She frowns as she stares at the door.

Of her new mother's office.

She still wasn't one hundred percent sure what she thought of it.

All the others seemed so thrilled with their new parents.

She knew she should be too, but…

Fairy Godmother-

Janice-

Ugh, that was going to get old real fucking fast.

She was just so… Stiff.

And had so many, many, many rules.

It felt like she was trading in an evil tyrant for a good one.

Not to say Fairy godmother was anything like her mo- Maleficent.

Mother help-

Fuck.

That was going to take forever to correct.

She sighs.

Why?

Why had Fairy Godmother really offered to adopt her?

Did she think she was still on the fence between evil and good?

That's where her thoughts kept directing her.

That FGM wanted to make sure she stayed on the 'good' path.

Or some shit like that.

It was just- Weird.

Not that she didn't appreciate it.

And the time they'd spent together since she'd told her she wanted to adopt her hadn't been awful.

Still, she couldn't help but feel hesitant.

Hesitant and low-key envious of the others.

Jay's new parents were laid back as fuck.

Carlos's-

Mother help her, they were cool. Even if Hiro was a fucking twat.

And Evie was currently hero-worshipping Snow to the extent C did Hiro.

And she?

She got the rules-lawyer.

It surprised her how much she hated herself for the thought.

Hated how… ungrateful she was being.

She could only imagine how many people would be beside themselves to be adopted by the Big FGM.

But here she was…

Not.

And mother, when the others found out.

The ones who hadn't gotten a chance yet, she pinches the bridge of her nose.

When T found out.

Fuck, she was gonna kill him if he said a damn word.

"Mal?" Janice's voice behind her startles her, "Honey, I'm so sorry. How long have you been waiting for me?

She blinks, "Uh… Not long?" She turns, plastering a smile on her lips.

Janice smiles as she puts her free hand to her heart, "Oh, thank goodness." She smiles as she walks up to the door and draws her finger across it before it opens, "Come on in, make yourself comfy while I set my stuff down."

She nods as she follows her and sits in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

She stifles a groan at the thought of doing the same at Dragon Hall, Dr. Facilier prattling on about something or other in the background.

Oh the good ol' days of tuning out adults.

"I hope things have been going well for you with classes since you started back up," Janice says as she drops the basket that had been hanging from her arm onto the desk, "I know how overwhelming it can be during average times."

"Nothin' I can't handle." She shrugs.

"Bibbity-bobbity, you know it." Janice smiles as she takes the seat next to her instead of her usual seat behind her desk, "I'm guessing you already know about the adoptions being finalized."

She nods, "Yeah, Ben- texted us last night to let us know."

Not even two minutes into this and she was lying.

Wonderful.

Great fucking start.

Janice chuckles, "Is that why you all had your late-night adventures? To celebrate?"

"Ye-" She blinks.

Wait. She knew?

She frowns, "It was my idea. Everyone was so psyched, ya know? Was hard not to get that energy out."

"Oh, I'm not upset. I'm glad you guys are excited about this," Janice reaches across the distance between them and pats her hand, "I'm excited to have another daughter to help guide as well. It's not easy being fairy born."

Fairy born.

Fucking hell.

Her hand twitches with the urge to facepalm.

FAIRY Godmother.

It was in her fucking name.

It was just so hard to fucking remember since the woman, fairy, was so opposed to magic.

The thing that had fucking thrummed in her veins since she'd left the barrier.

"Half." She blurts out. "I'm like only a half-fairy."

"So is Jane, Dear."

Oh.

She'd never even bothered to ask.

"Mal, I must admit, I've been looking forward to having this conversation with you. From the moment I first saw you." Janice smiles as she looks her over, "A young fairy, just starting to feel the magic she can tap into."

Great.

She could just feel it coming.

The whole 'magic is behind us' books is where it's at crap.

Too bad the only books she actually enjoyed cracking open were spellbooks.

"I can see that threw you off a little." Janice sighs thoughtfully, "Not that I didn't expect it." She taps her fingers against the arm of her chair before she holds a finger up, "This is new for both of us, fair to say?"

"Oh, abso-fu-" She coughs, "-lutely."

Janice purses her lips, but it almost looked as if she were trying to hide a smile. "Then, perhaps the best thing we can do is promise to be honest with each other. Would you be able to agree to that being our first rule?"

