It's Only True in the Stories

by RvnsDsks

When the Villain Kids arrive at Auradon Prep, Ben and his friends noticed there was something definitely wrong. When they go to Fairy Godmother with their fears, she decides to help them figure out the truth- but no one is quite prepared for just what truths their search uncovers. - Full Summary Inside! Story adopted from Lightning-Lex372. Rated M for later content.

13. Promise me heaven put me through hell

Hey guys! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long…but let's face it, I know it was a good bit of a wait. Sorry about that, but hopefully this chapter will make up for the delay, and it's a long one for you so that's always good. :)

To my reviews! (You know the drill, skip to the notes if you don't want to read)

---

dancergymnast2003: Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! And you are correct, it is their family bond, but from that outside perspective, Audrey couldn't be sure. But I was hinting at it. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!

Kevin4baconhugs: Aw, Kevin! Thank you so much! I'm glad you think so highly of this story and are enjoying it so much. And thank you for that tip about Audrey vs. Aubrey, I didn't even realize it until you pointed it out, so I went back through and fixed it up.

Don't worry, there will be plenty of hugs to go around, though it will take some time getting everything sorted since everyone just insists on being so stubborn! Lol, but it will come. I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy. :)

Kry Chi: Yeah, understanding the VK family concept will be a fun adventure for all the Auradon gang. ;) And it's especially fun poking at things with the VKs, since Mal especially will have had such a hard time coming to terms with it. But there will be more backstories explaining that, and I don't want to give anything away here.

Thank you for the review and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!

Tiredandlazy: JUSTICE WILL BE SWIFT! JUSTICE WILL BE PAINFUL! IT WILL BE…DELICIOUS! (Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist the reference. You just lined it up so perfectly…)

And yes, I had fun writing Jay in that moment. And it says a lot for just how much Carlos means to him, too. ;)

Don't worry, justice will come for Mr. Kropp as well. *rubs hands together and cackles maniacally* I won't say the main story line is on the back burner while we get through this angst-fest, because we are still working towards it, but I do have plans. Oh yes, I have plans…

It's funny you should mention it, but Tyler Layton Olson is who I'm using in this particular story as Nikhil, the son of Naveen and Tiana. (He's the curly haired boy in the cafeteria with Aziz, and Aziz calls him Nikki.) You can see him better in the 'Be Our Guest' number: he's the one right next to Doug and Ben in the purple suit.

As for Aziz, he is a cut character, so as they filmed the movie, decided to cut him, and so he's ended up as a sort of 'ghost story' to tell around the fandom campfires. He has now been brought back to life, and so in Descendants 2 there will be an Aziz, but he is now being played by a different actor. I know, so needlessly complicated, lol.

But anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you'll continue to read along and enjoy. :) And don't worry about the rambling, like I said, I always find your reviews amusing, in the best way!

manticore-gurl071134: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you will continue to enjoy.

theNiceDevil: Good to hear from you again. I'm glad you loved it, and especially glad you like my portrayal of Audrey. I figured, she's a bit of a spoiled princess, but she's Aurora's daughter, so it just didn't make sense to me to have her be a total bitch, lol. And there will be some more of Mal's powers (and Evie's, later on) developing, so hopefully there'll be enough there to fascinate you some more. :)

LittleMissBookwormBrainiac: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, and that you like Mal's little family remark. I agree, it is a bit sad given the circumstance, which was my intention, so I'm glad you picked up on that bit. ;) Hopefully you'll enjoy this next chapter just as much!

GenderqueerWriter: Hey, it's good to hear from you again! It's totally fine that you couldn't log in, I'm glad you got it worked out. :) In answer to your question, Mal does get a rant in here. I don't know if it's 'big,' but she has some fun with it. ;) I had fun writing it, at least, lol. I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter!

starflight34: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like this story so much and I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter. :)

Call Me Random: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you're so excited that you're screaming over this story. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying. :)

Rowan: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! Don't worry, nothing can keep our Carlos down for long. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.

Guest1: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this so much. We'll see what's going on with everyone soon, don't worry. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)

AllGlitchedUp: Haha, yes! I saw it on Fairy Godmother's billboard and was like, 'ok, are they serious?' And if they were, then which of the four is most likely to bite someone? It was a toss-up between Jay or Carlos, but Carlos won out, given both the circumstances, and the obvious connections to dogs he seems to draw. ;)

And I'm glad you like Audrey in this. I mentioned before how I thought it was weird to have her be so much of a brat (mild term) in the movie, and I figured the movie's portrayal of both Audrey and Chad were just to have the stereotypical 'bratty rich kids' bad guy. So I mixed things up a bit and made them more 'real.'

And Jane will make it work, in her own way.

I'm really glad you're enjoying my story, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. I look forward to seeing what you do next with Detours! :)

hershey201214: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much! There will definitely be more backstory, and you just might get you wish soon enough. ;) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy.

Krestal: You didn't confuse me at all, lol. I'm glad you liked Mal's sarcasm, and I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying. ;)

MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Well you'll find out now! And thank you, I did end up fixing it so it should be fine for you now. It is an Aladdin reference, it's ok if you couldn't get specifics, I'll accept your prompt anyway. :) I'll sort through and let you know what end up choosing. Hopefully you'll continue to read and enjoy.

IWantColoredRain: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying this story and I hope you will continue to follow along.

Shots and Giggles: (in a loud and off-key voice) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHOTS AND GIGGLES! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! **Confetti, Streamers, Balloons, and brand new chapters all start falling from the sky**

I hope I managed this in time for your birthday! But if not, my above song still stands, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and don't worry at all about the late review. I was just happy to hear from you. :)

Biting definitely doesn't make you bad, but it's one of those things where people sort of do double takes and go, 'wait, what?' Very scrappy kids! ;) And I'm glad you liked the slowed down pacing, I was worried that people might think I was drifting too far away from 'the main story,' but I wanted to make sure to include a lot of those unseen moments of settling in and getting used to Auradon, plus setting things up for the investigative AKs. So it makes me happy to hear that you get it, and appreciated what I was trying to do, haha. :)

I hope you have an awesome birthday and that this chapter will be an equally awesome treat for you!

---

Ok guys, Author's Notes!

First things first, it has been drawn to my attention that I rather embarrassingly mixed up Audrey's name, and changed it to Aubrey. I have since gone back and fixed where this mistake has occurred, especially in the last chapter. So, if you care enough to bother, you can go back and re-read. (If not that's cool too. I just wanted to let you know it's fixed.)

And second things second, this chapter is super long! Be prepared, you may need to take a breather. Part of the length is just the reviews and notes, but don't let that fool you. A lot happens here so be prepared for that. There's another POV shift, as well as a flashback, which picks up where the last flashback left off.

There's also a bunch of Disney references and other teases, so enjoy those eggs. ;)

Also, little fun fact for those interested; all this has happened over the course of two days. That's right, the VKs are only on day 2 of their Auradon journey, and next chapter will mark Day 3! (I know, I did cram a lot of angst and torment and pain and feels into two days. No, I am not a sadistic sociopath. I am a writer. There's a difference...)

***And now, the standard disclaimer: *clears throat and adopts deep announcer voice* This program contains material that may disturbing to some viewers, including and not limited to: Mentions of Child Abuse and Neglect, crude and vulgar language, descriptions of injuries and blood, Hospitals, Mental Health issues such as panic attacks, suicide, and the loss of a child, as well as mentions of bullying, and some joking discussions of death. Viewer discretion is advised.

Despite what I've stated above, it's not all angst. But still, it's there, so be warned.***

---

*I will continue to accept guesses and prompts for the game, but after this chapter the prompts and guesses will be closed, and the answer and winners will be revealed in the next update.*

On that note, enjoy the chapter, and I look forward to hearing what you all think!

- Raven

---

Jane

If Jane had a dollar for every time she'd confronted a dangerous villain, she'd have enough money to buy one of the Princess Sized candy bars from Happy's candy shop…. And it still wouldn't be enough to make her think that being this close to Maleficent's daughter when she was throwing glares in every direction, was worth it. Jane almost wishes she'd been told to leave with everyone else. Even though that would mean she wouldn't be able to help Carlos, and why was it always her? Couldn't the world just give her one break?

"I'm sorry," her mom murmurs quietly to Mal and Evie. "But that means you, as well."

Jane flinches when Mal's eyes flash green, and the older girl levels Jane's mom with a hard glare.

"I'm sorry," the girl deadpans coldly. "But that's my family in there that you're talking about, and there is no way in Hell that I'm letting you keep me from them. Not after all the other shit you've pulled on us so far."

"Mal," Evie whispers sharply, but it's Flo who bravely steps forward, and Jane marvels at the young fairy-woman's courage.

"I understand that it's frustrating," she says gently, her pink curls rippling with her words. "But it really is for the best if…."

"This isn't up for debate," Mal snaps, and Jane stifles a whimper as she creeps back a step, the fae-girl's eyes lighting with green. "Evie and I are both staying right here."

Jane sees Evie purse her lips, and the Isle princess' grip on Mal's hand tightens further. Jane glances over to see how the adults were reacting, and she grimaces slightly as she takes them in. They're not taking it well at all, if the hard anger in King Adam's eyes in any indication. He's not quite growling yet, and Jane is pretty sure the only reason for that it Queen Belle, who has looped her arm through his; and despite the casual appearance of the gesture, Jane is almost positive it's the only thing keeping him in check.

