Mal, having no interest in Kindness Class, sat in the back of the room, gazing out the window. Little did she realise the whole class was silently watching her twirl her pen in mid-air, a trick she'd learnt since the VK's arrived in Auradon months before. The sky was clearer than anything she witnessed on the Isle, the pure sky did seem the clear her mind, although she hated to admit it.
Evie snickered lightly, her leather gloved hands shaking Mal's shoulder. "Mal."
The class snickered when Mal finally snapped to attention, her purple jewelled pen falling to the ground. Fairy Godmother stood with a tight smile on her face, suppressing her annoyance at her once star pupil not even paying attention to her.
"Mal, would you care to answer the question?"
Bending down to pick up her pen, Mal felt the eyes of everyone, including Evie, Jay and Carlos on her. She hoped the chalkboard would hold the question, but it was blank behind the Fairy. "Not really."
Sighing through pursed, pink lips, Fairy Godmother asked regardless of Mal, "If a new student comes to the school from somewhere else in Auradon and they look lost, what do you do?"
Evie was practically buzzing in her seat, her black polish tipped hands waving about in the air. Jay and Carlos, who were a few rows in front of the two girls, were kicking one another fitfully under the desks.
The rest of the class, children of Auradon, were looking at Mal like they ultimately knew what was going to come from her mouth. Jade, daughter of the Fairy Godmother, was one of the only students looking at her with sympathetic eyes.
"Well they're most likely looking for their locker, so you'd help them find it…"
"Perfect." Fairy Godmother was praying with her eyes for Mal to stop but the daughter of Maleficent kept talking.
"… and help them inside the locker. Using brute force, obviously."
The only people who laughed were Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos, sniggering wickedly. Aqua, Ariel's sister Aquata's daughter, smiled under her hand.
"Getting closer by the day." Godmother said lovingly. Everyone in the room knew that instead of getting better day by day she was getting worse. Eviler. "Why don't we try another?"
"I guess there's no other option." Mal admittedly enjoyed the little question and answer session between her and the all-too-sweet Fairy. Each lesson the older woman would question Mal and every lesson Mal would disappoint.
"You happen upon a lost puppy, do you (A) Take it to an evil heiress to be turned to a fur coat." At that, Carlos' head snapped up, his eyes full of something mixed between admiration at his mother and embarrassment that she was in fact was his mother. Many heads turned to Carlos at that moment as well; River, son of Pocahontas looked more scared than anything. "(B) Call the number on the dog collar and hand it over to the owner. Or (C) Feed it a piece of poison apple."
Evie laughed loudly, then realising her mistake, covered her mouth at the reprimanding glare from Fairy Godmother.
"Well considering Cruella De Vil is on the Isle, option one is off the table. Option three I'd leave for Evie and the second option just seems too Cinderella-ry." Mal explained, throwing her legs up onto Evie's desk. If the Evil Queen's daughter noticed or cared that her friend's muddy boots were covering her notebook she didn't let it show. "So, I'd go with option E and kick it out the way."
The classroom sucked in a breath, they children seeming to pull away from Mal. Doug, Dopey's son, looked at Mal like she'd kicked his own father. Fairy Godmother opened her mouth to presumably scold Mal, a scolding Mal was going to happily except.
To her dismay, the bell rang, stopping the humours question and answer session happening. The other students took their time gathering their baby pink and blue pencil cases and books from their desks, chatting calmly between one another.
The villain kids quickly shoved their leather bounded books into their pockets and ran out the room, hollering at the fact school had ended for the weekend. All four of them making sure to knock papers off people's desks, ignoring Fairy Godmother calling after them to calm down and walk.
Dozens of children were waltzing out of classrooms, easing down the room like they were dancing at the ball. Mal and Jay immediately tuned back into their old habits, thieving out of student's lockers and pockets. Mal swiped a rusted fork from the daughter of Ariel, Melody, and a pocket watch from the Mad Hatters son Timothy.
Evie and Carlos on the other hand were hollering and bouncing off the lockers, their dirty feet making imprints on the metal. Students huffed in protest, Merida's twin sons Bernard and Bear being shoved to the ground by Carlos. "Sorry guys." He shouted with little meaning, a broad grin on his face.
"It's fine." They called back in unison, their bright red hair gleaming in the school's white light and their Scottish accent so thick it was barely comprehensible.
The light burst through the doors and into the chequered floor halls as the four children ran through them. They pushed past kids on the balcony and leaped over the banister onto the perfect field. The ground seemed to quake, their feet hitting the sparkling green grass so harshly the girl's heels tore gashes into the mud.
"Mal!" Ben's usually light voice boomed like a roar across the green terrain. Evie, Jay and Carlos stopped to a halt, Mal purposefully taking her time to slow and turn to the king. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, long enough that it draped over her shoulder.
Ben was standing with his hands gripped tightly on the white banister. His face was redder than the leather on Evie's skirt that was billowing in the light breeze. In that moment he looked like his father, teeth bared, and chest puffed out.
Something painful panged in her chest, something she'd tried so hard to push away. Her mother always explained how weak that pang makes people. The pang would be the reason for her demise in power. So, when she felt the pang of love she tried even harder to push it away.
"If it isn't the King of Mutants." Mal smirked, taking in the clusters of students staring on at the display. The abundance of Tritons grandchildren, who were sitting under the canopy of oak trees in their allocated swimming pool, were silent, an attribute no one would associate to them.
Behind the King, Fairy Godmother's plum body walked towards him, her bright pink heels clicking on the stone. Where most people treated so cruelly by Mal would stand with a smug look at her, the too-good woman looked at her sympathetically.
Ben seemed to hone in on his temper, straightening his bright blue jacket and white shirt. His gold shoulder pads glittered in the sun, looking like the brightest jewel in Auradon compared to the black leather jacket Mal was wearing.
"Could you and your companions come into the Headmistresses office?" It wasn't a question and more of a demand, his voice almost like he was baiting her into a challenge. This was a Ben that Mal had never seen before and she would have just walked away if her curiosity didn't get the better of her.
"I don't see why not." Mal waved for her 'companions' to follow her. The three kids had baffled looks on their faces, confused as to why they were following someone's orders.
Mal viciously spit into the half-human, half-mermaids pool, causing them all to gain their legs back and cry out in anger. One of the grandsons face Mal a vicious look, his shining blue eyes clouded with anger.
Jay scooped up some of the contaminated water in a stolen gauntlet he was carrying in his pocket and showered a group of first years with it. Carlos laughed viciously, hoping up onto Jay's back, the son of Jafar easily carrying the fur covered teen towards the building. Evie skipped ahead, her thick sapphire hair bouncing off her shoulders, her laugh carried like a melody across the garden.
Once they got to the doors where Ben and the Fairy were waiting, Mal felt Ben's warm hand cup her back, a kind gesture to shuffle her inside. Her spine tingled, a feeling she shied away from, pushing away Ben's hand.
The school seemed to be spewing children from all directions. The halls were even more crowded than before, children of all backgrounds and ages string on curiously.
A small boy, around twelve or thirteen was smiling in a way to be kind but only riled Jay, who dramatized a bite that looked like he was away to eat the boy. Carlos, still on Jay's shoulder barked a laugh, watching the young child shuffle away.
Ben shot a disapproving glance towards the white-haired boy, his honey hued locks shining too brightly in the light. Mal only smirked at him when his eyes caught hers. They turned the corner only to find Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip.