THE NEXT DAY
Mal, Carlos, Evie, Jay, and Nyx were walking through the school halls and over to the lockers as all the girls looked at Mal.
"Look! There's Mal!"
"Hi, Mal! Love my hair, Mal!" The girls started shouting as Mal just smiled at them. Jay let out a deep breath before looking at Mal.
"Are you feeling kind of weird about this? I mean, It's not so bad here, you know." Jay shrugged as Mal looked at him with a frown.
"Are you insane? Long live evil! You're mean! You're awful! You're bad news! Snap out of it!" Mal yells as Jay nods.
"Thanks, Mal. I needed that." Jay said before walking over to the group of girls making them giggle as the rest of the cour five walked over to Mal's locker, passing Ben and Audrey.
"Do you think they actually paid for those?" Audrey asked Ben as she nodded her head over to the group of girls Jay was talking to.
"Oh, hello. The name's Jay. You all going to the tourney game tonight?"
"Yeah." The girls answered with a giggle.
"Keep a lookout for number eight, all right? Scoring the winning goal."
"Okay." They replied as Jay flashed them a smile making them sigh dreamily.
"She did it to Jane's hair, too, and Fairy Godmother's not happy about it." Audrey said looking back at her boyfriend who shrugged.
"What's the harm? Plus...I think Fairy Godmother did kind of like it." Ben said as Audrey scoffed.
"It's gateway magic! Sure, it starts with the hair. Next thing you know It's the lips and the legs and the clothes and then everybody looks good and then... where will I be?"
"Listen, Audrey...I-"
"I will see you at the game after my dress-fitting for the coronation, okay?" Audrey said before pecking Ben's cheek and walking away.
"Okay."
"Bye, Benny-boo!"
"Bye." Ben said looking down with a sigh before Mal closed her locker and looked at Ben.
"Hey, Benny-boo!" She said making Ben look up at her with a smile.
"Hey!"
"I just made a batch of cookies. Double chocolate chip, do you want one?" Mal asked as she shook the bag of cookies she made last night.
"Oh, I, uh, I've got a big game. I don't eat before a big game. But thank you so, so much. Thank you. Next time. Next time." Ben said as he gave Mal a smile who just nodded.
"No, yeah. I completely understand. "Be careful of treats offered by kids of villains." I understand." Mal shrugged as Ben shook his head.
"No, no, no."
"No, I'm sure every kid in Auradon knows that."
"No, that's not it. No, no, no, I... I really do-"
"No, I get it. You're cautious. That's smart. Oh, well, more for me, I guess." Mal said taking the cookie out and almost taking a bite out of it before Ben grabbed it and took a bite.
"Hey... see that? Totally trust you. Totally." Ben said as he almost took another bite and Mal took the cookie from him before flashing him a smile.
BEN'S POV:
As I chewed onto the cookie I took from Mal, I felt as if I was under a trance. I looked into her eyes and saw how beautiful she was. Her bright, green eyes had some gold in them. Her purple hair brought out her beautiful face. Her cute nose was shaped as if a button was sewn onto the tip of her nose. I felt as if she was the only girl in the world that was made for me. As if she was my soulmate.
"How are they?" She asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. I nodded my head at her.
"They're good. They're great! They're amazing! They're, uh... I mean, they're chewy and, and you know, they... is that walnuts? I love walnuts. I mean, uh, you know, the... The chocolate... The... the chocolate... The chocolate chips are... I'm sorry. Um... Uh, they're... They're warm and soft. And they're sweet... Mal, have you always had those little golden flecks in your eyes?" I asked as I felt someone put their hands on my shoulders but, that didn't keep me from staring into Mal's beautiful green eyes.
"How are you feeling bro?" I heard Jay ask as I shrug.
"I-I feel...I feel...I feel like...Like singing your name. Mal, Mal." I start to sing but Jay covers my mouth and Mal's mouth flew open as she tried to stop me.
"No, no, no. Um...Why don't...Why don't you and the boys head off to Tourney alright? We'll-We'll see you there." She said as Jay and Carlos took me away from Mal.
"Why did I do that? Ugh, I'm such an idiot." I thought to myself as I shook my head but, Mal appeared in my mind once again.
ISABELLE'S POV:
"Ohayohay!" I hear the Tourney team yell from the field.
"Ariana! Mom! Dad! Hurry your lazy butts up!" I yell as my sister groans.
