Hey Descendants,

Happy Valentine's Day! And happy Update Day! I know Twisted and I always look forward to the latter. It means we get to hear from you lovely readers.

We've seen so many of you have already found it, but we have a new poll up on our profile page. Let us know who you're looking forward to seeing in the next book.

Back to the current story though...

I know it was painful to see Uma get so close to T, find his room and everything, only to walk away with nothing. Don't worry, we'll check in on that Kraken rage later. For now, we're gonna see what Deez is doing with Maleficent's goblins searching for her.

Enjoy

-Dark-

Deez leans forward from her hiding place to check Yensid's front door again. She couldn't afford to miss him.

Nothing. She lets her head hit the wall behind her as one hand grips the shell under the thick fabric of her hoodie. She holds her other thumb to her lips and absently chews her nail.

She knew she wasn't going to have a huge window to catch his attention without drawing other unwanted attention. Who knew if someone was still watching him?

She wasn't even sure she knew what she was doing anymore. Every time she'd tried to make a run for the edge of town she'd run into groups of goblins. And she had no way to tell who they liked more, and no shiny, pretty anything to attempt to bribe them.

She only knew she didn't want to drag anyone else into this mess with Maleficent. She'd considered going to her father, but she was worried he'd drag her back to Maleficent. She still wasn't sure what to think of his caring parent moment, or his promise to work with her instead of against her. But she'd rather not put that to the test right now.

She'd rather not test anything right now. She's never felt more unprepared.

So here she was, in a tiny side street staking out Yensid's house.

Irk said move during the day. Well, during the day Yensid taught at the school. She couldn't go back and risk running into anyone there though.

As far as she could tell, the whole isle believed she was in Auradon. And for now that was for the best, at least as far as she could see. Later she'd find a way to get a message to her family. A safe way. Hopefully she'd be able to explain this well enough to keep them out of it. But she somehow doubted it.

So for now, they had to be in the dark. Her hand tightens around the shell. She was going to regret this decision later. She couldn't keep up this pace forever. There was a heaviness, a weakness starting to settle on her. It wasn't something she was familiar with, but she knew weakness would get her caught.

She needed a safe place to crash, and fucking sea gods she just wanted to scrub herself clean.

Her stomach growls, adding itself to her list of current problems. She wasn't as skilled as Jay, Mal, Harry or T when it came to stealing, hence she usually played the decoy for them. Getting caught stealing right now would only turn the goblin hunt into a full manhunt. And those never ended well for the person being hunted. She shivers. She'd only seen it happen a few times, but that was more than enough.

She frowns as she knocks her head against the stone wall behind her again, dropping her freshly bleeding thumb to her side before she slams her fists into the wall. She grimaces as she chips the cement, the sound reverberating through the alley.

"Damn it." She whispers as she ducks back down. She was going to give herself away with something stupid like that.

She rubs the back of her dirt-covered sleeve over her face before she snorts.

At this point she was just rubbing the filth around. She could almost hear Evie's scream of terror if she were to ever catch sight of her like this. She smiles before sighing at the first tear she feels run down her face.

Dirt. Grime. She'd been on the run for a couple of days and she knew how filthy she was.

T claimed to sleep on the streets, but he was never this gross. That liar. Unless he had a secret to staying clean.

That didn't seem like a worry T would have.

Or he'd tell her to go jump in some water. To which she'd promptly tell him to go fuck himself. She giggles at the thought before she pops her hand over her mouth.

The next time she saw him… Well, she sighs. Eventually, she was going to tell him about her epiphany. No one could be as clean as him and stay on the streets.

She chews her thumbnail absently. Had he read her letter? Had it made a difference? Or had she made things worse? T had been pretty turbulent this month. She was starting to believe T was either pissed at her, embarrassed, or in danger. Nothing else would explain him not currently lecturing her to learn to hide better.

She bites hard on her thumb. She should have run into him by now. Even by accident, she should have seen him leap over her or something. She was not that good at hiding in the damn city.

The rest of the damn isle? Oh, she had years of practice. If only she'd fucking thought to get out of the city sooner.

At this point, she considered herself lucky to still be walking around free and not held to a favor or some other whaleshit that Maleficent could try to use to keep in the dungeon.

Did the woman have things that could hold her? Or was Irk just being overly cautious?

She shakes her head in frustration. Why couldn't she keep her thoughts straight anymore?

T! She was worried about T!

Was he pissed at her? Pissed at how she knew something she shouldn't, yet again? He'd always hated her ability to know the unknowable. She couldn't count the number of times he'd accused her of being a mind reader. A ghost of a smile lightens her features for the briefest moment before it disappears. That's how surprise had really originated, not that she'd ever tell anyone else about that particular misunderstanding.

