H-hey guys! Lovely bit of hiatus we're having, huh? *clears throat nervously*

I'm so sorry, please don't be pissed! I swear I didn't mean to disappear for so long, um, things got a bit crazy and my life was literally A Series of Unfortunate Events for a week, and then had a little bit of a mental spiral from said unfortunate events and, uh…yeah….

But hey I stayed up till 1 am to finish this chapter for you so that should prove my dedication if nothing else! I'm back and I'm here to stay, I promise, no need to worry. Except of course, if you're worrying about what new evils I've inflicted on my helpless characters. Then you should definitely worry! *insert maniacal cackling here*

Anyway on to my reviews!

(Also please guys, please do not skip my Author's Notes! I have some important warnings for this chapter that I don't want anyone missing by mistake.)

Shots and Giggles: I love chapter titles, too, lol. They definitely are fun clues for the drama about to go down, and this one especially is no exception. Bit of a double meaning for you, too, so bonus points if you can crack it. ;)

Literally just, everything you said about Disney and KH, like yassssss! Haha, but seriously, some day I'm going to write for Disney and I'll be that one writer who slaps everyone else when they want to start creating these static-y characters. Like seriously, they aren't just 'characters' to manipulate, they are people! Write them like people!

Rant aside, I'm really glad you think I've been doing good so far balancing it out. As much as I rant, IRL I don't always 'get' people so I always worry if I'm portraying them 'real enough' lol. Definitely a good bit of grey here, which you know, is kind of the point I, and Descendants, am attempting to make in that it's not always so black/white. And I agree, it's never the VKs who are the villains in their own stories with fanfiction, always the AKs. And I'm like, sure ok, there are some jerks and rude people in Auradon too, but come on; these are the literal children of Villains! They're gonna be villainous! :)

And if you liked that, I've got plenty more badass Lonnie in here for you. Thank you Descendants 2 for confirming my head canon that Lonnie is an expert on swords and just epicness in general!

And I appreciate your understanding, really really do! Was kicking myself a bit thinking how dramatic or whatever it might have sounded, but it's a bit of a relief off my chest that I got it out there and that I have a little more room to maneuver and fill things in at a decent pace.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think! :)

starflight34: Starflight your words touched me more than you will ever know! Believe me I am far from offended; it was exactly the reminder I was needing so thank you for the encouragement and the prayers! :)

In regards to the story, don't worry, there will still be a ton of the usual fun times in Auradon, but I thought it was important to include the not so good times too. But there will be a recovering sort of friendship between Aziz and the VKs. They weren't close friends, per se, but there was definitely a connection that is now frayed that needs repairing so. Expect some of that in the near future.

Thank you again so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

GenderqueerWriter: Haha, yes, so much angst! You nailed it exactly with the VKs, though I'm also exploring the other layers of it as well. But yes, that it what I was hinting at there.

And thank you, I will definitely take you up on that offer if you don't mind. :) I am doing good, but it would be nice to talk some time.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think!

Kitty Kat Vixen: I know exactly what you mean with that line, lol. And thank you, I'm glad you think I'm doing good balancing it all out. This chapter deals with some of that aftermath so it's still a bit heavy, but we do get some more lighthearted moments towards the end, so there's that.

And thank you, too for your thoughts and politeness. It's a bit of a relief to know that people can still be polite with each other even if they don't agree. ;)

Also that's so exciting about your puppy! Congratulations!

I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you think. (And more about your newest member, lol)

manticore-gurl071134: Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if it was a bit darker. Don't worry, they will get there, it will just be a bit of a process. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!

Excellentsunny101: Hi, welcome to the story and thank you for the review! I am doing significantly better than before, I appreciate the concern. :) As for Jane, she was a little bit insensitive, but she was of the belief that the VKs were being the insensitive ones, and she's upset too because she was confronted with the fact that she'd invested herself into Carlos on the hope that he was good despite being a VK. So now she's disappointed and a little angry, so that's why she was being harsh.

I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy.

Gracfully: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked it and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)

Alex: Well if I told you that, it'd spoil the reveals, haha. Um, but in all seriousness, I intentionally left things a bit vague both for safety's sake, and then also just to drop a little bit more of a clue/hint as to what happened. I will be revealing things in full later on, but for now, I'm just slowly building up to it and trying not to let it all out at once. But to answer your question in regards to my Jay flashback; no, Jay was not raped, but there was definitely molestation/sexual assault going on, so...yeah. Not good stuff. F-ed up stuff regardless of specifics.

But I'll try not be as vague in the future and make it a little clearer to understand. :) I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy, and please, if you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask!

Carmine De Vil: Yeah, definitely ouch. They will make up for sure, but it will take some time and a lot of explanations and of course, angst, lol. And in regards to the plot hole, I realized that as well while writing and did edit it to clear up some of the confusion, but I'll go more into detail in future chapters to explain the thought process behind that. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you'll like this one just as much. :)

Tiredandlazy; Haha, you kidding? It took me a whole month to update so I'd say you have no worries of judgement from me! I was just happy to get your review, as always. Doesn't matter the time or place. ;)

Also yes! Thank you, omgosh yes! You are the only person who caught that and I love you for it so much like yes, someone was paying attention in class, lol. Yes, Antoine is Chad's cousin, the very same Antoine who cut Carlos up over the scarf in the flashback. Seriously that was so satisfying to hear that you caught that, ugh!

Ok, drama aside (but not really lol) Aziz talked about both of them, and yes, definitely Jay because they had that bond/connection, but he latched on to Carlos specifically in an older brother/little brother kind of way. So he talked a little more about Carlos because he felt that way, but then also for certain foreshadowy reasons I'm not getting into here. ;)

And I'm glad you like Nikhil so much, even if I haven't showcased him enough. Don't worry, he will be there, and a lot more now that I know people like him. I was doling him out in pieces to get a feel for it, but he will definitely be in it more, and there will be reconciliation, but it will take a bit of time. And angst.

