Hey guys! Hopefully I haven't made you wait too long for this next chapter. Still in the beginning but already things are getting heated. Haha, there's plenty more coming up in this chapter, I'll tell you that. Anyway, on to the reviews!

anonimo: Me alegro de que pienses que esto es tan bueno. Esperemos que esto sea lo suficientemente rápido de una actualización para usted.

Tiredandlazy: I laughed so hard when I read your review! I'm glad you get so excited over this story, it makes me happy to hear! And originally, I was going to have that confrontation play out differently, but then Carlos decided he was sick of getting kicked around. So, yeah. That happened. ;) And yes, that was Lonnie who was staring.

Rowan: I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy! :)

Faye: I will definitely be including something like that in the upcoming chapters, so hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy this story.

keirstinpaige: Oh don't you worry, he will be getting his just desserts! *cue evil laughter* ;)

Forever-Furuba: I got so excited when I read your review because I thought, oh my gosh, they totally got it! That's exactly what I was going for, so I'm glad you picked that out. And funny you should mention the singing, because I did in fact know that, and was planning to include that in this story at a later point! ;) magiclover222: I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much! And don't worry, justice will be swift and painful, haha! And you were the only one who caught the HP reference! :)

Mersang: Your review, along with Forever-Furuba's, made me laugh out loud reading them because you both completely nailed what I was trying to do with this chapter/idea! I always loved the genetics side of biology, and wanted to include it majorly here to help get the point across, and you literally wrote out everything that was going through my head at the time! I will most definitely be having Evie poke holes in his theories, and will shout out to you for the added inspiration! :)

Shadow Phoenix-Dragon: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and think it's so realistic. I am definitely doing my best so it's good to have confirmation I'm doing things right. ;)

ToughGirlsRule: Hopefully you won't miss this one, lol! Yeah, I definitely think Carlos has a badass side, so I made sure to showcase it here. Yeah, I wondered that too when I watched the movie, but I definitely played it up more here. And I didn't realize that sequels weren't canon in Descendants. I had planned to include some references and characters from sequels, but I will be sure to do it now just to be rebellious! ;)

Ok, so Author's Notes!

More signing! :)

Warnings for language! I'm considering changing the rating to M, since the language is definitely more than T/high T, but let me know if you guys think I need to change it or if I should leave it.

Also warnings for implied panic attacks, as well as mild mentions of violence and abuse. Nothing explicit, though later chapters definitely will be.

This chapter includes two Auradon Descendants, mentioned by name. OCs, but feel free to guess potential parentage. Also, for those who were wondering, Mr. Benjamin Kropp is based on Mr. Bernie Kropp, Dash's teacher in The Incredibles. ;)

And, if anyone has any clever ideas for revenge plots for Chad and the teachers, feel free to share. ;)

I hope you all will continue to read and enjoy, and I look forward to hearing what you think!

- Raven

Ben

"You'd better come quick."

The words are delivered by a frantic Doug and Lonnie, their eyes wide and full of panic. He tries to ask what's wrong, but a part of him already knows and begins conjuring up scenarios as he runs after them. Audrey rushes up from a hallway and meets him halfway, her eyes flashing and a hard frown on her face.

"Ben," she begins, but he grabs her arm gently and pulls her alongside him midstride.

"I know," he assures her quickly. "We're heading there now."

"You know?" She repeats incredulously, and he starts at her anger. "And you're just now doing something about it?"

He looks to Doug and Lonnie for an explanation, but they but look away, grim looks on their faces.

"I mean," Ben says slowly. "I know there's a situation..."

"That's one word for it," Lonnie mutters from in front.

Ben feels dread coiling in the pit of his stomach as he glances at their expressions. They're all variants of the same thing; fear, worry, and anger. But even the anger is just a front; at least, on Audrey it is, but Lonnie...

"Can someone tell me?" He asks.

Doug answers jerkily. "Jay and Carlos..."

He says their names like...like they're villains, and Ben falters as they near the overpass above the picnic area. He can hear the noise now; a combination of screaming and swearing, and he doesn't know what he wants this to be. To not be.

"It wasn't just them," Lonnie argues. "I was there when it started; when Chad started."

Ben realizes that her anger wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but at the situation in general. But it does little to calm his panic, especially when he steps out onto the overpass and sees what's happening. The green is a mess; students crowding the area, some running in terror and others trying to join the fray.

