Ch 28:

"I got this one from one of the Gaston twins." Jay boasted, pulling up his tank top to reveal the clean, thin scar on his lower abdomen, likely from a knife or dagger. He let the shirt fall back into place so he could roll Motley's ball across the floor.

"I got this one from Uma's sword." Mal bragged, dropping the back of her jacket a bit to show a similar scar between her shoulder blades. "Last time Shrimpy ever got the chance to stab me in the back." Mal righted her jacket again, settling back onto Jane's comforter and scooping up the small black kitten to put him back into her lap. She rolled him onto his back to play with his belly. The kitten instantly started play-fighting with Mal's hand.

Chloe brushed her long hair back over her shoulder, revealing the side of her neck. "What about these?" she jokingly bragged when they could see the four small, round scars there, a few shades darker than her skin. "Caused by a vintage, Opera-length cigarette holder." she added in a posh accent similar to her mother's. "And I have several more on my arms and legs."

They made another loop around, Chloe having to scoop up a couple of the kittens from the floor after they tried scratching up the bedpost. Jay showed off a smattering of jagged scars from Jafar bashing a whiskey bottle over the back of his head. Mal showed off a woven-patterned scar across her lower back from where Maleficent had whipped her with a thick chain.

This was something the three of them had started a couple years back, while still on the Isle. Surprisingly, Chloe kind of enjoyed it instead of being uncomfortable like one would expect. They made it a kind of game, even though it never really ended any differently, especially since they didn't get any new scars since leaving the Isle. But it lightened the mood a lot. Which Chloe needed on this particular day.

After a couple rounds Chloe scooted to the edge of her bed, letting her right leg stick out while she pulled up her pant leg. "And last but not least," she announced, revealing her most recent scar, several jagged, round scars resembling that of teeth marks. The scar from when she got her leg caught in one of her mother's bear traps.

Mal and Jay jokingly applauded her, partially drowning out the knock on the door. The door opened a moment later and Anthony walked in.

Chloe smiled in greeting, which Anthony returned until his eyes traveled down and landed on her leg. His smile dropped and Chloe instantly shoved her pant leg back down.

There was a long moment of awkward silence, which was finally broken by Jay abruptly standing up.

"Well, I've got some…homework to do. See you later, Chloe." Jay called, breezing right past Anthony and out the door.

Mal gave Chloe a sympathetic smile, giving the kitten a quick kiss on the head before plopping him with his siblings on Chloe's bed and following Jay from the room.

Chloe swallowed the lump in her throat, scooting back until she was propped up by her pillows on her bed. Two of the kittens were wrestling on the comforter, while a third crawled up to cuddle next to Chloe. The fourth one was playing with Motley's tail, the Dalmatian just laying there patiently.

Anthony crossed the room, sitting on the bed by Chloe's feet.

"Soooo,…" Anthony trailed off after dragging the word out. "I'm not sure what exactly I walked in on." he finally admitted.

Chloe groaned, grabbing her pillow from under her and putting it over her face, hoping it would suffocate her.

"Chloe, come on." Anthony called, lightly tugging on the pillow until she let it fall onto her stomach. "If you're really not comfortable talking about it, I understand, but…" Anthony trailed off, appearing to think about what else to say. "Well, if you ever wanted to talk about it, you could."

Chloe sighed, scooting back to sit up more, hugging the pillow to her chest. "Well,…you know my mother was…abusive." she finally admitted.

Anthony nodded. "Yeah, you've mentioned a few things. Like that thing about driving her car."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah. But that's not even the half of it." she admitted. She hesitated before pulling up the long sleeves of her shirt. "I got this scar from a broken brandy bottle." she explained, pointing at a long, jagged mark on her forearm. "Mother wanted to skin Bee for her fur, and she was drunk on brandy. These," she moved to her other arm to point out the several small, round scars, "are cigarette burns from her infamous cigarette holder. The stuff she did like the brandy bottle was when she was in a rampage. The cigarette burns were more when she'd settled down, but had let the anger stew. Those were almost scarier, partially because she usually had time to think about what to do to cause the most pain."

Chloe kept her eyes downcast as she pulled her pant leg up again, revealing her leg again. "This was caused by one of her bear traps. She…" Chloe swallowed the lump in her throat. "Our bedroom was just the small dressing room behind her fur coat closet. You know how obsessive Cruella is about her furs. Well, there are two ways to get into the dressing room. The main door, or going through the fur closet. We usually avoided going through the fur closet because the floor was covered with bear traps."

