Thank you guys for the reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying it! I should tell you now that I won't be able to update soon, in between studying and living it gets kind of hard to be constantly writing. So just a heads up, but don't worry, I plan on writing this to the end (which I've already written muahahaha).
I don't own anything but Mac, Saul, Jade and Hailey, my four descendants.
This is how I picture them:
Garrett Clayton – Macarius/Mac, son of Maleficent, twin brother of Mal.
Maia Mitchell – Jade, daughter of Captain Hook.
Jake T. Austin – Saul, son of Dr. Facilier.
Joey King – Hailey, daughter of Queen of Hearts.
Chapter 2.
"It was Mal. She made your mother shrink to the size of the love inside her heart. She's a small, pitiful lizard now."
Sitting on his bed, Mac sneered as he heard the information Saul had gotten from Jay and Carlos when they happily showed him the rest of the school the day before. Saul had to stay with them until late in the afternoon, listening to the whole story as Jay and Carlos took turns to retell everything that had happened from when they had left the Isle of the Lost to the events during King's Ben coronation. And now Saul was passing down the knowledge to Mac, Jade and Hailey, all of them sitting around the boys' room, trying to gather their thoughts and adjusting their plans to everything they now knew.
If he was honest with himself, Mac was surprised by his sister. He would have never thought her capable of doing that kind of magic and taking down their mother in the process. Their mother! The most powerful villain in the land, how was it possible that Mal had beaten Maleficent when she had never been exceptional with magic, not like him?
"My pathetic sister is not capable of doing such magic," Mac told the others, thinking back to when they lived on the Isle and Mal couldn't get through the easiest little tricks, the ones he effortlessly did under the pressure of the magic barrier. "She would surely kill herself trying to."
"Are you scared she may actually be more powerful than you?" Hailey snorted, brushing her short hair.
"She is not," Mac answered, his voice almost threatening. Just the thought of it was ridiculous; Mal's magic could never compare to his. He had always been extraordinary, his tricks and mischief usually priced by their mother, while Mal had been nothing but a disappointment.
"Whatever, that's how those two idiots finished the long, long story," Saul said, taking a bite from an apple he had stolen from the kitchen along with a whole meal for himself of course. It looked like he had taken Jay and Carlos' advice to try every food he could. "And I'm certain they weren't lying."
"How? You read minds now?" Hailey asked, making Jade grin mockingly as well.
"No I don't, but at least I'm being more useful than you," Saul shot back, sending a glare her way.
"Do you want to lose your head?" Hailey sneered, pointing the brush threateningly to his face.
Mac rolled his eyes; they were always fighting like that, making fun of each other and laughing at the other's failures. And still they were more of a family than his own sister had been, because the four of them had also shared laughter after causing misery to others. They enjoyed spreading evil together, they were a team. The perfect team, really. Saul had a thing for playing with people; he was a liar and a cheat just like his father, tricking others into giving him stuff in exchange for nothing at all. Jade was deadly with a sword; she had learned the ways of swordsmanship since she was a child and had grown to be unbeatable at it. Hailey was agile with her body just like she was with her words; at fourteen, she was strong and athletic, but also could persuade people into doing whatever she wanted.
And Mac, Mac was the brains, the power, the leader. He had his magic and his plans, and a heart that wanted nothing but to spread misery and evilness and fear. He was the best at it, just like his mother had been once, when she was running free around the lands, full of magic and power, way before fair, good hearted Kings and Queens ruled the realms. Mac hated them, he hated them all for throwing his kind into that Island to rot and vanish into nothingness.
He would bring those treasured times back; he would free all villains to make of that now peaceful world one of terror and despair.
"I'm certain they were not lying either," Mac agreed. "Those two really believe we want to be here. Unlike my sister and the evil princess."