Picnic tables and benches have been flung up like shields in the places closest to the center of the gathering, while farther out from the group they've been overturned and shoved hastily aside as people retreat. He can make out Chad and a few others from the Tourney team nearest the center, the main force trying to calm the tide; but whether it's by fighting or joining in the panic, Ben can't quite tell.

And there, at the center of it all, is Jay and Carlos. They stand back to back, completely pressed against each other in defensive poses, and even from this distance Ben can see the wild looks in their eyes. They meet each forward press of students with an attack of their own, never retreating, but not openly attacking either. Jay has his hands up in fists close to his face, and something dark glints in Carlos' hands.

"Wait," Ben says, peering closer in horror. "Is that a knife?"

"Dagger," Lonnie corrects, as the rest of his group reach his side. "There's a difference," she insists at their questioning looks, but Ben isn't concerned with what the weapon is or isn't.

"How did he get a knife into Auradon?"

Lonnie sighs in disappointment, shaking her head, but it's Doug who answers, adjusting his glasses to peer sternly at him.

"Well, we didn't exactly do a weapons check when they arrived."

Right, that was on him. He hadn't wanted to make the arrivals any more uncomfortable than they already would have been on entering the kingdom, and at the time, he honestly didn't think such a thing was necessary. A paranoid precaution. He wanted to establish trust.

And that trust was the very thing that was going to get everyone down there hurt. Or…no, he couldn't start thinking like that. He had to get down there and regain control.

"I'm going down there," he announces, and before he could hesitate and get any sort of sense talked into him, he jogs down the overpass ramp and onto the field.

The noise and fear is even more overwhelming up close, but Ben forces himself to stay calm. It wouldn't do to feed into it and lose control himself. He straightens and adopts his Prince demeanor, and most of the students on the outskirts settle and move out of his way as he approaches. He reaches the center and manages to catch Carlos' eye first.

The smaller boy freezes, and Ben watches the confident and dangerous smile slowly fall from his face. His eyes lose their wild look and a different sort of wild fills them now; like a trapped animal. His knife/dagger clangs against the bench beside him as it drops from his hand, and Jay jumps, turning sharply to face the newest perceived danger.

Jay, too, freezes, and his eyes widen, darting around nervously before settling on Ben. He seems to take in the way everyone is looking to him; the authoritative way he stands, and Ben watches the realization hit him.

"Fuck me," he breathes, straightening from his defensive pose.

Ben raises an eyebrow, caught off guard by the curse. 'Language, Jay,' he wants to say, but then it occurs to him that he sounds just like his father, and instead settles for, "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"Shit," is all Jay manages, his dark hair falling across his face as he shakes his head in disbelief.

Carlos is completely frozen, his head once again lowered to the ground, standing behind Jay in a way that looks painfully too much like he wants to throw himself at Ben's feet and grovel. It sends a pang through him, and he looks around to see that everyone is staring at them expectantly. He clears his throat and addresses the crowd in his best attempt to appear like he knows what he's doing.

"Everyone please continue on to your next classes," he directs. "There's nothing to see here."

A disappointed and almost skeptical sort of murmuring goes up from the crowd, but they all begin to leave, in a much more orderly fashion this time. He turns back to see Jay and Carlos attempting to make a subtle retreat, and he sighs, shaking his head.

"Not you two," he says, stopping them in their tracks. "And Chad…" he says, catching sight of the boy on the edge of the crowd. "And Lonnie," he turns again to face his friends; the only ones still standing there.

"Me?" Lonnie questions, her eyes warily scanning the villain kids behind him. "Why me?"

"You said you saw what happened," he replies, and she nods reluctantly.

"The beginning of it, anyway," she adds.

"Then let's take this to Fairy Godmother," he announces.

As he leads the way back across the lawn and towards the school, his princely resolve begins to fade, and all the worry and doubts begin churning their way to the surface. By the time they reach the Fairy Godmother's classroom, he's about as nervous a wreck as Carlos, who hadn't stopped shaking since Ben had appeared on the lawn. He manages to regain enough composure to explain in a calm undertone to the startled headmistress, exactly what was happening.

Fairy Godmother pulls a chair to the front of the room and sits; Jay and Carlos take the table in front of her to the left, while Lonnie and Chad take the one on the right. Ben, for his part, does his best not to start pacing as he stands in the aisle between them.

