It was well into the afternoon when Jay woke back up. At first, he was angry with himself that he had slept so long, but he felt so relaxed and rested and he couldn't remember the last time he felt like that. Ember was still in his arms, but she was awake with her little arms wrapped around Mal's. Mal was still asleep, but she looked to actually be sleeping instead of passed out. She was closer to Jay, so she had moved around at some point. Snippets of their previous conversation echoed in his head and were weighing heavily on his heart. Did she really think that something was going to happen to her? Movement caught his eye from the couch Carlos was on, and he saw him playing video games with Kenzi sitting happily in his lap chewing on the remote. As delicately as he could, he sat up but Ember whined in protest, hugging Mal's arm even tighter as she thought Jay was trying to pull her away from her mother.
The game across the room paused at the commotion, and Carlos appeared at his side with a medicine bottle in one hand and Kenzi in the other. "She thinks we are going to take her away from Mal again. I tried to get her to take her medicine earlier, but she wouldn't and I didnt want to wake you, Evie, or Mal."
"I got it," Jay said as he grabbed the liquid from Carlos. "Thanks." Carlos went back to his game with Kenzi and Jay layed back down behind Ember, wrapping his arms around her as she whined again. "Hey little dragon," he whispered to her. "Mommy is going to stay right here, and she isn't going anywhere. She is going to stay right here in this room with you. It's just like back at home!" He tried his best to reach the little purple haired girl. "We are in a new place, but it's safe. I need you to drink some of this medicine so that you will feel better."
"No," Ember cried as she tried pulling herself out of Jay's arms.
"How about this," he tried again as he sat up, cringing when she buried herself against Mal and causing her to flinch. "If you take your medicine, you can help give mommy hers when she wakes up." This seemed to get her attention. At least she turned her head towards him. "And just maybe I can scrounge up something sweet? Maybe a cookie or something if you're good," he said slyly as he rose from the bed and moved towards the couch with Carlos. "But only if a certain little dragon takes her medicine," he called as he waved the bottle in the air before plopping down next to Carlos and Kenzi. It wasn't even a minute later when they heard the sounds of a little body sliding off the edge of the bed and walking over to the couch. She took one last look at Mal, and then tried her best to climb up with the help of Jay's foot, settling in next to him before gazing around at the unfamiliar room, and then climbing into Jay's arms. "Good girl," he soothed as he poured her some of the sweet medicine and grinned when she got it down.
Carlos on the other hand gave a half grin of annoyance before holding tighter to Kenzi as he leaned off of the couch and pulled out the welcome cookies he had found on the table. He passed them to Jay who laughed when Ember lit up at the sight of them.
"Take your pick, Em," he laughed as he held up his end of the bargain. As he watched Carlos play his game while Ember munched on her cookie, he asked him how long he had been up.
"About an hour," he said in frustration as Kenzi tried for the dozenth time to grab at the controller. "Kenz' woke up and was hungry. Evie fed her but I told her I would watch her if she wanted to sleep some more."
"Gotcha. How did Mal look?" He couldn't help but let his eyes wander back over to the bed and see the pale girl sleeping fitfully.
Carlos waved the controller in the air with both hands out of Kenzi's reach before responding. "About the same. At least she's finally getting some sleep. Hell, I even slept like a rock."
"Yeah," Jay agreed. "Me too. When Evie gets up, I'm going to go get us all something to eat. Are you craving anything?"
"Seriously?" Carlos asked as his eyes left the game for a second. "Anything hot. Anything at all really. Come on Jay, its Auradon. Everything is good."
"I need a burger," Jay admitted. "Or pizza, or chicken, or steak...or all of the above." Looking down at Ember watching the game in fascination, he contemplated switching it to a children's show, half to piss off Carlos and half to please Ember and Kenzi. "I wonder what Ember likes in terms of real food. Mac and cheese most likely. I think most kids like that stuff."
"Do you like it?" Carlos asked.
"Well, yeah."
"Then Ember will like it. I swear Jay, you have the taste buds of a child."
"Hey!" Jay mocked in his defense, "I'm not the one who dug into the cookies first chance he got."
"What are you two going on about," Evie voiced behind them with a lazy yawn as she slipped from her bed. She felt so much better at having got real rest, and she couldn't help but smile when she took in the scene on the couch. Jay had Ember in his arms while Carlos juggled his video game controller and a wiggly 6 month old. "Come here my little princess," she sang as she sauntered over and fished Kenzi from Carlos' lap. "Did you miss me?"
"I'm going to get some food from the caf'," Jay told her as he shuffled Ember towards Carlos and playfully burying her beneath a mound of blankets. "Any requests?"
"Pineapple, please," she begged as she closed her eyes in happiness at the thought of fresh fruit. "I swear Jay if you come back and you have none, I'll cut your hair in your sleep."
"Fine," Jay said in a mocking fearful tone, "pineapple it is. Anything else?"
