Hey Descendants!
Up early with my niece and nephew so I decided to post while I had time. (AKA, while they're eating breakfast.)
Anyone else loving fall yet? Get any activities checked off the bucket list? I know Saturday I'll be taking my whole family to a fall festival. Excited!
Anyway, on to the story.
Everyone doing okay?
I know we've thrown a lot of Auradon corruption at you lately, but if you hang in there for a few more chapters...
Well honestly, it won't stop, but the book will.
And then we find out what's going on with the Isle.
Who's excited about going back?
We hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll be back on Thursday with another one.
Lots of Love!
-Dark-
Oh thank every god-damn arrow!
This shit was done.
Finished.
It was over.
Finally!
Stupid finals.
He makes a crude gesture.
Fuck them.
He loved Carlos, truly he did, but that kid was an unassuming monster.
They hadn't played CoD once.
Once!
Sure, he did, usually with Bubbles during their sessions when they weren't working on his subterfuge, which was fucking awesome, but still.
He sighs, arms behind his head as he stretches.
Two A's.
That was a new one for him.
One C.
Which, damn.
He'd been aiming for a D in that class.
One D.
Dope.
And then the two Fs.
He'd probably done more math trying to calculate what he needed to fail or pass to stay a Junior for another year than he had for the stupid test.
One' oh' One was going to kill him, but…
He'd take it.
His wrath.
And his mom's, though honestly, there was a good chance he'd set the bar low enough that she'd focus on the A's.
One hundred percent worth it.
He could figure out his life later.
Right now?
Right now, he just wanted more time with the friends he'd made.
And now they were going to be in the same year!
A carefree laugh leaves him.
Bonus, it also gave him more time to stick around for his VK.
Ben.
Lonnie.
Doug.
They'd all found one.
Like fuck he wasn't finding his.
Doug found his Princess.
Ben discovered his Dragon.
Lonnie fell in with her warrior in arms.
So why couldn't he find his?
Find his his?
He sighs as he drops his arms when he sees their unassigned, assigned table.
Tense.
He shakes his head.
Everyone had gotten so tense lately.
And he doubted it had anything to do with the exams.
Sure, Jay and Mal struggled a bit to care but-
He knew Evie found her groove after playing catch up with Doug.
Doug usually was wound tighter than his bow, but- This level was new.
Lonnie excelled in everything except breathing, right now at least.
And fuck if Ben-
Ben had enormous responsibilities and weights he didn't even want to think about, but today he looked like he was on his last thread.
If he didn't know better, he would've guessed frustrated.
Like real frustration. Not that exasperated bull shit.
What the fuck had he missed?
He slows down as he notes the barely picked plates.
Yeah, he shakes his head, no point in grabbing a tray right now.
He slips into his 'designated' seat and looks around the table.
Yeah.
He was definitely missing something.
Something big.
Like for instance-
Where the fuck was Carlos!?
He stops short.
He bites his lip.
No fucking way in hell, even with his OCD, was he still taking his damn exams.
He looks around the table again.
Fuck. Fuck. Fu-
Wait.
No.
If Cruella had-
There was no way they'd be here.
No way he wouldn't have heard about it.
He knew that much at least.
He lets out a long sigh.
"Brah?" Jay tilts his head to the side as he looks up.
He shakes his head, "Right." He slides into his seat.
"The fuck type of response was that, spaz?" Mal snorts.
"Mine?"
The ghost of a smile crosses Jay's lips, "Carlos finished his exams last night."
"Ah," He lets out another sigh. "Of course he did." He braces his head in his palm, "So where is our pup?" He pokes hesitantly, wondering if they'd correct the claim.
Mal sighs, "Hiro wanted his help with a science thing."
He bites his lip to keep from shouting or grinning like an idiot.
Mal.
Fucking Mal!
She rolled with it. Let him be included with the pup claiming.
He'd be more stoked if he weren't so damn concerned.
"Which is why he got permission to finish his exams early." Jay shrugs.
"It'll be good for him to have something else to focus on." Evie smiles tightly as she fidgets with her tube of lipstick, "And he loves working on projects with Hiro."
He nods, "No shit, right?"
Focus on something besides...?
Fuck.
He felt so out of the loop.
"My father is going to get the barges going again." Ben sighs before he rubs Mal's back.