Queen Belle, for her part, looks only sad and worried, although she tries to hide it; and Jane can see that her own mother is also trying to hide her worry behind a stern expression.

"Mal…" the older fairy begins, but Mal shakes her head once, cutting her off.

"Say otherwise," the girl challenges, and everyone present tenses, and Jane sucks in a sharp breath at the unspoken 'I dare you' that hangs heavy in the air.

Jane thinks the suspenseful match might go on forever, but then Evie leans over and whispers something in her ear, and although Jane doesn't catch all of it, she does catch the quiet: "Please," that Evie murmurs as she pulls away. Mal glances over at the adults again, and she suddenly seems to notice King Adam's angered expression. Her own gaze falters, the green in her eyes fading away as suddenly as it had come.

Mal works her mouth a few times, and Jane is startled to realize that the other girl is actually afraid, and when her voice finally comes out, it's quiet and subdued; the complete opposite of the fire that had literally been sparking at her fingertips.

"We'll stay out here," Mal offers lowly. "We aren't leaving…but we'll wait here until we can see them."

"That will be alright, won't it?" Queen Belle says hopefully, glancing over to the three- four if you counted Jane's mom herself- fairies.

"I suppose it will have to be alright," Flo chirps shortly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as though she were keeping herself at bay.

"If we've finally gotten that settled," Faun harumphs sternly. "Jane, dear, if you could come and help with Carlos?"

Jane glances nervously to Mal and Evie, both girls giving her equally calculating and threatening looks in turn.

"Um," she whispers, shuffling her feet nervously. "You mean, you still really do…you want me to do what?"

She tries to sound confident and committed at the end, but it falls short and just comes out as a whimper.

"We'll explain inside," Merry says, her blue stained lock of hair whipping about as she, too, glances anxiously towards the young villains.

"Ok," Jane murmurs slowly, realizing that it must be something a lot more serious that she'd thought, if they were afraid to say anything in front of Mal and Evie.

Although, Jane reckons, even if it were good news instead, she doubted they'd say that either, given the way Mal had reacted.

She follows Flo, Faun and Merry into one of the rooms, her mother and the King and Queen close behind. The door clicks closed and Jane notices that it's not, in fact, an infirmary bedroom she's in; it's one of the adjacent 'conference' rooms, where the nurses and other medical staff can discuss the patient, while also observing said patient through the one way window. Jane glances nervously through the window now, and feels her breath catch as she takes in the sight beyond.

Carlos is lying on his back in the hospital-style bed -perfectly normal, by the standards- except that Jane can see the light green straps that crisscross over his torso, forcing him to be still. And it's not just that; Jane knows that something is clearly wrong, and looking closer she sees Carlos' fingers, clutching the rails attached to his bed so tightly that she's surprised they haven't snapped. But it's the look on his face that really seals things in her mind: he's entirely pale, his eyes screwed shut in such extremes that she can actually see the little wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and brow. His back is arched slightly against the bed, and Jane is certain that if his mouth were open, instead of a clenched line, he'd be screaming.

"Why is he tied to the bed?"

It's Queen Belle's horrified voice that asks Jane's question for her, and though the girl wants to know as well, she can't tear her gaze from the window.

"It was a safety measure that I was neglected to be told about," Jane hears her mom answer, and she's relieved to hear the tightly concealed anger in her tone. Her mom was just as against this as she was.

"Whose safety?"

And Jane is surprised to hear her own voice this time. She barely recognizes it, her tone carrying a foreign weight to it that makes her sound almost...dark.

"You are aware," King Adam rumbles behind her. "That this boy bit another student. I think the precaution is justified."

"He was provoked," Jane hears her mom reply tensely. "And we mustn't forget that Jay was also brutally attacked."

"Only after he did the same to a group of defenseless students!"

"And are we to condone the behavior of those students, then?" Her mom retorts. "And condemn Jay and Carlos their actions, solely on their heritage?"

"Ok," Jane interrupts, her eyes still glued to the silent horror playing out behind the window. "What are we doing to help Carlos?"

"Help him?" King Adam sounds genuinely confused, as though Jane's words had physically thrown him off track.

"You don't see that?" Jane replies, indicating the window before her.

Carlos' lips are parted now, his face twisting in obvious pain. She can't hear through the window to tell if he's started screaming, but the sight alone sends a pang of something sharp and desperate through Jane's chest.

"What can I do?" She asks, her voice shaky but determined as she finally turns to face the fairy-women. "What do you want me to do for him?"

"He's panicking," Faun explains quickly, seeming relieved that Jane had brought the conversation back around. "We need you to calm him down, and hopefully keep him calm."

"More than that," Flo adds. "We were hoping to find out more about his medical history...if he even has one."

"You mean, what it was like on the Isle?" Jane surmises, and Flo nods carefully, her lips pursed.

"But the important thing," Merry finishes. "Is stopping him from panicking before it gets any worse."

"Yes," Flo affirms sternly. "And we've already wasted enough time bickering so, Jane, if you don't mind..."

She indicates the door, and Jane is suddenly cripplingly nervous.

"What am I supposed to do? What do I even say?"

"Anything and everything," Merry says, unhelpfully. "The point isn't in what you say, it's the assurance that he's not alone. You're there for him and that's all that matters."

"Ok," Jane mutters, her hand on the doorknob when King Adam begins to protest behind her.

"Are we sure we should be sending her? The boy is dangerous, and could very easily be manipulating all of us..."

"How dare you when suggest such a thing!"

And then the door closes behind her, cutting off the rest of the Queen's outrage.

The room seems even more stifling on the inside than looking at it from the outside had made it appear. Jane takes a few steps forward and instantly feels dread creeping up as she realizes that it really is only her and Carlos here. And it's not like the workshop. Somehow this is even worse, and she almost can't bring herself to look at him, let alone talk to him.

There's a chair against the wall, and Jane lifts it up, carrying it over to sit a few feet away from the bed. Carlos' fingers still clutch desperately at the rail, and Jane feels a strange urge to reach out and hold his hand. She shakes that aside, and tries to find her voice as his face tightens further.

"Hey Carlos," she whispers, and even though her voice is anything but loud, Carlos flinches violently, and his eyes fly open to lock with her own.

Jane's breath catches for a second time, as she sees up close the absolute terror reflected in those dark eyes. He doesn't seem to truly be seeing her, but she tries to smile reassuringly.

"I guess those dinner plans will have to go on hold, huh?" She manages, even letting out a shaky laugh.

He blinks at her, his own breath coming hard and fast, the monitor portraying his heart rate in frantic staccato beeps.

"Sorry," she mutters, dropping her eyes to his hands. "I knew I shouldn't have tried for a joke. I'm only funny looking, not funny acting."

The rapid beeping tapers off, thumping a little less harshly than before, and Jane notices that his breathing almost sounds normal.

"Speaking of acting," she adds, watching his hands closely. "Have you thought about joining the school's drama program? You're so good at making faces you could totally fit in, easy."

Carlos makes a strangled noise, and Jane feels a pang of dread as she lifts her head up to look at him. He's still gripping the rails of his bed, and, despite the slowing of his breathing, he's making a low, keening sort of sound between his teeth. Jane nervously glances around the room, but there's nothing that can help her here. Even the adults are trapped behind the one way glass, and Jane doesn't think that knowing they were there would do anything for Carlos except make him even more anxious.

"Ok," Jane whispers, more to herself than to Carlos. "Ok so talking is a bust, I mean, that figures since half the time I don't even like to hear myself, so I can't imagine what you must think right now..."

Not helping, Jane's brain interjects sharply, and Jane lets out a frustrated sigh.

I know it's not helping! You're not helping either!

And somehow still doing a better job at it than you are, that part of Jane's brain snidely crows. So what other brilliant ideas do you have?

Jane groans quietly, but it comes out more like a muffled hum, and she suddenly gets an idea. It's a stupid one, to be sure, but it's all she's got.

{"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you…"}

She half hums, half sings the familiar tune, and she's all set to think herself ridiculous for even trying to sing, when Carlos' fingers twitch on the railing. Jane pauses in mid verse and leans forward in her chair, not daring to speak for fear of breaking the spell. She examines him closely, and although the monitor is no longer screaming its beeping, Carlos' eyes are still wide and unfocused. Jane draws a slow breath and starts again, a little softer and slower than before.

{"Fate is kind: she brings to those who love, the sweet fulfillment of their secret longing! Like a bolt out of the blue, Fate steps in and sees you through. When you wish upon a star your dreams…come…true…."}

Carlos' head turns to face her just as she finishes the song, and Jane almost wants to shout with relief as she notices his eyes are clear, and maybe just a bit confused as he blinks at her.

"Wwhat?" he croaks, and his voice is low and hoarse in the silence of the room.

"Finally," Jane sighs, a shy smile pulling at her lips. She knows better than to mention anything of his earlier panic, and so she finishes with: "I was waiting for you to join in."

"I…," he falters, trying to sit up before the restrains kick in and force him back down. Jane can actually see the panic creeping back into his expression, and she bursts out with the only thing she can think of.

{"It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all, it's a small small world!"}

Not the best thing, admittedly, but it serves its purpose just fine in Jane's opinion. Carlos jerks like something had stung him, his head whipping around to face her so quickly it makes her own neck hurt to watch.

"Nnno!" he barks out, his eyes hard and cold as he glares at her.