She swallows her groan.

"Makes sense to me."

"Bibbity-Bobbity, well then, in the spirit of that rule, let me start off the rest of this conversation by saying," She smiles softly, her eyes warm as they look her over, "you are not the average student that walks through the doors here in Auradon."

"Yeah, I know. None of us are."

"And a lot of the things I work very diligently to teach here as the headmistress are very hit or miss with you guys, also correct?"

"Pretty much," She shrugs.

Janice leans a little closer, "Would you like to hear my theory about why that is?"

She tilts her head, "Cause we were raised by assholes?"

"Well," Janice chuckles as she sits back, "That would be part of it. But not what I was going to start with, my Dear."

"Well, I'm tapped."

Janice nods, "I think it's because I didn't know what to expect with you guys, and the idea that you would be like the other teens that have passed through this educational institution is," She snorts, "well, in hindsight, it was laughable. But, not in a bad way."

"It ain't like we're idiots, sch-"

"Oh, Dear One, no." Janice quickly leans forward and cups the back of her hand, "Not in the slightest." She shakes her head, "Oh, I'm so sorry if I made you think that's where this was going."

She frowns as a blush heats her cheeks, and she looks away. "Of course it wasn't." She breathes out before she turns back, "My bad. I just-" She looks down at their connected hands. "Don't know... where this... you... is going."

Janice nods, "Well then, to the point. It has not been fair of me to treat you the way I have been. You, Jay, Evie, and Carlos have different experiences than everyone else here. Experiences I can only hope to one day better understand so I can be more helpful to you as a guardian." Her hand squeezes lightly, "As a mother even."

She blinks.

Glossing over that part.

"We don't need special treatment cause our lives sucked."

Janice tilts her head to the side, "That's not what I'm suggesting either. Oh dear, I'm usually so much better at communicating."

Then stop being vague.

"Probably just me then." She shrugs.

"How polite of you." Janice smiles, "But no, I'm. I'm having a hard time here simply because I don't want you to feel forced into any kind of relationship that you don't want." She pats her hand softly before she slowly pulls away, "Mal, I would love for you to see me as a mother, as someone you can talk to and confide in. But I can also recognize the beautiful free spirit you are. I also know you can't be looking forward to the headmistress of the school, and someone known for her anti-magic rules, wanting to be a part of your life."

Her frown deepens.

Fuck her.

Had she made it that obvious?

What the fuck was wrong with her?

"But," Janice smiles as she continues, "I'm hoping that with some time, a few good conversations, and a little understanding, we'll both be able to better understand each other."

"I'd like that," She sighs, "Cause as it stands, I'm confused as fuck."

Janice purses her lips as she nods. "I'm not just the headmistress of the school with you anymore. I'm also your guardian, and we can define that part of our relationship in anyway you'd like to. A friend. A parent. I never had any brothers or sisters, but I'd be willing to explore that if that would be more comfortable for you. I will say," She smiles as she tilts her head to the side and quirks her shoulders, "I have some experience being a mother, so that's probably my strongest suit in this situation."

"I-" She sighs, "I don't know."

"And that's okay. We don't have to know right now." Janice pats her hand again, "Just know the offer is on the table if you ever want it. That's all I'm asking."

"I, yeah. I uh, hear that there are options."

Fuck.

This was awkward.

She was awkward.

She was very much making this awkward.

Jay would be so disappointed in her right now.

"Now, I'm sure you're worried about the whole magic thing with me. Do you have any questions?"

She frowns, "I don't plan to stop working on it."

"I didn't plan on asking you to stop." Janice smiles as she shakes her head, "Just like I have no plans to ask you to give up the spellbook."

She blinks.

"Cool," She relaxes slightly. "Cause I didn't want to battle you every turn on it."

Janice chuckles, "Oh, boppity, Mal, do you know why I have that rule?"

"Something about magic being in school books?"

"Well, I stand by that philosophy-" Janice chuckles again as she sits back, "But, it is more than that. Understanding, knowledge, power, discipline, those are things that can be found in books. In history, we can find the reason those things are important. And once we have the basics and foundations, we can understand how magic and the world can interact. But, without those foundations, magic is nothing but a toy that can easily," She sighs sadly, "Oh so easily, corrupt us and lead to falls that are hard to recover from."

