"You're late."
The Evil Queen's cold clipped voice greets Evie before she can even close the castle door. Evie sighs and lets the heavy oak door fall shut behind her, her hopes of slipping past her mother unnoticed dashed within seconds of arriving home.
After leaving school early, Evie had spent some time wandering the Isle and getting lost in her thoughts. She didn't stray too far from the main roadways, not wanting to get caught alone in some dirty alley or deserted passageway—her mother's twisted tales of the terrible things that happen to girls alone in alleys on the Isle drumming at the back of her mind. Evie had long ago come to terms with the bitter irony of her mother warning her of the terrors that lie outside her castle walls while purposely curating the ones that befell Evie within her tower.
Still, Evie remained vigilant as she walked the Isle she calls home freely for the first time in a decade. There's still so much of it she hasn't seen, her mother requiring her to return home immediately after school each day. After suffering the consequences of her first detention earlier in the week, she had every intention of honoring her mother's rules. But her mind has been swimming with thoughts she can't seem to quiet and she carelessly lost track of time.
Under her jacket, Evie's dress is soiled and damp from her poor attempts at washing up in the school bathroom. Her hair is matted to her head with thick pea soup and even her stockings are caked in green mush. For the daughter of the Evil Queen, appearance is everything but it's not her current physical state that is vexing Evie. Mal's little soup prank was humiliating and exasperating, and perhaps after the shock had worn off, Evie would have found the wicked emerald-eyed girl and told her off for her childish behavior— but seeing that word splashed across her locker had felt like a sucker punch to the gut.
Evie knew Mal didn't like her, but her hate had never felt so personal before. Mal is her mother's daughter, holding onto old grudges for the sake of being angry, and while Evie was disappointed to find Mal in such a state upon her arrival at Dragon Hall, she understood the pressure from Maleficent made Mal that way.
But today had felt different—today had felt like Mal had taken aim at her soul with the sharpest tool in her arsenal. All week Evie had been annoyed with Mal's little quips about her supposedly perfect life inside her castle, but despite Mal's vision being the farthest thing from the truth, Evie was content with leaving the other girl to her assumptions because the truth is something she'd much prefer to keep to herself. Mal hating her for being something she's not was irritating, but Mal recognizing and being repulsed by her shameful truth was devastating.
Evie straightens her back and forces her face into a pleasant expression for her mother's benefit. "I was working on a project after school."
She delivers the lie with her head held high and no trace of emotion on her face. She had long ago learned that the truth was often far from the best option when it came to her mother, it was always best to tell her exactly what she wanted to hear. Evie doubts her mother wants to hear that Mal, the daughter of her greatest rival, had yet again gotten the best of her daughter—not when Maleficent's most recent interference in their lives still has her mother seething.
The sound of her mother's mocking laugh echoes through the foyer and Evie twitches ever so slightly at the shrill sound. "Please, Evie, the least you could do is work on a more believable lie."
Evie considers her options—doubling down on her lie or submitting to her mother's coming tirade. Evie lowers her eyes as her mother moves in closer, circling her with contempt. Today might call for a careful mingling of both.
"Don't tell me you got detention again?" The Evil Queen sneers. "My daughter, the delinquent. Such an embarrassment!"
"No, mother, I didn't," Evie counters. She'll take her punishment but not for something she didn't do.
The Evil Queen cocks her head, beady eyes taking unforgiving inventory of the girl in front of her. Well accustomed to the attention, Evie stands still under her mother's appraising gaze and hopes whatever small flaw her mother will pick on today is easy to fix.
"What's on your dress?" the Evil Queen questions, stepping closer to inspect her daughter. She sniffs the air, her face recoiling in disgust. "And that smell! My gods!"
Evie stiffens, cursing her jacket for not being long enough to cover all the stains that litter her dress.
"Soup."
"Soup?" The Evil Queens repeats, voice rising and face scrunching at the word. "Why are you covered in soup?"
"I slipped at lunch and spilled some on myself." Just a small lie to lessen the impending damage. Evie plants her feet and squares her shoulders.
"You clumsy little idiot!"
