The Shadow in "Return to the Isle of the Lost"
The second book of the Isle of the Lost series! Here I'm going to show Penelope interacting with Ben again, but she'll have her moments with the VKs as well!
I'm thinking that throughout the whole duration of this series, Penelope will have no contribution to the adventures the 4 VKs have. You see, I very much love their friendship, and I wouldn't want any OC – of mine or of others – to interfere with that. The books are proof of the cherished moments I am able to see them have when it is only the four of them. Penelope, as usual, is just a side character, that still brings a great impact to the story! At least she does, in my opinion.
The first thing I could even think about that morning was the fact that a Neverland team was going to be up against Auradon Prep!
I'm not a big Tourney fan ('Seriously, Penelope?' I thought to myself. 'After all those hours of watching the boys practice for it?'), but I do admit this was going to be an exciting outcome. It'd be nice to see my old Neverland friends again! I rarely saw them or even hung out with them as a kid, because some chose to get off the island and grow up. But now I'd get to see my old mates up against my technically new ones!
As I littered around the dining hall, I found my usual empty table and sat, chewing on a banana as I scanned the area. Nothing exciting was going on, as usual.
Well, okay, an earthquake happened earlier in the day, and another big one just occurred as soon as I sat down. These earthquakes seemed to be happening a lot lately… But I've gotten used to accepting and adapting, so it didn't much bother me. I did hope the issue would be resolved soon, somehow, if the King of Auradon could somehow command natural disasters to stop.
Speaking of which, Ben had also passed by a while ago to grab a quick bite to eat, and he only had enough time to say hello and be gone. As the new king, I knew he was up and about more often than most. There were times I'd have to approach him to be able to have a decent conversation and even help him out, but most days, we have limited time to actually spend time together like a family or even friend would.
Which can get kind of sad, sometimes.
As I was thinking about the Neverland team coming over again, so did Ally, Jordan, Freddie, and Jay. Once they'd all gotten food, the four continued chatting away, and they dropped their trays on the table I was sitting at and sat around me. "Hello, Pen!" Ally greeted first.
"'Sup," Freddie said after.
"Um, hey?" I raised an eyebrow, mostly confused. "What's up?"
"Hope you don't mind we're here," Jordan piped. "You just seemed lonely."
I had to scoff. "Don't I always seem lonely?"
"There's nothing wrong with how you look," Jay commented, winking. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and only stuck my tongue out at him playfully. Jay may have flirted with absolutely every girl he met, but I made it a point that as Peter Pan's daughter, I could not be swayed by such acts. Especially when I engaged them with a childish act.
As my friends laughed, they then began to chat again. I then noticed something in Jay's hand as I was about to eat my oatmeal. "What's that?" I pointed out.
The son of Jafar quickly enclosed his fist around the object and almost immediately pocketed it. "It's nothing."
'O-kay…' I know the villains were reformed…but that didn't stop them from still judging all their suspicious acts.
The next morning, I'd received a text from Ben: "Am heading off to Camelot!"
I actually felt happy that my friend even bothered to text me, knowing he was busy and all that. Camelot? Aren't you already skilled at being a knight in shining armor?
Haha :P Actually, there's just some business I have to attend to. Something about a creature.
A creature? I do hope Maleficent hasn't escaped and is now climbing on walls freaking women out !
HAHA okay don't jinx it! I'll see ya in a few days, hopefully. If you can tell Mal about where I am, pls do
Shore
Pocketing my phone, I set out for a new day.
First, I went to find Mal and showed her my text messages from Ben. I was kind of spooked when I saw her eyes widen. I didn't expect she'd be that affected. But then it seemed like she just got triggered by something else, so she exhaled the breath I didn't know she'd been holding and nodded. "Okay, noted, thanks Pen."
"Yeah…is something wrong, by the way?"
"Huh? Why would you think that?"
"…No reason…"
I then sought out for Evie, and I assumed, even though there were classes that day, she would be in her room. A lot of girls have asked the blunette to make their dresses, so I decided to be one of them. I just wanted to know what it was like. I'd only asked for a simple long green evening gown, but she'd insisted on making a blue-green knee-high semi-poof dress with a glittery bodice. I just wanted to make sure she toned it down a bit, like I'd asked.
It seemed she too, was distracted, because she squeaked the moment I entered the room. "Geez, knock next time!"
I frowned. "Oh, uh…I'm sorry?"
"Oh—oh! Sorry, Penelope! I didn't mean to burst."
"Umm no big…is that my dress?"
Evie was by her sewing machine, and she leaped up, holding up the ensemble with pride. Though I had to admit the dress looked great and the craftwork made me excited to wear it, her nervous smile still swayed me. "You're all ready for Castlecoming! The boys are all going to notice how mature you look in this!"
"Hahaha very funny—Evie are you okay?"
"Great! Just great! It's probably all the gown-making stress, nothing to worry about!"
I only remained silent. I thanked her again for her effort and left the room. Something was definitely up between the VKs. First Jay, Mal, and Evie…
'Hmmm, I'll pay Carlos a visit.'
