Lonnie's Warrior Sword

  “No reception. Must be the concrete walls.”

  “Wi-Fi?” Jordan suggested.

  Lonnie did a search. “No Wi-Fi. It’s like the Isle of the Lost in here.”

  She flipped on the phone’s flashlight and quickly scanned the room. It was mostly empty apart from a few life-size marble statues and a couple of giant crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. “All this stuff must be left over from the nightclub that used to be here.”

  “Fabulous,” Jordan said sarcastically. “So we’re in a junkyard. This really is the Isle of the Lost.”

  Lonnie glanced around and felt a shiver travel through her. She’d always prided herself on being brave, but some of these marble statues were pretty eerie. The ones shaped like humans seemed to be watching Lonnie and Jordan, while the others—shaped like dragons and tigers—looked ready to pounce. They cast strange, creepy shadows in the light of her phone. Lonnie was reminded of the time she had gone to the Isle of the Lost with Jay and Carlos to fight the pirates that were holding Ben captive.

  Lonnie shivered and turned off the screen. She couldn’t believe she’d let this happen. She couldn’t believe she had fallen for Chen’s trap! How could she have been so foolish? Especially after he had clearly tried to sabotage her in the elimination round. Jay had been right when he’d said Chen would try again. Lonnie had just been too blind—or too naive—to believe it.

  But it didn’t really matter how she’d fallen for this trick. What mattered now was that they figure out a way to get out.

  “Okay, think,” Lonnie said to herself. “Think. Think. Think. Being a warrior is all about strategy. Mental maneuvering.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Jordan sneered. “Some mental maneuvering you did. You’re the one who got us in this mess.”

  Lonnie ignored her and kept thinking. Then, a moment later, she was struck with an idea. “The lamp!” she yelled suddenly. “I still have a second wish!” She squeezed her eyes shut tight and said, “Jordan, I wish for you to get us out of here.”

  Lonnie held her breath and waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  Nothing happened. There was no tingling feeling. No pink smoke. Nothing. When she opened her eyes, the thin shaft of light from the air vent was just enough for her to make out Jordan staring at her with her arms crossed and a sour expression on her face.

  “What happened?” Lonnie asked.

  “The lamp’s not here, genius!” Jordan said, throwing her arms up. “It’s back in the suite. Your wish only works if you’re holding the lamp.”

  Lonnie’s shoulders slouched. “Oh.”

  “Any other brilliant ideas?”

  Lonnie felt her temper flare. She remembered Jay’s pep talk about staying calm. Not letting your emotions get the better of you. Warriors don’t act from anger. “Jordan,” she said calmly. “Now is not the time to turn against each other. We need to work together. We need to figure out how to get out of here.”

  Jordan sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She collapsed against the locked door and slid to the ground. “I never should have put the lamp in that drawer. I should have kept it on me. Dad always told me, never let your lamp out of your sight. Otherwise it could fall into the wrong hands. That’s what happened with Jafar, and it nearly ruined everything.”

  Lonnie chuckled at the irony of that as she sat down next to Jordan. “And yet, now I’d give anything for it to fall into Jafar’s son’s hands. Jay would certainly use it to help us get out.”

  “Well, Jay is different from his father.” Jordan went quiet for a moment. “In fact, all the VKs at Auradon are different from their parents.”

  “Then why have you been so mean to him lately?” Lonnie asked.

  Jordan shook her head and refused to make eye contact with Lonnie. “It’s a long story.”

  “Something tells me we’re going to be here awhile,” Lonnie pointed out.

  Jordan barked out a laugh. “I guess you’re right.” Then she sighed. “We got into this stupid fight, and he said something to me that was really mean and hurtful, and I got angry. Now he’s been acting all weird around me, trying to impress me and stuff, because he knows I’m still mad at him. It’s super annoying.”

  “What did he say?” Lonnie asked, shocked. She hadn’t heard about this at all.

  Jordan sighed. “It was when I was filming him for the documentary, and he said…” But her voice trailed off, and even through the darkness, Lonnie saw Jordan’s eyes go wide. She knew Jordan had said something she hadn’t meant to say.