"Ok," he says slowly, clasping his hands together. "Someone start explaining what happened."

And then all hell breaks loose.

Carlos

The concept of being "in trouble" was a strange one on the Isle of the Lost. Stealing, looting, killing; any and all sorts of 'bad' things were allowed and even condoned. Depending on who those actions were directed towards. It was funny: the Isle held all the worst of the worst villains, but it also held the sidekicks; the only slightly insane antagonists; the random thief exiled for his crimes. The henchmen. The neighborhood sociopath who wasn't really 'evil,' but wasn't 'good' enough to live in Auradon.

Normal people, if you wanted to compare residents. Commit a crime against them, sure they'd be upset about it, and it was a 'good' thing, but also not really a big deal. Commit a crime against a villain, though. Then you were a force to be reckoned with; someone who was asking for trouble.

For Carlos, trouble didn't really come naturally to him like it did with Mal. He couldn't slip into it like a second skin as Evie did. It wasn't an old friend like it was with Jay. For him, trouble was the annoying brat's stupid dog; hounding him relentlessly, forcing him to either run faster to escape it, or else give in and hope for a merciful death.

'Mercy' was also a twisted concept. It usually varied between a horrifying and excruciating pain, and a slightly less horrifying thing that would most definitely scar you, but leave you alive. It also varied on which was worse.

Being 'in trouble' meant the plan had failed, you didn't execute a scheme properly and the intended victim escaped. Disobeying an order. Another funny paradox, that.

Carlos had never been 'in trouble' for pulling a knife on someone though. He'd never feared retribution for a well-deserved broken arm or a dislocated shoulder. Although, he'd usually been on the receiving end of such actions. Usually. But he hadn't been known as a "callous, low life hood" for nothing. He'd earned his way, and had the scars to prove it.

Here in Auradon, though, 'in trouble' meant just that; and regardless of whether the trouble was for being good or being bad, pain usually followed in some form of punishment. It's that idea, more than anything, that has Carlos trembling as he huddles in the wooden chair. The Fairy Godmother is stern as she stares at him, and she isn't smiling anymore. He almost wishes she would. Even a perpetually cheerful smile was better than the look she was giving him now.

Jay sits frowning next to him, his arms folded across his chest, but his fingers tap against Carlos' arm from beneath the crook of his arm. Carlos knows he's trying to let him know that it would be ok, but he also knows that it's anything but. He had pulled a knife- a knife- on an unarmed and defenseless Auradon student. Granted, the kid had been an asshole, but Ben had seen. Prince Ben, the very one who had made the decree to bring him here, had seen Carlos de Vil, threatening his subjects with a knife.

"Calm down," Jay mutters in his ear. "You're going to make yourself sick."

Carlos blinks, breathing shallowly. His body feels cold and clammy, and he realizes only vaguely that he'd been on the verge of hyperventilating. He swallows slowly, taking a deep breath and trying to pull himself together.

"I-I'm ok," he whispers back.

Or at least, he had been. Until Ben clasps his hands together like he's delivering a death sentence as says, "Someone tell me what happened."

Instantly, noise explodes, as Jay, Chad, and the pretty Chinese girl from biology all start clamoring at once, each trying to explain. Carlos squeezes his eyes shut, cringing deeper in his seat as the words and syllables pound against his skull in a frantic rhythm. Then silence falls, and he looks up to see that Ben has his hands raised in a clear gesture for order.

"One at a time," he says sternly. "Lonnie."

Ben looks to the Chinese girl, who looks caught off guard before she draws a breath and stands slowly from her seat. Carlos feels only a brief flicker of curiosity, and he wonders whose child she is, and thinking if any of the villains he knew on the Isle had complained about a Chinese hero.

"Lonnie says she saw the beginning of what happened," Ben explains to the Fairy Godmother, before turning and nodding encouragingly to the girl.

"Well, it actually started with biology," the girl says quietly. "Mr. Kropp…," she falters, and Carlos can tell she's trying to be diplomatic.

"Is an arrogant, prejudiced bastard," Jay helpfully supplies in an undertone. Carlos stifles a laugh, but in the silence of Lonnie's musing, everyone hears Jay's comments.