"Not so evil," Jade scoffed standing up and taking out her dagger. She aimed at the poster in the wall ―one with Beast's face on it and a quote under it that read 'Goodness is good for your heart!', which had made Saul laugh until he had no more air in his lungs― and threw it with a flick of her wrist. The knife pierced the paper right through Beast's left eye. As she walked to retrieve the knife, she added, "We have to do something about it, anyway. They won't ever trust us if we don't give them something to trust in."
"And what's the best way of making someone trust you?" Saul asked uncertainly.
"Poisoning someone they hate?" Hailey proposed, ripping the cover of another heart shaped lollipop. "That made me trust Jade."
"You hated that salesman and I had an extra bottle of poison in my pocket," Jade shrugged, throwing the knife again and hitting the right eye this time. "Today you, tomorrow me, right?"
"Poisoning someone here is not going to make them trust you, girls," Saul said, giving them a look before going back to eating his apple, laying lazily on his bed. "I think love is their weakness. If they love, they trust. That's pretty much what life here is about. Carlos told me that Ben trusted Mal because he actually fell for her after the love potion faded at the enchanted lake."
"So a love potion?" Jade frowned.
"No," Mac spoke and the three of them turned to look at him. "No. Those four would realize if we used a love potion on someone, it's a complete give away. But―" He stood then and walked towards his bed, opening the drawer of the bedside table and taking out a long necklace. It had a big, red rock in the form of a heart as a pendant, and the shape of a golden crown on top. "It doesn't mean pathetic and weak love is not the answer."
"Why do you have Evie's necklace?" Hailey asked, and her eyes lighted up a moment later. "Oh! I get it! You charmed it! When she wears it again she'll automatically fall in love with you."
"That's exactly what I said we can't do, Hailey," Mac rolled his eyes. "It's much simpler than that. It's actually the opposite."
"You cursed it?"
"She'll have it back tomorrow," Mac continued, choosing to ignore Hailey. "Last night I washed the rock with a potion I remembered from one of mother's spells books. It's something like a love potion, but the effect is not immediate. If it were, like I said, Mal would know that we're up to something."
"Your point is…?" Saul sat up in bed to give all his attention to Mac.
"It smells."
"It smells," Jade repeated slowly, as if trying to understand.
"The person who wears it only feels a perfume of their like," Mac explained with a smirk, "but the spell is actually making them release pheromones." The three looked at him expectantly, waiting for a better explanation. "Which means that if Evie's wearing this thing and sees me, and only me, she will feel happy and maybe even lustful. In other words, the potion will influence her feelings whenever she lays eyes on me. It will make her fall, slowly, yes, but there's no way to escape it."
"How does it work only with you?" Hailey wondered out loud, frowning.
"I threw a hair of mine into the mixture," Mac grins proudly. "I don't know how much it will take, but I know she'll be in love with me, or with the idea of a kind and good Mac, the one I'll show her I can be."
"This is way you're the brains of this team," Jade said, throwing the knife yet again and hitting in between Beast's eyes this time. "It sounds easy and effective. But what about your sister? Is Saul going to make her fall in love? 'Cause I don't think he can pull it off, not even with potions and spells."
Hailey laughed loudly along with Jade and Saul faked it, hitting Jade's head with the half eaten apple and muttering something about her undeniable failure if she tried too.
"It wouldn't work on my sister," Mac denied, shaking his head. "She's already in love. Unless it's a powerful love potion, you can't trick someone who is already in love. It doesn't work like that. I'm afraid magic it's not so easy, and Mal will actually be the hardest to convince about our 'good souls'."
"What's the plan then?"
Mac sighed, playing with Evie's necklace as the sun shone through the windows and made the red rock glint. He couldn't help but stare at it and get lost in its natural beauty.
"I don't know yet, but don't worry, I'll come up with something."
