Chapter 2: Lived a lonely girl...

Knives were incredibly hard to come by on the Isle. However, Mal had her ways, and she'd decided to spend her Sunday morning playing darts with the few she'd managed to scavenge over the years. There was something off in the air that morning ,and she didn't mean the smell of the rotting food from the market. 'The future is hazy,' Dr Facilier had said to her that morning, and somehow it had perfectly described that morning.

There was a buzzing feeling pulsing through her veins, the adrenalin keeping her awake and steady as she threw knife after knife at the makeshift dartboard she'd created only a few days prior in front of the 'castle' she lived in. Well, it was more like ruins. Her mother was perched on the balcony in her 'throne', looking over the Isle as if she ruled it. Well, she did in a way. With fear.

Every knife she threw landed perfectly in the centre of her target. Her mother would brag it being the result of her intensive training, of course. Nothing less than perfect could please Maleficent.

The day was planned to be a boring one. Maleficent was planning on paying Jafar a visit, meaning Mal could tend to her cuts and bruises secretly.

Who ever said that being a Villain's child was easy?

Suddenly, the air changed. Maleficent seemed to notice too, sitting even more stiffly. It was as if for a moment, a ray of sunshine had crept through the island, pushing out the mist and the rotten for just a few seconds.

Then, Mal heard it.

Tyres.

The screeching and slipping of tyres approached her, as if a car was trying to make its way through the twists and turns of the streets on the Isle. Of course, that wasn't possible.

'But a car did come to pick Evie, Jay and Carlos up,' Mal thought, quickly shaking her head before a ridiculous idea formed in her head.

Maleficent, being higher up than Mal, had already seen what was coming. A shiny black limo, maybe shinier than the first one that had come, was approaching their home quickly.

Maleficent smirked, "I told you great things were coming pumpkin!"

A few moments later, the same shiny black limo drove hastily to the front of the castle, its engine dying down once the car was in front of Mal. She took a step back, not out of fear, but more out of defence. She didn't recognise the logo on the side of the limousine, but she knew it could only be from one place.

The driver's car door opened, a tall man with a dark suit stepping out. He had a stoic expression on his face, looking down at Mal, who seemed tiny in comparison.

"You're Maleficent's daughter?" He asked her, disgust evident in his voice as he looked around wearily through his dark sunglasses.

"Depends, who's asking?" Mal quickly replied back. She really didn't like how calm this guy was.

"Authorities of the United States of Auradon," He replied just as quickly, watching Maleficent descend from their home and stand behind her daughter, "You've been selected as a 'Villain In Need' to attend Auradon Prep."

"Yeah... No," Mal replied sharply, "I'm doing perfectly well here. I'm not coming."

"Mal, honey, a word," Maleficent demanded, grabbing Mal's shoulders and turning her away from the man.

"Okay now listen to me very carefully," Maleficent began slowly in a hushed tone, "This is your chance to prove to me how evil you really are. You can bring evil back in Auradon."

"And I'm meant to do that how exactly?" Mal asked, sparing a glance at the driver idly standing by.

"Do I really have to do all the evil scheming for you? I thought you were old enough for that," Maleficent scolded, pulling out her spell book from her cloak, "They have magic in Auradon, and once you can master these spells, you will be able to break the barrier and set us all free. Evil will rise, and it will all be thanks to you if you go."

Mal considered this. She knew her mother was manipulating her into freeing her of her prison, and it would truly be the evil scheme of the century, but could she really leave the Isle? She knew that once out of the barrier, everything and everyone would be different. But then again, you need to push yourself to achieve your goals.

"Alright fine," She announced loudly enough for the driver to hear, "I'll go. When do we leave?"

"As soon as you're packed," He replied, "Please, make that quick."

"Nasty..." Mal mumbled, "I like it."

And as she packed, she looked around her old, dusty room. Sure it wasn't much, but it was her home, and she wasn't sure if she could leave everything behind for her mother's greed. She looked at the jewellery box, which still lay between broken mirror pieces. She crouched down next to it, picking it up and slicing her hand in the process, but a simple cut like that was nothing compared to the throbbing pain of her bruises and in her stomach. She stuffed the box at the bottom of her ragged bag, as well as the rest of her clothes and possessions. Oh, and her mother's spell book, of course. It wasn't much, and she was soon ready to go.

"The future of the free world rests on your shoulders," Maleficent whispered through a forced smile as the driver took Mal's bag and threw it in the boot, "Don't blow it!"

"I won't mother," Mal replied through an equally forced smile, "I'm rotten to the core, remember?"

"That's my nasty little girl," Maleficent said as the driver returned, "Now off you go! Mommy will miss you so much!"

"I'll miss you too mother!" Mal replied, the sheer sugar sweet sickness of the statement making her gag.

She climbed into the car and sat on the plush leather, flinching as the car door slammed shut behind her. She could already feel the car engine rumbling to life, her stomach doing backflips, and not only from hunger.

Once it started moving, she could barely focus on the scenery around her. She'd seen the roads and the streets of the Isle more times than she'd care to count, and she didn't need the painful reminded of what she was leaving behind. It was all too sudden, already feeling like one of those stuck-up princesses watching the slums through black tinted glass. She was a villain, not a hero. She didn't deserve to be leaving. If anything, she should be the one staying. After all, she was the most rotten apple in the basket.

As much as her stomach craved it, she didn't care about the disgustingly sweet treats placed inside the limousine, as well as the 'Welcome to Auradon Prep' gift basket, also filled with those treats. She wouldn't cave in so soon, or at all. That just wasn't her.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, not bearing being able to watch her home slip away from her fingers like that. She was going to make her mother proud, she had to.