"Language, Jay," Fairy Godmother scolds, and though her voice is calm, the solemn way she looks at them makes Carlos flinch.

"He was afraid," Lonnie finally continues. "That having Carlos sign in class would cause an unnecessary disruption, and that, as long as he was capable to, he wanted Carlos to actively participate in class."

"Unnecessary my ass," Jay grumbles.

"But I made sure all the teachers knew…," Fairy Godmother begins, but it's Ben who finishes.

"Carlos can't talk."

Carlos keeps his gaze firmly on the desk in front of him, tracing the patterns the wood makes in the grain. He hears Chad scoff, and he flinches at the cruel sound.

"Well, you're not entirely wrong."

Carlos stiffens, shrinking as much as he can in his seat and wishing he could turn invisible. He knew Evie knew a potion for it, and surely Mal knew a spell; heck, even Jay could wish himself invisible on the chance he found a magic lamp. He wonders, not for the first time, why he's the only one of the group not magically inclined. Instead, he gets the psychopath mother who wants to kill cute animals for clothes.

"Carlos?"

He flinches, jerked from his thoughts and back into the moment, where everyone is staring at him expectantly. He looks to Jay desperately, but the look on the other boy's face clearly says that this is up to him. Looking up even further, he sees Ben staring at him, and the look on his face is a mix of concern and disbelief. Behind him, Lonnie echoes the concern, but there's also a hesitance; a wariness. And Chad…Chad's expression is smug and confident in Carlos' failure, and Carlos shivers, lowering his gaze to the desk and shaking his head slightly.

He hears Chad scoff again, but Ben clears his throat and the laugh stops. He isn't sure whether the way his stomach flips is due to relief, or fear, but Ben speaks again before he can fully decide.

"Jay?" he asks, and Carlos can feel Jay stiffen beside him, and his fingers tap a little more incessantly against Carlos' arm.

He looks over, and Jay signs quickly; making an 'O' shape with his fingers before making a 'K' with his index and middle finger; he then tilts his head slightly and lifts his brows before placing the tip of his index finger against his chin, flipping it forward and in the direction of the watching crowd.

[Ok if I tell them?]

Might as well, Carlos thinks bitterly, but he manages to keep it off his face and portray it to Jay with a simple eye roll. Jay huffs at the sarcasm, but straightens and turns to Ben, and Carlos tenses again in his chair.

"Carlos has a stutter," Jay announces shortly. "It's why he doesn't talk."

Carlos is grateful for Jay's bluntness, for once. It gets the point across, while also effectively shutting down any prying questions. But it doesn't stop the reactions, and he grimaces at Ben and the Fairy Godmother's simultaneous noises of surprise and realization. He waits for the questions or even judgements, but it's Lonnie who speaks up and regains control.

"Yeah," she confirms quickly. "Um, so when Carlos participated…anyway, it was after class. We were all on the lawn and some of Chad's group were making jokes about it. And then Jay and Carlos showed up; things kind of escalated from there, and then…."

"And then they totally flipped out and attacked us!" Chad cuts in, his voice pitched in a whine. Carlos snorts derisively, and Jay stands sharply, slamming his hands onto the table.

"Bull. Shit!" he snaps, and Carlos can't help the small smile that slips across his face as he looks up to see the scandalized look on Chad's face at being cursed at. But it falls again when he sees the stern expression on the Fairy Godmother's face, and he grabs Jay's jacket, tugging him to try to get him to back down.

"Oh, so you mean Carlos didn't dislocate Emil's shoulder?"

"It'll pop back in," Jay counters smoothly. "Trust me, there's a lot worse than a dislocated shoulder."

"And I guess pulling a knife on Kory; that's no big deal either, right?"

"Listen, asshole," Jay starts, and Carlos knows he has to stop him before he explodes.

"Jay," Carlos hisses, tugging harder and forcing him back down into his seat. "Th-that's ennnough."

He appreciated Jay's blunt defense, but not at the risk of making things worse. Jay sits, but Carlos knows he's far from finished.

"Asshole," he grumbles under his breath, crossing his arms sullenly.

Ben clears his throat again, and Carlos stiffens as he waits for the verdict. "Yes, about the knife," he says slowly. "Um, we're going to have to confiscate that from you."

Carlos sucks in a sharp breath, and Jay starts muttering curses furiously under his breath, but Ben's not done yet.

