Chapter Two
A/N: I do not own anything with the exception of my OCs, who as always are free to use in your own works! Let me know if you do use them so I can check you your story!
Whoa, I was not expecting such a positive reaction toward the first chapter. At the point of this A/N:, we're at 27 reviews so far. I don't think I've ever had that kind of traffic on my stories so thank you so much!
Big thanks to everyone who pointed out that I left some people off the list of people in the viewing. I put the list on my profile with all the characters this time. Please, if there's still a character that's not on there, let me know!
Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think!
The screen opens on what looks to be a foggy night but as the camera moves further out, it becomes clear that it's a cauldron filled with apples.
"I'm confused," Akiho said, looking over at Mal. "Why is there a smoking cauldron filled with apples?"
"Why should I know?" Mal asked.
"Because you came from the Isle and therefore might have a better idea if we're facing a new villain or not?"
"Good answer."
"Let's give Auradon a taste of evil," Mal said off screen, as Evie lifted one of the apples up with the spoon she was using to stir before dropping it back in.
Chad scoffed but, as his mother was right by his side, he didn't say anything. He didn't know if he was still grounded from the last viewing. Meanwhile Ben looked over at Mal, a combination of confusion and sadness on his face. What was going on?
As the camera pans further back, it's revealed that Jay and Carlos are also there; the boys holding buckets of additional apples. "Wicked ways beneath the skin, let all who taste it now join in."
"I don't recall this happening," Kitty pointed out.
"Me neither," Lucy nodded. "I think I'd remember if Mal and the rest of them tried to turn us all evil with apples."
"Not to mention it wouldn't be all of us," Emma pointed out. "I'm allergic to apples—and yes I know the irony. No need to point it out."
"But it seems like it's charmed so you want to eat it," Neal added. "What would happen if you did?"
"I have no idea."
Mal lets out a wicked laugh as the boys add the additional apples to the brew.
All:
We got all the ways to be
W-I-C-K-E-D
We got all the ways to be
W-I-C-K-E-D
Carlos: Come on!
(He throws a bucket of apples down the hall as students dive for them. Mal closes the open lockers to reveal the phrase "Long Live Evil" has been spray painted on them)
"Okay, I know you all in Bore-adon are slow on the uptake but you would really dive after apples that an Isle kid had just tossed out of a bucket?" Uma asked.
"We're not slow on the uptake!" Audrey exclaimed.
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Mal:
Crashing the party
Guess they lost my invitation
"Still hung up about that?" Uma asked, turning to Mal with a smirk. "Guess you and your mother should let it go."
"That reminds me," Mal said. "How is your mother doing after her stint as sushi?"
Meanwhile Jane gasped as the version of her on screen snatched the spray paint from Mal and dented a locker. She hoped that didn't really happen otherwise her mother would be so disappointed in her.
Friendly reminder
Got my own kind of persuasion
Carlos:
Looks like this place could use
A bit of misbehavior
"That was oddly coordinated," Dmitri said, oddly impressed as all the kids jumped up to allow the bucket a straight path.
Happily ever after
With a little flavor
Ben knew something was going on as he didn't remember this ever happening but he still felt a twinge of something as he saw Mal's smile while on screen Carlos wrapped his arm around her waist.
He couldn't remember the last time Mal had truly smiled like that at him and now it might never happen again. Why did he have to go Beast on her?
"You okay dude?" Emir whispered, noticing the look on Ben's face.
"I'm fine," Ben whispered back.
"Cause I'm pretty sure Carlos is like a brother to Mal, if that's what you're thinking."
Ben sighed. "How obvious was it?"
"Well, just be thankful I noticed and Mal didn't," Emir chuckled and rested a hand on Ben's shoulder.
Jay:
Bad to the bone
"Nice kick," Coach chuckled. "That takes some coordination—especially since you're aiming for such a small target."
With even worse intentions
We're gonna steal the show
And leave them all defenseless
"Jay!" Evie admonished as the on screen Jay lobbed an apple at Doug.
"Never happened Evie," Jay scoffed. "Plus if it did happen, at least it's me. Someone else might not have aimed for the trumpet."
Evie:
A fairy tale life can be
Cinderella shot her son a look for how he had been sitting. A prince didn't rest his feet on the table after all.