"Don't you want to be evil like me..."

"Today! It's today!"

Evie burst through Jay and Carlos' dorm room excitedly, waking them up in the process. She'd already been awake for hours, having had an early breakfast with Audrey and seeing the driver off as he made his way to the Isle for Mal.

"Its also 8am Evie," Carlos groaned, pulling his pillow over his face. Jay sat up from his own bed tiredly, rubbing his eyes and looking at Evie with a confused expression.

"Meaning we need to start getting ready! Mal is coming today, remember?"

Both boys froze, looking at each other. In an instant, they were up, wrestling with each other for the first bathroom turn. Evie gracefully slipped past them calmly, beginning to make their beds for them. She wanted everything to be perfect.

Evie hadn't changed much since she arrived, apart from discovering just how intelligent she was. She'd started dating Chad Charming a few weeks after claiming her goodness at the coronation party, and her outfits were always the pinnacle of fashion. She was delighted, blissfully happy. Well, apart from when Chad would stop her from studying with Doug to help him with Chemistry homework, but Chad was just... Well, charming. She couldn't refuse. She was blinded by the glamour of her new life, being able to be a part of the group of royals that basically governed the school.

Jay had quickly become the favourite of the team, but with that also came popularity. He didn't have as much time as he once had to hang out with Carlos. Sure, they shared a room, but both had very different lives now. Jay was always out with the team, eating every meal with them and studying with them when they didn't have practice. He was intoxicated with the idea of a team, to be able to count on others rather than just himself.

Carlos, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky as them.

He was still good friends with both of them, yet they never seemed to have time for him. He'd focused all his time on schoolwork, finishing homework at record speeds so he could continue investigating just how he could develop a new invention, or discover a new chemical reaction. He was engrossed with the beauty of science, therefore found himself spending a lot of time with Doug and Jane, who also seemed to have a knack for knowledge. Sure, he'd be teased by Chad and a few of the tourney players, but he was much happier living in Auradon rather than under the tyrannic rule of her mother. Sometimes his skin would itch from the ghost of the many injuries he'd endured over the years.

Even after branching out to other people, the trio were still very close. Therefore Evie was no longer surprised when Jay had put Carlos in a headlock.

"Mal will be here in just a few hours, and everything needs to be absolutely perfect," Evie said as she pulled out her blushed from her bag, re-applying.

"Who's she rooming with?" Jay asked as Carlos tripped him up.

"Well we were planning on having her room with me, but Audrey moved into my room last month, and the only spare bed is in Lonnie's room," Evie explained.

"Couldn't Audrey just- ouch Jay! -move back?" Carlos panted as Jay had pinned him on the floor, now sitting on his stomach.

"Mal needs to make new friends anyway. Rooming with Lonnie is definitely for the best. You know how sociable Lonnie is," Evie explained, "By the way, Ben said one of you can use his shower."

Jay quickly sat up and made a beeline for their bathroom, locking the door behind him before Carlos could push him out. Carlos groaned, trudging back to his bed and picking up the clothes Evie had already picked out for him.

"Don't forget to floss!" Evie called to Jay as he started up the shower, leaving with Carlos in tow.

"I'll meet both of you outside before lunch, I need to go find Audrey. Catch you later!" Evie called as she made her way swiftly down the corridor, greeting everyone she passed.

"She really is the perfect princess," Carlos mused, watching her for a few seconds before making his way to Ben's room.

Ben was one of the only boys on the team that hadn't picked on him yet. He was far too kind to do anything of the sorts. When he broke up with Audrey before the coronation, he'd spent a whole evening playing video games with Carlos and eating junk food. Sometimes, Carlos forgot Ben was meant to be the king.

Ben, although officially announced, still hadn't taken on the role of king. He decided to let his father rule at least until he'd finished school. He didn't feel ready for the responsibility that came with being a king. Well, at least not yet.

Carlos and Ben were by no means best friends, but the two could understand each other quite well. Ben knew Carlos had a tough time adjusting, and Carlos knew how hard Ben worked all the time. If they ever needed a break, the other was there for them.

"Mind if I use your shower?" Carlos asked Ben, who was pacing his room nervously.

"Huh? Oh, sure yes go ahead," Ben replied distractedly as he toyed with the ring on his finger, the one his father had given to him.

"Hey, uh, you okay man?" Carlos asked wearily, approaching him slowly.

"Yeah, fine, just a little nervous for today that's all," Ben replied, continuing his incessant pacing.

"Right... I'll just..." Carlos trailed off, making his way to Ben's bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

There was no point in pretending he wasn't nervous too. Mal was known to have a temper, and who knew what they were about to unleash on their school.

Mal wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd first sat down on the plush leather seats of the limousine. However, she was certain she was no longer on the Isle when the ruined roads turned to vast oceans to perfect white picket fences and perfectly trimmed bushes.

In all honesty, it looked boring. Everything was too perfect. There was no chaos, no splurge of colours and textures. Everything was meticulously precise, and she hated it. She was creative; she didn't stay inside the box.

There were no rainbows or unicorns or dancing teacups behind every corner. In fact it looked a lot less magical than she'd imagined. Well, if she had imagined any of it of course. She didn't have time to lose herself in such frivolous things when her mother was beating down at her every moment of every day.

Soon, the limousine came to a stop. She was no coward, however she couldn't bring herself to look outside.

"We're here, Miss Maleficent."

A:N/ Thank you guys so much for the feedback I've been receiving on the story!

Also, I'm considering including some Jaylos in this fic. However, that's up for you guys to decide!

'Till next time!