It wasn't T's fault she couldn't explain how she knew things. And she thought T's ability to spitball ideas until something stuck was funny, most of the time. There were a few exceptions.

Weren't there always?

She couldn't picture T being pissed at her for long, or pissed while not knowing what was going on with her. Unless he believed the rumor she was in Auradon.

Or- Her stomach growls and turns painfully- or had something bad happened?

She makes a face when something vaguely metallic lingers on her tongue, tasting the way the anvil sometimes smelled as Gil pounded out swords.

She missed him so much. All of them. She was so lonely.

The sound of footsteps thankfully pulls her from her thoughts. She wipes at her eyes before she grimaces again. Just fucking let them fall. Maybe they'd even make a clean spot.

The footsteps! She closes her eyes and bullies her brain into focusing.

Not hurried. Not dragging.

Purposeful. Slightly clipped. Like a soft boot.

That had to be Yensid.

Her eyes open before she jumps up and walks to the edge of the alleyway. She waits until he comes into view, ducking her head down before she waves frantically and steps back into the shadows.

Yensid's eyes flicker to her for a moment before he walks two more steps, pauses, and takes a step backward. He lifts a brow at her before he gestures to his house with his head and continues to walk. His pace never picked up or slowed down, as if the exchange happened every day. He pulls something from his pocket before he opens his door.

He looks around the street before he discreetly beckons her.

Deez pulls the hood tighter around her face and hides her hands in the too-long sleeves before she walks out of the shadows and to Yensid's house, doing her best to not run. She swallows the painful lump in her throat, the one telling her she was making a mistake.

Once she's inside, Yensid shuts the door behind him. "I thought for certain I'd lost all three of my favorite students- Not that I was complaining." He bends and wraps his arms around her, squeezing once before he takes a step back.

"Just Carlos," Deez explains as she drops her eyes, keeping her face hidden in the shadows of the hood. Part of her finally understood the appeal.

She lets out a sigh of relief as she looks around the safety of Yensid's house. Her legs were shaking under her, but she couldn't figure out why. She quickly braces one hand against the wall.

Yensid frowns. "What about T? At first, I believed you to be him. Until I noticed your height that is." He takes her by the arm and guides her to his couch before he gently pushes her on to it.

"I'm gross," Deez argues, though she couldn't find the strength to struggle against him.

"I've seen grosser." Yensid smiles kindly as he takes a seat beside her in his beaten up recliner.

"Maleficent put T in her dungeon." She explains as she hides her hands in the hoodie pouch, still keeping her face slightly down, "But he got out."

Yensid grimaces, "That sounds right." He sighs before he ducks slightly, his eyes searching her hooded features. "Why are you hiding? It's just me here."

She shrugs, "I've gotten a lot of practice pretending to be T." She yawns unexpectedly.

"Ah. That explains that." He chuckles. "Probably not one of the best people to emulate in this regard."

"I couldn't think of anything else to do." She admits sadly as she shakes her head.

"Oh no, I think overall this was a very clever idea." Yensid smiles kindly, "What I'm saying is that hiding isn't going to make your problems go away."

Deez shakes her head, and before she can stop herself she starts talking, "Maleficent is looking for me. And the only reason I know that is because Irk warned me yesterday… the day before? At some point, he found me and warned me to hide. I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't get you involved, but I don't know what to do anymore. I can't get out of the city. And I don't want to get anyone hurt, and everyone thinks I'm in Auradon anyway so I just kept moving." She shakes her head and sighs, "But I can't keep running." She rubs her hands over her face.

Yensid's eyes widen slightly before he gestures around the room, "You are safe here. Remember, no one can see you through the windows. No one outside can hear us. Not to mention Maleficent knows better than to interfere with me." He smiles at her in reassurance. "She knows I still have many tricks up my sleeves. You look like you've been through hell and back. You have dark circles under your eyes, which I've never seen before. You need sleep, Deez."

Deez reaches up to touch her face before she frowns up at him, "I thought you'd be mad."

"Mad? Why ever would I be mad at you?" Yensid lifts a brow.

"I freaked out. I broke your chair." Tears chase each other down her face, "And then I show back up in trouble and a mess." She scoots closer to the edge of the couch.

"The chair wasn't your fault," His smile doesn't meet his eyes as he holds her by her upper arms and situates her further back on the couch. "That was a hard situation to talk about. But I could never be mad at you for such a thing." He admits, "Not your actions or your behavior. I understand what lies beneath anger is hurt, sadness, or fear. And you kids deal with that like pros. It's a miracle you've only done it a handful of times between the three of you."

"I am sorry though," Deez admits quietly.

"Why are you sorry?" Yensid lifts his brow.