"Dude, you're in the front row," Akiho said, nudging Chad on the shoulder. "If you're going to sit like that, it's safer in the back."
"Is there something I should know Akiho?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing mom!"
Oh-so overrated
So raise your voices and
Let's get it activated
"You're all looking at Fairy Godmother like you're a pack of lions and she's an injured gazelle," Alexandria chuckled.
"Reminds me of how the four of them acted during the cookie scene last viewing," Lucy shook her head. "Must be an evil thing."
"Wait a minute, that can't possibly be Chad enjoying being evil can it?" Kitty asked, smirking a little as she looked at her brother.
All:
Long live havin' some fun
"Someone's enjoying the chaos," Hades said, smirking a little as he saw Mal looking down on the classroom.
We take what we want
"Yet they get mad at us when we encroach into their territory," Harry muttered. "We want their territory so we'll take it."
"Good luck taking my territory now," Mal told him, having heard his comment. "Going to be hard to do that, what with you on the Isle."
"I could hurt you," Harry told her, holding up his hook causing Jane Darling to scoot even closer to her brother than she had been sitting.
"I'd like to see you try," Mal said with a smirk and gave him a little wave of her fingers as she turned her attention back to the screen.
"Nice chest bump dude," Jay told Carlos, having missed the interaction between Mal and Harry.
There's so many ways to be wicked
With us evil lives on
The right side of wrong
There's so many ways to be wicked
"Are you controlling them with the apple?" Doug asked.
"I have no idea what I'm doing there," Evie told him.
Apple, apple
Dip, dip
Wanna try it?
Tick, tick
Harry hid a flinch at the reminder of that cursed crocodile that stole his father's hand, with the Pan brat's help.
Take a bite
Come on, be bold
"Neal, I never want to see an apple you've taken a bite from," Emma said with a grimace.
"Okay, if this ever happens I'll be sure to remember that," Neal shot back.
"Kids," Snow White warned.
"Sorry mom."
Change the way the story's told!
"I want to dance with Fairy Godmother," Dizzy whispered to Hadie.
"I know, it looks like fun!" The blue haired boy nodded.
Meanwhile, Lonnie chuckled a little. "You guys really did change how the story's told. I mean, Jay's the captain of Swords and Shields. Evie's got a great dress making business going on. Carlos is obsessed with helping animals and Mal's about to be a member of the royal court!"
"I guess we did," Evie smiled.
Mal:
This time the dark is
Finally getting your attention
"Hey, there I am!" Lonnie said with a smile.
"Looking good sis," Lil Shang said, nudging his sister with his shoulder.
Evie:
We're wicked by the book
And class is back in session
"Oh dear," Fairy Godmother flushed at the actions of her on screen representative.
"What am I doing?" Chad groaned as members of the Tourney team chuckled in amusement.
"Oh I wish I could record this," Kitty chuckled.
Meanwhile Belle had to hide a wince as Evie tossed the book she had in her hands. While it was a very boring book—Belle had been tempted to toss it out a window a time or two herself—she still couldn't handle seeing books get mistreated.
Jay:
You like it, steal it
Gotta beat 'em to the treasure
"Not going to lie, that's a great image," Jay said with a smirk. "Surrounded by cheerleaders, what's not to love?"
Carlos:
A rite of passage
"So why am I the one giving the former king and queen the apples?" Carlos asked, looking at Mal. "Wouldn't it make more sense if it was you, considering they're also Ben's parents?"
"Do I look like I know what's going on?"
"You can juggle?" Doug asked, looking surprised.
"I don't advertise it," Carlos told him.
All:
Bad just doesn't get much better!
"So turning the former king bad makes him do a very poor version of the robot?" Roman asked, no malice in his voice just pure confusion.
"Roman, hush honey," Rosetta told him.
"Sorry mom!"
Long live havin' some fun
We take what we want
"So turning the entire kingdom evil just makes them dance?" Gil asked, looking confused. "How is that evil?"
"Honestly, I'd rather have that," Peter Pan said, leaning back off the rafter. "It looks like that Auradon is a lot more laid back and not as rule friendly as the current one."
"Honestly Peter," Jane sighed, causing her mother Wendy to smile in amusement.
There's so many ways to be wicked
With us evil lives on
The right side of wrong
There's so many ways to be wicked
Mal:
Mother always knows best
Rapunzel flinched at that line as Gothel came into her mind.
