2. Back to the island?

Mal's P.O.V.

I lay on my bed, chewing on my pen, trying to understand all the stuff in those damn books. But as always, I wished for my magic book to get everything in my head faster. But since I gave it to the fairy godmother so that she could take it to the museum, I somehow had to get along without it. This book had created quite a bit of tension between me and Ben and I haven't needed it since our last unsightly adventure on the island. Evie was sitting at the desk a few yards from me, drawing sketches for her clothes. How I would like to trade with her. With a resigned sigh, I dropped my head into my book and closed my eyes. I heard Evie laugh and had to smile too. She had become my best friend, although it wasn't normal for children from the island. You might do something together there, but you were never friends. You were an alone fighter and everyone else didn't care. Carlos and Jay had also become my friends by now and I already saw them as family. I raised my head and smiled at Evie, who eyed me amused. Yes, this was really their world and even if I didn't think it was possible, I belonged here too.

"So hard, Mal?" I nodded exhausted and closed the book.

"I should really think again if I really want to be a queen." Evie laughed and turned back to her sketches. She knew that after everything we had been through because of my stubbornness, I was no longer serious. I loved Ben and I would do anything to be with him. I never thought I'd fall in love. But Evie was now too. As far as I knew, it wasn't the boys yet, but that would come. I got up, smoothed my dress, and went to Evie. Her sketches looked great and this was really her passion. I smiled and put both hands on her shoulder.

"That looks great." Evie looked at me happily.

"Realy?" I smiled at her.

"Sure. I'm glad to have such a talented designer."

Evie laughed and got back to work when there was a knock on the door. When I opened the door, Ben was standing in front of me and my heart jumped as always.

"Hello, my queen." He gave me a gentle kiss and I had to smile as always.

"Can we help you?", Evie asked, who had appeared behind me. Ben nodded.

"Yeah, frankly, I need to talk to you, Evie." I and Evie looked at each other in amazement.

"Okay? Don't you want to come in first?", I asked, holding the door open for him.

"Thank you." I closed the door behind him, and we looked at him expectantly. "Evie, have you finished the list?" Evie had decided to make Ben a list of villains' descendants who would get another chance at Auradon. Evie bowed her head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really done yet." Ben just smiled good-natured.

"It's not bad, but I will need it soon. I want to continue soon and take in more descendants." I smiled. Ben really went out of his way to accommodate and integrate the descendants of the people who had almost destroyed their world. "But I will have to go to the island again soon." Everything in me contracted. I hated this place. Growing up there wasn't easy and it was still very dangerous there. In addition, the last trip there was over a month ago, and we didn't know how the situation had developed there.

"Ben, I would leave that," I said immediately. Ben looked at me questioningly. "We don't know how it developed there and you don't know your way there yet." Ben looked pretty frustrated.

"We can't wait any longer!" Evie seemed to suspect that this would escalate and intervened.

"I would say that I, Mal, Jay, and Carlos take a look, and we decide what happens." I wasn't really thrilled with the idea, but there was probably no other way.