Hey Lovies!!
Here is the next chapter of Descendants: A Different Tale! I really hope that you guys like it! I know it is not the longest chapter, but I promise that these stories are going to get good! New characters are coming and I cannot wait for you guys to come on this journey with me!
Missing Pieces is next!
ENJOY!
Ben was on his way to the tourney field for tryouts. He was nervous too. He may be the future king to Auradon, but he was hoping that he wouldn't get any special privileges. He wanted to make the team because he earned it. He stopped at the bleachers and noticed that he was the first person there. Curse his punctuality.
"Hey," someone said, making him turn to see Mal sitting on the bleachers with a notebook in her hand.
He smiled before he jogged up the steps and put his stuff down. "Hey. You're early too?"
"Unfortunately," she said, shaking her head. "I tried to get out of this, but Audrey and Haley demanded that I come."
"Come on," he said as he nudged her shoulder. "It won't be that bad, and I bet you will be great!"
"I know I would be great," she said, making him laugh out loud. "The thing is I am not the peppy type."
"I figured, but… can I be honest?" He asked, making her nod her head. "If you didn't want to try out then I don't think you would be here now."
She slowly turned her head and looked at him like he stabbed her. "And here I thought we were friends," she said, making him laugh again.
"We are, but can you say that I am wrong?" He asked.
"No," she said as she stopped doodling. "I can't, but I am mainly here for Audrey and Haley."
"Okay," he said as he looked down at her notebook and saw she was writing a letter. "Is that to your pen pal?" He asked.
"Yeah," she said as she nodded her head. "It's my first letter to her, and I hope she is able to get it."
"I bet she will, but we just don't know how long it will take to get to her," he said.
"Hey guys," Audrey said as she, Ariana, Jane, and Haley walked up to them.
"Hey, Audi," Mal said as she closed her notebook. "I'm here. Can I leave now?"
"No!" Audrey, Ben, Jane, Haley, and Ariana yelled.
"Geez," she said as she looked at all of them. "I was just kidding."
"Yeah, sure you were," Ben said with a laugh.
She squinted her eyes at him and scrunched her nose, making him laugh. He didn't know what exactly it was about this girl, but… who was he kidding, it was everything about her that made her amazing. Her eyes, her hair, her magic, her creativity, her snarkiness, and so much more. He wanted to ask her out on a date, but he also knew that he was going to talk to Audrey about it first.
"Where is Lonnie?" Mal asked, breaking Ben out of his thoughts. "I thought she was doing it." The rest of the girls didn't want to meet Mal's eyes, making her look at them skeptically. "Guys?"
"She's… not coming," Jane said as she swayed back and forth.
"Why?"
"She said… she would rather let Mushu give her the birds and bees talk than to tryout," Jane said, making Mal look at them in shock.
"Then why am I here?" She asked.
"Because you love me," Audrey said, giving her aunt a sweet smile.
"I question that sometimes," Mal said, earning a gasp look from Audrey.
"Ben!" Chad yelled as he, Aziz, and Ryder ran up the bleachers. "Hey guys! What are we talking about?"
"How much Mal loves me," Audrey said as she hugged Mal's side tightly.
"Alright," Mal said as she lightly pushed Audrey away from her. "I would like to be able to breathe."
"Alright!" Someone yelled, making them turn to see the tourney coach run onto the field. "Who's trying out?"
"Gotta go," Aziz said as he grabbed onto Ben's shoulder and dragged him down the bleachers.
"I can walk, Az," Ben said as he shoved Aziz's hand away from him.
"I know, but this is more fun."
The girls laughed, before they saw the cheerleading coach walking toward the field.
"Isn't that Lonnie's mom?" Mal asked as she pointed to her.
"Yeah," Jane sighed. "She's going to be very upset when she finds out Lonnie isn't here."
They walked down to the end of the field far enough to where they wouldn't be in the way from the boys tryouts. It was hot, and Mal had to admit that Mulan was a good coach. She was not letting this be an easy tryout. They had to improvise an entrance, meaning when their name was called they had to rally. The cheering made the boys turn their attention to the group of girls, and Ben's eyes were glued to Mal from the start. She was stretching her arms up and stretching her back, waiting for her cue. She had seen them stop their tryouts to watch, because she was watching Ben's tryouts from time to time. She tried to make it look like she was not watching, but it was harder than she thought, especially with Audrey and Haley teasing her. She heard her name, making her snap her head to look at Mulan.
