Getting into the back of the car that came to bring them to Auradon was one of the most terrifying things Carlos has ever done. It meant going against his mothers wishes, and his mother wasn't the nicest when she was angry. Add in the well known insanity, and Cruella de Vil could be one of the scariest things on the Island, at least for Carlos.
He wasn't even sure he wanted to leave. Sure, the Island is terrible, but it is also the only thing that Carlos has ever known. He understands the hunger, the fear and pain, the constant wariness, since nowhere is completely safe. The streets may as well be imprinted in his brain for how well he knows them, knows where to hide when he needs to be invisible and where to avoid at all costs. Even the people, as unpleasant as they are, are a known factor, familiar. He knows who he can steal from, who is part of which gang, and who can get him what he needs, for a high price of course.
Now, he's heading into unknown territory, where the rules are completely different and the people unpredictable, all on the orders of Mal, the daughter of Maleficent. It was her mother that had the plot to free the villains and rule Auradon, but Maleficent wasn't what she used to be. Without the magic she relied upon for so long, she was just a short woman with few physical strengths, but an intelligent and evil mind. She got by on her reputation as the biggest evil out there, and managed to keep her many minions in line through fear.
Carlos was, at least by his own estimation, one of the most intelligent people on the Island. After all, punching a hole in the dome was an accomplishment no one else could claim. Avoiding Maleficent and her minions would be difficult, but possible and in many ways better than leaving the Island entirely. Mal was the leader of their gang though, and with all the pressure her mother was putting on her, and the situations they were all in on the Island, he can see why she decided to go ahead with the plan. Once that happened, it was inevitable that they were all going. He just found it rather curious that they were the ones, out of the many other kids of the Island, that were chosen.
At least having Jay sitting beside him meant that his despair was promptly dealt with by a light punch to the shoulder. He laughed, and carefully covered up a wince. His shoulder wasn't injured but Cruella had given him even more chores the day before and it seemed to have caught up with him.
He quickly noticed what looked like food in a section of the car, signaling the others. "Are we allowed to eat those?" He asked nervously, pointing at the dishes and bowls. Taking food was always a thing to be wary of, especially if it was offered or left out with seemingly no one in sight. There are those who take to finding their prey that way, hunting down the inattentive and oblivious.
"Probably." Jay was already grabbing some, carefully tasting them before giving them the go ahead. "Hey, these are good!"
Jay was physically the largest and strongest of the group, and was often delegated to a protecting role, especially with Evie. With her upbringing in a castle, she didn't learn certain skills that most Island kids learn. She managed fine without them, but in certain situation like fights, she had to let her friends handle it. She was getting better at patching them up in the aftermath, her stitches were always perfect.
Right now, she was checking her makeup in a mirror, the real Magic Mirror, if Carlos wasn't mistaken. It was something she did many times a day, so it wasn't an unusual sight. Therefore, Carlos quickly moved on and grabbed some of the food, stuffing some in his pockets and some in his mouth. "Oh!" He said, shocked at the taste. It had to be the nicest thing he had ever eaten. It was salty and sweet, and completely perfect in his opinion. It didn't even taste old.
Evie had grabbed something as well, but Mal had yet to even hide anything away. It was fine anyway, since Carlos tended to have the most pockets and he was filling them with as much food as possible without making it look too obvious, and Jay beside him was doing the same.
He wanted to question the others, ask what the plan was, what they were going to do when things inevitably didn't work out, but he restrained himself. There was an Auradon citizen driving the car, and they couldn't take any chance that what they said would have them in some kind of trouble. They didn't even know how to seem like an average Auradon teen, since he's pretty sure they wouldn't talk about gang wars and robberies, which is a big topic of conversation the Island. So, they mainly stay silent.
He quickly finished storing the food he had collected, making sure it was secure, and then counting it to the best of his ability. This could last them a while, he thought to himself, quickly doing some calculations in his head before tuning back into the present at Evie's shout.
"Look!" She cried, her face painting a picture of terror.
He tried to figure out what was happening. Mal had a remote that had lowered the screen separating them from the front of the car, and Evie had seen something she was obviously not expecting to see. The panic in her voice had him quickly turning to see what was wrong, and when he did, he felt pure fear. The car was heading toward the end of a bridge, metal that once held up the weight now bent and broken.
"It's a trap!" He yelled, quickly thinking through their odds of survival while huddling up to the others. Jays arm around him, holding him as close as possible, barely relieved fear the way it usually did. Then again, there was no chance of surviving this. Or so he thought.
A bright golden light lit up the windows, before fading. The most surprising part of this, was that they were not falling to the deaths, and instead still driving. Carlos looked out the back window, seeing the trail of shimmering gold attached to the end of the bridge.
"What just happened?" He questioned, leaving his position under Jays arm. He looked around at the others, trying to see if anyone had a better understanding of the situation than himself. Everyone but Evie just looked extremely shocked, and so he waited for her response.
"It must be magic." She said, her expression displaying her delight. Not that he can blame her, magic is very fascinating and seeing it for the first time is amazing, but he thinks he'll stick to science and technology.
"Hey," Mal turned to the driver, tapping the remote against the opening. "Did this little button just open up the magic barrier?" Carlos was pretty sure it didn't, since that seemed like a bad thing to leave in unknown teenagers hands, but who knew. Maybe people in Auradon just didn't have common sense. After all, didn't some princess marry a prince who made out with what he had thought was her dead body?
The drivers response had him rather amused. It seemed Mal was too. Maybe some verbal battles weren't completely off the table as he had expected. That was good, since they all enjoyed talking circles around people. Maybe some different reactions will liven it up.
It was still a decently long drive once they reached land once more. They didn't speak much, attempting to suppress the nerves they were all feeling. Even though Carlos had been the one most against going, they all had some concerns. For Jay it was finding things to steal, for Evie it was finding a prince to marry, for Mal it was trying to lead them safely, and for Carlos it was building all the things he never had parts for and surviving as best as he could. They were all under a lot of pressure.
Which was why pulling up to what he assumes must be the school they were going to nearly made them crack. There were people waving flags and signs, and even a band playing some pretty terrible music in front of the building. Once they got out of the care they would be surrounded on all sides by unknowns, four against what looked to be at least forty people. He quickly looked at the others and tried to calm himself, seeing his friends do the same. He had to appear unafraid, willing to change.
He still wishes he hadn't come, though at least he was with his friends. Maybe he had a chance of surviving this with them. When he sees the driver climb out of the car, he knows they'll have to leave the place of relative safety the car provides and face the masses of people waiting for them. Then the door is pulled open, and they start to climb out into the blinding sun.
Wow, I really need to practice writing conversation! Sorry about that. I'm posting this so close to the first chapter to make up for it's short length, the others won't be as quick. Anyway, this chapter focuses on Carlos, and the next will be in another persons POV. I'm trying to hint at bad things, without going into too much detail, like child abuse and starvation.
I welcome all tips and criticism!