Her mother's hand juts out to smack her hard across the face. The Evil Queen is quick and precise in her strike, but Evie is unfortunately well-versed in the art of physical abuse and absorbs the blow with only the tiniest jerking of her head.
"You have an appointment in half an hour and you show up late and covered in slop!" The Evil Queen bellows. "I knew you going to school was a mistake! I have every mind to pull you out of that horrid place and go back to schooling you myself!"
Evie shakes her head frantically. "No! Please! I'll be ready! I promise!" she cries. Evie feels sick at the desperation in her voice but she can't go back to being confined to her castle all day long.
"Don't make me regret my decision, Evie!" her mother warns with a sharp look, before turning away.
"It wasn't your decision, it was Maleficent's," Evie mumbles under her breath as her mother starts to retreat.
At her muffled muttering, the Evil Queen whirls back around, her long black cloak wrapping around her like a cloud of smoke. A practiced hand flies out to grab a fist full of Evie's hair and tug her close. Evie silently curses herself for her childish response. She knows better.
"What did you just say?" the Evil Queen hisses against the girl's ear.
"Nothing," Evie says through gritted teeth. Her body twists awkwardly in her mother's grasp but she knows better than to try to pull away. She had nearly lost a handful of hair the last time she attempted to escape her mother's hold.
"That's what I thought," her mother smiles wickedly. She releases Evie's hair with a rough push that sends the girl stumbling forward. Evie quickly rights herself, keeping her face from colliding with the cracked marble of the floor. "Now go get yourself together. We'll continue this after you're done."
Evie can only nod obediently as she shuffles towards the stairs.
"Oh and darling," her mother calls, stopping Evie in her tracks. "Don't think I'm going to let your pathetic act of insolence slide, you will learn your lesson," she warns darkly. "Count your luck you have an appointment tonight or things could have been very bad for you, sweetheart."
Luck. Evie has never known such a thing. She starts her trek up the four flights of stairs to her bedroom, the weight in her chest growing heavier with each step. She'd have preferred the beating to what awaits her tonight.
Carlos is waiting outside her castle gate on Monday morning. Evie is a few minutes behind schedule and despite her hatred for being late, she can't seem to shake her sluggishness. She's mentally and physically exhausted and judging by the weary look on Carlos's face as he watches her walk down the crumbling cobblestone pathway, he can tell. The heat from his large brown eyes is almost too much for Evie to stand and she finds herself chewing on her bottom lip and hoping he doesn't notice the falter in her step. She does her best to walk with her usual poise but her body is sore and her mind slowed from lack of sleep.
His eyes rake over her when she nears and Evie timidly tugs at her jacket in a meaningless attempt at shielding herself. She knows she looks fine, both she and her mother made sure of it, but Carlos has a way of looking past her carefully constructed facade.
After a long look, Carlos simply presses his lips together and makes a noise that sounds vaguely like a low hum. Evie offers him a tired smile in greeting and starts the walk to school.
"How'd it go Friday? Was your mom pissed about your dress?" Carlos asks once they gain a bit of distance from The Castle Across The Way.
Evie shrugs noncommittally. "She'll get over it."
While she had met the back of her mother's hand for coming home a mess, her true punishment came later. At least that's what her mother told her when she brought Evie's third appointment in two days to her bedroom door. Evie knew her mother didn't need a reason, but that didn't stop the Evil Queen from seizing the opportunity to lay the burden of her own suffering at her daughter's feet.
"So nothing happened?" Carlos pries.
"C, I'm fine," Evie says, attempting to dismiss the boy's concern. Carlos holds her in his gaze, seemingly unconvinced. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm fine, I promise."
They walk a little farther along before Carlos stops to glance at her sideways. "You look like you haven't slept."
Evie sighs. "That's because I haven't."
"Are you… is it still going on?" Carlos asks carefully.
Her chest tightens at the question. Carlos has known her secrets for years now but it never gets any easier to hear them out loud.
"Carlos." She's tired, so tired, and she can't have this conversation with Carlos yet again.
"I know," he sighs, face falling at Evie's weary warning. "I know you don't like to talk about it, but has it gotten any better? I mean you can leave your castle now. You're going to school everyday where people can actually see you. She can't keep making you…. it has to have gotten better? Right?"