"We're coming. We're coming. You do know that you made us run from like...Halfway away from the school right!?" Ariana yells as she pants while Mom and Dad reach us not even panting at all.
"How the hell are you two not out of breath!?" Ariana exclaims as Dad shrugs.
"Cause we always run?" He says as Ariana and I playfully roll our eyes at him as he and Mom chuckle and we walk to the bleachers.
"Aw, man. It's filled up." I said before I heard a voice beside me.
"It's actually quite fun to watch games from the side like this. In the bleachers, you have people waving their hands all up in your faces as if they're trying to keep flies away from themselves." I heard Nyx say as she looks down at me and smiles.
"Have you- Have you been standing there this whole time?" Ariana asks as Nyx shrugs and nods her head.
"I was supposed to go with Mal and Evie but...Seems like they had other plans." Nyx said before glaring at Mal and Evie who was standing with Lonnie and laughing at something.
"Well...You can stand with us." Mom said as the rest of us nods.
"Thanks! I wasn't planning on leaving anyway." Nyx said as Mom pulls Dad to be more closer to herself.
Since Nyx came to Auradon, it's not hard to tell that she had been flirting with Dad since the day the two met so, Mom has gotten a bit jealous of her. But, knowing Dad. He literally only has eyes for Mom.
"This is a nail-biter, folks. There are 47 seconds left on the clock. We're all tied up. The Sherwood falcons, two. The fighting knights, two. What a game between Auradon's fiercest rivals." The announcer says into the mic as I look at Nyx.
"How much did we miss?"
"Not much actually. Although, the Sherwood Falcons were winning until Chad scored...Surprisingly." Nyx said before mumbling the last part as Arianna and I giggled.
"Not a big fan of Chad too, huh?"
"He's an idiot, to be honest. Flirts with literally every girl his eyes lands on, two-timing son of a..." She trailed on as her eyes landed on Ariana who smiled at her.
"Biscuit...Son of a biscuit." She says as Ariana laughs.
"Seriously? Best you can come up with?" She laughs as Nyx chuckles.
"Didn't wanna swear in front of you. Especially since their majesties are right here." Nyx shrugs as I just shrugged as well.
"They swear all the time so...Have at it." I said as we all started to laugh.
"Get 'em, Chad!" We heard Jay yell as Chad ran onto the field from the side bench.
"Thanks, Jay!"
"The teams get into their huddles and take up positions along the kill zone. Akiho! The dragoneers have been laying down a withering hail of fire." The announcer says into the mic.
Coach Jenkins looks around the tourney field before looking at Jay and pointing at him.
"You're up!" He yells as Jay stands up before looking down at Carlos.
"And now a substitution..." The announcer announces.
NO ONE'S POV:
"Coach, how about my buddy here?" Jay asks as he pulls Carlos up with him. Carlos looks at Jay and back at the coach, shaking his head.
"Oh, no. Not so sure about that." Coach Jenkins says as he looks at Jay with an unsure face.
"Coach, he's been practicing."
"Jay..."
"And you said yourself a team is made up of a bunch of parts."
"Jay, I'm not that good." Carlos says as he sits back down.
"Well...He's kind of m brain." Jay says pulling Carlos back up.
"Come here! You heard him. Get out there!" Coach Jenkins says as he calls a player to the side benches and lets Carlos play.
Carlos looks at Jay shaking his head making him laugh.
"Don't worry, bro. I got your back." Jay said as he claps a hand on Carlos' back making him stumble forward.
"How about my front?" Carlos asks looking back at Jay as he scoffs.
"Pfft, get out there." Jay pushes Carlos onto the field as the crowd cheers.
ISABELLE'S POV:
The crowd cheers loud and proud as Carlos and Jay walked onto the field.
"WHOO! GO, CARLOS!" Nyx yells as Carlos looks at her and smiles.
"He's bringing that hothead Jay in from the Isle of the Lost and that little guy Carlos can barely hold a shield." The announcer says into his mic making some of the Auradon kids sitting in the bleachers beside us snicker at Carlos as Nyx growls at them making them scream and run away from her.
"Break!" The teams yell as they go to their positions.
"Did you not notice that she growled?" Arianna whispers into my ear as I nod.
"I know right?"
"But...Her father's Gaston." Arianna says as I shrug.
"Maybe Maleficent taught her that." I say as Arianna nods.
"Probably."