Jane can't help it…she laughs. Carlos' glare just hardens even further, which only makes Jane laugh harder, doubling over in her chair as she tries to speak.

"Too think," she gasps between breaths. "Everyone is so afraid of the villain kids, but all this time we had a secret weapon!"

"Ja-ja-jane," Carlos growls, but even that is halfhearted in the face of her laughter.

"All we had to do was sing," she murmurs, giggling softly as she finally straightens.

"Any sane per-person would de-spise that ssong," he mumbles, still glaring.

"I guess you'll have to find a better excuse then," Jane says.

(And here, dear readers, is where Jane suddenly experiences the truth of the phrase 'foot in mouth,' a saying which here means: 'to say something foolish, tactless and embarrassing.' For example, Jane put her foot in her mouth when she said that Carlos would need a better excuse than hatred of a song to prove his sanity, therefore implying that the boy himself was in fact, not.)

"Wha-wha-what did you ssay?"

Carlos' brow furrows, but it's anything but confusion in his eyes as he stares at her. Jane works her mouth silently a few times, mentally kicking herself for her carelessness.

"No, no," she finally chokes out, her voice a desperate gasp. "I didn't mean it like that, I mean, I don't think you're...you're not..."

"Crazy?" Carlos supplies in and undertone, his eyes carefully guarded and his expression blank as he stares at her. "I-is that the wword you were looking ffor?"

"No," Jane denies quickly, shaking her head. "I mean, yes. But not you! You're not like..."

Stop talking, Jane's brain interjects, and Jane wisely shuts her mouth, clamping a hand over her lips just to be sure. But the damage is already done.

"I'm nnot evil?" Carlos snaps, his lips curling hatefully as he speaks. "I'm nnot like Cr-ruella? No-not crazy?"

His hands tug viciously at the straps tying him to the bed, his eyes wild and furious as he bares his teeth in a grimace. Jane feels a flicker of fear for all of two seconds; because that's how long the emotion lasts on his face before he's wiped it away. When he speaks again, it's in a quiet monotone, and his eyes are black pits as he stares straight ahead.

"I bit Chad."

Jane blinks, her brain unable to process the sudden shift, and therefore completely misses his words.

"You what?"

He turns to face her, his eyes hard and his face even more so. Jane resists the urge to look away, and instead forces herself to meet his gaze and really look at him. She knows this, she knows that what he's doing is just a mask to hide behind, but even then it still takes effort to willingly hold that stare.

"I bit Chad," he repeats slowly, unblinking. "He-he attacked me and Jay, sso I bit him. Ho-how's that for crazy?"

"That doesn't make you crazy," Jane counters, and Carlos scoffs, his lips twisting further. "It doesn't," she insists, although she is shocked that she's trying to reassure him his behavior.

"Wh-wh-what does is make me, th-then?" He retorts mockingly, and Jane blinks again at his bitter tone.

"It makes you someone who was scared and hurting," she says. "And didn't have any other options for getting out of the situation."

Carlos says nothing, seeming to sink into the bed, his fingers limply picking at the straps.

"Carlos?" Jane asks softly, fiddling with her bow as she tries to get around the question she has to ask. He doesn't look at her, and somehow that makes it even harder. She starts to speak again, and changes gears at the last moment, asking instead in what she hopes is a light tone:

"Did you make a habit of biting people you didn't like on the Isle?"

Carlos blinks, and he clearly hadn't expected that question. Jane bites her lip, nervously anticipating a negative reaction when he suddenly grins, chuckling mischievously.

"Yeah, wh-when I was five," he admits with another laugh.

"Really?" Jane doesn't have to feign her surprise.

Carlos snorts, his eyes glinting in amusement as he turns to her. "How else wwas I supposed to keep away the per-per-perverts?"

Jane feels her jaw drop, her eyes widening as she stares at him in horrified shock. Her reaction makes Carlos hesitate, his brow furrowing slightly before he pushes on.

"An-anyway," he says slowly, and Jane fights to regain her composure. "I stopped wwhen I hit eight."

"Why then?" Jane asks carefully, and Carlos grins again, a hint of pride in his voice as he answers.

"Cuz then I ffound my knife," he reports. "And no-no one wwanted to screw with me then."

"What about Cruella?"

You really need to shut up now, Jane's brain snaps at her, and Jane agrees, grimacing when Carlos flinches.

"Wwhat about her?" he mutters, his eyes flickering everywhere except at her.

"I mean," Jane tries to clarify, as gently and tactfully as she could. "What if you'd gotten hurt? Wasn't she worried about you?"

"Oh yeah, she was wo-worried," Carlos replies, in a bitter tone that implies the exact opposite. "If she even reme-me-membered I existed…if she noticed that I wwas even mmissing at all."

"What?" Jane whispers, shocked at the revelation.

Carlos shakes his head, grimacing as he continues to pick at his restraints. "N-nothing," he says shortly. "Just…part of Cr-ruella's crazy included rrandomly forgetting things. Ju-just so happened I wwas one of the things sshe tended to fo-forget."

"I'm sorry," Jane says, and Carlos frowns at her, looking strangely small and lost and not at all the vicious villain.

"Sorry?" he asks, blinking slowly. "Wwhy?"

"I…" Jane blinks a little harder, and she knows that if she started crying now it would only make things worse. She shakes her head, drawing a breath before changing tactics. "What was it like? On the Isle, I mean. Not…not her," she makes sure to clarify. "Um, but just…in general, what…what was it like?"

She's taking a risk here, a huge one, and she finds that it has everything to do with the boy in front of her, bringing out a side of Jane she never knew existed. But she thinks, that it might just be a good thing. For him, at least, she'd try anything.

"Wh-what was it like?" Carlos repeats, frowning in thought. "Wwell, a normal day for me: wa-waking up, doing chores…um, then mmaybe work on a pro-pro-project, or else cause ttrouble with Mal, Jay and E-Evie."

"I guess you guys got into a lot of trouble, then," Jane muses, and Carlos laughs, his lips curling mischievously.

"Nnot too much," he murmurs, but there's something in his eyes that makes Jane think she does not want to know what that 'much' entailed.

"What else?" she asks, relaxing into the conversation a bit more. "Is there a school on the Isle? What are the other villain kids like?"

"Woah woah woah!" Carlos chuckles, lifting his hands as far as he was able. "Sslow down!"

"Sorry," Jane mumbles, blushing slightly. "I was just curious."

"Yes, there's a school; Dr. Fffacilier is the pri-principal."

"Yikes," Jane shivers, and Carlos nods solemnly.

"Yyeah," he agrees lowly. "Major yikes. Ssame for any o-ther villain kids. We didn't know them all; di-different circles and sstuff …but e-e-everyone wwho was smart avoided getting in our way."

"Do you miss it at all?" Jane murmurs quietly, and Carlos frowns down at his lap, his eyes narrowing.

"Y-yes and no," he finally says slowly. "I miss…." He trails off, biting his lip in that strangely vulnerable way.

"Sorry," Jane says again, fidgeting with her bow. "I didn't mean to…."

"Nnno," Carlos says, shaking his head and blinking up at her. "It's fine. I wasn't…no. I don't mmiss it."

But there was something about his eyes that weren't quite right, a glimmer of something heavy and sad that Jane couldn't fully interpret. Then it was gone, replaced by suspicion as he frowns at her.

"Wwhy are you asking me all this?" he asks, and the suspicion is thick in his voice. "A-are you sspying on me?"

"Well if I was, I wouldn't be talking with you so openly, right?" Jane covers with a shaky laugh. "I mean, the whole point of spying is to be secret…"

"Yeah b-but this is Au-au-auradon," Carlos mutters, his eyes darting to the door behind her, his whole body tensing suddenly.

"Should I be offended by that?" Jane wonders out loud, but Carlos is completely silent, his eyes locked on something past her shoulder, and Jane can see that despite the stiffness in his body, his hands tremble slightly as they grip at the sheets around him.

"Carlos?" Jane starts to ask, leaning forward in concern, but her voice is cut off by another's, the newcomer sounding overly cheerful and optimistic.

"Hello again, Carlos," Flo greets, and Jane turns to see that Faun and Merry are squeezing into the room behind her, the other young fairy-women obviously concealing something behind their backs despite their attempts to be subtle.

"What…?" Jane starts to ask, but then she glances at Flo and the other woman gives her a significant look, and Jane inwardly groans as she realizes this is the part where she's supposed to keep Carlos calm.

"Do you think we can try again, sweetie?" Flo continues to Carlos, and Jane turns back to Carlos as he makes a low noise in his throat, his lips bared in a grimace as he glares at the pink haired fairy.

"I don't think he likes that nickname," Jane mutters quietly, and Carlos' eyes flicker to hers in acknowledgement before snapping back to the other fairies.

"Well nickname or no," Faun retorts, her half greened curls bouncing as she shakes her head. "We're going to need him to cooperate."

Carlos' lips pull back further, and that low noise intensifies in volume until Jane realizes with a start that it's a growl. Carlos de Vil was actually growling at the three fairies, and Jane acts without thinking, leaning forward and curling her fingers loosely around his. He flinches, but he's stopped from fully pulling away by the restrains, which tighten imperceptibly with his movement.

"Carlos," Jane says slowly, making sure to keep her voice low and calm, keeping her hand over his despite his growing terror. "It's alright. They're not going to do anything to hurt you, they just want to do a few tests."

"Bu-bu-bu-bull shit," he hisses through clenched teeth, his eyes not leaving the other three fairies.