She stiffens at the insinuation. "Right." She sighs, "And I'm already like halfway there since my, since I'm Maleficent's. Got it."

Janice's brow furrows before she sighs, "No. You're not. You're still so new to the feeling, the energy. Oh, Mal," She retakes her hand, "you've barely begun to tap into the magic you possess. And I need you to understand that your ancestry does not determine your ability to use magic wisely or foolishly."

She drops her eyes to their hands again.

"Fuck, I hope not."

Janice squeezes her hand, "I'll be candid again. Jane was born with access to magic. She's felt that hum in her bones and blood since before she can remember. It's always been a part of her, so from a young age, I did my best to help her learn to control it and build the confidence it takes to wield magic while helping her understand when to use it and when to not use it."

She doesn't dare look up.

Jane and confidence weren't even in the same dictionary.

"But you." Janice smiles sadly as she shakes her head, "You didn't grow up with that hum. That fizz or spark. And I can't imagine how that felt, to have something so integral missing like that. But you," she smiles as she squeezes her hand, "I saw it from day one. How you interacted with magic almost effortlessly. I was so shocked."

"Have you met my- Maleficent? I've got discipline for days." She shrugs.

"And while I can't say I approve of her methods," Janice shakes her head as her eyes narrow, "and certainly don't believe her treatment of you was any plan of hers to help you better connect with your magic, I will say you've done a phenomenal job taking what you were given and working with it."

Her brow crinkles, waiting for the but.

A but that doesn't come.

Was she-

Could she be serious?

She waits another moment, but still, no but.

"Thank you," She says hesitantly. "Coming from you- Just, thank you."

"Of course." Janice smiles as she pats her hand, "I just, well bibbity Mal, I'm excited to work with you. You and Jane."

Her eyes widen as she looks up and studies her, "Work with- Like seriously? I thought you like, shelved it, like permanently?"

Janice purses her lips, "I, I had some, reservations about my magic." She sighs as she sits up straighter, "As you know, my wand and I were the focus of the barrier spell. Magic like that-" She shakes her head.

"Comes with a price?" She finishes with a frown.

She'd heard it before.

That saying.

Usually followed by one worth paying.

Or, spell well spent.

But, still, she'd heard it.

"Magic is funny that way. There's always a price. Though it's not always obvious what the price is or where it's being taken from. The spell I used for Cinderella? The one I used to fix her dress, make her shoes, turn a pumpkin into a carriage. The energy I used for that was the anger and hatred her stepmother had for her, the energy her stepsisters put into tearing her down."

"Tch, Granny?" She snorts, "And Dru an' Anna? You got that from their hatred?"

The thought was laughable.

They were some of the more mild-tempered OVs on the Isle.

Then again-

Their competition involved people of a lot more contempt.

Janice smiles sadly, "They hated her so much. For the love her father had for her after her mother passed, and the care he took in leaving behind his wealth for her when he passed. They hated her innocence, her beauty, her kindness. And they did everything they could to tear her down, but she never stopped being a sweet girl. One who wanted the love of her stepmother and her stepsisters."

Carlos.

Evie.

Deez.

Huh.

Though she supposed if she thought about it, many of the kids at home were that way.

Lower key.

Like, much, much, much lower key.

But still-

Weird to think about.

"It was a while before I found the opportunity to step in and aid Cinderella, because I knew I could only do so much for her before she would have to do the rest herself. But after everything she and her animal friends put into her dress, after how hard she worked, and then how much anger went into tearing her down again. And the sadness-" Janice sighs, "It was her sadness that finally summoned me."

"Must be nice to have a barrier between you an' the Isle then," She frowns as she glances in its direction.

"It's part of my magic." Janice says quietly, "The barrier is the reason I struggled with my magic these past twenty years. In casting the spell, a spell that big." She sighs, "I believed in what the masses said they wanted. But, the price of the barrier spell was how little control I had once everyone volunteered to assist. All that energy. Hatred. Fear. Doubt. Questions. Things I was too arrogant to take into account. Things that changed the way the spell built itself. What was once merely a spell designed to protect, cut off magic, and imprison, became a spell that brought the dead back to life and dragged people who weren't all the same type of evil to a central place where no one had any real control."