"Jay, we'll need any weapons you have too. And Mal and Evie."

"Yeah, you try and take Mal's knives," Carlos hears Jay murmur. "Love to see how that works out for you."

But all Carlos can think is that it was happening again, and he trembles as he takes out Claw, placing it on the desk before him and waiting for the next part. The pain part.

"Thank you Carlos," Ben says formally. Then, "Jay?"

Jay scoffs, but reaches into his pockets and out turns them. "Got nothing but my fists," he says stiffly, before returning his pockets to their normal shape; re-concealing a small leather bag with an easy sleight of hand.

"Alright then," Ben begins, but Chad jumps up, and Carlos flinches as his chair scrapes harshly across the floor.

"Wait that's it? Just take away their weapons and call it a day? They attacked us Ben!"

"I know," Ben says, and his voice is understanding but still that stiff and formal tone of a Prince. "But it was a situation that, according to Lonnie, you started."

"Which is why," the Fairy Godmother breaks in sharply from the front of the room. "Chad, you will be serving detention with me, every day after school for a week. Perhaps you can help me go over lessons in Basic Human Decency."

Jay stifles a snort, and even Carlos manages a weak smile as he listens to Chad splutter in disbelief.

"What?!"

"And I will be writing to your mother about this incident," Fairy Godmother finishes firmly.

"What about them?"

Carlos glances up to see Chad glaring at him, and he knows he really means, 'what about the de Vil freak?'

"We will deal with them," Fairy Godmother says, and Carlos shivers at how ominous it sounds. "I think for now, you should worry about getting to your next class. I will see you later this evening."

Chad complains even further, but eventually he storms his way out of the room, leaving only Ben, Jay, Carlos, the Fairy Godmother, and Lonnie, who shuffles nervously.

"Um, should I…?" she gestures vaguely to the door, and Ben nods.

"Yeah, you can go. Thanks Lonnie."

"Sure thing," she mutters, then leaves quickly, the door closing behind her and echoing with a forbidding tone as it clicks firmly into place.

Jay stands the minute she's gone, while Carlos goes back to trying to disappear, shrinking down into his seat as much as he can.

"Look," Jay says quickly. "It wasn't Carlos' fault. I'm the one who started the fight, ok? He was just…there."

"He attacked and injured two of my students," Fairy Godmother says slowly, and Carlos bites the inside of his cheek so hard he tastes iron.

"It wasn't his fault," Jay insists. "If someone has to be punished, it should be. I'll take his."

"Nno, Jay," Carlos tries to stand as well, but Jay shoves him back down, shooting him a glare.

The glint in his eyes looks angry, but Carlos knows well enough to see that it's concern and fear. The Fairy Godmother makes a soft sound, and Carlos glances over to see her look up and exchange a glance with Ben above their heads.

"You will both be serving detention with me, as well," Fairy Godmother says. "Two weeks. You're already attending Goodness Class, but extra lessons wouldn't hurt."

"Ok," Jay says slowly, and Carlos can tell from his tone that he's steeling himself, too. "And?"

Neither of them bother to protest their two week sentence vs Chad's one week. They're both certain there's more to come.

"An apology to Emil and Kory wouldn't hurt," Ben offers, moving into their line of sight.

Carlos nods reluctantly, but inside he's wondering if they'd pegged this wrong. Maybe things really were different in Auradon, and this was actually a punishment. He doesn't dare to hope, and instead waits for Jay to press and confirm it.

"But…detention, the weapons, an apology. Really? That's really it?"

Ben has another weird look on his face, and he turns to Carlos, who drops his gaze to his knife. He works to memorize every single detail about it before it's taken from him, dutifully avoiding Ben's look as he asks:

"What more were you expecting?"

Ben

Things were different on the Isle of the Lost. Auradon wasn't the Isle. Things were different. It's a mantra Ben has to keep repeating to himself as he and the Fairy Godmother listen to what had happened in the school yard. He tries to think of things from Jay and Carlos' perspective, and speculates that confrontations like this must happen all the time; that threatening someone with a knife could be considered self-defense at best and something that could be considered good at worst.

He tries to keep their sentence light, at least, as light as could be made considering it had been a knife, and that the whole thing could have been avoided if he'd fully thought things through like his father had insisted. But watching Jay and Carlos' reactions, you'd think Ben was sentencing them to death. Or at least, that they expected him to.

