Chapter 2
The first 2 weeks go well. Then Mal wakes up one day with a horrible headache and her eyes hurt. She looked in the mirror over her dresser, and swore her eyes were glowing, she blinked and it was gone. 'Weird that only happens when mother is staring into my eyes, trying to control me.' Mal thought. She decided to say nothing, and went about her day helping Ben with his job. It was nice working together. They really had one on one time together, it was really showing both of them what a real adult relationship might be like.
"Ben?" Mal's voice was full of concern.
"Yes?" He wondered what was on her mind.
"Can I ask you something important?" She said while pulling another book off the shelves behind him.
"Of course." He was really worried now, the tone of her voice the cause. But he waited for her to talk, still sitting in his desk, his back to her. He knew that if he actually looked her in the eye, she might not finish her thoughts.
"How are you going to do all this?" She said pointing to the huge pile of folders and scrolls on his desk, "While taking a full course of classes at school and playing tourney next year? This seems like so much work. It looks like a lot more than you had at Winter break." He turned around to face her, and see what she meant.
"No need to worry, Mal. Mom and Dad are still in a seat of power. I am just sitting equal with them on the throne until I graduate."
"Oh, so they aren't fully retired?"
"They are during the summer." He would have gone on but just then, Mal screeched in pain and let go of the book she was holding. At first he thought she dropped it on her foot, but it crashed into a vase across the room. "Mal!"
"I am sorry. My eyes, they hurt and my head." She said stress evident in her voice.
"That's why you asked that question, I have over worked you, I am so sorry." Ben was concerned.
"I have worked way harder than this before…No, you're not."
"Ok, well it's 5:00 anyway, time for dinner."
The pain went away as quickly as it had come that time, and stayed away through dinner, and a movie. The kids sat in the castle's movie room and watched an old movie that was one of Ben's favorites.
Mal, fell asleep on the couch and Ben tried to carry her up to bed, but he wasn't strong enough, so Jay took over, and put her into her bed. Ben kissed her goodnight and left her. They returned to their other friends, and finished the movie before turning in for the night.
That night Mal sleeps pain free, instead she has a horrible nightmare. It starts out dark, slowly a green light grows. Mal sees what looks like the Dragon's eye, but it's not in her mother's staff. She couldn't see who was holding it, but just before she woke up she heard a deep voice calling her name, "Mal, Mal I command thee."
The next morning Mal is so hard to awaken. Evie came in and "Mal are you up…Oh Wow what happened to you?" Mal looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks.
"E? Where are the boys?"
"Their room? Mal what's wrong?"
"I…we need to talk, just us four."
"I'll get them." She hurries down the hall and grabs Jay and Carlos. They rush in.
"Ok, crap Mal…what is wrong?"
"I…something is not right. I've had horrible headaches and pain in my eyes, also nightmares that show a green glow. Last night a voice was added to the dream. It feels like someone has the eye. Someone here in Auradon."
"That's impossible. The eye went back into the forbidden forest, didn't it?"
"We have no idea. All I know is the other day I woke up and I swear my eyes were glowing."
"Like when you and your mother stare down?" Jay asked.
"Exactly."
"M? What does this mean?"
"Nothing good. And I need help."
"I'll get Ben." Carlos said.
"No, I need Fairy Godmother."
"I think that is best." Evie agreed.
"I'll pop over to her office later."
"Ok."
The day goes on fine until late afternoon. Mal is struck again by a headache and severe eye pain. Without even having time to think, she casts a spell that lifts a vase and flies it at Ben.
"Mal, what's happening?" He turns to see her holding her head in pain, her eyes glowing green.
"Ben get out, I can't control myself, you'll get hurt. Please run, get Fairy Godmother." He grabs his phone and runs into the hall.
"Fairy Godmother, its Ben. Mal…she needs help, magic help. She is casting spells and says she can't control it."
Just then Bibbity-bobbity-boo, fairy Godmother was there. "Where is she?"
"Office."
"Mal, look at me. Concentrate on my voice. You can do it." Mal shakes her head no. "Yes you can, listen to me and only me. That's it. Deep breaths, relax. Good."
Mal collapsed. "Mal." Ben yelled.
"Let her rest. I need my wand. I can do some magic without it, but, not this big." She disappeared and reappeared with the wand. "Something is not right here. Someone is controlling her. I don't know how. I thought only her mother could do that but perhaps with Maleficent gone…maybe her last encounter at the cathedral, left her unprotected, in a way a door is open in her mind."
"Can you close it?"
"I am not sure. But I do know I can give her a personal barrier, for now until I can figure out what Maleficent did to her mind."
"How?"
"I will place an enchantment on something she wears. Something she always wears."
"My signet ring."
"Perfect, I know what that means to her, she will never take it off." She says as she waves the wand over Mal's hand. "Ben, if I know Mal, and she finds out about the ring, she will take it off, we need a few more pieces, insurance we'll call it."
"Yes, the dragon necklace, and that bracelet." He pointed to the necklace on Mal's neck and the leather bracelet. Evie had made her before coming to Auradon. Mal had told him it was the first thing Evie ever made for Mal, and even if she isn't wearing it, she carried it on her. She recast the enchantments on each item. Just in time for Mal to come around. Mal looked at Ben than Fairy Godmother. "What happened?" So they explain. Leaving out the part of the enchantments, they didn't want to scare her.
Mal skips dinner and goes right to her room. When the other three come home, Ben fills them in on what happened. Evie finds her in her room, drawing.
"You ok?"
"I don't know. I wonder how safe everyone is with me around. "
"Now you know, you just have to fight it. And we will do what we can to figure out who it is." Evie pleaded.
"I am not sure I can do it. I tried today, and it took fairy godmother to help me."
"Mal we are all here for you. You have to let us help you." Jay and Carlos add joining the girls
"I'll try but if it happens again…"
"We are all here for you." Carlos adds. He crosses the room and picks up the drawing. "What is it?"
"The staff in my dreams. At first because it was green I thought it was the dragons eye, but now that I have drawn it out, I know it's not."
"OK. Good, Lonnie is working in the library this summer, I'll have her check it out." Jay said, Evie had no idea Lonnie was back.
"Why is Lonnie back?" Evie wondered but was glad a trusted friend could be called upon.
"She couldn't do her volunteer work last summer, due to a family issue, so she's here this year."
"Look, we will all keep our eyes open for anything out of place." They look at Mal to find her crying.
"I am so happy we are friends." She puts her hand out as she did at the coronation, the other three joins her quickly. "Us too."