"You're next, Mal," she said with a nod.
Mal nodded her head before she walked away from the group, making everyone except for Audrey and Ariana look at her with confused looks. She faced the girls, before she took a breath and cracked her neck. She started to run towards the girls, before she started to flip toward them. She did three backflips, and a hand off back spring, before she threw her hands up and stuck her landing. The girls started to scream in excitement, and the guys on the other side of the field were clapping and cheering. She looked and her cheeks flushed red, before she went to sit down next to Audrey.
"And you didn't want to try out," Audrey teased as she nudged Mal with her shoulder.
"I am trying out, but that does not mean that I will make the team," she said as she looked at her niece.
"If you didn't want to make the team, you wouldn't have done that," she said.
"I'm competitive," she said with a shrug. "What can I say?"
"You are more than competitive," she said with a laugh. "And I can see that you are attracting the eye of our future king," she said, making Mal turn to look at the tourney tryouts.
She saw Ben was standing across the field and he was smiling. She couldn't tell if he was smiling at her, but when she looked over at him he waved. She smiled and gave him a small wave, before he rushed back over to the rest of the group. Her cheeks felt warm after Ben waved at her, but she tried to hide it as best as she could.
"Oooooooooo," Ariana cooed as she sat down next to Audrey and Haley sat next to Mal. "Mally's got a crush."
"Shut up, Ari!" Mal said, before she threw her head back, making them all laugh.
Everyone was in their dorms after practice, trying to change and clean up after tryouts. Mal had to admit that she had fun and if she did make the cheer team, she wouldn't be disappointed. She was sitting on her bed, finishing up her letter to Evie. She was nervous to send it, but she was also very eager to. She was sending over some paper and envelopes so that Evie would be able to write back. Sure, Mal thought that it was a little far-fetched, but she didn't know the condition of the Isle and she would hope that Evie would not take offense to her sending a couple of things over too. Her phone buzzed next to her and when she picked it up, she saw that she was sent a text message. It was a text from Ryder and it was sent to her and everyone else.
Hey guys! What do you say about having some snacks and chit chat in the rec room? Say in about 30?
Mal smiled at the text and quickly put Evie's letter into a bigger envelope with the rest of the things she was going to send. She put the envelope on her desk and walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.
"Audi!" She said loudly. "Everyone wants to meet downstairs to eat and talk."
"I'll be out in a minute," she shouted back, making Mal roll her eyes and shake her head.
"More like an hour," Mal said.
"I heard that," she heard Audrey say, making her laugh.
A couple of minutes later, Audrey walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas. She was wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt, and Mal looked at her with squinted eyes.
"What?"
"We are not going downstairs in, almost, matching pajamas," she said as she got up and pointed at herself. "Change."
"But we look cute!" Audrey said as she looked at Mal with a dumb look. "Come on! No one will even notice. Yours are purple and mine are pink!"
"Fine, but only because I am starving and I want to head downstairs to make some cookies," Mal said as she grabbed her key and her phone.
Audrey followed her out and Mal locked the door, before they headed downstairs to beat everyone else. They were in the kitchen when Ben walked downstairs. He was waiting for Ryder, Chad, Aziz, and Doug but his stomach started to growl. He texted them and said he would meet them downstairs. He walked into the rec room, and heard groaning coming from the kitchen. He walked in and saw Mal standing in front of a bowl and stirring whatever was inside, and Audrey was sitting on the table, trying to stick her fingers in the bowl.
"Stop it, Audrey," Mal said as she swatted Audrey's hand away. "You're going to eat it all, and we won't have cookies for anyone else."
"Cookies?" Ben said, making both girls look to see that he was standing behind them. "What kind?"
"How long have you been there?" Audrey asked as she dipped her finger into the batter, making Mal slap her hand again. "Ow."
"I told you to stop," she said with a laugh. "And they are chocolate chip with walnuts, but I am making a second batch in case anyone has an allergy to walnuts."
"That's fine," he said as he stuck his finger in the batter, making Mal look at him with wide eyes and Audrey laugh. "If I remember correctly, no one does, but I will gladly eat all of the ones with walnuts."
She shook her head and laughed, before she grabbed the bowl and walked over to the two cookie sheets she had ready. She scooped the dough on the tray, making sure that Audrey didn't come over and take one of the dough balls. She placed them in the oven, before she walked back over to Ben and Audrey.
