A/N: And now that Teen Night that has been mentioned several times before has finally arrived. This takes place during Hat Trick if you couldn't already tell as the kids wouldn't really get to do much with Emma visiting Jefferson, but there's a part of the episode used in this chapter. This book will be done very soon if I can come up with enough ideas and the next seasons/story arcs should be easier for me to write around and the potential for the other descendants. This is also based around the first Descendants novel back when Mal hated Evie's guts before they became best friends. Just think, guys! Soon we'll get the conclusion to this story and then we'll get around to the grand finale before going onto The Modern Fairy Tale Town Book 2: The Price of Magic. I gotta tell you, I'm not really crazy about this chapter... I dunno, you guys tell me what you think if you think it sucks or not.
Tonight was now the big night of Carlos' Hell-Raiser and he was getting set up with some other friends, including "best friends" he had already known. They were Harold (or Harry for short) and Jason (or Jace for short). They were often seen more as sidekicks, especially to Carlos as they began to set up and get ready for what was talked about in school today as a "full moon howler".
Carlos was soon fashioning up a private booth and removing a sheet from a couch and rigging a rod with an old-fashioned camera as he got an idea on what to do with it. "Photo booth!" he then told Harry and Jace before giving them a job to do for tonight. "You take their photo and you hand it to them."
Harry and Jace shrugged before Jace decided to be in charge of the camera.
"Not too shabby!" Carlos said with a small smile. "Now we're talkin'."
"And it's about to get a whole lot better." Jay said as he soon made it into the room four huge bags of groceries which would be the snacks for the evening: cheese, grapes, deviled eggs, sinfully spicy wings, and more before he smirked, taking out some cider to put it into the punch bowl that was on a table.
"Wait! Stop! I don't want things to get out of hand!" Carlos warned Jay. "How did you get your hands on all of that sugar?"
"Just better that the party to get out of hand than for Mal to get out of sorts," Jay replied with a grin. "Just don't tell Princess Evie whenever she shows up to the party or else she might tell Queen Mayor Mommy~"
Carlos shrugged as he thought that maybe Jay had a point about that. Soon, nearly everyone from school was coming over to the party. Some jocks were headbutting and laughing together, some girls giggled and cooed at some of the boys that they found cute while Carlos was trying to keep calm and he also looked around for Jane since she would be apart of the party and he really wanted to meet her. One girl even brought a bucket of water filled with apples for a certain game and some music began to play from a group called "The Bad Apples" that sounded rather hardcore and extreme. About an hour later, the party officially started before there was a sharp knock at the door and the young ones wondered who it could have been. Jay was soon dancing with some of the girls and trying to get them to notice him before he suddenly stopped, the jocks looked up from the buffet table, and Chad held an apple in his teeth, looking questionably as a couple of girls surrounded him, hoping to take a selfie with him.
"Who is it?" Carlos asked as he decided to get the door.
"Hey, Carlos," Mal smirked as she soon stepped inside. "Am I late?"
"Not at all," Carlos said. "Come on in."
"Excited to see me?" Mal asked with a small smile.
Carlos nodded as he tried to look excited, but everybody knew that deep down he was actually terrified.
"Toad's blood shots for everyone!" Mal soon announced as she came by with her own party treats with shot glasses filled with a gooey red substance inside of them.
"Toad's blood?" Carlos asked as his face paled in slight horror.
"Re-lax... It's not real blood," Mal rolled her eyes. "It's all in good fun."
"Erm... Right..." Carlos nodded before he ducked away suddenly. "Erm... They look delicious, Mal."
Mal nodded as she soon came to join the party, smirking a little as she looked hopeful to see a certain someone at the party.
"Having fun?" Jay asked Mal, panting after he had finished a dance competition with some fellow students.
"I guess," Mal shrugged before she then looked around. "Where'd Carlos go?"
Jay looked around before laughing as he pointed over toward a pair of black shoes poking behind from a sheet from one of the bigger bookcases. "Hiding from his own party. Typical." he then told her with a smirk.
Mal nodded as they should've expected that from Carlos while Jane was still hiding from the party guests.
"Come on, we're playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey over there and Jace has like 10 tails," Jay soon told Mal to move her away from where they currently stood. "Let's see if we can make it a dozen."
"Say, has anyone seen Evie yet?" Mal then asked Jay and Carlos as the party was just getting started.
"Probably being fashionably late," Jay rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Who does that girl think she is, Queen Magda of Storybrooke High?"
Mal and Jay laughed together at that.
"Yeah, she's probably just waiting to make a grand entrance," Mal smirked as she crossed her arms. "Her mother's Regina after all."