  Lonnie thought back to the text message she’d seen from Mal earlier that night, and she knew now was the time to get some answers.

  “Jordan,” Lonnie said gently. “I know you already filmed the documentary.”

  Jordan was silent for a moment. “How do you know that?”

  “I mistook your phone for mine and saw a text message from Mal. It said something about how much fun she’d had filming and how she couldn’t wait to see the edit you’ve been working on.”

  Jordan buried her face in her hands. “Okay, okay,” she finally admitted. “I did it. I filmed it. I’ve even edited most of it together, but…” Her voice cracked, and for a moment Lonnie worried that Jordan wasn’t going to finish her sentence. “But I don’t want to finish it. And I definitely don’t want Ben to use it to try to get more VKs into Auradon.”

  Lonnie was speechless. This wasn’t at all what she’d expected Jordan to say.

  “So that’s why I need you to use your final wish to get me out of it.”

  “B-b-but,” Lonnie stammered, still nearly too shocked to speak. “Why don’t you want Ben to use it? Don’t you want more VKs in Auradon? I thought you liked the VKs.”

  “I do!” Jordan insisted. “That’s the problem!”

  “I don’t understand.” Lonnie turned and stared at her friend. She could have sworn she saw tears streaming down Jordan’s cheeks, but she couldn’t be sure in this low light. What she was sure about, however, was that she’d never seen Jordan cry before. “Why wouldn’t you want Ben to use your documentary?”

  “Because…” Jordan wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Because I’m afraid.”

  “Afraid?” Lonnie repeated, certain she’d misunderstood. She couldn’t imagine sassy, bold Jordan being afraid of anything.

  Jordan laughed. “I know it’s hard for someone like you to understand. Afraid is probably not even in your vocabulary.”

  Lonnie lowered her gaze to the floor. “I’m not so sure about that,” she whispered.

  But evidently Jordan hadn’t heard her, because she kept talking. “This documentary is so important. It has to be incredible. The lives of other VKs are going to depend on it. What if it’s bad? What if it fails, and then no one else can get off the Isle of the Lost? It’ll be all my fault.”

  Lonnie forced a smile. “Jordan. I’m sure it’s not bad. I’ve seen every episode of your web show, and they’re all incredible. I’m sure the documentary is going to be incredible, too.”

  Jordan bit her lip. “I just can’t take the chance that you’re wrong. I can’t risk failing.”

  “But if you give up now, don’t you automatically fail?” Lonnie reasoned. “Isn’t trying and failing better than not trying at all?”

  Jordan shook her head adamantly. “No. Not when my reputation is on the line. Not to mention all those VKs I’d be letting down, too. I just can’t handle that kind of pressure. I’d rather just use my wish to get out of my promise to Ben and forget this whole documentary even existed in the first place.”

  After that, they both fell silent for a long time. Lonnie had no idea how to respond to that. Especially when she realized she could relate to everything Jordan was saying. Lonnie suddenly remembered something Jay had said to her when he first mentioned the Auradon Warrior Challenge.

  “What are you afraid of?” he’d asked. And Lonnie had quickly replied, “Nothing!”

  But Jay had been so ce
rtain. “You’re afraid of something,” he’d told her.

  At the time, Lonnie hadn’t wanted to believe Jay, but now, sitting in this dark, creepy room, listening to Jordan echo her very fears, she realized Jay was right. She was afraid of something.

  The same thing Jordan was afraid of.

  Failure.

  Lonnie fidgeted with the hem of her black jacket. “You’re wrong, you know?” she whispered, half hoping that Jordan wouldn’t hear her again.

  But evidently she did.

  Jordan scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, my web shows are great, blah blah blah.”

  “No,” Lonnie said. “I meant you’re wrong about me not being afraid.”

  Jordan turned to face Lonnie, and Lonnie could feel her inquisitive gaze. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m afraid of failing, too.”

  Jordan laughed as though she thought Lonnie were making a joke. “You? The R.O.A.R. captain? Miss I-Fight-Pirates-on-the-Isle-of-the-Lost-in-My-Free-Time? You’re afraid of failure?”