"Hey, it's okay," Eugene whispered to her. "Gothel's on the Isle. She can't get off."
"But what about Cass?" Rapunzel whispered back to him. "She doesn't deserve to be on the Isle."
"Debatable," Eugene muttered under his breath. While Cassandra had been a good friend to Rapunzel, Gothel's daughter had still betrayed them.
Evie:
Show her, pass every test
Snow shot Evie a smile. While others might have thought Evie was referring to passing every test her mother devised, Snow had spent enough time with her step sister to know that wasn't the case.
Evie was more determined than ever to show that she was intelligent even while enjoying fashion.
Carlos:
Hear her voice in my head!
"Oh dear," Anita whispered, resting a hand over Carlos'. The Radcliffes had moved closer to the Core Four upon seeing Carlos sit with Mal.
"I don't though," Carlos whispered to her. "Mom's a passing thought at times but I don't hear her voice."
"Let me know if you do okay," Anita said, giving Carlos a smile.
"Hey Carlos, where did you get those headphones?" Mal asked, causing the younger boy to look at her.
"I'm not sure. Why?"
"Virgil said that his bit the dust after he met my mom," Mal told him. "He's looking for a new pair."
Jay:
Evil is the
Lonnie flushed a little at the look on the on screen Jay's face. That certainly didn't help the feelings she had toward him.
All:
Only real way to win!
"Then why do the villains always lose?"
We got all the ways to be
(Hey, hey, hey, hey)
W-I-C-K-E-D
"Okay seriously who planned the dance?" Aladdin asked. "This is too well choreographed."
"Dad, you seem oddly annoyed by this," Aziz pointed out.
"He was like this in the last viewing," Emir told his older brother, shaking his head at their father's frustration.
Jay: Let's go!
"I would just like to say that even in slow motion, bobbing for apples is not wicked or evil," Alexi pointed out.
All:
We got all the ways to be
(Hey, hey, hey, hey)
W-I-C-K-E-D
Mal:
Yeah!
"Nice note there!" Rachel told Mal, giving the other girl a smile. Meanwhile Elle had to flush as she saw Carlos push her down the hill. It was nice to be included—most people wouldn't have remembered her.
Also, looking at her hair, it was clear that the box dye job was a bad idea. Maybe she could get Mal to change it back to the brown it was before.
All:
Long live havin' some fun
We take what we want
There's so many ways to be wicked
"Nice bob there Chad," Kitty chuckled.
With us evil lives on
The right side of wrong
"Where did you learn how to do a backflip?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"And can you teach me?" Kitty asked, staring at her brother in amazement. She hadn't expected her brother to be able to do something like that.
"I do play Tourney you know. Backflips help when you need to avoid the dragon fire," Chad told Lucy before turning to Kitty "and no."
There's so many ways to be wicked
"Huh, it looks better that way," Adam/Beast chuckled as he watched Mal spray paint his statue.
Cruel and unusual
We're taking control
There's so many ways to be wicked
With us evil lives on
The right side of wrong
There's so many ways to be wicked
"Umm, that was a very high kick there Evie," Doug pointed out, surprised that the normally prim and proper Evie was able to kick that high.
"You can take the girl out of the Isle but you can't take the Isle out of the girl!" Dizzy said with a grin.
(Hey, hey, hey, hey)
We got all the ways to be
W-I-C-K-E-D
We got all the ways to be
W-I-C-K-E-D
I'm in trouble, Doug thought as the on screen Evie sang the note. If it was possible to be even more attracted to her than he already was, he had found a way.
We got all the ways to be
W-I-C-K-E-D
We got all the ways to be
Mal:
So many ways to be wicked
"So Auradon's attempt at being evil and wicked was what? Eating apples and doing back flips?" Uma asked, unimpressed. "Spend some time on the Isle where you'll see some real evil."
"Oh yes, you playing waitress in your mom's shop will truly strike the fear of the Gods into them," Mal said, rolling her eyes as Uma glared at her.
As the song ends, Mal kiss an apple and throws it off screen. The camera then zooms into Mal's eye and then back out, revealing a very different looking Mal. Instead of her purple hair, her hair was blonde with purple near the ends.
"Seriously, why did you do that to your hair?" Dizzy groaned.