And I know, I'm sorry! I am entirely cruel and heartless to do that to a child, and especially the way I did it with Jay. I don't know why I do the things I do, I just write what my evil little muse tells me and half the time I look back on it and think, 'did I really write that?' And as always, things will get worse before it gets better, but don't worry, this chapter isn't so bad…*thinks a second and remembers just what my muse told me to do this time* Haha, sort of.

I love your word vomit reviews, lol. They give me life, and an excuse to rant and splutter too. ;) And thank you, I know exactly what you mean and I'm so happy I make you so excited over a simple story. I hope you'll enjoy this madness I came up with this time and I look forward to hearing what you think!

Kry Chi: Hey, I don't know if anyone cleared that up for you, but when Carlos was arguing with Jane, he said 'They/Them' in regards to people on the Isle who are like Aziz and Nikki in terms of same-sex relationships. (ie. Gay and lgbt) Of course, there is a huge difference between what happens/happened on the Isle and Auradon, but Carlos doesn't know that yet.

Sorry for the confusion! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)

MakeItShineDiamondKat31111: Thank you for the supportive comments, I really appreciate it! For the moment, talking with my mom about my sexuality is not an option, but hopefully someday. :)

I'm pretty sure I know which grammar mistake you meant, and I did go back and fix the mistakes in the chapter, so that could be why you couldn't find it. ;) As for the VKs, let's just say that someone will definitely be confronted with anger, but it won't necessarily be them that does the confronting… And good eye for catching that subtle shipping I was doing with Audrey and Chad, lol. Was definitely laying some groundwork there, and there's a little more foreshadowing with relationships here too so I hope you enjoy that as well.

And you are correct, that it how you spell Nikhil, and Aziz and close friends call him Nikki for short. And don't apologize, I love long and random reviews, lol. I was surprised when I saw how many channels it was airing on, too, I thought it was really neat.

(Did I watch Victorious?! That show was the highlight of TeenNick of course I watched it! You know it's a good show when your mom tells you to turn it on so the family can watch it together, lol. ;))

I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!

BerserkBookWorm: I laughed out loud a bit at your comment about Mal. You kind of hit the nail on the head there, which was what made me chuckle; she is obsessive about the wand and very much a brainwashed child who only wants her mother's approval. It's only once she starts getting into the Auradon spirit of things that she realizes that it's not what she wants anymore. And the same goes for the VKs and Aziz/Nikki; which you also picked up on really well. ;)

And thank you so much for the kind words. I hardly think I'm worth admiring, lol, but thank you. It means a lot all the same. :) I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!

Kameron the God of Fairytales: It's good to hear from you again! Glad you're all caught up, and that you're enjoying my characters. I thought Chad and Audrey got enough hate from the fandom, so I decided to do something different and try and get into them as people. Good to hear I'm succeeding so far, lol. ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!

Jewelz1642: Welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you've been enjoying everything so much, especially the ASL. I wasn't sure at first if it would be successful or come across the way I want it to, but so far it's been pretty good. :) And don't worry, the Ben and Mal ship is just letting the sails down, haha. Though it will be a bit of a twist to the pairing…*rubs hands together and chuckles evilly*

I hope you'll continue to follow along and enjoy!

O: Welcome to the story and thank you for the review! It was your review that helped motivate me to pull a partial all nighter and finish this chapter, haha. I thought, if someone who is only finding this story thinks I've abandoned it, then we have a problem. So thank you especially for that, lol. ;) And I'll consider it a good sign that I was able to make you emotional, haha. Means I'm doing something right.

I hope you'll keep reading and I look forward to hearing what you think.

WOAHTHERE: Hi, welcome to the story and thank for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. :)

Forever- Furuba: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much. And yes, there definitely needed to be more voices against the Isle in the movie, and I thought who better for my story in this case than Aladdin? So he got a little rant in and I got to vent through him, lol. Things are definitely getting more intense and dramatic, especially this chapter. I had fun writing the drama in this one, and I hope you will enjoy it too. :)

Ok guys, Author's Notes time!

Author's Note 1:

First note is a brief bit of fangirling for Descendants 2. Oh. My. Gosh guys! It was amazing, I'm obsessed, I loved it all so much and just I can't! Where do I start? There was so much shipping happening while I watched, not gonna lie. Like there was a little something for everyone. But Harry and Uma are my new OTP and I actually included some Descendants 2 backstory in this chapter. ;)

Also was really surprised by Lady Tremaine running a hair salon, but it kind of makes sense considering how obsessed she was about looks. Had to laugh out loud though because when creating my headcanon for this story and in general about how the VKs dyed their hair, I literally thought to myself 'it has to be magic, no other explanation for it. Unless someone runs a salon on the Isle, but like, yeah right! Who would even run the salon?' And then I watched Decendants 2 and was like, well shit, there's go that.

But like, thank you Descendants 2 for destroying all of my headcanons while simultaneously creating new and awesome ones. Also that final scene? That amazing and beautiful dance number on the yacht with the water? Literally, I was tearing up from how amazing it was, like can we talk goals?

Brief question for you guys, though. Did any of you see Aziz in Descendants 2? Cuz they said that he was cast to be in it, but then I never saw him or heard him mentioned at all? Was that just me?

Author's Note 2: ***Important One!***

Ok, fangirling aside, this is the warnings note for you. The usual, language, crude jokes/humor, violence and mentions of child abuse and neglect as well as references to homophobia and anxiety attacks/past abuse.

***Potential triggers*** I included a brief flashback in this story that hints at some things that might disturb/trigger some readers. I left it purposefully vague, but the implication of assault is still there, so if you think it might upset you, feel free to skip the section of text that is italicized like this!

Anyway enough from me! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think! I threw a little Easter egg in there in honor of Descendants 2 so enjoy and don't forget to review!

-Raven

Ben

When Audrey had told him that Chad wasn't going to make it to the party, Ben couldn't help but feel relieved. And then of course, instantly guilty, which was only worsened when Audrey told him what had happened when she'd found him on the Tourney field. Despite everything, Chad was still his friend, and he hated the idea of him struggling so much.

