Hey everyone, I've changed quite a lot of the story, so many of the details will likely be different. Hope you still like it!


A spritz of neon green spray paint finished off the tag: Long Live Evil, designed to fit into a silhouette of Maleficent. The first word was squeezed into her face and horns, the palindromic portion made up her wingspan. Purple fire rose behind the figure and her raised scepter. Each line was sharp and clean, perfected from years of practice.

Now that it was finished, Mal was utterly bored.

She only did this when she had nothing else to do. It had not been that way when she started as a young girl, after she'd heard stories of the so-called 'heroes' and their victories against villains like her mother. Twenty years before, when King Adam brought together the kingdom of Auradon and banished the villains to the magically locked-down Isle of the Lost, he likely hoped the villains would die off quietly, unable to cause any trouble. Little, defiant Mal created her tag for any visiting do-gooders to see that their hopes were in vain. People like Maleficent never truly disappeared. People like Mal made sure of it.

Now, though, there was usually a more productive way to spend her time. Mal's mother, the Queen of Darkness herself, made her memorize spells from the worn-out book she'd smuggled into her imprisonment. It was in preparation for their eventual escape from this magic-less prison, Mal supposed. Jafar often pitted Mal against his son, Jay, in hand-to-hand combat in lieu of strength training. She also spent a couple hours a day stealing food and interesting trinkets from other inhabitants of the island (mostly children, but adults if she wanted a challenge) to make sure her crew was the best fed and happiest of all the villains.

But it was high noon and most of her cronies were still sleeping. The crowded, dirty streets of the Isle were empty and would stay that way until close to nightfall. Mal did not sleep all that much. Dreams of crowns that belonged to her had been plaguing her as of late. She'd sat with the spell book long enough to recite the whole thing from memory, and she wasn't in the mood to stare at pages anyway. So her lack of options had led her here, to the makeshift marketplace where things were stolen as often as traded. It had been a while since she'd replaced the old tags that had been covered up or painted over. The weekly delivery of supplies from Auradon was underway, and she wanted the delivery men to see this image. See it and fear it.

Admittedly, it was not the most ambitious evil scheme ever undertaken.

The Auradonians were protected from the villains by magic whenever they needed to visit the Isle. Their entire operation was hidden from sight until they were gone, at which point various old fruits, vegetables, breads, and meats that had been discarded from the mainland suddenly appeared in the marketplace. To Mal's trained eyes, the magic was easy to spot - a shimmer here, a wisp of kicked-up dust there. But she let them think they were unseen - her presence was enough to strike fear in their hearts. Anyway, it wouldn't do to let all of Auradon know that Mal's skill with magic was anything more than amateurish. Not yet. But she had plans, ruthless plans that would bring down entire kingdoms once she was strong enough and out of this forsaken place.

Any minute now, the invisibility would lift and Mal intended to grab more than her fair share.

She hated that she, the girl with the most potential out of any of the villainous children, was reduced to petty theft. She could feel her power in her veins, but she couldn't use it until the barrier around the island that prevented her magic was lifted. Every day, though, she grew stronger. And every day, she believed more and more that she was destined for something truly terrible. Yet, here she was, grabbing food before the hordes came to do the same.

All of a sudden, she heard a low, droning noise coming from the broken bridge that led to the mainland. Throwing aside the half-empty aerosol can, Mal sprinted to the north side of the island. Dilapidated buildings, tattered clothes on drying lines, and haphazardly strewn trash passed her by. She paid these familiar items no mind. The only thing she'd never seen before was the shiny black limo slowly driving through the narrow alleyways. It was struggling; there were scratches on it where exposed metal pipes and bars from the surrounding buildings had made their mark. The car attempted to scale a small pile of rubbish in its way, and then gave up. Mal heard the engine turn off before the driver got out.

He was a tall man, wearing a neat suit and sunglasses. Even without the sunglasses, his face would have been instantly forgettable. But he was most certainly not an island-dweller. "Who are you?" he asked, rather rudely. Mal appreciated it.

"Depends, who's asking?" She leaned on the nearest wall, observing the man with her bright green eyes. Normally, she paraded around the fact that she was Maleficent's daughter. It made her all but untouchable. This was not 'normally'. This man was definitely from Auradon and she'd heard enough to keep her cards close to her chest with these people.

