Hey guys! Hopefully this time I managed to update a little faster for you. That last chapter was…well, angsty as all heck. Even writing it was hard. But this one is a tiny bit more light hearted, and you get some more signing, 2 new POVs, and a flashback, so hooray for that!
Anyway, on to my reviews!
Rowan: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
IWantColoredRain: Thank you! I'm happy you enjoy this so much, and hopefully this update will be soon enough for you.
LittleMissBookwormBrainiac: Aw, thank you so much for your kind words! It's good to know I made you feel so much, although it is unfortunate that I managed to kill you. That…was not my intent. ;) Hopefully you will revive enough to continue to read and enjoy this next chapter!
Tiredandlazy: Haha, it's totally fine that you didn't review right away! I enjoy hearing your thoughts regardless of time. I'm glad that you finally found Aziz, hopefully that satisfaction was worth the ridiculously complicated search, lol! ;) As for what I'd mentioned in terms of pairings, you are correct, I am NOT pairing Jane and Carlos as a couple. (Sorry to all those who are disappointed by that) But they will still be friends, as I do think they are kind of adorable together, just not in a romantic way. As for Chad and Carlos, I attempted to just be evil and vague and mysterious, and simply say that there would be 'something' in terms of their relationship with each other.
I must say, I'm impressed with your phone's lifespan. Mine would probably last as long as well, but I have a 'new every 2' plan, so I never know just how long I'd be able make my phones last. (Although, given my history with electronics, probably not very long outside of a life proof case!) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy! I look forward to hearing what you think!
Shots and Giggles: Haha, that's so cool to find another Panic! fan! I don't meet too many outside of the few people at work who helped get me into their music. I knew the song 'Nine in the afternoon' when it first came out and I was still a kid, but I never knew it was Panic! at the Disco, until I "grew up" and rediscovered their music.
I'm relived and happy that you think I'm handling everything well so far; given the particular nature of the story I'm going for, I always worry that I'm either going overboard or not tiptoeing around it enough, lol. And there wouldn't be any 'fairytale' romances with this; as much as I enjoy fairytale romance, I am also a realist, and so I tend to fall in love with the romance, while simultaneously tearing it to pieces. ;)
And yes, that fight scene was fun to write! I literally browsed countless YouTube videos of martial arts and fight choreography, just to make sure everything was accurate, and figure out how to 'show' the fight in a way that it could be visualized, but not come across as cheesy. I even enlisted my older brother's help, since he acts and has experienced stage fighting. (I am a dedicated writer, and writers have to be excellent researchers, too, lol!) That whole scene with Jay and the elevator was also fun to write. It occurred to me only as I was writing it; originally it was just going to be simple and casual: Jay rides the elevator to the library, etc. but my inner editor kept telling me it was wrong to have him do that, and when I thought about why, I realized; the Isle didn't have any technology, silly me! So I will definitely be playing around with the Four experiencing Auradon tech for the first time. :)
I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!
GenderqueerWriter: I'm glad to see I've inspired such a powerful reaction from you, haha! Hopefully this next chapter is soon enough for you, and that you'll continue to enjoy the crazy stuff I come up with. :)
Kry Chi: Welcome to the story and thank you for the review! I live for angst, and there will definitely be plenty of it throughout this story. And rest assured, there will be more of Mal being super protective! I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!
starflight34: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! :)
AllGlitchedUp: Ok, I'm not gonna lie, I kind of freaked out when I saw that you had reviewed my story! I've been a silent lurker of 'Detours' for the longest time, but had no idea how to put into words how much I love that story! You do an even better job than me at highlighting all the dark and grisly things that go on in an Island full of villains, and I love absolutely every bit of it!
Whew, deep breaths. That aside, thank you for reviewing, and for your suggestions! Things are definitely going to be tense and difficult between Jay and Carlos for a while. I always got the feeling that when Carlos said 'the past is past, forgive forget,' he was saying it as it was something that someone else should do, and not something he felt he needed to do. Plus, he gets some of his stubbornness from Cruella. (After all, she chased down all those puppies for a coat, when she could have found some other Dalmatians to use anywhere else. It's not like they're a rare breed!) Anyway, I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my story, and I will definitely attempt to put my thoughts into words and start reviewing 'Detours.' :)
Forever-Furuba: I am definitely going to follow the love potion part of the movie, though, of course, following my storyline, I'm also going to be twisting it a bit. (insert mischievous laughter here) And I was going to explore Mal and Jane at some point, but I wasn't sure how in depth I should go, since in the movie everything is kind of glanced over. But I will definitely be taking some of your suggestions to go about it, so thank you for that! :)
I also never thought about Mal and Jane being a potential thing; but I'm also not going to be pursuing any romantic relationships with Jane, for exactly the reasons you pointed out. She's just not mature enough for something like that, never mind her age; although there will still be room for platonic relationships with everyone. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying, and thanks again for the suggestions. :)
Ok, Author's Notes!
**WARNING**This chapter, while a bit lighter than the previous, still contains some heavy stuff, including but not limited to: aggressive bullying, crude language, child abuse and mentions of child abuse/neglect; as well as hints towards darker things such as mental health, child loss and assault.
(I fear I just spoiled the entire chapter/plot, but I didn't want to just include no warnings and potentially offend or trigger anyone.)
And on that note, I'll let you all enjoy the chapter! Looking forward to hearing what you all think!
- Raven
Evie
Mal slides into her seat beside Evie almost a half hour into the chemistry lesson, her bag slamming to the ground and spilling books onto the tiles. A soft snickering goes up from the class, headed by Chad; though it dies as Mal casts a glare around the room, and Mr. Deley clears his throat sharply.
"There you are, Mal," he says sternly. "So good of you to join us."
"Sorry," Mal murmurs, ducking her head and rolling her eyes at her desk. "I forgot the way."
"Hm," Mr. Deley hums with a lift of his brow. "That is what all the maps are for. In the future, do try to be on time."
"Sure thing," Mal agrees, nodding her head in politely, but Evie can see right through it.
The teacher turns his attention back to the board, explaining the various elements and how to calculate their weights and isotopes. Mal bends to gather up her books, and Evie notices the way the other girl moves, every motion stiff and deliberate. Evie sighs as Mal straightens, and she turns to the other girl with a stern expression on her face.
"You know for someone who scolded the boys for fighting, you're a bit hypocritical," Evie mutters with a frown. "I take it the other guy looks worse?"
Mal's head jerks minutely in Evie's direction, her eyes flickering guiltily before settling on the blackboard. "He deserved it," Mal grumbles under her breath.
"I'm sure," Evie murmurs tersely, jotting down a note from the board and trying to ignore Doug, who keeps giving her what he thinks are subtle longing glances from across the table.
"How did you even know?" Mal hisses, and Evie scoffs, rolling her eyes.
"I know you, M," she replies haughtily.
"But still," Mal mutters, brushing a strand of purple out of her eyes. "It's not like he left a mark…."
Evie huffs a sigh and gives Doug a sideways glare of warning before glaring back at Mal. "Really, Mal? You and Jay…was that really necessary?"
"How the hell?!"
"Ahem."
Both girls start, glancing up to see Mr. Deley frowning sternly at them both, although his gaze was focused mostly on Mal.