But still, the relief was there, because even with a vaguely remorseful Chad, he did not need anything that would have even a remote chance of ruining this event. His parents were already skeptical of his decisions, and the villain kids themselves; the last thing he needed was anyone being provoked into anything, well…evil.

Which is why when Aziz and Nikki come storming back from the direction of the VKs, both looking sick and also emotionally traumatized in turns, he can't help but groan quietly. Audrey glances up at him questioningly, but his worry is only increased when Jane follows not too far after them, the younger girl looking somewhere between disappointed and frustrated.

"Why do I have a bad feeling?" Ben sighs, and he can feel Audrey's grip tighten slightly around his hand.

"Should I see what's up with them?" She offers, but he bites his lip, sheepishly shaking his head.

"I could…really use you," he admits softly, squeezing her hand in return. "I know it's stupid to be this afraid. It's just…."

"Babe," Audrey interrupts. "I get it."

She leans into him reassuringly, and Ben sighs, with relief this time. She really did get it- get him, and he loves that about her; and how quick she is to provide whatever is needed. He turns as his parents stride up the lawn towards them, a guard hovering for a moment before he's playfully shooed away by the Queen.

"Ben," his mother greets, and he folds himself easily into her embrace, his smile a little more relaxed. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Mom," he replies sincerely.

He straightens, and turns to greet his father, who clasps him firmly, but no less warmly on the shoulder.

"I'm relieved to see that things seem to be going well," his Dad says, and Ben chuckles a bit, ducking his head to hide his embarrassed flush.

It was as close to a 'good job' that he was going to get, but it was also the first genuine bit of enthusiasm and pride he'd heard from his dad about his decree so far. He wasn't about to let this moment go to waste.

"I'm really glad you guys could make it," Ben says, smiling back up at his parents. "The VKs really have made a lot of progress."

"Minus the earlier calamities, of course," his Dad adds, but there's a hint of something light in his eyes, and Ben sighs, relaxing even further as he realizes the lack of ill will.

"Yeah, well, I think they just got here so you should be able to properly meet them soon," he says, turning to start a brief tour of the gardens and what they'd set up.

Lonnie jogs up, breathless and laughing, her hair out of its earlier comb and falling messily down her back.

"Ok, I officially dominated that course!" She says between gasps. "But Jay is certainly trying his best. I almost feel bad I decided not to hold back."

"Lonnie," Audrey deadpans with a grimace. "Why."

Lonnie pulls a face at her, sticking out her tongue. "Not all of us have to be stereotypical princess archetypes, Audrey," she retorts. "I can still be a badass and rule a kingdom."

Audrey looks pained, while Ben shares an amused and exasperated look with his mother.

"Yes," Audrey says politely, and Ben can tell it's killing her to be so restrained. "But it wouldn't hurt to maybe be a little more…feminine while you do it."

Lonnie's expression turns dangerous, and Ben has to resist the urge to back away from his girlfriend.

"I don't have to conform to your standards," Lonnie says hotly. "My femininity is defined by me."

Audrey closes her eyes. Breathes. Opens her eyes again. Ben (wisely) takes that half step back.

"But would it kill you to…."

"Ok," Doug steps forward, bravely in Ben's opinion, cutting off Audrey's impending rant. (And demise.) "Let's not start that argument up again. Lonnie, I think it's awesome that you're so non-conforming and badass…Audrey," Doug fixes her with a look. "Remember that she knows how to use a sword."

Ben silently congratulates Doug on his guts, while Lonnie smirks triumphantly.

"Thank you, Doug," she says, making another teasing face at Audrey, who feigns offence for all of two seconds before resigning herself.

"Yes, thank you," Ben hears his Dad says as he bends to give Audrey a quick, comforting kiss. "We wouldn't want a repeat of last Thanksgiving now, would we?"

Audrey lets out a quiet noise of protest, while Lonnie looks away, reddening slightly.

"It was one time!" Audrey cries, and Lonnie's lips twitch.

"I mean, to be fair, I overreacted a bit…" the other girl mutters.

"A bit?" Ben repeats lowly, lifting a brow.

"Don't you start," Lonnie warns, but she's laughing again and ruins the effect.

"Ooh, look, happy people! I guess that's our cue."

Ben blinks at the darkly sarcastic voice, though honestly he shouldn't have been as caught off guard as he was by Mal and Evie's arrival. Mal bore a sinister smirk and an all too dangerous gleam in her eyes, while Evie looked like she was trying not to laugh at the other girl's words.

"You guys did make it." It's Audrey who recovers first, smiling even if uneasily. "That's great! We didn't know if…."

"If we'd actually show up?" Evie finishes, and Ben purses his lips at the challenging look in her eyes.

"Well considering that it's the first party of any kind that I've been invited to, I wasn't about to pass that up," Mal drawls. "Though I have to admit, I'm almost disappointed by the lack of a trap."

Ben's dad chooses that moment to pointedly clear his throat- and while the sarcasm and air of impending gory demise hadn't been enjoyable; he'd prefer to see that over the sudden stillness that settles over both girls at the realization of the King's presence.

"Um, well," Ben stammers nervously, his eyes flickering back and forth between them. "You guys have already kind of met, but uh…Mal, Evie, these are my parents; King Beast and Queen Belle. Mom, Dad, you remember the girls."

"Well I should hope so," his dad rumbles slowly. "Or I'd have to seriously start worrying about my age."

Ben's chuckle is more like a sigh of relief, as Mal snorts slightly with a roll of her eyes, and Evie's lips twitch in a cautious smile.

"If my mother has taught me anything," Mal mutters sardonically. "It's that you hero types tend to err on the 'happily ever after' side of things so," she shrugs a shoulder. "I'd say you've got nothing to worry about."

Ben winces slightly at the mention of Maleficent, squeezing Audrey's hand a little tighter as he feels her flinch. His parents shift uncomfortably, and Mal looks more than slightly pleased with herself.

"Where, uh…where's the other half of your quartet?" His dad asks, forcing a lighter tone now. "Or do I not want to know?"