"Strawberries for Mal." She looked back at the sleeping girl and hoped that she would even be able to keep down her favorite food. "Something easy. Get something for Ember too."
"Already planned," he told her, sending a knowing wink to Carlos who grinned at the comment. "I'll just go ahead and head out."
"Excuse me?" Evie called back as she walked back over to her dresser and pulled out a bag with Kenzi on her hip. "I don't think so. Come here and let me cover your face."
"No thanks," he called back. "Don't you dare come near me with that makeup shit again. I'll just keep my hood up."
"Take one more step," she threatened, "and I'll most definitely be cutting your hair. All it's going to take is one look from one of them to have them digging into our lives. Either I cover your face or you stay here and starve. You choose."
Jay scoffed and begrudgingly plopped back onto the couch next to a flustered Ember. Evie was scary when she was angry. "Fine. Just hurry up, will you?"
"Hehehehe," Carlos giggled as he paused his game to watch the torture Evie was putting Jay through. "A little lipstick ought to do it."
"Carlos I swear…" Jay growled, but the deVille boy didn't back down.
"Oooh that is so not your shade." He really had no idea how makeup worked, but it was a phrase Evie had said before, so he ran with it.
"You know what?" Jay shot back towards him, "I don't think I can carry everything myself. You can come with me, Carlos."
"Nu-uh," Carlos backpedaled. "I'm fine here, thanks." After a short pause, he couldn't help but add one last comment. "Guess what, Jay?"
Jay shot daggers at him as it was all he could do with Evie clutching his chin to keep him from moving. "What."
"You're finally a pretty princess. You should fit right in here in Auradon."
"Hey, guess what Carlos?" Jay retaliated. "You're coming with me."
Carlos laughed and held his hands up in surrender. "Fine, I'll stop." But it was the growl that came from Jay next that had him regretting everything he had said.
"I wasn't asking."
All laughter from before ceased to exist when Carlos realized that he had dug his own grave. To make matters worse, he really did have to listen to Jay. He was stepping up for Mal. With a sigh, he rose and slipped his shoes on as he admitted defeat. Jay wasted no time in mocking Carlos this time for wearing the makeup.
After the boys left, Evie tended to Ember, who had thrown up once again. She silently cursed the boys for feeding the child cookies. "You poor baby," she soothed as she carried her around the room and rocked her to calm the tears. Getting an idea, she looked back to see Kenzi happily playing on a folded comforter Carlos had set up on the floor. Seeing that she was going to be okay for a minute and that Mal was still sleeping, she carried Ember into the bathroom and plugged the drain in the tub before running warm water and dumping in some of her bubble bath from beneath the sink. Ember's cries ceased as she lifted her head in confusion when she saw the bubbles. Giving them a minute to expand, she went back into the room and shuffled Ember onto her hip before grabbing Kenzi in her other arm, wincing when the baby brushed against her stitches.
Once back in the bathroom, she pulled both babies out of their clothes and set them in the tub, laughing when they folded their feet in anticipation of cold water. Once they realized that it was warm and that the bubbles were fun, they had a blast. She tried to keep the bath short, not wanting Ember to overheat or for the boys to get back and have to wait on them. She hadn't had a chance to pull their baby clothes out of the lining of the ones they brought over, so she had to make due with the smallest shirt she could find for Ember, which of course engulfed her tiny frame. As for Kenzi, she did have to pull one of her onesies out because there was nothing else for her to wear.
Mal had woken up sometime during the bath and had propped herself up against the headboard. She smiled when she saw Ember walk from the bathroom in one of her shirts, and the little girl lit up when she saw her mother awake. Evie helped her crawl into bed with Mal and then she climbed in next to them. All four of them were now burying themselves under the warm covers.
"She smells so good," Mal hoarsley told Evie as she cuddled Ember into her and inhaled the sweet smell of strawberry shampoo.
"I thought you would like that," Evie told her as she leaned her head against Mal's shoulder for just a second. "The boys went to grab dinner. They should be back any minute actually."
True to her word, the boys walked in moments later. When they saw the mountain of food that would have been almost enough to feed their whole crew for a night, they lost their appetites. It was only when the first bite touched their tongues did they inhale it all. Through the events of the past week, they didn't think about food much, instead giving their share to the crew. Now that they were back in Auradon though, they realized just how much weight they had lost.
Mal and Ember hardly touched what Evie forced in front of them. No matter how much they tried, they couldn't keep it down. Jay even ran back to the cafeteria to grab some soup instead, and at least Mal was able to have some of that. Ember on the other hand was frustrated and emotional at being sick. All she wanted to do was be close to Mal, and at least she was able to feed her in another way. As the night went on, Jay ended up having to pull Ember off of her because he just knew she was in agony with the 2 year old pressing into her. Mal wouldn't show it of course, and she was asleep again, but that was besides the point. He was really starting to worry for her, especially after their conversation earlier. He eventually booted Evie from the bed and took her spot. He wanted to keep an eye on both Ember and Mal.