"Oh, uh, don't worry, guys," Carlos piped up shyly. "Evie is probably on her way right now or she's just running a little late."
Mal and Jay then stopped laughing, but only looked slightly annoyed.
"Want me to hit him for ya?" Jay asked Mal.
"Heel, Jay... We'll give Princess Evie some time to show up," Mal said to the strong boy before smirking. "Maybe if we're lucky she won't show up at all, but then again it won't be nearly as much fun without her with what I have planned~"
Carlos frowned as he didn't like the sound of that as the party planning continued. Jane was shivering and hiding nervously as she felt concerned about being alone with the other kids from school, especially Mal, Jay, and Carlos, but definitely Mal as she was probably the scariest and meanest girl in school. Claudine may have been the resident gloomy and creepy girl of the school, even being named "Creepy Claudine" by other students, but Mal was probably the one not to mess with in Storybrooke High the most.
"Hey!" Zevon piped up as he soon walked right over to Mal and Jay. "What are you two doing?"
"Just talking./Evil plotting." Mal and Jay answered at the same time before they then looked at each other for their answers.
Zevon glanced at them and just stood there.
"...Do you want something?" Mal asked.
"Yes. To dance." Zevon nodded as he set his sights on her.
"...Wait, with me?" Mal then asked as she pointed at herself.
"Well, I didn't mean him..." Zevon said as he gestured to Jay before looking over at him. "No offense, man."
"None taken," Jay grinned in response before he laughed as Mal began to look very uncomfortable and awkward. "You two kids have fun out there. Zevon, make sure you pick a slow song. I have someone waiting for me on the other side of the room." he then said before laughing and walking away as he came to see two girls known as Charlotte and Prudence Stepwick.
Mal just blushed in embarrassment. "I'm not really a dancer." she soon said to Zevon.
"I can show you." Zevon said with a smooth smile.
"I mean... I don't dance with anyone. Ever." Mal then said as she stepped away.
"Why not?" Zevon then wondered as he attempted to take her hands.
Mal looked like she took a while before she would answer that question. "...I don't have to have a reason." she then said before turning up her nose.
"You don't, but that doesn't mean you don't have one." Zevon retorted.
Mal huffed as she kept trying to ignore him. "Maybe I just like to be alone." she then said with a slight scoff.
"That can't be it," Zevon said before a bit shyly. "Nobody likes to be alone."
"Well, I do." Mal retorted.
"And besides, everybody wants to dance with the total bad boy of Storybrooke High." Zevon then added.
"Nope! Not me!" Mal replied.
"Fine," Zevon said as he finally gave in before he went to go and dance with a different girl known as Gilda Darner in Mal's place. "Have it your way. You know, Mal, if you're not too careful, you're gonna lose me someday."
"I never had you to begin with." Mal retorted.
"You just think about that before graduation." Zevon warned before he then took off with Gilda who seemed eager to dance with him anyway.
Mal groaned and rolled her eyes once she was finally alone before she looked around for Evie as she had something special planned for The Mayor's daughter.
"You okay, Mal?" Jay asked the girl.
"Yeah, sure," Mal replied to her. "Let me know when Evie arrives."
"Huh? What? Why?" Jay then asked her.
"You'll see~" Mal replied with a sly voice.
"All part of the evil scheme, huh?" Jay guessed.
"You could say that..." Mal replied. "Wherever Princess Blueberry is, she's definitely running late."
Jay nodded before he went back over to the Stepwick cousins who were very close with each other. They also seemed to cling to Chad a bit for some reason... Maybe they were Cinderella's step-sisters' daughters or whatever that dopey Henry Mills kid thought that they were.
Meanwhile, Evie was indeed running a little late to the party as she was with Henry at the sheriff's station right now. The teenage girl had a lot on her mind again especially with what had been going on in town for a while now. Henry was looking through his book while Evie stared off into space, thinking about that one dream she had about a baby being taken away from a woman who had given birth to the baby, the man being fatally punished after the birth by an older woman who ripped his heart out of his chest and crushed it to dust, killing him instantly. It looked very familiar and unfamiliar at the same time and for the life of her, she couldn't really place why and it seemed a lot darker than most Fairy Tales that she had grown up with. Soon, the two weren't alone as a pair of certain adults made their way over beside the two youngsters.
"Guys, what are you doing here?" Emma asked once she saw the two Mills siblings present.
"I came to congratulate you." Henry replied with a small smile.
"And I just came here for moral support." Evie added.
"...For what?" Emma then asked them.
"Your genius plan." Henry stated.
"And what plan's that, Henry?" Mr. Gold soon asked curiously.
Henry didn't respond and just looked down awkwardly.
"Uh, no offense, Mr. Gold, but we kinda can't tell you." Evie then said softly so that Henry wouldn't be seen as rude.