"What brought you down so early?" Mal asked as she jumped to sit on the counter next to Audrey.
"My stomach," Ben said as he reached for the bag of chocolate chips and took a handful. "I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry," Audrey said.
"That's true."
"Are you nervous?" Mal asked as she kicked her legs back and forth.
"To see if any of us made the team?" Ben asked, making her nod her head. "Yeah. I think we all are."
"Is your coach picking a new team captain?" Audrey asked. "Mulan said that since Chrissy graduated last year, she is going to pick up a new team captain for the cheer squad."
"Same with Emir," Ben said. "He said that whoever he picks is going to remain the team captain until they graduate."
"Isn't that unfair to the old students who are on the team too?" Mal asked. "I mean, wouldn't you think that you would pick someone who has been on the team for more than a year to be captain?"
"That is true too," he said. "It would be unfair, but it would also be unfair to not place the best person in that position."
"I guess, I could see your point," she said. "I guess we'll find out sooner or later."
"Says the future team captain," Audrey said as she bumped Mal's shoulder with hers.
"Gods, Audrey," Mal said with a laugh. "We don't even know if either of us will make the team," she said before the timer went off, letting her know that the cookies were done.
She hopped off the counter and rushed over to the over and pulled out both trays, before she walked back over and gave Audrey a look to make her get off the table.
"What?" Audrey asked in confusion.
"Oh, I don't know," Mal said as she tilted her head to the side. "Maybe move your butt off the counter so I could put these down and not burn my fingers off?"
"Your father is the god of death and you have fire powers," Audrey said as she got off the counter and Mal put the hot trays down. "Heat doesn't affect you as much as it would affect us."
"Be that as it may, I still would not like to receive a first degree burn," she said with a laugh.
"You can stand a lot of heat?" Ben asked, making Mal look up at him.
"I can," she said as she took the bag of chocolate chips from him and started to clean up. "Heat can still burn me, but not as bad. My first degree burn would be your third to fourth degree burn, and I also heal fast too."
"I do too," he said, before he picked up one of the hot cookies and shoved it into his mouth. "My dad's curse carried over to me, so I am a little stronger than the average, I heal faster, I…"
"Growl?" Mal asked with a laugh, making Audrey laugh too.
"I do not…"
"Yes you do," Audrey said, cutting Ben off. "You growl in your sleep."
"I do not," Ben said as he started to help Mal plate the cookies.
"And how would you know if you are asleep?" She asked as she tried to take a cookie, but Mal slapped her hand away. "Hey! You let Ben have one."
"Because he has never had one of my cookies," she said as she platted the last cookie and started to scoop more dough on the tray.
"And it was amazing," he said, making her and Audrey look at him. "Probably the best cookie ever."
"So," Aziz said as he shoved another cookie into his mouth. "How does everyone think they did?"
No one said anything, but Audrey grabbed another cookie, before she put her legs over Mal's and smiled. Mal knew what she was going to say, but she didn't want to hear it.
"Well, our soon to be team captain would hate for me to say that she is going to be our team captain, but how could I not brag about it?" She said, gaining an eye roll from Mal.
"It's true," Lonnie said. "Mom said that you were great."
Mal's cheeks flushed red. She didn't think she would be excited for something like cheerleading, but this was her first experience at school, so she was a little excited.
"Well, from what we saw today, you were amazing," Ryder said. "How did you learn how to do flips like that?"
"Mal grew up in the Moors and the Underworld," Haley said. "Uncle Hades and Auntie Maleficent always made sure that she was free to do whatever she wanted, including running around and swinging through trees like a monkey."
"Did you just call me a monkey?" Mal asked with a laugh.
"If the shoe fits," she said with a shrug, making everyone laugh. "Anyway, how were your guys' tryouts?"
"Rough," Chad said. "Tougher than I thought they would be. I'm actually kind of nervous to see if we make it next year and what positions we would get."
"Ben is obviously going to make captain," Ryder said. "And probably right/left forward."
"Why?" Ben asked.
"You were the fastest out there and you took the lead when everyone else wanted to quit," he added. "If you don't make team captain, I don't know who will."
"Aw," Audrey whispered in Mal's ear. "Look, the cheer captain and the tourney captain are going to be boyfriend and girlfriend," she said, making Mal look at her and laugh. "Isn't that so cute?"
