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The next morning…

T frowns from his perch on the roof as he pauses to watch Mal's gang terrorize the market. He wasn't going to lie, he was still pretty disconcerted from his reading with Ceila. It had been too close to his actual problems not to be concerned. But watching his friends create mayhem while marking their turf at least took his mind off of shit.

His lips quirk into a smile as Mal absently sprays a giant M on a curtain before she flips over a basket of colorful fabric in the laundry area.

Carlos and Jay were having fun jumping around on the bunk beds throughout the open warehouses, some beds with people still in them. The few trinkets that went missing along the way could only be vanishing from Jay's nimble hands into his many pockets.

Evie was doing her typical princess act where she drew men in, only to push them away when she had what she wanted, like the new blue scarf around her neck, and the hairpin she was sliding into her royal blue curls.

Hyades was running through the market, weaving between all her fellow gang members to leave a burnt handprint on every stall where a vendor was stupid enough to argue with them. In the past, she'd done her job as a member of Mal's gang begrudgingly, but now a small smile brightened her face as she worked with the group.

Clearly, Mal wanted to remind everyone after the Howler that her gang was still very much in charge and on top of the food chain.

At least it looked like they were having fun doing their own form of misdeeds.

His smile drops.

Wait.

Wait!? Was he going to have to do this shit now? He sighs, it was a little too late for that thought to strike. He facepalms. Why hadn't he thought about this shit sooner? His hand moves down to pinch the bridge of his nose. Jesus fucking christ he could be such a dumb ass sometimes. Damn it.

He turns his back on their mischief. He'd have to work that out with Mal later. Right now, he had a bitch OV he had to report to.

It wasn't a long walk to get to Maleficent's bargain castle from the market. He doubted the Rotten Core, Mal mostly, had even started to grow bored with their morning mayhem.

A goblin salutes him as he walks past. Two fingers tap his forehead to reciprocate. For minions of the evilest bitch on the isle, they weren't that bad. He even preferred them over most people. He shoves his hands in his pockets as he walks into the hall. His eyes sweep the room, but he keeps walking when he doesn't find her.

When he does nearly run into someone, he darts behind a wall in surprise. What the fuck were Jafar, Cruella, and the Evil Queen all doing here at the same time? He nearly jumps out of his skin when a hand on his bicep, and before he can react, or get anything useful from the OVs' conversation he finds himself being half dragged down the hall.

"Oh hell, I was starting to think you were dead." Maleficent chuckles as her long nails sink into his arm.

"You're not that lucky."

Maleficent snorts, "So, I imagine you're here to tell me everything you know about Shan Yu."

"Correct. But seems you have a full castle, I can do this later. I don't do crowds." T glares at her, even as he falls into step.

"I do, in fact, have a few more visitors than I usually like, but no. Let's just find an out of the way place to have this little chat." She pulls a door open and starts dragging T down a set of stairs.

T rolls his eyes as he follows her. What the fuck were the other OV's doing here? He was sure that if this information was important it would supersede whatever shit show he'd almost walked into.

"So then my ambitious up and coming nobody," Maleficent chuckles and winks at him, "And the little shit thought I wasn't listening." She chuckles again, "What have you discovered about Shan Yu?"

"That he's fucking insane." T shrugs, "He's been building his army up in the hopes the barrier weakens, but he's also grooming his son to lead if it doesn't pan out in his lifetime. He's not checking in with you because he hates witches, mostly because they've been nothing but useless at figuring how to drop the fucking barrier."

Maleficent pouts, "Oh, well that's boring."

"No shit." T agrees easily. "But it satisfies our accord, so…"

"Oh yes, it does. Though I should take you to task over that debacle with the old Man's letters." She tsks.

"I was busy doing the important thing. It's called prioritizing."

"And you did an amazing job. Good for you." Maleficent stops once the hall they were in starts to get dark, "And honestly, this is nothing against you. But do you really want to go to Auradon?"

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything?"

Maleficent snaps her fingers impatiently, "Come on boy, simple question. If you had the opportunity to go to Auradon, would you?"

"Fuck no." T scoffs.