The thought is disturbing, as he wonders what sort of things constituted as punishments on the Isle, or if there was any set of rules for a thing to be judged 'wrong' by. It would almost be amusing, thinking of a rule system for villains, but the way Jay leapt his feet, insisting that he was to blame and that he would take any punishment given to Carlos; the way Carlos cowered in his chair like he wanted it to swallow him whole. The way Jay stared at him when Fairy Godmother had announced their punishment, how he pressed for more like…like what?

"What more were you expecting?" Ben asks carefully, and Jay sort of scoffs in disbelief.

"You're serious," he mutters, and Ben thinks he might be talking to himself. "Of course, this is Auradon but detention is really the worst…"

Jay falters, seeming to realize what he's said. He glances at Carlos and there's a frantic and silent discussion in sign that Ben doesn't quite catch, but Ben does catch the expression on Carlos' face and there's something desperate in his eyes, almost fearful. It dawns on Ben, then, that there must be such a thing as rules and punishments on the Isle, and he recalls the bruises; the worried explanations from Fairy Godmother about broken bones. He takes in the panic and worry on Jay's face; how Carlos is so pale Ben fears he might collapse.

'Detention,' he had said, but what had they heard?

"Carlos," Ben says quietly, because he knows he won't get a straight answer from Jay, and the smaller boy is just so terrified. "What exactly is it that you're expecting from us?"

Jay stiffens, but says nothing, dropping his head in such an uncharacteristic gesture of submission that it startles Ben. Carlos shudders once in his chair, but slowly lifts himself into an upright position. His hands tremble as he rolls back the spotted sleeves of his shirt, but he finally succeeds and places his hands on the table, palms up and arms facing Ben.

It takes Ben a moment to realize what he's seeing, but when his eyes and brain finally decipher it, he wants to be sick. Scars, some thick and jagged, others thin and wiry, mar the pale skin of Carlos' forearms. They cross and run parallel to each other in some places, forming a strange sort of pattern, and with a sickening lurch another realization clicks into his brain. Words. They're words carved into Carlos' skin.

Names. Taunts. Horrible curses and letters spelling out things too vile to even comprehend.

Ben hears Fairy Godmother gasp behind him, but he's too busy searching for an explanation, fighting the churning in his gut. Carlos is trembling, his eyes glued firmly to the table in front of him, and so Ben looks to Jay.

"What?" Is all Ben manages to choke out, and Jay's eyes are hard, his voice tight as he answers.

"Just another happy side effect of the Isle," he says, then he seems to remember who he is talking to and grimaces, looking away and muttering. "Specifically a side effect of school rules and punishments."

"Detention," Carlos whispers from his seat, and Ben understands their sudden fear, and why Jay had been so desperate to take the blame. But just what sort of thing could possibly justify something like that? Nothing could, and he wants to ask, but he knows he's already lost control of the situation, and adding onto it by prying into the past won't help any.

"Things...things aren't not like that here," he says firmly. "Auradon is different."

It's a hollow comfort, but the best he can do, given the current circumstances. The words and apologies that Ben wants to say have no place here, especially not with his standing as Prince of the very kingdom that had doomed them to such a fate. He knows that's what Jay thinks, with his curses and betrayed anger, and Ben can't find it in himself to blame the boy.

He might not have been responsible for their banishment, but he was responsible for their redemption. The villain kids were his subjects now too, and Ben vowed he'd do everything in his power to make sure that things were different here. It wouldn't be an easy task to accomplish, but he would make it work. He owed them that much.

Run.

That was the only thought that solidified itself in the boy's mind. Run. Get away. Faster than them. He was faster, he knew he was but he had to hide. Hide. Somewhere small, somewhere safe, where they couldn't find him. Couldn't hurt him if they couldn't see him.

Carlos.

Run! There, wait!

Gonna get you, freak!

Don't look back. Don't look back just go. Squeeze into the space and it's small, perfect. Dark and cold, but small enough to hide him.

Where are you, brat?

Don't speak, don't speak. Not a sound, not one sound, they'll hear She will hear.

"Don't hide from me, Carlos!"

Carlos.

Don't move. Don't breathe don't move no sounds. She can't catch him, she can't.

'Sorry,' he thinks, rocking in his hiding space. 'Sorry, I'm sorry, please.'