The man drew himself up. "My name is Jeffrey, and I am here on behalf of Prince Benjamin of Auradon. I am looking for four inhabitants of this island and...there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to this place." He kicked at the carcass of a chair on the side of the road.

His disgust irked her. Sorry it's not anything like your perfectly maintained castles. She needed to distract him for a while so she could steal from the limo. She would've preferred to knock him unconscious, but who knew how many knights and squires would come bearing down on the isle to put her back in her place. "I can show you around. For free, even." She flashed a smile at him, and saw him shudder. "I've never had a ride in such a fancy car."

Jeffrey scowled at her. "Not a chance, demon spaw - I mean, no, that won't be necessary. I'll find them myself."

She smirked back. "Demon spawn? Now you've hurt my feelings. I think you owe me a ride. Besides, how are you going to find anyone in this place without a guide?"

He glanced around, finding a veritable ghost town, and then sighed in defeat. "I'm looking for four kids. Carlos, Evelyn, Jamsheed, and Mal...just Mal, I guess."

Mal half-considered letting him announce those names and watch the owners tear him apart for using the full versions, but then she realized what he was asking. She paused, startled. The four of them were a well-known, much-feared gang on the Isle, but how had they gotten themselves into trouble with the Auradonian authorities? None of them had ever set foot on the mainland.

"What do you want them for?" she asked evenly.

"None of your business. Where can I find them?"

"We'll need to go to the south side of the island." Mal approached him, noting his obvious flinch with satisfaction. "We'd better get moving."


Evie woke to the voice of an irritated Maleficent. She and her mother, the Evil Queen Grimhelde, shared the largest, most ominous building in this floating prison with Maleficent and her daughter. For the most part, Evie avoided angering any of the powerful villains she lived with, and was therefore quick to escape her bed and run into the bathroom. Her morning make-up routine was more than long enough to wait out Maleficent's tirade.

She moisturized first, using a miniscule amount of lotion so that this bottle would hold over until some Auradonian royal decided to throw out another one. Her blemish-free skin marginally softer, she brushed on a powder foundation. Eyelash-curling, eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, brow powder, blush, lip liner, and lipstick followed. Relief flowed through her as she perfected her made-up face; it always comforted her when she ceased looking like a "washed out freak," as her mother had taken to calling her. When she emerged to look for her hairbrush, she found seven people waiting on her.

Maleficent was there, not nearly as angry-looking as she should have been for being woken before mid-afternoon. Her black cape and robes shimmered in the low light that was permitted in the room. Evie always found her horns disconcerting. As someone who was constantly berated over the way she looked, Evie couldn't fathom how Maleficent had any self-confidence at all with those grotesque, twisted things growing out of her head.

Next to her stood Mal, the closest thing Evie had to a friend. The purple-haired girl was cold and calculating, cruel if angered, but she looked out for her own. Her fashion sense left much to be desired, but she was pretty in an ethereal kind of way. Must be the fairy in her, Evie had reasoned long ago. Mal had her arms crossed, her expression blank, but Evie could tell from the subtle hunching of her shoulders that Mal was not pleased.

Jafar and his son, Jay, had also joined this gathering. Jafar traded the items Jay stole on the island, and was therefore responsible for a good amount of Evie's makeup. Jay had been raised a fighter and a thief, and it showed in his muscular build. He'd been blessed with stunning good looks as well, but his flirtatious attitude and lack of any actual property made him quite uninteresting to Evie. The two Middle Eastern men appeared as confused as she, and Evie got the idea that her absence was holding up the dissemination of some very important information.

Next to them stood the nutcase Cruella de Vil and her bite-size son, Carlos. The two of them had naturally black hair that Cruella insisted be dyed white. Carlos did the dyeing, as well as the cooking, cleaning, grooming, and working in that household. A large portion of his time was spent caring for Cruella's collection of rare furs. Who knew what Cruella did all day. The only clue was that though Carlos was rarely around, when he did show up, he came bearing fresh cuts and bruises from his insane mother. He was prone to violent rages, though less frequently than his mother, and his false-friendliness had forced down the guard of many a victim in the past. He was currently holding the hem of Cruella's long coat so that it did not brush the ground when she walked.