"Is no one going to point out that was a very strange transition?" Hadie asked. "No one?"
"So it was all in Mal's head?" Rose asked Rachel.
"Guess so."
"Mal, Mal, Mal!" Reporters shouted her name, clamoring to get her attention as cameras clicked in her face.
Kristoff frowned, knowing the look of stress on Mal's face. She shouldn't have been alone with the reporters. Someone should have been dictating the interviews and allowing the reporters to ask questions one on one.
"You okay?" Anna whispered, seeing the frown on her husband's face.
"This isn't right," Kristoff whispered back. "It's like they're throwing Mal to the wolves."
"Mal, please over here!"
"Only three days to the Royal Cotillion!"
"In other news, water is wet," Macaria snarked. "Everyone's been counting down the days until the dance."
"Ever think a girl like you would be Lady of the Court?"
"No. Nien. Nyet."
"When did you learn Russian?" Anastasia asked, looking over at Mal.
"It was a recommend course by one of my handlers," Mal told her. "I've only learned one word so far."
As the press continued to badger Mal, we see Ben walking up; taking a bite out of an apple that was in his hand.
"Hey I thought of something," Phillip Jr pointed out. "We never saw Ben in that dream sequence—could the apple Mal threw at the end have been going to him?"
"Possibly," Nero nodded. "Or it could have just been an apple."
"How does it feel to be the most envied girl in Auradon?"
Like all the pressure in the world is on my shoulders and no one seems to understand what's going on, Mal thought, pursing her lips a little.
"Hey, when was the last time Mal went to one of your meetings?" Phillip leaned in and asked Aurora.
"Hmm, that's a good question but why do you ask?"
"I just think that if she went, she wouldn't be as stressed. Or at least there'd be someone in her corner."
Ben stopped walking as if to watch the press conference live while Mal still looks around, trying to focus her attention on one reporter.
"What, did you think 'hmm, I see my girlfriend surrounded by reporters. Let's stop and enjoy the view'?" Emir asked, looking over at Ben.
"I didn't know she had a press conference that day," Ben said. "I was surprised to see reporters on campus. They never came on school property before."
"Dude, that's not a press conference," Akiho told him, a slight frown on his face. "A press conference is a lot more calm. That's a feeding frenzy."
"Do you like being blonde?"
"She's been blonde for like four months or so," Kitty scoffed. "What kind of reporter would consider that a pressing question?"
Edward and Snow both dropped their head in their hands at the behavior of their colleagues.
"Is your mother still a lizard?"
"Well that's rude!" Hercules exclaimed, causing Mal to look over at her cousin.
"Honestly if it had to be asked, the reporter should have found a better way to ask it," Meg nodded in agreement.
Ben cleared his throat and walks up, causing Mal to look over at him. "Okay, all right. Excuse me."
"King Ben to the rescue!" Herkie cheered while Hyllus and Macaria chuckled at their little brother's reaction.
Weaving his way through the reporters, Ben stood next to Mal and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Uh, we will let you know if and when that particular situation changes."
"Aka use your common sense and know that if the most evil villain to grace our lands did turn herself back into her human form, you'd have heard about it," Travis scoffed. "Err, no offense Mal."
"What did you say that was offensive?" Mal asked. "My mom's evil. That's a fact."
"Did you ever think you'd be with a villain kid?"
"Tact. Why don't they know tact?" Edward groaned, his head still in his hands. This was a child they were talking to. Granted he was also the king of their land but still a child! Not to mention how they were treating Mal!
If that had been Jane or Daniel, Edward didn't know what he'd do.
Ben chuckled and then leaned into the microphone. "We're done here."
"Go Ben!" Many of the kids cheered, forgetting in their excitement to use the title of king. However, Ben didn't mind. He just shook his head in amusement at everyone.
This causes the reporters to clamor for Ben's attention but Fairy Godmother steps in front of both Mal and Ben, who look like they possibly might kiss but Mal turns her head.
"Are you kidding me?!" Ashaki exclaimed.
"Okay," Fairy Godmother said and shushed the reporters as Ben whispered something in Mal's ear. "This is still a school, so if you're here, you're either skipping or you're trespassing."
"Or potentially visiting a child or meeting a child's teacher," Kit added.
