PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE MAY BE SOME TRIGGERS IN THIS STORY! I WILL try to start and end each trigger with ***. Please let me know if you think that I missed any. This story begins right after the movie ended. I do not own any of the characters or pieces from the movie, Disney owns that. I only own the plot and a few of my own character creations. This is set 8 weeks after the start of school, the coronation happened over the week long break between 8 weeks. Auradon prep is getting ready to start term 2 or the second 8 weeks.

The italicized wording is what the characters are saying in their heads instead of out loud. Enjoy and please review! This is my first story ever so let me know how I did!

Mal POV

His face was inches from mine. He looked so cute with his gold crown that still hung crooked from when I messed it up at his coronation. Sure he fixed it a little bit so he didn't look like a complete fool but I knew better. I think he liked the fact that it was off center. He probably thinks that it shows that he isn't the perfect king everyone thinks he is. Ya right. He is perfect. I mean, who else would invite the kids from the Isle of lost to Auradon. Well, maybe he isn't perfect I mean he SAYS he's in love with me. I'm certainly NOT perfect.

Wait, he's getting closer now. Shoot! I think he wants to kiss me. I can't kiss him! He'll hate me. But I can't look away. He's so gorgeous and his eyes. I feel like he can see into my rotten soul with those real eyes. I've never seen eyes like his. Granted there wasn't much to choose from on the island...

Ben got the feeling that Mal was scared of him in that moment. The little bit of fear in her eyes made it seem as if she had never kissed anyone before. He certainly didn't want to make her first kiss so public. It would've appeared all over the tabloids. No, he wanted it to be special without anyone watching or any interruptions.

Damn she was so beautiful though. Ben couldn't help himself. He had to feel her. Make sure that she was real. He placed his hands on the curve of her back and pulled her closer. Soon she was against his chest and her forehead resting against his. They gazed into each other's eyes while the tension in the air built. Anyone watching could've sworn they were about to kiss when suddenly fireworks shot off into the sky.

BOOM

Mal jumped just enough to break the tension and stare up at the wonderful colors that lit up the night sky. This was all for Ben. All because he was the new king.

Well, kind of. He wouldn't be officially in charge until a year after he graduates. He just happened to be elected into the position at 16 while the coronation was just to show the world that he would be the next King of Auradon until he decided to step down. For now he would be learning the ropes under his father. But that was a long way away. Right now he just cared about the half faery in front of him. The most beautiful and perfect girl in the entire world for him. Even if she couldn't see it yet. He was gonna show her. He was gonna teach her what love was.

BOOM

More fireworks lit up the night sky and Mal soon became entranced. They were beautiful and none of it was magic. They sure didn't have this on the island. They couldn't even see them from the island because of the constant clouds. It was never sunny there. In fact, the first time Mal saw the sun in person was when the limo crossed the barrier that brought her here.

BOOM

The grand finale of the fireworks show brought Mal back to reality. How could she be here with her friends having fun when her mother was a 2 inch lizard. The size of the love in her heart. She didn't deserve this. She let her mother down. How could she! She was supposed to be rotten, rotten to the core!

Mal watched as the fireworks started to blur and listened as the music turned to pounding on her head. It was all too much. Too much happiness. Too much color. Too much going on everywhere. She had to get out of here. She needed quiet. She needed dark. She needed alone and she needed it now.

"Hey, you okay Mal?" Ben words barely registered to the girl in his arms. He had watched the whole exchange her face instead of paying attention to the firework display. What once lit up with wonder and excitement at the colors in the sky turned slowly to shock and pain and then nothing. The same hardened face that he had met when he shook her hand for the first time. The face she used when she was guarded. The Mal from the Isle of the Lost. But she wasn't that girl anymore. What happened? What was she thinking of that she felt the need to hide from him?

"Mal" he whispered in her ear when she showed no sign that she had heard him.

"What?" She looked at him with guarded eyes. Had he seen the flicker of emotions as she tried to control them?

"I asked if you were okay?"

"Oh, ya I'm fine. It's just a little bit too much stimulation. I'm just gonna go sit down for a while." She pulled out of his arms and turned leave him on the balcony. She needed to get out of her and fast.

"Are you sure that's all?" Ben grabbed her as gently as he could and turned her back to him. "I know it was a tough day and all."

"It's not that. It's just a lot to take in. We didn't have this much... Excitement on the island." Ben mouth frowned and he let her go. He knew she was lying to him about what was bothering her. But he also knew that he couldn't make her tell him. He just wished she would confide in him.

Mal left in a hurry and winded her way around the other students. She kept a close eye on Ben and waited till he turned away from her before ducking into the forest. She needed to be some place alone. She needed to think, clear her head or something.