I walked to the son of Cruella's dorm room and found him sitting on his bed, his back arched as he seemed to be over-analyzing something on his laptop. His fingers flew across the keys with such speed, it was kind of intriguing. He really seemed indulged into it. I wanted to sneak up on him, but he had looked up from his work and noticed me.
"Penelope?"
"Hey, de Vil," I greeted, waving awkwardly. "Sorry, your door was open—"
"No, no, it's fine!" The boy seemed eager to start this conversation that he closed his laptop to avoid distractions.
"Oh, I hope you saved that!"
"What? Oh, yeah, this is nothing I was…just…doing a project…for school?" He squinted to the side, as if he couldn't even believe his own words.
I blinked at him for a few seconds. "Are you talking about that social media project for that tech class?"
"Umm…yes?"
"Oh, Neverland, I haven't even started! Literally the only social media account I have is GraceBook, and I only use it to post pictures! How am I supposed to write a 500-word paragraph about media etiquette?!"
The albino laughed at me nervously, but he seemed to be glad about my rant. "Yeah, I know right?! Anyway…what brings you here?"
"Oh, um…" I attempted to formulate a lie. "I thought Dude was with you. I wanted to go take him for a walk."
"Ahh, sorry, he's asleep." The boy smiled, as if happy about the fact.
I pouted, crossing my arms. "Awww…!"
"Heh! Maybe later, then?"
"You better let me have time with him!" I huffed, turning to leave.
"I will, I will! Oh, hey, Pen?"
"Hm?"
I saw Carlos rub the back of his neck. "I know it's too early, but save me a dance at Castlecoming?"
I felt a smile tug on my lips. Ever since he had asked me to join him to dance after Ben's Coronation, we've managed to save each other a dance after every party after that. It was like a routine. "Duh!"
Satisfied with the answer, the boy waved as I walked out.
Okay, I knew something was up with the VKs, but I could tell they were still too secretive to tell truths. Especially around me, I reckon. They barely knew me, after all.
A few days before Castlecoming, I was walking through the dorm rooms when I found Mal and Evie's door wide open, as they were chatting about something. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Pen!" Evie beamed, and Mal turned to smile at me. "Perfect. You can pick up your dress too."
"Ooh, neat!"
I went inside and Evie handed me my dress. I placed it over myself, finding myself smiling. I never really liked dresses, but the girl seemed to have magic that made me find them at the very least acceptable. "It's so pretty. As usual!"
"Thanks~" Evie grinned. "Can't wait to see you use it during Castlecoming~"
"Me too. So, what's up guys, hope I didn't intrude on anything."
"Oh, don't worry," Mal said. "We were just talking."
I forced a smile, choosing not to push it. "Nice, nice. How are you guys coping in Auradon?"
"It's going great." Judging from the girl's tone, she seemed sincere. However, I did feel an edginess in her voice…which made me confirm she was hiding something.
"Great," I forced a laugh. "Well, I'll see you guys around!"
"Next time, it'll be at the party." Evie winked and I chuckled.
"Right, right, see you." I turned and left the room.
I had to admit, I was awfully curious about what they were going to do…
Saturday morning came around, and I woke up extra early to greet my father. Everyone's parents were visiting their kids here at Auradon Prep, and I knew my dad would come in earlier than most to avoid crowds and standing out. His car pulled up in front of the school entrance, and I ran immediately towards it. As I watched his mop of brown hair pop out of the vehicle, I tackled him into a hug.
"Whoa!" Peter Pan laughed as I let my arms squeeze his waist, with me not even caring if it was going to wrinkle his green suit. He then hugged me in return after anyway. "Hey there, little shadow!"
"I missed you!" I cried out.
My young dad chuckled again and ruffled my hair. "I missed you too, Penelope. But we visit each other more than three times a year anyway!"
"It's not the same without you! Also, did you bring me back anything."
Dad burst out laughing, that he almost let out a rooster crow as he did. He reached back into the car and handed me a bright green leather jacket. On the back, there was a printed picture of the red feather he used to wear on his hat as a kid. The pockets and cuffs were also red. The smile on my face brightened upon seeing the new article of clothing.
"Wow!"
"I had it personalized by Rapunzel herself," Dad proclaimed proudly. "Who knew sixteen years alone can give you a set of skills?"
"Thanks Dad!" I hugged him again before pulling the jacket on.
"You excited for the game?"
I grinned wickedly. Dad and I both knew that at this point, we were going to be cheering for opposite ends of the Tourney game since he was technically a founder of the Lost Boys, and was going to be rooting for his old mates. And though they were my friends in a way as well, I was still going to have to root for Auradon Prep. "You bet I am!"
Dad's infamous mischievous smile crossed his face. "Alright then~ May the best team win! Ahemmineahem."
"Hey!"