All of their worry escalated deeper into the night. They were all asleep when somehow, Jay sensed something from the purple haired girl sleeping next to him which jarred him awake. The very moment his eyes opened, someone grabbed him immediately he knew it was Mal, and something was very wrong. She wouldn't even look at him as she clutched at her chest with her other hand, and he knew she couldn't breathe. Shit, he thought as he fought to push his panic away and maneuver around Ember between them. He gathered Mal in his arms and pulled her to the floor, to where she was finally able to take a single gasp for air. The clock on the nightstand read 2:17am before he ripped it from the wall and threw it at Carlos still asleep on the couch. The deVille boy jumped up instantly, pausing as Jay tried desperately to give Mal a breath before he woke Evie.
"Mal, no," Evie begged as her knees hit the floor next to them as she tried to shake the sleepiness from her mind.
Mal's lips were unmistakingly blue but another single gasp of air entered her lungs as she tried to breathe.
"Get her into the shower," Evie demanded as she got an idea. She raced for the bathroom before Jay even had her in his arms. She turned the shower on that still smelled faintly of strawberries, hoping with everything she had that the steam would help open up her lungs. These attacks were getting worse and worse, and she had no idea how to help her friend. Mal needed a doctor, and that idea scared her even more.
"What do I do Evie?" Jay all but screamed as just a little bit of panic slipped into his voice as he raced into the bathroom behind her.
Evie started digging in all of the drawers, cursing whoever thought it was a good idea to redecorate and reorganize while they were gone. "Just get her in there Jay!" she yelled. She was ripping things from their new places when suddenly, a small yellow tube caught her eye and a thought hit her. "Oh my god," she muttered before a million more different thoughts invaded her mind. She grabbed the tube and cursed under her breath before hurrying back to her friends.
Carlos was worrying over the edge of the tub while Jay was in there, holding Mal and trying to get her to breathe in the steam to open up her airways. They were both soaking wet but the more frequent gasps told her that the steam from the shower was helping...some. "Give her this," she demanded Carlos as she stumbled back to the counter, her mind now swimming in anger as to why she didn't realize it sooner. She had been the one to pull it out after all.
"What?" Carlos asked as he held the tube in confusion. "How the hell…"
"Just jam it into her leg, Carlos!" she yelled back at him. "Fuck, did you not pay attention in orientation on day one? Hold it there for 10 seconds, damnit!" Evie was frustrated as she watched him do as she told. Fairy Godmother had shown them how to use EpiPens the first day they got here. Auradon had no idea if the VK's had any allergies, and when they were asked, they all shrugged their shoulders because they didn't know. They could barely even tell what they were eating or coming into contact with half the time. When she finally found the eucalyptus and menthol shower steamers she was originally after, she ripped them from their package and threw them in with Jay and Mal.
As the small room filled with the soothing smell of eucalyptus, Mal's breathing started to finally even out as she struggled to take deep breaths. "The steam is working," Jay breathed as he held a very exhausted and barely conscious Mal.
"It's not just the steam," she groaned as she collapsed next to Carlos holding the now empty tube; they were out of danger for the moment.
Jay reached a soaking wet arm out of the shower and grabbed her shoulder, turning her so that she was looking at him. "What do you know? What's going on inside of your head right now?"
Her eyes slipped to Mal for a second, lingering on her stomach wound before tearfully meeting his gaze once again. "The knife was old, Jay," she tried explaining. "I think some tiny pieces broke off as I pulled it out of her. It's iron; she's dying of iron poisoning."
Now, the rest of them were the ones who couldn't breathe. It all suddenly made sense. The breathing, nausea, fever...and Ember was showing some of the same symptoms. Mal had let her nurse, and in turn made her sick.
"Well, how do we fix it?" Carlos asked in worry as he came to the same conclusion about Ember about the same time Jay did.
"We don't," Evie cried in a shaky breath. "She needs a doctor...surgery. I think a piece traveled to her lungs and that's where some of her problems are coming from."
After they got Mal dry, stable, and back in bed, Evie was still fuming at Jay. He had shot down every attempt to even bring up a doctor. For the past hour, they had argued back and forth, Evie becoming slightly hostile in her attempts. Jay would rather let Mal die than let Auradon know that she was even sick. "We could break into the hospital at least," she muttered half under her breath and half at Jay once again, not even attempting to hide the cold fury in her words as she checked in on the sleeping girls. "We could find some sort of medicine to ease her pain or temporarily counteract the effects. It would be better than letting her lie here in agony as she dies."