"When they break from their huddles, this is gonna be a big moment here. And the tipoff is ready. Here we go. The long pass goes to Jay. Jay dishes off to prince Ben. Nice little block by Carlos. He does a little dancing jig in his opponent's face. And now Jay gets the ball back. Here comes Jay! Jay, hurdling maneuver at mid-field." The announcer yells into his mic.
"I'm open!" We hear Ben yell.
"Jay makes a nice pass to Prince Ben through the kill zone." "Jay!" Ben yells as Chad blocks a player for Ben.
"WHOO!" Arianna cheers as I frown.
"What? Chad's finally using his brain." She shrugs as Mom lightly slaps her shoulder before snickering.
"As if he has one." She and Nyx say at the same time before the two starts laughing.
"Big block by Chad! Prince Ben moves over wide, gives it back to Jay. He's in the clear! Shot! Oh, what a save by Philip the Falcons' goalkeeper!" The announcer says making the Auradon supporters on the bleachers groan.
"Oh...Screw you, Philip the Falcons' goalkeeper!" Dad and Nyx yell as Mom slaps Dad's chest.
"Adam." She says sternly as he huffs.
"Come on, guys! Come on, hustle, hustle!" Coach Jenkins yells as the team goes back to their positions.
"23 seconds left. You could cut the tension with a sword. The long ball is played into Jay. Jay, great jump, great leap. And a great move by Jay. A big block from Chad. Jay dishes off to Prince Ben. And then Carlos with a big block goes down. Jay through the kill zone picks up Carlos. Oh, he's being hammered by dragon fire. Still, going on. Jay, hurdling maneuver at mid-field. He's in the clear. The ball goes back to Jay." The announcer says as everyone stays quiet and watches, waiting for a score.
"Hey, Jay!" Carlos yells as Jay looks at him.
"Go up! Ben!" Carlos yells as he crouches and puts his shield on top of him making Jay jump on him and pass the ball to Ben.
"He passes to prince Ben. He scores!" The announcer yells as Auradon's side cheers.
"OH MY GOD!" I scream as I cheer for Ben.
"They won!? They won! Ben won it!" Mom screams as she shakes Dad who chuckles and we all cheer for Ben.
"WHOO!" Nyx, Arianna, and I shout as Jay and Carlos wave at us.
"Prince Ben has won it! What an unselfish play by Jay! What a team! Incredible! And it's the new guys, Jay and Carlos, who set up the prince for the win here. What a victory! An absolutely wonderful end to one of the best games ever. Here they come, folks. The winners of the first tourn-" Before the announcer could finish, Ben grabs the mic from him as everyone quiets down.
"What is he doing?" I ask as everyone else shrugs.
"Excuse me. Excuse me. Can I have your attention, please? There's something I'd like to say." My older brother says as he looks around the crowd before spotting Mal making him smile.
"Give me an M!" He yells as everyone shouts M.
"M!" Everyone shouts except for Mom, Dad, and Nyx. Nyx looks over at Jay and Carlos who shrug at her.
"Give me an A!"
"A!"
"Wait...Is he proposing to Audrey!?" I exclaim as Mom and Arianna scoff.
"Ick, if he proposes to her, I'm not calling him "brother" anymore." Arianna says as we laugh.
"Give me an L"
"L!" "That's not how you spell marry." I think out loud as Nyx scoffs.
"No shit Sherlock." She says as I roll my eyes.
"What does that spell!?"
"Mal!"
"Come on, I can't hear you!"
"Mal!" Everyone yells as Mom, Dad, Arianna, and I look at each other and Nyx face-palms.
"I love you, Mal! Did I mention that?" Ben says, flashing a smile at Mal as Audrey runs off the field.
"Say what?"
"I. Knew it!" I exclaim as I pump my fist into the air.
"Give me a beat! Whoo!" Ben yells as Doug counts.
"Uno, dos, tres, cuatro!" Doug shouts before he and his band play music making everyone on the bleachers start dancing.
"Huh?" Mom, Dad, Arianna, Nyx, and I say confusingly.
"Did I mention? That I'm in love with you? Did I mention? There's nothing I can do. And did I happen to say? I dream of you every day. But let me shout it out loud. If that's okay-ay-ay." Ben sings as Arianna and I start vibing to the song.
"Hey!" We all yell.
"If that's okay." Ben sings as we all clap to the beat.
"Hey!" We yell once again as the tourney team joins in.