"Why was it covered with bear traps?" Anthony asked, curiously disturbed by that information.

"That was her security system." Chloe admitted bitterly. "Carlos got caught in one when we were younger, and it took both of us to get it off. And we were only allowed to do it after Mother was sure we didn't get blood on her furs."

She gestured to her own scarred leg. "This happened a few days before Ben's coronation, while Carlos and everyone was in Auradon and I was alone on the Isle. I was supposed to get all my chores done before Mother got home, but I didn't get it all done. Probably because it was the normal chores both Carlos and I would do in that amount of time. There was just no way for one person to get them all done. Anyway, I heard Mother return and knew she'd be mad, so I ran to the closet because it was faster to get to my room. Obviously, it didn't end well." she partially joked, gesturing to her leg. "I got my leg caught in one of the stupid traps, screamed my head off, and got yanked out and yelled at by my mom. After making sure her furs were unharmed, she told me she would leave me with the trap on my leg to 'teach me a lesson'." Chloe quoted mockingly. She had to mock that moment or else she'd fall apart.

She stared down at her leg, so she couldn't see Anthony gaping in horror.

"I…remember hearing, before I met you, that the new Isle kid had to stay in the hospital for a couple days before coming to school." Anthony admitted, slightly fishing for more information.

Chloe nodded. "Yeah. Since I couldn't get the trap off my leg myself it got infected. I was feverish and unconscious for…I don't know, a few days, when Carlos and the others found me."

"And your mother never bothered to check on you?" Anthony asked incredulously.

Chloe shrugged. "I mean, I was unconscious, so I can't be sure. I would think after a couple days she'd come looking because her servant wasn't doing the chores. But I don't know."

Anthony nodded slightly, though he couldn't quite wrap his head around this information. His parents loved and supported him and his sister. They always put his and Aria's needs first. He couldn't imagine a mother doing those things to her own child.

"You know, Carlos and Beelzebub were the only sources of affection I ever had. We got Bee when we were four at Evie's sixth birthday party." Chloe's lips twitched slightly at the memory, lifting one of the little calico kittens to cuddle to her chest. "I remember how happy I was to have a kitten. Of course, my mother wouldn't help us get food for her, so we had to figure that stuff out ourselves. We even gave her scraps off our plates, even though we barely got enough food ourselves."

"But you were only four years old." Anthony pointed out in disbelief.

"You learn to take care of yourself early on, on the Isle." Chloe pointed out quietly. "Carlos and I shared an old, lumpy mattress as our bed our whole life." she went on randomly. "Bee would sleep in the bed with us. But then a few years ago, when we first met Evie, she gave us a pillow." Chloe smiled softly at the memory. "Evie was the first friend Carlos and I ever made, and that's saying something considering no one has friends on the Isle. But after she saw our bedroom, and Carlos blathered on and admitted we'd never had a pillow before…Next time we saw her she gave us our first pillow. She even found a small pillow that Beelzebub claimed as her bed." Chloe added, leaning over to point down at said pillow in the box on the floor.

Anthony turned and followed Chloe's finger, nodding slightly. He had wondered about the old, worn pillow a few times and why Bee seemed so attached to it. Now he knew.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that." Anthony told her honestly. "You are the kindest, gentlest person I've ever met, and given everything you've been though, you have no reason to be. You didn't deserve all that. I hope Cruella knows what she lost."

Chloe blinked rapidly at the tears forming in her eyes. She abruptly scooted forward across her bed, leaning forward and burying her face in Anthony's neck. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, holding her close but gently. He started stroking her back with one hand, the fingers of his other hand running through her hair.

Chloe took a deep breath, relaxing as she released it. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest, making it easier to breathe. She'd been keeping all that information bottled up. It wasn't a secret with her brother and the others, but she'd been dreading Anthony finding out how bad it was, worried he wouldn't want her when he realized how damaged she was. In regards to the horrors she'd experienced on the Isle, she hadn't even scratched the surface, but it was a good start.

"So, can I ask?" Anthony spoke quietly after several moments. "What exactly did I walk in on? Were you guys talking about your scars or something?"

Chloe sighed, shifting so she was more sitting next to him, keeping her head rested on his shoulder. "This is probably going to sound messed up, but it was kind of a game."