"Evie, enough," Jay warned dangerously as he pushed past her and checked in on Ember himself. Ember was now in Evie's bed next to Kenzi. All of them knew that they wouldn't be sleeping tonight, not after Mal literally almost suffocated to death when her lungs closed up this time. The tiny girl was still sound asleep, the effects of the allergy medicine found in a box under the sink putting her in a deep sleep for the first time since she got sick. It wasn't a cure all; she was poisoned. They only hoped that maybe this would help as well.
Again, Evie couldn't keep her mouth shut. Mal was her best friend. She was beating herself up over not realizing what was going on sooner. "You're killing her Jay. If we sit here and do nothing…"
This time, Jay didn't bother putting his emotions into words. Evie had tipped him past his breaking point. He had made a promise to Mal; she knew what could happen to her and she was prepared for it; hell, she had prepared him for it. Mal had obviously realized this sooner than all of them. She didn't want them to worry. Instead of yelling at the equally infuriated blue haired princess, he rounded on her and backed her into the wall, not caring when surprise mixed with a tinge of fear momentarily flickered in the girl's cinnamon colored eyes. He used everything he had to glare at Evie in such a way that said 'defy me and see what happens,' as his arm had her pinned in place. He wasn't above violence if it was going to shut her up. Shutting Evie up was saving the Isle and protecting Mal's promise to it. He would not jeopardize everything she had been working for.
"What are you going to do?" Evie taunted bravely as that tinge of fear was replaced with the familiar anger of the past hour.
A soft hand to Jay's shoulder served to pull him out of his rage as Carlos tried to defuse the situation. Jay shrugged him off, but he also released Evie and backed away from her while he held a warning in his gaze. Just as his eyes left hers to find Mal for the hundredth time that night, a hard kick to his side had him sprawled on the floor in seconds. He didn't even have time to turn around when Evie attacked him again, surprise and rage filling him as she jumped onto him as he attempted to rise. Shaking her off easily, he saw that Carlos wasn't about to choose sides, and instead had positioned himself in front of Evie's bed to shield the babies in the fear that things got more out of hand. And it did.
"You asshole!" Evie spat as she collected herself and tried to take a swing at Jay. He caught her arm and instead forcefully threw her into the back of the couch. Of course he didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't cringe when a shudder of pain crossed her features as she hit it hard and sank to the floor.
"Stay down," he warned through gritted teeth, trying with all of his might to control himself and not do something he would later regret. A flash of pure hate stared back at him before she gathered her feet back under her and charged forward again. Jay wasn't expecting how quickly she would recover, so he didn't have time to dodge the fist that hammered into his jaw so hard that he was seeing stars. He knew she had to have just broken her hand by the way two cracks had sounded. There was no evidence that she was even aware of it when she ducked his punch this time, but failed to twist away when he grabbed her and forced her to the ground. He got some sense back when he was forced to pin her to the floor, climbing on top of her and wrenching her arms above her head in an attempt to just get her to calm the fuck down and quit attacking him. "I said stay-" he started, but immediately released her when sheer terror took over her features. He felt her body beneath him tense so violently that he thought he had seriously hurt her as he jumped off. Immediately she was back pedaling into the wall at the foot of her bed, a disoriented look blanketing her face that showed nothing but pure panic as she watched the ghosts dancing in her mind.
"Stay away from me!" she begged in a voice that absolutely broke his heart in two. Evie wasn't here anymore.
"Eve's" Jay called soothingly as his emotions shifted so suddenly he got whiplash, knowing exactly where she had gone. He immediately regretted pinning her to the floor but he wasn't thinking. He could be mad at her all he wanted, but never did he ever want to put that sort of look in Evie's eyes. "You're okay, Evie, you are in Auradon…Carlos get down here," he ordered as she shrank into the footboard as much as she could.
Carlos lowered himself to the floor next to him. "Jay back off, I got it."
"But I-" he started before being cut off.
Carlos broke his gaze away from the terrified girl and med Jay's with sadness. "Go check on Mal, I got this."
Jay didn't like it, but he did as he was told as Carlos tried calming Evie down from wherever hell it was living in right now. Jay cursed himself; Mal was usually the one to drag her out of these things. Was Evie stuck in her mothers clutches on the Isle from last week after being thrown to her men to have their way with her? Or was she back in Blaze's clutches after her mother sold her to the Queens of Hearts son. She was his slave for a whole month until they found her. Or, was she back in that alley where Malachai had dragged her before assaulting her, changing her life forever. Wherever she was, Carlos was starting to bring her around and she was now in his arms. Jay couldn't help but look from Evie to Mal, wondering just how much more they had to go through before their lives could be anything like the other kids of Auradon. They were all so damaged, but no matter how much they fought, they barely gained any ground in this world.
Once Evie was breathing more normally, Jay slid to the floor and crawled over to her, nodding for Carlos to move aside. He saw the warning look in her eyes, but it was a look that told him she was still pissed at him instead of afraid. She resisted, but Jay forced her gently into his arms and sighed when she finally relaxed into him. Their fight was over...for now.