"See, I didn't think so." She pats T on the head. "Chain him to the wall." She claps expectantly.

"Wait, what?" T blinks in surprise as he's swarmed by goblins. That wasn't what he'd been expecting when they'd come down here. He just assumed it was to keep him from eavesdropping on whatever new shit show they'd been concocting. He doesn't even have time to draw his sword as he's dragged into the cell. It takes him a moment to realize the heavy breathes he thought he was hearing was a singular word. His eyes widen as 'sorry' is strangely chanted at him from all sides, though the word was barely loud enough for him to catch.

"I'll be back for you in a few hours, Or I'll just have the goblins let you out when the coast is clear." Maleficent flicks her fingers in the air before she presses one to her lips.

"What the fuck are you talking about, you cunt." T snarls as he pulls at the chains making the rattle echo in the empty dungeon. Honestly, he'd been expecting some bull shit like this. He just hadn't expected to be fucking duped so easily. What the fuck had he been thinking when he'd followed behind her?

"Such language." Maleficent rolls her eyes, "See, the thing is I swore to do my best to fulfill my end of the contract. But this opportunity is just too much to pass up. My Daughter, summoned by the royals with an invitation to attend Auradon Prep." She rests her hand on her hip, "Not that the frills matter so much as the freedom she and her little gang will be granted. I plan to get off this rock with or without help from that stupid little firebrat. Hopefully, without so I can leave her whiny father behind too." She makes a face as her voice rises in pitch, "I'm a god. I'm a god. I don't belong here." She snorts, "Please, no one cares. Old news. And here, he's just like the rest of us."

"Tch." T rolls his eyes. "Bull fucking shit you old hag. Cuffs or not he could still crush your precious fucking skull. And Mal wouldn't be stupid enough to let you out if it meant taking over herself. Or did you miss the fact you're relying on her now? Dumb bitch."

"I suggest you rest. You look like shit." Maleficent snorts, "Don't worry, I have nothing against you, you'll be out by morning."

T scowls at her. Morning? He was going to be stuck here until tomorrow morning? He fights against the chains, his anger renewing his strength. He was going to fucking kill her when he got of this. And he'd get out of it. What were some chains after a lifetime of captivity after all? "Suck my dick you twat!" He snaps in frustration anyways.

His glare was darker than it had been in weeks. Damn it. How the fuck had this happened?

It's not like he'd completely trusted her. He could kick himself. Next time he made a deal he was making sure he had collateral. If she thought for a moment he wasn't paying her back for this slight she was dead fucking wrong.


"Wicked job today D." Evie files her nails with a smile.

"Yeah, you finally managed to find your flair." Jay nods as he folds his arms over his chest.

Hyades smiles as she looks down, "Thanks." It was nice to find her balance. She hated burning things down, but now that she could control her fire to such a degree, she found it fun to leave reminders of what she was capable of. And it helped Mal in the process because a burnt handprint was like her personal tag now.

Mal purses her lips to the side, "It was pretty wicked or whatever." She clicks her tongue before she claps her hands, "Let's get to class then. Don't we have a test in revolutionary revenge E?"

Evie blinks before her eyes widen, "Oh my gosh we do!"

"I'll catch up with you guys later. I'm not a fan of tombs and it's my first class." Hyades rolls her eyes. Not that the coach was any more a fan of hers. Better control or not, she had no interest in testing out her patience with the man again.

"Cool, catch ya in Yensid's class then." Carlos holds a fist out.

Hyades bites her bottom lip, but quickly smiles and bumps her fist into his, "Yep, see ya."

She waves as the four walk away for school before she turns and heads for the hangout.

She shifts in discomfort one arm coming up to rub warmth into the other. Had Jay not read her note yet? Surely he'd found it. She knew she only just got it in his pocket a few days ago… But out of everyone she was expecting him to respond to his. She bites her lip. Maybe asking for help through a letter hadn't been the best idea… But it always worked with T when she'd asked him for help...But Jay wasn't that much of a writer, let alone a reader. She takes a deep breath. She was going to just have to pull him off to the side later, wasn't she?