Anthony turned his head, looking down at her in confusion. "A game? What kind of game?"

"Well,…we started it a couple years ago, back on the Isle. We would compare scars and how we got them, sorta like a competition. Even though it never ended differently, since we didn't have any new scars since coming here. It was mostly to just…lighten the mood. I guess." Chloe explained with a small shrug.

Anthony tilted his head curiously. "Did the mood need lightening today?"

Chloe grimaced, shrugging one shoulder awkwardly up to her ear.

"Did something happen?" Anthony asked worriedly.

"It's not a big deal." Chloe insisted. "It's just…Audrey-"

"Ah. That says it all." Anthony nodded. "What did Audrey do this time?"

"Nothing too horrible. She just…we ran into each other in the hallway and she said some things. Jay says Audrey's been extra bitter toward all the Isle kids because of Ben and Mal's relationship."

"Oh, yes. That." Anthony nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I never understood what Ben saw in Audrey when they started dating. He's always been a genuine guy and Audrey, well, she can be a bit…two-faced? Spoiled, selfish, petty,…You get the point. I think Mal's a much better match for him, especially as a future Queen. But I'm not too surprised Audrey's still bitter about it, and taking it out on everyone else. Especially anyone who's connected to Mal."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah. I was upset about some of the things she said, but it's not a big deal. Mal and Jay cheered me up. And these guys." she added, scooping up a couple of the kittens to cuddle to her chest.

Chloe loved all four kittens, and would miss them all when they went to homes of their own. And that time came just a few weeks later.

Chloe snuggled the little orange kitten, now named Fig, before passing him over to Pin standing just inside her dorm. She helped him put Fig's new collar on, a dark blue with a small bow tie. Chloe had been right when she assumed Pin would want one of the kittens. And she happily gave back some of the toys and supplies he'd given her so Fig would have some familiar toys in his new home, which was only across the building in the boys' dorms. Pin didn't need much, apparently he'd had a few cats in his life and still had plenty of supplies left for his new best friend.

"Bye, Fig." Chloe smiled at the tiny kitten before smiling at her classmate. "Let me know if you need anything else. And you're always welcome to stop by to visit. It's all of five minutes away." she joked.

Pin laughed, snuggling his new kitten. "Thanks. I'll take you up on that. Bye." he waved Fig's little paw at the family of cats still on the floor. "Bye, Chloe." he added, picking up the bag of toys and leaving the room, making sure to close to door before any kittens could slip out behind him.

Chloe sighed, settling down on her bed where Motley was laying. Sometimes her poor Dalmatian liked being up on the bed where the kittens couldn't get her tail. Unfortunately, Chloe had a feeling it wouldn't be long before the kittens could jump or climb up onto the beds.

Her and Jane's room had transformed somewhat the past couple weeks, though not much. It was more Jane's side of the dorm that changed. She had a large box next to her bed that had everything a kitten would need during the night, as she'd started having her kitten, ironically named 'Pumpkin', sleeping during the last few nights. Pumpkin still spent the days with her family in the playpen, but Jane and Chloe agreed it would help to start a slow transition. Pumpkin was the most gentle, timid of the litter. It was probably good she wasn't completely leaving her mother yet since Jane and Chloe were roommates. Jane also put her new scratching post at the end of her bed so Pumpkin could use the post to climb onto or off of the bed.

With the kittens entering a scratching phase, it had been decided that they would need something for the kittens to scratch, or they risked being charged for damaged to the school's property. Considering they would need at least three scratching posts, four if Chloe wanted to make one for Beelzebub, and those cost a minimum ten dollars for a plain one, Dizzy had suggested making some.

Thanks to some scrap material from the workshop classroom, scrap fabric from Evie, and video tutorials from Jane, they were able to make some pretty cool scratching posts with old boards, fabric, and PVC pipes. The only thing they needed to buy was something called Sisal rope, which Ally volunteered to buy as long as she could make one for Dino.

They got together and made a fun girl's craft day of it. Everyone who made one added their own unique touches to their post. Ally dangled a few cat toys from the top of the post. Jane and Chloe both added platforms on top of their scratching posts, but Chloe just used shaggy carpet fabric on the top while Jane made hers into a plush, bed-like spot, like a pillow. Dizzy added a couple pieces branching off from either side partway up the scratching post, put green fabric on the base as well as the platform she put on the top, used blue sisal rope on the pipe, and dangled colorful feathery things from a few spots on the post. Finally, the surprise one Evie made had green sisal rope going up the pipe, and the base and top platform were covered in purple fabric, a green, heart-shaped dragon stitched into the top of the platform. And for a finishing touch, she hung a couple dragon toys from the top, which had them all cracking up.