"Something you would like to share with the class, Miss…Maleficent?" the man drawls, with only the slightest bit of hesitation as he addresses Mal.
Evie grimaces, but Mal stiffens sharply, her eyes flashing a dangerous shade of green. Evie quickly reaches for her friend's hand, placing her own over top of Mal's and squeezing firmly.
"Mal," she whispers, darting an anxious glance to the teacher before focusing back on the other girl.
Mal grits her jaw, and Evie feels her hand clench into a fist beneath her palm. A shock ripples through Evie's fingers, and she lets go, startled at the soft spark that dances across Mal's hand before disappearing.
"Mal," Evie hisses again, a bit more insistently, but Mal jerks her hands off the table, shoving them into her pockets as she plasters a tight smile onto her face.
"No Sir," Mal says, keeping her eyes on the chalkboard instead of the teacher. "I was just saying how excited I am to be learning about helium and its various isotopic measurements."
Evie tenses, waiting for the man's response. Mr. Deley simply huffs a sigh, something resembling resignation in his tone as he replies:
"Do please contain your excitement," he intones lowly, and Mal nods in rapid agreement, relaxing only when the teacher turns back to the board.
"What were those sparks?" Evie demands, the moment the teacher's back is turned.
"Nothing," Mal snaps in an undertone. "Just…I don't know…but it's fine. I have it under control."
"Sure you do," Evie nods skeptically. "Is that what you call getting into it with Jay?"
"We're fine now," Mal defends, giving Evie a sideways glare. "He's back with Carlos, anyway. Trying for an apology."
Evie winces, sucking in a quiet breath. "I see why you chose the physical route," she mutters.
Mal lets out an airy chuckle, her lips twitching sardonically. "Yeah."
"I don't envy him that task," Evie continues quietly. Knowing Carlos, there was no way it could end as smoothly as it had with Jay and Mal.
"He knows, right?" Evie asks softly. "Carlos, I mean. He knows that Jay…that it was for the best that he wasn't there?"
"He probably does get it," Mal mutters with a subtle shrug. "But I doubt it'll make a difference either way. It won't matter why Jay left; it's the fact that he left that's going to be the issue."
"Why can't everything just be like chemistry?" Evie sighs, glancing down at her notes.
"It is," Mal grumbles beside her. "Needlessly complicated and impossible to understand."
"It's not impossible," Evie retorts, rolling her eyes at the other girl. "You just need to apply yourself more."
"Wow," Mal murmurs, lifting her brows in an exaggerated expression. "Condescending much?"
"But am I wrong?" Evie asks, smirking at Mal, who glares right back; her eyes flashing green again.
Across the table, Doug lets out a short spurt of breath that Evie recognizes as a laugh, and she snaps her head up to glare at him, instantly defensive.
"Something funny to you?" she snaps, and she silently revels in the way the boy pales, faltering over his words.
"Ah, no, no, I just…ha. Sorry," he mumbles, stammering almost as bad as Carlos. "Just, what you said, about chemistry." He glances up at her and tries for a smile, and Evie narrows her eyes at him.
"What about what I said?" she hisses lowly, and she can see Mal leveling the boy with a green-eyed glare of her own, backing up her silent threat.
"N-nothing," Doug hastily whispers, desperately glancing back and forth between the two girls. "I just thought it was…funny? Accurate," he clarifies quickly. "I also find that things are often a lot like chemistry: relatively straightforward, and only mildly explosive."
He lets out another nervous laugh, his shy smile barely making it all the way across his face. Mal scoffs, rolling her eyes as she mutters: "Nerd," under her breath. But Doug is looking at Evie, and the antagonistic princess can't quite interpret that look in his eyes. She keeps her guard up, although she can't help but think that he looks kind of cute when he's terrified of her.
"Only mildly explosive?" she finds herself teasing, and Mal presses a fist to her mouth to stifle her groan.
"Get a room," she coughs, low enough so only Evie can hear, and so it's only Evie who blushes furiously, embarrassed even as her stomach clenches at the thought.
"Shut up," she says flatly, and Mal shrugs a shoulder, dropping her eyes back to her scribbled notes.
"Just saying," the other girl mutters, and Evie shakes her head, ignoring Doug completely as she forces her attention to the lesson.
He was cute, but just that. Cute. Something to amuse herself with while she's stuck playing nice; for however long they'd be here, anyway. The thought of anything more…of even entertaining Mal's teased suggestion; makes Evie sick. She'd stick with her games, and maybe, if it were a Prince, at least…Princes were noble, after all. A Prince would be understanding if she didn't….
Evie shakes her head, bringing herself back to reality and working out the sample problems Mr. Deley had chalked up on the board. Mal gives up without a single glance at the work, busying herself by sketching out a rough 'Long Live Evil' design in her note book. Evie watches the drawing progress with bemusement, glancing over every few problems to see how far it had come.
"Not bad," Evie offers, as Mal completes the curve of Maleficent's horns, graceful and yet ominous as they hover just in the background of the sketch.
"Do you mean my talent, or the drawing?" Mal murmurs, the corner of her lips curving upwards, though her eyes remain focused on her sketch.
"Obviously I meant the drawing," Evie quips, and Mal growls, though the sound is stolen by the sudden ringing of the bell.
"Remember, there will be a test within the week," Mr. Deley intones solemnly from the front of the class. "Although it is not the mid-term, it will still count for a third of your grade."
"Whoa," Mal says lowly, dragging out the sound. "Really?"
"Yes. Really," Mr. Deley replies in that same solemn drawl. "All the more reason to be on time, Miss Maleficent."
"Right," Mal answers in a clipped tone, her jaw clenching angrily between syllables. "I will definitely be keeping that in mind."
Evie steers Mal out of the classroom quickly, not letting go until they were safely out of range of the other students. She had seen Mal's fingers sparking again, and regardless of how she felt about certain members, she didn't want to see anyone set on fire.
"Seriously though, M," Evie says sternly, once they were clear. "What is with the sparks? And don't bullshit me."
"Ooh, princess has got a potty mouth," Mal croons with another wicked curve of her lips. "Would you kiss Doug with that mouth?"
"Mal," Evie snaps, so harshly it's almost a growl.
"What?" Mal protests with a soft chuckle, spreading her hands in innocence. "I mean, it's obvious enough that…."
"Stop."
Mal blinks, furrowing eyebrows as she glances at Evie in confusion. "O…k," she drawls slowly. "Sorry? I think?"
"Just…forget it," Evie exhales shortly, pursing her lips and trying to drive the thoughts from her brain; flickering images and feelings of brick walls and heavy breathing.
"I was only kidding, E," Mal continues carefully, seeming to understand where the girl's thoughts had gone.
"I know," Evie responds in a clipped voice, forcing a light note in her tone. "Drop it; it's fine."
It wasn't, and they both know it. But Mal doesn't press, instead nodding her head and flipping open her sketchbook again to doodle as they walk.
"It's just a concept design," Mal mutters, when Evie comments once again the skill of the drawing. "I'm gonna paint it on my locker."
"Is that allowed?" Evie muses, grateful for the switch in subject, even if it wasn't the one she had originally addressed.
"Most likely not," Mal replies, unabashed. "But Prince Ben did say we were free to personalize and decorate our lockers however we wanted, so…."
"So legal vandalism," Evie finishes with an amused laugh.
"Got that right," Mal agrees with another sly grin.