She wondered around the forest until she came upon the enchanted lake. This looked like as good a place as any to be alone. She made her way to the cliff where she could see the party in case anyone decided to follow her. It was quiet here. Peaceful even and had happy memories. Except for the fact that she almost drowned. Maybe that's why she chose this spot. It would be easy to fake an accidental death.

Mal sat on the cliff side and canceled her feet off the edge. She thought about the events of the day and how it all went down. She tried so hard to make some happiness come out of her situation, but it was hard when her mother was a tiny lizard.

I did that. I caused her to become that.

The tines the pride filled her heart for just a moment that she was able to defeat the great Malifacent. That was, until she remembered that she also destroyed her mother.

"Mom, I'm so sorry" she whispered to the sky. Falling onto her back to look up at the millions of stars that never showed their face on the Isle.

So many people in the world and I had to go and destroy everyone in my world. How could I have done that? Mother was right. I am worthless. I'll never be good. I'll never be good enough for anyone. Their happy I chose good now. Buttomorrow, when the sun rises, I'll be an outcast again. They'll hate me and I'll never be with Ben. I'm not good enough for him. I'll never be the pure one he deserves.

She screamed in frustration out at the stars for cursing her to this rotten life.

"Rotten to the core, that's what I am."

"Well, technically we are all rotten to the core. But we make the best of it." Mal bolted up right, ready to pounce on whoever was trespassing.

"Easy M," Jay held up his hands showing he meant no harm, " it's just me." He came closer to her after she turned back to the lake below her cliff and sat beside her, bumping his shoulder against hers.

"So, you wanna tell me why you left the party in such a hurry?"

"No"

"Okay, how about why you're up here all alone without your Benny boo." He joked trying to lighten the mood.

"No"

They sat in silence just watching the ripples in the water. Jay knew she'd let him in when she was ready. She always did before. She may not have ever answered his questions or told him what was bothering her, but he knew enough. They were the oldest in their little group and had been friends for a very long time. He could read her well enough to get by. They were the toughest, the most rotten on the entire Isle. They had seen and experienced the worst of the worst. Some that even Evie and Carlos didn't know about and couldn't know about. It would only make the pain each one of them felt worse.

"Jay" her words came out soft that he barely heard her.

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever wonder if our parents ever once felt the finest spark of love for us?" Jay took a side glance at her. Where was this question coming from? And her tone! She sounded so broken. Jay hadn't heard that tone in months! Not since the night before they left the Isle for good.

"I don't know Mal. Maybe Evie's mom did or Carlos's before she went bat shit crazy. You know how my dad feels." He sighed. Here comes the hard part "of I think your mother might have. Otherwise she wouldn't be two inches long."

"She's two inches because she loves revenge and fire and all things evil." Jay watched her head fall forward and her purple hair cover her face. He barely heard the rest of her statement.

"Not me"

"Come on Mal, she know she felt-"

"STOP!" Her sudden anger made him gulp. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

Once again her shoulders slumped. Jay looked back towards the party when he felt her arm fall into his lap limply Palm up.

"I don't want to feel this way anymore"

" Mal" he pleaded with her. "I don't want to do this anymore"

"Please Jay" his head snapped up. She never says please!

"Just do it." Jay turned to look at the once confident girl next to him. He didn't want to do this. He hadn't wanted to do this for a few weeks now. Not since he started tourney.

"I can't."

"Please Jay, I need this." Her voice pleaded. "Just once," she added as she looked him in the eye finally.

That's what finally did it for him. The despair in her eyes. She didn't know how to cope. Not healthly anyway. At least he could help her cope one more time.

"On one condition, don't ask me to do this again." She stared blankly at him before she gave him the slightest of nods.

Resigned to his fate, he gripped the pocket knife he always kept in his shoe. "I mean it Mal. Please, I'm begging you. Find a better way to cope. We aren't on the Isle anymore"

"Okay" he placed the tip of the blade against her pale arm. Watching her face, he pressed until her felt her arm twitch. Not a single emotion ever flickered across her face as she watched him.

He waited till her shoulders relaxed and her breathing became labored before he let go. Tossing the knife into the enchanted lake he got up and left. He was so mad at himself for doing that again. She stormed off to the party to find his girl. Dancing with his princess would take his mind of the horrors of his past.

Yes, that's what I need

He thought to himself when he found her dancing in the crowd. Through his anger at himself, he never noticed that the knife never made it to the lake.

Mal watched the knife fall down the cliff in slow motion. She couldn't let it go. This may be the last time Jay cut her, but it wouldn't be the last time she got cut. It couldn't be. The memories of the day were too fresh in her mind.

Mal reached out to stop the knife from falling with her magic. She was too focused on the pain in her heart to register that she had stopped the knife without uttering a word. A feat that Malifacent never accomplished.

She willed the knife to come back until rested in her hands. Jay was already long gone and at the party by now. She was feeling better, more grounded now though so she put the knife in her dress. She hide it later. Right now she just wanted to wash her arm off.

