Heroes on the Isle
Chapter One: New Home
She stood facing the Isle of the Lost, wondering what her new life would be like. The wind ruffled her short brown hair that went down to just below her ears. Her deep, blue eyes gazed intently at the Isle as the Auradonian official walked up next to her. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he inquired.
"I'm sure," she replied.
"Well, then, Starchaser…shall we get going?"
During the limo ride to the isle, the driver was talking Starchaser's ear off about how to keep herself safe on the island. "And make sure you act tough so that no one messes with you. And if anyone does wind up messing with you, teach them a lesson. Get mean," the driver advised.
"If anyone threatens me, I'll beat them into a pulp," she said, though, that was mostly to relieve the driver's fears. She thought, "At least, I hope I can scare away anyone who tries to start something." Starchaser was used to being quite the straight arrow. She never got into any trouble, and was a gentle soul. Still, she felt she had to go to the isle. She felt she could do more good there. "Everything in Auradon is perfect," she thought. "I want to go somewhere that actually needs help." Starchaser also knew that the villains of the isle were still always plotting to conquer Auradon and enslave the inhabitants. By going to the island, she could help to sabotage their plans, and keep Auradon safe.
"The first thing I'm gonna' do is go to Yen Sid and explain the situation. I'm hoping he'll let me join the anti-heroes club, and not chastise me for being so reckless," she said.
"That sounds like a good plan," the driver said. "If anyone can protect you from the dangers of the Isle of the Lost, it's Yen Sid. Do you know where he is?"
"He teaches at Dragon Hall, and frequently stays past school hours. So, I'm hoping I'll find him there," Starchaser responded.
Once they made it across the bridge, Starchaser's heart began to beat faster. "I can do this," she thought, trying to calm herself. She saw the decrepit buildings, and wondered if she could help fix those up too.
"Okay, I've got to let you out here. We don't want the islanders to see us," said the driver. The limo was currently invisible thanks to the Fairy Godmother's magic, but it wouldn't do to let the people of the isle see someone stepping out of an invisible vehicle. Someone essentially appearing out of thin air would raise far too much suspicion.
"I understand. Thank you very much for driving me here," she said.
"You're very welcome. But remember not to talk like that here," said the driver.
She stepped out of the limo, and saw that there was no one around. Good. She closed the door, and heard as the limo started to drive away. She took a deep breath, and began walking further into the Isle, where there would be people.
A few people looked at her suspiciously, not recognizing her, but most folks kept going about their business, too involved in their own worlds. She had nothing but her backpack with her, full of supplies she felt she would need. She was told by several people from Auradon to protect the backpack at all costs, as there are many a pickpocket on the Isle. She held the strap for the bag tightly.
She stopped walking and looked around. Now, all she had to do was find Dragon Hall. She was told it was a big building and was in fairly good condition compared to the other buildings on the Isle.
She spotted a towering building that looked like it was far away. Hoping that it was Dragon Hall, she began walking towards it. As she got closer, she started to see dragon designs on the front of the building, as well as a large sign that read: "Dragon Hall." "This is the place," she thought.
As the sun started to set, Starchaser began to walk faster, not wanting to deal with any degenerates that roamed the streets at night looking for people to prey on. She found a decent number of people staring at her, and was eager to get into the building.
Finally, she stepped into Dragon Hall, to an empty hallway being swept up by a girl about her age with glasses and a robe on. She'd heard that Yen Sid had an intern and wondered if this was it. "Hello?" the girl said timidly. "Can I help you?"
Starchaser replied, "I'm looking for Yen Sid."
"He's in his office," the girl said.
"Where's that?"
"On the second floor. There should be a small plaque that has his name on it."
"Okay, thanks," Starchaser said, and immediately regretted it. "Uh, I mean...uh..."
"It's okay," the girl said. "I'm not a villain. And you're welcome. But you really shouldn't talk like that here."
That was going to be a bad habit for Starchaser to overcome, she could already tell. "Right," she said. "Well, see you around, I guess."
"Yeah," the girl said, and went back to her sweeping.
Starchaser ascended the stairs to the second floor and started looking around for Yen Sid's office. She saw a few classrooms, and curiously peeked inside to see what they looked like. They didn't appear to be that much different from classrooms on Auradon, just in worse condition with some slightly ramshackle desks. And in the classroom she was looking, on the blackboard was written: "Scheming and Bad Manners." She left the classroom behind and continued looking for Yen Sid's office.
Finally, she found it. Her heart beating quite fast, she timidly opened the door to see Yen Sid sitting at his desk, grading papers. He looked up at her with a sharp gaze.
She swallowed hard and said, "Um, Mr. Yen Sid? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Are you insane?" the elderly man asked.
"No," Starchaser responded. "Well, maybe."
"You, as a hero, want to live on the Isle, which is full of villains?"
"Yes. But you already have a group of heroes living here! The anti-heroes club!" Starchaser proclaimed.
"But they're used to living here," Yen Sid explained. "They know how to put on a good ruse. How about you? Are your acting skills on par?"
"Well...not yet, but-"
"Then the answer is no," Yen Sid interrupted. "Go back to Auradon before you get hurt."
"King Ben already approved my mission!" Starchaser fought back, pulling out a piece of paper with King Ben's signature on it.
Yen Sid took the piece of paper and carefully looked it over. Then, he let out a long sigh. "The young are so reckless..." he bemoaned. "Well, if King Ben decreed it so, then I have no choice but to let you stay. And I will help you to the best of my ability."
"Yes!" Starchaser cheered, throwing a fist into the air in celebration.
"But know this: if things get too out-of-hand, if I have any reason to feel that your life is in danger, I'm sending you back to Auradon right away," Yen Sid told her.
"Alright. I understand," Starchaser replied.
"Now, it just so happens that the anti-heroes club is having a meeting tomorrow. I'll introduce you to everyone then."
"Great! I can't wait to meet them! And I'm sure they can teach me the ropes."
"Yes, you should seek to learn from them. They can teach you how to fit in better on the Isle." He stood up from the desk. "Now, in the meantime, do you have a place to stay?"
"No, but I've heard there are lots of abandoned buildings around. I plan to inhabit one of them. I brought a sleeping bag and everything."
"That sounds like a plan. I will cast a protection spell on you that will last the remainder of the night. Go and find a stable enough building you can occupy, and rest there. Tomorrow, at around one p.m. go to the basement of the Castle Across the Way. It's close to Dragon Hall, and there should be a sign out front. That is where the anti-heroes club meets."
"I'll be there," Starchaser responded.
Starchaser lied awake in her sleeping bag, staring at the ceiling of her new "home." She'd chosen an abandoned building near the Castle Across the Way so that she would always be close to the anti-heroes club meeting area. She'd declared the building to be a "fixer upper," but she would start cleaning and making it better tomorrow. Right now, she was far too tired to do anything but sleep, but her anxiety seemed to be keeping her awake. "I'm here now. On the Isle. I really hope I'm able to make a difference here," she thought. "In my new home."