I playfully punched my father's shoulder, and we laughed, making our way to the dining hall. Even though we were pretty early, we still chose to stay a while and chat until everyone else began to pile in. We watched everyone's parents and their children gather around, greeting each other. Some even said hello and chatted a bit with us. I saw my roommate Lonnie meet her parents, Li Shang and Mulan. Just when my dad was about to talk about meeting a crocodile, they went up to us.
"Penelope!"
"Lonnie!" I gave my friend a quick hug, and I turned to her parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Li!"
"You know it's just Mulan and Shang, Pen," the older woman laughed, reaching out to shake my hand, and her husband did the same. Lonnie gave a wave to my dad.
"Hey Mr. Peter!"
"It's Pan to ya," my dad joked, winking. I rolled my eyes friskily.
"Save a seat for me for us at the game later?" I felt a twinkle grow in my brown eyes.
"Yeah!"
Lonnie beamed brightly at me until she turned and we saw Mal enter the hall. "Ooh, there's Mal! Mom, Dad, that's Maleficent's daughter, the one I told you about!" She then began to pull her folks away from mine and my dad's table.
As we watched the purple-haired girl encounter everyone's parents, we realized she was also making her way to our place, once she'd finished greeting them all. "Good morning, Pen," she said curtly. "Oh, is this your dad?"
"Peter Pan!" My dad outstretched his hand, to which Mal shook. "My daughter has told me all about you in your letters."
"It's nice to know your daughter speaks well of me."
"Ahem, I'm here!" I piped up, making Dad chuckle. "Cutting the formalities, you must be tired from all the meeting-and-greeting.
A bit shocked that I'd reacted in such way, Mal still slumped her shoulders in a bit of relief and gave a light laugh. "Oh, you bet! But, it's my job, I guess."
"It's not your job to do anything!" my dad retorted. "Just be yourself."
"Oh no. But I might get sent to the Isle." We all began to laugh heartily at that. "Well, the game's starting. You guys gonna get in there? I mean, one of the team's yours, isn't it, Mr. Peter?"
"Yep," Dad beamed smugly once again. "Penny and I made a bet."
"He owes me thirty dollars," I explained.
"We don't know who won yet!"
"You know you're giving me money anyway! It's my monthly allowance!"
Mal snorted again, a smile on her lips. "Good luck, you two. See you later tonight!"
"Right!" I waved at her as she walked away, and then looked up at Dad. "Shall we go?"
He locked arms with me, despite him being a full head taller than me, and grinned. "We shall."
In the end, the Knights won, and it was actually a close call. Dad surrendered me his money scornfully. Although I was overall proud of the team's victory, I couldn't help wishing Ben had been a part of it. Without him being around all the time, things were generally not the same without him.
Dad had to leave early, so he gave me a quick hug and promised to send me more letters and packages. Satisfied by the deal, we said our goodbyes and he was off on his next adventure. After that, I instantly went to go change into my dress for the party.
I entered the ballroom, smiling at how festive everything looked. The decorating committee really found a way to sport all the school spirit we had. Gold and blue ribbons hung everyone, and I've never seen so many balloons. I had a glimpse of the tourney team, and I admit they all looked dashing in their suits. I saw Chad skulking by the punch bowl, so I went over to tease. "Did you lose your glass shoes on the way here?"
The son of Cinderella scowled. "I'm just waiting for Audrey."
I took the punch from his hands, sipping it before he could even protest. "Don't you think she's going to break up with you soon? I mean, you're getting too into the prince role. You could be boring at this point. No offense."
The prince gasped, the offense quite taken. "Audrey would never! …Would she…?"
"Hey," I saw Carlos walk up to us as Chad's eyes widened. "What's…happening?"
I found an excuse to leave and locked my arm in Carlos'. "Oh, nothing~" I sang. "Let's not waste this party here."
Although he looked confused, he still smiled. "Yeah!"
We took to the dance floor and began to rave to the music.
Dancing with the boy was always fun. He always had new moves to show off, and he was an excellent dancer. Being with him was one of the only times I got to stand out, too. "You're awesome at this!" I shouted over the music.
"Really?" he shouted back warily. "I usually just wing it! I've never considered myself much of a dancer!"
"Poppycock! You're amazing!"
I could almost see him flush underneath the lights. "Thanks!"
When the music turned into a slow dance, I thought he was going to flush even more. I chuckled and placed my hands on his shoulders, and his on my waist. "I'm terrible, just saying," I warned.
The son of Cruella shook his head. "I don't think so. Still, step on my toes as much as you want." Chuckling lowly, we swayed gradually to the music.
Just when I thought I would as he spun me around, I saw Jay approach us and tap my dance partner's shoulder. "Uh, I'm headed out," he said. "I'm not feeling too well. What about you?"
Carlos paused. "…Right! I, uh, I'm not feeling well either. Sorry, Penelope…" He clutched his middle and pretended to double up in pain.
I blinked. Now that was weird. "It's okay…but are you?"
"I'm fine, I think I just have to lie down now."
"Wait, how is it that both of you suddenly got sick?"
"I don't know, it must be infectious, 'cause Evie and Mal got it too!" I saw Carlos nudge Jay in the ribs, causing him to groan more in pain.