She sighs deeply. She hated doing that to Jay. He always said he wasn't good at talking, but in truth, she knew it was her. Jay was a smooth talker, and sometimes even a good listener. She needed his advice, and hopefully, a partner when it came to helping T.

She was also at a loss with what to do about her break down on Yensid. She still hadn't gone to see him and had been avoiding school because of it. She knew it was dumb, but she didn't know what to say anymore.

The man had always been such a big influence on her. She loved his praise and his encouragement, though she still didn't understand why. She just knew it made her feel… valued, maybe?

Right now, she just felt like she'd let him down. Like she'd broken in front of him and she couldn't take it back. And why? Because she couldn't accept the fact T had suffered so much without her putting the pieces together? Because she couldn't understand what T was going through? What did that matter? T was still going through it, and at the end of the day she didn't care how weird it was, she just wanted to be there for him.

She hoped he'd remembered to read her note. T could be forgetful at the best of times, and if that hadn't had anything to do with having two personalities before, she could only imagine it had gotten worse since then.

She stares up at the entryway to the hangout, but she didn't feel like going in. Maybe she should go visit Pain and Panic. After writing the letter about herself to the king on regular paper she'd decided to stop using stone, but she was sure they'd appreciate a visit. They'd been worried about her during her last visit. She should let them know she was okay.

But then Carlos would worry when she didn't show up for class.

Ugh. She had to do something about school. Dragon Hall was going to be one of the only places she'd get to see the Rotten Core once T got her kicked out of the gang. Unable to help the way her lips twitched into a smile. Kicked out to her family.

She was sad T was sacrificing his freedom to get her back where she knew she belonged. And was sad that, yet again, Mal was not in control of her own gang.

But T was right. She loved her pirates, and she needed to be with them.

Don't get her wrong. She loved being rotten or at least partly rotten. She'd finally started to feel like she was fitting in with them again. But… She missed her family. And she knew T was right, yet annoyingly again. Uma wasn't going to care who she hung out with, as long as she was smart about it. She loved her friends. There would never be another Evie, C, Jay- and hell, Mal had probably broken the mold- But they weren't her family. It was different. And that was okay.

Book Club and school were still safe. And those were the most important things outside of her family.

All that was left was her figuring out what to do about the ship. And the docks. And the sea…

Hyades shakes her head. What the fuck had T been thinking? Why was it her family that had to be the damn pirates?

Not that she wanted them to be anything else… But why not land pirates? She chuckles and grimaces at the thought of Harry finding out about her complaint.

Damn it. She should've let Carlos known she was still skipping school. He worried about so many things already, she didn't need to add to his list by not showing up to where she said she'd be.

But she didn't want to run into Yensid yet… Hmmm. Conundrums. Conundrums. She taps the tips of her fingers together.

She smiles as she bends to grab a rock before she zips it at the sign. She still had T's hoodie and baggy pants. She could hide who she was, get in to talk to Carlos, and be out before anyone figured out she was there.

T would be so proud of her.


This was some gods damn Gorgan shit!

She hadn't expected her mother's goons to come calling the moment the stupid bell rang. Their first-class hadn't even started. They hadn't stood a chance.

And now? Now they were being told they were being shipped out to fucking Auradon, of all places? Today? Like right the hell now? This was such a fucking mess, she could already feel her head start to ache.

She'd never been so pissed by Hyades' decision to not join them in class. Just this once she should have forced her.

If the damned fire princess had been there, she'd be joining them, she'd have made sure of it.

This was what the girl had been working years towards achieving. For Auradon to finally get the fact that they didn't belong here. It was crueler than she was comfortable with. Being asked to leave her behind like this.

She swallows a growl as her mother continues her spiel about how they would be doing her bidding in her stead. She was getting so tired of this rhetoric. Whatta bitch.

Mal glares up at her mother with disgust as she finishes talking. "So, why isn't Hyades coming with us?" She responds haughtily, her arms crossed and hip jutted defiantly when her mother finishes. "You were the one who fucking insisted I make her join!?" The rest of her gang was standing behind her, nearly mirroring their parents' arrangement behind her mother.