Evie takes a deep breath and shakes her head softly. Carlos's expression is grim but Evie can detect the slightest spark of hope in his voice and she feels awful for having to disappoint him.
"Carlos, c'mon, don't do this."
Carlos kicks at the gravel in the road and looks away. "I was just hoping it would stop."
"I was too."
Despite Carlos's best efforts, that terrible word is still on Evie's locker when she reaches school. Evie avoids the hall that houses her locker but, nonetheless, finds herself the target of some very unwanted attention as a result. Between the gossip and public requests for sexual favors, Evie finds herself seeking refuge at the side of Carlos and Jay as often as possible throughout the day. Both boys are chatty and energetic and Evie easily gets lost in conversation with them.
She passes Mal a couple of times in the halls and receives a glare from the other girl each time. There's so much Evie wants to say but her throat seems to go dry whenever she's met with green eyes and purple hair and all she can do is look away. They don't interact all day, although Mal does knock into a boy who's giving Evie a hard time outside of her Scheming 101 class. When the boy turns to snap at whoever jostled him, he freezes upon seeing Mal and his mouth snaps shut. Mal doesn't say a word to her but the boy leaves Evie alone after that.
While Carlos is actively avoiding Mal, Jay is not and so the talented thief eats lunch with his crew's leader at their usual table in the cafeteria while Evie and Carlos take their food outside to eat in the yard.
Carlos tells her all about the radio he's been piecing together from scrap parts he's managed to collect over the last couple of months and what he plans to do with it once he finishes, and Evie shares her plans for a concoction she hopes to cook up in the school's lab if she can get her hands on the right ingredients—a cream that's meant to help scars fade. They don't talk about why either of them might need such a thing but Evie's eyes shine with excitement when she breaks down the cream's chemical components and Carlos can't help but grin in response.
"You're kind of a nerd," he tells her when she finishes. She's practically out of breath from talking so quickly and Carlos chuckles at the offended look that washes over her face at his remark.
Evie gasps loudly and pushes at his shoulder before leaning over to swipe the last remaining carrot off the boy's tray.
"Hey! I was saving that one for last! It's the only one without mold!" Carlos complains. He always likes to get all the spoiled and moldy food out of the way first so he could savor whatever few good bites of food he has at the end of his meal.
"That's what you get for calling me a nerd!" Evie teases, popping the offending vegetable into her mouth with a grin.
As the day winds down, Evie finds herself sitting on the front steps of the school with Jay and Carlos. Jay has spent the better part of the last half-hour jumping off of handrails and stone ledges and flipping his body to various degrees before landing on his feet. He calls out for Evie to watch before attempting some ridiculous trick and she happily obliges, offering the boy a smile and a round of applause when he sticks the landing and grins up at her.
Carlos lifts his head from his notebook to roll his eyes and shake his head. "You're not actually impressed by that, are you?"
Evie laughs—it's light and airy and maybe today hasn't been such a bad day after all. "He can jump rather high."
"So can a monkey," Carlos mumbles under his breath as Jay does another roundhouse kick off the top step.
Carlos and Evie eventually break off into a conversation about science and Jay throws his head back with a groan once he realizes he's lost Evie's attention.
"You're still working on that stupid project? I haven't even started mine."
"Jay!" Evie gasps. "You're going to fail!"
Jay shrugs. "Not like I care."
"You should care! Your education is important, Jay!"
Jay decides he's done enough awesome stunts for one day and comes to sit with his friends, shamelessly wedging himself between Carlos and Evie.
"No one actually gets an education at Dragon Hall," he cracks. "Besides, you don't need an education to be a thief, you just need good hands…which I have," he tells Evie with a suggestive smirk and a waggle of his eyebrows.
Evie flounders for a moment at the innuendo before shaking her head and fixing the boy with a serious look. "Thief or not, you should take your studies seriously."
"Bet I'd learn a lot more if I had a tutor. A little one-on-one attention might be just what I need," he winks at her.
Carlos catches her eye to see if she needs him to interject but she just smiles and turns to Jay. "That can be arranged."
"Yeah?" Jay perks up.