Mal frowns, and Ben thinks it might look thoughtful if it weren't for the way her eyes seemed to narrow slowly as she took in his Dad's expression.

"Jay's probably running himself sick on whatever it is at the…tourney…field," she drawls slowly. "And Carlos…well he's probably with Jay."

"And if he's not?"

Mal's eyes narrow further, and Ben can't interpret her expression; can't decide if this is something he needs to be concerned about.

"We try not to worry too much," she finally says. "Unless there's smoke or a sudden explosion."

"I'm sorry?" Ben's mom exclaims, while his dad's expression clouds over dangerously.

"Explosions?!" He repeats sharply, and Evie bites her lip, her body tensing, while Mal stiffens, shifting her so subtly that Ben almost misses the movement. But he doesn't miss the effect the slight change of position had; Mal was now effectively in focus, her body angled just so, as if to hide the other girl from his dad's sight.

Ben feels his stomach clench painfully, suddenly all too aware of the realities of the situation. He had taken the VKs from a life full of who knows what kind of horrible things, and somehow expected them to be able to adapt right away to Auradon society. They might have been doing well enough, but now that the actual consequences of such a situation were being revealed to him, Ben was starting to see just what that might do to someone.

Namely, this; the hyper-vigilance in Evie's posture despite her downcast eyes. The way Mal's face seems to twitch with something wild and feral; a fear and a danger glinting in her eyes, her hands shaking as light sparked at her fingertips. Ben licks his lips nervously, wanting to move forward or say something to break through the volatile atmosphere, but he was afraid that any wrong move on his part would be treated as a threat…and he'd seen how the VKs responded to threats.

His Dad was equally paralyzed, a stunned look crossing his face while his Mom glances to Ben, a clear desperate something in her eyes; and Ben fights to keep his expression neutral and calm. He was going to have to act soon- his Dad had lost that stunned look and was turning stern again, his lips parting like he might scold or yell or lecture…. It didn't matter what, only that Ben was going to have to stop it, before things got worse.

Evie had tensed even further, Mal's expression shifting sharply into danger now, the fear gone and replaced with the look of someone ready to fight. The sparks at the edge of her fingers snap sharply before igniting: a small green flame now dancing seemingly innocuous across her skin.

"Ben," Audrey hisses, her voice almost a whimper in his ear.

I know, he wants to whisper back. I know, just give me a second…

But he didn't have a second.

"Now, let me make something clear, here," his Dad began slowly, and Ben could see Mal's jaw clench tightly, the green flame wavering before starting up again just a bit brighter, Evie flinching behind her.

"Dad," Ben cuts in quickly, stepping towards him and making sure to keep his hands open and angled towards the ground, hoping that the obvious display of how weak and weaponless he was would help keep the girls calm.

"I think it was just a joke," he continues. "Nothing's going to explode."

"Joke or not, this is exactly what I meant!" his Dad exclaims, gesturing sharply towards the two girls. "The disruptive attitude; the…the carelessness with which they make these threats! They're dangerous, Ben!"

"Adam!" his Mom gasps, reaching for his arm as though to tug him back.

Ben just gapes, unable to comprehend the sudden shift in his Dad's support. A moment ago he'd said…he was hopeful and optimistic. Except he hadn't been, now that's he's staring at the furious scowl twisting his Dad's face. He hadn't been positive about this in any way, not since Ben's initial pitch about bringing children from the Isle. He shouldn't have been surprised…shouldn't have felt hurt by the rejection. But he did.

He could feel his lips forming words, but it was Mal who stalked forward, her own expression fierce and just as furious, her hands clenching into fists and causing the flame to dance up and around to skitter across the backs of her hands.

"No more dangerous than those who would put the lives of children in danger just because of some fucked up sense of right and wrong."

Mal's voice shakes, but it's anger and not fear that controls her now, her eyes flashing as she boldly lifts her chin to glare into his Dad's eyes.

"You can't hide from it now, can you, King Beast?" Her words are venom, her voice just as snapping and intense as the flame in her hands. "Not now that there's actual villains in Auradon; not now when you're faced with the very nightmares you fought to control."

Ben fears his Dad might snap and completely lose control of himself: his face was flushed with anger, a low, displeased and furious sound building in his chest. He'd only ever seen his Dad this angry once before…when he'd been arguing for the removal of the Villains and the ban on all magic in Auradon afterwards.

He exchanges an anxious look with his mother, but she's just as paralyzed- too shocked to do more than stare in bewilderment at his father.

"Are you implying some sort of threat?" His Dad's voice is low, almost a growl, and while Evie pales and rapidly takes a step back, Mal straightens further, something sharp and entirely thrilling in her eyes that has Ben sucking in a breath.

"I never threaten," Mal says calmly, her lips twitching while the flame twists insidiously around her fingers. "Only promise. You might have the rest of Auradon fooled into thinking you're a benevolent ruler, but we on the Isle know that you're still just a beast."

There's a harsh beat of silence, and then:

"Daaamn," someone whispers hoarsely behind Ben, and he finds himself thinking the same.

Even as his father shifts his weight forward; even as Evie flinches back and Mal's lip curls, her mouth forming some unknown word; even as Audrey screams and his mother cries out in shock; Ben feels an inexplicable tug- a sharp thrill of butterflies as he stares at the other girl. The girl somehow full of fear and yet entirely unabashed, bold beyond daring and scathing as she confronts his father head on. The girl who had, in that moment, pulled him into something wild and dangerous and distinctly not-good.

The girl with the purple hair.

Except, it's not quite purple now, Ben realizes with a start. The flames had licked up her arm, caressing her skin without burning; hot and bright and a brilliant green that lights up her eyes and seems to almost whisper in her ear as it settles and curls into the tips of her hair.

Distantly, Ben feels Audrey tugging at his arm, her voice a high desperate sob in the back of his mind. He knows he should be afraid; terrified in fact. There's something deadly in Mal's smile; pointed and lethal in her gaze as her lips form another word that he can't recognize. That gaze that's fixed on...his…his Dad!