"She told me not to," he told her as his hand searched for hers in order to inspect it. It was already bruising, and most definitely broken. Evie didn't say anything so he continued. "Earlier, she made me swear not to draw any attention to her...even if she died. She wanted me to make her disappear if it happened and lie to Auradon until Ben becomes king."
"Why the hell would she do that?" Evie asked as sobs started to climb into her throat at the thought. But, she already knew; she just didn't want to believe it.
Jay didn't answer her, he knew he didn't have to. "I'm sorry, Evie. I didn't mean to-"
"Just shut up, Jay," Evie groaned in sorrow. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. She wanted to get up from the foot of the bed and not look at the bruise she gave Jay across his jaw. She wanted to soak in the tub and try to forget all of her worries, but she couldn't. The worries would still be there when she got out, and she was terrified to leave the same room Mal was in. Finally, the pain was starting to register in her hand, and she sighed at the hassle it was going to be to live with it before it healed.
"You could at least say you were sorry for attacking me," Jay mocked as he shifted her from his side in an attempt to help her up.
She shrugged him off and did it herself, minding her hand as she shuffled to the bathroom with Carlos to get it wrapped for the night. "That's just it, Jay. I'm not sorry."
For the rest of the night until the sun started to peek through the dark curtains, the VK's stood watch over Mal. She never woke back up, the events of earlier exhausting her to the brinks of a coma. When Ember woke up, it looked like she had a very minimal amount of energy as she fought to get out of Jay's arms and climb towards Mal. It was going to take some time for the iron to get out of her system. At least they knew now that the little girl took after Mal in the form of being Fae.
Jay's eyes slipped to where Mal's bedside clock used to be before remembering that he used it to throw at Carlos earlier. He looked to Evie's instead, and for the next hour watched as the numbers ticked along before he knew they had to get ready for the day. School was starting.
"So," he started as he looked to Evie in her bed before averting his gaze over to Carlos; she was feeding Kenzi. "I'll stay behind today and look after the girls. You two go learn some shit and act like everything is normal."
"No, I'll stay," Evie volunteered with a sigh. "I can't just leave Kenz'."
Jay looked at her again with slight distrust that he didn't mean to show, and he knew she caught it.
"I can't leave Kenzi," she deflected in hostility for defense. "I don't think you are equipped with the right parts for feeding a baby, Jay." It wasn't like she was going to just up and call a doctor for Mal after her fight with Jay. She knew he was right, but she still didn't like it.
"You two need to make up already," Carlos chastised as he lay on the floor in exhaustion. Why he wasn't on the couch he didn't know. Maybe the hardness of the floor was more comforting as the familiarity of it mimicked what he knew of the Isle. It was what he was used to. "Take shifts or something. Evie, you go first and come back before noon classes. Me or Jay stay here until then."
"Damn it, Carlos," Jay said with a sly smile at the solution, "you're always the peacemaker."
"Hardly," he sighed, rubbing his hands over his face to try and wipe the exhaustion away. "My weapons have killed or maimed more people on the Isle than anyone else's."
"Eve's?" Jay asked, "Are you okay with that?"
He knew that she rolled his eyes at him without even looking. "Whatever you want, Jay."
Sounds of shuffling told him that she was done feeding Kenzi so he looked over to her. She had Kenzi cradled against her, and immediately he felt horrible for making her leave her daughter so soon after they had been reunited. At least it was only for a few hours this time. When she got up, she did hand her over to him instead of Carlos, but that was only because Carlos was drifting back to sleep.
"I'll go get dressed," she said in a monotone voice with one last look to Mal.
As the morning stretched on, Evie was barely paying attention in her classes. Her friends had tried their hardest to get her to talk to them, but they got the message that she just wanted to be left alone as she got through the day. The usually kind and chatty girl was sullen and quiet, but they knew that they couldn't push her. Even Audrey held her tongue around her. Evie was thankful for that, not really wanting to be pushed over the edge today. At the end of her last class before heading back to her dorm for the switch, her peace broke when Audrey finally leaned over to her and got her attention.
"Evie," Audrey hissed to her under her breath.
"What," she responded curtly, not even glancing at her in frustration. "You know what? Nevermind; just leave me alone."
"Look I- forget it. Evie, you're bleeding, okay? I just thought you should know." The brunette gestured in concern towards Evie's side where her jacket had exposed her clothing underneath.
With a start, Evie looked down and discovered that yes, her stitches had popped, most likely from the fight she had with Jay. She didn't even feel it with everything going on inside her head. The whole scenario made her eyes burn with tears and it took her all to hold them back. So, she adjusted her jacket and pulled it closer around her before shoving her books into her bag and high tailing it out of there before the bell could even ring. She couldn't afford anyone else to see what Audrey had.