"If I added that, then I could have left them an opening to sneak back and badger Mal some more," Fairy Godmother told Kit. "Or even worse, they could have badgered the other children."
"Just one quick question!"
"Shh!"
"Fairy Godmother!"
"Shh, shh!"
With a final shush, Fairy Godmother directed the reporters away; many of them looking dejected.
"Go Fairy Godmother!" Hadie and Daniel cheered, their mothers shaking her head in amusement at his antics.
"Thank you, guys," Ben said to the reporters' retreating forms.
"Thank you," Mal added.
"Don't thank them! They've done nothing worth thanking for!" Meg exclaimed.
"I was thanking Fairy Godmother," Mal told her and Meg nodded.
"Good."
Fairy Godmother, as if satisfied the reporters wouldn't come rushing back if she moved, stepped off to the side. "Mal, Ben," she said with a quick nod of her head.
"Fairy Godmother," both of them said as the headmistress walked off. Ben turned back to Mal who had let out a sigh as Ben chuckled.
Persephone looked over at her step daughter, wondering how all the stress had built up for her. The last time they spoke, Mal had said everything was fine. How much had she been holding in?
"Dude, did you just chuckle?" Akiho asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not the best time to do that."
"Don't pay any attention to them," Ben told Mal.
Oh sweet Zeus, someone teach this boy how to talk to a clearly stressed out person! Akiho thought.
"Dude, I speak for all us royals when I say this. Not the best thing you could have said," Kitty said with a sigh.
"Why?" Ben asked.
"We were raised to ignore the flashbulbs," Audrey said to everyone's surprise. But Audrey could see how stressed the on screen Mal was. Maybe it was because she had been away from the situation for a while, maybe it was because she had been in Mal's spot. "They weren't. When it comes to the press, you have to be eased in."
"Well, that's a lot easier said than done right?" Mal told him, adding a chuckle at the end of her words.
"See?!"
"I know, I know," Ben told her, looking off as if thinking of something. Quickly turning his head back to Mal, Ben said, "you know, maybe we should do something. We could go somewhere. Get away."
"And you've just given the Gazelle their next fifty stories if that actually happens," Lucy sighed.
"Not if they go to Atlantica," Melody pointed out. "I mean, I doubt any of the press there would report on Ben and Mal. Not to mention there's no way Grandfather would turn any member of the Gazelle into a merperson."
"Yeah," Mal responded, giving a quick nod of her head.
"You agreed to the most vague plan in the world," Carlos said to Mal. "Were you feeling alright?"
"You know. What…" Ben started to say but trailed off as he looked at his watch. "I have a council meeting. I'm so late."
"How many council meetings do you need?" Emir asked. "I swear, if you're not in your office you're in that blasted room."
"You're the king, can't you decide how many meetings you have?" Akiho told him. "I think you know you have too many meetings if you end up forgetting about one and being late to it."
"That's okay," Mal said even as she shook her head a little bit to the side, as if to say 'no, it's not okay' with her body language.
Tinkerbell frowned upon seeing Mal's head shake. There seemed to be trouble brewing.
"We'll do it sometime," Ben told her. "Uh…"
He leaned to the side, as if to kiss Mal on the cheek but Evie pulled her away; having come up while the two were still talking.
"Really Evie?!"
"I had to get her attention somehow," Evie defended herself to Dizzy.
"I'm with Dizzy on this one," Kitty muttered to Lucy and Alexandria. "After no kisses the last viewing, it would be nice to see a peck on the cheek at least."
"If we don't do a fitting for your gown right this minute, you'll be dancing in your bathrobe, okay?" Evie told Mal before giving a quick hi to Ben. "Let's go. Let's go."
"Bye Ben," Mal said as Evie pulled her off toward the school.
"I guess that's a good reason," Dizzy nodded and then straightened up. "Ooh, I can't wait to see Mal's dress!"
"Bye," Ben said. However it was as if the 'bye' was the code for all the reporters to come back as they saw that he was standing by himself. Clamoring for his attention, the reporters surrounded Ben who looked much more at ease than Mal had.
"I thought they had left," Fairy Godmother sighed. "Guess I should have been more forceful."
"Mal I can't believe you didn't try to rescue Ben from the jackals!" Hadie called out.
"Hey, he told me to not pay any attention to them," Mal shrugged, still not looking over at Ben.