It hits him hard, like a physical blow, and Ben heaves a ragged and desperate gasp as he realizes the true danger they're in right now. He lets out a cry that tapers off too soon; a warning, or a plea, he doesn't know. Only that it makes Mal pause, ever so slightly, her green eyes flickering to him and penetrating deep. Ben feels it; the soft whisper of heat and pain and…magic…in his mind. It pulls at him, tugs him closer, before ripping away sharply, Mal's eyes hardening before fading into a much more normal pale green.

The magic still burns, almost as an afterthought in his mind, before also fading, and Ben blinks, watching in horror…or was it awe? -as the fire that had been threatening to strike at his father rapidly retreats and turns on its source. Mal bites her lip, and he can see the way her eyes pinch tightly closed, her brow furrowing deeply in concentration as the fire is slowly drawn back, not so much extinguishing as withdrawing back inside her.

It's only once the flames have completely disappeared that Ben dares to allow himself to breathe, and only when he breathes does he realize just how hard he's shaking, and just how close he'd come to being short one parent. He starts to stagger forward, but a tight grip around his wrist stops him, and he glances back to see Audrey, face pale and eyes wide with terror, tears streaming in clear rivulets across her cheeks.

"Hey," he whispers, instinct taking over as he draws her closer to him, embracing without completely engulfing her. "Hey, it's ok. It's over…."

"Over!?" she repeats, her voice high and shaky, completely opposite of the sudden stern twist of her expression.

Ben opens his mouth to try and comfort her further, but then he catches movement, and lifts his eyes to see Doug vehemently shaking his head, the other boy gesturing with a nod to something over Ben's shoulder. He can see Lonnie, just beside Doug, tense and wary but not completely traumatized like Audrey. The other girl purses her lips and mimics Doug's gestures; her dark eyes flickering pointedly behind Ben.

It's not until he hears a sharp gasp from his mother, and a short, panicked cry of "Mal!" from Evie that he spins on his heel to see that the green flames had returned, almost entirely covering Mal from head to toe. The girl seemed even shorter with the way the fire radiates and roars, flickering and twisting around her form. Mal stares at her hands in what Ben thinks might be surprise, or else a smug pleasure, before she suddenly stiffens, her back arching as her chin snaps up sharply.

Ben feels that violent tug again; a desperate sort of 'do something!' echoing inside him. Evie is screaming Mal's name again, while his Dad had taken to shielding his Mom, his eyes screwed up tight against the heat and a furious scowl twisting his expression. Audrey is practically breathless with the force of her sobs, and Ben knows he should be doing what his father is and protecting her, but he's too entranced by the sight before him.

Mal's lips part, a sort of pained wonder sliding across her face.

"Oh," Ben hears her whisper, her voice ragged and shaking ever so slightly. "So she was right about that after all. The bitch."

And then her eyes roll up, a violent crack sounding as the flames suddenly die, and Ben has all of two seconds to jerk free of Audrey's death grip and sprint forward before Mal collapses, lifeless, into his arms.

Chad

The walk back to his room from the Tourney field was simultaneously the shortest, and the longest. He couldn't stop replaying everything in his head; his talk with his parents mostly. But also…Audrey.

The smallest of thrills went through his stomach as he thought of the way she'd hugged him. It had been brief- platonic, of course. But in the moment, and after he'd been so…open with her…he couldn't help but relax into it more than he probably should have. The flush that had colored his face as he'd pulled away and spouted some excuse was definitely not just the heat and exhaustion from his workout.

Sure, he liked Audrey. As a close friend- almost family. And never anything more than that, no matter what stupid crushes or feelings were felt when they were kids. And especially not once Ben came along. He'd been resigned to just hover and be awkward and 'Charming' again, except Ben had ruined that for him, too: pulling him into an easy friendship that just as quickly became that sibling-like bond that Chad had longed for since he was ten and his father had explained to him that he would be the only heir and thus, the only child.

Ben made it hard to hate; harder to try and be numb all the time. The kid had been so happy and overly optimistic; and Audrey had been there too, just as sunny if not quite so forceful. Calm and level headed, she smoothed out all those prickly parts of Chad, able to see him no matter what shields he tried to throw up. It had been because of the two of them that Chad slowly lost his 'instability' and actually became 'charming,' and he'd thought he might actually have a chance to make something more of his relationship with Audrey.

Except Ben got there first. And the rest was, well…the rest.

Chad grit his jaw and grumbled a curse between his teeth, causing a few students nearby to glance out of the corner of their eyes before skittering quickly out of his way. He knew what they were probably thinking; what they saw: A sweating, riled up Chad, glaring and cursing to himself (most likely about the VKs.) And of course there'd be those who took it just that one step further; that his temper was so typical of a Charming; that talking to yourself was the first sign of madness and that, well, maybe he takes after his mother after all, I mean, they're both so…unstable.

He felt itchy and raw under the scrutiny, so his relief was almost physical when he finally reached his dorm room, the door practically shaking in the frame he slammed it so hard. He stays there a moment, panting with his palms against the wood and trying to bite down the sobs that they were threatening to turn into.

Just when he thinks it's safe to back away and decompress, a voice rings out behind him; low and decidedly unimpressed.

"Hey, do me a favor and slam that again. I don't think they quite heard you all the way on the other side of the dorm."

Chad turns, surprised to see his roommate sprawled across his bed, a cigarette clenched tightly between his lips and half muffling his words.

"Aziz?" Chad asks, furrowing his brow and straightening from his wary hunch by the door. "What are…? I thought you'd be at…the thing."

He can't call it a party again. He won't give in like that and say that there's anything worth celebrating here because there wasn't.

Aziz gives a shrug- as much as he can with one arm tucked behind his head- his eyes fixed blankly on the ceiling.

"I was."

Chad watches as the other boy takes a slow drag from the cigarette; the smoke escaping his lips in a tight, compressed hiss, and he has to resist the urge the groan out loud. All he'd really wanted to do was come back to his dorm, take a scalding hot shower and then maybe play video games for a few mind numbing hours before dinner and just forget that other people even existed.