"Sure," Evie says sweetly. "Carlos, Jay needs help with science. Tutor him."
"Not quite what I had in mind," Jay grumbles as Carlos and Evie share a laugh at his expense. "Anyway, I better get going. Pops is gonna be pissed if I don't bring home the goods today."
"The goods?" Evie questions.
"Stolen shit Jafar sells in his shop," Carlos explains disinterestedly.
"Reclaimed shit," Jay corrects, getting to his feet.
"Yeah, sure, reclaimed."
Three heads turn at the sound of the sarcastic remark to find Mal standing at the top of the steps.
Jay, not at all bothered by the interruption, continues as if she'd been there the whole time. "Whatever. It was slim pickings last week and the old man still hasn't quit bitching about it. I gotta score something big this week or I'm sleeping outside again."
Evie only spares Mal a quick glance before turning her head and pivoting her body slightly so she can see Mal out of the corner of her eye. She won't give the girl the satisfaction of an emotional reaction, but she's not going to remain vulnerable to another attack from behind either. Beside her, Carlos starts packing up his backpack with a huff of annoyance.
"I might have something that can help," Evie offers the thief. Her voice is quieter than before and her fingers pick anxiously at the loose threads hanging off her skirt. If Jay notices her sudden uneasiness at the sight of Mal, he doesn't mention it.
"You have stuff you stole that you're willing to just give to me?"
"Not stole," Evie starts hesitantly. Her eyes dart quickly in Mal's direction to make sure the girl isn't up to anything. "I have some things that I don't really have much use for but perhaps they might be of some value to you."
Mal strolls down the steps and rolls her eyes back. "You want to pawn off your old junk on Jay? Gee how generous."
"It's not junk! It's jewelry and metals and silk," Evie insists hotly. She catches herself growing emotional at Mal's mocking and quickly reels herself in, brushing her hands over her skirt and taking a deep breath. "They're valuable goods," she adds firmly. "And if they'll help Jay, he can have them to give to his father." She turns towards the boy in question with an earnest expression. "And then you'll have time to work on your project instead of having to be out all night stealing."
Jay arches a suspicious eyebrow. It's not every day someone on the Isle offers to give you something for nothing. "And you don't want these things?"
"I don't," Evie answers truthfully.
Carlos is standing now, bag slung over his shoulder. "I'm leaving," he announces with one last glare in Mal's direction. "You coming, Evie?"
Evie nods and gets to her feet.
"Won't your mother notice her shit is gone?" Jay questions.
"These things belong to me. I can bring them tomorrow," Evie says before sparing Mal one last cautious look and following after Carlos.
Evie is surprised and not at all pleased to see Mal in P.E. the following day. She's aware that Mal and Carlos are not currently on speaking terms so she doubts Mal is yet again present at the behest of the freckled boy. She forces the air out of her lungs with an annoyed breath and finds a spot to stand that's not directly in Gaston's eye-line while also being a fair distance from Mal. Her nerves are already on edge in this class without having to worry about whatever rotten trick Mal has up her sleeve.
But Evie has bigger issues than trying to figure out Mal's motive for attending class because presently there's a thick knotted rope hanging from the center of the gym's ceiling and apparently each student is expected to climb it. The thing is, Evie's pretty skilled at rope climbing—she's done her fair share of slipping out her bedroom window and shimmying down her tower's outer-wall to meet Carlos in the woods during her mother's afternoon naps. However, she doesn't need Mal nosing around trying to figure out how she acquired such a skill.
On top of her Mal problem, and Mal truly is becoming a problem, Evie also has to contend with Gaston's unsettling staring and not so sly digs. But Evie has a new tactic in mind for today. Instead of trying to fade into the background and hoping Gaston leaves her alone, she immediately raises her hand and volunteers to be the first to attempt the rope exercise. She's aware that Gaston's eyes will be on her as she climbs the rope, but so will everyone else's which should offer her some sense of protection.
As Evie strides out to the center of the gym feigning confidence, Mal makes a crack about her being a show-off which draws some snickers from the other students. Picking up on the tension between the girls and jumping at the opportunity to exploit Evie's discomfort, Gaston gleefully invites Mal to spot Evie and hold the rope. Mal is vocal in her displeasure and stomps to the center of the gym mumbling curses under her breath.