Evie burst into the bathroom and threw her bag against the wall, forgetting to lock it behind her in her distress. She then leaned against the sink, gripping the edges with all she had as she gazed at the near perfect reflection staring back at her. It was an accident; she didn't mean to look. She could see the way some of her makeup caked the cuts she so expertly hid. She should have been proud, but all she saw were her imperfections. I'm nothing but dirt. It didn't help that her tears finally began to drip down her face, and she had to hold her head back to keep them from running and ruining her hard work. "Stupid Jay," she said aloud to herself as she grabbed a paper towel and delicately dabbed at her face. "Who does he think he is anyways."
She broke once again when she shrugged off her jacket and lifted the hem of her shirt. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but the blood had crusted around the sutures and her shirt was ruined. She was so tired of seeing herself this way. She hissed in pain as she lifted her arm to dab at it, cursing the way it stung but also getting angry at how simple her wound was in comparison to Mal's. Mal needed a doctor, and Jay was refusing to let her go. She understood that Mal told them not to and Jay was just following orders, but sometimes there were orders that were meant to be broken. She also knew that it could ruin every aspect of freeing the Isle if they did. One life for a hundred others; it sucked. And it also sucked that her dominant hand was refusing to cooperate for the dozenth time that day. It throbbed and felt like it was on fire as she was forced to use it.
Evie was barely finished when she looked back at her reflection in the mirror only to find someone elses reflection gazing from behind her. "Audrey!" she shouted in alarm as she whipped around in alarm. Audrey's face was coated in shock as she saw the long, stitched up wound that soon disappeared beneath the shirt that was pulled back over it. The bruises that littered her body and arms disappeared underneath the jacket that she forced back on, and the tears that were brimming the blue haired girl's eyes were wide in fear and distrust. Evie didn't know what else to do besides grab her bag that she had thrown and attempt to make it past Audrey before questions could be hurled at her. Instead, Aurdrey stepped back towards the door and locked it, trapping the two in there as panic built in Evies chest.
"I-I finished the notes for class. You could take them to copy if you wanted," the girl said as her eyes stared at the bloody, missed paper towel at the base of the trash can. "You didn't miss much." Her eyes snapped to Evie's then and found her to be just as shocked as she was. She moved forward as Evie stepped back, then pulled her own makeup bag from her backpack and began touching up her face. Something in Evie's eyes told her that something was very wrong, and she had no idea how to react.
"What all did you see?" Evie asked the girl, not entirely sure why she hadn't thrown Audrey aside and run from the bathroom yet.
"Evie I...it's fine. I'm not here to judge, but if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
Evie laughed; why did she laugh? Audrey being a person to confide in? Really? "What are you playing at?" she asked as her voice still danced in nervous laughter.
Audrey slid the top to her lip stick back on and sighed before slowly turning to face Evie. "I didn't like you," she admitted, making up her mind to open up a little. "Any of you really, but that's not who I am. After I hurt you down at the Enchanted Lake a few weeks ago, I realized how nasty I had been and I don't want that to be me. I have every right in the book to be mad at you all, but I'm not evil." When Evie looked down at her feet for a moment, Audrey realized what she had said. "Okay, wrong choice of words. You're not evil. You have been nothing but kind since you got here. Mal on the other hand…"
"It's Mal," Evie laughed, knowing what she was getting at.
"Right. Evie, are you okay? I mean, you look a little worse for wear." As she said it, she moved closer to the blue haired girl and noticed just how tense she was holding herself. She then realized that her makeup was covering up marks on her face. She never noticed it from afar, and she also was never looking. She was looking for it now and the concern on her face must have tipped Evie off because she turned away from her and adjusted the bag on her shoulder before flexing her hand in pain.
As she cleared her throat, Evie hid her face but paused before leaving. "If you could help someone at the cost of damning others, would you do it?" Why the hell did I just ask her that. "Nevermind," she called over her shoulder, wishing that she could take it back. "It's not important."
"Is it?" Audrey asked as she walked towards the 'princess'. "Because if you asked it, it must be important. What's going on Evie? Do you need help? I could go to Fairy Godmother if something happened-"
"No!" Evie shouted as she whirled around, panic filling her gaze as her eyes all but begged Audrey to drop it.
"Evie, you are covered in bruises and you are bleeding. Im not stupid. Something happened to you and believe it or not, I want to help."
Evie shook her head as a knot of dread caught in her throat. "Please," she begged. "Please just drop this and forget what you saw. I fell, and that's all it is I swear." She knew that Audrey didn't believe her as she stared at the bruised hand peeking out from her jacket sleeve. God, did she just doom them all?