A grin that quickly morphs into a scowl as someone rushes past, knocking against Mal's arm and toppling her sketchbook for the second time.
"Hey, watch where you're going, asshole!" Mal hisses, abandoning her book to whirl furiously on the intruder, leaving Evie to scoop up the fallen sketchbook for her.
"Such language," a familiar voice says above her, and while the tone sounds playful, Evie can hear the strain in his voice.
"Jay," Mal growls, not breaking eye contact even as she accepts her book from Evie. "Don't make me beat you again."
"Ha," Jay barks sharply, his eyes glinting. "As if! The way I recalled it, I had the upper hand in that fight."
"You slimy…."
"Jay," Evie breaks through their banter with icy calm, as she notices the crucial absence. "Where's Carlos?"
Jane
When Ben had announced that he wanted to bring Villain kids over from the Isle, Jane couldn't help but admit that she was terrified. She'd be lying, otherwise, and, well…it wasn't something a respectable heroine would do; much less the daughter of a fairy. There had been excitement from some; Jane knew Lonnie had been one of the excited ones. Her roommate hadn't stopped talking about it: wondering if there'd be any 'roguishly handsome guys,' or *ahem* 'bad-ass and sexy' chicks.
That sort of talk always made Jane uncomfortable, given her lack of either experience, or prospective significant others. Although her mother always said that 'True love waits,' and that it applied to more than just, well…things that Lonnie or some of the other older teens would be more interested in.
Jane's main concern, was the one that realists like Aubrey shared: they were -and are- villains! And Ben was just letting them free in Auradon, with access to things like magic, and technology, and…other students. It was a nightmare just waiting to happen.
And a part of that nightmare had already occurred, if the talk around school was to be believed. Jay and Carlos, attacking Chad and some of the other tourney team members with a knife…it was pieces of a villain origin story of fairytales come to life. There were other things being whispered around school too, though; how what was previously believed about Carlos de Vil being mute was actually a lie.
Jane didn't know what to think about the villain kids, other than that they were dangerous, and that the key to her survival of this term would just to be invisible. So, not much different than her usual. Jane sighs to herself as she nears the wing that held all of the various workshops and other extra-curricular classes. She'd stupidly left her sewing bag in the Home-Ec room- not that she was good at either sewing or maintaining a home. But the class had been one her mother had insisted on, and so Jane resigned herself to her fate. She would have much rather taken one of the Magic Theory classes, but her mother insisted that such a class was unnecessary, despite Jane 'technically' being part Fairy.
But Jane had to trust that her mother knew best. She had to; because Goodness knows Jane had no clue what she was doing, and if her own mother didn't know, well…Jane would not want to live in such a world.
A crash from one of the nearby classrooms, jolts Jane from her chaotic thoughts, startling her so badly she almost dropped her bag again. She clutches the cloth to her chest and freezes, holding her breath as another, albeit softer, crash sounds. Judging by the metallic note in the crashing, it's coming from one of the 'forges'- the student body's nickname for the metal working classes. But those workshops were banned from any and all student use or contact outside of class. It was too dangerous, what with some of the objects and machinery containing traces of magic; and so Jane couldn't help but wonder who was intruding.
Her curiosity gets the better of her fear, but not her caution, as she creeps on her toes towards the nearest classroom. The part of her that knows better screams at her; what are you doing? Don't investigate! Get help! Jane has to agree; it was an almost classic horror scenario, but she had to know what was going on first, right? How else would she know what it was she was getting help for?
That was her curious side talking again, and Jane steels her nerves as she shoves open the door to the workshop, pausing just short of entering. Thankfully, it wasn't one of the magical workshops, but the things in here could still seriously injure her and whoever it was that had broken in.
"Hello?" Jane calls softly, not daring to turn on the light, despite the part of her that wants to. "Anyone there?"
There's no answer, but really, any intruder or murderer would know better. She takes a cautious step into the room and stops just over the threshold.
"This room is off limits to students," Jane tries again, grateful that her voice doesn't shake too badly. "Although, granted, that means me, too, but…."
She trails off with a gasp as a breath sounds from in the room; something that would have been a laugh if sound had actually been added to it. As it is, it's still enough to completely terrify her.
"Ok, well, whoever you are, I'm going to give you till the count of three to leave," Jane manages with false bravery as she takes a step back. "Otherwise I-I'll have to…contact the authorities."
'Really, Jane?!' Her brain screams at her. "Contact the authorities?"
But her faltering threat seems to be enough for the intruder, as something shuffles by one of the anvils, and suddenly she's staring at a shadow. The shadow is about her height, maybe taller, but outside of that, there's not much Jane can make out, other than that the shadow also seems to be a bit shaky.
"Who are you?" Jane calls nervously, then clears her throat, trying for that bravery thing again. "I mean, this place is off limits."
The shadow shuffles a bit more, and Jane-slightly irritated by the silence and heavy atmosphere- flicks on the light. The shadow lets out a startled noise, and suddenly vanishes, the figure ducking back under the anvil.
"Hey, no!" Jane cries out, taking a few quick steps forward before remembering that intruders were dangerous. "You can't be in here! I mean, neither can I," she mumbles. "But that's why you need to get out. Now."
The intruder doesn't say anything, doesn't make a single move, and Jane huffs a sigh of frustration.
"Look, I can't leave until you leave, so you might as well come out."
There's a soft shuffle of movement, and Jane jumps in surprise as the intruder slowly creeps back out; but from one of the machines to her left, instead of the anvil at the back of the room. It's not just the sudden appearance that scares her, either; it's that the intruder is…is…
"Carlos?" Jane squeaks, suddenly terrified all over again. Oh, pixie dust, she was in trouble now! Carlos de Vil, of all the potential intruders in the school, it had to be him. The mute sociopath.
'Well that's not very nice,' her brain scolds. 'I mean, probably not inaccurate, but still…not nice.'
Carlos, for his part, looks almost as terrified as Jane, his body still not entirely free from the machine he'd been hiding behind. He's tense, and his eyes keep darting around the room, shifting from the various machines to the open door behind her, and Jane can tell he's trying to plot out some kind of escape route.
The stupid part of her leans back and closes the door, effectively shutting them both in. Carlos' eyes flicker, raw and wild, before he suddenly stops, his body stilling its tremors; and when he looks back up at her again, he's completely calm. He steps out from behind the machine, his movements fluid and purposeful, and his face betrays no emotion whatsoever.
'So, definitely a sociopath then?' she whispers anxiously to herself; to which her brain replies: 'Oh yeah, we're done for.'
"Look," Jane says, backing away as he takes another small step forward. "I don't care that you were in here, I mean, I do, because it's dangerous and the parts are sharp and sometimes that anvil can still be really hot and there's all kinds of things that can go wrong and explode or catch on fire and…."
She gasps, realizing she's rambling, although Carlos was no longer moving towards her. He had stopped only a foot or so away from his hiding place, his eyes dark and calculating as he stares at her, his lips set in a line.
"What I meant to say is," Jane falters. "You shouldn't have come in here, but as long as nothing's broken, and you aren't hurt, we can both go."
His eyes flicker at that, the slightest shift in his expression; a tiny furrow of his brows, and Jane realizes he's confused about something.
