences are short as he walks towards the counter and thrusts out the paper towards him. Gatsby hangs back near the door, letting Gil do all the talking for once. Usually, Gatsby was the brains of the operation and Gil was the brawn, as if she didn’t trust Gil enough to do the talking. However, Uncle Lefou was different because he understood the twins, their similarities and differences, and most importantly, he understood Gil. People always dumbed down Gil because he didn’t like to show off his smarts. Uncle Lefou saw right through the dumb strong guy exterior Gil put up.
“Auradon, huh?” Uncle Lefou stands up straight, grabbing the paper from Gil gently. He quickly reads the piece of paper, his eyes darting through all the names of kids chosen to go. It’s silent for a few moment, neither of the twins knowing what to say as Uncle Lefou carefully reads the piece of paper. Gil stands awkwardly near him not knowing what to do with his body as he gnaws on his lip once more and Gatsby watches as he fiddles with his fingers, another one of his many nervous ticks.
It seems like ages until Lefou finally looks up, his eyes slowly sliding from Gil to Gatsby. “What’s wrong with you two? Isn’t this what you two wanted? A fresh start?” He questions them.
“Of course it is.” Gatsby finally speaks up, walking closer to the two men. She knew that this is what they wanted, she knew that it was they needed to do. It’s what Uma, Harry, everyone was working towards and there should be no reason for Gil to be scared now that the opportunity presented itself. They weren’t going to back out now when they were so close.
Gil, who sits on one of the stools in Lefou’s kitchen, stares down at his hands as he doesn’t have anything to say. Gatsby looks over at Uncle Lefou, he always had all the right answers. He’d know what to say to Gil to get him to go to Auradon. It’s silent in Lefou’s cottage as nobody knows what to say.
“You two finally get a second chance.” Lefou finally speaks up, rolling up the piece of paper that has all the information on it. His gaze sweeps from Gil to Gatsby. “It wasn’t fair that you two were born here and therefore because of your father, you’re forced to stay here. I’ve seen the real world and I would do anything to see it again. To see flowers that bloom in colors you never knew existed. You think you’ve seen sunshine here? Imagine basking in it and feeling warmth. The outside world is beautiful and there’s no reason for either of you to be scared to venture off of this dammed isle.” He speaks sternly, pointing the rolled up piece of paper at point of them. “Just because I’m stuck on here, and Gaston’s stuck on here doesn’t mean you two have to be.”
“What if we don’t like it?” Gil’s voice is small for the first time.
Lefou’s eyes practically budge out of his eyes as his hand smacks down on the countertop cause both of the twins to jump slightly. Gatsby rarely ever saw her uncle angry, he was always the calm one between Gaston and Lefou. “What if you don’t like it? To hell with that!” Lefou says. “I won’t let you two not go. You two deserve to see a world where cheating and thievery isn’t a regular occurrence. Where people are actually kind to each other. Where you don’t have to dig through the garbage in hopes of finding someone’s leftover makeup.” He turns his gaze to Gatsby, knowing how many times she’s searched through the trash from Auradon that ends on the isle. Most of the makeup collection came from the trash of picky princesses who thought that just because one shade in their palette was ruined that they needed to throw out everything. “I lived through the days where Gaston had to trade away practically everything he owned in order to feed four starving children. All the game he hunted, what he used to hunt and even some of the precious jewels off of his clothing were used to get food for the family.” His voice wavers towards the end of his sentence and he looks away from the twins for two seconds.
Gatsby had never seen her uncle like this. When she looks over at Gil, she can see just how guilty the boy is for bringing up the possibility as he didn’t even look at Lefou. Lefou finally showed the two just how much yearned for the outside world and how much he hated the isle. Gatsby knew that if she would ever got to Auradon, she would focus on getting the rest of her family over to the real world, especially Lefou. After his tangent, she realized just how much she needed to go to Auradon just to get him off the isle.
He finally turns back to the twins, his eyes glassy. “If you don’t go, I will be so disappointed.”
“We’re going.” Gatsby decides for the two of them, her decision hanging in the air precariously before Gil nods cementing the twins’ decision.
Lefou takes a deep breath before rubbing his face. “Good.” He mutters before looking over at the older twin. “Gil, when you’re there, don’t be afraid to show people your true self. You’re smart and people deserve to see that side of you. You’re not an idiot, I know you're not.” He turns to Gatsby and she’s almost scared about what advice he was going to give her. Gatsby was never one to be guilty about her actions but she hasn’t been the biggest angel while on the isle. “As for you, don’t get lost in the real world. Don’t forget who the real Gatsby Legume is because I know how easily one can forget their true selves.” He tells her. His face is calm and once again, he’s Uncle Lefou. He’s one of the closest things Gatsby’s has to family. He was the rock for practically the entire Legume family. The older twins needed Lefou just as much as Gaston did and just as much as Gil and Gatsby did too.
Gatsby hopes that she can make him proud.
