It wasn't that she didn't want to go to class today. She just really didn't want to go to class today. And she really really didn't want to spend another minute trying to explain that concept to Cam when he clearly just wasn't getting it.

"Yeah, I'm just not seeing how that's supposed to make any sense, kitten," he said, confirming what Calyssa had already assumed.

"Cam," she started with that sweet but exasperated tone that let Cam know he was missing something that should be obvious. "Tell me, dear brother, what today is?"

Cam scrunched his eyebrows together, clearly not catching the intention behind his sister's question.

"Er, it's Wednesday?"

Calyssa simply raised her brows, hinting that he should continue guessing.

"It's…" he drawled, trying to come up with a better answer. "August 19th?"

Nope.

"First day of the school year?"

A subtle tilt of Calyssa's head let him know he was finally on the right track.

"Orientation day for new students?" Camdryn guessed, finding he was at a loss for any other possible answer to Calyssa's question.

"And those would be?" Calyssa prodded, hoping her brother would finally take the hint, mostly to avoid having to have their names in her own mouth.

"Wait, are you saying you've been stubbornly sitting in your bed all morning because you don't want to deal with the latest kids from the Isle? Because if that's what you're telling me, I must remind you that the likelihood of you even seeing any of them, much less interacting with them, is practically non-existent, your schedule and fantastic ability to blend into crowds considered." Camdryn actually had the gall to sound offended, as though his hour-long attempt to get his sister out of bed this morning had been such a gruelling sacrifice for him to make.

"Y'know, that likelihood is even lower if I don't leave this room today," Calyssa countered, finding this to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for her current state.

Camdryn's face shifted from exasperated to determined in a terrifying moment.

"I hate you." If there hadn't been a hint of "because you're probably right and you care too much" in Calyssa's voice, Camdryn might have believed her.

Instead, he replied with a quick "Love you, too, kitten," in her ear as he continued steering her into their second period class, first period having been missed entirely after Camdryn forcibly groomed his sister into presentability. His hand was on the small of her back from the moment they left their room until now, just to make sure she didn't try to make a break from it and burrow under the covers again.

And of course it was that very gesture that attracted all of the stares from their classmates. They all tried to hide it or be subtle about it, but as a whole they were failing miserably. That's alright, Cam thought. Better to get it out of the way at the start of the day than spend the whole day waiting for it to happen.

Only nasty people spread nasty rumors, and there was no point concerning himself with filth.

So he picked his head up and strutted into class behind his sister with all of his regular sass and glamorous presence.

The rest of the day went off relatively without a hitch, save Calyssa's sulking over exactly how right her brother was. The pair even finally got an appointment nailed down to talk to King Ben about their plans for a sort of field trip to Wonderland that required royal approval, what with Wonderland not technically being within the governed realm of Auradon. Camdryn was actually starting to get pretty smug about having not run into any of the new students throughout the day.

But then, as predicted by Calyssa, it happened.

The worst part is that it was kind of Camdryn's fault. He just couldn't fight his craving for some gelato from Little Taste of Arendale, and of course he had to drag Calyssa along for what he called "emotional support", which really just meant she was there to keep him from eating too much gelato and then feeling very bad about it later. You know, emotionally.

In his defense, how was he to know that gelato would be the first thing the welcome party decided to introduce the new VKs to after school?

So there they were, Camdryn trying his best to look apologetic while also immensely enjoying his gelato. Calyssa doing her best impression of the Invisible Man so as to avoid being spotted by the rowdy group of newcomers several tables over.

To her credit, her ability to practically become a human sized cloud of very thin gray smoke was very impressive. One good gift from her father.

Unfortunately, the glowing teal eyes in the middle of the cloud probably made it more distracting and noticeable than a simple dark-haired, pale-skinned girl in a gray t-shirt and dark teal sweatpants would have been.

Which, of course, is how Doug noticed the pair of them, leading him to loudly ask the new group of students to please come meet his friends!