She made her way down the cliff to the little gazebo where her first date with Ben was held. Kneeling by the water she reflected on her decisions since she got to Auradon.

How did it all lead to this?

Bens POV

He watched as his little half faery wadded her way through the crowd. Damn she was fast. He had trouble keeping his eye on her. Already she was a master at crowds. If she only knew how great of a queen she naturally was

His queen. He liked the sound of that.

Lost in his thoughts for a moment but that was all it took for her to slip away.

Shoot. He scrambled away searching for her.

Where was she? I just looked away for a second! He had checked all the tables, the stairs, the punch bowl, and even the gardens to no avail. She was gone. The longer he searched the more worried he became. He was so lost in his thoughts trying to find her that he didn't notice the girl before him.

"BEN!"

Startled from his thoughts he looked at the girl. "Not now Audrey" he attempted to move past her to no avail.

"Ben wait! Have you seen Jay?"

"Jay? Why do you want to know where Jay is?"

"He's my date Benny boo"

"Don't call me that"

"Sorry, but have you seen him?"

"No Audrey."

"Hey foxy lady." Jay's voice rang out from beside them. He had snuck up on them while they bickered smirking. Some things never change.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" She grabbed his hand and started yanking him towards the dance floor.

"Wait Jay!" Ben's voice rang out. "Have you seen Mal?"

Hesitation flickered across Jays face followed by regret. What was that about? Ben was extremely good at ridding people's faces. He had to be. He was the new king. The only one to stump him from time to time was Mal.

"Sorry man. I haven't seen her. Maybe try Evie? I think she was by the punch bowl with Doug"

"Thanks"

Confused by Jays reaction, Ben walked, well more like strided, over to the punch bowl again just in time to see Evie get hit with punch by Doug.

"Oh you are so dead mister" she threatened mischievously but anyone around could tell that her and Doug were just having some fun.

"Hey Evie, I hate to interrupt but have you seen Mal?"

"Ya she was just headed to the fo-" Evie smacked Doug before he could say more. Mal looked troubled and probably went to blow some steam off.

"She just went to bed. Sorry you missed her! She looked really tired. Ya know it was a really long day for her. Maybe you should go back to dancing. I'm sure the guys would love to challenge you to a dance off or something." Evie breathed out in such a rush that Ben hardly knew what she said beside that Mal went to bed while Doug just looked at his girlfriend funny.

His face fell and Evie felt bad for lying to him.

"Thanks Evie, I'll see you guys later" Ben left the new couple to go see his mother. Might as well make the best of it.

Evie watched his retreating figure until she was satisfied with his direction. When she turned to her date she was surprised to see him looking angry at her.

"So, do you want to tell me why you just lied to the king. I can't think of any good reason that would be good enough for you to risk his beast side."

"Look Doug, I'm sorry but Mal looked upset when she walked away. I know Mal and as a good friend, I know that she just wants to be left alone."

"But Jay followed her"

"Ya, he always does but he came back alone and frustrated. Probably because she didn't want to talk. Now come on, let's have fun. If she isn't back by noon tomorrow then I'll tell Ben what really happened. Okay?"

Doug seemed to think about it before he shrugged. "Fine, but why noon?"

Evie sighed and looked at the floor. "Because sometimes she doesn't come back in the morning"

"What!"

"Doug calm down! It's nothing. It's just that sometimes on the Island, if things got too tough she would go blow off steam somewhere. Most likely pass out from exhaustion and then be fine by noon. It's no big deal."

"But don't you think Ben, ya know her boyfriend and King would want to be there for her."

"Well of course! But she wouldn't want anyone to see her like this. Heck! She'd kill me for telling you!"

"Why?" He suddenly feared for his and his girlfriend's safety.

"She feels it's a weakness. Nobody knows about it except the four of us and now you. Please just let it go. Let's dance!" She pouted.

Damn that pout. I can't ever resist that face.

"Fine, but I'm leading this time"

"Whatever you say" she laughed happy that she got him to drop it for now but she worried for her friend. Jay never came back alone when he followed her. Was she okay? She'd have to ask him later tonight when they all met up in his room. The girls didn't want to sleep in their room tonight. It was too big of a reminder of Mal's mother. Despite the pretty pink colors, it was everything Mal got when she gave up her mom.

Evie could feel her temptation to use her coping mechanism when she thought about it. She shook her head of the thoughts. She was with Doug know. He made her happy, really happy. She didn't need that other stuff in her life anymore. None of them did. They all had something to live for. Something to be better than rotten for. Carlos had his dog. Jay had tourney. Evie had her clothes line and Doug. Mal had Ben. They also had each other. Everything was going to be fine now.

How wrong Evie was. Everything was just getting started. The real challenges had yet to come.