"Language," Jane scolds instinctively, and his head cocks in her direction, a brief flicker of amusement passing across his face.

"Easier to ssay than puuum-mpkin sseeds," Carlos mutters, his head nodding slightly with the effort, and Jane can't help but laugh as she recalls that moment in the hallway, as he teased her for her Cinderella themed swears.

"It's a better alternative than that," Jane counters haughtily, and Carlos' lips twitch even further.

"Bbut seriously?" he insists through a laugh. "Pu-pu-pum-pumpkin seeds?"

"Oh, as if yours was any better," Jane faux scoffs, and Carlos' eyes crinkle as he laughs.

"At least mine's an ac-ac-actual wword!" Then he straightens, his expression darkening as he points without looking in the direction of the three fairies. "And ddon't think I don't ssee you!" he snaps coldly.

Jane starts, and looks up to see the three fairies, comically frozen in mid-step a few feet away from them. Jane exchanges a helpless look with Faun before returning her attention to Carlos, who smirks at her conspiratorially before continuing their argument.

"I sstill call bull-bull shit."

"Fine," Jane huffs, and she would have crossed her arms if it weren't for the fact that she kind of liked holding his hand. "But let it be said that I do not approve of your use of such language, and that you could consider that I wouldn't lie to you."

"Nnnoted," Carlos agrees solemnly, nodding his head, but Jane can see the slight furrow in his brow as he stares at her.

"Hey, think of it this way," Jane offers lightly. "If they really wanted to hurt you, they couldn't do anything with me right here. Plus, my mom's on the other side of that door, too, so…witnesses," she whispers in a sly undertone- or at least, what she hopes is a sly undertone.

Carlos blinks at that, seeming taken aback by her suggestion before he suddenly smiles at her, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"That is tr-true," he murmurs, seeming pleased that she'd even thought of such an idea. "Even by Au-au-radon standards."

"Does that mean…" Flo begins hesitantly.

"That you'll let us do what we need to?" Merry finishes slowly.

"That dep…ends on wwhat you need to do," Carlos answers, and his voice is hard again, his face once more a closed off mask.

Jane gives his hand a reassuring squeeze, silently letting him know that she wasn't going anywhere. He doesn't exactly relax, but his expression shifts into something only slightly less intimidating. He grips Jane's hand and nods once, and Jane can see him visibly tense as the fairies draw closer.

"Ok, now we're getting somewhere," Faun sighs in a relieved tone as she draws two needles from their hiding place.

Instantly, Carlos recoils, and Jane doesn't need his barely audible curse to know that this wasn't going to end well. She grips his hand a little tighter, pulling at it gently in an attempt to get him to focus on her.

"It's ok," she tries to reassure. "It's just a shot; I get them all time when I go to the doctor."

"Wwhy would you let them sshoot you?" Carlos gasps, and while his words might be a tiny bit amusing, Jane knows better than to laugh.

"It's a vaccine, Carlos," Flo explains for her, the other woman's voice stern but not harsh. "One of several basic vaccinations that everyone receives in the beginning of their lives to keep them from getting sick."

"Y-y-yeah, we didn't have an-anything like that on the Isle," Carlos murmurs skeptically, and Flo purses her lips, Faun and Merry exchanging worrying glances behind her.

"I know," Flo says shortly, and Jane can feel the disapproval radiating from her voice. "That's why we need to do these now, and hopefully, with regular checkups and boosters, it will be enough to counteract that."

Carlos makes a low humming noise in his throat; not quite a growl, but he definitely didn't approve of the idea.

"It's only two, Carlos," Jane whispers, trying for a reassuring smile and not a condescending one. "Remember what I said? They can't do anything to hurt you with me here."

"Yeah bbut does it hu-hurt?" Carlos counters, and his accusing glare is cast in the direction of the three fairies.

"Of course it doesn't," and all its variants were mumbled by the fairies, and Carlos' glare hardens, his head shifting in Jane's direction.

"It feels like a small pinch," Jane answers, and Carlos shifts nervously in the bed, eyeing the needles in Faun's hand before nodding slowly.

Merry and Faun sigh in relief, while Jane makes sure to grip Carlos' hand a little tighter as Flo draws closer with the needles. Carlos goes completely still on the bed, his eyes widening nervously and his jaw clenching in a tight grimace.

"Are you right handed or left handed Carlos?" Flo asks, not seeming to notice the boy's reaction.

Carlos is silent, clenching and unclenching his jaw slowly, although his eyes flicker to Jane's, and she quickly explains.

"The shot will make your arm a little sore, so they don't want to put it in the arm you'll be using all the time," she says.

"Exactly," Flo confirms with a slight nod, taking another step closer. "So then, Carlos, left or right?"

Jane feels Carlos' fingers twitch beneath hers, curling over her fingers to tap against the back of her hand. She glances down to see Carlos' thumb and index finger making an obvious 'L' shape against the bed, and Jane glances back up at Carlos, slightly surprised.

"You are? Really?" she asks, and then she realizes that the other three fairies are staring at her in confusion.

"Sorry," Jane says, blushing slightly before answering Flo. "He's left handed."

"Of course he is," Faun mumbled under her breath, and Merry shakes her head, her single blue lock flashing like lightning beneath the hospital style lights.

Carlos tugs at Jane's hand, and Jane looks over to see him giving her a sideways look out of the corner of his eyes, although his attention was still on Flo as she uncapped the first shot on his right side.

"Oh, um…." Jane hesitates, unsure if it was a good idea to tell him or not. It probably wasn't, but Flo was already rolling up Carlos' sleeve, and judging by the flickering of his eyes, he needed a distraction.

"Well," Jane finally says, keeping her tone light for his sake. "It…A long time ago, people used to think that being left handed was sign of the devil."

Carlos' eyes widen, and Jane thinks at first that it's because Flo has just stuck him with the first needle, but then she realizes that his gaze is still on her, and she shuffles nervously in her chair.

"It was just a superstition," she tries to appease, but Carlos' eyes crinkle in the corner, and Jane realizes that he's actually amused by the idea. It takes her aback, and so it takes her a moment to notice that he was tapping her hand again. She looks down and see that he's once more changed the shape of his fingers; his thumb and pinky finger extended, his middle three fingers folded over so he was making a 'Y.'

"Why?" Jane guesses, and he nods, his eyes still crinkled in amusement. "Um, well…I don't even know where it started…but uh…they used to say that the devil baptized his followers with his left hand. And then from there everyone who followed him would greet him with their left hands…it's silly I know," she tries to laugh, but the topic still made her uncomfortable.

Carlos cocks his head as Flo prepares the second needle, and Jane tries to think of what she'd said that might confuse him, or was something he might not have heard of.

"Devil…?" she tries, feeling foolish for the suggestion. "I mean, there aren't any, I mean are there any…devils on the Isle?"

Carlos gives her a look, and she blushes again, dropping her gaze to their still entwined hands.

"I mean," she stammers, unable to meet his gaze. "Aside from…."

Remember that talking thing we said you shouldn't be doing? Jane's brain interrupts. Yeah, you're still doing it.

Instead of being offended, Carlos simply laughs, and Jane looks up in surprise to see him nodding at her, his eyes alight with mischief. He taps her hand and Jane looks down to see his fingers wiggling in her grip, and she recognizes his intentions instantly. With more than just a hint of reluctance, Jane lets go of his hand, and Carlos flexes his fingers before they begin moving again, spelling out a word.

"C…" Jane murmurs as his hand cups in an obvious 'C' shape.

"H…" His index and middle finger extended to the side, almost like a flag.

"E…" An open fist shape; four fingers curled down with the thumb placed underneath.

"R…" Index and middle finger crossed just over each other.

"N…" A closed fist shape, with index and middle finger exaggerated by his thumb tucked just underneath them.

"A…" Another fist shape; four fingers folded down over his palm, with his thumb pressed against the side of his hand.

"B…" Four fingers extended, pressed together; with his thumb against his open palm.

"O…" An easy one; Carlos' hand making a clear 'O' shape with fingers pressed together.

"G." Jane finishes, as Carlos extends his index finger and thumb in another sideways 'flag.'

"Chernabog?" Jane repeats the finger-spelled word, equally surprised at both the information, and the fact that Carlos knew sign language. "They put the Chernabog on the Isle?!"

"They did what?" Flo snaps, though the fairy-woman was far from angry, her eyes wide with shock. "I don't believe…how on earth did they manage that? Whose idea was that?"

"Well they weren't about to allow him to stay anywhere near Auradon," Faun gasps indignantly, while Merry continues Flo's shock and whispers:

"But how did they even imprison him there?"

Jane glances to Carlos, who looks down at his restrained hands rather pointedly, then in the direction of the three fairies.

"Oh," Jane frowns, following his gaze and glancing up at Flo. "Is there any chance you could…I mean it's gotta be obvious right? That he's not dangerous and that we're doing good together?"

Flo makes a face, but nods at Jane's words. "Yes…." She drawls slowly, and with reluctance. "But…."

"But what?" Jane counters boldly, and she really needed to stop getting caught up with negative influences. "He's safe and I'm safe, so the restraints aren't needed."

"You do recall that he confessed to biting Chad?" Faun argues sternly, and Carlos' expression hardens.

"Yeah, but he didn't bite you," Jane defends. "And you were poking him with needles."

"That is a fair point," Merry mutters, and Flo and Faun cast the younger woman sideways glares.