"I mean," she attempts to clarify. "This room is off limits except for the students who are actually in the workshop class…uh, so... I mean, unless one of the machines got knocked over or you're hurt or something. Then we'd have to see the nurse or whatever. But I'm ok with just leaving…pretending like this didn't happen."
Jane stops herself before she starts rambling again, but she's just so nervous! And terrified, because he's still just staring at her blankly, his lips a tighter line than before.
"Ok," Jane drawls nervously. "Um, I guess, we'll just do a quick check?"
He blinks at her, and she takes that for a yes. She draws a slow breath and glances around at the equipment. Nothing looked like it had been broken or taken apart, but there had been that loud crashing….
"Uh, are the machines ok?" Jane asks carefully. "Um, nothing broke or fell, did it?"
Carlos' expression turns guilty, his eyes flickering away from hers in a sudden show of vulnerability before he slowly shakes his head.
"Ok," Jane says, a little skeptical but desperately going with it in the hope that it would get her out of here faster. "And you're ok? I mean, you didn't burn yourself on the anvil or anything like that?"
He shakes his head again, but he's not looking at her at all now, his eyes cast towards the ground as he fiddles with something attached to his belt. Jane peers closer and sees a small furry something hanging on a chain from one of his belt loops. She thinks it's a rabbit's foot, but with another glance, as well as a subtle probe from her brain (why would the son of Cruella de Vil have a lucky rabbit's foot?) she realizes it's a grey and white dog tail.
"Well that's good," Jane mumbles, fidgeting a little herself. "That you're ok and all. Um, I guess…." She reaches behind her and opens the door, stepping to the side to let Carlos past.
He glances up at her then, all wary and nervous again, like he didn't think she was really going to let him go.
"I said as long as you weren't hurt and nothing was broken, it'd be ok," Jane tells him, taking another step and moving out into the hall, where she could breathe easier. "So, uh, it's ok. I mean," she fumbles anxiously. "Not 'ok,' since, breaking and entering and all that, but…"
She breaks off as Carlos approaches her and the door, the corners of his mouth twitching despite the fact that his lips were still in a tight line and his dark eyes unreadable. It occurs to Jane, as he slips quickly past her and into the hallway, that that had been the reason he'd had that expression; he wasn't angry or trying to intimidate her: he was trying to keep himself from laughing at her!
The thought stung, though she didn't know why; it's not like it's a first for her. But it also makes her a little angry, and she whirls sharply on her heel to go after him before remembering the door. She turns back quickly to make sure the workshop door was properly secured, before whirling back and jogging a few paces after him.
"You know I could still report you!" She calls, her indignation striking against his back and having no effect. "I could!"
He barely pauses in his stride to toss a lopsided smirk over his shoulder at her, his eyebrows lifting as though to say: 'No you won't!'
"I will," Jane promises in faltering tones. "I mean, I should!"
He makes that quiet chuckling noise again; not really a laugh, since there's no sound, but Jane can feel the laughter; his amusement.
"What were you doing in there, anyway?" Jane demands, her curiosity and anger proving to be a dangerous and overwhelming force that completely drives away her sensible fear. "Shouldn't you be in class with Jay and the rest of your group?"
The effect of her words was instant and startling. Carlos stiffened, freezing in place like…well, not 'like a statue,' since that was a little too cliché for Jane's liking. Almost like he'd completely stopped being a moving, breathing human being; like he'd never moved and never would. Jane had managed to catch up to Carlos- fortunately? unfortunately? enough- and so she is able to watch the almost painful twisting of his face. His eyes widen a fraction, something flickering in them that she couldn't quite interpret. His lips pull back from his teeth in what Jane thinks at first is a grimace, but then with a hard clench of his jaw becomes something of a snarl.
He maintains the expression for all of two seconds. Then he blinks, and it's terrifying to see how fast the emotion is wiped from his face, his lips once more that tight line; his eyes dark and completely closed off. Jane would describe it as a mask: except it's his actual expression, and she falters when he continues walking, as though she'd never spoken to him in the first place.
"Y-you know," Jane stammers out, her voice barely a whisper. "You're actually quite expressive for someone who's supposed to be mute."
He doesn't react at all this time, his stride purposeful and sure; despite the fact that Jane was pretty sure he had no clue where he was going. She continues along -at a safe distance- beside him, eyeing him sideways every now and then to make sure her remark hadn't made him angry and he wasn't just waiting for a chance to pull a knife on her.
'Don't be stupid,' her brain mutters. 'Too late for that,' the other part of her brain scoffs.
Jane grits her own jaw in a silent grimace, and focuses back on the situation at hand; namely, that they're going the wrong way.
"We really should get back to class," Jane mumbles, half to herself and half to Carlos, who jumps like he'd forgotten she was there too.
The look of surprise and fear on his face again, only last a second, but it's long enough to make Jane pause. It couldn't have been a genuine reaction; she was anything but terrifying. She thinks it must be a reflexive thing, judging by the way his body remains tense and wary, his eyes quickly scanning the empty hallway before glancing at her. He takes her in for a moment, then looks away again, biting at his lip in a strange show of nervousness.
"I mean," Jane says, feeding off of his nervous energy and tugging at her bow. "I don't have a class, but you do…I think. You already had biology, so I think you just have…."
Carlos makes a soft noise in his throat that she thinks is a laugh, and is confirmed as such when Jane looks up at him and sees his lips twitching, his brows lifted in amusement. It sets off her anger again, and a part of Jane thinks that she's right in her feelings that the villain kids were bad influences; she'd never gotten this angry twice in one day!
"Haha, yes, Jane is just so funny," Jane snaps, though not quite as harshly as she thinks it should sound. "Everyone else laughs at me, so why shouldn't you?"
She doesn't realize she'd stopped walking in her anger, until Carlos turns around to face her and she notices that he's in front of her, now. His expression is no longer amused, in fact, he looks almost worried, his brow furrowed slightly and his lips parted like he wants to say something. But of course, it's ridiculous of her to think that, no matter what hurtful rumors were spread.
"Who would laugh at you?" Carlos asks; although it comes out like: "Hoo, hoo, hoo?" And that other part of Jane snidely thinks he sounds like an owl.
His voice a hesitant and nervous whisper in her shocked silence, as the rational, normal part of her brain loops like a record. 'He can't talk! How is he talking? They said he couldn't talk, and yet….
"You can talk?" the startled part of burst out, and Carlos makes a face, a bitter twist of his lips as he answers.
"Barely." Except the 'B' gets stuck somewhere, and when it finally comes out, it's in a loud burst of a hard 'B' sound, the rest of the word no longer important.
"I thought…," Jane starts, but then she catches herself and goes with something less like what the other part of her would say. "I thought Chad was just being a jerk, saying that you…." It's still too mean, and she breaks off again with an apologetic grimace.
"Th-that I hhad a st-st-stutter?" Carlos finishes for her, that bitter note still in his voice.
"Yes," Jane admits in a whisper, regretting bringing it up. "I'm sorry."
"Sso am-m I," he mutters, breaking eye contact and glaring fiercely at the wall to his left.
"Oh gosh, no!" Jane cries, horrified. "No, I didn't mean it like that, I swear! I meant I'm sorry they're saying things like that."
"W-why?" he asks, his lips curling in a grimace. "It's nnot fff…it's not a lie."