She looks away when she notices Janice's eyes.

How glassy they were, how red.

Like she was holding back tears.

"I'm not making excuses, Mal. But, I hope that you and Jane never have to deal with the price of something like this. Of knowing you were the focal point of something that was meant to protect, but instead only served to hurt those who had no choice in the matter."

She frowns as she turns back in the direction of the Isle.

Where so many kids were suffering.

And worse.

Part of her, a part of her that scared her, was happy that it caused the woman next to her so much pain.

Hurt.

Anguish.

Who the fuck did something like that without thinking about the consequences.

How many of the OVs had been ripped from hell and tossed to that spit of land.

How many of them ended up having kids?

How many of those children suffered?

Fuck there were so many more kids suffering.

So many that had it worse than her.

Like her fucking Pup.

Like their Princess.

Like Deez.

Like Gil.

Like T.

Like so many of the urchins treated as if they were nothing but outlets for rage and hurt.

Every single kid on that Isle suffered the consequences for such a thoughtless spell.

Every single kid on that Isle had suffered.

Even Cora.

Fuck, even Atilla.

None of them had escaped unscathed; wasn't that what Deez had been writing about?

She feels bile rise up like the bitterness that seemed to creep through her bones.

And in that moment, she truly understood how someone could become a villain.

Because she so wanted to shove it in Fairy Godmother's face.

So she takes a moment-

A long moment.

Certainly a longer moment than she would ever admit to anybody.

Ever.

Even under torture.

But, she takes it.

And shoves the petty thought down before she's able to act on it.

Fairy Godmother was not a malicious person.

Her intentions hadn't been evil.

She was kind.

Benevolent even.

She'd been ignorant in her arrogance.

But it hadn't been purposeful.

She lets out a heavy breath before she turns back to Fairy Godmother.

"Heavy fucking price."

Janice nods slowly, "It taught me the importance of fully understanding a spell, in all its working, moving complexities. And it taught me that if you can't fully understand how magic will react, it's better to not cast." She sighs, "And you being here has taught me that I can't shelve magic. Not forever. I can't limit my daughter, can't limit either of you. The best I can do is teach the two of you. And hope that you'll do better than I did."

She takes another deep breath before she lets it out.

"'Better than I did' is better than playing games of 'If I had'."

"Sorry Dear," Janice frowns, "I'm not entirely sure what that means."

"If I had killed Aurora, then I wouldn't have been slain by Phillip. If I had taken over the kingdom instead of putting it to sleep, then I wouldn't have had to deal with Queen Leah's decree. If I had just been more ruthless, more cruel, more evil, none of this would've happened. They would've been the ones stuck on this shit of rock. If I had, blah, blah, blahdity, fucking blah. Seconded by her 'whens'. When I get out of here, they'll all pay. When I get out, I'll get my vengeance. When I get outta here, I will rule Auradon. When I-" She pauses, "I think you get the point."

Janice blinks, "Oh. Oh, I see." She bites her lip before she cups the back of her hand again, "Don't get me wrong, I have so many regrets. But, I can do nothing about my past except learn from it and hope that the lessons I learn will help others. So yes, I regret, but I also hope. And Mal, I am delighted you accepted my request to adopt you. I think we can be a great family. You, Jane, and me. One that helps each other learn from mistakes and successes. What do you think?"

She shrugs, "I think I'd rather try than regret not even giving it a chance."

"Well put." Janice smiles as she pats her hand.

She frowns, "But speakin' of Jane- Where the fu-flip has she been hiding?"

Janice smiles tightly as she stands, "At first she was simply doing the extra work I was giving her. And when she wasn't helping me or attending class, she was grounded to her room. But now, I believe she has been avoiding you."

Joy.

"Avoiding the conversation about how it was her fault the barrier was disrupted and the ensuing cause and effects of it."

"Dumb." She stands.

"Mal?"

"Avoidin' sh-tuff, only makes sh- It worse. Been there, learned that."

"Oh, I agree." Janice nods before she walks over to her desk, "But may I ask a favor?"

"No harm in asking."

Janice smiles, "After the two of you have worked this out, I was wondering if you both would like to use the four-day weekend we have coming up to visit the enchanted woods. I wanted to ask you first though, because I understand you and the rest of your pack do not especially like being separated."