Barges?
His brow furrows.
Like trash barges?
He glances around the table.
The tension was about trash?
What the fuck was he missing?
"That's good, right?" He tilts his head slightly.
Evie's eyes water as she nods.
Jay lays his bandaged hands flat on the table as he breathes out slowly.
He blinks.
Noted.
"The barges-" Jay sighs.
"Oh for fuck- It's how the Isle kids eat." Mal bites out in a rough whisper.
His eyes bulge as his back goes stiff.
The fuck?
They ate-
And the barge hadn't-
And holy fucking shit, "It hasn't been going?"
A pit drops in his stomach like a slap in the face.
Sudden and painful.
He struggles to swallow, mouth suddenly dry.
Fuck.
Evie shakes her head.
Jay takes another deep breath. "Apparently not since the barrier was-"
Ben jumps when his water glass suddenly breaks.
"Subtle Beastie," Mal snorts.
Ben coughs as he shakes his hand out and grabs a napkin, "Sorry, didn't realize I was holding it that tight." He explains with a blush.
"Huh." Lonnie raises an eyebrow.
Huh. Fucking. Indeed.
"No shit, right?" His tone falls flat as he fists his shorts tightly.
No fucking shit.
Ben, calm as a fucking cucumber Ben, mindlessly busting glass?
Not that he could blame him.
He wanted to break shit too.
Or cry.
He glances at the buffet behind them.
Maybe vomit a little.
How much food went to waste here while-
He takes a deep breath.
Trash?
He blinks several times before he swallows again.
Fucking trash?
He bites his cheek.
He'd thought Carlos's reaction to the gas station had been cute but-
Fuck him.
His chest constricts at the thought.
How the fuck-
He hated this.
Hated this feeling.
Helpless.
Ben clears his throat as he resumes his seat, "The council did their best to wrap it in with other language and never specifically brought it up or announced a change," he finishes explaining, "so it hasn't gone since the barrier was damaged."
He attempts to swallow again.
That was like-
Holy fucking-
He snarls.
"That's some foul fucking bullshit." He growls in disgust.
A part of him was grateful for the anger flooding his veins. He knew how much his friends hated people 'pitying' them. And there'd be no explaining how far from the truth that would be.
But fuck if the thought wasn't making him sick.
"They're resourceful as fuck." Jay grimaces as his hands fail to form fists.
"And T was very paranoid. He hid so much in our old hangout and apparently on the ship with Uma's crew as well." Evie explains with a bright smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
He nods slowly.
Fuck, no wonder why the whole table was strung tighter than a bow.
He drops his eyes.
What the fuck was he supposed to say to that bomb?
It more than explained why Doug and Lonnie were silent.
And why Jane looked more squirrelly than usual, which had been impressively concerning.
"I'm actually about to head out for a meeting with my father to talk about the barge worker strike," Ben says as he finishes dabbing up the water and collecting the shards of glass.
Mal looks up, "Feel free to tell me to fuck off-"
"I would really like for you to come with me," Ben asks before she can finish.
Mal nods as she jumps to her feet.
That was- unexpected.
Mal was about as comfortable with the King as he was.
Since when the fuck had Mal-
Oh.
No shit, idiot.
Probably since everyone on the Isle was fucked.
Evie blinks up at Mal as she tightens her hand around the tube.
"So, Snow invited me to dinner tonight," Doug quickly takes her hand, "want to ride over together? I know of a pretty park we could take a walk in to celebrate your A in chemistry."
Evie looks to Jay as she bites her lip before he smiles and nods.
"Oh, um, yes please." Evie nods demurely.
"I'll text when I'm on my way back to the room." Mal offers as she grabs her bag before taking Ben's hand.
Jay snorts, "Just text us when you get back."
Mal scowls before she turns, pulling Ben with her as she throws up her finger as they walk off.
Fucking seriously?
This is exactly why he hated having his nose shoved in books.
His eyebrow raises.
Wait, he had this one.
Holy shit!
He snorts.
LoLz.
Ben and Mal-
Sitting in a bed-
How many times did she give him-
"Um, Roy?"
He looks up in surprise at Jane.
He coughs before he shakes his head.
Fuck.
Had he sung that out loud?
"S'up?"