"No," she agrees reluctantly. "But the things they're saying, well…anyway, I only meant, I know what it's like, so…I'm sorry."
You-you mment-ioned that," he mumbles, but his glare at the wall had softened, and was almost amusement again.
"You never did mention, what you were doing in that workshop," Jane presses with a shy, teasing smile.
Her brain does a double take and practically keels over with the force of it. 'What in the name of all that is Good and Holy are you doing?! FLIRTING?! With Carlos de Vil!?'
Jane politely tells her brain to shut up, and then immediately apologizes for it. Carlos actually chuckles, but there's something sort of shadowed in his eyes that doesn't match the amusement.
"Are you always this ffforward?"
That weird part of her that is actually enjoying the banter, attempts to say something coy and subtle; something cool like Lonnie would say, like: 'Only when I'm talking with you,' but what actually comes out is:
"No."
He laughs again, and when he turns back to her, his mouth is in a crooked sort of sly smirk.
"Wh-what were you d-doing?" He counters; and if there's a part of Jane that registers his suddenly relaxed muscles- or if she'd known enough about Carlos to realize that this is the most he'd ever spoken to anyone who wasn't Mal, Jay, or Evie; if she knew that his stutter was worse when he was nervous or didn't trust someone, and so it's even more remarkable that his speech had gradually smoothed out some- it doesn't show.
It also doesn't show that this is the most Jane has allowed herself to interact with anyone; let alone in such a bold and positive manner. That not a single negative thought about herself had currently drifted through her thoughts; no twisted comparisons to others, no disparaging remark on her lack of 'experience'; and that it's a bit of a beautiful irony that she's opening up so much because of, and towards- a villain. All that does show is the slow, faltering steps towards some kind of mutual something; and any observer who knew both of the participants as well as they themselves did not know the other- would look upon this moment with a mix of awe and glee.
"I have an excuse," Jane retorts in faux superior tones, drawing herself up to a height that was…actually only a few inches shorter than Carlos himself. "I was supposed to be there. You weren't."
"R-really?" Carlos replies, his lips twitching and betraying his attempt to appear skeptical. "And wha-wha-what was that?"
"I left my sewing bag in one of the other classrooms," Jane mumbles, dropping her gaze in embarrassment. "Stupid, I know. It's not even a surprise anymore."
And there it is, that other part that always ruined things for her. 'You ruin it for yourself,' that part hisses venomously. 'Like, really though. Like he'd actually have had anything to do with you.'
Jane bites her lip hard, and winces when it actually hurts too much, blinking at the worn black and red boot-like sneakers that suddenly take up her vision.
"Y-you're not stup-stupid," Carlos says, and his voice is so soft and yet so firm, that it's enough to cause her brain to cease all thought production.
"Auh," is all Jane manages, as she lifts her gaze to find him staring at her, his eyes just as firm, if not a little hesitant. She thinks- except not really, because her brain still wasn't providing that function yet- that she might like to do something here, but she couldn't (obviously) figure out what that would be.
Then Carlos blinks, and draws back again, shaking his head as though to clear it before glancing back up with that sly look again.
"An-anyway," he mumbles through his grin. "I had r-reasons too."
"Uh-huh?" Jane replies, and she's grateful that her brain finally got itself together enough to actually play along like nothing happened. She's just about press for what that reason was when the bell rings sharply above them, and Carlos jerks, pressing back against the wall like he expects some kind of attack.
"Oh, we're in the opposite wing," Jane reassures, her brain slowly piecing together that he probably thought he'd be trampled by students. (A valid fear, experience had shown her.) "No swarms of students over here."
She laughs, but he doesn't reciprocate, his head slowly whipping back and forth, verifying her words that it was still clear before stepping out again. It was a shame she wasn't firing on all cylinders yet, because she would have realized what a weird reaction it was. How severe.
"I sshould pro-probably go," Carlos murmurs, and he's adopted that 'not-mask' again; although Jane finds she can see through it, now, and can tell he's nervous about something.
"I mean, it's only what I've been trying to tell you the whole time," Jane tries to tease again, and it causes a soft lift to the hardness in his expression. "And anyway," she continues. "I have…oh pumpkin seeds!"
"You wwhat?" Carlos cries, his eyes widening as he stares at her.
"I have a study hall!" Jane gasps, remembering. "A double period, too; and I've already missed the first half!"
Carlos laughs then, but Jane's brain finds it very not funny. She scrambles for her bag, slinging it over her shoulder, then, still frantic, grabs Carlos' hand.
"Come on," she pants. "I'll show you..." 'The way back,' had been what she was going to finish, but Carlos had jerked back and was now staring at her in a way that looked all too much like a frightened and injured puppy. (Again, the unwitting irony.)
"Sorry," Jane apologizes quickly, but sincerely. "I didn't mean to pull so hard. I just didn't want to miss any more of my class."
Carlos shakes his head, straightening slowly and offering a weak smile. "You're…you're g-good."
Oh, the joys of the double entendre! Except, Jane didn't know it at the time.
"Still," she continues. "I should have been more careful."
The second warning bell rings ominously, and Carlos glances at Jane's anxious face before breaking into a jog. Jane catches up, and he lets her overtake him and guide the way, while Jane tried to delegate tasks to her body that would allow her to run and complain at the same time.
"Fiddly faddle foodle!" She swears, grumbling under her breath. Carlos shoots her an extremely amused grin as they turn a corner and a familiar hall appears ahead.
"Th-that's a lot of 'f's," he says. "I gotta ssimpler one you could tr-try."
Jane trips, and it's his turn to grab her hand, keeping her on her feet. He jerks her upright a little too forcefully, but Jane thinks it's because he's laughing; an actual laugh that he keeps trying to stifle- pressing his lips together tightly so it ends up becoming a childish giggle.
"I would never," Jane gasps indignantly, once she's recovered her shock of nearly falling. She fixes Carlos with what she hopes is a stern glare, but it only sets him off laughing again, hand coming up to cover his mouth as his eyes gleam wickedly at her.
"I-I-I was j..ust ki-kidding!" Carlos finally gasps out, his laughter doing little to persuade her.
"Well," Jane says, still frowning. "That sort of language isn't becoming of a young lady. Or a young gentleman, either," she adds, her eyes narrowing at him.
His own eyes widen at her look, then he glances blankly around the hallways, briefly pausing as he takes in the sudden crowd in the distance before turning back to her.
"Wh-ho, me?" he asks innocently, resting a hand against his chest. "I-I'm suppposed to be the ge-ge-gentleman?"
"You're supposed to be," Jane mutters. But it's only halfhearted because, somehow, strangely and impossibly enough, Jane finds herself starting to actually like Carlos de Vil's company.
Which makes the third and final bell that much more painful. They both jump this time, and Jane mutters another Cinderella themed swear under her breath; something along the lines of 'Lucifer's hairballs,' as she ushers a hasty farewell to Carlos.
"I'll see you at dinner?" she half asks, half states, the pressing matter of her tardiness momentarily distracting her shy and fearful side; making her stupidly bold again.
Carlos just nods, his hand barely coming up for a wave, a mystified expression on his face that Jane doesn't have time to try and interpret. It's only after they've parted ways, and Jane is rushing to get to her study hall that she realizes she'd forgotten to ask him what he'd taken from the workshop.
Carlos
"It's just…disappointing."