Instead, he now has to deal with extremely pissed, potentially depressed roommate, who, now that Chad was really thinking about it, was in fact here, and not being pissed and moody with the one person who would probably actually care.

"Shit…something happened, didn't it?"

Chad's voice comes out more groan-y than he'd like, but it's a sympathetic groan, an empathetic screwing up of his face as he takes a half step forward. Aziz doesn't respond this time, just clenches his jaw tighter around the cigarette, a noncommittal hum echoing in his throat.

'I don't know,' that hum said. 'Might have, but whatever.'

Chad knows that hum very well. He'd practically perfected the art of noncommittal humming. He could fill a book with all the variating inflections and their meanings, and just how to respond to each one in an equal variety of ways. And so he knows that the last thing Aziz wants to hear is 'do you want to talk about it?'

Instead he abandons his plans for a shower and kicks off his shoes, tugging his jersey over his head in favor of the simple blue tee underneath. He contemplates for a moment, wondering just how delicate he needed to be here. Deciding that now was not the time to initiate any sort of comforting contact, he flops down unceremoniously in the grayish blue beanbag by the TV and tugs himself forward until he can reach his book bag.

Contrary to popular belief, Chad did in fact, do homework. Being a Prince, and sole heir meant that he'd had an extensive regiment of tutors from the moment he'd first said 'Dada.' Of course, the tutors stopped coming after several of his mother's… 'fits,' and it had been up to Chad to figure out learning from what they'd left behind and an occasional helpful prod from his father. Aurdaon Prep's workload was not by any means horrendous, but it was more than difficult enough that Chad was not so much 'being challenged' but tortured.

Eventually he gave up on trying to interpret the weekly chemical 'puzzle' Mr. Deley had assigned, and chucked his bag across the room.

"Hey," he calls back over his shoulder to his roommate, who had remained entirely impassive during Chad's attempt at studying. "You got another one of those?"

He didn't smoke as often as Aziz did, but every now and then it was nice to just float for a bit and not think. He hears a slight shuffle of movement, and then a high, short sigh of frustration coupled with another sharp shuffle before silence fell. Chad shifted his weight enough to turn his head, and saw Aziz with his free hand now pointing towards the bookshelf, a bitter twist of his lips indicating his displeasure.

Chad groans exaggeratedly, rolling his eyes and huffing his own sigh. "Really?" he mutters as he makes a big show of hefting himself to his feet. "You're actually going to make me get up and get something for myself?"

Aziz's hand effortlessly shifts to flip him off, and Chad stifles a snort of amusement as he shuffles lazily towards the shelf in question. He finds the box tucked inside the binding of a book, a dedication of some kind scrawled in what he assumes is Arabic. The cigarette box is crumpled and suspiciously light, and Chad frowns, letting out his own frustrated huff as a lift of the lid reveals the affirmation.

"The fuck man...it's empty," Chad snaps, letting the snark come through in hopes of keeping with familiarity. "What happened to all the rest?"

There's a sharp intake of breath behind him, before suddenly dissolving into the quiet, unmistakable sucking sound of muffled sobs.

Chad turns sharply on his heel, entirely thrown, to find Aziz with both hands pressed tightly over his face, his teeth practically biting his cigarette in half as his whole body shakes, a quiet squeal of protest coming from the bedframe underneath him.

And…Chad was officially out of his depth. He didn't 'do' crying. Crying was for when you lost control of your emotions so much that nothing else was left except tears. Crying meant pain; meant whispered screams and whimpers in the dark; meant long nights and tired looks, empty words and hollow eyes.

"It's fucking bullshit," Aziz rasps, tugging Chad away from the dark vein his thoughts had turned to. "Just bullshit."

Chad swallows, biting back the reflex of shared pain that threatens in sharp stings at the back of his eyes, and instead slips into a more comfortable reflex. The sneer pulls across his face seamlessly, his eyes narrowing and effectively cutting across any instinctive feelings.

"Yeah, well, I just came back to the room to get a shower, not deal with whatever 'bullshit' is."

The sneer twists his words, making them sharper than he wants, but it's familiar and safe and all he needs right now.

"Asshole," Aziz bites out, but the crying had slowed at least.

"Look," Chad hedges, shuffling his weight uncomfortably. "Do…do you want me to get Nikki? Cuz I think he'd be far better equipped for-."

And he's halfway across the room to the door when it occurs to him again that if Aziz had wanted Nikki, he'd have been with him, and that he's not, and that the other boy is also, not here; and that Aziz had seemed to tense slightly at the mention of his boyfriend….

Why me? Chad thinks, lifting his head in a silent groan. Why'd I have to get stuck with the overly emotional roommate?

"This isn't…his fault, is it?" Chad broaches slowly, grimacing at the idea. "Because I just started to like him, and I'd hate to have to ostracize him from the group."

"What do you mean 'just started to like him?'" Aziz snaps, sitting up suddenly and sliding his hands across his face, erasing the trace of tears before they travel further up and into his hair. "There's nothing wrong with my boyfriend."

"So he is still your boyfriend. That's a relief," Chad replies snidely, pointedly dodging the question. "I would've had to kick you out to room with Doug for a week; let him be the one to bring you ice cream or whatever."

"Shut up," Aziz snorts, but his lips are twitching slightly, and Chad relaxes just a bit in relief before groaning at the other boy's next words. "And you still didn't answer me."

"It's his damned guitar," Chad whines, genuinely, this time. "I mean, I'm not against music, but he's always singing and playing it and dancing and being all…and I just…want him to…stop."

"Yes Chad," Aziz deadpans. "Tell the gay son of Naveen to stop singing and dancing. Because that won't end horribly at all."

"Yeah, yeah," Chad grumbles dismissively, waving a hand and turning back towards the bathroom door. "If you're done being all hormonal or whatever…"

"You were right," Aziz says suddenly, and Chad pauses at the abrupt bitter edge to his voice.

He almost wants to slip into concerned, but he's still stinging from his conversation with Audrey, and he'd only just dodged a bullet the first time with Aziz, and so instead he cocks his head, his lips pursing haughtily as he rolls his eyes with a sigh.