"So um, I uh. I was wondering. If you have time." Jane says as she makes eye contact with him and breaks it several times before she ends up staring at her tray, "It's cool if you don't, but um, it's been really fun playing CoD with you and um, would you be okay with playing again? Like soon? Or like whenever you have time. You're probably busy packing to go back home or something."
He jumps to his feet as he grabs her arm, "Love you all, but duty calls." He salutes them before he all but drags a squeaking Jane away.
He could fucking kiss the chick.
He needed to process that shit.
Process and kill things.
So many things.
Like all of them.
Two fucking months?
No wonder why everyone was so fucking tense.
Mother fucking piece of shit council.
"You looked really upset," Jane whispers once they're out in the quiet hallway.
He could feel his ears burn. "The fuck though?" He looks away, rubbing his neck with his other hand. "Like seriously. The fuck does that?" He swallows as he slows down.
He honestly wasn't expecting an answer, but still- Fuck.
He'd never been at such a loss of words.
"My mother says fear and power both can make people do strange things." Jane sighs as she also looks away.
"Strange?" He scoffs. "Starvin' people ain't strange." He grumbles.
"I know it's more than strange. Of course it's wrong," Jane huffs as she stomps her foot, "but it is strange that it's happening."
He lifts a brow.
Looked like pissed was the new black.
"It's so hard to understand how what they're doing is even legal, but it is. I went and looked some stuff up-" She shakes her head, "It makes me-" She presses a hand to her stomach, "so angry."
He nods, "Didn't know disgust could make you pissed, personally. Those fucks are vile pieces of shit, and vile is just an anagram for fucking evil. Nauseating fucking scum bags." He releases her arm as he steps back, "I know you wanted to play, CoD, and don't get me wrong, totes down, but um, I need to shoot something for real."
"Like with your bow?"
He nods as he rubs the back of his burning neck.
"Do you mind if I come with? What you did in their room the other day was so cool."
He nods, "I ain't gonna say no. I'm the one who just dragged you outta there like a twat."
Jane shrugs, "I like hanging out with you."
"Weird." He blinks, "But I'll take it. C'mon." He takes her hand and starts pulling her with him. "I've got some that combust on impact. That should help. Maybe. A little."
She watches as the lush green trees blur together.
Blur.
As in speed.
As in Ben was speeding.
It didn't bother her.
In fact it was exhilarating, but still…
"So," She clicks her tongue, "Not usually my bag, but like, sup with you?"
"Hmmm?" Ben glances over at her before immediately looking back at the road.
"Hmmm exactly," She lifts her eyebrow before she shakes her head and sighs. "Just, don't get me wrong. I get it, I do. I've been smokin' out the snout since-" A monstrous growl escapes her, but it was unable to do justice to the righteous rage that had been brewing in her gut, "But, I mean… Yeah."
"Sorry." Ben sighs, but doesn't slow down, "I just, I need to fix this. Like every time I take my eyes off them they pull one over on me because I'm not experienced enough to ask the right questions." His hands tighten around the steering wheel, "I can't mess this up. So many people, so many lives are depending on me."
"Us. Don't you dare fucking try to carry this shit by yourself, I'm the dragon. I'm supposed to be the hoarder get your own shit."
A small smile curves Ben's lips.
She smacks his chest.
"Driving." He chuckles, not even bothering to try and defend himself.
"And?" She snorts.
"Ow?"
"Ow my ass," She scoffs, "That didn't hurt," She rolls her eyes.
Ben sighs, "I'm not trying to hoard the blame. I just wish I was better at this, that's all."
"They've had years to play this game Ben," She scowls out the window, "And know how to hide behind bureaucracy bull shit. Fucking pussy ass twats, but you're catchin' up. 'Sides, I- I was fucking worried before, but fuck that. They're fucking with our people. My people. I ain't rollin' over anymore. So, yeah, I'll catch up to you Beastie, and we'll put them in their place together. Progress, not perfection."
She used to hate that.
Hate quoting T.
But-
She was done being fucking petty.
Shit had gotten serious.
The council had made it serious.
Starving the fucking Isle.
For two fucking months.
Even EQ had never pulled that shit.
Fuck that and fuck them.
And so help the Rats if they let that kill them.