"Shut it, Audrey," Mal said as she pushed Audrey over, making her roll back against the floor.
The next week, Mal was sitting in the quad with Doug and Lonnie. They were doing their homework, when Ben rushed over and started to yank on Mal's arm, pulling her up from her seat.
"Woah," she said as she pulled on her arm to stop him. "What's the rush and where are you dragging me off to?"
"The lists are up," he said. "We're going to see if we made the team."
"Okay," she said with a laugh. "Well, can you please not dislocate my shoulder?" She asked, making him look at her with wide eyes. "If we make the teams, it would be bad if I didn't have a good shoulder."
"I'm so sorry," he said apologetically. "I wasn't even thinking. How could I…"
"Hey," she said as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. I was only joking. There is no need to worry."
He sighed in relief, before he nodded his head. Hurting her was the last thing he ever wanted to do. He wanted to go on a date with her, but never wanted to send her to the hospital.
"Now, come on," she said as she grabbed his hand. "Let's go see the lists."
They quickly walked through campus, with Mal still holding onto Ben's hand. They had gotten a couple of looks as they passed by people, and Ben's cheeks flushed red when he noticed. Then they got to the locker rooms and saw their friends surrounding the list. When they walked over Audrey saw them and she was bouncing up and down.
"We did it!" She exclaimed. "We made the team! And you made captain! I told you!" She said as she jumped in Mal, hugging her tightly.
Haley, Ariana, and Jane rushed over and joined the hug, making Ben and Mal laugh.
"Look! Our team captains are here," Aziz said as he rushed over to Ben and Mal. "Congratulations you two," he said.
"I made captain?" Ben asked as he let go of Mal's hand to walk to the list.
He saw that his name was on the list and "captain" was right next to it. He smiled brightly before he was tackled to the floor by the rest of his team in celebration. He was laughing until he heard a scream, making him turn to see the rest of the cheerleaders lifting Mal up and throwing her in the air.
"Sleep over in our dorm, girls!" Audrey said, making all the girls scream louder.
That night all of the girls who made the cheerleading team, and Lonnie were in Mal's and Audrey's dorm with sleeping bags splayed out all over the floor.
"Who cares if the school colors are going to clash with your hair," Jane said. "You're our team captain! Who is going to judge you?"
"Fair point, Janey," Mal said with a laugh. "I'll get used to it I guess."
"Yeah you will," Haley said. "Just wait until papa and uncle Hades hear the good news!"
Audrey groaned. "I forgot you were leaving tomorrow."
"It's only for two days," Mal said. "I'll be back on Sunday."
"TOO LONG," she groaned as she threw herself against her bed.
"Would you rather it be months at a time again?" She asked as she walked over to Audrey's bed and looked down at her.
"No!" She exclaimed as she sat up and looked at her aunt. "Fine! I'll settle for two days."
Mal laughed and shook her head, before she walked back over to the other and enjoyed the rest of her night before school tomorrow.
It was Sunday afternoon, and Ben was pacing outside of Mal and Audrey's room. He wanted to talk to Audrey before Mal got home, but he was nervous. He didn't know if she was going to tell him no like she did Chad and Ryder at the sleepover before school started. He had been pacing for what felt like an hour, before Audrey opened the door, making him freeze in his spot.
"Were you going to knock or just pace out there for another 40 minutes?" She asked.
He shrugged before she moved, gesturing for him to come inside. She closed the door when he was in, and he started to pace again.
"Stop with the pacing," she said, making him freeze again. "You're going to wear a hole in the rug and my grandma made that for Mal and I."
"Sorry," he said as he brushed a hand through his hair.
"It's fine, but are you going to ask me what you can to ask me or not?" She asked as she hoped onto her bed.
"What?" He asked.
She rolled her eyes, before she threw her legs over the edge. "Are you going to ask me if it would be okay for you to ask Mal out on a date?"
Ben's cheeks flushed red and started to feel hot. "How did you know…"
"Because I'm not stupid," she said with a laugh. "Anyone with eyes could see that you both like each other," she told him. "You can ask her out. I don't know why you are asking for my permission."
"Because you told Ryder and Chad that they weren't good enough for her," he said. "So I didn't know what you thought of me or if I wasn't good enough for her."