The OV's excitement clashed horribly with their anger their outrage, creating a brutal tension in the air that was so thick it could break a knife.

"Language. That's not how they speak in Auradon. And careful pumpkin, that almost sounded like you care about her." Maleficent sits up straighter as her face hardens, "You disappoint me enough without getting softer on me kiddo." She clicks her tongue as if to emphasize her disapproval.

Mal flinches at the sting in her mother's tone. She wasn't going to lie, as much as she hated her mother… That still hurt. She was so fucking sick of being a disappointment.

"I expect you to handle this opportunity with the utmost care. I won't stand for you mucking this up for us. And who cares about the flame baby, you never wanted her anyway."

Mal licks her teeth. "No. Fucks I care about her." She spits out.

Except she fucking did. For whatever reason, it was comforting having Deez around. Like the other girl didn't always completely understand where she was coming from, but she always tried to. She knew the rest of them tried, but besides Jay, she didn't feel like the other two got it.

"Whatever." Mal rolls her eyes. "Where the fuck is the tard? He fucking had the gall to warn me he'd be joinin' today. So where the fuck is my spy?"

"Oh, your little fly? He's in the dungeon." Maleficent snorts, "Honestly Mal, that boy would stick out like a sore thumb in a hammer factory. So no, he's not joining you either. I will not have complications. You'll all have a hard enough time as it is, and we're so close to freedom."

"So much for practicing what you teach." Mal glares. That wasn't good. She'd been worried about the little freak since they'd arrived. Been expecting him here after he told them his plan. It was the reason she initially thought they'd been summoned. Did T seriously fall for a trap laid out by her mother? She frowns before her jaw tightens at the realization that he absolutely could. Her mother could talk circles around that kid in her sleep, and the kid had a hard time keeping up with that type of shit.

"I am your mother Mal! Do as I say and as I do." Maleficent runs a hand over her horns as if to make them more presentable, "You should always know when to cut a loss and when to drop a contract. That's why I always give myself a loophole."

Mal snarls baring her clenched teeth. Of fucking course her mother had found a fucking loophole. She resists the urge to roll her eyes.

"You will go to Auradon. You will steal the wand. You will break the barrier." Maleficent commands before she smiles coldly at Mal and winks, "Easy peasy."

Mal's nostrils flare as she lets out a huff, "And what exactly are we getting from this fucking equation, again?"

Maleficent narrows her eyes before she bears down on her daughter, "You're getting freedom. You're getting the opportunity to take your leadership to new, grander heights. My daughter was never meant to be a low gang leader, you and I are meant to rule the world."

Mal growls as her acid green eyes clash with her mother's. She was getting freedom her ass. She belonged here. On the isle. Maybe the other three didn't. They never seemed to care nearly as much as her about cultivating a reputation, but she loved it. Loved the power. The fear as people parted from her and flinched away at her presence. She liked being the leader of a gang. And like hell did she believe her mother was going to let her rule along beside her. The only thing the woman ever loved about her was the way she cowered in fear.

"You don't have a choice. You and your little minions will do this. Refuse and I'll throw you all in the dungeon and lose the key like I did with your clueless stalker." Maleficent's eyes flash a bright acid green as she stares Mal down.

The two hold the stare for several intense, agonizing moments as she tried to quell her mother's beast before her's could be quelled. The battle between them creating a tension so charged it crackled between them.

I'm mean. I'm nasty. I'm cruel. Mal starts reminding herself like a mantra. I can do this. I know I can.

"But you're not me." Maleficent smiles wickedly as her eyes flare brighter while Mal's flicker out, "And I win." She laughs haughtily.

Mal looks away in defeat. She could… But not today apparently.

Maleficent claps her hands together. "So… Let's get this show on the road Mally."

Cruella frowns as she steps forward, "Maleficent, darling, if there's another brat that could go instead of my Carlos, why not let him? My dear boy's useless at anything that isn't cleaning, grooming, and hiding. He'll clearly-"

"Be the one to stop us from acting too rashly and remind us why we're there." Evie finishes innocently.