That just rose my suspicions. "Did you guys eat something at the party?"
"Uh, yes!" Carlos smiled nervously. "Must be the clams. Better watch out for those!"
However, I knew for a fact that we didn't have clams because Ally clearly suggested she didn't want any. Not after she'd heard that story Tweedledee and Tweedledum told her mother.
"We'll see you tomorrow, Pen!" Jay promised, tugging on Carlos' arm. "Come on man, don't want us throwing up on the floor and ruining the party!"
Although the albino seemed hesitant to leave, he let Jay pull him along, still clutching his stomach as he waved goodbye.
This 95% confirms all my suspicions. I had to know what they were up to. Once they were out of the room, I quickly trailed after them.
I was surprised to see that once they were out of plain sight, the boys straightened up and ran for the parking lot. 'What?' Carlos told me once that he knew how to drive, so maybe they were off somewhere. I saw the Jay place a chauffeur's cap on the boy's head, as well as a fake earpiece. He also brought out keys to the limousine and unlocked it.
'Hold on,' I thought fervently. 'Were they stealing it? No, Jay has keys…did Ben allow this or something?'
I saw Audrey and Lonnie approach the boys a moment later. Wait a minute, those weren't Audrey and Lonnie… 'Mal and Evie?'
Okay, this was bad now. The fact that they were taking a royal vehicle and had to be disguised while they were doing so meant that they were probably up to no good. And they were just doing so well in fitting in too! What were they up to?
I didn't care if I had to run in a short skirt. I was wearing my boots, per usual, if I had the chance to follow these four, I'd do it.
So I did. Once they were all inside, I made a run for them.
Thankfully for me, I didn't have to go very far. I was hiding in the bushes when I saw Ben's royal carriage pull up, blocking the limo's way. The King stepped out of his carriage while Audrey—no, Mal stepped out of hers. As they chatted, the windows rolled down and the rest of the group waved.
'Okay, so they're in trouble, now what?' I tried to carefully listen to their conversation.
And so, I felt my eyes continue to widen about the stories of mysterious messages, Anti-Heroes, the Dark Net, and missing villains.
I could feel Ben carefully decoding and taking all this information in. "So now you're all headed back to the Isle of the Lost."
"We have to, we have to see what's going on."
"I see…and you weren't going to tell me; why?"
"We didn't want to get you in trouble – with your subjects, I mean. Everyone's a little nervous ever since the Coronation, and we didn't think it would look good for you if you knew we were going back to the Isle of the Lost, especially with the embargo and all."
"Hmmm…okay."
"Okay? You're not mad?"
"No, why should I be? You're not doing anything wrong…well, except maybe Jay shouldn't have tricked Jordan out of the keys, you and Evie shouldn't be pretending to be Audrey and Lonnie, and Carlos shouldn't be driving without a license." Okay, now I was stumped.
"You're not going to stop us?"
"Hold the phone."
I couldn't help myself. I jumped out from my hiding place, and everyone whirled in my direction. Carlos was the first to react. "Penelope?"
"What are you doing here?" Ben exclaimed, quickly taking a leaf that stuck out of my ponytail.
"I knew something was up," I huffed, crossing my arms. "I mean, sorry to raise doubt, but I couldn't help myself. I had to follow you guys. That's just what I do!"
"I'm glad we never met around the first few weeks we were in Auradon," Mal deadpanned.
"You were right, Carlos," I heard Jay whisper. "She cracked us."
"You're just letting them go off alone?" I shot a glance at Ben. "It's the Isle of the Lost, and I'm pretty sure they're hated over there now! What if they get in trouble or something?"
"We got it covered, Penny," Evie tried to reassure. "We promise we can handle ourselves."
"You're talking to VKs here," Mal pointed out.
"However," Ben put in. "If you're that worried, maybe you should join them."
"What?" Carlos exclaimed.
"As much as I want to," I interrupted the albino before he could protest. "I can't."
"Why not?" the King questioned.
"One, I'm not dressed for it—"
Jay scoffed. "Since when did you care?"
"Since I know for a fact sparkly dresses will definitely stand out on the Isle. And I don't do stand out. Second, someone's gotta make sure it's not like you guys disappeared. And also keep watch over the Dark Net biz with Ben. Send us the link, aight?
"Thanks, Pen," Mal seemed a bit relieved. I'm not sure whether it was over the fact I wasn't going or I was just another person helping with the secret. "Sorry to have you do this, though."
"Meh, I'm used to doing things for people. And frankly, for a third thing, I feel like I'd just weigh you guys down. Anyway, back to Ben."
"Huh?" the King stared at me.
"You're back very late."
"Oh…I know, I know, and really, I'm sorry. But there was this issue." He turned to the VKs. "I'm glad I caught you guys, though. I wanted to tell you, strange things are happening, and not just on the Isle of the Lost. In Auradon too."
"You mean like the earthquakes?" Male asked.
