"Well judging from these scans," Dr.Morris circles q blurry spot on the x-ray, "the tumor in Mal's brain can not be reached from it's position."

"What does this mean?" Ben asked, biting his fingernails nervously.

The doctor sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Basically it means that we can't remove the tumor like we would basically do." He eyed Mal warily, but she was already lost in her own thoughts. "The tumor cannot be surgically removed and since we're not dealing with a heart tumor there is no way to remove it any other way. It has the stay in."

The words crashed into Ben like waves, taking him under. He pleaded with the doctor using his eyes. Begging for some good news. He was terrified. Terrified that this might be the end of the road. He never thought he'd be so utterly petrified of a dead end.

"Is it treatable?"

Dr.Morris shrugged. "We can use the chemo medication on her in the hopes that it would shrink the tumor. However since the tumor is putting pressure on this part of the brain," the doctor circled it, "until the tumor shrinks she might suffer from sezuire for a bit."

"Sorry, sorry." Ben rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Let me be more specific...can she be cured. Will she be alright?"

Mal lifted herself up in bed so that she was sitting up, suddenly interested. This was the part where it all came up. What was she facing exactly? And what would this mean for her future?

Dr.Morris sat down on the edge of his bed with a solemn look. "Every case is different," he began. "And I have seen many miracles from above. However, the probability of the tumor disappearing is slim. The chemo would buy her some time. Quite a bit of time. However, it's possible that were looking at...a terminal... situation."

"Alright my turn!" Carlos put down an Uno rever card and then a skip card so that Evie would lose her turn. She huffed in annoyance and glared at Carlos who laughed maliciously.

"Draw four Jay!" Ben said when he out down his card. "And the color is green!"

"What now way!" Jay exclaimed. "I had Uno!"

"Draw four!" Carlos teased in a sing-song voice.

Jay scowled, but eventually collected the cards grudgingly.

Mal placed down a draw two card before setting her deck back on the coffee table and staying at the floor.

"Draw two!" Carlos furrowed his brow. "I'll never win at this rate!"

"Yeah, Mals been drowning you with cards," Jay pointed out, looking to get back at Carlos for his little taunting. "Good one girl!" He lightly shoved Mal playfully and sage forced a smile for his sake, but remained silent.

Evie frowned. Being her best friend she was automatic trained to snuff out and fishiness in her friends behavior. And right now the scent was so strong that she was appalled none of the boys picked up on it yet.

"Everything ok M?" Evie asked, drawing another card to her deck casually.

Mal nodded. "Yeah, fine."

"You know when you and Ben invited us over, we kind of expected a bit more... energy?" Carlos said, observing Mals slumped posture in Ben's shaggy hair and sleepless eyes.

"What's up guys?"

Ben looked at Mal, but she didn't return his gaze. She already knew what she had to do.

"I was admitted to the hospital last week," Mal said.

Even nodded. "We know this. But then you were home a couple days later. We thought they had fixed the problem."

Ben placed his cards down, the game of Uno completely trivial now. "We actually asked you guys here to give your u some...news."

"Huh...this sounds exactly like the time you told us that you guys were having Ryan... except less happy."

"Were nor having another kid, Jay." Ben looked almost bored when he was tired or afraid. Right now Mal couldn't tell the difference. "We just wanted to let you guys know-"

"I have cancer," Mal blurted out before Ben could finish his sentence.

All they eyes if her three dearest friends landed on her. Jay, out of all the things he could do, began to laugh. He pounded his fist on the table as if they had told him something he found hysterical.

"Good one!" he said, chuckling. "You almost had me thinking that Mal actually was sick or something."

"That's because I am sick," Mal snapped. "I'm sick, and I told you guys Now can we go back to the game." Mal reached for the cards but Carlos stopped her by clamping his hand over his fist.

"Are you insane! No we can't go back to are game!" Carlos stood up and knocked the knocked cards to the floor. "Are you kidding right now? Out of all the cruel pranks you could have played-

"Not a prank," Ben said. "The doctors found a tumor in an unreachable part of her brain."

"Well what are they going to do?" Evie Wrangler her hands together anxiously.

"Chemo," Ben said. "They think it's our best shot."

Carlos slowly sat down, holding his head in his hands.

"It'll be alright," he said more to himself than to Mal. "a tumor is no match for us right?"

Mal rembeeed a friend she use to have on the Isle who had gotten Cancer. The medicine their was nothing compared to Auradon and he died a year and a half later. He was so strong, and invincible. But cancer had broken that. It killed him.

Her friends thought she was invincible, thought she was strong.

"Right," Mal lied.