"I know it is, 'Ella, but if you just give it time-"
"Ceran would have spoken by now."
"…Maybe. There's no way to know for sure…and Ceran is…"
"Because of him!"
"No, Ella. Carlos isn't to blame. No one is."
"No. Not no one…Auradon."
"He's rather dull, isn't he, Baby?"
"They say Carlos is actually quite smart for his age."
"Smart! Do you hear that? He calls him 'smart.'"
"Try talking to him."
"What good will that do?"
"They say it will help encourage him, hearing how the words are supposed to sound."
"'They say.' And do They also say when this Island of theirs will be ready for our imprisonment?"
"…It's only talk, 'Ella. They wouldn't really…"
"Funny how everyone else seems to be talking but him."
"Just…give it time."
"Carlos!"
He likes the man better, he thinks.
"Carlos, look at me!"
He had a nice smile, and looked at him, instead of through him. He played games with him, sometimes, and talked to him nicely too.
"Carlos, can you say 'Mommy'?"
He blinks, wondering why he would want to do that. Was the nice man, 'Mommy?' He didn't think so, somehow.
"Honestly, darling, why you're still trying…."
He doesn't like the lady much at all. She doesn't like him. Carlos knows that from the way she looks at him, her voice not at all soft and nice like the man. And she was scary…sometimes she'd be nice, and talk to him nice and she'd hold him and it wouldn't hurt. But she called him Ceran when she did that, and he was Carlos.
"You can do it," the man says again, and his eyes are shining, and Carlos wiggles happily. He likes it when the man's eyes are shiny. "Say, 'Mommy.'"
He wants to try, at least. For the nice man. Carlos wiggles harder, watching the man's mouth move with intense, dark eyes.
"Mommy," the man says again, dragging out the word slowly.
Carlos reaches a tiny hand out and grabs the man's face, making him laugh as Carlos traces his tiny fingers over the man's lips.
"Mmmm," Carlos hums, wiggling again as the man suddenly pauses.
"Ella, look!" He whispers, and the lady is suddenly there; too close to his face and smiling that scary smile.
"That's it, Baby, you can do it!" Her voice is high pitched, that voice she uses when she calls him not-Carlos.
"Mommy," the man says again, and Carlos feels the way his lips move under his hand.
He brings his fingers up to his own mouth, tracing them over his lips and opening and closing his mouth slowly. He can tell this was important to the man, and the lady too…but he wants to do this for him. He wanted to make his eyes shiny again.
"Mmmmah!" Carlos shouts, smiling as he grabs at the man. "Mmmah!"
The man laughs at that, reaching back and tickling Carlos until he squeals. "Silly Carlos," the man mumbles. "I'm not Mommy, I'm…"
The lady makes a weird noise, and Carlos jerks, clumsily folding himself over in an instinctive duck. But the hurt isn't at him, it's at the man, who ducks too as something breaks over his head. And then suddenly the lady is coming at him, and he feels tight hands around his body, pressing too hard and…and…and there's no more ground, only air, and he's being pressed against something and the lady is screaming screaming screaming!
"He's my Baby! He's my Baby, hesminehesminehesmine!"
The man doesn't come back for ages and ages. Carlos cries for him, even though it makes the scary lady mad. She doesn't talk nice to him at all, not even to call him Ceran. She talks nice to Baby, but Carlos doesn't know who that is, either. He wants Mommy, but the man isn't there, and every time Carlos cries for him, the lady comes instead.
She doesn't like it when he cries. It always hurts when she comes; hurts worse than the last time the man had been there, and he had been squeezed so tight and it hurt a lot. The lady makes it hurt, so Carlos learns to stop crying. He doesn't like the hurt, but what really stops him is the realization that the man really isn't Mommy…it's the scary lady.
"Why does he keep doing that?"
The man is back, and Carlos had almost flown he'd scrambled over to him so fast, pressing himself into his legs and soaking in his warmness. The scary lady- he refused to call her Mommy, because she wasn't, she wasn't! - was sitting in her chair by the window, and there was smoke all around her. Carlos shivers, holding the man tighter and mumbling "Mmah" at him with each big step into the room.
"Doing what, Ella?"
The man's voice doesn't sound right. It's not bad or mean or scary like the lady, but it's not nice, which is what it's supposed to be.
"Well, two things, for one…."
"Yes?"
"He keeps calling you 'Mommy.'"
"And I am truly honored to bear the title. Really, I'm speechless."
There's something hard and sharp in the man's voice, and Carlos flinches, whimpering softly. He can't press himself into the man any more than he already is; so close that he can feel all the words vibrating in his chest.
"The other," and the lady's voice is even harder and sharper, the smoke so thick that Carlos thinks it's going to fill him up and make him explode. "He keeps repeating the 'M'…it doesn't come out right."
The man makes a big breath, and Carlos floats on the breath with him, his whole body lifting up and down. It almost makes him laugh, but then he remembers the lady is still there, and she doesn't like him laughing. Doesn't like him crying, or talking, much, either.
"He's still a baby. It's not surprising the words aren't perfect yet."
"He's not Baby, Baby is right…."
"Ella, remember? Carlos?"
"I know my own child! He just doesn't know me…."
Chad
Five minutes into detention, and Chad is already done with it all. He's sitting in the back of the classroom, tucked into a corner as far away as possible from the two…freaks sitting in the front row. Fairy Godmother had started to open up the detention; talking about how it was for everyone's 'mutual benefit' and explaining what the detentions would cover. And then she'd been 'called away,' and had left the classroom.
That was six minutes ago, and Chad can see the not-to-subtle ploy for what it is. Just some weird attempt to make them work together. But he wasn't about to get sucked into that. Bad enough that he even had to go to these stupid detentions. But he didn't plan on doing any more than what he had to get through this, seeing as he hadn't done anything wrong.
His parents had differing opinions on that matter. He'd received two separate letters from them, which was almost a first for his family. His father considered it an outrage; a slander against the Charming family name, to be so insulted and humiliated and accused of villainy! His mother, on the other hand, thought that the whole situation could have been avoided if Chad had thought instead of acted. She insisted that while the 'villains' had been wrong to react the way they had, it was because of Chad's actions that the event had occurred at all. (She had also insisted on calling them 'children' which had only served to further irritate Chad. They weren't children, they were villains.)
She told him to remember her story, and how she forgave her stepfamily despite how terrible they were, and that in the end, her kindness was enough to guide Anastasia to kindness as well. Chad would have liked to point out that Aunt Anastasia been mostly controlled by Lady Tremaine, and that even if Aunt Anastasia had begun as evil on her own, being petty wasn't quite the same as being truly evil and dangerous, which these two villains were. He would have liked to say all of that and more, but he couldn't really fit it all in a letter, and he'd lost his cell phone again.
So he forces himself to bite his tongue, and glares at the back of the two freaks' heads; glancing first from one end of the row and the white hair, to the other end and the dark hair. He wonders, only idly, if there was something going on between the two, given their massive distance between them. But it's quickly turned to indifference. If there is, he doesn't care. He just needs to get through this detention and get away from them.
Ten minutes, and Fairy Godmother walks back in with a smile, though Chad notes that she looks disappointed to find them all exactly as she'd left them. Chad silently congratulates himself on his correct assumption of her 'plot,' though he quickly reverts back to boredom as she starts the detention for real.