"Still for breaking the chair," She sniffs and wipes at her face again, "And bringing a mess to you because I couldn't figure it out for myself."

"I broke a lot more of my belongings the same week. Stuff can be replaced, people can't. You could break everything in my house and it wouldn't change how I feel about you. I'm surprised you three don't break more of my stuff honestly. Or even bother to return my books at all, let alone in the condition you borrowed them. And you're hardly a mess. You just need a bath or shower. Feel free to use my bathroom."

Deez's eyes widen, all the responses she had to his surprise at how well they treated his property vanishing at the thought of getting clean, "Really?"

"Of course." He nods his head, "That is if you promise me something."

She tilts her head to the side, "What?"

"You'll catch at least a few hours of sleep before you go running again."

Deez nods as tears slip from her eyes, "I'm too tired to run anymore. I can feel it, I started doing dumb things that could get me caught." She wipes at her eyes in frustration.

Yensid frowns before he stands and pulls her to her feet and into another hug. "Deez, young one. Get washed up. And then sleep. We'll figure this out when you wake up."

"Thank you." Deez shakes as she holds onto him. She'd never been hugged by an adult before, and now he'd done it twice in one visit. She felt stupid for avoiding him. She should have known better. When had he ever turned any of them away? When had he ever raised a hand or voice at them?

"It is my pleasure." Yensid smiles as he steps back. "You look like you've had a rough couple of days. There are towels in the bathroom, please make yourself at home."

Deez nods, "I'd really like to not be gross. I don't know how T does it. He obviously never actually stayed on the streets, sleeping or otherwise."

"Have you been sleeping on the literal street?"

She shakes her head, "I've been too scared to sleep." She jumps at a sudden loud noise, only to blush when she realizes it's her stomach growling again.

"Oh," He blinks, "Or eat from the sound of it." He teases gently before he frowns. "I'm going to go grab you some food and put tea on. Then you can sleep, and worry about the rest in the morning." He guides her to rest on the couch again before he heads to the kitchen.

Deez bites her lip as Yensid disappears from view. She looks around as she brings her thumb to her lips before she hops off the couch and follows him. She'd been alone for days, she couldn't handle it anymore. She races into the kitchen, nearly colliding with him at his toaster.

"Or you can help me make some toast." Yensid smiles, "How would you like- Something to bandage your thumbs?"

"My thumbs?" Deez blinks up at him before she looks down at her bleeding thumb and grimaces, "Oh, right."

Yensid frowns as he steps closer to her, "Come on, wash your hands, bandages, then food, then sleep."

"After everything T tried…" She shakes her head as she inspects her thumb, grimacing at the bleeding nail bed. A small giggle bubbles over her lips as she watches it heal over, "At least it heals just as fast."

"Ah, he would make that a personal mission," He chucks as he gestures towards the sink before he walks over to a cabinet across from her and pulls down a white and red box.

"Thank you." She purses her lips as she walks over to the sink, letting warm water run freely over her hands before she scrubs the grime and blood off, "I've never bitten my nails before."

"Yes well, you are under a lot of stress right now, and these things happen." Yensid offers with a frown before he starts working with eggs.

She nods as she looks her fingers over before she shuts the water off, "Were you there?" She asks quietly, "When. When they left?"

"I saw the bridge, but no. I was in the middle of teaching." He sprinkles something into the pan.

She nods, "I saw them leave," she sighs, though it turns into a yawn halfway through, "I watched the barrier open and saw them cross a huge bridge made out of light."

"That must've been very difficult for you to endure." Yensid frowns, "I'm sorry."

"It was weird," She shrugs, "I was happy, but I cried too."

"I would imagine it would be weird." Yensid frowns, "On the one hand, it's everything you ever wanted for your friends, on the other being left behind feels incredibly painful. Especially when you haven't been able to reach your family." He strokes his beard. "Things are often learned best during hindsight, unfortunately." He sighs. "But you still have time to correct this, I know it was hard for you to watch them drive away, to be left behind. Just think what will happen if Uma and her boys get taken next?"

"I did write a letter about myself." Deez grimaces, "But it sounds like you think I need to write another one." She wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand as she drops into her usual seat at the table.

"You would be correct." Yensid chuckles, as he continues scrambling the eggs.

"I will. I kind of promised I would in my last letter anyways." Deez yawns, "I wish I'd gone over it before I sent it, I was all over the place with it." This felt better. Normal. She smiles as she runs her hands over the familiar table, letting a finger linger over an old scorch mark.

Yensid nods in approval as he turns the stove off. "I think that going over it would've made it next to impossible to send. But if you like I can help with the next one."

Deez tilts her head to the side, "Maybe." She traces the burn, "I wrote about things I've never talked about before."