They started their second day in Auradon with their minds set on their plans to make everyone, including Mal and the others, trust them so they could ultimately break and destroy them, just what Maleficent had always wanted. Saul's mission was to get closer to Jay and Carlos, so he spent the entire morning learning from them everything he needed to know about the school, the rules, and other students he would surely want to get to know, like most of the boys from the tourney team, including Aaron, son of Aladdin, Ryan, son of Rapunzel, and of course, Ben. Jade went directly to meet the girls, Audrey, Jane, Lonnie and the rest, after Jay gave her a heads up about them as they hadn't been as open minded as Ben when they first came to Auradon; but one thing Jade wasn't afraid of was those suck up princesses, she actually hated the idea of spending time with girls that only lived to dress up and paint their nails. But she had to play her part.
And Hailey focused on befriending Rebecca, Ben's little sister, who was just a year younger than Hailey. Right before lunch, however, Hailey broke into Evie's locker to drop the necklace inside, so Mac would be able to make her start to fall in love with him, while he also spent his day trying to get closer to his sister, who was adamant to stay away from him, although Mac knew she had her eyes on him as well. He could feel them boring into the back of his head from time to time, during class or when he headed to his locker to get the books for the next lesson.
When lunch time came, he was already bored to death with all the classes he had endured so far, and there were still two more hours, Chemistry and lastly Remedial Goodness 101, which he definitely wasn't looking forward to. Chemistry, however, he already knew would become one of his favorites, since Evie would be there and he would make sure to show her that he wanted nothing but to be in good terms. At least he had something to look forward to.
He found himself sliding next to Saul on the lunch table with a tray of food ―it smelled so delicious he wanted to spend all day eating; back in the Isle food wasn't nearly as good as this elaborated dishes―, and the girls followed a few minutes after. They were talking among themselves about the stupid princesses they had to put up with the entire day, faking to have the time of their lives.
"One of them said I should join the fencing team," Jade huffed, trying the good looking seafood on her tray. "So ignorant and judgmental. Just because my father was a pirate I must be the best using a sword, right?"
"You are the best using a sword," Saul reminded her, a sarcastic smile on his face.
"Does it mean they have to act like they know anything about me?" Jade questioned, looking at Saul as if he were missing her point completely.
"You should join the fencing team, though," Mac advised, taking a spoonful of his mashed potatoes. The other thee turned to look at him as if he had grown another head, and he waved it off with a half smile. "It would look like you're interested in something here, and you'd actually have fun making a fool of those princes, who call themselves sons of heroes. A villain girl beating them at swordsmanship, that's something I'd enjoy watching."
Jade smirked proudly and shrugged, implying she would think about it.
"I may actually try for tourney," Saul said and Mac nodded; he could see that happening, since Saul was fast and athletic, a quality he had earned from escaping bigger men whenever he played tricks or stole. "Carlos and Jay make it sound fun."
"Tackling princes," Mac smirked. "That is fun."
"Join the team too, then."
"I might," said Mac, shrugging. "I would keep a closer eye on Ben. And I still have to figure out how to break through Mal's trust issues."
"Oh! I forgot to mention that Rebecca already told me where they keep your mother," Hailey jumped into the conversation, pushing her half eaten plate aside and leaning in a little so no one would overhear. Mac grinned widely at the new information. "I forgot because she didn't stop talking about the scepter and its secret location, and also the choir of Auradon Middle School and all the fun she and her friends have there―"
"What did she say about it?" The three leaned eagerly over the table.
"That all her friends are part of it and that I should―"
"Not about the stupid choir," Jade interrupted her, rolling her eyes. "About the scepter!"
"And my mother," Mac added excitedly. "What did she tell you?"
"Well," Hailey began, taking back her plate and looking away from them, offended, "the location of the scepter is a secret, so Rebecca doesn't know where it is, only the former King and Ben know, and the Fairy Godmother, of course." Mac muttered 'damn it' while Jade and Saul sighed disappointedly. "And Maleficent is kept in the headmistress' office."
"In the headmistress' office?" Mac frowned. "Just like that? My mother is a lizard, yeah, but come on, she's the biggest villain in the land. I thought they would've kept her somewhere harder to find."
"It's not hard to find," Hailey agreed, "but it's very hard to get in."