"Please?" Jane tries for a convincing smile, and nudges Carlos subtly, hoping he'll take the hint. "Couldn't you just check and see?"

Flo turns to Carlos, and Jane glances over surreptitiously to see that Carlos had indeed, taken her hint. His head cocked just so, his dark eyes wide and his lips slightly parted, Carlos' expression was somehow the perfect blend of innocent, hopeful and pleading; made all the more effective by the slight furrow in his brow which seemed to imply an underlying sense of anticipating disappointment.

Jane has to purse her lips to keep from laughing, but the three fairies gasp and coo, and exchange looks with each other until Flo finally sighs.

"I don't see why we can't go check," the pink haired fairy mumbles, and Carlos face lifts, looking like a little kid who'd been told he could eat chocolate before dinner.

The three fairies shuffle out of the room, and not a moment after the door clicks shut, Jane dissolves into laughter.

"I can't believe…that face!" Jane gasps between breaths of air and peals of laughter. "I mean it; you should join the theatre department!"

Carlos gives her a skeptical look, but even he can't help but chuckle, and Jane quickly cuts her own laugh off as he works hi mouth to speak.

"Guy-guy-guy-guys don't do theatre," he scoffs, and Jane lifts a brow at him, smirking in amusement.

"You know, there was a time when only guys used to do theatre."

"Ssure," he mutters sarcastically, and Jane huffs at him in exaggerated frustration.

"Wwwhat would I even do in theatre?" He retorts, and Jane chuckles again.

"You'd do what you're absolutely great at," she giggles. "Make faces."

"Ffaces like..." Carlos starts to shift his expressions, but before Jane could start teasing him, and even before he'd completely changed his face, the door slams open and cracks against the wall.

Jane jumps, but is stopped by Carlos' hand, which reaches and grabs hers, squeezing hard while the boy himself pales in his bed.

"M-m-mal!?"

---

Evie

Mal is pacing again, and it makes Evie more nervous that her encounter with the King and Queen of Auradon. The other girl stalks back and forth before the two infirmary doors, her fingers lighting with sparks every few steps. Evie perches anxiously on the edge of her chair, grateful that despite the fact that Ben was still present a few chairs down from her own, the Prince was too wrapped up in his own problems to really notice them.

Mal makes a low noise of disgust in her throat, snapping her fingers at her sides and causing the sparks to cascade across the floor in a sudden flash of green. Evie starts, glancing over at Ben, but his head is his hands, his lips moving but no sound coming out that she could hear. She doesn't bother trying to figure out what he's doing, and instead inches further out on her chair and calls out to Mal.

"Mal!" Evie hisses, and the other girl casts a glare over her shoulder, her eyes just as violently green as her magic.

"What." Mal growls lowly, and Evie purses her lips, casting another pointed glance in Ben's direction.

"Can you please at least…sit down?" Evie asks quietly, and Mal's eye narrow, her lip curling in a sneer.

"No," she snarls, turning sharply on her heel and continuing to pace, the sparks still snapping harshly from her fingertips.

Evie winces but tries again. "You know you really shouldn't-"

"I. Know."

"Mal please," she's practically begging now, and she hates begging. But desperate times and crap. "Please come sit. For me?"

It was a stretch, and pushing so many of the other girl's boundaries, but Evie had no other options at hand. She wasn't about to get up and try and physically make Mal sit down. Aside from the fact that she didn't want to draw further attention, she also wasn't feeling particularly suicidal.

"Please," Evie whispers again, and Mal's fingers snap a few more times before the girl makes her way over and sits down roughly on the edge of the chair beside Evie.

Evie doesn't relax, doesn't dare breathe the sigh of relief that's bubbled up into her chest. She just sits, eyeing Mal cautiously out of the corner of her eyes to try and determine how volatile she was. She decides it's worth the risk, and slowly slides her hand over, reaching to place it over Mal's, which clenched tightly against the arm of the chair. Evie makes it all of two inches when Mal jerks her hand back, and she looks up to see the other girl's eyes harden.

"I wouldn't," Mal mutters, her free hand snapping sparks against her thigh.

"I trust you," Evie whispers back, allowing the full weight of the meaning into her voice.

Mal's lips quirk in a mirthless smile. "I wouldn't do that, either."

"Mal," Evie insists quietly, and Mal's eyes flicker, before the other girl sighs.

"Yeah, ok."

Evie smiles in quiet victory, and takes Mal's hand again. It wasn't just a desire for contact. Touch had never been an easy accomplishment for either girl, but Evie knew Mal needed something to ground her and keep her from losing control, and Evie was more than willing to be that thing. If only because she needed it too.

"Is it true? What you said?"

Ben's voice comes from nowhere, and both Mal and Evie jump slightly, though Mal is the one who recovers first, seeing as the question is directed at her.

"I say a lot of things," Mal deadpans beside her, and Evie looks over to see the other girl is glaring at Ben, eyes alight with both magic and anger. "And I'd like to think that almost none of it is true, so…" she shrugs coldly, and Evie anxiously glances to see how Ben was handling being addressed so irreverently.

The Prince was startlingly calm, his expression almost pained as he stares at them. "What you said about…about the food." He grimaces, but pushes on. "Is it true?"

"That we eat shit?" Mal challenges, raising a brow. Evie sighs, and Ben winces at the curse, but nods slowly.

"Mal," Evie cautions softly, but Mal is already going.

"I mean, the majority of it is still pretty decent, even if it's trash," she states in blunt tones. "If you're lucky you can usually score the best of the stuff that comes over. If you're fast enough, and get there first, or happen to know the right people."

Her lips twitch at that, and Evie rolls her eyes, although she's stifling a grin too.

"What about you then?" Ben probes cautiously, his bros furrowing slightly as he stares at Mal. "Which group did you fall in?"

"My mother was the Mistress of All Evil," Mal scoffs lightly, her eyes narrowing. "Do I look like the kind of person that wanted or needed to know people?"

Ben's eyes flit over Mal's tense form once, before he quickly (and wisely, in Evie's opinion) shakes his head. "No," he murmurs.

"No," Mal agrees sharply, but then something passes across her face and she glances down, and Evie only just catches her muttered words: "Which could also explain why she was always so disappointed in me."

"What?" Ben asks, and Mal snaps her head up to glare at him again.

"I said," she growls lowly. "That if anything, I was the one that people needed to know."

Evie bites her lip, fighting the urge to slap a gag over Mal's mouth so that she could take over and keep things civilized.

"Right, sorry," Ben concedes with a nod, before he cocks his head. "Was?"

"What?" Mal snaps, and Evie shoots her a warning glare out of the corner of her eye.

"You said your mom was the Mistress of All Evil," Ben says, frowning in confusion. "Is she not anymore?"

Evie feels more that sees Mal stiffen, and the other girl's head jerks slightly, like she had started to look over her shoulder and then stopped herself midway.

"I didn't say that," Mal denies immediately, and Evie tightens her grip on Mal's hand.

"When you were talking about knowing people," Ben tries again, leaning forward in his chair a bit. "You said…."

"No, I didn't," Mal says coldly, and Evie winces at the shock of magic that stings her hand, traveling sharply up her arm in intense pins and needles.

"Sorry…" Ben starts to say, but Evie shakes her head.

"It's fine," she cuts in quickly, glancing again at Mal and wincing at the dark look in the girl's eyes.

"Totally fine," Mal snaps, and Ben grimaces, turning to Evie with a definitely pained look now.

"What, um…what about you, Evie?" he asks, and his tone suggests that he regrets even this question.

"Mom and I are royalty," she can't help but brag just a little, slipping her hand from Mal's and discreetly stretching the still tingling limb. "So things were a little easier for me in some ways, and harder in others."

"Like what?" Ben asks curiously, and Evie can practically feel his relief in the normal conversation. "Did you have a castle?"

Evie sees Mal flinch out of the corner of her eyes; and the movement is so subtle and so quickly hidden that if it weren't for the fact of the subject and Mal's connection to it, she wouldn't have even noticed it at all. But Evie gives Mal's hand a quick squeeze anyway, and makes sure to keep her tone light and even as she answers Ben.

"There's only one real castle on the entire Island, and it's Maleficent's."

"Oh," Ben says, paling slightly as he realizes the implications.

"Yeah," Mal mutters bitterly, her eyes narrowing at the ground. "Oh."

"It wasn't your fault, M," Evie murmurs to her, but Mal either doesn't hear or chooses not to hear, because she straightens and casts another glare in Ben's direction.

"Why do you even want to know all this stuff?" Mal snaps sharply. "Is it just so you can do more experiments on us?"

"I…no," Ben defends, frowning slightly. "This isn't an experiment, or a test or anything. I really wanted to give you guys a chance, here."

"Noting the past tense," Mal fires back, her hands clenching in nervous fists at her sides.

"I didn't mean it like that," Ben says hastily, and it comes out almost sharp. Evie lifts a brow at him, and Mal's lips twitch in sudden amusement.

"So the proper Prince isn't so proper," she taunts, and Ben flushes with embarrassment, a hand going through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he says instantly, and Mal's amusement fades just as suddenly. "I didn't meant to snap."

"You should though," she mumbles sullenly under her breath. "You should always mean it."

Evie sighs, and turns back to Ben in an attempt to run interference before Mal started sparking again.

"We appreciate what you're trying to do…Ben," she adds as a cautious afterthought. "It could certainly be going better…"

"Maybe we're not singing enough," Mal muses quietly.