Mr. Gold paused before nodding. "Right," he then said. "You have fun on your Teen Night tonight and I hope that you and Benjamin remember to behave yourselves."
"We will, Mr. Gold, thank you." Evie nodded.
Mr. Gold then walked off, leaving Emma, Henry, and Evie alone in the hall once his business here was done.
"Henry, why didn't you say anything to him?" Evie prompted her little brother a little sharply.
"Sorry. I thought Mr. Gold was in on it, now that he's Ms. Blanchard's lawyer." Henry explained to both Emma and Evie.
"In on what?" Emma then asked.
"The escape plan." Henry replied.
"The what?" Emma and Evie then asked before the latter suddenly flinched nervously.
"Sheriff, could you join me, please?" Mr. Gold called out from the other room, prompting the others to go and see him and saw that he stood in front of the woman's cell which was currently empty. "She's gone." he then told them.
"Henry, what did you do?" Emma asked with wide eyes.
"Nothing," Henry told her, holding up his free hand. "She was gone when I got here." he said.
"I was just told not to say anything about it, though I have to wonder what happened to Ms. Blanchard." Evie remarked.
Mr. Gold looked to the blonde woman then. "Her arraignment's tomorrow. If she's not there-" he then started to say.
"She'll be a fugitive." Evie then realized, her eyes widening.
"Precisely, young lady." Mr. Gold told Evie with a nod.
"Doesn't matter if she's convicted for Kathryn or not, she's screwed," Emma then said before she looked suddenly urgent. "I have to go find her before someone notices she's missing."
"Oh, you mean Regina?" Mr. Gold guessed with a small smirk.
"The arraignment's at 8:00 AM. I'm sure she'll be here bright and early to celebrate her victory." Emma replied firmly.
"Well, you have until 8:00 AM then." Mr. Gold then told her.
"Goodness..." Evie whispered in concern.
"Uh, what about us? How can we help?" Henry then asked as he pulled Evie aside, looking a bit hopeful.
"Go home." Emma suggested for the Mills siblings.
"Emma, if she leaves Storybrooke-" Henry began to warn Emma.
"Not now, Henry. Come on." Emma then said, going to have him and Evie go home.
Evie was about to say something only for Mr. Gold to beat her to it.
"Miss Swan, I know time is of the essence, but if Ms. Blanchard doesn't return... Her future's in jeopardy," Mr. Gold warned. "And if you're caught helping her, so is yours."
"I don't care," Emma argued strongly. "I'd rather lose my job than my friend."
"Can I get a lift?" Evie asked from behind them.
Emma and Mr. Gold then looked over at Evie.
"Sorry to interrupt," Evie said bashfully. "It's just that I have this party to go to and... Well... Mom's waiting for Henry back home. So, please?" she then requested.
"Well... Okay," Emma sighed. "I'll drop you off on the way. It's at the church, right?"
"Yes, it is," Evie nodded. "It's a Teen Night, even if the other kids are calling it a Hell-Raiser since Carlos is hosting it."
"...I might not know Carlos well, but why are they calling it a Hell-Raiser?" Emma then asked.
"Because his last name is Hellman and everybody calls his place 'Hell Hall'," Evie explained before shrugging. "I'm just telling you what I heard."
"Okay then," Emma nodded. "Come along then, Evie."
"Thank you, Emma," Evie said with a small smile. "This night could be very important and good for me."
"I understand," Emma smirked. "I wasn't a teenager that long ago myself."
Evie chuckled lightly and soon followed everybody out of the sheriff's station so that their night could begin with their own individual plans.
"Nice cape." Emma smirked playfully at Evie.
"Thanks, I've had it with me ever since I was a baby." Evie smirked back proudly.
"Maybe I could borrow it sometime." Emma suggested.
Evie laughed a little as they rode along before soon coming up to the church. "Thanks for the ride, Emma," she then said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the yellow Bug. "Good luck looking around for Ms. Blanchard. I hope she hasn't gotten too far."
"I hope so too," Emma nodded. "Have fun at your party."
"Thank you. Good luck on your case." Evie replied.
And so after that, Emma and Evie split up as Evie came to join the party with her classmates, already seeing one that she recognized, especially on the Swim Team in school: Melody Summerfield.
"Oh. Hey, Melody." Evie said once she saw the dark-haired girl.
"Hi, Evie," Melody replied. "Good to see that you came."
"Yeah... I'm a little nervous about coming though," Evie replied. "Especially since Mal will be around and we don't get along very well right now... Though I have no clue why."
"Mal has some issues she needs to work out, but don't let her spoil your good time," Melody said. "Let's just try to have fun tonight."