I then watched the couple exchange a brief conversation regarding the unusual weather patterns that have been happening throughout the country, and the bringing up of the giant creature that seemed to be wreaking havoc in Camelot. I do hope King Arthur and his son would be alright…
The two then hugged after the King had offered he would do all he could to help out. "Thanks, Ben."
"Hey, don't forget me!" After Ben pulled away, I proudly placed my elbow on his shoulder. As if I could reach it. "Whatever he does, I follow." The couple chuckled.
"Right. Again, thank you Pen. This means a lot."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"No, I think we're good."
Ben hugged Mal one more time, and helped her into the car. I walked to the driver's window and saw Carlos roll it down. "Sorry I couldn't tell you the truth back there," he said, apologetic.
I only bumped my knuckle against the side of his forehead lightly. "You owe me another slow dance," I huffed, but still couldn't help the smile on my lips.
The son of Cruella smiled back. "I know."
"Be careful, guys."
"We will. Promise."
"Good luck," Ben said, from the other side of the limo. "And good game, by the way. Nice work. I caught the highlights on TourneyCenter."
"Thanks, man," Carlos called while Jay bumped fists with Ben through the passenger window.
He reached for Mal's hand through her window. "I'll see you Monday." I loved seeing how sweet they were together, to be completely honest. He motioned to the carriage drive to get out of the way, so the limo could pass the gates.
"Ben!" We looked to see Mal call after her boyfriend. "If you do catch the purple dragon…" She paised.
"Yes?"
"Don't hurt it, okay?"
Ben nodded. "You have my word."
Once the limo was out of sight, I punched my friend's shoulder.
"Ow! What was—"
"Nothing. Just good to have you back."
Ben gave a sarcastic laugh, but we then hugged in sincerity after. "Yeah. Good to be back."
The next morning, Lonnie was brushing her hair in front of the mirror when I woke up. I rubbed my eyes, reaching for a comb. "Good morning," the Chinese greeted. "Where did you go last night?"
I sighed. After last night, I just went instantly back to my dorm and crashed. Running after a car was quite a workout. "Ah, I got a bit tired. Sorry."
"Had fun dancing last night?" A smirk played on my friend's lips, and I knew she knew I'd only danced a few times, and they were all with one person.
I stuck my tongue out at her childishly. I threw on some clothes, said goodbye, and went off to find Ben.
It was the weekend, so I expected not many people would be here in school today, but there were. Some liked to spend their days still within the school, just hanging out with their friends. Me, I spent my days like any other day, walking around and examining people. Some said hi, some didn't notice I even bumped into them. That was just the way I rolled.
As I found my way at Ben's room, I saw Lumiere with Ben, and I had to assume he was giving orders or something. 'Shoot,' I thought. 'Bad timing.'
Or, maybe it was, because once I arrived, the old candelabra whirled around and was spooked to see me. "Oh, forgive me, Penelope!" I shrugged. It's not like I was not used to that.
"Good morning, Pen," the king greeted, as I waltzed into his room like I owned it. Well, I almost did. I spent many a day playing tag with Ben here while former King Beast worked on his papers. "What's up?"
"What was that all about?" I inquired, jabbing my thumb in the direction Lumiere went.
"Pen, look at this." Ben gestured me to come closer, and she showed his laptop with the Dark Net on it, as well as the mean-looking pictures of the four VKs' faces crossed out. My eyes widened at that. He then showed me the letter brought to him by Archimedes the owl, and I frowned.
"Charmington? What's the creature doing there?"
"I have no idea. But I'm taking Chad with me because he knows the place well. Once we get a sample of the creature, I'm gonna have to take it to the fairies to examine."
"You mean—"
"We're heading to Neverland at some point, yes."
The idea made me want to squeal. "I'll get my emergency pixie dust!"
Ben chuckled. "No, Penny, no magic. But, I'll keep you updated on the creature. I have to head down to the Cove. Remember our plan to protect the VKs' disappearance."
"You got it."
I basically spent the day telling people that the villain kids were sick and they couldn't be visited unless they wanted to be infected from the flu. It wasn't that difficult to lie to Auradonians. They could believe anything. And I kind of expected Ben to be back quickly. If he was taking Chad out somewhere early on a Sunday, this trip of his shouldn't take very long.
Sure enough, he'd returned, dropping Chad off at his dorm before he went to pick me up. I made sure to wear my favorite Neverlandian outfit: a white tiger onesie that made me feel as if I was a real Lost Girl that belonged in Peter Pan's ragtag group of Lost Children. Father sent it over when I was ten (because I used to wear a regular tiger pelt when I was still a baby and this was basically an upgraded version) and needless to say even though I was already fifteen, I still seemed to fit in it. Ben chuckled a bit when I got into his car.
"Nice outfit."
I scoffed. "The fairies will recognize me. You'll see!"
We were at Neverland by midafternoon, with me complaining about the bridge installment leading to my old home, making it boring to travel there. It seemed like my complaints had distracted Ben though, because next thing we knew we were beside some tepees.
"You made a wrong turn didn't you—"
"Shhh," Ben hushed, examining his map. 'We're lost,' I sighed to myself.