"Well, children, as disappointed as I am to see you all here," she begins. "I must say, I am eager to begin this learning period."
Fairy Godmother turns to the board and scribbles something out, while Chad rolls his eyes and scoffs. He didn't need to learn anything. Movement from below catches his eye, and he narrows his gaze at the back of the dark head, as the other boy tries to catch de Vil's attention. The freak wasn't even looking in Jay's direction, his eyes locked on his desk.
'Trouble in paradise,' Chad thinks snidely, but then it occurs to him that he could totally use this to his advantage, and he straightens in his seat, suddenly interested in detention after all.
"I am going to teach you several things," Fairy Godmother intones from the front of the class. "But if there's one thing I want to teach you, it's this: the emotions that you feel are ok to feel."
Oh great, she was going with the 'feelings' thing. Chad sinks in his seat, abandoning his intense scrutiny of the villains in an attempt to focus on ignoring the old fairy. He thought about the other half of the villain quartet, trying to figure out what to do with them. Unlike de Vil, it didn't seem like there was anything particularly freakish about the two girls. The Evil Queen's daughter was actually almost smart, half the time. Even Maleficent 2.0 was kind of normal, he guessed. But it didn't help him any, not with how close the girls seemed to be to the opposite side of their group.
"Even anger," Fairy Godmother was saying, and despite Chad's attempts, he couldn't completely drown her out with his own thoughts. "That is something I want to impress upon you children. Anger is normal, and it is ok for you to feel angry when things upset you. It's how you deal with those feelings that is important. Acting upon those feelings, is when things tilt towards the negative."
Chad finds himself unable to make eye contact with Fairy Godmother, as she glances up at them. He glances down to see de Vil has turned towards the wall, and is giving Chad a sideways look out of the corner of his eye. It's enough to drive away any of Chad's twisted sense of guilt or regret, and he straightens, shooting the freak a challenging glare of his own; setting his sharp features to appear even sharper.
It works, as he knew it would, and the freak looks away quickly, back at the chalkboard. Jay notices, unfortunately, and goes so far as to twist in his seat to glare at Chad; and the young Charming recalls that fight on the green, and that he doesn't want a repeat.
"This is precisely what I mean," Fairy Godmother sighs. "You need to learn how to relieve yourselves of your feelings in a way that does not lead to negative actions."
Clearly, it's too late for that, but the Fairy Godmother doesn't seem to agree with Chad's cynicism.
"Now, the key to all of this," Fairy Godmother states. "Lies in acknowledging each other as fellow human beings; and that goes for everyone. In any given situation, it is crucial that you always remember that."
Chad rolls his eyes, thinking that she wouldn't say that if she knew the truth about the two 'fellow human beings' below him. They were villains; the worst of the worst and the lowest of the low. If they truly were 'human' and deserving of that recognition and treatment, they wouldn't have been on that Isle to begin with.
That thought jolts Chad, and for a moment, he pauses. There was something…not right with that, but he couldn't think of what. His mother- his Aunt Anastasia. If she hadn't been so nice, would she have been on that Isle too? Declared a villain and therefore, not a human being? It terrifies him, that thought, because he knows that it's important; that there's something more there that he's missing.
Then he looks back down at the two villains, and he remembers the fight; Emil's dislocated shoulder, and Kory; who'd dodged the knife but not Jay's fists and wound up with a broken nose and a several bruised ribs. He remembers the dark and wild look in de Vil's eyes, and the way Jay had been smiling the entire time he beat Kory into the ground.
And he knows that that is what's real here, not whatever sentiment Fairy Godmother believed. They weren't decent human beings, and Chad wasn't about to let himself forget that. They were villains, and he'd make sure they got the treatment they deserved. Because that's what hero's did, didn't they?
Carlos
"Some joke, huh?"
I'm ignoring you, Carlos thinks, staring solidly ahead.
"I mean, really, 'talking out your feelings?' Bet you if she tried that on the Isle, all that'd be left of her is a pile of pixie dust."
I'm ignoring you.
"Heh, probably not even that; since CJ and crew would start a war to see who'd get the dust."
Carlos draws a slow breath, his hands in fists as he fights the urge to drive it through Jay's face. The only thing that stops him is the knowledge that someone else had already done that, and going by the rather larger bruise across the other boy's jaw, that other person had been Mal. He tries to imagine the fight, but he's too irritated by Jay's presence to feel any sort of amusement or gratefulness. She obviously didn't do it for Carlos, but still, it's the thought that counts. Namely, his.
"Listen, about the library…."
Carlos lifts his chin and tightens his expression, lengthening his stride so he's several feet away. He doesn't care about how sorry Jay is, and he definitely doesn't need any reminders about that…thing, and it's only slightly less evil handlers.
"Carlos, please, just listen!"
What part of I'm ignoring you don't you get?
But he stops anyway, crossing his arms tightly over his chest to further emphasize his stance on the matter. There's a slight crunch of grass behind him, and Carlos stiffens and moves away again, stopping only when he's sure Jay won't try and get closer. He can hear the short sigh from Jay, and Carlos feels a stronger flicker of irritation. If anyone had the right to be frustrated, it wasn't Jay!
"I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but you can't just shut me out like this."
Can't I? I was doing a pretty good job until now.
"Just-just tell me what to do. I don't…want to lose…you."
Well. That's new. I think he's actually sorry…he should be.
"Carlos, please."
Carlos swallows, and it's harder than it should be, and carries the sharp taste of salt. He blinks, and then does it again, cursing himself for giving in to weakness so easily.
"Wh-what do you want me to ssay?" he asks, and is relieved that at least his voice is still cold, despite the tripping of his tongue.
"That it's ok," Jay murmurs, his voice painfully soft. "That we're ok."
"We're nnnot," Carlos bites out, and the salt is gone from his mouth, gone from his eyes, as anger rushes back into place. "You…" he cuts himself off, grimacing as his voice fails him.
He spins sharply on his heel and signs instead, his hands reflecting his emotions with their jerky rapid movement. He points to Jay before bringing his left hand up and just to the side of his body; opening his hand in a sort of 'mouth' shape before closing it in a sharp motion.
[You left.]
Jay's face twists, and Carlos grits his jaw even tighter. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to be here and dealing with these…feelings. If Jay started breaking down, Carlos would end him.
"I didn't," the other boy tries, but Carlos curls a lip at him fiercely. "Carlos, I didn't leave. Mal…I was kicked out."
Carlos presses the air out between his lips as he rolls his eyes, shaking his head as he signs; bringing up his right hand in an upraised palm, he then slides the tips of the fingers on his left hand against it in a short, double motion before signing again; pointing again at Jay before touching the tips of his fingers to his temple.
[Excuses. You know that.]
"Carlos," Jay begins, but Carlos shakes his head sharply, cutting him off as he repeats his first sign.
[You left.]
"You're right," Jay says, looking away. "I did. I left and I'm sorry."
Carlos wants to believe it, wants to trust that Jay really is sorry and that he'll come back and never leave. But he'd been down that road before, had had someone once who'd been there for him and was safe, like Jay was safe. Like he had been. He knows what will happen if he gives in, and he can't let that happen. Not again.
He shakes his head, and is about to turn his back on Jay when a voice calls out behind him.