As they ate, Hailey explained then that the Fairy Godmother's office was not only blocked by two guards, but had a handful of spells that didn't allow other than the headmistress and a selected few to get in. Hailey didn't know the extent of the magic protecting the office, but by the way Rebecca had mentioned it, it was never any good for those who tried to break in ―Rebecca told her that one time a few students had tried to get their hands on the answers to the final exams and had ended up with monkey's tails. Mac wasn't afraid of the tails, but he was of getting caught. If they were caught trying to break into the office, they would most certainly be thrown back to the Isle without the chance of getting their revenge.
Agreeing on finding out everything about the headmistress' office as they could, the four left the table when the bell rang; Hailey went to find Rebecca and her friends in the Middle School buildings at the right side of the campus while Mac, Saul and Jade made their way to chemistry.
Unlike their first classes, the atmosphere in the room didn't change when they walked inside the classroom, as all eyes had turned to watch them before and now it looked like their classmates had finally gotten used to their presence. It wasn't fear or hostility what the students showed when they saw them for the first time, but curiosity and even interest. The fact that another four kids from the Isle had lived here before them and had changed their minds during their stay was making things much easier. This time the children of villains were more approachable, which was exactly what they needed to make believable their lies about their friendly manners.
The moment he stepped into the chemistry lab, Mac's eyes found Evie's, who was sitting in the second lab table at the far end of the room, right next to the windows. Her eyes sparkled in a way he hadn't seen in a long, long time; they sparkled with recognition, as if she were the old Evie suddenly meeting with the old Mac ―well, he hadn't really changed― and he inwardly priced himself at his potion making skills. But just as fast as he saw that sparkle, it was gone; she turned to look at her partner and focus on whatever he was telling her. The red sweater and the colorful, matching pants gave Doug away, and Mac had to suppress a smirk just by the thought of those two together.
It was ridiculous.
"Saul Facilier, Jade Hook and…" Mr. Deley called their names, reading the class list.
"And Mac," he finished for Mr. Deley, smiling. "Just Mac."
"Alright, Saul, Jade and just Mac, take your seats, please, the class is about to start," Mr. Deley told them, and Mac headed to where Evie was, of course, taking the seat in the table next to hers.
The whole hour he felt her eyes on the side of his head and he didn't try to take his eyes away from her either when she wasn't looking back. It was almost like a silent game of who could watch the other the most while they thought the other wasn't looking. He let Evie win, of course, who looked a little confused and afraid at her own interest; she didn't know, but the spell was working just the way it had to, and Mac was ready to put his own charming ways to good use.
The evil princess wasn't the biggest flirt back in the Isle, after all.
The bell rang, right after Mac answered one of Mr. Deley's awfully long and difficult questions and left him speechless with a proper answer, and he headed outside the room, leaning against the wall as he watched everyone exit the lab, waiting for her. She wasn't the last one and Mac actually felt Doug's stare as he called her name and followed her when she turned around to see who it was only to accelerate her pace.
"Oh, come on, Evie," he chuckled as he finally approached her, taking a hold of her elbow to make her look at him. "I just want to talk."
"Well, I don't want to talk to you," she stated, slipping out of his grip and giving a good glare before starting to walk away. He didn't listen, though, and settled next to her, matching her pace. "Can you not follow me? What part of 'I don't want to talk to you' you don't understand?"
"You know me, I've never been one to listen," he joked, grinning, and Evie stopped walking, even turned to look at him. She didn't look scared anymore, he noticed, she looked angry and ―was that disappointment? Mac inwardly sighed; maybe this potion would take longer to affect her that he thought it would if the only thing she currently felt towards him was alarm and distrust.
"Do you think this is funny?"
"I think everything is funny," he looked at her, eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Well, then you can laugh by yourself," she told him, resuming her marching down the hall.
He rolled his eyes annoyingly, before playing it off with a smile, following her yet again.
"I just wanted to lighten up the mood between us," he assured her, shrugging innocently. "I don't like the fact that you and my sister are avoiding me everywhere I go."