Thankfully, an old friend of mine appeared from the bushes. Tiger Lily's daughter, Tiger Peony, beamed once she'd seen me and gave me a big bear—er, tiger hug.
"Penelope!" she cried. "You've returned!"
I chuckled and hugged the girl. It may have been lonely on Neverland, but that didn't mean I still didn't make friends. Plus, I liked to visit from time to time, so I made some friends along my childhood, even though I was living in Auradon. "It's nice to see you, Peon. How's your mom?"
"She's fine. Leading a tribe has its perks, but I'm not looking forward to doing what she does." She looked over my shoulder and smirked when she saw the king. "Hey, Ben. Come to gloat?"
"Excuse me-? Yeah, sorry about that. Lost Boys played hard."
"I kinda feel bad I bet against my Dad," I joked, and Tiger Peony scoffed.
"Everyone's bummed. Mom's already sworn to train a bunch of new recruits. What are you guys doing here?"
"We're headed to Fairy Vale," Ben explained. "And—"
"We got lost." I interrupted.
"No way! Okay, maybe a little."
Tiger Peony chuckled. "Lost Girl finally got lost. What a headline."
"It was Ben's fault!" I whined.
"You kept complaining! And besides, I brought you here so you could guide me!"
We ended up sticking our tongues out at each other, like children, and ended up laughing as well, with Peony joining. Ben turned to the Indian again. "Anyway, can you show us the right way?"
"Sure. Are you here about the dragon?"
"How do you know?"
"Everyone knows. It's Maleficent, isn't it?"
"Actually, we don't know for sure. That's why we're here."
The girl didn't ask for anything more and pointed back down the forest. "You just make a left at the waterfall instead of a right, and the road should take you straight to the Great Oak in the vale. They'll be waiting for you."
"Thanks, Peon," I said gratefully.
"Don't mention it! Please make sure to visit often, Pen."
Ben and I then went on our way to the Vale. The fairies there were quite eager to visit me and Ben. I recognized some fairies of my childhood, and even one that I grew up with. Faylinn Chime flew up to us, and smiled sweetly. "Pen! So nice to see you."
"Hey, Fay," I beamed in return.
"What can we do for you two?"
"The three good fairies sent me," Ben explained. "They said you might be able to help me with a problem we're having." There was a large oak table, and we both took a seat by it.
"We heard about Camelot's dragon. Is the creature still at large?"
Ben nodded, and I examined the oak teaset. "And if I'm right, it was just in Charmington this morning." He removed something from his pocket – a handkerchief? – and revealed a bright purple scale in it.
"Is that from the dragon?" I asked.
"No, it was from the creature in Charmington. They say it was from a serpent actually."
Faylinn picked the scale up and showed the other fairies. "Looks like it to me."
"I need to know if it's from Maleficent."
The golden-haired fairy hesitated. "We can check the archives. We fairies have cataloged every kind of creature across every kingdom in Auradon, so if it's from Maleficent, we'll be able to tell you for sure." She placed the scale back in the handkerchief and gestured to the fairy next to her. "Take this to Lexi Rose, and have her run a few tests to see if it matches anything we have in our database."
"Thank you."
Once that conversation, I was absent-mindedly paying attention to the rest of it. I got up from the oak seat, and began examining the rest of the tree. It had been a very long time since I visited the vale, much less encounter any fairies. So when I began to walk, a lot of them began to flutter around me. Some of them that I've never met have met before must've recognized me because I looked a lot like my dad. That, and probably because they smelled my blood in him. I smiled to myself. I would have loved to live the life my father lived, if I ever got the chance…
"Penelope!" I heard Ben call. His head was looking around for me but stopped when he noticed the fairies. "Oh! Sorry to disturb?"
"It's alright," I assured. "Any luck?"
"Well, we're definitely here a while. Might as well keep ourselves busy." He checked his watch. "Actually, I'll be talking with the fairies about their results later on, so I guess you can hang around Neverland until all business is done."
That's when I beamed. "You really mean it?"
The young king chuckled. "Of course. You deserve it. Go have fun."
So that's exactly what I did. I quickly gave him a big hug and went off into the land.
For the rest of the hour, I climbed trees, greeted Indians, played mudball fights with Lost Boys, played a few pranks on some young pirates, and even got a chance to fly in the air with the use of the pixie dust some fairies gave me. Long story short, I'd never felt so alive. This was the life of a true Pan. This is the life I wanted to have fulfilled. But I barely had the chance to.
However, as I was sitting up in a tree and was (dramatically) looking out into the land, I realized all that I couldn't do if I stayed. I wouldn't have been so close with Ben. I wouldn't have met Lonnie, who was as close to me as Ben. The three of us were kind of like siblings, and Lonnie and I treated each other like the sisters we never had. I wouldn't have met, Mal, Evie, Jay…Carlos… And everyone else.
I frowned as I tucked my knees into my arms. I suppose this was worth it. Having moments like these are always great. They were the adventures I had, and knowing me, all I wanted to do was have adventures like my father.