"That's my Dragon." Ben nods sharply as he turns onto the long driveway leading up to the palace, "We'll figure this out." He takes her hand now that he was driving slower, "And they are our people Mal, I promise you that. The kids of the Isle are my people, and we will stop whatever the fuck the council is doing. And with my father's help, limit their power and expose them for the monsters they've become."
She nods curtly, "I know that Beastie. Still, just like-" Her eyes narrow, "Needed you to know you weren't alone in this shit fest. I know me and mine aren't like the most-"
"Don't you dare insult my girlfriend and best friends."
When had she gotten so comfortable with being called his girlfriend?
Like it hardly fucking mattered right now.
But still-
Ugh.
Fucking errant thoughts.
She snorts, "Useful with some of this shit, but point us in the direction and see how quick we can land someone on their ass."
Ben chuckles, "You guys are so much more than that." He frowns as he parks the car.
She scoffs, "More ways to bust someone's ass than physically. Ask the dipshit debater. Evie's elegant as fuck, and just as scathing with her words. Carlos's intelligence can be fucking deadly when directed properly. Jay's a brute, sure, but he's sly as fuck. And I fucking owned that Isle like it was my bitch."
"You really did." He smiles as he shuts the car off, "Sorry I misunderstood."
"You've got a lot going on Beastie," She pokes his forehead, "But even Doug, Lonnie, Jane, and dumb ass are here to fucking help."
"I know." Ben chuckles darkly, "I know I've been in a mood lately, so, thank you for just, getting me. It's nice to feel understood. And nice to be reminded of things."
"Don't be dumb, what type of girlfriend would I be if I didn't point out the blaringly obvious."
He reaches out and caresses her cheek, "Not the best, which you clearly are."
"Damn straight." She turns to kiss his palm, "Now let's go kick some ass and show'em who they're dealin' with, Beastie."
"Remember we're talking with my father." Ben chuckles as he slides out of the car.
She blinks, "Oh yeah…"
"I can't promise I won't be calling a meeting with the council today, but you don't have to attend if you don't want to."
"Nah, fuck that. They can admit to starving my people to my face." She opens the door before she steps out and slams it shut with her hip, "But first, let's go talk to your dad." She huffs, "That sounded a lot more badass in my head, but moving on."
Ben chuckles as he walks around the car and holds his hand out for her, smiling when she instantly takes it. "Let's see what happened at the dock."
She nods curtly and for the first time takes the lead with purpose.
Fuck this being flustered with the prick shit.
The King was clearly doing his best to fix the shit show he'd fucking ignorantly created.
And sure, the Isle didn't number their rules like OCD psychos, but still, 'utilize what you got' would've been pretty high on that list.
Ben knocks on the door when they reach the office, but they exchange looks of concern when they hear muffled shouts.
"Dad?" Ben asks as he pushes the door open and rushes in with her.
Her eyes quickly scan the room for a threat with a low growl as she slips in front of Ben defensively.
Over her cold dead body was someone touching her prince.
Or the King for that matter.
"Hiro 'updates' my office and now I can't figure out how to log into the benefits dispensary, Lumiair, please find Cogsworth and tell him I need help. This has to be done immediately."
She blinks at the 'threat'.
Tech.
Yep, there went her useless ass out the window.
She hadn't even realized phones had speakers.
Adam turns and sets his new smart phone down on his much cleaner desk. "Sorry Ben. Mal. I didn't mean to shout."
She holds up her hand, "Hiro makes me do it all the time."
Adam presses a hand to his chest as he nods, "Thank you." He sighs, "But I do need to get this done, or the barges won't start moving the day after tomorrow.
Ben nods as he walks over, and starts to flip over several of the outlines on the King's desk. "Monitor." He explains before he taps another outline to reveal the keyboard.
"Why was that necessary?" Adam rolls his eyes as he sits in his chair and starts typing.
"Because he's an ass." She huffs.
"So, it sounds like you're saying you got the strike to end." Ben prompts as he pulls the mouse out for him.
"I did in fact," Adam responds slowly as he narrows his eyes at the screen, "How do you read this? It's too damn bright."
Ben pushes the chair back and kneels to fix the settings, "How did you fix the strike dad?"
She immediately covers her amusement as she turns to look at the wall that had once been a shelf of books but was now housing a stupid large monitor.