She frowns before she pulls out her phone and goes over the morning's texts, again.

Carlos begging to go with Hiro and Lilo.

How could she say no to a begging pup?

Evie, freaking out about going to a fashion show with Snow.

Who would dare step between a princess and her dream- Without the fear of death?

Jay, jumping on board, literally with David and Nani's offering to surf.

He hadn't even asked.

Asshole.

"Looks like I'm the only one here this weekend anyways," She shrugs.

"I had a feeling we'd all want to use the time to get to know you guys better."

She can't help her smirk.

How underhanded.

How could she disapprove?

"I have a feeling, you all had a feeling." She snorts.

"Yes, well." Janice smiles as she lightly shrugs her shoulders, "Oh, before you go." She picks up the basket she'd set down on her desk earlier, "Take this with you. You two get outside and talk."

She eyes the basket. No way in hell was she walking around with that.

Then again-

"F-" She stares at the dainty basket before she shrugs, "Um, sure. Why not," She sighs as she accepts it.

-What the fuck else was magic for?

Sister.

Adopted or otherwise.

She now had a sister.

A mousy little slip of a sister.

One she had shaken the confidence of.

She'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit she felt partially responsible for the incident at the ceremony.

She'd certainly had a part to play.

And now she knew the other girl had been avoiding her like the plague.

It wasn't like they shared any classes together.

The other girl was in a completely different grade.

It was weird.

Being on this side of stalking.

Or pseudo stalking.

She didn't get the appeal.

It was nothing short of a pain in the ass to put in this much leg work.

How T did it so consistently was a mystery to her.

Still, she frowns, she had no intention of going anywhere near Audrey- Which seriously, what the fuck was the girl doing?

Hanging out with Jane?

As much as she had to learn about the social circles of Auradon, it didn't add up.

The popular pretty pink princess hanging out with the school's mouse?

It made sense that Jane wanted to hang on to Audrey, which honestly annoyed the shit outta her, but it was another thing entirely to let Jane let her.

What the fuck was Audrey playing at exactly?

She'd been following them for over an hour now as they lazily strolled the grounds.

But it wasn't until Chad showed up that Audrey finally departed.

After a long moment, and then several more, she casually makes her way towards the shy girl.

Jane's eyes widen and she takes several steps back as she lets out a nervous squeak.

At one point the sight would've had her smirking.

Now though?

It just made her chest ache.

"Hey," She holds up her hands in a harmless motion.

"I know, I know," Jane stammers as she holds her own hands up in a similar gesture as she looks around desperately, "It was stupid, and I am so sorry. I know you're mad at me, and I don't blame you. I'll do my best to stay out of your way, I promise."

She sighs, "I'm not mad." She frowns as she hesitantly closes the distance.

Jane blinks as she stops walking backward, "You- you're not?"

"No," She shakes her head, making sure she was close enough to stop her if she decided to run.

"But, but I, I called you- I mean, I broke the barrier, and then you- all of you-" Jane shivers.

She exhales deeply, "Yeah, and I ain't gonna lie, that was pretty stupid." She closes the distance, "But we need to talk." She takes the other girl by the wrist and starts guiding her back to the school. "C'mon."

Like hell they were having this conversation where people could overhear them.

"Oh, um-" Jane hurries behind her, hanging her head as if she were heading towards her death.

She sighs deeply, but doesn't comment.

Neither say a word as they make their way to her room.

She knew better than to bring her to her and Evie's.

It was the opposite of everything she'd been taught. Always put the enemy on edge.

But Jane wasn't the enemy.

And the girl looked like she was about to piss herself without adding territory to her advantage.

After a moment, she frowns, "Are you going to unlock it and let me in or what?"

Jane blinks, "Right." She quickly unlocks her door. "I, can I please say something?" She asks once they're in the room.

She walks over and plops down on a hideous, overstuffed, powder blue couch before she shrugs, "Go for it."

"I never-" Jane takes a deep breath before she pulls her arms behind her back, "I never would have touched mom's wand if I knew it could do that. Knew I could do that."

She shifts to sit on her leg, placing the once basket now black bag to the ground before she twists hanging her arm off the couch casually. "Sit."

Jane nods as she moves to sit on the couch, absently fidgeting with her chunk of pink in her hair as she settles on the other end.