"I mean, I usually am, so that's no surprise."

"About the VKs," Aziz clarifies pointedly, and Chad tenses, his stomach clenching and his heart momentarily freezing in his chest.

"The VKs?" He's aware that his voice has lowered, registers the tightness of his throat that turn his words into a growl; but Chad can't find it in himself to care. "What…what did they do now?"

Aziz's jaw clenches and unclenches, a grimace twisting his lips as he gives a short jerk of his head. "Mm," he hums in negative. "I don't need to relive that crap."

And there's a certain curl to his grimace that almost makes it a snarl, but the way the other boy's eyes seem to flicker uncertainly tells Chad all he needs to. There's a very small list of things that anyone could find 'wrong' with Aziz, but no amount of criticisms would have affected him so drastically. Unless they targeted that particular one.

"Oh," Chad murmurs, half whisper, half growl. "Oh they did not."

Aziz says nothing, but the tight press of his lips is more than answer enough for Chad.

"Right," he says, his own voice clipped and tight. "So, totally unrelated note: I'm going out for a bit. If I'm not back in an hour, check the infirmary."

"Woah, hey," Aziz scrambles to his feet hastily, a weak smile flitting across his face. "There's no need to get all beat up on my behalf."

"Oh, I didn't mean check for me," Chad replies, bending to tug his shoes back on and checking that the bandages around his hands were still secure.

"Dude," Aziz says, and there's a small, nervous chuckle that bubbles up into his words. "You don't…it's not…I mean…."

"You were literally crying a second ago," Chad retorts shortly, straightening and fixing the other boy with a look. "And I know how that feels. So, yes, it is a big deal, and I am going to make them sorry."

"You mean, make them apologize," Aziz hedges, biting his lip and looking up at Chad cautiously.

"Is there a difference?"

"Oh Charming," Aziz sighs softly in what Chad strongly suspects is sarcasm. "My hero."

"Aziz."

"Seriously. Whoever said you don't care about anything…oh wait, that was me."

"Shut up," Chad snaps, grabbing his Auradon blazer before yanking the door open and eyeing the halls with renewed vigor.

"Hey wait," he hears Aziz call after him as he stalks towards the stairs. "You're not really gonna...? Chad? Chad!"

But he's already halfway down the stairs, more determined than he'd been a couple hours before. He might not have any personal, sentimental attachments to his roommate, but Aziz was still more or less his friend, and he wasn't about to let something like this slide. And if the VKs thought they were going to get away with this, well. They had another thing coming to them.

Evie

It's like being underwater, sinking slowly and watching everything happen above you in broken, distorted ripples. The anger twisting the King's face; the certainty that there would be some kind of punishment; the anticipation of pain. And then suddenly, warmth. Heat as Mal rushes forward, pressing herself tightly against Evie, her voice a low, furious hiss as she whispers:

"Tân."

The word sends a stronger ripple through the water, and Evie barely stifles a gasp as Mal is suddenly engulfed in flames, the green magic washing across her face and curling around her arms, threading through her fingers and her hair and consuming the black of her eyes until only the fire remains.

And Evie can feel it, in that moment. The tug of the magic so strong it almost threatens to overtake her completely, but she reaches for it anyway, fumbling blindly against Mal's heat in a desperate grab for her own power. It stirs, briefly, flickering within her reach and yet, just tauntingly far enough that she can't…quite…get to it.

She almost screams with the frustration, almost cries with the pain of being so cut off, of failing at something yet again. Of not being good enough. But then Mal stirs, and Evie is jerked sharply back into the moment as the green flames seem to contort, writhing and twisting to an edge, and Evie clings closer to the other girl as she focuses that edge on the vague forms flickering just beyond.

"Ddinistrio," Mal rasps, her voice dark and thick with something fierce and almost like pleasure.

It occurs to Evie then, that the fire isn't burning them at all, despite the way it threatens to consume them both entirely. The heat is there, definitely, and she had a brief moment of panic where she glances down to ensure her clothes aren't scorched. Thankfully, they're still intact, and she's able to pull herself further out of her thoughts and glare through the fire.

She can only see the outlines, but she's pretty sure that she can make out Ben somewhere near the front, and the King, directly before them, the Queen tucked just behind his towering form. Evie tenses as the fire snaps sharply, coiling back as though ready to strike, and she darts an anxious glance towards Mal. The other girl is trembling slightly, but there's no mistaking the wicked smile curling at her lips.

Evie lets herself relax, just a bit, a small smirk of her own tugging at her mouth. It's almost like being back on the Isle, two regals fighting side by side, confident and entirely unopposed while everyone cowered and groveled at their feet. She half expects to hear screams of terror at Mal's fiery display, certain that the crowd would be running and cursing at the top of their lungs about demons and witches.

But this is Auradon, and so all they really get are horrified looks, although someone is definitely crying; the high, hysterical kind that sucks all the air from your body. The sound tugs at something deep and painfully familiar in Evie, a memory that she doesn't want to touch, but is snapped into when another desperate cry rings out.

And suddenly she isn't on a grassy field next to her best friend, confident in the terror and chaos they are causing...

There's a weird smell, like smoke but not really. She doesn't know what it is, but it's not anything pleasant. It makes her stomach lurch, a tight, spasming pain echoing deep in her chest as her lungs expand and contract too quickly.

She's crying. Why is she crying?

There's a wall in front of her. The brick smells kind of…powdery and dry; like makeup or…oh. It's chalk. That's what the not-smoke is. Chalk. She remembers sketching out patterns with it when she was little, designing clothes and dresses that she would wear some day when she was grown up and a princess with a prince and a castle and a….

Something moves behind her. She's crying harder now, salt mixing with chalk and there's definitely smoke. Something is burning, but there's a wall in front of her and something behind her and she doesn't want to…can't think. Can't know. Can't breathe.

Can't breathe she can't breathe she can't breathe and there's something burning, something's burning and she has to…get away…has to…

"E? Evie?"