"But we do appreciate it," Evie continues sincerely, offering the Prince a soft smile. He returns it, and Evie wonders fleetingly, if she should try and pursue this.

Then one of the infirmary doors opens, and the three half fairies come rushing out, looking flustered and frustrated in turns.

"Of all the improper…" one of them huffs, shaking her head.

"No vaccines at all? No proper healthcare whatsoever!" another adds.

"…a wonder any of them survived this long," the third agrees.

"If he ran around biting everyone, I can see at least how Carlos managed," the one in blue says quietly, and a small giggle slips past her lips.

"Yes, well," the pink clad woman harrumphs sternly, stopping the laughter. "That is why he was restrained in the first place."

Evie stiffens, and Mal snarls low in her throat, her eyes lighting green as her face twists into a vicious and terrifying expression. Ben straightens, too, and is the first out of his chair to face the fairy-women.

"What?" he says, but his voice is too strained and quiet to be heard.

"But he does seem to do well with Jane, at least," the fairy with the green hair says. "I think it's fair to consider…."

"I'm sorry," Mal says, in sweet tones that make Evie shiver slightly to hear. "Did you say you restrained Carlos?"

---

Jay

Jay wakes again to a blissfully quiet room, and it instantly makes him tense and suspicious. He blinks open his eyes and stifles a groan as the harsh white light assaults him once again. The annoying colorful women are gone, and he considers that a relief, at least. His only problem is that he still hadn't seen Carlos, and he's finding it harder and harder to ignore the paranoid part of him that says the other boy is dead. Granted, his paranoia had been part of what had allowed him to survive the Isle for as long as he had, but right now it's the last thing he needs.

"Hey slugger," a voice says from too close beside him. "Good to see you finally awake. I was sure you were down for the count but the fairies insisted you'd be fine."

"Of course I'm fine," Jay grumbles, glaring as he sits up to face his unwelcome visitor. "I'm offended you'd even think otherwise. As if those prissy princes could actually do worse than anything I've had on the Isle."

He scoffs at Aziz's scandalized look, feeling a twinge of anger with makes his sneer harsher than he intended. He's bracing himself for the other boy to start spouting shit about his perfect life in Auradon, but Aziz just blinks a few times and gives a halfhearted and over dramatic sob.

"I'm offended you think so low of royalty," the other boy murmurs. "I happen to be a prissy prince myself, you know."

"Yeah, right," Jay snorts, but the other boy simply lifts a brow at him, and Jay blinks as he remembers just who Aziz is. "Yeah," he mutters in begrudging agreement. "Right."

"Come on, don't be like that," Aziz grins at him. "Junior Royal Grand Vizier isn't anything to sneer at, either."

"I will murder you in your sleep if you don't leave right now," Jay growls, but Aziz just grins wider.

"No can do," he quips cheerfully. "I've been assigned as your, how do you say 'haris,' as it were."

"You're my jail keeper, then?" Jay snaps irritably, crossing his arms.

"What?" Aziz falters, his grin lessening slightly. "No, I said guard. They just wanted me to be here to keep an eye on you and make sure you were ok."

"Mh-hm," Jay hums skeptically. "Which basically translates to prison guard."

"That's not what it means at all," Aziz grumbles, entirely deflated of humor, much to Jay's satisfaction.

"Why you?" he asks, not bothering to hide his disgust. "What, they think just because we happen to be from the same land and story we'll suddenly be best friends?"

"I…think that was the idea, yeah," the other boy admits ruefully, rubbing the back of his head before dragging his palm across the side of his face.

"Right, so if we're done living in fairy land," Jay sneers, pushing himself up and away from the mattress, ignoring the sudden spike of pain. "I'm going to go and see Carlos now."

"You sure about that?" Aziz replies, a skeptical smirk on his face. "You do have broken bones."

"Like that's ever stopped me before," Jay retorts in an undertone, sitting on the edge of the bed and trying not to throw up as everything pitches painfully to the left.

"Ok, but at least go in this," Aziz murmurs, and Jay opens his eyes- not even realizing he'd closed them- to see Aziz drag over a weird looking chair attached to four large wheels.

"The fuck?" Jay croaks out, and Aziz glances up at him. "I am not going to be carried around in that thing…especially not by you," he makes sure to add, glaring down at the other boy.

"It's called a wheelchair," Aziz explains, and Jay has to at least give the guy credit for not being a condescending dick. "And you can push yourself in it, I don't have to do anything except stand back and watch. And maybe point and laugh," he finishes with another grin.

"Fuck you," Jay deadpans, and Aziz laughs.

"Thanks, but you're not really my type," he chuckles, his eyebrows lifting significantly.

"I will kill you," Jay promises solemnly, and Aziz nods, still laughing.

"In my sleep," he says. "Yes, I've heard."

"No," Jay counters, shaking his head and making a face. "You lost the right to be killed all peaceful in your sleep. Now I'm just going for straight up murder."

"Poisons the way to go for that then," Aziz offers with a helpful nod.

"Who said I was a poison kind of guy?" Jay retorts, lifting a brow of his own. "Maybe I'd like to watch you bleed."

"Totally gonna slit my throat then," the other boy murmurs sagely, still nodding. "As long as you do it right," he says firmly, pointing at Jay with a stern frown. "I don't want any of that shit you see on T.V., make me choke on my own blood and junk."

"Fair enough." Jay points back. "And I don't do any of my assassinations half ass so you're fine."

"That'll be a mess to clean up though," Aziz goes back to his musing tone.

"You're right," Jay grimaces, shaking his head back and forth in thought. "Might just have to find a really painful poison then."

"Or you could strangle me," Aziz gasps, his eyes lighting with the idea. "You wouldn't get to watch me bleed, but I bet I'd squirm a lot."

"You just might be on to something," Jay grudgingly admits.

"Ok, good! So it's settled," Aziz smiles, and extends a hand to Jay. "When should I expect you, because you know, I gotta make sure someone can still feed Raja when I'm dead."

Jay starts to fire back his own response, but he realizes with a sudden jolt that he's laughing too, so hard in fact, that he can't actually draw a breath. He straightens from his doubled over position, and fights to compose himself, to get air back into his body and scowl again. But he finds he can't maintain the glower, and grins in spite of himself and the pain, reaching out and clasping Aziz's arm in a firm grip.

"You are one sick son a bitch," he manages through his laughter, and Aziz cracks up as well, returning his grip with one of his own.

"Happy to oblige," the other boy replies easily. "Now, if we're done arranging my murder, why don't I see if we can't go and visit Carlos?"

---

Belle

Belle had been accused of many things in her *ahem* 42 years; insane, a prude, a book worm, a freak, and more. And, when she'd first met Adam the accusations had ranged from things such as witchcraft, to bestiality, to Stockholm syndrome. She and Adam still laughed about the last two from time to time.

But never had she been accused of not caring.

That is, until now.

"What exactly do you intend to do about this?"

"We can't allow the situation to get any more out of hand than it already has."

"I suppose you're suggesting we simply wash our hands of the effort?"

"…was a noble idea…."

"Noble, but naïve."

"Well no one could have possible guessed it would be like this…"

"I could have guessed. In fact, I think I did."

Belle peers across the table at the dissenting voice, and can't quite hide her frown as she takes in Benjamin Kropp. The man wasn't wrong; he had been one of the strongest voices against bringing the villain children into Auradon. The man wore an expression that equal parts smug and dissatisfied, but it was the outright glare the Fairy Godmother was directing at him that prompted Belle to speak up.

"Have you experienced any trouble from the four?" She asks, certain to keep her voice calm and measured.

"Well, I only have the two boys in my class," Kropp replies, a slight hesitation in his voice that Belle does not miss.

"And have you had any problems controlling them?" Adam rumbles beside her. His sudden presence in the conversation startles a few, but Belle merely grimaces at his choice of words and continues to wait for an answer.

"The son of Jafar has been…neutral at best," Kropp hedges further, only just keeping himself from squirming under the combined royal gazes. "I catch him giving me sullen looks every now and then, but he has yet to give me any trouble."

"And…Carlos?" This tentative query is posed by Fairy Godmother, and Kropp's face twists into a vicious expression.

"The de Vil boy is another matter entirely," he all but spits, his lips curling with contempt. "Disrespectful and arrogant, he tried making excuses for his lack of participation, as though he were entitled to special treatment. And then when I finally do manage to get him to participate, he openly mocked me in front of the entire class!"

Belle blinks at this, because, despite the fact that she hadn't actually gotten to know the boy, the image the biology teacher painted was strikingly different from the image she had seen through the infirmary window. Even Fairy Godmother seems caught off guard, as the older woman straightens, her eyes widening as she turns to the man.

"I haven't heard any reports of these incidents," she says, then pauses, adopting a thoughtful tone. "Although, granted, I hadn't thought to check…."

Belle sighs quietly to herself, understanding the Fairy Godmother's dislike of such meetings. Adam is just as quiet beside her at the head of the table, but she's certain that it's only because he knows, as she does, that if he opens his mouth anything he says will be either a growl or a roar. She eyes her husband subtly, noting the tight crease in his brow. Definitely a roar, then.

"You mentioned you do not have a class with the girls," she cuts in, attempting to keep things on track. "If you do not teach them, then who does?"