"I met this girl that rocked my world. Like it's never been rocked. And now I'm living just for her. And I won't ever stop. I never thought it can happen to a guy like me. But now look at what you've done. You got down on my knees." Ben sings as he and the team dance.
"Because my love for you is ridiculous. Because my love for you is ridiculous. I never knew."
"Who knew?" We sing as I nudge Nyx making her look down at me and roll her eyes before smiling and clapping along with us.
"That it can be like this. My love for you is ridiculous. My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"
"R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!" Nyx and I sing as look at each other and start laughing.
"It's?"
"Ridiculous!"
"Just?"
"Ridiculous!"
"And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss." Ben sings as he put up one finger.
"Hold up. What?" Arianna says as we all laugh.
"Well, did I mention...That I'm in love with you. And did I mention? There's nothing I can do. And did I happen to say? I dream of you every day. But let me shout it out. If that's okay-ay-ay. Yeah." Ben sings as Arianna and I look at each other with shocked faces.
"I didn't know he can sing this good." Dad says shocked as Nyx laughs.
"He has you two as parents. Of course, he can." She says laughing as she continues clapping to the beat as Arianna and I shrug.
"It's true." We say as Mom and Dad chuckle.
If that's okay?"
"I gotta know which way to go. C'mon, gimme a sign. You gotta show me that. You're only ever gonna be mine. Don't want to go another minute. Even without you. That's if your heart just isn't in it. I don't know what I'd do." Ben sings as the team pushes him up in the air as Mom covers her mouth.
"Oh, my god!" She exclaims as Dad laughs while Nyx, Arianna, and I clap along and sing to the song.
"Because my love for you is ridiculous. I never knew."
"Who knew?" Nyx and Arianna sing as they shrug at each other and giggle.
"That it can be like this. My love for you is ridiculous. My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"
"R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!" We all spell as Ben "whoops".
"It's?"
"Ridiculous!"
"Just?"
"Ridiculous!"
"And I would give my kingdom. For just one kiss. C'mon now! Hey! Oh, yeah." He sings as he high-fives the tourney team before taking off his jersey shirt and throwing it at Mal.
"WHOOOOO!" Arianna and I scream as Nyx laughs.
"Because my love for you is ridiculous. Because my love for you is ridiculous. I never knew."
"Who knew?"
"That it can be like this. My love for you is ridiculous. My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!" Ben sings as some of the players lift him up and throw him into the crowd as they carry him towards Mal.
"R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"
"It's?"
"Ridiculous!"
"Just?"
"Ridiculous!"
"And I would give my kingdom. For just one kiss. C'mon now!" Ben sings as the music finishes and we all cheer.
"WHOOO!"
"YEAH, BEN!"
Ben tries to kiss Mal but she hides her face behind his jersey shirt making Arianna and I laugh.
"Already going for it."
"We so have something to tease him about now." I said as my little sister nods and we giggle.
"I love you, Mal! Did I mention that?" Ben asks as we all watch Mal blush before Audrey stomps her way up to Ben, dragging Chad up with her.
"Chad's my boyfriend now! And I'm going to the coronation with him. So I don't need your pity date." She snaps as she kisses Chad making Arianna gag.
"Ugh, never liked the girl anyway." Mom says as Nyx nods.
"If she were to ever die, Hades would just kick her out of the underworld from all the shit she'll put him through." She says as the five of us start laughing.
"Mal! Will you go to the coronation with me?" Ben asks Mal as she smirks at Audrey.
"Yes!" She yells into the mic as Audrey huffs.
"She said yes!" Ben shouts as everyone cheers and Jay makes his way up to Ben.
"Let's go, Ben. The whole team's waiting for you." We hear Jay say as Ben nods and smiles at Mal before walking away.
"What a victory. What a day for the Auradon knights, finally winning back the trophy after so many years." The announcer announces once he gets his mic back from Ben. Nyx sighs before looking at us.
"You know...Y'all are alright. Not as bad as people say y'all are on the Isle." She says as she blows a bubble with her gum.
"Wait...What do they say about us?" Dad asks as she shrugs.
"Okay. It's mostly my...Gaston who spreads the rumors but...I never believed them." Nyx shrugs before smiling at us. Wait...Why does her smile look very familiar?
"You don't call him your father?" Arianna asks as Dad lightly slaps her arm.
"Ow." She whispers as Nyx giggles.