"Yeah. Sounds good." Evie nodded before they soon went to walk into the party together.
Once the two girls soon made it inside, the other kids seemed to be rounding up as Mal took center stage. Jay then noticed Evie and Melody coming into the party and he went to do what Mal had tasked him to do.
"What's going on?" Evie wondered.
"I don't know." Melody shrugged as she knew as much as Evie did right now.
"New game!" Mal soon announced, raising her voice to the other kids eagerly and clapped her hands together. "Seven Minutes in Heaven and you've never played Seven Minutes in Heaven if you haven't played it in the supply closet!"
Prudence and Charlotte gasped before they rushed over to eagerly play the game to have a couple of cute boys snatch them up whenever ready. They powdered their noses, adjusted their eyelashes, and applied lipstick while looking eagerly over to Jay.
"Who wants to go first?" Mal then asked the guests.
"Me! Me! Me!" The Stepwick sisters eagerly cried out as they saw Jay standing beside Mal, expecting him to be the boy they could kiss tonight for Seven Minutes in Heaven.
Jay looked among the crowd before he pulled a certain girl out by her cape suddenly. "She does." he then suddenly said.
"Hey!" Melody pouted as Evie was taken against her will.
"I do?" Evie blinked as she was whisked away. "What do I want to do?"
"Evie, sweetie! So glad that you could make it~" Mal smirked at the girl as she brought Evie over and wrapped her arm around the other girl. "We're playing Seven Minutes in Heaven! Wanna play?"
"Uh... I don't know..." Evie said nervously.
"It'll be a scream," Mal smirked eagerly. "Come on... You wanna be my friend, don't you?"
"...You want me to be your friend?" Evie asked Mal in surprise.
"Sure, why not?" Mal smirked a little before she led Evie to the closet door and then opened it.
"But doesn't a boy go in here with me?" Evie asked suddenly.
"Did I say Seven Minutes in Heaven? No, you're playing Seven Minutes in Hell!" Mal then said with a wicked grin and cackle as she took Evie and suddenly shoved her inside the church's storage room and locked the other girl inside the room while the crowd watched her.
"Mal!" Carlos gasped in utter disbelief. "What are you doing?!"
"Playing a dirty trick, what does it look like I'm doing?" Mal replied smugly.
"You can't leave her in there! What if she gets hurt?" Carlos frowned.
"Oh, she'll be fine as long as she's smart about the stuff I brought in from Clayton's Hunting Goods," Mal replied. "As long as she's smart enough to get around those, she'll be just fine~"
"You brought stuff from a shop for hunters?!" Carlos then asked with wide eyes. "If she's not able to get out on her own, Jane will have to clean up the mess and the nuns will get mad at us! You can't leave her in there!"
Mal just gave Carlos a long look before she had a sly smirk on her face. "Fine. Go get her," she then decided for the cowardly boy as soon as she soon heard Evie's scream from behind the storage room she was trapped inside of. "You want her out? You go get her out~"
Carlos swallowed thickly before he glared and tried to be brave against the evil girl's scorn. "Fine. I will." he then said with as much determination he could possibly muster.
Mal nodded at him with a wicked smirk. "At least now she'll learn what it's like to be left out of something big and important." she then whispered subtly to herself as Carlos decided to go after Evie.
However, once Carlos was gone, someone else soon came to the party, fashionably late after Evie.
"What is it n-" Mal glared in annoyance at the interruption before her eyes widened once she saw who had come to the party.
Everyone else looked over to see that the newest guest was there, surprisingly enough when no one expected him to come out tonight, especially to a party like this.
"Ben Gold..." Melody muttered to herself once she saw who was there.
Ben took a look around, flinching as he was about to take a cupcake until someone beat him to it, so he looked over. He then saw the others and stepped over, though seemed really hopeful about seeing Mal once he spotted the girl. "Hi, Mal! You look gorg-I mean... Great... I-I mean..." he then smiled bashfully at the dark girl.
"I'd offer you a seat, but I'm the bad girl of the school, remember?" Mal smirked as she saw Ben. "So nice to see you made it to the party, Mr. King of the School."
"Uh... Yeah..." Ben said bashfully. "I just thought I'd come out and have a good time."
"That sounds nice." Mal replied.
Ben nodded before he looked around sheepishly. "Say... Have you seen Evie?" he then asked.
"Evie?" Mal repeated before narrowing her eyes slightly. "What's so special about Evie?"
"Well, uh... It's kind of a long story..." Ben said sheepishly. "Especially at her 6th birthday party where everybody from town showed up and she had a sleepover with the girls and played Barbies... With them..." he then added faintly, remembering what had happened back then that nearly cost him and Evie their childhood friendship.