Louis Deley clears his throat softly from the chair a few places down from her. "That would be me, Your Majesty," he deadpans in his usual slow drawl. "I teach chemistry to both Mal and Evie, and I believe Professor Thatch will be teaching all four children History, when the time comes."

"Thank you, Mr. Deley," Belle acknowledges with a brief smile. "How do the girls behave in your class?"

Mr. Deley sighs low and long, but it's not anger or frustration in his voice. (Although, Belle had never really heard him give any sort of inflection other than that flat drawl, so it was hard to tell.)

"I've had no trouble; at least, not in the way Kropp seems to have," he says. "Evie…is a strange one," he finally settles on, after a pause. "I do not know if she is incredibly smart or incredibly ignorant. She has not turned in any assignments to me, and yet I see her copy them down at the end of class. If I call on her to give an answer, she feigns cluelessness and gives such a response that I wonder if she should even be in a class at this level."

Belle frowns, and she sees Fairy Godmother do the same. But the biology teacher wasn't finished yet, shaking his head slightly in what Belle interprets as amazement.

"And yet," the man continues lowly. "When I look at the notes she takes, it's the opposite. She takes such detailed notes, and understands the concepts so well, working out the problems even before I complete them on the board…Her notes tell me she should be in an advanced class. But for some reason, she is hiding that."

There had been something bordering excitement in the man's voice as he praised Evie's accomplishments; the tone only obvious because of the way it drops at the end into disappointment.

"And what about Mal?" Fairy Godmother asks, frowning, and Belle can see the others at the table also frowning as they ponder over what he'd said.

"Mal doesn't even try," Deley sighs, shaking his head again. "She would do well if she simply applied herself. She does take some notes, but I suspect that the majority of them are copied from Evie's, given that every time I look at Mal's notebook, it's full of doodles and sketches. Very well done doodles and sketches, to be sure," the man shrugs a shoulder. "However I don't think my class is the right one for her."

"Alright then," Aladdin chimes in for the first time, a satisfied grin on his face as he claps his hands together. "Now we're making some progress: just have Mal do biology with Jay, and since Kropp is having trouble with Carlos, he can do chemistry with Evie."

Adam hums gruffly, not appreciating the way the younger man spoke so out of turn, but Belle does see some merit to his suggestion.

"Will that hinder any progress they have already made?" she asks the teachers. "Academically, I mean."

"As long as Carlos can keep up in class and I have no…difficulties," Deley murmurs. "I don't see a problem on my part."

"And Mr. Kropp?" Belle continues, turning to the biology teacher. "Do you have any objections to this idea?"

"As much as I would appreciate having the opportunity to teach in a more civil environment," Kropp replies slowly. "I do not think it's right to simply move de Vil to another class and allow him to go unpunished for the disrespect and the disruptions that he has caused to my class."

Belle frowns, but Adam hums again and speaks before she can.

"A fair point," he murmurs, inclining his head in acknowledgement. "Especially given the recent circumstances."

"In regard to that," Anita breaks in quietly. "The circumstances themselves were not entirely one sided."

"If what we've heard is true," Charming finally speaks for the first time as well. "Our son is, regretfully, responsible for the current condition of the young villains."

"While we're not condoning the actions of either Jay or Carlos," Cinderella is sure to add. "It is nevertheless Chad's actions that have directly caused harm to both himself and the other boys."

"I would hardly call an instance of childish teasing to be adequate provocation for biting someone, however," Kropp objects sharply. "Nothing is adequate cause for that. I'm surprised at your lack of outrage, Charming. After all, it is your son who is requiring stitches."

"I can't help but wonder," Belle catches someone say. "If this could have been avoided if we'd taken the children from the Isle when they were younger."

"Have we taken them?" She counters, calmly, but firmly. "It was my belief that we were giving these children a chance at a good life."

"And where was all this goodness before?"

Belle starts at Aladdin's intrusion, not just because of the interruption itself, but that his voice has taken on a mocking and slightly darker tone than his usual upbeat tone.

"What?" She blurts, rather ungracefully.

Jasmine shoots her husband a sharp look, but the Agrabah prince was already going, leaning forward slightly in his seat with a bitter smirk playing at his lips.

"Don't tell me you forgot," He says with exaggerated disappointment. "I'm the only one who remembers?"

Belle glances to Adam, but he's just as quiet, if not quite as confused as she was. The rest of the members present are equally subdued, and Aladdin shakes his head with a wry chuckle.

"Well, I guess that's no surprise since you're all so old!" He murmurs thoughtfully. "You know forgetfulness is the first sign of aging…."

"Aladdin!" Jasmine interrupts sharply, a soft flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks as she attempts to derail him.

"Sorry!" he shrugs easily, clearly not ashamed in the slightest. "I can't help it."

"I think I see where Aziz gets it from," Adam murmurs softly to Belle, and she glances to him in quiet reproach.

Aladdin hears, but he simply shrugs again. "Guilty," he replies with a smile, which is wiped away in an instant with his next words. "And so…are…you," he says lowly, practically glaring around at the assembled board.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine cries, horrified, as Adam fights to remain seated.

"What is the meaning…" he begins, but the younger man has already turned his gaze to Fairy Godmother.

"You say we should have taken them sooner; intervened when they were younger," he says. "But you seem to have forgotten that we had that chance, and refused to take it. Not just ignored it; refused it."

"I'm sorry?" Fairy Godmother tries to protest, but it's halfhearted as best, and Belle can see from the expression on the woman's face that she knows exactly what Aladdin was accusing her of.

"The Isle didn't just magically pop up overnight," he continues in a much more serious tone. "We had all of them, here. The villains, the henchman…more importantly, we had the children. And instead of reaching out with all our 'good intentions' and 'well-meaning naïveté,' we throw them all onto a secluded island prison."

"It was necessary for the safety of everyone involved, and that included the villains," comes the automatic protest from Belle's mouth, which speaks despite the fact that her heart and brain knew he was right.

"Who would have taken in the children, anyway?" Kropp throws out.

"And what would we have done with the villains? Simply let them roam free among us?" Adam snaps.

"And how would we have chosen who could stay or go?" Fairy Godmother points out, though she too, looks to be torn amongst herself.

The protest continues for a few more tense moments, but Aladdin doesn't waver, simply waits with his arms crossed until everyone falls silent. He draws a slow breath, closing his eyes a moment as though deciding whether he should speak again or not. He does, opening his eyes and peering around the table once again.

"King Adam," he says quietly, and his tone is once again a respectful one. "Do you remember what it was like before Belle came? When you were still a beast?"

Belle sucks in a quiet breath, and though Adam remains calm on the outside, she could feel him wince at the question.

"I don't remember much, actually," he admits in an undertone, his gaze even as he stares at Aladdin. "I try not to think too much at all about the earlier days before Belle. It was a rather dark time for me."

Aladdin inclines his head in respectful acknowledgement before moving his gaze over to the Charmings.

"Cinderella," he says slowly. "You remember, of course. What it was like for you living with your step family."

Prince Charming straightens indignantly when Cinderella flinches, but the woman places a hand on his arm, and nods at the Arabian prince.

"Of course I remember," she murmurs softly. "I could never forget."

There's a deeper pain in her eyes, and Belle knows what she must thinking of. Not just her step mother, but her step sisters; how Drizella was still on the Isle and just how close Anastasia had come to being placed there herself. Aladdin knows this as well, and offers her an apologetic look along with his respectful nod.

"Anita," he says next, and his voice is so low it almost couldn't be heard. "I know how you feel." He leaves it at that, nodding with empathy to the woman before turning his gaze once more, this time to the room at large.

"I could go down the list of all the royalty of Auradon; name the things they went through before finding their happiness and true love and everything. But honestly, I don't know how many of them even remember it. How many just don't think about it, or have shoved the memories away, or if they only have good memories of their lives and none of the bad."

Aladdin pauses, and Belle presses her lips together, beginning to realize what he was doing.

"Well, let me tell you this," he continues quietly. "I remember. I remember being nothing more than a street rat to the people of my kingdom. I remember how it feels to starve, to not have anyone looking out for me except for me. I remember having to resort to lying, and cheating. Stealing…and worse."

His eyes flicker to Jasmine, who simply sits in a state of shock, completely caught off guard by her husband's sudden turn.

"I remember what it was like before Jasmine," he continues solemnly. "But of course, everything's ok now because I did meet Jasmine. Charmed my way into her heart and now I could never want for anything!" The bitterness is back in his voice, but it's not as harsh, tamed by sadness.

"It's a good thing she gave me chance, huh?" he says, lifting his eyes to stare around the room. "Good thing she didn't just see me as a thief and throw me in jail or something. I mean, after all, what kind of people lock other people away to live in seclusion based solely on black and white prejudices?"

Belle has to fight to remain composed, despite the way her heart was throbbing and her stomach clenches as Aladdin's gaze shifts to she and Adam at the head of the table.

"Oh, that's right," Aladdin says softly, dropping his eyes to the table. "The heroes. That's who."

---

Carlos

"So, the puppy's bark isn't worse," the girl drawled. "You know, you should do that more often."

"Do wha-what?" He growled suspiciously.

"Bite."

Carlos didn't quite know what to say to that, but judging from the relieved and slightly excited looks on Jay and Evie's faces, he could only assume he'd passed some kind of test to earn her approval. He would have felt relief himself, but the adrenaline had finally left his body and he could only slump weakly against the wall as she circled to his right side.