Yet, deep down, I knew. My true adventures were elsewhere, and with other people.
"Penelope! We better get going!"
That was my cue to leave. 'I'll be back, once again, Neverland,' I thought. Then I flew over to Ben, ready to go back home.
'Hmm…I wonder how the VKs are doing…'
Ben explained to me everything he found out about, and that he needed to head over with Merlin to the mines ASAP. "So, sorry if I don't have time to bring you back to school."
I smiled, actually pretty happy about that. "It's no big."
We drove over to the mines, where Merlin was there with us, seeming cheery now that he had his wand and magic back. After Ben introduced us, the old wizard gave a wave of his wand, as if making sure it still worked after two decades. "Now, let's go take on that creature!"
Ben and I exchanged a worried look as we followed. "The mine starts down here," my friend said. "Are we sure this is necessary?"
"Let's just see how deep it goes, and where it leads. It couldn't hurt!"
"That's what they all say." I sighed.
"Ben!"
The three of us paused. Wait, we knew that voice… "Mal? Is that you?" Ben called out, shining his flashlight.
"It is! It's all of us!" That's when we saw the purple-haired girl appear out of the darkness.
"You're alive!" I cried out. "Wait, that was bad…"
The two only laughed as Ben hugged his girlfriend. "What are you guys doing out here? Where did you come from?"
"I'll tell you everything! We have so much to tell you!"
We laughed when Evie, Jay, and Carlos began to emerge. Ben shook Jay's hand and slapped him on the back and gave Evie a quick hug, while I found myself practically tackling Carlos. The albino seemed stunned at first, but he almost instantly returned the gesture. "We're so glad you guys are safe," I said breathlessly, pulling away to quickly hug Evie and Jay.
Carlos chuckled at me, his freckled cheeks slightly pink. "Yeah, you have no idea."
Merlin cleared his throat before I could try to hug Carlos again. Ben blushed as he pulled away from Mal. "Uh right. This is Merlin, and you know Grumpy."
"Do you know my son, Gordon?" Grumpy instantly asked after grunting. "He's at Auradon Prep with you all."
"We know Doug," Evie replied.
The dwarf huffed. "Everyone knows Doug. Just like his father, too popular." Evie giggled.
Ben then began to tell everyone what he told me, about the dragon scale and all. Mal and the others then told us about their journeys in the Isle, as well as something about their parents' talismans? I listened patiently, biting my lip nervously. "So Yen Sid was right, the Catacombs go all the way to Auradon," Carlos said.
"We were just at Maleficent Mountain," said Mal. "There was a dragon's nest on top of Doom Crag, but we didn't see a dragon back there."
"You guys," I frowned. "I knew it was dangerous there! By the second star, we're really lucky you came back!"
"We told you we could handle ourselves," Jay said triumphantly, though I felt like at some point in his adventure, he'd already broken his pride.
"We're closer than we've ever been, though," Ben said. "The creature must live here, and it's been getting to Auradon through this tunnel."
And just like that, purple mist enveloped the cavern, and we all froze.
"It's here," Merlin said. "The creature is here. Show yourself!" As the wizard held his wand high, I found myself stepping back, coincidentally in front of the VKs.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Mal shouted.
"I am King Ben of Auradon and I command you to reveal yourself to us!"
"Yeah!" I screeched. "Whatever they said!"
And so, the creature did. The mist began to form…but where we expected an animal of sorts, there stood an old woman with wild, scraggly purply hair once she appeared in plain sight.
"Madam Mim!" Mal seemed to know the person instantly. I looked from her to the old woman, clearly dazed.
"Hello, dearie!" The woman named Madam Mim gave a cheerful wave.
"You know her?" Ben asked.
"From the Isle of the Lost."
"Wait…Madam Mim…" If I remembered my Fairy Tales correctly… "The old rival of Merlin!"
The old wizard sniffed. "Oh, I wouldn't actually call her a rival—" He cleared his throat. "Hello, old friend. I thought I might see you here, Mim. Up to your old tricks, are you? I'm sorry to say that your mischief ends now."
Madam Mim only laughed, and her cackled echoed throughout the cavern. "Oh, I don't think so, you old geezer, I'm having way too much fun!"
From that, she turned into a large purple dragon. I had seen Maleficent in her dragon form before, and I was certain Mim's own was not exactly like that. Mal seemed to read my thoughts because she turned to Ben, rolling her eyes. "You thought this was my mother?"
Ben laughed nervously. "She was up in the sky, it was hard to see. I don't know, blame magic?"
We let Merlin fight the fight. Honestly, everything was pretty much a blur. I don't remember much of what happened, and frankly, I wouldn't want to. I just remember running for my life and a lot of history repeating itself. I do remember Ben threatening her with Excalibur though. And Merlin sent her back to the Isle and finally closed off the Catacombs entrance permanently.
Finally, peace once again.
"Let's go home," Ben said, reaching for Mal's hand.
"Sounds like a good plan," Mal squeezed the king's in return. "You guys ready."