"Carlos, don't hide from Mommy…"

"Sorry," he whimpers, "Sorry ssorry please, I'm ssorry."

Mal

Mal isn't happy when she finds out about the fight in the yard. Well, there's a small part of her that feels a thrill of amusement at the knowledge that some of the prissy Auradon princes had gotten their asses handed to them. But that amusement boils down to anger at the fact that it had been Jay and Carlos who'd done it, and even more so when she is told that her knives were being taken from her, and Evie was losing her potions as a 'precaution.'

All in all, Mal is pissed, and she only vaguely relishes the crowds that scramble away in terror as she stalks through the dorms, Evie close on her heels. Room number 17 appears in her line of sight, and the door slams open with a satisfying boom. The room is larger than hers and Evie's, the walls dark stone instead of pink and white wallpaper. But most of the features were the same, including the massive fireplace set against the far left wall.

None of that matters to Mal though. She spots Jay fiddling with something by the entertainment center, and instantly storms over.

"Where is he?" she snaps, and Jay straightens, holding out his hands in a futile attempt to calm her.

"Mal," he begins slowly, and she curls her lip in disgust.

"Don't 'Mal,' me, Jay," she growls. "Where is he?"

"So dramatic, M," she hears Evie mutter, but she keeps her focus on Jay, glaring until he relents and points to the fireplace.

Mal stalks over to the opening in the wall and places a hand on the hearth, bending down to peer inside. It's dark, but there's enough light in the room behind her that she can make out a vague outline huddled in the corner.

"Carlos," she snaps, and the shape jerks. She thinks he tries to say something, but all that comes out is a frantic whimpering sound.

Great. She backs out of the fireplace and turns on Jay, her anger diminishing only slightly as she asks, "How long has he been in there?"

Jay looks to the clock on the table and frowns thoughtfully. "20 minutes?" he says, shrugging, and Mal narrows her eyes.

"I'm giving him 30 and then I'm dragging his sorry ass out here," she decides. "In the meantime, Jay," she sits on the edge of the spare bed next to Evie. "A fight? What part of 'lay low' didn't you get?"

Jay at least has the decency to look ashamed, grimacing as he starts to pace. "I'd say it wasn't my fault, but…."

"No," Mal agrees. "It was yours and Carlos.'"

"Mal," Evie scolds, but she doesn't care if she's being harsh. No, that's not entirely true. But damn it all, she'd told him…

"It wasn't really, though," Jay cuts in. "I started it. If I hadn't pranked him in class, the teacher never would have called on him, and no one would have heard him slip up for those assholes to make fun of him."

"Wait," Mal says, holding up a hand to stop his tirade. "The teacher called on Carlos to speak in class?"

Jay grimaces, but nods, and Mal's frowns sharply. "What happened to the signing? Fairy Godmother said…."

She doesn't want to admit how easily she had trusted the woman's promise, but Jay nods again, a hard look in his eyes, and Mal leans forward to hear his explanation.

"Yeah, she did say. But the teacher said, and I quote, 'I will not coddle you, as I've no doubt you're used to,' and 'I will not cater to the whims of a villain.'"

The nasally accent Jay had adopted to impersonate the teacher did nothing to keep the man's words from registering, and Evie gasps sharply beside her. "What?"

"What?" Mal repeats, her voice hard.

"Yeah," Jay confirms. "Those exact words. Not to mention his whole thing about biological squares and children being genetically evil."

"What?" Mal hisses dangerously, while Evie straightens beside her.

"Details," the other girl presses, and Jay explains the entire classroom situation to them. By the time he's finished, Mal is pacing, swearing furiously under her breath, and Evie looks ready to kill.

"So," Evie says darkly, and Mal can hear the scheming tone in her voice. "It sounds to me like the real problem is this teacher, Mr. Kropp."

Mal hums noncommittally, but her own gears are turning as well. What's the worst thing they could do to him without it leading back to them, and what could they do that would ensure no further trouble for Carlos? She had answers to both of those things; the former, more so than the latter, but nothing that worked to solve both solutions in one. They could always do two separate acts, but if they hadn't been caught by the first, then the second would certainly lead back to them…

"I think we ought to let him have a taste of his own medicine," Evie continues, and Jay chuckles wickedly in agreement.

