Mal made her decision. A drastic one. She was officially leaving. She couldn't raise the baby here, she feared that the council would make her get rid of the baby conceived outside of wedlock but she already loved them too much. Also she would be sparing Ben of the shame and commitment that came with this. She loved Ben and she knew he was a good man that would stand by her for every minute of her pregnancy and afterwards. She just couldn't do it to him. He had plans. Big plans for after school and she didn't want to ruin them for him. She would always love Ben but she had to be selfish and choose the baby. Besides, they were broken up now. She doubted he would even want to see her after the pain she's put him through.

She wrote out four letters. Addressed to the people who had been there for her the longest and she basically classed them as family. The one's she loved the most, the one's that hurt her the most to leave. The one's she loved deeply unconditionally and forever she shall. Evie, Jay, Carlos and Ben. She was going to hurt them all. She had already hurt Ben. One down, three to go. What hurt most about leaving Ben is that they were supposed to be a family, but not here. They could never raise a baby out of wedlock in Auradon without their reputation being damaged. They could even force Ben off the throne and then Chad would be king and that was something nobody in Auradon deserved. He was the most heartless selfish person that she's ever met. Ben changes Auradon for the better and for the people while Chad, let's just say he would make the isle look like paradise in comparison. Evie, Jay and Carlos were her non blood related family. Since Coronation day, two years ago, they basically had no family as they were deemed traitors by their parents and allies on the Isle and their families disowned them. Each other was all they had and that was more than enough for them. They knew each other inside out, better than they even knew themselves. Mal never thought she would have one true friend but she ended up with three which was a blessing in it's own right.

Jay was like her older brother, they would poke fun at each other all the time but it came from a good place. They would goof off together and Mal has so many funny memories with him. Like for instance, when she walked into his dorm and saw him making out with his pillow and she told him to go get a girlfriend. His face was priceless, he felt humiliated but was relieved that if someone had to see the scene it was Mal. She sworn to secrecy and hasn't told anybody about this insistence. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her or talk bad about her in any way. He once overheard Chad make a disgusting comment about her to the jocks on the tourney team and he beat him up. Her name never came out of his mouth again. He did get detention for breaking Chad's nose but it was worth it. They had been friends the longest out of their group of friends. They were thieving allies back when they were six, nearly seven years old. At the time, Maleficent and Jafar had a summer fling which is how they met but it ended horribly, to both of their relief and Mal and Jay have made a pact and the rule is to never bring it up again. Jay's mom died when he was a baby so when he was growing up, his dad had a lot of relationships ( mostly flings or one night stands) with several women but having a summer fling with his best friends mom was the worst. Mainly for the reason, he didn't want Maleficent as a step mother which was completely understandable.

Carlos and Mal have the perfect sibling relationship where they are both protective of each other. Ironic, considering Mal used to bully Carlos back in the day, nearly even killed him once. Water under the bridge, right? They became close just before arriving in Auradon. Carlos is really brainy, shocking considering the education system on the isle is not great... at all actually unless you go there purely to ace evil schemes. He helps Mal study for her exams and he has to be inventive on how to get the information into her head. They shared quite a few laughs and usually more time is spent laughing than studying but she wouldn't change it for the world. At one point, Mal played matchmaker and tried to get Carlos and Evie together but it didn't work out but she's happy they are both better off now. Jane is perfect for Carlos. Their personalities compliment each other perfectly and she is glad her brother has found someone who cares about him almost as much as she does.