As he said it, the term "friends" was quickly coming into question for Calyssa. Curse Doug and his impossibly cheery (naive) personality.

Calyssa rapidly gathered herself together, figuring she may as well have a physical form in case she had to run. Evaporating was nice and all, but it did have it's limits when it came to mobility.

The first to offer an introductory hand was Jace, son of one of Cruslla's incompetent minions, Jasper. Camdryn, putting on his best "If you can't outrun them, make them love you!" face, took the lanky hand in his and, with a quick shake, offered a simple, "Hi!" and a smile. Calyssa smiled (hopefully) sweetly and just sort of nodded a hello.

Seeing that neither of his friends were planning on offering their names to the hoarde under his care, Doug took it upon himself to introduce them. "Everyone, this is-"

"Curse my soul, is that Cami Cheshire and his freaky little sister Caly?"

Mother effing UMA! Seriously? The day had really been going so well.

Cam, clearly in shock, said nothing. Calyssa was silent as well, but more due to her being distracted by a certain red-coated pirate who had only very suddenly taken an interest in what was going on at the now very crowded table.

"What's the matter?" Uma asked, a hint of a joke she already found too funny in the tone of her voice. "Cat got your tongue?"

Ah, there it was. That one truly never got old. Not to Uma, anyway.

Apparently taking the siblings' silence as an invitation to fill it, Uma kept talking.

"Ya know, everybody on the Isle thought y'all were dead. We had a celebration and everything!" she said with that sweet/sour voice that let Calyssa know she was just fishing (pun intended) for a reaction.

Cam, finally snapped out of his shock-induced stupor, chose to ignore Uma, electing to simply offer a hand to his sister as a gesture that they should just leave. But Calyssa wasn't paying attention to either her brother or Uma's weak attempt at showing dominance. She was still far too distracted by the now piercing gaze of the one and only Harry Hook, who held her dark brown eyes with his own crystal blue ones. The same Harry Hook who was now slowly approaching the table in a trance-like fashion, paying no mind to the crowd of people he seemed to glide through, coming straight for Calyssa.

It seemed almost at once the rest of the crowd, Uma and Camdryn included, noticed the scene that was playing out before them between Harry and Calyssa, and suddenly everyone was silent, even Uma.

Harry got closer and closer, not stopping until he was leaned over the table, thickly lined eyes only inches from Calyssa's expressionless face. His eyes flicked from her eyes to her hair to her body and then back to her eyes, not as though he were sizing her up, but as though he were searching for something or trying to make sure he knew what he was looking at. Then, without a word, Calyssa quickly rose to her feet, startling Hook only slightly, turned around, and walked out of the cafe.

Harry didn't move an inch, except to turn his head as he watched what he was sure was a ghost walk out of the door and toward the school. Uma, uncomfortable with the apparent state of her first mate, decided to interject. "What?" sge asked Camdryn. "Aren't gonna run after your girlfriend - I mean, sister?"

Honestly, Cam could handle the stares and the subtle suspicion from his classmates at Auradon. All they saw was someone who was different to them and came from a different world, so they made judgements to feel better about what they didn't understand. And he had always had a very close relationship with his sister, so he even understood where the rumors came from. But hearing it from Uma, someone who honestly had no right and definitely knew better? That was something he just couldn't handle.

So he made his choice.

"Attention everyone!" Camdryn shouted to the entire cafe. "I would just like to clear something up here! I am not in some sort of weird incestuous relationship with my sister! In fact, I'll have you know I'M GAY! So if everyone could just call the effort down about it, that'd be great!"

"Also," he continued, now at a far more appropriate volume, "if anyone else wants to call my sister a freak, feel free to take it up with myself or Harry here, who I'm sure would be just as happy as I would to skewer you "

And with that, Camdryn did, in fact, go running after his sister, which was terribly difficult due to the amount of gelato he had recently consumed.