"No. I don't. Never acted as a father towards me so...Why should I call him "dad"? Plus...We don't even look alike so...He told me once that I'm not even his daughter so. That's another reason I don't call him my father." Nyx says as Arianna and I nod while Mom and Dad look at each other with a shocked expression.
"Anyway. I gotta go. Y'all are pretty cool you know that?"
"Well...Now we kinda believe it." Mom says as Nyx laughs.
"Aight, see ya around Ari and Isa. Bye, Mrs. B. See ya, Beastie." Nyx says before walking away as she blew a bubble with her gum and popped it.
"Why did her smile seem so familiar?" I thought to myself before turning to my parents.
"Can I go hang out with Melody!?" Arianna asks as Mom nods her head. Arianna squeals and kisses Mom's cheek before running over to Melody, Ariel's daughter.
My parents looked down at me and smiled making me gasp.
"Isa? What's wrong" Dad asked me in a concerned voice as I shake my head.
"N-Nothing...BYE!" I shouted before running away and into the Library. I lean on the door and think to myself.
"No, no. I'm...I'm getting crazy. Nyx does NOT have a mix of Mom and Dad's smile. No, she does not. No. I just..." I said before taking a deep breath and letting it all out, calming me down.
"I just, have to calm down. And think this all through." I said, heading over to my small little corner in the school library and grabbing one of my favorite books. I sat in my gray and pink bean-bag chair and started reading my book once again, to calm me down.
BELLE'S POV:
As we watched Isabelle run away from us, Adam put his arm around my waist making me look up at him.
"It's weird of her to do that." He says as he looks down at me. I chuckle and pat his chest.
"She gets that from you, baby." I say as he playfully rolls his eyes and kisses my lips.
"Did you hear what Nyx said though?" He asks as we walk to the front of the School.
"Um...She finally called me "Mrs.B"? Or the fact that she didn't even flirt with you for once?" I ask as my husband chuckles and pats my ass.
"First, I love it when people call you "Mrs. Beast" or "Mrs. B". Second, you know very well that I only have eyes for you. Third, no. That wasn't what I meant." He tells me as I chuckle and lean into his side.
"Wait...We didn't drive here." I say after realizing that Isabelle made us run to the school.
"God damn it." Adam groans as I smile.
"Come on. We can walk back to the Castle."
"But...But, it's so far."
"If you can run here, you can walk there." I said as Adam glared at me. I flash him a smile making him roll his eyes before he leaned down and kissed my lips passionately.
"K, anyways. What I meant was that...Nyx said that her father said that she wasn't his daughter." Adam said as I nodded my head slowly.
"O...Kay? And?"
"And...Did you see her smile? It's literally a mix of our smiles. Plus. The girl looks like you." He said as I thought about it.
"Wait...You're not telling me that...Nyx is actually Nicole...Right?" I ask as Adam nods his head.
"That's exactly what I'm telling you!"
"We don't even have proof, Adam! We can't just-"
"The paper said that Gaston only had one child. A daughter named Gabriella. Nyx's name was not on there." Adam reminds me as I sigh.
"But, how can you be so sure?"
"Belle, baby. Just a few days ago, you were just saying that we had to have some hope that we'd find Nicole and I am now telling you that Nyx could be our daughter and you're telling me that I can't be so sure? You're the one who usually does all the thinking! Not me!" Adam exclaims as I roll my eyes.
"I'm just saying. But...I did get the feeling that Nicole was close to us ever since Nyx got out of the car. Plus...I'm starting to have flashbacks of the day we lost her." I told him as I looked down. Adam stopped walking and turned me around, hooking a finger under my chin to make me look up at him.
"Hey...That day wasn't your fault. It was neither of ours. We had guards all around the Castle and we thought that the kids would be safe. Don't blame yourself for what happened." He said as tears started filling my eyes.
"I know but, we could've stopped them! We could've stopped them if we had just heard Nicole scream or do something!"
"I know, baby. I know. But, hey. We're this close to finding her. We just need a little more faith in hoping that we'll find her." He says as I smile at him. He smiles at me and kisses my lips as I wrap my arms around his neck.
"I'm glad I met you." I say making my husband chuckle as he wraps his arms around me.
"And I'm glad that I fell in love with you." He says making me smile as I kiss his lips again before we start walking again.
"...Last one to the Castle has to be tied up!" Adam yells as he starts running.
"Hey! That's not fair!" I yell as I run after him before I hear him laughing.
"You son of a..." I trail off as I start laughing as we continue to run to the Castle. Trying to beat each other.