Evie, who was like her sister was the best friend any girl longed to have. She would never forget the long nights they spent talking about nothing in particular or when Evie made her a dress for her dates with Ben. So much love and consideration went into every piece she hand made. She called it princess chic. It was an outfit suitable for any royal event but it also carried a bit of Mal's personality with it. She knew Mal better than anybody. Mal is really protective over her sister, Mal didn't trust Doug at first but she saw that he made Evie happy so she accepted him as a good boyfriend for her sister. However, if he hurts her she would not hesitate to show up at his door and teach him a lesson. Doug is frightened of her and believe me, he is smart enough to know not to mess things up or else it will get ugly. She and Evie told each other everything, she never missed a thing. Evie knew every detail of every date she's been on. They stayed up for hours spilling all their secrets, worries and longings. It felt nice to have somebody in her life who she could tell absolutely anything to. She never felt ashamed to tell Evie anything until she became pregnant and everything changed.

She knew none of them would have judged her (quiet frankly, Evie would have been excited to introduce a baby clothing line to Evie4Hearts ) but telling people made it more real and more chance of it getting out. They would be disappointed without a doubt and seeing them disappointed in her would probably kill her inside. She knows her friends are in good hands. Besides Jay, Carlos and Evie are in solid relationships with people who genuinely care about them so much. She knows Jay will find someone once he leaves his heartthrob, womanizer phase in the past. Besides she's pretty sure he has a thing for some mysterious girl at Auradon Prep. " What happens on the Isle, should stay on the Isle " is their group motto. They will carry their past with them for their whole lives but that doesn't mean it should define them.

She won't have to worry about them when she leaves even though she probably will anyways. She knows they will be okay without her. Once they are safe and happy than that's all that matters to her. Even though she will miss all the unforgettable memories they have given her. Most of them occurring over the last two years. The best years of her life.

Ben, his name hurt her mainly because she had been terrible and it was like she ripped his heart out and ripped it all apart. This heartbreak she felt was worse than any punishment her mom gave her growing up and her mother was Maleficent so she was never let off easy. He deserved better, she handled the whole scenario poorly and she really hurt Ben as a result. She hoped he would get over her sooner rather than later. The idea of him being upset or going through pain was the worst feeling she's ever felt. The only thing that kept her content was knowing that the public wouldn't be able to hate Ben for this. They wouldn't turn against him. What they don't know, can't hurt them, right? She was protecting him. At least that's what she told herself. He didn't know it but she was. She would tell him, soon, when she was ready but until then she had to leave. After all, she didn't want her child to grow up fatherless like she did and Ben would have rights to see the child but not yet... she needed to stage a plan of action away from Auradon.

Ben's meeting ended half an hour earlier which was something that never usually happened. However, he couldn't focus. His mind was stuck thinking about Mal, more so his last conversation with her ~ how they broke up. The way he did absolutely nothing and could do nothing to change her mind. His heart sank. He wanted to see her but he thought that he had to give her some space. She put him on a break and it was up to her when and if that break ended.

He called it an early night and returned to his bedroom at his castle to catch up on some reading. His father always said he was grateful he took most of his mother's traits. Ben rarely got angry but when he did he definitely had a bit of a beastly temper. Ben was genuine and soft hearted like his mother. He was also a bookworm, when he was younger it was a challenge to get him to put the book down. He usually fell asleep with the book draped off his face and some habits never break as eighteen year old Ben was currently fast asleep with a book laying across his chest.

He was sleeping off all of the mixed emotions he had been keeping in over the last few hours. Usually that's how he coped with his emotions that he could not control.

" I'm gonna wake him up, I don't care " a Male voice said in annoyance

" He is king, I'm pretty sure he could get you arrested for that if he wanted " another boy chimed in " or executed for that matter but we're lucky he's our friend and our sister's boyfriend "

" This isn't the time for jokes, Carlos " Jay yelled " She is gone and we don't know where. He is our only hope, right now! "

" I know, I know, I know " Carlos sighed " I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit "

" But that didn't work, clearly! "

" Boys " a female voice scolded.

Ben's eyes fluttered open. He sat up and was shocked when his eyes landed on his three friend and he tumbled off the bed onto the carpet in his bedroom.

" What are you doing here? Who let you in? How long have you been there? " he exclaimed

They ignored his questions.