She studies the submissive, repentant girl with a frown. "You really need to work on that." She shakes her head. "We really need to work on that." She amends.

"We?" Jane's brow furrows.

"Yeah, we." She nods, "As in both of us, and my pack, once you adjust to them." She shrugs.

"Your pack?" Jane slowly shakes her head, "But, I, I really messed up. I almost got you and your pack killed. You guys ran because of it, all because I-" She sighs deeply, "Because I was so stupid."

"We ran because we- I thought they were going to send us back."

"Why would they send you back after you defeated," Jane inches towards her slightly, "well, you know, her?"

She frowns, "Because she is," Her eyes narrow, "was my mother. And I wasn't sure if I'd punctured the king's lungs or something when I caught him with a talon."

Jane slowly nods, "I can see why that would be scary." She admits, shivering slightly again before she scoots closer, "But, it was cool to see you turn into a dragon and defend us. Like, like a dragon queen or something."

She blinks in surprise before she snorts. "Or something." She shakes her head. "But, uh, yeah. I thought we were gonna get sent back. And as much as I know me an' Jay could handle it, over my cold dead body am I gonna let that happen to C and E."

"So, you ran to protect them, even though you and Jay were hurt."

She shrugs, "We've dealt with worse."

"That's so hard to imagine." Jane sighs as she looks away.

She tilts her head to the side, "I s'pose for you it would be."

"I mean, you dealing with your mother like that, with magic? And I never stopped to think about how new to magic you were, about how magic didn't work on the Isle. And you've been dealing with people out to hurt you and the others. And worrying about your parents, and then the ceremony-" Jane plays with the pink in her hair as she turns back to face her, "I freak out about tests and keeping my own magic under control, so to know you guys handle worse than everything that's happened to you since you've come here. Know it's so much worse. Know I can't imagine it. Know I'd never be able to handle the things you handle. It's scary."

She shrugs, "Scary is relative. Sure, facing my mom sucked. Knowing we were the only ones standing between her and the kingdoms' leaders was a fuckin' nightmare. But, the thought of those two being sent back there? To that place? Or worse, my mother winning and their 'rents coming here? That's what really terrified me."

Jane's eyes turn glassy, "I'm so sorry for what I listened to. What I thought. You're so brave, Mal. All of you are. And you care about the others more than I understood." A tear escapes her eyelashes to splash down her cheek, "And I've been so unfair to you, and let others be so unfair to you."

She turns away, looking at everything but the crying girl beside her. "Ain't shit in life that's fair. I've known that since I could remember, if that's what you're upset about, it ain't anything that bothers me. I-"

"It bothers me though." Jane places a hand over her heart as she wipes at her face with the other one, "You're a good person, and I let others convince me you weren't. You helped me, took an interest in me, and I let someone talk me into believing it was a scheme or something stupid. But you, you and the others, you're not like that."

She closes her mouth as the tight knot in her gut loosens slightly.

It wasn't because of what she'd said when they'd first arrived.

At least not entirely.

She sighs.

Not that it made up for her part of it.

She knew that much, at least.

"And-" Jane sighs as she looks up, "I, I do want to be friends. If that's still possible."

"Kinda be weird if it weren't." She sighs.

"Why would it be weird?" Jane blinks, "Not that I don't want to- I just-"

"It's finalized." She shrugs.

"It's finalized?" Jane asks as she tilts her head to the side, "What is?"

She lifts her eyebrow.

Did she seriously not know?

"The adoptions."

Jane blinks slowly before her eyes light up, "Wait, really? You were still okay with it?"

"I mean," She frowns, "it's not like people were lining up to adopt her. "Your mom stepped up, and-"

"I know. She told me how she wanted to adopt you so we could learn to use our fairy magic together, but she also told me if you didn't want to, you wouldn't have to, and after what happened, I really didn't think you'd want to become like, my sister or anything. And that's what we'd be, right? Sisters?" Jane inches closer, nearly sitting on top of her in her sudden excitement, "I always wanted a sister, like how we were when you helped me with my hair, and how you always give me really good advice, and I really hated it when I thought you were mad at me, not that I didn't deserve it or anything-"

"I wasn't mad." She rolls her eyes. "You were just duckin' and I was given' you space." She frowns, "I was worried about you. I don't know how the fuck 'rent's punish here. I mean, I kinda guessed it wasn't like the Isle, but after that stunt," She shrugs, "I don't know. You're so… Meek."