"I'm proud of you for writing about yourself. I know how hard that must've been. Self-reflection is something that even people in Auradon shy away from." Yensid offers her a hesitant smile. He moves the pan off the stove and scoops the eggs into a plate.

Proud. He was proud of her. For writing a letter. She looks down at the burn on his table as her eyes water.

He walks over and places the eggs on the table. "Let's get you bandaged up while those cool." He holds out his hand.

Deez looks up before she holds out her hands, "Thank you." She whispers.

"Of course." Yensid nods as he picks up a roll of bandages and wraps her thumb. When he's finished he wraps the second one and then pushes the plate towards her. "Now start on that while I finish up the tea. I've found chamomile and lavender do wonders for frayed nerves." He stands up and walks over to the steaming kettle.

"Anything for brains that don't want to focus?" Deez smiles as she picks up the fork and scoops eggs onto the toast.

"Sleep and sustenance." Yensid chuckles, "And perhaps some peppermint tea upon waking. Always seems to do the trick for me." He winks as he sets a cup in front of her. "Drink. I'm sure you're as dehydrated as you are hungry."

She nods as she eats, hardly even tasting the food as she quickly gobbles it down. "Gil loves eggs, but I don't think I've ever had them like that." She yawns again as she picks up the mug and drinks, finishing it faster than she would have thought possible, the floral taste making her nose twitch slightly. "And I guess so."

"It's a common way to cook them in Auradon." He claps his hands together, "Now then, let's get you to the couch." He stands as he places a hand on her shoulder. "You can shower in the morning if you like."

Deez fights her suddenly heavy eyelids as another yawn forces its way past her lips, "Probably for the best, but so gross."

"I've seen grosser," He repeats before waving her off. "But I fear if you take a shower first you'll fall asleep in the tub. So to bed with you before you collapse at the table."

She stands, unable to even think straight anymore. She blindly allows Yensid to guide her to the couch where he wraps her in a throw blanket. "There. Now stop worrying about dirtying my couch." He chuckles as he takes a seat across from her.

Deez chuckles lightly, "Thank you for being safe." She chokes out through a yawn before she finally succumbs to sleep.

Yensid sits back in his chair, waiting to make sure she was fully asleep.

These kids had been through the wringer and back, and much like Deez he was sick of not doing anything to help. It hurt his soul to watch both Deez and T break down this month.

Then again, this was the inevitable outcome. He was sure their friends weren't in much better straights. He lets out a heavy sigh.

He probably only had about four hours to get to Maleficent's and back before Deez woke. He had no idea how long she'd been going, but if she hadn't slept since Carlos's gang was taken to Auradon. He shakes his head. At most, she'd been awake for nearly a week. But even exhausted he would guess her sense of survival would fight the herbal tea soon enough.

He stands up to gather what he would need for his upcoming confrontation. He hoped the mistress of the isle wouldn't make him resort to magical means, but he would utilize the items he had if it came down to it.

After he dealt with Maleficent he could contact the girl's family at their ship.

It was the least he could do for one of his favored students.

Hiya!

Happy Valentines Day and day and shit! Pro Tip- the fifteenth is the day that really matters. ½ off chocolate? Yes please.

It sucks not being able to post three times a week, but such is not having your shit together- Mostly mine. We would've been writing the 4th book by now if I hadn't changed the plot on Dark several times trying to nail down T. Sorry guys.

We loved hearing all of your thoughts on the last chapter! The fact that it was able to elicit such visceral responses had us preening and purring with pride. That's the exact shit we want. To kick you guys right in the feels.

This is only just the beginning. Shit's getting real on the isle. Our kid gloves are coming off in this installment. Dark is one twisted bitch when it comes to her villains, and I promise she did not disappoint.

Are you ready for it?

Anyways…

How did you guys like this chapter?

Poor D was exhausted. And just so fucking stressed and concerned. Living on the streets is no place for a princess. And she hasn't slept in days. She's nail-biting- Yum auto-cannibalism. JK. But seriously though, our little fire goddess isn't doing too well.

Thank Hades for Irk's warning, and Yensid's hospitality.

Speaking of… Yensid and Deez make for quite the team. Wasn't it a relief to know at least one of the missing two found a safe haven?

Excited to see what Yensid's talk with Maleficent is going to be like? (Can't remember if we actually wrote it or not, and too lazy to look right now. We've rewritten this book like four times and everything fucking blurs-So it'll be a mystery to all of us till Monday or Friday isn't that fun?)

Praying that Yensid gets her to the ship before she dips? (Which let's be honest, is totally a thing she'd do knowing the M.o.E. is hunting her down.)

Best to check back in on Monday or Friday if not, to find out. (Cause seriously- I don't remember so it'll be a surprise for all of us. Yay!)

Much love and appreciation

-Twisted