Mal narrowed her eyes with a small snarl.
"I mean, everybody was there!" Ben then said about Evie's birthday party from 10 years ago. "Everybody who was just anybody."
Mal just growled at him.
"Uh... I think I'm gonna get some cupcakes or something," Ben then said before walking off. "If, uh, if you see Evie... Tell her that I was able to make it okay?"
"Evie, Evie, Evie!" Mal ranted and complained as Ben walked off as she pulled on her dark blonde hair before she smirked at herself. "I'm afraid you won't be seeing much of Evie after a while, Ben... In fact, no one will probably even be able to recognize her after tonight~"
Soon, the party continued as Ben tried to join in and have fun with the other guests, except for maybe Evie who was literally feeling rather claustrophobic.
Evie whimpered nervously as she was face-to-face with dozens upon dozens of bear traps. One wrong move would snap one of her legs in two. "Help! Help! Let me out!" she soon cried out as this was the worst possible scenario for her.
But there was no answer as the music from the other side was playing so loudly that no one could hear her or even care, especially Mal. She soon panicked and took a deep breath, not sure what else to do or say in this situation right now.
"Okay... You can do this, Evie... Graham's been through worse things... Maybe... If Henry's right about him being a huntsman... I knew Mal kinda hated me, but this is just ridiculous!" Evie panicked as she wasn't sure what to do as she tried to find a safe way out from the bear traps. She soon ran with all of her might as they snapped and triggered as she blindly ran through them, just hoping to make it out alive, though she cried and screamed before she fell to the floor on the other side after going through a very deadly maze.
"Hey... You okay?" A new voice soon asked.
Evie yelped and looked up and over before she saw a rather kind and freckled face that made her sigh in relief. "Yes. I think so. Do I win the game?" she then asked breathlessly.
"Mal's probably gonna be annoyed that you survived." Carlos said with a small laugh as he helped Evie out.
"Where are we?" Evie asked once she came over to Carlos.
"There's another door on the other side, this is Mother Superior's supply closet," Carlos replied. "I knew she was gonna prank you, but these bear traps are a bit of overkill."
"You're telling me!" Evie complained and rolled her eyes.
"Still better than living in Hell Hall." Carlos shrugged.
"Ugh, that place sounds so horrible," Evie replied. "I've heard that there's nothing but fur coats and wigs all over the place like the owner is some kind of fashionista wannabe nutjob. Who would wanna live in a place like that?"
"That would be my home actually." Carlos said to her.
Evie then looked wide-eyed and nervous. "Oh," she then said before smiling nervously. "Erm... That place can't be all bad though then, right? I-I mean... You could never catch a cold there! You could use one of those fur coats for a blanket, right?"
"I'm not allowed to touch those while my parents are away on a cruise vacation or whatever," Carlos reassured to ease her regretful statements. "It feels like they've been gone since the beginning of the school year if you ask me, so my parents probably went on vacation a year ago and they just never came back."
"Oh... That sounds awful..." Evie frowned as Carlos sounded very lonely in his own home.
"It's okay, really," Carlos said with a sad smile. "I'm just glad that you're okay."
"Yeah... I just wish I knew why Mal hated me so much..." Evie sighed before looking at him. "Do you happen to know what's up with her?"
"Your guess is as good as mine... I didn't want you to get hurt though," Carlos said as he helped move her to safety. "Besides, whatever's bugging Mal, she should get over it sooner or later, right?"
"Are you kidding? A grudge is a grudge for a girl and she'll never forgive me... Whatever I did wrong," Evie replied. "I should just face facts when it comes to Mal... I should just go back home and never come out... Maybe I can be home-schooled."
"Oh... Don't say that... I'd miss you in school..." Carlos said before looking away shyly. "I mean... You often felt like a sister to me."
"...I have?" Evie asked softly.
"Yeah... I'm not sure why, but I've always wanted a sister to help look out for me," Carlos said with a small smile. "Especially at home since it's just me there until my parents come back from wherever they ended up."
"You deserve so much better, Carlos," Evie replied calmly before she looked curious. "...Still working on that machine of yours?"
"Yeah, sure." Evie nodded.
"Jane told me about this being a way out," Carlos then said as he came to lead Evie away from the beartrap mess. "I was hoping maybe I could talk to her, but she seems to be too scared to even interact with anyone."
"Jane, huh?" Evie asked.
"Yeah..." Carlos nodded. "She really seems to be something else."
Evie hid a small smirk as she suspected maybe Carlos liked Jane more than a friend, but decided to keep it to herself for the time being. "You have your own science lab back home?" she then teased.
"Very funny, but I'm not as smart as Hiro Hamada." Carlos chuckled.