A small smile tilts Jane's lips, "Mom was mad, sure. And I've been spending a lot of time volunteering to help clean and repair the damages, help out more around school, stuff like that. And I'm grounded for, honestly, I don't know how long. But my mom was worried about me too. Worried about what I let get to me. We had to talk a lot about peer pressure and making our own observations and judgment calls. But, she also said that maybe she'd been wrong to so heavily regulate magic like she has been. So, you know, lots of talks between jobs, after-school activities, and homework."

She sighs as the knot loosens a little more.

At least FGM's story stood up.

"None of that shit's gonna fix the damn problem though." She rolls her eyes.

Jane shrugs, "Mom said I had to figure out how to fix the problem. And that she'd be there to help me any time I needed it. Because that's what family does."

"Ain't shit gonna fix the problem short of you growin' a backbone and gettin' some damn fucks about yourself."

"I do care about myself. I just, I think I got caught up in popularity." Jane sighs as she looks away, "The wrong kind."

No shit.

She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Popularity is overrated." She finally sighs. "People who matter to you, liking you, is where it's really at. Fuck random assholes."

Jane nods, "I get that now. I mean, being friends with Audrey is nice, but the Chads-" She shakes her head, "And even the others that were just being nice to me because of Audrey was weird. But she-" She sighs, "Anyway, I know-"

"No. She what."

"She-" Jane blinks, "Audrey told me that you had to learn who was being real with you and who just wanted something from you. And to just ignore the Chads that follow Chad around."

Huh.

It wasn't bad advice.

And certainly hadn't been what she was expecting from the perfect pink princess.

She hates herself as she lets out a sigh, "She ain't wrong. Half of life is learning to ignore assholes and brush off haters."

"I guess I never thought about it," Jane admits

She sighs, "Leading 101, you're only as good as those you surround yourself with. I selected those in my pack carefully. Was I the nicest about it at the time? Fuck no. But, I knew who I was picking. What they could bring to the table. The pros and cons. It was a deliberate power play at the time. But through the years I've learned to appreciate them for more than just what they bring to the table. Started to care about them despite myself. Fuck, even those I didn't want in my damn pack. D and T? They were both pains in my ass. D was just so fuckin' sensitive. And T?" She groans, "T is a walkin' migraine waiting to happen."

Jane's brow furrows, "You have more people in your pack that aren't here?"

She pauses.

Had she said that?

She frowns, was she seriously going to deny it?

The kinship she'd grown to feel with the two?

It's not like she had a reason to be jealous of them anymore.

"Two." She admits slowly. "It sucked, leaving them the way we did. Not that we had much of a choice… But, yeah, there's two more. Not that it matters now."

"I'm so sorry." Jane bites her lip, "I, I know Prince Ben has plans to bring more people from the Isle over. More VKs. I just, I didn't know you guys got separated like that. Or, I guess really anything about the others at all."

She sighs, "D, Deez is the daughter of Hades. She's as powerful as she is sensitive. She dedicated her entire life to writing to the king. About everyone on the Isle. Except for her own stupid ass." She rolls her eyes. "We didn't always see eye to eye, fuck, I hated her for years. Envied her. But she never, like, gave a fuck, and insisted on hanging out with E and C despite my dislike. Over the years though? She grew on me. And in the end, she was as close to me as I let the others get at the time. And I-" She sighs. Was she really going to admit it out loud? "Love her like I love the others."

Jane frowns before she hesitantly reaches out and hugs her. "Since you're letting me do this I'm assuming it's okay." She chuckles nervously, "But, I'm sorry Mal. That's a lot."

She shrugs, "She's safe. And despite being a dumb-ass pacifist, she can protect herself. And has T and the rats lookin' out for her ass. That's all I care about."

"Who are they?" Jane asks as she pulls back, "T and the rats?"

"The rats are, were, our rivals. A crew of pirates." She shrugs. "Uma, Harry, and Gil. I never got a chance to get to know them, but Jay and C did. Much to my irritation at the time." She frowns, "Don't really know much about them more than they were good fighters and didn't give a fuck about the rules of the Isle. At least when it came to each other."