Audrey fought with her emotions as she stared into her desperate eyes. Evie most certainly did not fall. Something had happened to her- did something happen to one of the others? 'If you could help someone at the cost of damning others, would you do it?' In the end, she made up her mind to get to the bottom of it, but she also told herself that she would do it the right way. It didn't take a wizard to know that King Adam despised the VK's, and that's who Evie had to be afraid of. Have the VK's been walking on eggshells since day one? What the hell was going on? She didn't answer Evie because she knew that no matter what she said, Evie wouldn't believe her. Why should she after everything she had done to them? So, she instead shook her purse from her shoulder and dug inside. "Here," she offered as she held out her concealer to the girl. She could see that Evie was tearing herself apart inside. "It's the best brand on the market."
Evie hesitated before reaching out for it with her good hand. It had to be some sort of trick, right? With a trembling hand, she took it and looked at Audrey in surprise.
"It doesn't take as much as those other brands," Audrey began, "though I don't know what you use. Just a dab does wonders." She expected Evie to say something, anything at all. "Look; I won't say anything. But please," she begged as she found herself stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the surprised girl, "please come to me if you need to. I'll help wherever I can." A slight shock went through her when her arms seemed to wrap around nothing but bones. Evie was so skinny… Now becoming awkward, she pulled back and cleared her throat, readjusting her purse and stepping aside to allow Evie to leave. "I mean it Evie, if you ever need help-"
"Thank you." It was all Evie could manage as her heart pounded in her chest. She watched Audrey warily as she slid past her and headed for the door, hesitating only when Audrey answered her question from before.
"I would trust that I could save them both. Why choose one over the others? Sometimes trusting the right person can help to achieve both goals."
Evie fought her steps to not run back to the dorm. She couldn't believe that she almost outed them all. She couldn't believe that Audrey had said that she would help her, and that she could trust her. What the hell had just happened? Before she knew it, she had arrived back at their room without even realizing it. She dug out her key and paused before opening the door. Should she tell Jay what had happened? No, she couldn't. She was going to keep it to herself...for now.
"How did it go?" Jay asked as he hopped up from Mal's side and pushed himself out of the bed.
Ember was snuggled against Mal, and based on her position, Evie knew that Mal hadn't even woken up since her most recent attack. She ignored his question and walked to Jay, reaching out for her daughter who was fast asleep in his arms. She couldn't help but smile when the baby grunted in her sleep. It was only a matter of time before she would start sitting up, walking, talking… and she hoped she would reach all of these milestones here in Auradon, safe from the horrors of the Isle.
"Fine," Jay said in agitation at her silence to his question. "Mal's still out; Ember woke up about an hour after you and Carlos left. I got her to eat some leftover soup from the mini fridge, but she's napping now. Her and Kenz' played for a while before they went down."
"Thanks," Evie muttered, not trusting herself to even look at him after what she had done. "You better hurry before you're late for the next period."
Jay scoffed as he threw on his sweatshirt and checked the makeup Evie had done on him earlier that morning. It looked good to him, so he grabbed his backpack and swung it over his shoulder. "We have Tourney practice after class at 3:00. Do you want us to come back here first to check in or head to the field?"
"Just head to the field. We will be fine." Evie knew that Jay was trying to give her a little trust, but it still stung that he thought she would go against him to get help for Mal. Of course she wouldn't, she understood the sacrifice.
"Delivery!" another voice chimed in when the door suddenly opened and revealed Carlos with lunch for them. "Everything good?" he asked as he spilled it all onto the table before grabbing a few things and shoving them in his bag, Jay doing the same.
"Just peachy," Jay responded in a strained voice. He heard Carlos sigh at the tension between him and Evie, and then they hurried from the room together in order to make it to their next class on time.
Evie was thankful for the food, because she found herself to be starving as she looked at the spoils. She grabbed what looked like a turkey wrap and delicately collapsed onto the bed with Mal, Ember, and Kenzi. She fed Kenzi as she ate, and then smiled at Ember when she woke up and looked at her with a sleepy gaze.
"Good morning sunshine," she whispered to her before running her fingers through her mulberry hair. "Did you have a good sleep?" The little girl didn't answer her, instead choosing to sit up and stare longingly at Mal. She knew that her mother was sick, and it broke Evie to see her so upset. "Hey pretty girl, want some lunch? Uncle Carlos brought some yummy things for you." Evie sighed in relief when Ember nodded yes to her before sliding off the bed by herself and rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she waited for Evie to get up as well.
Evie had to painfully shift a now babbling Kenzi to her hip, and then she grabbed Ember's hand with her left and led her to the couch. She climbed up easily, so she lowered Kenzi to her comforter on the floor to play before grabbing a few things. "Try this," she asked Ember as she plopped down beside her and offered a spoonful of mac and cheese to her. After a brief hesitation, Evie tried enticing her more. "It's called macaroni and cheese," she told her. "It's Uncle Jay's favorite!" At that news, Ember took a bite and Evie laughed when her eyes lit up. She loved it. After that, the girl wouldn't stop talking. Evie couldn't understand half of what she was saying, but she was just happy that Ember was getting some energy back.