"Nothing lethal," Mal mutters, glancing at the bedside clock and frowning.

"Aw, come on!" Jay protests, and even Evie looks disappointed.

"Mal," she says. "What he did to Carlos; to us…we can't let that slide."

"And we won't," Mal promises. "Believe me, he will get all he deserves and more when we get that wand. But in the meantime: nothing lethal."

"Fine," Evie concedes, and Mal nods, satisfied, before turning to the fireplace.

"Alright," Mal says sharply. "I'm dragging him out."

"I thought you said 30," Jay says. "It's only 25 now."

"I changed my mind," she mutters, stalking over to the fireplace and bending down to peer inside.

Carlos was still huddled in the corner, but the whimpering had stopped, at least. She takes that as a good enough sign as any and slaps her palm against the hearth a few times.

"Carlos!" she snaps, and the boy jerks back with a yelp, slamming his head against the stone behind him.

"Ah!" he gasps, uncurling slowly and grimacing. "Sson of a b-itch!"

"Yes you are," Mal says glibly, but she's silently relieved that he hadn't retreated so far that he'd completely lost himself. "Get out here," she continues. "We need to talk."

She backs away slightly from the fireplace, allowing the smaller boy to crawl out of the space, easily ignoring his grumbling.

"Sscrew ta-ta-talking," Carlos mutters, glaring as he peers up at her.

"You shouldn't swear, Carlos," Mal scolds him lightly, patting the soot from his white-blond hair. "It's very unbecoming, and besides, by the time you've finished cursing someone out, it's completely ineffective."

"This ine-ine-ineffective?" Carlos challenges, flipping her off as he dodges her hands, moving across the room to sit beside Evie on the bed.

"Very," Mal warns, her eyes flashing as she glares at him.

He cringes, his own eyes lighting with fear, and she hates the way it makes her want to apologize. She latches on to her previous anger, but continues in a slightly more subdued tone.

"Do you want to explain why you started a fight when I clearly said lay low and follow the rules until we get the wand?"

Carlos tucks his knees to his chest and shakes his head, his eyes shining and only just visible as he peeks up at her. "Didn't," he mumbles into his knees, and she frowns at him.

"Didn't what?"

"Sstart," he whispers.

"Don't give me the one word shit, Carlos," Mal growls, sitting next to Jay on the opposite bed. "This is serious!"

"I kn-now that!" Carlos cries hoarsely, sitting up fully, and Mal realizes that his eyes are wet because he really had been crying. "You th-think I don't knnnow that?"

"Shit," Mal mutters, regretting her anger instantly. "Carlos…," she tries, but it's too much like an apology and the words stick in her throat. She jumps up from the bed and starts pacing again, swearing furiously under her breath.

"Ignore her, Carlos," she hears Jay say behind her. "She's just pissed because they took her knives away."

"Hey, they took my potions, too," Evie counters. "You don't see me biting off anyone's head."

"It's not about that," Mal snaps, whirling back to face them. "It's about keeping each other safe and together here until we get the wand and get back home. It's about surviving, and if we're already in trouble on day 1…" she trails off because she realizes she's revealing way too much emotion, and she sits back down next to Jay with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Carlos," she bites out, a little harsher than an apology should be, but she was apologizing, at least.

"'s Ok," he mumbles, but she knows it's not. Not when he now had a target on his back. Not when they were stuck in the very kingdom that despised them for who they were. The situation was too skewed against them to be 'ok.'

"Mal, I get that you're worried," Jay says, squeezing her arm reassuringly. "But we survived the Isle, and we've survived Auradon this far."

"We'll keep doing it like we always have," Evie chimes in with a soft smile.

Carlos nods beside her, shaping his hands into fists with his thumbs pressed to the sides of his index fingers; he presses both hands together, palms facing each other, and makes a sweeping horizontal circle.

[Together.]

"God we sound like a fairy tale already," Mal groans, dropping her head onto Jay's shoulder. She grumbles as she feels him laugh beneath her, but she can't deny the slight feeling of relief that fills her.

"Hey Carlos," she murmurs, and the smaller boy raises an eyebrow at her. "What would you say to Mr. Kropp getting a taste of what it's like to not be so in control of himself?"

And as Mal watches the positively evil grin spread across Carlos' face, she can't help but laugh. Yeah, they would be ok. She'd make sure of it.