She rolls her eyes.
Fucking Hiro.
"Sorry," Adam huffs, "I offered them higher pay, benefits paid out by the crown, bonuses on holidays, and ridiculous life insurance policies at no cost to them. They didn't even read their demands. The vote to agree to the new terms and end the strike immediately was unanimous once I added the last one. I just have to set everything up and have the contract written. Once all that happens they'll get to work loading the barges, and we'll have to deliver the supplies."
She sighs in relief, "Thank you." She breathes as she runs a hand through her hair.
She could only imagine what half that shit meant but it sounded expensive. And tedious.
But most importantly, checked one more mark off Ben's worries.
"Unanimous?" Ben asks before he stands and pushes his dad back into place.
Was that weird here?
Almost everything on the Isle was unanimous if you were powerful enough.
"I was surprised too, but it's why I went in with everything I offered. I didn't want to get bogged down in negotiations when I'm pretty sure that was the damn goal." He shakes his head as he starts to furiously type.
Oooh, the King knew the word damn?
And used it?
Sure it was barely a swear, but still…
Ha!
"I expected there to be a few hesitations at least," Adam shrugs, "but honestly Ben, I didn't want to gamble with lives. It would have been nice to know who put them up to this, but not worth it."
Her brows furrow.
Fucking shadow games, she rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms.
She'd detested them on the Isle, but here they were abundant.
Ugh.
Just come out and do it, fucking pussies.
Ben rolls his eyes. "We know who-"
"We believe we know who-" Adam corrects.
"-put them up to this." Ben grumbles.
"Burden of proof falls on us. And so far everything that's been investigated has turned over a whole lot of nothing."
She huffs.
T-Fucking help her. Literally.
She swallows her groan.
She never thought she'd ever willingly admit to wanting the shitiot around but-
No one dug up intel like T.
And that kid loved rolling in that dirt.
"There." Adam nods as he clicks the mouse, "Done. Huh, Hiro was right, this thing is faster." He purses his lips before he starts typing again, "Do you have the list ready for them? And the notebook and letters, if you want to send them. I just want to make sure the delivery ends up in the contract."
She glances at Ben.
They'd spent hours coming up with the list.
She swallows as her nails bite into her arms.
Of twenty-five.
Fuck.
Twenty-five names, just in case fifteen kids had died.
The thought sends chills down her back.
She closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath.
Twenty-five names.
The last six entailed the whole of the Rats.
Even if they didn't come-
Which part of her was- T help her
-praying for.
They'd at least shove more kids that could at the barge.
She swallows again.
She'd never seen eye to eye with Uma, but differences aside, they could seriously use her help right now. Level headed bitch.
Gil. Jay could use some back-up.
Harry. Fucking charismatic fuck was very much Evie's male counterpart.
Deez. Fuck if they had Deez- She bites her lip. Shit would be going so much smoother right now. She could read between the dots that sorely needed connecting. The way she had with her stupid fucking words. Her stupid ability to pacify all sides. Her fucking compromises.
T. Damn it, if she'd never missed that shit so much. The dumb ass shadow would've interfered with this stupid game without even knowing he was fucking with it.
Ben nods as he pulls a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and silently hands it over.
"I'll have it transcribed to an official scroll and delivered to a Captain I've known for a few years now. He'll make sure it's taken care of."
She sighs in relief, at least the little she could feel, as the tightness in her chest loosens by a fraction.
At least it felt like she could breathe again. She runs a hand through her hair again.
Official scroll had a certain ring to it.
One that wouldn't go unheeded.
And sure she wasn't exactly Adam's biggest fan, but she could see how disturbed he was at the thought of starving people for two months.
How low was that bar set for that to earn some of her respect?
Bare basic human rights.
Ugh.
Either way, knowing he was sending a trusted confidant instead of some random fucker, put her further at ease.
"I'll bring the rest after I meet with the council."
"Ben-" Adam takes a deep breath, "I talked to Hiro about the," He sighs as his eyes flick to her, "about the cameras." He finishes.
Her eyes narrow, "I can step out."
Like fuck she wanted to.
But it wasn't like Ben wouldn't tell her later.
"No no, you have every right to hear anything about them Dear- Mal." Adam coughs awkwardly before he clears his throat.