Evie forced a laugh than her expression turned serious. She ignored his questions. This wasn't the first time, he's woken up to them in his room. He should be used to this by now. Especially considering Mrs Potts is making her famous Beef Ragouet tonight for dinner and Jay and Carlos have found quite a liking to her and her cooking. Especially the Beef Ragouet.

" Something's happened " Evie said in a low voice

" We need to ask you something and you need to tell us everything " she added

" Evie, you're scaring me " Ben said

" I'm sorry but we're scared " she apologised

Evie ignored him and sighed. He assumed Mal just didn't come because they were now broken up and being in the same room together was painful.

" Did something happen? Between you and Mal " Jay asked

Ben sighed at the mention of her name which told the three friends that something indeed had happened.

" She broke up... broke us up " Ben mumbled correcting himself. He was clearly still have asleep.

" What? " Carlos thought aloud " Why would she do that? She loves you! "

Ben shrugged his shoulders

" She seemed pretty upset. She says it's nothing to do with me. I felt so powerless, there was nothing I could do to help her. Oh god, I really failed her " Ben put his head in his hands

" Oh " Evie said before letting out a sob " This is so unlike her. I don't understand. Nothing makes sense "

" Evie? What's happened ? " Ben turned to his distraught friend

" She's gone. I was out with Doug and I went looking for her. All her stuff was gone. She only left these "

Evie opened her purse and took out a crumpled up piece of paper which was inside a purple envelope. The envelope had the name Ben written on it in the handwriting of their beloved friend. Evie passed the envelope to Ben and she let him read it himself.

Dear Ben,By the time you have received this I will already be gone. I'm so sorry. You don't understand but this is something I have to do. Alone. I probably should have done this long ago. It's one of the reasons why I chose to end things. None of this makes sense but one day you will see why I did this and I had my reasons to.I don't know when or if I'll be back. I don't know what I'm doing, If I'm honest. A fresh start, you could call it. I need time to think and sort things out and try and get my life together.I love you, Ben. So much and you know have changed my life in more ways than one. I hope you find somebody who can be exactly what you need and I hope they love you like I did.I'm not telling you where I am but Don't worry. Please don't come and find me. You won't! If I want to, I will come back. Trust me, I'm safe. I just need some time to process everything I need and most importantly everything that you will need going forward. Don't forget I am doing this for us Otherwise it wouldn't be this hard.Love Mal

This was why she broke up with him. It made perfect sense, right? No, it didn't. Let's be honest. When did Mal make sense, though? Maybe that's why she had been acting distant and different. How did he not act on this sooner? Ben was very confused. Everything was up in the air. It could be anything. Millions of possibilities crossed his mind. None of which made some sense. One of them being Mal was replaced by an evil clone who was pretending to be her while the real Mal was being held hostage. He was reading a book about this before he

took his nap. Explains a lot. Everything was all over the place. He thought one thing, than another and another. Nothing added up. The only person who knew what was going on was the person who was gone. Mal, the love of his life. He wanted to look for her but that could ruin any chance he had of getting her back. He just wanted her back so he could tell her a million times how much he loved her and hopefully hear her say it back and she would smile. He loved her smile especially after he made her laugh. She wasn't easy to make laugh but when she did because of him, he felt like he achieved something great and that is coming from someone who was crowned king at sixteen.

Ben felt like he had woken up in some alternate reality. The other friends showed Ben their letters. He analysed them. They were quite similar. He shook his head in disbelief. He could be sick. None of this felt real until he swings by her place later and see's all her things are missing.

" She's left me. She's actually left me. It's all my fault. I blew it. My one real shot at love and I've ruined it. You all have to suffer now because I was a horrible boyfriend. " Ben said in disbelief

Evie gave Ben a friendly hug

" Don't worry, we'll find her and we won't stop until we do " Evie said

" She told me not to look for her " Ben sighed

" To hell with that, we are going to find her besides we will deal with the consequences " Jay said

" I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to her " Ben whispered to himself

" We did it once and we can do it again " Carlos said as the group reminiscing their return trip to the isle eighteen months ago. Carlos placed a hand on the shoulder of the young king to say they were all in this together.