All in all, a productive Saturday.

With Pumpkin still living in Chloe and Jane's dorm, Fig just getting picked up by Pin, and Dizzy picking up the other girl kitten earlier, whom she'd named Venus, that only left one more kitten.

It was late evening when someone knocked on Chloe's dorm. Chloe was alone with Motley and the cats, working on homework, because Jane was cheerleading at an away tourney game.

Motley hopped down from the bed and trotted up to the door, Chloe following. She answered the door and smiled at Mal, who returned it tiredly.

"Hey, I take it that banquet ran a little longer than scheduled?" Chloe guessed, waving Mal into the room.

"An hour longer than scheduled." Mal agreed. "And that's not including the hour afterwards spent socializing."

A smile lit Mal's face as the little black kitten broke away from wrestling his sister to scamper up to her. Mal scooped him up and snuggled him, a loud purr rumbling through his tiny body.

"Hello, my little Loki. Are you ready to come home?" Mal murmured, letting Loki snuggle his head into her cheek. The scratching post Evie had made a few days ago had been a surprise for Mal, who had unfortunately been too busy with Lady stuff with Ben to join them.

"Here's a few of his toys. And you've got everything else you need?" Chloe checked, picking up a couple of the cat toys and passing them to Mal's other hand.

Mal nodded. "Yeah. Evie took Dizzy to the pet store a few days ago to buy everything they'll need, and she bought the same stuff for me while they were there. So, we should be good for a while."

"And most of his family is just next door or across the hall." Chloe added, smiling. Fig had moved the farthest away, just across the dorm to the boys' dorms, so they were all close to each other.

Mal laughed, looking down at where Loki was pawing at a strand of purple hair. "Yeah, that too. Well, I better get going. I'm ready for bed, to be honest. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow. Bye Loki." Chloe called, showing Mal out of the room. Once the door was closed, Chloe glanced around the room. It was much more peaceful in here now that there was only two cats and a dog instead of a zoo of rambunctious kittens.

Chloe returned to her bed and plopped down on the bouncy mattress. Motley hopped up with her a moment later, curling up next to her and resting her chin on Chloe's stomach. Chloe lifted a hand to play with Motley's floppy ears, letting herself relax even though she should probably be working on homework, or some of Motley's training. Oh well. There's always tomorrow.

AN: So, just for reference, here are the kittens names and new owners: Loki is the black male kitten, who is now Mal's cat. The orange male kitten is named Fig, who now belongs to Pin, the son of Pinocchio. The two girls are Pumpkin and Venus; Pumpkin is now Jane's cat and Venus is Dizzy's.

I tried to pick names that referenced either their parents/grandparents names, or their owners. Pumpkin obviously referencing Jane's mother, Fairy Godmother turning the pumpkin into a carriage. Loki is named after the God of Mischief, which I thought fit with Mal and Hades, and I thought it fit slightly with Lucifer and Beelzebub's names. Venus was named in reference to Lucifer, as a latin translation of Lucifer means "the planet Venus". And there's a lot of artwork featuring Venus, which I thought fit Dizzy's personality. Finally, Fig is named after Figaro, the kitten in Pinocchio. Also, Ally's cat Dino(who is not my character, he is named in a Descendants book), who is the kittens' father, is likely inspired by Alice's cat Dinah, and apparently Dinah in Alice in Wonderland was based largely on Figaro from Pinocchio. I thought that information fit nicely when picking names and owners for the kittens.

Anyway, just wanted to throw all that information out there for anyone who thinks that stuff is interesting.

Also, I might have mentioned this before, but there's about a year and half or so of time between Descendants 2 and 3, so if there's anything specific you want to see in that time span, mention it in the reviews and I'll see if I can put it in there. There's already a few things I plan on including, such as more groups of VKs being brought over, some training moments with Motley, college/future decisions coming up, etc.

Also, if there's anything you'd like to see for Chloe's part if D3, let me know. I had a few ideas, but I don't know for sure what I want her to do.

Sorry for the long note. Thanks for all your kind words, and let me know what you thought of this chapter!