Evie eventually pulled out some of her school supplies and gave the 2 year old some paper and markers. As she doodled, Evie used the time to check in on Mal for the dozenth time, and then retreat to the bathroom to address her busted stitches. She could redo them, or she could just take them out and use bandages instead. She would have only needed them for a few more days anyways. In the end, she chose bandages and grimaced as she used tweezers and tiny sewing scissors to take them out with a broken hand. Through the open door, she watched how easily Ember and Kenzi played in the safety of the dorm. How long could they keep them a secret? It wasn't like they could keep skipping class just to watch them. Just as she was finishing up, a tiny tug on her pants leg had her looking down at Ember's 'question face.' "Use your words," she asked the girl.
"Bubbles?" she asked, looking over to the tub before walking over and peering in. She looked back to Evie, and of course she gave in.
"Why don't you go play with Kenzi for a little while while I make the bubbles for you?" she asked the girl. She needed to clean the tub first. Of course the blood was washed away, but Evie still couldn't bear putting the girls in there without giving it a good scrub first. Again, Ember lit up and excitedly ran from the room and plopped down in front of Kenzi. She put her chin in her little hands and made faces at the baby. Evie couldn't help but laugh before she got the tub clean. She hoped that the girls would grow up to be close.
"Em!" she called when she was done and had the tub filling with warm water, "wanna come help?" The excited squeal answered for her as she ran back into the bathroom and peered in, not sure where the bubbles were yet. "Here," Evie began as she poured the liquid into the cap and handed it to Ember. "Pour it into the water," she directed, grinning when she did as instructed and then giggled excitedly as the bubbles began to form like magic. "Let's get those clothes off."
Evie had her wait to get in until she went back to grab Kenzi, and then she helped Ember into the water. She just put Ember in, not wanting Kenzi to join her since she knew that Ember now had the energy to play. She threw in some cups for her to play with, and enjoyed watching her as she held Kenzi who was just as happy to watch and occasionally get splashed with water. At the very end, she washed the girls gorgeous purple hair and rinsed it clean before draining some of the water and giving Kenzi a quick bath. Her spirits soared when she saw both girls bundled in a towel afterwards, hair brushed out and smiles on their faces. It was so cute to see Ember walking around with her giant towel all but swallowing her as she finally had the chance to pull a few more of their clothes out. She had to loosen a few stitches that she had to use to sew them within their own in an attempt to hide them, but when they were finally dressed in clothes that actually fit, they were still a little big. It was almost impossible to find clothes to fit them perfectly on the Isle.
After all was said and done, Evie parked the girls in front of the TV and then climbed into bed with Mal. Her breathing was still way off, and she gently tried to see if she could wake her. She managed to get her eyes to squint open, even for a moment, but Evie could tell that she was struggling. There was pain behind those eyes but there was absolutely nothing she could do to ease her pain. Mal, please don't leave us.
As the day stretched on, the cool weather crept around Auradon, freezing the outside world but was paused from entering the warm insides of Auradon Prep. The fallen leaves were crunching under the feet of the students heading to after school activities or back to their dorms. Across the campus heading to his own private dorm, Prince Ben was summoned by one of the guards to his fathers office. "It's done?" he all but yelled as he slid into the room at a run. "The spell is done? It's ready?" Fairy Godmother was there as well as Queen Belle and his father. The smile on Fairy Godmother's lips told him that it was, and that they were all about to get some answers. He had been waiting so long for this!
"Now," Fairy Godmother began, "I don't know what we will see, but we can't use that to punish these kids. They have been model citizens here as far as I'm concerned-"
"We will see," King Adam interrupted, his face still as void of emotion as before. Belle had to have talked to him about her fears. There was nothing but anger and distrust at the mention of the VK's before. Was he starting to think that there might be something more to their story?
"So how does this work?" Ben asked. He was beyond ready to get a glimpse into the Isle life. And to see just what had the VK's reverting back to their first time here in Auradon.
"It will only take several hours, but in that time, we will be able to see and live each and every moment that these children lived," Fairy Godmother told them. "It is going to be surreal, I must warn. You will see and feel things that you have no control over. It will be as if you are walking among them, but they cannot see you, because you aren't really there."
King Adam scoffed. "You're making it seem like this is dangerous."
"Well, not dangerous," she warned, "but I know that these kids have gone through something traumatic. Maybe they will say something that will give us a clue as to what they have been through growing up. I fear that their actions may cause you to-"
"Cause me to do what, Fairy Godmother?" the king growled.
"Adam enough." With a soft hand, Queen Belle gently brushed across his collar, effectively calming him down enough to send an apologetic look to Fairy Godmother.
Ben was now dancing on his heels, impatient to get the show on the road. "Can we start now?"
Fairy Godmother nodded. "I suppose we have waited long enough. Here we go." And with that and a wave of her wand, the royals were thrust before the VK's the moment their feet set foot on the Isle of the Lost, just one short week ago.