  “Why do you think I wanted you to do my makeup and disguise me as someone else?”

  Jordan frowned. “To avoid getting caught. Just like you said.”

  “That’s part of it,” Lonnie admitted. “But also, I really didn’t want anyone to recognize me as Mulan and Shang’s daughter. Especially if I lost.” Lonnie let out a loud breath. “All my life I’ve grown up with these famous warriors as parents. That’s a lot to live up to. And all my life, I’ve carried around this fear that I never will. It’s like having an older sister or brother who’s good at everything. Except it’s not my sister. It’s my mom and my dad. Do you know how embarrassing it would be if I turned out to be not as brave as the famous Mulan? Not as strong as her? Not as”—Lonnie swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat—“worthy as her?” She paused, letting that word hang heavily in the air. “Which is why I decided to enter the competition as someone else. Just in case I didn’t win. That way I’d have less to lose.”

  Lonnie pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. It doesn’t look like I’m going to get to compete tomorrow anyway. We’re clearly not getting out of this room. No one will ever think to look for us way out here.”

  Jordan reached out to tuck a strand of Lonnie’s blond wig behind her ear. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you have any reason to be afraid.”

  Lonnie smiled. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you do, either.”

  Lonnie watched her friend’s expression carefully. She could tell that even though her words were touching Jordan, they weren’t doing anything to convince her. And she really couldn’t blame Jordan for that. Lonnie understood fear of failure.

  She rested her head on Jordan’s shoulder. “I promise, no matter what happens tomorrow, I’ll still get you out of that commitment. I’ll still use my third wish to set you free.”

  “Thank you,” Jordan said, but the word was stifled by a yawn.

  Lonnie yawned, too. She was so tired after all the events of the day. She vowed to stay awake, though. After all, she was a warrior. And warriors didn’t fall asleep on the job. So while Jordan curled up on the floor and started to nod off, Lonnie stood up and started pacing the length of the club, searching for hidden exits or covered windows. She even walked around the entire space with her phone in search of a signal, but her screen still showed no connection.

  Finally, she gave up and sat down next to Jordan. She wouldn’t sleep. She would stay up and keep watch. Just in case anyone showed up. But as soon as she rested her head against the wall, she felt her eyelids grow heavy. She fought as hard as she could against the fatigue that threatened to pull her under, but soon, Lonnie was asleep.

  I may have fallen asleep, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up.

  “Lonnie! Jordan! Are you in there?”

  Lonnie struggled to open her eyes. Her whole body felt sore and heavy from the elimination round the day before. She was groggy and exhausted, but she could have sworn she heard Jay’s voice. Although it was probably just her imagination. Or a dream.

  Oh, gosh, she’d had the most terrible dream! She’d dreamed that Chen had led them into a trap, and they had gotten locked in a creepy old nightclub—

  Lonnie glanced around her and shuddered.

  It wasn’t a dream. It was real!

  She clicked on her phone to look at the time and sat bolt upright. It was eight in the morning! The final competition was starting in thirty minutes! They’d slept the whole night and were still locked in this horrible place.

  She’d never get her sword now. Not if they were still stuck in here. She couldn’t imagine how they’d ever be able to get out.

  Why, oh, why hadn’t they just stayed at Auradon Prep for the Study Lock-In? She’d much rather be locked in the dorms right now studying for Auradon History than locked in this creepy old building!

  “Lonnie! Jordan! Can you hear me?”

  Lonnie froze and turned her ear toward the door.

  Was that…?

  “Hello! Anyone here?”

  It wasn’t a dream! He’s really here!

  Lonnie lunged for the air vent next to the door. “Jay! Jay! We’re in here! Over here!”

  “What’s happening?” Jordan called out sleepily. “Why are you yelling?”

  “It’s Jay!” Lonnie called. “He’s here!”

  Jordan was up and next to Lonnie in a flash. “Jay!” she called through the slats.

  “Jordan?” Jay called back. They could hear his voice, but they still couldn’t see him from their limited view.

  “In here! The air vent!”