"The letter from the King clearly states he's summoning only Mal, Jay, Evie and Carlos." Maleficent glares at Evie before she looks back to Cruella.

"You could've fucking started with that." Mal snaps.

"So I buried the lead. Sue me." Maleficent daintily shrugs one shoulder.

Mal scowls, what a fucking cunt. She'd done that on purpose to gauge how she felt, and she'd walked right into it. Damn it to the fucking river Styx and back. There was a good chance her mother might leave T in the dungeon as collateral now. She clenches her fists by her side.

"The point remains, only you four are able to get into Auradon. Only you four can free the rest of us so we can take over. Take my spellbook, use it to the best of my expectations, and get this done." She holds out a small book for Mal to take.

"Of course mother." She takes the offered book, cowed by her epiphany.

"Evie dear," Evil Queen coughs into her hand delicately. "Come here, dear."

Evie's smile doesn't meet her eyes as she skips over to her mother. "Yes, my fairest mother?" She asks with wide eyes.

"Here." Her mother offers her a small mirror. "It's a bit smaller now, but I guess you should take this. It can show you things. Or at the very least you might be able to get tips on how you look. Perhaps you'll see how many pounds you've put on and fix your make-up properly so you can catch us a prince, yes?"

"Is it not perfect now?" Evie immediately whips out her compact and stares at her reflection. "I can see what you mean," She turns to Maleficent, "Is there time for me to redo my makeup?"

Mal stiffens at the Evil Queen's words, but she didn't dare contradict any of the ovs right now. They just had to get to Auradon. She could explain once they weren't under their parent's thumbs.

"You look beautiful Evie." Jay glares at the evil queen, "You don't need to touch your make-up. It's perfect."

But apparently, Jay was a lot more daring.

"Not by Auradon's standard she doesn't you street rat," Evil Queen glares back.

"Yeah, I agree," Carlos frowns, "E's standard is much higher."

And fucking Carlos? Since when had her pup grown a bigger pair than her? What the fuck was wrong with her? She groans internally.

Evil Queen presses a hand to her chest, "I'm glad you've managed to at least wrap these two around your finger dear, but snagging a prince and holding onto him is going to be much, much harder. Never forget the power of a good love spell. And don't forget, you're my little witch princess."

"If we're done with these sickening displays of feelings…" Maleficent draws, "I packed a bag for you. If you're there for longer than a week you're on your own."

A week? That's how long her mother was giving them to steal the wand?

"If they need anything, my Jay can steal it for them." Jafar offers as he passes his son a small burlap sack.

"I packed you the best I could find of your outfits, but it was hard to do with the poorly done stitches you did on most of them." Evil Queen stares at her daughter sweetly. "At least try to do better dear." She hands her a blue and red backpack.

"I still don't want my Carlos to go." Cruella whines.

"Would you miss me, Mom?" Carlos asks with soft eyes.

"Well yes, I would. Who else is going to do all the housework and take care of me? Bunyons don't scrape themselves, ya know."

"Oh." Carlos nods in disappointment.

"Besides, I'd worry about the dogs in Auradon getting their grubby paws and slobbery teeth on you."

Carlos' eyes shoot open with fear as he notably gulps and shivers.

"Because if you're in Auradon, you're obviously not taking care of your mother. They can sense laziness you know, and they love tearing into bad boys.."

"Really?" Carlos asks apprehensively.

"It doesn't matter, because you're all going." Maleficent glares at Cruella.

Fucking Christ. Mal closes her eyes. Did they need to make parting shots right before they left? It was going to take hours to get E and C to calm down after those comments. She hadn't even thought about damn dogs. They couldn't be that bad if the heroes kept them as pets right? She shudders at the memory of the giant spider from last night.

Or maybe they were if Adelaides were what Villians kept.

"Give him his bag Cruella and say goodbye. He'll be back as soon as they complete the mission." Maleficent orders as her eyes flash green.

Cruella practically throws the black trash bag at her son as she watches Maleficent fearfully.

"Now. Auradon sent a limo. Go on." Maleficent claps her hand before she shoos them off, "And Mal?"

