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Ben couldn't just pretend that he didn't hear Evie that night. She didn't willingly get pregnant. He shuddered as Evie's voice kept repeating over and over in his head. He didn't wait for any explanations that night. He ran out of the room like a coward, but he didn't care. His mind was racing and he needed to throw up or punch something.
"Hey, Ben!" Doug was beaming in pride. "You'll never guess who called!"
"Doug, I can't talk right now." Ben didn't look at Doug. He knew that Doug had gotten a spot in the engineering internship, but he couldn't think about anything except the other the new information.
"You look flushed. Are you sick?" Doug stopped bouncing to look at Ben.
Ben knew that his face was pale and his eyes were glassy. He would guess his appearance was not far off from looking like he had seen a murder but he couldn't think about himself at that moment. Logically, he knew what Evie meant, but he couldn't bring himself to think it. His mind played her voice light a broken record, but he wouldn't let his mind wander to the word he was so desperately hoping was a sick joke. He knew life on the Isle was messed up beyond his comprehension, but he would've never guessed this.
"Fine," Ben mumbled out and started to walk back to his dorm. He could feel his stomach turning and he wasn't a fan of making a scene in the hallway.
"Ben, wait up!" Doug was persistent. It was in his genes to take care of other people, especially royals if his father's story was anything to go by. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost steal your favorite book." He tried to make a joke for Ben's sake.
Ben looked at Doug slightly annoyed. His brain was trying to process the news without fully processing anything. He wanted to be alone and Doug was not getting the hint. "Doug, can you please just leave me alone?"
"Okay," Doug held his hands up at Ben's tone. "I get it."
Ben ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't meant to snap at Doug, but he couldn't help it. He didn't have the energy to apologize; he just nodded his head and turned on his heel again. He didn't stop to look over his shoulder at his friend.
He couldn't remember the walk to the dorm. He threw open the door and dashed to the toilet. He emptied his stomach and then fell back against the tub and focused on a spot on the wall. His mind was somehow racing and blank at the same time.
He couldn't remember how long he sat staring at the wall, but he jumped when he heard a knock at the door. He moved in slow motion to the door. He fumbled with the doorknob for a second before his brain caught up with his hand.
"Look, I'm not up for…" The words died on his tongue when he saw the pleading eyes of Evie on the other side of the door.
"Can we talk, please?" Evie had only ever begged a handful of times in her life but this was about her best friend.
"I don't…I…Evie…" Ben was falling over his words. His brain was short circuiting but he couldn't figure out what he needed to say. He dropped his head with a sigh and moved back into the room. He gestured with his arm for Evie to walk into the room. He looked around in the hallway before he shut the door.
"I want to apologize for Mal earlier." Evie started diplomatically. She was raised to be polite in the face of royalty until given a reason or until her plan was executed. She had nothing up her sleeve but her own selfish gain for Mal not finding out Ben knew what happened on the Isle.
"You do not have to apologize for someone else's actions. What Mal did," He stopped and shuddered. He had to touch his neck to make sure Mal's hands weren't on him. "What Mal did is on her, not on you." He wasn't angry at Mal, a little scared at her behavior, but he wasn't angry.
"You have to understand that she isn't in her right mind right now." Evie's eyes glossed over.
Ben could see her struggling with her thoughts. "I don't know what happened," he swallowed hard at his denial. He knew what happened; he just couldn't bring his mind or mouth to utter the word.
Evie looked at him with her right eyebrow raised. "Ben, you know what happened. I watched you run out of the room, remember?"
Ben grimaced at the reminder of his hastily exit. He was going to be king and he couldn't hold his composure for more than a moment. "I'm wrong." He shook his head in denial.
"Ben, you know you are right." Evie's voice was gentle but she was pleading again. She was pleading to not have to say the truth.
"No, that only happens in horror stories." Ben was shaking his head vigorously again. "It only happens in stories."
"Ben, all of the villains was placed together on an Isle. There wasn't contact with the outside world. There were power struggles. It is no uncommon on the Isle. Everyone over there can name multiple people that have gone through that." Evie was trying to be as vague as possible, but the truth was, she was desperate to help Mal. Her best friend had a lifetime of struggles and this should've never been one.
"That can't be," Ben was hoping and wishing Evie would say she was joking. He wanted this to be a prank. "Please tell me you are joking."
"I can't do that." Evie whispered. She had tried meeting his eyes, but he wasn't looking up from his hands.
"Mal is stubborn. She is so stubborn." Evie laughed tearfully. "When she was seven, there was a shipment from Auradon that rumored to have paints on it. She always has been an artist. She begged Maleficent to let her leave the castle to go to the barges. She was being punished for some reason and she wasn't allowed to leave nor eat. She climbed through the window that night just so she could get some paints. She managed to get them and hide them in our hideout and far enough away that Maleficent wouldn't know where the hideout was before she was caught. We didn't see her for a while after that, but when we did, she said it was worth everything."
"What happened while she was gone?" Ben let his mind wander to all of the horrible things he could think about.
"She never said. She was always private about what happened behind the walls of the castle. I know that she has more scars than you could count. I know that I don't know the true color of her skin on her torso is because of the bruises. I know that she believes everything that happened to her was her fault." Evie never could wrap her head around the thoughts that ran through her best friend's head.
"That's preposterous!" Ben was getting angry again. He flew to his feet and started to pace around. He couldn't wrap his mind around harming a seven year old. He couldn't wrap his mind around believing that anyone would deserve the pain. "No one deserves that."
Evie flinched at Ben's sudden anger. "Please calm down." Her voice was calm, but her mind was panicking. She knew that dangerous things happened to girls when guys were angry.
Ben looked at Evie for the first time since she came in the room. If he hadn't stared at her frame as hard as he did, he would've missed the tremor in her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I just…"
"I came here because I need you to do me a favor." Evie spoke confidently again. "Mal can't know that you know what happened. She went missing for a while after. No one knew where she went. No one knew if she was still alive. If she finds out you know, I'm afraid that she'll disappear again." She had never spoken her fear out loud, but she didn't want to find out what would happen.
"I can't just pretend I don't know, Evie. Gods, I have been such a jerk to her. I judged her for not telling the father. I argued with her!" Ben growled. He felt his anger shift from everyone to himself. He was the one he truly hated at that moment. He didn't want to admit his own problem.
"I need you to. She needs you to. Look, you need to be as discreet as possible. If she tells you, great, you can ask her questions and coddle her. But it needs to come from her." Evie felt her calm composure slip. She couldn't keep arguing with Ben. She hated her mind thinking it would be better if she stayed on the Isle. She knew it was selfish, but the Isle was familiar. She knew her role there.
"Okay," Ben sighed out in defeat. He knew it was better in the long run, but he hated he couldn't do something now.
"Thank you," Evie stood up and nodded her head once at Ben. She started to leave but stopped once she heard Ben's voice calling her.
"Hey, Evie," Ben's eyes fought to keep the contact. "Can I at least see her? I need to be able to see her physically breathing. I have this knew scenario in my head about her and I need to see that she is still breathing. I don't care if she's sleeping and she doesn't know. It would only be for a minute." It was his turn to beg.
"Follow me back but wait outside the door. I need to make sure she is asleep. You need to be quiet. Her nightmares still take over her body when she's sleeping, so if one happens, you need to leave immediately. On your own," Evie pointed her eyes at him. She couldn't risk Mal finding out this, especially if she ever found about Ben knowing her secret.
"I promise," Ben held up his hands in surrender. He was going to do whatever was necessary to ease his mind of one fear racing through it. He needed to see Mal breathing with his own eyes.