We all nodded.
"About time," Jay huffed. "We've got class tomorrow."
"And homework tonight," said Carlos.
I sighed, crossing my arms. "After all that commotion, it seems kinda sad that's all we're worried about now…"
"I hope our feeds updated correctly," Evie put in. "Right now we're all supposed to be in bed, sneezing from the flu."
"Did someone say Sneezy? I'm Grumpy."
I chuckled. "Don't worry guys. Everyone completely fell for what I told them. They're all worried sick and are too scared to be near you. So don't be disappointed if everyone suddenly acts like you're villains again."
They all guffawed at that. "Thanks, Pen," Carlos beamed.
"Merlin?" Ben called. "Do you mind giving us a lift? Just this once?"
"If you could send me back to the Enchanted Wood, it would save me a carriage ride," Grumpy added.
"I'll be heading back to Camelot myself," Merlin said, shaking everyone's hands. "You make a good king, Ben." When the wizard said that, I patted my friend's shoulder, as if saying "told you so." "And you were right in the end, we didn't need magic to capture the dragon. Only diligence and courage, as you have shown."
"Thank you," Ben said, glancing at me while smiling. "That means a lot, coming from you. Although we did need magic to send her back to the Isle of the Lost, and to close that passage. And to go home."
"Details, details, who reads the fine print these days?" I had to laugh at that.
"So true!"
Ben scoffed at me, then handed Merlin the sword. "Will you give this back to Artie for me?"
"With pleasure!"
"Bye, Merlin," Mal said, and we all waved to him.
"Can we get going already?" Grumpy groaned.
Merlin rolled up his sleeves. "Return everyone here to where the need to be!"
Late Sunday afternoon, we noticed everyone was underneath the trees, either reading, playing, or just hanging out and chilling. "Home safe," Ben announced.
"Finally," I sighed.
Ben thanked the VKs, but said he needed to leave to update the councilors and everything. "See you in a bit." He gave Mal's arm a quick squeeze.
"Not if I see you first."
The King made his way to Beast castle, and I stepped back, spreading my arms out as I grinned at the group. "Well."
They all smiled and Carlos chuckled. "Well. I guess that's it for now."
"Not quite, we still need to figure out how we're supposed to get rid of these talismans."
I shrugged. "Meh, you can deal with those tomorrow."
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Jay joked.
"I need a nap," Evie yawned.
"Aww come on, let's have a quick look at what everyone's doing first," I gestured to the residence halls. From afar, as we strolled over to them, we could already see Jordan and Jane lounging on towels and Audrey and Chad having a little picnic. The AKs waved, and I sat down beside Jane as Chad talked to Jay.
"Where were you?" the daughter of the Fairy Godmother questioned. "We couldn't find you all day?"
"I was doing business stuff with Ben," I smiled, feeling happy that I could proudly say that. "Also, look! The guys are all better!"
"Oh, great," Jordan smirked.
"Oh, Jordan," Jay began. "About what happened in your lamp the other day, with the limousine keys. Sorry about that. I returned them to Ben, though."
"It's all right. I figured you must have needed them badly enough if you had to wish for them."
"See you guys later." Mal called out, ready to leave.
"See you," I said, winking at Mal. "Get a lot of rest." The purple-haired girl smirked and gave a curt nod.
"I'm going to stay a bit," Carlos said, sitting beside me.
"Me too," Jay said, taking a seat beside Jordan.
The villain girls seemed to smile smugly when hearing that, but said nothing and left. I smiled at Carlos. "Don't you want to rest?"
The albino only shrugged and returned a grin. "Meh, this is relaxing enough."
All of us lay beside each other, saying nothing for the rest of the hour.
The next day, late that afternoon, I caught up with the VKs. Like last week, they just decided to sit around me even though most kids knew I usually sat alone at my table. But I appreciated they chose to give me some company and update me on what happened with their parents and all.
"Good luck destroying the talismans," I said. "You might want to do it after the Seaside Festival happening in a few days. It's gonna be wicked!"
"Wicked is my middle name," Mal smirked.
"Oh, like Carlos' is Oscar?" Evie giggled.
"Your middle name is Oscar?" I looked at the albino, a mischievous smile on my lips.
The de Vil only shrugged. "It's not something I keep a secret."
Jay smirked. "Yeah, maybe you should." We all laughed at that.
"But really," I started again. "You guys have done so much for us here in Auradon. I know. I can tell. Even if all of Auradon doesn't say it, I hope you know we're all grateful. This country is lucky to have you four kids."
At that, the group beamed brightly. "That's sweet of you to say, Pen," Evie said charmingly.
"Thank you as well," Carlos said, his smiles continuing to grow wide.
I smiled in return. "I do hope the next adventure won't be too dangerous though."
"Danger is my middle name!"
"No, it's Oscar!"
I thought our laughter echoed throughout the room.
Hope you guys liked this! Next oneshot for "Rise of the Isle of the Lost" will be posted in "A Lost Girl" now! Stay tuned!