Finally, the Evil Queen herself. Evie's mother, and once upon a time a shoe-in for Fairest in the Land. She was old, now, and kept most of herself covered up, choosing instead to live vicariously through her daughter.

"Oh Evie, your hair! Disgusting little girl, don't you know better than to greet guests with bedhead?" screeched Grimhelde. Evie winced. She would pay for this later with more insults.

"Shut up, Grimhelde," snapped Maleficent. "Now that we're all here, my dear daughter has news."

All eyes turned to Mal. Not once had Maleficent ever used a term of endearment for anyone. Something had changed. Mal pretended not to notice. "Some guy from the mainland is outside with a limo. He's looking for the four of us. I think he's taking us over the bridge."

Shock and silence.

"What for?" Jay asked.

"He won't tell me. I didn't tell him I was one of the people he was looking for, though. Maybe if I do, he'll be a little more forthcoming." Both because he was looking for her, and because she was the daughter of the most evil woman in the land.

"Listen to me, you brats," said Maleficent. "So far, you've been all but useless. This is your chance to do something worth our time, for once. The minute you're off the Isle, you can use magic." She looked pointedly at her own daughter. "Take advantage of that to steal that Godmother hag's wand. It's the only thing powerful enough to destroy this barrier and free us. That needs to be your first priority." She gave them all a wicked smile. "Free us, and nothing will stop our takeover of the kingdom. Nothing will stop our wrath."

The Evil Queen pulled Evie aside. "First priorities are all very well," she whispered, "but you need to find a prince for yourself. Never forget what I raised you for." She patted her daughter's cheek. "You will make me a true queen again."

"I'll find the richest one, mother," Evie promised. "I'll make him fall for me, you'll see."

"Not looking like that, you won't. Don't you dare let anyone see you with a single hair out of place again."


Carlos knew what was waiting for him across the water.

Vile, rabid pack animals.

No matter how much Cruella beat him, he knew it was nothing compared to what a single dog could do. His mother rarely left out the gory details.

Rip out your throat and claw through your belly.

He had nightmares of gnashing teeth and soulless eyes.

"Are they taking us somewhere worse?" Carlos asked Jay, seeking any sort of comfort despite knowing Jay could give none. He relied on Jay much more than any islander should rely on another, but they were close enough that it didn't matter. Carlos' attacks had been getting him in trouble for years. Jay had stepped in one day to prevent a beating from the goons of someone Carlos had subjected to his unstable fury, for reasons Carlos had never figured out. Since then, they'd been inseparable, working as a team: Jay would bring his day's takings to Carlos to tinker with, and leave with that item converted into something more valuable. More importantly, though, Jay was the only person who could calm Carlos, the only person who had some understanding of why he needed to hurt other people. They made each other laugh, too - something rare around those parts. Between their roughhousing, their inside jokes, and the deep understanding between them, Carlos was almost content. Almost. But even hinting at anything more would have been dangerous among the intolerant inhabitants of the island.

"I don't know." Jay very rarely walked around without an easy smile on his face, but he was dead serious as they approached the limo.

Mal stopped just in front of the limo driver, who had probably been waiting upwards of a half-hour. "I'm Mal. This is Carlos, Jay, and Evie. Now tell me what you want."

Using the very recognizable parents behind them as confirmation of their identities, the driver cleared his throat nervously and answered, "Oh. Well, congratulations to all of you. Prince Benjamin of Auradon has decreed that the children of the...citizens...of the Isle should be given a chance to learn and grow alongside everyone else. He has formally invited you to study at Auradon Preparatory School. Should you choose to accept - "

"We accept," Mal interrupted after a prod from Maleficent. The other three teens exchanged looks. Prep school? With heroes' kids? Did these people have a death wish?

The man looked like he'd been holding out hope that they wouldn't. "Alright...since you've accepted, I'm to take you to Auradon Prep immediately. The new school year will begin tomorrow. You'll need to pack quickly."

A short pause to let their change of luck soak in, and a nod of understanding. "We'll be out soon," said Evie with a sickly-sweet smile.