"Yes, mother?" Mal asks unable to help the strain in her tone.

"Do not disappoint me in this." Maleficent smiles.

"Wouldn't dream of it mother." Mal matches the sweetness in her tone.


She couldn't find Carlos. She'd even waited around for the first period to end so she could try to catch him on the way to Yensid's class.

That was when she heard the rumors about the rotten core being summoned by Maleficent. Her chest tightens. T must have made it to Maleficent's early this morning and now the change was happening.

She leaves the school. There was no point in waiting around if they weren't here. And with an excuse as good as being summoned by the leader of the isle, she doubted they were going to come back today.

What was she supposed to do now? She hadn't been summoned. Not that she wanted to be, but being in the dark was overwhelming. Was she supposed to just know she'd been kicked out? Was Evie safe if she went to the ship now?

She frowns as she walks down a back alleyway, using the day to practice being T. She still had a hard time moving freely in the big, baggy clothes. But she was getting better at it. It was kind of fun to jump from shadow to shadow, watching her surroundings to make sure no one noticed her.

No wonder T, Jay, and Harry enjoyed sneaking around. She smiles as she reaches the road, pressing her back to the wall as she hears a car approaching.

Strange...Cruella was never up this early.

But when the front of the car drives past, her heart drops.

That wasn't Curella.

It was a weird looking car. Like someone had stretched the middle out to make it longer. But it was the flags flying in the corners that caught her eye.

They were the banners of Auradon Royalty. She steps out of the ally way as the car slides past, her eyes widening as she sees Mal and Evie through the back window.

Was this the change? Were her friends getting to leave the isle?

She steps back, tripping over trash in the street to land against the wall.

Had she made a difference? Were they were getting out?

She struggles to her feet to follow after the car, pulling her hood low so no one would know it was her.

Go!

They were getting close to the bridge. The bridge that no longer connected their island with the mainland.

Go!

Her lungs burned as she ran, so did her eyes.

Please let them get out.

She stops before she runs into the courtyard in front of the bridge, sticking to the shadows as she watches the car hiding her friends.

Her heart leaps when she sees the barrier open for the briefest moment to let the strange car pass. She watches as real magic forms a bridge for them to safely travel.

They were out!

They were on their way to Auradon.

She was relieved. She was happy.

Her chest hurt. Her eyes burned.

She frowns as she reaches up to touch her cheek, surprised by the tears.

Why was she crying? This was everything she'd ever wanted. For them to start getting away from the isle. Sure, it wasn't everyone. But it was a start.

A sob rips from her lungs as she drops to her knees.

Why was she sad? Why was she hurting?

Writing your story is something you should think about, lest you be forgotten when he does find the letters. Your friends would never leave you, so what do you think would happen?

Yensid had warned her so long ago she'd nearly forgotten.

They'd still be stuck here.

He'd warned her. Told her that if she didn't write about herself she'd doom the others to being stuck with her. They'd never leave her.

They'd never leave her.

But they did. They were still driving over a magical bridge of light, well away from the isle and the barrier.

But she did write a letter about herself. Was she too late?

Why had she been left behind?

She shakes her head and forces herself to stand. She couldn't stay out here. She had to listen to rumors. She had to find T. Her friends wouldn't leave her behind.

Would they?

Her eyes widen. Wait!? Was T in the car with them?

She covers her ears with her hands as if she could block her thoughts like that.

She had family here. A family that loved her. She wasn't alone.

She just had to get to them.

She pulls the hood lower before she starts running.


So, anyone feeling betrayed right now?

One chapter left.

And so far, T's captured. The Rotten Four are on their way to Auradon. Deez is alone with no one to escort her to the ship. And the Sea3 are currently ignorant of all of it.

We're kinda dicks aren't we?

But you love us anyway!

So might as well humor us with some reviews.

T really doesn't think anything through all the way, does he?

And poor Deez, all she wanted was to talk to Jay about T.

And Mal- She was fucking pissed.

Did you guys like our segway into Auradon better than the movie?

Where the hell does Deez think she's running?

Let us know in the comments below

Much love and appreciation

-Dark and Twisted