"Hey look, it's Tweedledee and Tweedledumb."
Jay's head snaps up, his eyes hard, and Carlos turns sharply on his heel to see Chad striding down the hall towards them, leading a slightly larger group than before. Carlos grits his teeth and growls a warning, while Jay fires off a retort behind him.
"Hey look, a fairy! Quick, think happy thoughts!"
Carlos can practically feel Jay's challenging grin, and he can't help but chuckle a bit as Chad reddens in obvious discomfort. Then the other boy recovers, and his sneer is almost as powerful as Carlos' own.
"I doubt you freaks even have any happy thoughts to think."
Carlos senses Jay stiffen at that, but he pauses, only slightly taken aback. He could remember, actually, a very happy thought. But it existed only as that, a vague sort of feeling of happy. And…a voice. A happy voice, saying something.
"I bet I can make some new ones."
That's Jay, Carlos recognizes, striding forward with his fists clenched and all set to follow through with his threat. But Carlos knew these odds, had faced these and worse single handed on the Isle, and even then he'd barely made it, even with his knife. Now, without his knife, and with only Jay as an obligated kind of back up; against one…two…at least six older, stronger, and taller boys. (He hadn't counted Chad. He couldn't count Chad; the other boy barely counted for himself.)
But this wasn't going to end anywhere near as well as the first one, and Carlos wasn't going to give Chad the satisfaction of more villainous behavior. Not if he could avoid it, which, according to Fairy Godmother, he could. Maybe.
"Sstop."
His demand stopped only Jay, but it was enough to make the other boys hesitate, if only for a moment. What had Fairy Godmother said? Steps to avoiding confrontations…aside from stupid 'human beings' bit, she'd actually had some solid advice. Not that it was much different from what Carlos had done back on the Isle. Finding common ground, talking things out, providing some kind of distraction to just slip away.
That had been her big thing. 'You can always just walk away,' and if things still got bad, then find her or some other authoritative figure. Not that authority figured had even done him much good, but it was better than nothing, which was they had.
"Look, Ch-chad," Carlos continues, keeping his voice low but calm. "I get tha-tha-that you hate mme; I'm nnot feeling friendly, either, tru-trust me. But wwhat does this g-get us?"
"Oh hey, the freak fancies himself a negotiator now," Chad snickers. "Don't tell me you actually took Fairy Godmother's words to heart? That's pathetic, even for you."
"Carlos, what the hell?" Jay hisses, but Chad has cocked his head a few feet down the hall, his lips pursed in an exaggerated frown.
"I like to think I take after my father when it comes to this sort of thing," the boy says, his voice smooth as calm. "Charming, fair, but reasonable enough not to be taken advantage of."
Jay mutters something under his breath that Carlos doesn't catch and doesn't try to. He focuses on Chad, hoping that this will work. This was Auradon; talking things out was their thing! Just talk it out, why fight when you could talk?
"Just try talking to him…"
"What good will that do…?"
"It'll help…if he hears…something nice…."
"Here's what I'm thinking," Chad says, and Carlos blinks, looking up sharply from the void of memory. That voice…who?
"I'm thinking," the self-proclaimed 'charmer' continues. "You two had a pretty unfair advantage with your weapons and all. You caused a lot of damage, especially to Emil and Kory: broken ribs, broken nose, not to mention the knife…."
Chad's face twists into an exaggerated grimace, and Jay tightens his fists.
"You see what I'm getting at," Chad murmurs quietly. "It's only fair; after all an eye for an eye?"
Shit. Carlos realizes a second too late that while Chad had been talking, the other boys with him had slipped along the hall separating them, and had effectively cut them off from the back. The whole fucking thing had been a trap!
"Sshould have sseen it," Carlos hisses under his breath, mostly berating himself, but also despising Chad that much more.
Jay throws an elbow into the gut of the idiot that tries to grab him, spinning around and kicking a second away, then following that up with another punch to the first. Carlos ducks under grabbing hands, keeping his arms close to his body and fists up in defensive position as he dodges. That was all he could do in this fight, was play defense and try to calculate escape routes. He should never have gotten them into this in the first place! How could he have been so stupid as to actually try and talk? All because of a stupid memory?
Then Jay cries out behind him, and Carlos whips around in slow motion, his heart seizing in his chest because Jay never…he wouldn't have, unless he'd been really hurt. The adrenaline pounds through Carlos' body, clarifying everything in painful degrees, and so he is able to watch in horrifying detail as Jay is slammed into the wall; his head striking against the false brick hard enough to make Carlos wince. Jay's reaction is almost worse…he keeps fighting.
"Sstop!" Carlos tries to yell, but his words are lost as Jay swings a punch, which catches one boy in the face, but opens himself up to retaliation.
The counter attack comes swift and brutally, as his arm is grabbed and wrenched behind his back, twisted and then pushed. And it's slow; they make it slow, so that Carlos can almost hear the quiet snapping, can watch Jay's face twist further and further towards panic. And then there's a horrifying snap-pop, and even though Jay grits his jaw, Carlos can still hear him scream.
Jay staggers, and goes down, and then all that Carlos can hear is a rhythmic, lurching sort of grunting as four of their six attackers crash over him like a wave. And then it's just a relentless surge, an excruciating rise and fall as their feet lift and stomp, lift and stomp, swing and release to pound against Jay's defenseless form.
Stopstopstopstopstopstop!
Carlos jerks forward, a high intense ringing in his ears, something hot and fierce burning through him and making everything blur together in a painful mash of sound. Gravity turns against him, as he's lifted and restrained by the remaining two attackers, and it's only once he's in a slightly upright position that he realizes he's out of breath; and that the ringing had been him; trying and failing not to scream.
"What's wrong, freak? Scared without your dog to protect you?"
Chad's voice sends a stab of cold clarity through him, and Carlos straightens in the grip of the two boys, his own voice hard despite the pain and fear.
"And they ssay I'm a so-sociopath," he mutters darkly, but Chad just laughs, and somewhere behind him, Jay lets out another muffled cry that chokes off too soon, that sets Carlos to struggling all over again.
"Why don't you just run back to Mommy? I'm sure she'll kiss it and make it all better."
In hindsight, Carlos could look back and say that he had only been reacting on an instinct, that he'd been certain that Jay was dead and that he had every right to do as he had. But what really occurs to Carlos in the moment -as he skips the warning growl and goes straight for the snarl- is regret that he hadn't gotten to fully enjoy the look of terror and confusion on Chad's face as he bites out:
"Nnot even c-lose, asshole."
Then that thin something holding him together snaps, and all he registers is a very satisfying scream before he's struck hard across the face. A warm rush of pain, a sticky, metal taste in his mouth, and then. Dark. Just dark.
(Crap, did I mix it up again? I swear I'll get better at that.)
Author's Note 2: I have decided half of the pairings for this story! There will be a mix of both platonic and romantic relationships, but I am not revealing any more on who or what or how. That is for the story to tell. ;)
But! I am giving you guys a treat! Anyone who guesses the significance of Aziz's door room number: 40, may suggest a small prompt for me to include in this story. (No OCs, sorry, and nothing sexually explicit) But anything else is free game. So, guess away and have fun prompting! I will continue to accept prompts and guesses up until I post the next chapter, (Probably in about a week or two) and I will choose up to 4 prompts to incorporate, so make them count!