"Ben, I told them that because I knew you both liked each other," she said. "Since you met her in the Moors, you two seemed to have this connection, and I told them that so that you could ask her out." He smiled at the thought, and nodded his head in thanks. "Now, all you have to do is ask."
A loud thunderous boom made them cover their ears and a bright light appeared in the room. When the light faded and they uncovered their ears, they saw that Mal was standing in the middle of the room and she was wearing her Olympus attire.
"Sorry," she said as she saw Audrey and Ben in the room. "I didn't think anyone would be in here right now."
"It's fine," Audrey said as she walked over to give her aunt a hug. "I missed you."
Mal laughed before she wrapped her arms around Audrey. "I missed you too, Audi."
Ben stood frozen as he looked at Mal. She looked like she was glowing and she looked amazing in her Olympus attire. The dress she was wearing was a midnight blue, it was dragging on the floor, it had delicate lace around the waist and cross over adding a classy yet simplistic feel to the dress. The lace around the waist line also allowed the dress to flow beautifully while accentuating her waist simultaneously. The cuffs around her arms were silver and held the train of the dress so that it would not drag too far behind her. Her hair was pulled half back and she had a floral and leafy designed tiara on her head. It was bedazzled with sparkling pendant crystals that burst with a royal sensation. It is graceful and classic, which was the perfect accessory for her.
"You okay, Ben?" She asked, pulling him out of his trance.
"Yeah," he said as he shook his head. "I'm fine."
"Okay, good," she said as she took off her tiara and put it in her large jewelry box. "What were the both of you up to?"
"Oh!" Audrey said with. A bright smile. "Ben actually came to see you, but he got here a little early."
"Oh?" She asked as she closed the jewelry box and turned to him. "Did you need something?"
"Um… I was…" he said as he shoved one of his hands in his pocket and brushed the other through his hair. "I was just wondering…" gods why was he so nervous. She was just a girl, he thought. But she was the most beautiful girl he had ever met.
"Are you trying to ask me out on a date?" She asked, making him choke on his words.
"What?" He asked.
"Sorry," she said with wide eyes. "I shouldn't have assumed…"
"No," he said, holding his hand out. "I was coming to ask you if you would like to go on a date with me, but I just…"
"I would love to go on a date with you," she said, making him look at her with a smile on his face.
"Great," he said eagerly. "Um… I'll text you later," he said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "We'll plan something," he said as he started to walk backwards toward the door. "Or I will. Or if you want to do it you can. It's really up…" but stopped when he backed into the door, making both girls cover their mouths from laughing. He reached for the knob and opened it. "I'll text you," he said, making her nod her head. "Have a good night."
They each laughed as soon as the door closed, and just before Audrey tackled Mal to the floor.
"I can't believe that he did it," she said. "I knew it would happen sooner or later, but I didn't think that it was going to be this soon," she squealed.
"It's not a big deal, Audrey," she said as she pushed her niece off of her. "Ben and I are going on a date. What is the big whoop?"
"The big whoop, is that you two would make the cutest couple ever!" She said as she followed Mal into their closet. "Come on! You can't say I am wrong."
"I am not saying anything," Mal said as she started to change out of her dress. "I am just saying…" but paused and took a breath. "Yes, I like Ben a lot, but I do not want to get my hope up in case he does not like me as much as I like him."
"I think he likes you more than you like him," she said, making Mal laugh. "In fact, I know he likes you more."
"Okay," Mal said as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Well, let's just wait and see how things go. Okay?" She asked.
"Okay," Audrey said, agreeing to what Mal said. "Oh!" She said, "One more thing." She ran over to her desk and picked up an envelope and rushed over to Mal. "Here."
Mal took the envelope from her and saw that it was addressed to her and it was from the Isle. Her eyes widened, before she ripped open the letter. She smiled, seeing that Evie used the items she had sent her. She sat on her bed, before she started to read the letter.
Dear Mal,
It's Evie. I am so glad that you chose me to write to and I hope that you continue to write to me. I hope that me being from the Isle doesn't change your perspective of me but I am overjoyed to finally have a friend to talk to other than my two other friends and my surrogate sister…
Mal smiled as she read the two page letter from Evie. She was so intrigued by what she had read that when she was done, she started writing back to her. She was so excited to learn more about the Isle, but there was a part of her that was hoping that this friendship with Evie would turn into something great.
Until next time my Lovies! xoxo GM