  Finally they saw Jay racing around the side of the building. He skidded to a halt upon seeing their faces through the narrow gaps in the wall.

  “How did you find us?” Lonnie asked.

  Jay bent down to show them the invitation to the fake gala in his hands. “I found this in the bathroom of the suite. I’d been searching for you guys all night, and then I noticed my hair was looking a little ratty, so I went to borrow Jordan’s brush and—”

  “Ew,” Jordan interrupted. “You borrowed my brush?”

  “Hey,” Jay said, giving his hair a toss. “You gotta take care of the hair.”

  Jordan rolled her eyes.

  “Anyway,” Jay went on. “When I saw the invitation, I figured you guys came here. But what are you doing in an air vent?”

  “We’re not in an air vent, you idiot,” Jordan said. “We’re talking through an air vent. We’re stuck in this creepy old shut-down nightclub.”

  “Chen?” Jay said through gritted teeth.

  Lonnie sighed. “He’s the one who lured us here with the invitation.”

  “I can’t believe that guy!” Jay yelled. “I’ve been looking for him all night, too, but I can’t find him anywhere! I swear, I’m gonna get that hoodlum.”

  “First, how about you get us out of here?” Jordan suggested.

  “The final competition starts in less than half an hour!” Lonnie cried.

  “Crud,” Jay swore. “Okay. I’ll see if I can break the door down.”

  “Already tried that,” Lonnie said.

  “Yes, but you’re a…”

  “A girl?” Lonnie replied snidely. “Yeah, a girl who qualified for the Auradon Warrior Challenge, so what’s the next plan?”

  Jay huffed. “I’ll go find someone with keys.”

  Lonnie shook her head. “There’s no time for that.” She felt tears well up in her eyes. She quickly blinked them away. She couldn’t believe she had come this far and worked so hard just to have to forfeit.

  “Wait,” Jay said suddenly, as though he’d been struck with an idea. “Why don’t you use your second wish and wish your way out?”

  “She can’t,” Jordan said impatiently. “We don’t have the lamp.”

  Jay grinned and took off his backpack, rifling inside for something. A second later, he pulled out a shiny golden object. ?
??Oh, you mean this lamp?”

  Jordan gasped. “You stole my lamp?”

  Jay shrugged. “What can I say? Old habits die hard.”

  “You little thief!” Jordan yelled.

  “Relax,” Jay said. “I’m kidding. When I came back to the room to find you guys were gone, I took it just in case. A VK is always prepared.”

  “Yeah,” Jordan said, “whatever. Can you just give it to Lonnie?”

  “Well, well,” Jay said, cocking an eyebrow. “Look who needs a knight in shining armor now.”

  “I most certainly do not,” Jordan said, crossing her arms. “And if you think this whole rescue thing is going to gain you any points with me, you’re wrong.”

  “Fine,” Jay said, taking a step back and admiring the lamp. “You can just stay in there.”

  “Fine,” Jordan snapped.

  “Um, guys,” Lonnie interrupted. “Can we continue this argument later? I kind of need to get up to that arena.”

  Jay seemed to snap to attention. “Right. Sorry, Lonnie.” He looked toward the vent and hesitated. “Um, how am I going to give this to you? This will not fit between these slats.”

  Lonnie suddenly got an idea and turned on her phone. She shined the flashlight toward the air vent. “Look!” she said, pointing at four tiny screws that were holding the plate in place. “The screws are on this side. Maybe I can unscrew them with something and you can pass us the lamp!”

  “Great idea,” Jordan muttered sarcastically. “But what are you going to unscrew them with? It’s not like I bring screwdrivers to every gala I go to.”

  The group fell silent for a moment. Lonnie could practically hear the clock ticking from the arena.

  “How about your earrings?” Jay suggested a moment later.

  “I’m not wearing earrings,” Lonnie replied.

  “No, Jordan’s earrings. The new hoopy ones she bought yesterday. They looked like they might be thin enough to wedge into the grooves of the screw.”

  Jordan touched the gold hoops dangling from her ears. “I didn’t even think you were paying attention to our conversation.”

  Jay shrugged. “What can I say? They looked expensive.”