"Who's that?" Evie wondered.
"You never heard of Hiro Hamada?" Carlos replied. "He's a 14-year-old college student at a place called San Fransokyo where he studies robotics. He's one of my heroes."
"Oh... Good to know..." Evie said with a small nod before Carlos walked over and took out his backpack that he left at the front door of the church.
Carlos then brought his backpack back over to Evie and showed his device to her.
"That's very nice, Carlos," Evie said with a small smile. "Does your battery work yet?"
"I think so." Carlos said before he soon fiddled with a few buttons and switches on the battery to show Evie.
The battery seemed to sputter to life before quickly dying. Carlos frowned before he tried to work it again. The battery seemed to make a high-pitched squealing noise before it quickly died again much to the boy's frustration.
"Sorry, I thought I had it." Evie said to Carlos sheepishly.
Evie stepped over to take a closer look at the battery for him. "Maybe try connecting that wire to that one?" she then suggested.
Carlos looked back at the wires before he looked slightly inspired. "You're right! They're in the wrong place." he then said before switching the wires and then hit the switch.
A powerful electric burst then shot right out of the box, sending Carlos and Evie flying back against the wall and falling to the floor. The beam of light then burst up toward the ceiling and left a singe in the ceiling with a fizzling hole there that Mother Superior was definitely going to notice. The lights even flickered on and off before shutting off for a few moments until they came back on again.
"Dang!" Carlos cursed nervously.
"What just happened?" Evie asked Carlos.
"I don't know. I think maybe it worked?" Carlos replied. "It penetrated this place for a second, didn't it?"
"It must have," Evie said. "That's the only explanation."
"Promise you won't tell anyone what happened? Especially with the ceiling," Carlos then asked nervously. "We could get in real trouble, you know."
"I promise." Evie vowed as she put her hand to her heart like she often did with Henry.
"Good," Carlos nodded. "Do you wanna get back to the party?"
"Do we have to?" Evie then asked, suddenly not up for being apart of this Teen Night.
"Good point," Carlos had to admit. "So, who do you think you'll go to the big school dance with when it comes?"
"What do you mean?" Evie asked. "You mean as a date?"
"Yeah... You seemed to really like Chad Herman, but then something seemed to happen with that Doug boy," Carlos replied. "So who's it gonna be?"
"Ugh... I'm over Chad," Evie rolled her eyes. "Who needs Chad? He's a jerk and the worst."
"Chad is the worst," Carlos agreed with a nod. "So is it gonna be Doug then?" he then asked.
"Probably, yeah," Evie replied. "Just don't tell anyone about it. At least not yet."
"My lips are sealed." Carlos promised before he bit his lips to prove his point.
Evie chuckled as that was funny as she and Carlos continued to bond together for a while longer.
"So... You think I might have a chance with Jane?" Carlos soon wondered.
"Only time will tell, but I'll gladly help you out with that if you want." Evie offered.
Carlos blushed a little. "I'd really appreciate it, Evie," he then said softly. "Just... Just promise me that you won't tell the others? Especially... Um... Uh..."
"Jay and Mal?" Evie guessed.
Carlos glanced over before nodding truthfully.
"No problem," Evie reassured with a small smile. "What are big sister friends for anyway?"
Carlos smiled back as he had a lot of fun with Evie so far even if he wouldn't admit to who he believed to his friends.
Mal was soon sitting at one seat alone as she had a glass of cider with her. She noticed that Evie and Carlos made it back to the party, mostly to get a couple of sodas for themselves. Evie had some scratches here and there, but nothing to write home about and she wasn't even bleeding or had a run in her stocking or shreds on her precious cape that she brought with her to the party. The dark and mischievous girl was very frustrated to make that discovery and this party ended up being a bust. Carlos must have helped her somehow, she guessed. What an ungrateful little twerp.
"So, uh, Mal... Are you doing anything after this?" Ben soon asked the dark girl.
"Probably gonna stay up after midnight and fall asleep in front of the TV." Mal shrugged.
"Erm... I mean... In the future?" Ben asked.
"What? Can you see the future or something?" Mal smirked at him. "I know your dad's creepy and mysterious, but are you like the son of a sorcerer or something?"
"N-No, nothing like that, really," Ben chuckled nervously. "'Cuz I was wondering if maybe you'd like to catch a movie with me sometime?"
"Oh..." Mal said softly before looking at him. "You mean... Like a date or something?"
"Well... Yeah, sure..." Ben replied bashfully. "I-I mean if you wouldn't mind and I sure don't mind... We could do that sometime if I don't have to work?"
"Well..." Mal smirked a little before looking at him. "I guess there's nothing wrong with that."