Barking, biting, feasting...all while he was still alive.

Carlos was not excited about what waited for him across the water.


The limo was full of technology Jay had never seen and food Jay had never tasted. He'd started with the food first, quickly recognizing the majority of it as chocolate. The sweet was rarely ever found on the Isle, though Jay was pretty sure he'd stolen a bar or two for his dad's shop. It melted in his mouth and tasted like heaven. He grinned at Carlos with brown-stained teeth, and when his best friend grinned back, he temporarily forgot about the unknown territory they were driving into.

Mal refused to eat anything or say anything beyond "don't do anything stupid when we get there, we need a few days to see what we're dealing with", instead choosing to sit in a corner of the limo with her arms crossed and her eyes fixated on the divider that separated the four from the driver. Jay had seen Maleficent taking her aside before they left, and had no doubt that whatever scheme they hatched was largely dependent on Mal stepping up to the plate. The girl was always looked cool as ice under pressure, but this was beyond any pressure they had experienced before.

They all felt a bump as they left the confines of the magical barrier. Mal's eyes widened, and she hunched over even more.

Evie was touching up her blush using the magic mirror her mother had given her before she left. She was easily the most excited out of the four, and they soon learned why. "I can't believe I'm finally going to meet princes. I wonder how long it'll take for me to have one wrapped around my finger?" She winked at Jay. "How do I look?"

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, I guess." Her smile quickly turned into a glare, but he didn't care. She was stunning, but not the kind of stunning he'd ever been looking for.

"Mmmja, yuff gottry iss," Carlos told him through a mouth full of candy, holding out a handful of what looked like colorful pebbles. Jay popped one in his mouth, surprised at how sweet it was, and then took all of them from the younger boy. Hunger more than satisfied, he began looking around for easily detached items.

There was an actual carphone on Evie's side, which he'd only ever heard of. With a tug, it came free, and he stashed it under his jacket even though it created a very obvious bulge. He found more merchandise in the storage pockets underneath the driver's barrier. Carlos caught on, digging between the seats for any fallen valuables. He managed to come up with what looked to be a real diamond earring. The two of them searched under the seats, finding a variety of board games and books, as well as a soft-as-a-cloud blanket that was immediately a point of dispute.

"I want this," Carlos demanded, his general mouth area covered in chocolate. "Get something else!"

"No, you get something else. This is mine!"

They pulled at it in a tug-of-war of sorts that everyone knew Jay would win, ignoring Evie's huffing and Mal's irritated looks. So caught up were they in their half-game/half-conflict, they didn't notice the limo had stopped. Jay had Carlos pinned to the door with one hand and was pulling the blanket with the other when Jeffrey pulled the door open. The two of them spilled out, surprised as the ground rushed up to meet them.

Jay hardly noticed where they were, instead trying to get himself untangled from Carlos and the blanket. The two girls stepped over them as they exited, Evie throwing them an unimpressed glance. Jay got up and offered a hand to a slightly-red Carlos just before the carphone slipped out of his jacket. He looked up to find that about fifty people had seen it.

Before him was a grand castle, with emerald green lawns dotted with statues and topiary stallions. They'd been dropped off in front of the entrance, over which large letters proclaimed "AURADON PREPARATORY SCHOOL." In front of the school was an ironically silent band, as all of the members were busy gaping open-mouthed at the new arrivals. Three people pushed through the musicians, their megawatt smiles mostly fake.

One of them was an older woman, wearing a conservative baby-blue dress decorated only with a pink bow. The other girl, a pretty brunette with tanned skin and the most expensive clothes Jay had ever seen, held a bouquet of flowers. All eyes were on the third person, though - an absolutely gorgeous boy whose hair looked like it was strands of pure gold. His face was a combination of kind and attractive that was somehow complementary. He dressed well too, in an expertly tailored suit and shiny black shoes that Jay was itching to steal right off his feet. Even his cuff links would have made Jafar jump for joy.

Pointedly ignoring the stolen goods that had dropped onto the grass, the unknown boy extended a hand to no one in particular. "Hello. I'm Prince Benjamin, but you can call me Ben. Welcome to Auradon Prep."