Jane sits back against the couch as she pulls her legs up, "The Isle sounds a lot more complicated than I thought it would be."

She frowns.

Complicated?

There was an understatement.

She rolls her lip between her teeth, "Here," She picks up the lunch FGM had packed them. "Your mom made us lunch." She offers. "Eat." She states.

"She's your mom too now." Jane reminds her as she opens the offered bag.

She glances at Jane before she shrugs.

Too fast.

Too soon.

Too uncomfortable.

She pulls out her phone.

"Ooh, she packed strawberries and blueberries."

She whips her head back, the phone suddenly forgotten.

"No, she packed blueberries." She states as she leans over and plucks up the container of strawberries and sits back, popping one in her mouth.

Jane's eyes slowly crinkle in amusement before she laughs.

"What?" She asks with a mouthful of berry.

"Nothing-" Jane snorts as she pulls the container of blueberries out, "It's just, blueberries are my favorite, so I wouldn't have argued anyway." She smiles as she pops a handful of the tiny berries into her mouth.

"Good." She swallows before she pops another in her mouth.

"But, it's also nice to know."

She shrugs.

"Would it be okay for you to tell me more about the others? I'd-" Jane takes a deep breath before she lets it out slowly, "I'd really like to meet them, if you're okay with that."

Oh yeah.

She blushes as she places the strawberries on the arm of the chair away from Jane before she picks up her phone.

Ben,

Bringing Jane to your office.

She wants to look at the tablets or whatever.

-M

That sounds amazing. Enjoy

Want snacks left out?

-B

She glances at the strawberries.

Strawberries.

And blueberries.

-M

Duh on the strawberries

-B

She smiles, biting her lip before she sighs.

Thanks for knowing

-M

Of course.

Let me know if you want any help.

-B

Kay.

-M

"Come on." She orders as she stands up, grabbing the rest of the strawberries before she slides them back into her new pack, "I want to show you something."

"Okay." Jane nods as she holds out the blueberries.

She sticks out her tongue, "Ew. Tart, gross ass knock off wannabes."

"To put in the bag." Jane glares.

"Oh." She blushes, "Duh."

Jane snickers as she slips the container in and flips the cover closed. "Like I'd want to share."

She smirks. "As long as we're on the same page." She pops another berry in her mouth.

"Same page." Jane nods as she stands up, "So, where are we going?"

"Ben's office."

"Prince Ben's office?" Jane's eyes widen, "He has an office here on campus?"

"I mean, yeah, but it's not the one we're going to."

"He-" Jane blinks, "But I'm-" She takes a deep breath before she shakes her head, "Nevermind, let's go."

She nods in approval.

Honestly, can't really blame Mal.

Compared to the others getting FGM as a rent really feels like the short end of the stick.

She's just so- Ugh.

But yeah.

We changed/added some backstory to why she's against magic.

Not sure if you guys picked up on it.

Why the wand felt the way it did for Mal.

But it's because that imbued stick is connected to the Isle.

Pretty much, it's an empathetic connection, so FGM wants nothing to do with it cause it's so painful to touch.

What do you think about our twist?

Good?

Bad?

Interesting?

Talk about cringe. That convo between Mal and FGM, and then Mal and Jane?

Ugh.

What did you guys think about it though. Personally I commend Dark. They made FGM and Jane so painfully bland it was rough trying to infuse some personality to them. And, yeah I mean Jane was a boss by the third movie- But think about it. She started dating C, which means she pretty much joined the gang. Which meant she was surrounded by people that actually encouraged her and shit.

Sorry to all you Roylos shippers.

And yeah I know it's not enough, and we don't really focus on those characters, but there are definitively four LGBTQ couples.

Any guesses?

Don't worry if you can't.

Some of them haven't been introduced yet. Some don't know they're gay yet, and others we haven't really done more than mention.

But they are there, it's just a book 7 thing, and only touched on lightly.

Sorry. :/ there's just so much going on in these books.

Tangent over.

Did Dark deliver on giving FGM and Jane some personality?

Are you guys excited for the next chapter?

Fave Quote:

She sticks out her tongue, "Ew." Tart, gross ass knock off wanna be's.

-Mal on Blueberries

Much love and appreciation

-Twisted