Hello everyone! So this is a series of one shots about the four descendants lives before the movie, basically how they got to be how they are (hence the title). I know many of you wanted a sequel to Like Mother Like Daughter…Or Not, but right now I am not ready to commit full time to a story. This will be different, quick storylines about their lives and prompts/suggestions are very much welcomed and appreciated! Now for the technical stuff…
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Descendants characters or the Descendants storyline. I only own the story lines that I come up with unless stated otherwise.
Rating: Teen, deals heavily with child abuse/violence.
"Get out! Don't come back until you have mastered lesson four!" Maleficent's raging voice bounces of the cracking, rotting walls of the loft that looms ominously over the streets of the Isle of the Lost. Nine year old Mal tries to hide in her room, thrusting a change of clothes, the spell book, and a hairbrush into her moth eaten bag.
With one last look at her door, half expecting it to crash down by the force of her mother's anger, she climbs out of the window, sliding skillfully down the banister of the balcony. Her face throbs against the blistering wind, a fresh cut slicing through her cheek gathering who knows what diseases from the germ infected air.
Mal runs through the familiar streets, not even thinking as she runs around corners, ducking under tarps and caravans in order to reach her best friend, Evie's, house where she lived with her mother, the Evil Queen.
When she reaches the tower almost identical to her own, Mal grasps the rails of the ladder hanging there specifically for times like these. She swings from side to side, climbing up the dangerous rope. But isn't this what her mother is raising her to be? Evil and cruel like she is?
Finally, Mal is at the top railing, where the rope is hanging from. A light glow is shining behind the tattered window curtains, and a shadow figure can be seen huddled over a desk. Still hanging onto the rope, the purple haired descendant taps three times on the window, not too loud, so that the evil queen doesn't hear her, but loud enough so Evie knows she is out there. Within seconds, the shapeless figure pulls back the curtain without any hesitation. Dressed in a blue nightgown, the shade almost identical to her blue hair, Evie stands before her best friends, pulling the wounded girl in through the window.
"Mal, what happened?" She asks, worry coating her voice. Like Mal, Evie has a certain level of rottenness that she can reach. She thinks she wants to be like her mother, but deep down, she isn't so sure. Especially when it comes to her friends.
Mal throws her bag to the floor when she is safely inside of the bedroom, and collapses onto the lumpy mattress. "I may or may not have fell asleep trying to learn this spell that turns people in pigs. My mom had me up all last night practicing, I hadn't slept in twenty four hours... I was exhausted."
While getting out disinfectant spray, a rare item that only comes once every few months from Auradon (With the help of their other friends, they were able to steal it from one of the cargo ships), Evie tosses a semi-clean cloth over to Mal. Pointing a perfectly manicured finger at her cheek, she asks, "And I assume that was your punishment?" There is no surprise in her voice, this kind of stuff happens on a daily basis, to at least one of them. Mal always got the most of it, her mother being the 'Goddess of Evil', but Evie, Jay, and Carlos got their share too. Between the four of them, it felt as though Evie was always applying the concealer, a gift from her mother, on their faces to cover the visible bruises. You don't even want to know how many there are under the leather pants and gold studded vests.
Mal shrugs, "It's not too bad," she presses the cloth up against the cut, cringing when the pressure is applied. No matter how much she hurt, she would never admit it.
"Mhmm," Evie gives her an incredulous look, but drops the subject. Her own jaw is still a light green from a bruise she received last week. Evie sprays the disinfectant spray onto the raw area, watching the bacteria turn white from the chemicals before wiping it all off and applying a band aid that would be removed before school tomorrow. "Do you want to stay the night? Did your mom tell you when you could come back?"
Mal gives her friend a weary smile, "Do you mind? I don't want to if you are going to get in trouble." For two nine year olds, they are both very mature. They will always be there for each other, it's just the way it is.
Joining Mal on the bed, Evie pulls her into a hug, "Of course not. We can leave early in the morning and try and find something to eat. Don't worry about me, okay?"
The girls slowly settle in, Mal changing into a pair of Evie's comfier clothes and Evie cleaning up her desk where she was working on a project for school. Soon, they are both on the bed next to each other, huddled under the thin blanket, trying to keep warm. In the silence of the room, the only sounds to be heard are the occasional car alarm going off outside, and the burst of a firework from across the barrier over in Auradon.
"E?" Mal asks quietly, being careful to not wake her up if she is sleeping.
Evie turns over on her side, "Yeah?"
"Do you... Do you ever wish that this wasn't our life? Like if we were born in Auradon and didn't have to live like this?" This question bothered Mal more than she cares to admit, but voicing it suddenly makes it all seem too true.
Evie stares at the ceiling, wondering what her answer might be. "Sometimes. But then I remember that when we take over Auradon, that will be us. And also, if our lives weren't like this, I wouldn't have met you, or Carlos, or Jay. And that would definitely stink." Under the blanket, Evie intertwines her fingers with Mal, grasping them tightly. "Keep your chin up, it will all be better soon. Just wait."
So that was the first "chapter"/ one-shot. I hope you all enjoyed and please don't forget to follow, favorite, review, or PM me with suggestions for new topics! Thanks for reading!
~KDanceWriteDream