"I can't wait to see this, Princess. Try not to break your neck," Mal grins once she's face-to-face with the blue-haired girl.
"Your fixation with me is seriously growing tiresome, Mal," Evie sighs. She grabs a hold of the rope with one hand and gives the other girl a cheeky wink. "Try not to stare."
Mal's cheeks burn bright red as a chorus of "ooh's" rings out from the crowd of students waiting for their turn. Evie starts her ascent up the rope with a satisfied smile on her face, pleased to get the better of Mal for once.
Evie climbs with her usual grace, but also with strength and speed that leaves Mal scratching her head. The grace she's familiar with, but where did Evie learn to climb like that? Slender hands move over each other with ease as she grips the rope between her feet and uses her upper body to hoist herself towards the rafters. Mal had no intention of actually spotting Evie during this inane exercise but she can't seem to take her eyes off of the girl; and if her hands happen to reach out to hold the rope steady as Evie puts more and more distance between herself and the floor, well it isn't intentional and certainly not meant to be helpful.
"Yo Mal! Enjoying the view?!" a voice calls out.
Her stare effectively broken, Mal whips her head around to see who dared to tease her. She finds a group of boys laughing and elbowing each other with ridiculous smirks on their faces.
"Your girl can really get up there," another boy in the group calls out. "Bet she's even better at going down."
Mal's nostrils flare at the lazy innuendo and she steps towards the group with a growl. "What did you just say?"
She can't quite determine if she wants to rip their heads off for laughing at her expense, or for their tasteless crack about Evie. Carlos's words about labels being dangerous in a school like this echoes in the back of her mind and Mal can't help but question if maybe she should have picked a different word to spray paint on Evie's locker. Mal doesn't typically do regret and the feeling burns at her chest like acid.
The sound of feet hitting the ground snaps Mal out of her brief rage and she spins to see Evie standing with the rope still in her hand. Despite her flawless execution of the exercise, Evie's not smiling smugly but rather watching Mal with wide blinking eyes.
Mal feels caught between Evie's intense wondering gaze and the chuckles of her classmates. She wants to pummel those idiot boys for their audacity, but she also wants to go to Evie and explain herself.
"Switch! You're up, Mal!" Gaston yells out.
Wordlessly, the girls switch positions and Mal reaches for the rope while trying her best to avoid Evie's eyes. Evie watches carefully as Mal begins to climb, the rope dangling loosely between her hands as her eyes follow purple hair toward the ceiling.
Mal makes it to the top without issue but her foot misses a knot on the way down and she begins to slide. The rope slipping through her fingers burns her hands and so she lets go with a hiss. She's only a few feet off the ground and Evie could place a hand against her back to steady her, but cruel taunting words and cold pea soup and vandalized locker doors swim in her head. Evie takes a small step back and Mal falls onto the padded mat lying on the ground, landing on her backside with a solid thud. When she looks up, Evie is biting her lip to keep from laughing. The rest of the class, however, make no attempt to conceal their laughter and the sound of forty of her peers mocking her sends Mal into a rage.
Mal scrambles to her feet and points an accusing finger at Evie. "You did that on purpose!"
"I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about," Evie says, face the picture of innocence. She doesn't feel too bad about her little stunt considering Mal was only high up enough to bruise her ego. In fact, Evie's rather pleased with her last-minute act of retribution.
Mal steps towards Evie with her teeth bared, their faces only inches apart. "You'll pay for that!" she warns, green eyes flashing with unadulterated disdain. Being so close, Mal can see the tiny flecks of red in Evie's honey-brown eyes as Evie stares back at her, completely unaffected by her threat. The familiar warmth she finds there is enough to throw Mal off her axis for a moment.
Evie cocks her head and smiles sweetly. "What are you going to do? More sophomoric pranks like vandalizing my locker and spilling soup on me? Please. For the daughter of the mistress of all evil, that's pretty lame."
Mal wants to kiss that stupid smile right off her face.
The realization makes her blood run cold and without saying a word, she's storming out of the gym and slamming her fist into the first unlucky locker door she sees with a wild wail.