"Cool!" Ben replied as his voice cracked before he cleared his throat nervously. "I-I mean... C-Cool... Nice..." he then said, trying to deepen his voice a little. "It's a date."
"Right," Mal smirked and nodded. "I'll come by your place whenever I feel like it."
The two then shared a laugh together as Ben believed that was a joke before Mal suddenly stopped and looked very serious.
"I'm serious, I don't follow rules, you know." Mal then told the brunette boy a bit sternly.
"Oh, uh, all right," Ben then said with wide eyes before smiling nervously. "I look forward to it, Mal."
"You had better if you know what's good for you, Golden Boy." Mal smirked darkly at him in response.
Zevon saw that Ben and Mal had talked to each other and they seemed to be arranging for a future date together, much to his ire. "So she'd rather go out with a goody two shoes than with me? I can't let that happen," he then snarled. "Mark my words, Ben Gold... You will pay for this one way or another, whether or not your father is Mr. Gold." he then said before he backed away into the shadows, acting like a rather cartoony movie villain.
"Think you can make it back home safely?" Carlos asked Evie.
"I'll be fine, don't worry," Evie replied. "Thank you for your comfort and company, Carlos. I won't forget it."
"I hope that you don't," Carlos nodded. "By the way, that's a very lovely cape."
"Thank you. It's really special to me too." Evie smiled warmly as she walked off, patting down the blue cape that she had for as long as before she could even remember.
Soon, the party ended and everybody made their way back home as Jane came out of hiding. She then sighed and pouted at herself for not being more outgoing like the other kids she went to school with, but that was probably what happened when you were raised by nuns and were a plain and ordinary girl no one paid attention to. No one was ever going to be her friend or boyfriend and that just made her feel sad. It was eventually time to go and time to clean up even if she didn't want to. Ben was mentally kicking himself for not having the courage to ask Mal to dance or have fun with him at the party and it ended up being a bust for him too. He was just glad that Evie was okay at least and everybody knew about Mal and Evie's little issue against each other even if Evie didn't. This was quite a crazy night, but nothing could compare to what the adults had been up to that evening.
"Evie, I was so worried about you," Melody said to her friend. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"It's okay, Melody, I'm fine," Evie reassured. "Did you meet anyone interesting at the party at least?"
"Uh... Well... Maybe?" Melody replied before blushing a little.
A blonde boy with blue-green eyes stepped out of the party after them before smirking, winking, and waving at Melody which made the black-haired girl blush.
"Uh-huh..." Evie smirked and crossed her arms playfully. "Who was that?"
"Erm... No one?" Melody replied sheepishly.
"I'll see you in school later, Mel-Mel." The blonde boy told the dark-haired girl that caught his eye.
"Uh... Alright then, Alex! See ya!" Melody told him before blushing even more and biting her lip as the blonde boy walked off with the other students.
"Alex, huh?" Evie asked then. "Did something happen while I was gone?"
"I guess you missed a little bit of something?" Melody grinned bashfully.
"A little bit?" Evie chuckled. "Also... Mel-Mel?" she then added curiously.
"I kinda got nervous when he asked me what my name was," Melody replied nervously. "I mean... Have you seen that boy? He is just too much!"
"Well, I'm glad that the party was at least fun for you," Evie smirked. "Come on, Mel-Mel, let's go home."
"Okay then, Evie." Melody replied as she blushed, thinking about Alex before they soon walked off together, sharing a laugh.
A car pulled up and an elderly man was shown and honked his horn.
"Hi, Grandpa." Melody smiled once she saw the man in his car before looking at Evie. "You want a lift back home?"
"Uh... Sure... I guess I wouldn't mind that since Mom's so busy nowadays." Evie replied.
"Is it about Ms. Blanchard?" Melody guessed.
"No doubt," Evie said as she followed Melody into the car. "Hello, Mr. Summerfield."
"Hello, Evie. Good to see you." The older man smiled warmly at his granddaughter and her friend.
The two girls then climbed into the car and once they were inside and buckled up, Melody's grandfather soon drove them back home, seeming to pass a top hat in the middle of the road that was just there for whatever reason.
Mal was soon shown going into the building beneath the town's clock tower which appeared to be an old and abandoned library. Once she snuck back inside, making sure no one saw her, she soon went over to a certain place and picked up what looked like raw meat from the local butcher shop owned by a woman named Robin and her daughter Lilly who you will find out more about much, much later. "Well, Mom, my revenge plan on Evie didn't exactly work out," she then said as she took the plate of meat while going down the elevator in the library. "Don't worry though. I almost had her... If only Carlos hadn't betrayed me and my trust... Little weasel. He has such potential, but he really disappoints me sometimes..."