"This'll hurt. Don't scream," she said, and it was all the warning he got before her hands were on his shoulder. There was a sharp, loud pop, and his shoulder flared with renewed pain. He jerked violently, but remembering her words, he brought his hand up and bit his fist, muffling the sounds that escaped his mouth.

"Ok, my job is done," Mal said, clapping her hands together officially. "Now get out of my basement."

"Mal!" Evie cried, shocked. Even Jay seemed a bit startled at her abruptness, though he didn't try to retort.

"What? You wanted me to fix him; he is fixed." Her mouth twitched as she said those last words, and if his shoulder wasn't still throbbing thanks to Leroux, Carlos would have let her know just how clever he thought her dog comments really were.

"His wrist is still broken," Evie tried, but Mal shrugged a shoulder.

"That one's not on me."

"But-"

A sudden thud from above them cut into Evie's protests, and all four children froze. Evie turned a shade lighter, and even Jay looked slightly squeamish as a chorus of scrabbling sounds drifted down through the boards, along with a low rumble like thunder.

"Mal," Evie said, her voice a hoarse whisper, but Mal raised her hand quickly and silenced her, her eyes locked on the trembling ceiling.

"Sh…" Mal hissed, and Carlos thought she was shushing the other girl until it turned into: "…it," and he recognized it as a curse. "Shit!" Mal whispered again, and Carlos couldn't help but flinch from his corner.

"Mal…" Evie tried again, but the scrambling sounds stopped suddenly, turning into muffled clicking; footsteps.

"Ma-a-al!" A woman's voice echoed, a lilt in her voice that turned Mal's name into a song. It was too bright and cheery for the atmosphere, and that alone terrified Carlos far more than if it had been yelling.

"Fuck." It came from Jay, but his voice was almost as hoarse as Evie's.

"Ma-al!" The song was shorter, a clipped note filtering through the false cheer.

"Should we…?" Evie muttered, her lips barely moving as she motioned towards the exit hole above Carlos' head.

"No," Mal said, finally stirring from her stupor. "No, just…stay put. I'll deal with her."

"What about the new kid?" Jay asked, and Mal frowned, glancing at Carlos impatiently.

"He's not the new kid."

---

Carlos

"M-mal!?" Carlos blinks, caught off guard by the girl's sudden appearance in the room. It wasn't just that it was unexpected; it was the fact that the locked infirmary door literally burst open, slamming so hard into the opposite wall Carlos was certain the paint had chipped from its surface. The fact that Mal was every bit as fierce and terrifying as she had appeared when he'd first met her on the Isle, all rough edges and cold brutality.

And of course, the most important bit in Carlos' mind: the fact that her eyes were glowing bright with green fire, that same sinister green dripping dangerously from her hands to spill across the tile floor.

Carlos struggles to get as far upright as he can, gripping Jane's hand hard to keep the other girl from getting up. Evie rushes in just behind Mal, and Carlos thinks that maybe it would be ok and Evie could calm her down before….

"You."

Carlos flinches at Mal's voice, cold and yet absolutely furious as her eyes snap to Jane, who squeaks out a whimper from her seat.

"What do you think you're still doing here?"

"Mal," Evie tries softly, but Mal's eyes harden even further at Jane, who glances to Carlos in terror.

Carlos hesitates a moment, trying to gauge just how bad this was and if anything Jane said would make it worse. He casts a quick look in Mal's direction before nodding imperceptibly to Jane, tapping her hand to get her attention and fingerspelling the word:

'Careful.'

Jane nods her understanding, and turns slowly to Mal, not letting go of his hand as she manages to answer.

"I'm keeping Carlos company," she attempts to say, Mal scowls sharply, and her eyes flash an even brighter green.

"Out," she growls, and Jane pales, standing so quickly from her chair that it scrapes painfully across the floor, the force of her movements causing Carlos to lose his grip on her hand.

He knows better than to try and reach for her again, but he still has to stifle the action, instead clenching his hands into tight fists and biting the inside of his cheek hard to keep from calling out to her. Jane scrambles desperately for the door, aided by Evie, who offers the girl a tight, but reassuring smile before closing the door carefully behind her.

Only once the door is shut again does the fire leave Mal's eyes, but it still sparks at her fingertips as she moves closer to the bed. Carlos sets his features in what he hopes is a firm and unwavering look, but Mal is focused on the green straps that cross over his body, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I am going to kill whoever did this to you," she states calmly, her fingers snapping against her side and showering sparks across the tile.

"Mal," Evie murmurs, and though her voice is stern, Carlos can see the worry in her eyes.

Mal ignores Evie completely, her gaze once again drawn to Carlos' restraints.

"Mmal," Carlos tries, attempting to keep his voice level despite the way it shakes just a bit. "I-I-I-I'm ok, sse? I'm not hu-hurt; they didn't hurt mme."

He makes sure to emphasize that last bit, and something close to relief but not quite there passes across Mal's face. Then she presses her lips together, her eyes narrowing as she snaps her fingers a little sharper than she had before.

Evie makes a soft sound, and Carlos tries and fails not to freak out. The restraints don't completely break apart, but they loosen enough that Carlos can work his own way free, and he presses himself against his pillows as he draws a slow breath.

"You-you-you can do magic nnow?" he mumbles dazedly, and Mal blinks, staring down at her hand expressionlessly.

"I guess I can," she replies lowly, and Evie groans weakly.

"Hades help us all," she hisses, and Mal's lips twitch, a far more normal spark in her eyes.

"This'll be fun," she says, and Carlos shakes his head sharply, eyes wide.

"No no," he denies quickly. "No it w-will not."

"All we need now is Jay," Mal continues as if she hadn't heard him. "And things'll be ok."

And, just like a trained demon, Jay's voice rings out from behind the door, muffled but growing louder as he nears.

"…swear to all that is evil, Aziz, if you say one more thing…."

"One more thing," another voice answers, before a rough slam is heard, followed by a sound that is half laugh, half wince.

"Ow-how!" the voice groans. "Ok, I won't say anything more about how you look just like my grand-father when he…."

Another slam, and this one reopens the newly closed door, and the boy from the cafeteria staggers backwards through it, unable to catch himself before falling. Somehow he turns it into a roll, and manages to more or less make it to his knees before he doubles over again, this time with laughter.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it!" he chuckles, beaming widely up at the figure still in the doorway. "You just make it so easy!"

"This is…not what I meant," Mal mumbles, and Carlos glances over, catching the weird pause in her voice and noticing with alarm that she looks almost as breathless as the boy; her lips pressed tightly together and her face pale as she shifts just a little closer to Evie.

"Hey everybody," the newcomer greets, standing and straightening his Auradon jacket. "The party can now begin, because the fun has arrived."

"For the love of Hades, Aziz," Jay groans, and he's suddenly in the room, leaning heavily on some kind of cane that's tucked under his arm. Carlos draws a sharp breath that seems too loud, and Jay's eyes flicker up to his before quickly looking away.

"Hey, Carlos," he murmurs, and Carlos swallows hard, trying to decide if the churning in his gut was from relief or anger.

Jay clears his throat, and Aziz glances back and forth between the two, his eyes dark and thoughtful.

"Oh," he says softly, and an almost indecent look crosses his face. "Oh I see…"

"Shut up," Jay threatens lowly. "Or I will skip the strangling and go straight to snapping your neck."

"Worth it," Aziz whispers back, and Carlos ignores the strangeness of the boy's presence, and takes advantage of his recovered mobility. He tucks his feet up and on one smooth motion, yanks off one of his shoes and chucks it as hard as he can at Jay's head.

"Y-y-you bastard," Carlos growls, as Jay flinches to the side and only barely ducks under his second shoe. "I thought…y-you…fucking…a-asshole!"

"Carlos," Jay starts to say, but Carlos reaches back and yanks his pillows out from behind him, chucking those at Jay, too.

"I'm sorry!" Jay tries, sucking in a breath and wincing. "I know, ok? I ditched you, I left you because…because I was being an asshole. I was being selfish and that's that. I'm sorry." He hobbles further into the room, and Evie moves to give him space while Mal straightens ever so slightly, a warning in her eyes as she glares at Jay.

"I'm sorry," Jay says again, this time to Mal, before his eyes lift once again to Carlos. "I know I let you down and that it's going to take more than just this stupid Auradon apology to make it…right. But I had to say it."

Then a soft smirk twists his lips, and he murmurs:

"I literally had to say it; part of Fairy Godmother's detention assignment involves learning to say a proper apology."

"Damn it, Jay," Aziz whispers before Carlos can even begin to process what just happened. "Just fucking kiss him, already!"

That does something. Jay swears hoarsely, and Mal and Evie exchange stunned and unamused expressions in turn.

"Where the hell did you find this one?" Mal snaps, and Aziz clears his throat, lifting a hand from his place on the floor to wave at her.

"Hi," he says with overt sarcasm. "'This one' has already met you, remember? The cafeteria yesterday. At breakfast." He turns his head to wink at Carlos again. "And that one stole my food. Ringing any bells?"

"Sorry," Mal deadpans, unimpressed. "I don't make a habit of remembering insignificant encounters."

"Oh!" Evie hisses triumphantly, and the ensuing appreciation of the burn (especially from Aziz) is almost enough to distract Carlos from the fact that Jay was still staring at him expectantly.

Almost.

---

Yes, a cliffhanger. Because this damn thing was long enough as it is and I've got to save something for next chapter! Feel free to let me know how much you hate me in your reviews!

- Raven