"You can't just expect to lighten up the mood between us when there is no mood to lighten up, you and I are not friends," Evie narrowed her eyes, still looking ahead, her necklace moving back and ford as she walked fast with Mac at her heels. "And your sister and I are not avoiding you. We just don't want you close."
"Why?" he questioned angrily, playing the victim. He was anything but stupid, he knew exactly how to carry out this performance, this role of good guy just trying to win them over so he could finally fit in. "Why are you so against the idea of me being here?"
"Because we know exactly what you're capable of," she told him. "There's nothing you can do to make us trust you."
He thought it was a lost battle to keep trying right now, and he was about to stop following her like a lost, pitiful puppy ready to give up for today, but the yellow sign a few feet in front of him changed his mind and just like he intended, he was right there to catch her when Evie slipped with the wet floor. She started to fall backwards, prepared to hit her back real bad, but he was fast enough to bring an arm around her shoulders, catching her midair. She looked up, taken aback by the sudden fall and found two alarmed eyes staring back at her.
"You have to admit this is so cliché," he murmured.
As he felt the discomfort irradiating off of her because of the sudden proximity, they silently watched each other as Mac pulled her back on her two feet and the feeling of her warm skin lingered on his fingers. He was the one to speak first, pushing that last thought away.
"Look," he began his voice soft and sincere, "I want to do this 'being good' thing, at least I want to try. What I mean is that I want to have a choice, Evie, after what you four did I realized that our parents don't decide who we are. We do." He inwardly smiled when he realized she was listening to his words very carefully. "And we were raised to believe something, but maybe that wasn't our truth, that's what I came to find out, because I have doubts as well, just like I'm sure you had when you arrived here. I believe that you haven't really changed, you just became who you were meant to be here and I want to get to know that person while I become who I am mean to be. I want us to be friends, Evie, and not like in the Island, where we just had a silent agreement on not stabbing each other in the back. I want a chance, the same chance you had."
When he finished his long, improvised speech ―he surprised himself with his lying skills―, he only thought how completely pathetic and stupid it sounded in his ears; he couldn't even picture a world where he wasn't spreading fear and evilness, a word where he was bad and merciless. That's what he had been born to do, that's what his mother had taught him all his life, and he enjoyed it way too much. And this place, this kingdom with princes and princess running around in those despicable gardens and that filthy would never change his mind.
He knew exactly who he was.
Evie didn't say a thing, however, and turned around. She just left without a word. This time Mac didn't follow, he knew he had said the right thing, he knew he had planted a seed that soon would start to grow until he had gained her trust and Mal's along with hers. He couldn't help the smirk on his lips as he stood alone in the corridor and finally headed the other way after a moment, to the tourney field with a feeling of annoyance settled in his chest.
Evie's presence wasn't his favorite after all, it was far from it.
Meanwhile, Evie hurried along the hallways, heading straight for her room. Something weird was happening to her and it wasn't only the fact that she suddenly thought of Mac's speech of actually one of honesty, suddenly doubting herself about her thoughts towards him ―she and her three friends had been given a chance after all, hadn't they? But no, it wasn't just that. There was a physical pain that she couldn't recognize; she was pretty sure that she knew what it was, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It was like a slight burning in her skin, right against her chest actually.
Almost like a warning.
Once inside her room, instantly forgetting about her books and homework and tourney and Doug and any other thing that had been dancing around her head earlier that day, she looked down at her necklace against her chest, right where her skin burned slightly underneath the shirt. She frowned; the necklace was glowing. It was almost undetectable and most likely only she could tell the difference. But then again she had spent many times staring at the jewelry for hours while silently wondering about everything that roamed her mind; she knew every side and every sparkling point and every curve, so how in hell wouldn't she be able to tell the difference?
When she finally understood what that feeling meant, she accidently dropped her bag as she hurriedly left the room in search for Mal. She had to tell her and fast.
She had to warn her.