Yeah, she was definitely ignoring that.
Pointedly.
With vigor.
She lifts an eyebrow, but nods curtly.
"Besides, there's nothing new as of yet." He grimaces before he turns back to Ben, "can I give you some advice?"
Ben's brow furrows, "Of course."
"Send the council on a vacation. Summer is about to start, and Hiro told me he's still having a hard time seeing the footage because it was damaged when the barrier was damaged when Maleficent escaped."
Her eyes narrow.
Goblin shit.
That fucker was like Dude with a bone.
He'd landed his stupid ass in the hospital because of it.
Been lectured by Carlos countless times over his obsessive behavior.
But he'd gone and stolen their pup to do fuck only knows what, fuck knows where, instead of hunting down his prey?
Goblin shit.
Goblin shit all over the place.
Not that she was going to point it out.
"The investigation is going to take time. Cleaning up the footage and repairing the damaged video will take time. Give them a false sense of security. Send them home after the barge launches. Two or three weeks while we continue to work on our side of things."
Ben crosses his arms in silent contemplation before he nods, "Thanks dad. That plan has a lot of merit, and as much as I loathe the idea of them having time off, I can see where it would be beneficial."
"Take note of any who try to oppose it." Adam adds as he claps Ben on the shoulder, "And well said."
"Good point," Ben smiles up at him, "I learned from the best," His eyes turn green with mirth. "Mom is an excellent speaker."
"Isn't she just. I don't know what I'd do if she didn't go over my work with a fine tooth comb." Adam smiles back.
Ben's eyes shift to a soft blue.
Her boy was a damned mood ring.
"Thanks again for all your help and advice, it's been invaluable." He breathes somberly before he turns to her, "I seem to have some free time. Anything you'd like to do today?"
She turns to glance out the window, her eyes narrow as she looks towards the barrier before she turns back, "Can we stop for strawberry ice cream and then shoot things?"
Adam covers his snort with a cough.
"Sounds perfect." Ben nods as he takes her hand, "Call me if there's anything else I can help with."
Adam nods before he smiles, "You can help by remembering you're still a teenager. You don't have to be the full ruler yet."
"No, I don't." Ben sighs, "But I still-"
"Want to get me ice cream and shoot things with me. I know right? Great idea, Beastie. Jealous I didn't have it first."
"Listen to the smart one." Adam gestures to her. "Go on, get out."
Ben chuckles as he tucks her to his side and hugs, "Lets go."
She smiles up at him, but pauses and turns to Adam, "Seriously, thank you."
Adam smiles sadly before he bows his head to her, "Of course, and thank you for taking care of my son so well."
She nods, "He makes it easy." She shrugs, "Later."
Dark is a fucking boss when it comes to manipulating pre-existing characters. I mean, anyone still one hundred percent loathing Adam? No? I didn't think so. Seems like there's some redemption after all.
He didn't have to care, doesn't have to help. But he is.
Cause he's fucking Beast, and if anyone should understand unfair treatment, it's a fucking dude that got turned into a fucking beast at fucking 11.
11.
The enchantress was a fucking twat.
And perhaps the reason Ben's going through second puberty?
Who knows?
Maybe Dark when she reads this?
(Grin. -Dark)
Perhaps.
Maybe.
The fuck either way.
Fuck. If the shit at the table wasn't fucking tense as fuck.
Poor Roy walking into that mess.
Speaking of, anyone want to finish the rhyme?
Ben and Mal sitting in a bed how many times did Mal give him-
It would've been funnier if we'd had him say it out loud but… It didn't seem appropriate.
Jane is getting some personality tho, which, again, thank you Dark.
Dudez.
Theres like so much I wanna know from you guys about this chapter.
But do I know what?
No.
No I don't.
So throw me a fucking bone and just make some shit up. Fuck, at the very least just take a second to write like 'dope' or 'nice' or 'damn' before you click out. We really would like for more ppl to read this series and the more reviews the higher chance of that happening. So seriously, bone please?
Fave Quote:
"Nah, fuck that. They can admit to starving my people to my face." She opens the door before she steps out and slams it shut with her hip, "But first, let's go talk to your dad." She huffs, "That sounded a lot more badass in my head, but moving on."
-Mal
Much love and anticipation,
-Twisted