There was a roar in response to that as the elevator stopped and the door opened up as Mal stepped out from it with the meat.
"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Mal replied. "But don't worry... I'll get back at The Evil Queen's daughter for you sure enough. I'll definitely make sure of it and then you can have your own revenge on The Evil Queen, one way or another..." she then smirked.
There was another roar heard then.
"Patience, Mother, that's what you taught me," Mal said before she tossed the raw and bloody meat out in front of the floor to someone who hid in the shadows away from her. "I won't disappoint you and I'll be your nasty little girl for as long as I possibly can."
Someone soon came out from the shadows while roaring and snarling and it seemed to be... A black and purple dragon with glowing green eyes with huge wings behind its back before it roared right at Mal before diving in and chomping down on the meat left for it.
"I promise, Mom, you'll be proud of me so I can be evil like you and you can be free and then we can be a family again," Mal replied before smirking. "I even have a date with the son of Rumplestiltskin coming up. That should definitely help us out before you know it."
The dragon seemed to roar out a question while gnashing at the meat as the blood flew all over the place, splattering the walls and the floor with crimson drops.
"Yeah... I guess he's a little cute..." Mal had to admit as she blushed a little before shaking her head as she still smirked. "Revenge will be ours, Mother, I promise."
The dragon roared and soon ate up her food.
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too, Mom." Mal then said before she went to go back up the elevator after feeding the dragon who was her mother.
Evie went straight to sleep that night. She tossed and turned a little, expecting to have nightmares about what she had just experienced, however, she began to have her recurring dream again about the mysterious couple she knew almost nothing about... Or she thought she didn't know anything about. She could see the young woman riding on her horse again as a man began to watch her from afar. The younger woman then climbed off of the horse to go and see the rather jovial looking older man.
"That's beautiful, sweetheart." The older man smiled at the young woman before she approached him.
"Thank you, Daddy." The young woman beamed and hugged the man in front of her until a redheaded older woman walked by with a young man who had a saddle.
"Beautiful? I'd hardly call that beautiful." The older woman scoffed.
This made the younger woman pout. "You didn't like it, Mother?" she then asked softly.
"You ride like a man. A lady should be graceful," The older woman told the younger woman who was her daughter. "You should use a saddle."
"I was just having fun." The daughter gently retorted.
"Well, you're getting a little old for fun," The mother scoffed. "Who's going to want to marry you when you behave like a commoner?"
"Honey, please leave her alone." The father told the older woman who seemed to be his wife.
"Stop coddling her. She's becoming an old maid," The mother snorted at the father. "All the other girls her age are married. I had such high hopes."
The younger man soon stepped over with the saddle. "Mi'lady, perhaps this saddle-" he then began to offer.
"I'm done riding for the day," The daughter scoffed at him rather coldly in a tone that sounded quite familiar in enough itself. "And don't ever interrupt me and my mother again," she then gave the stable boy the horse who then took it and began to lead the horse away back to where it was meant to go. She then firmly pouted at the older woman who was her mother. "Why do you always have to criticize me?"
"I'm not criticizing you; I'm helping you." The mother insisted.
The daughter firmly pouted before she began to storm off.
"Don't you walk away from me." The mother sneered before she soon began to use magic to lift her grown daughter off of the ground to bring her closer.
"Mother! You know I don't like it when you use magic!" The daughter complained.
"And I don't like insolence," The mother retorted icily. "I'll stop using magic, when you start being an obedient daughter."
"Why can't I just be myself?" The daughter sulked, having a classic case of Disney Princess syndrome.
"Oh, because you can be so much more," The mother replied softly then. "If you'd just let me help you-"
"I don't care about status," The daughter glared bravely. "I just want to be-"
The mother then did the next heinous action planned: magically wrapping horse reins around her daughter to cut off her air supply.
"Cora, please." The father gently told his wife, fearing for their daughter's life.
"Please... I'll be good." The daughter soon begged as she gave up on struggling and fighting with her mother.
"Excellent. That's all I wanted to hear." The mother soon smirked before letting go of her daughter, allowing her to be free.
Meanwhile, in the stable, the stable boy could be shown brushing one of the horses. He then looked over to see the daughter rushing right over after the encounter with her mother.
"Daniel. I'm sorry I snapped at you." The daughter gently told the stable boy, sounding sincere in her apology.
"That's alright," The stable boy replied. "You'll just have to find some way to make it up to me."
And at that, the two soon shared a kiss before everything quickly began to fade away.
Evie then suddenly shot awake again before groaning. "What is going on with me lately? ...Cora," she then mumbled the name she remembered hearing about. "Why does that name sound familiar?" she then wondered and began to think about whether to talk to Henry about this or maybe Dr. Hopper.