" That ended well, didn't it? " Jay said sarcastically " Mal broke up with Ben, refused to come home, Ben got kidnapped, We had to give Uma the 'wand', swordfighted with some lousy wannabe pirates and don't get me started on that whole cotillion fiasco " Jay was listing out all the terrible things that happened.

" This time won't be like that " Evie said " At least I hope. She won't have gone there "

" I hope you're right "

Jay and Carlos nodded in agreement. This was not how they pictured life after Graduation would be but so be it. Their friend was broken and it was up to them to pick up the pieces before she does something she would regret later...

" Everything will be okay. We'll bring her home and everything will be back to normal. As normal as it can be " Evie promised the boys

" Cause we're rotten "

" to the core " the boys added as they joined their fist with Evie's. It felt weird saying their other motto without their leader and best friend. Ben watched in awe before pulling them all aside to make plans.

When Mal initially left, she had no idea where she was heading. She just needed to be far from Auradon. She took out a copy she had of the map of the United States of Auradon (She had it for other intentions such as when she was visiting other kingdoms as Ben's consort). Auradon had around nineteen states for her to choose between. When she pictured running away, it seemed a lot easier than the actual reality. She settled with South Riding in the south of Auradon (obviously) but for her own sake she decided to stay away from the kingdom of Auroria within that state where Audrey's family were inhabitants. Another kingdom she couldn't go to was Tangletown formerly known as Corona before the kingdoms conjoined. Ben's family were close to the rulers Queen Rapunzel and her consort Eugene Fitzherbert. If Ben did try and find her, she would be found in minutes and according to Lynn (who had been in the same position as her once) getting away from him was what she and her baby needed to get their best chance. Mal noticed a small town on the map named ' Redemption '.

She had never been there before nor had she ever heard of it. She can't recall Ben ever mentioning it but again sometimes she zones out when he talks about those boring council meetings, after doing a quick search on her phone she found out that it was a very small town and it was never included on the royal tours. This was perfect meaning Ben would most likely never pass through it and accidentally run into her. Wouldn't that be awkward?There was no big names as the ruler there that would be close to Ben or his family. In fact, Redemption had no ruler of it's own, Ben was just the head of state like he was with the other kingdoms and towns in the USA. The name of the town was very fitting. She was the daughter of Maleficent, Ben had given her the chance of redemption which she had taken in her stride but now she needed a fresh start, a new life for her and her baby. It was perfect. Without a second thought, she went there and found an old isolated hotel.

" Hello? " Mal called out

" hi, hi, how may I help you? " an old woman exclaimed ecstatically " We haven't had a guest in months " she pulled Mal into a tight hug taking Mal by surprise. She may be under disguise but people seemed to be friendlier here than in Auradon City.

" Can I have a room? " Mal enquired

" Of course, dear. Would you like a balcony view or a square view? "

" Balcony " Mal nodded

In all honesty, it didn't matter, she just needed a roof over her head for the time being.

" What's your name? " The lady asked taking out her notebook where she keeps all the records

" Bertha Florian " she lied

" Nice to meet you, Bertha. Welcome to Redemption. I'm Madame Cox. Brenda Cox if you prefer " She smiled shaking Mal's hand

Mal smiled and followed Brenda down the hallway to her suite. It was beautiful. The woman kindly upgraded her room package to a deluxe penthouse suite free of charge to give Mal her privacy and to hope that word would spread and the hotel would be back in business sooner rather than later.

This was of course only going to be temporary until she was able to afford to rent out her own apartment but it would very well do for now. She could never raise a baby in a hotel room, they both needed more than that. Now, stage two of Mal's plan was to get a job. Easier said than done, right?