Evie gasps sharply, earth brown eyes snapping up to meet jade green. Mal is still focused on the still building fire, but there's a furrow in her brow, a shift in her body that Evie feels as Mal presses herself just a little closer. She takes another breath and it comes out too much like a sob for her liking, so she draws a deep breath and holds it, nodding her head quickly and gritting her teeth hard against the wave that threatens to come up and pull her under again.

She understands what Carlos means, now, when he'd told her that the panic feels like drowning. It's not just a lack of air, it's too much air. Too much air and too many thoughts and feelings. Too many images...too many and now is not the time!

The heat from Mal's fire burns away any tears that have fallen, drying them stiffly to her face. Evie takes that as her cue and releases her pent up breath, turning it into a quick, determined sort of sigh, letting her lips slide upwards into a mischievous smirk of her own.

"Just enjoying the view," she murmurs assuringly, and Mal lets out a low, but enthusiastic chuckle.

"This," the other girl replies, her eyes alight with fire and gold as it fixes on something beyond the field of vision. "This is what we came here for."

Evie opens her mouth to reply when a sudden, broken gasp sounds past the fire. She flinches instinctively, that tugging feeling back in her gut as Mal's eyes snap over to the source of the sound. She can't see much through the swirl of magic, but she recognizes that hard, calculating look in the other girl's gaze, knows that small sideways twitch of her jaw. Mal's holding back, though only barely. There's something on the other side of the flames that's pulling her out of the moment and making her hesitate, draining the confidence from her veins. Evie had seen the same thing happen during Mal's numerous 'staring contests' with Maleficent, the dragon queen's magic overtaking Mal's own and painfully forcing compliance.

And before Evie can really process this, before she could tell the other girl not to let go; to not give in so soon, Mal mutters:

"Beidio."

And the fire is already dying. Mal's lips press tightly together as the flames slowly dissipate, some of it dispelling into the air and the rest seeming to almost filter back through Mal's body. Evie feels a soft pang of worry, and an even softer twinge of jealousy that she quickly tries to stifle. But there's no denying it; she's jealous of Mal's ability, of the ease in which the other girl is able to wield her magic where Evie can barely even feel her own, let alone harness it.

She knows better- after all, there was so much that she could do that she knew for a fact Mal could not. Picking a decent outfit was one of those things, she thinks smugly, side-eyeing Mal's particular choice of clothing. Thick jeans that are cut off at roughly at Mal's ankles, the way the denim crumples and sags around Mal's hips and legs telling Evie right away that they're not even girls' jeans. A black tshirt that hugs her form and is ripped along the side, and then of course, the ever present purple and green studded jacket. The only thing Evie could say with certainty was perfect, and then, only because she herself had made it.

Mal might be able to craft magic, but Evie could definitely make a decent outfit. And of course, she could read people, a skill that had saved their lives countless times on the Isle. She could pick up their intentions from their posture; their bodies saying all the things that their mouths weren't. She hadn't had to utilize much in Auradon so far, but if there were any time that could call for it, it's now; especially with the loss of the magic that had been their shield.

Evie can see through the fire better now that it is fading, and the first thing she picks up on is the King, at the front of the cowering group of people. She can't see his face, but she can read the tension in his body, in the way he shifts his weight to try and protect everyone at once. And then, there's Ben. She knows it's him instinctively, and when the flames finally clear enough she knows for certain when she sees his face, eyes wide but not quite panicked like his girlfriend's. Audrey is pulling at him, the girl's face wild and desperate with sheer terror, a high, wailing sound slipping past her lips as she sobs.

The cry threatens to send Evie back to the images; back to the memories of chalk and smoke and brick walls, but the shift in Ben's posture is confusing enough to keep her in the moment. He's not cowering in fear, or even stiff and unyielding like his father. Instead he is tense and wary, but she doesn't see fear in his eyes. It's almost like…longing, as his body leans away from Audrey and the crowd behind him, shifting towards Evie and…Mal.

Evie almost wants to laugh at the incredulity of it all, but instead settled for a simple smirk, turning to Mal with a toss of her head.

"Hey M," she murmurs slyly. "I think you've got an admirer."

Mal lets out a low, breathless sound that might be a laugh, her cheeks twitching in amusement. She opens her mouth to say something, but whatever it is is lost in a sudden, renewed flare of fire, the heat even stronger and fiercer than before as it completely overtakes Mal's petite form. It takes even Mal off guard, if the wide, open look on her face is any indication, the other girl staring at her hands and the flames with her lips slightly parted in something like wonder, but not quite.

"Mal?" Evie probes cautiously, shifting away from the surging heat and the almost sickeningly strong pull of magic.

Mal purses her lips, her brow furrowing before suddenly she straightens sharply, her back arching her spine like a bow and snapping her chin up towards the sky.

"Mal!" Evie screams, horrified, as the tug of magic spikes painfully.

"Oh," Mal whispers, her voice soft and tight with barely concealed pain. "So she was right about that after all."

Then her expression shifts slightly, the tiniest curl of her lips into a sneer. "The bitch," she spits.

Evie doesn't have time to interpret, or ask who or what Mal was talking about. The tug of magic in her gut dies suddenly, sucking almost like a vacuum and leaving nothing but a hollow emptiness inside. At the same moment, the flames wash down over Mal and disappear, the other girl collapsing with a harshly exhaled sigh.

Evie jerks, cries out. Reaches…too late!

And then suddenly there's a shift in pressure right by Evie's side, strong arms snapping out and slowing Mal's fall, steady hands carefully maneuvering her further into the embrace. Evie flinches back, startled by the abrupt presence, and when she looks up again it's to stare in surprise at Ben; who had somehow darted across the field and managed to catch her just in time. And who was now staring at the lifeless girl in his arms as if he'd never quite seen her before.

Mal

There's a very small number of places on the Isle where small children would be 'safe.' Of course, it was all relative, but 'safe' for Mal meant away from her mother, away from the creepy looking people who looked at her funny when she tried to threaten them, and secure enough that no one else could get to it and that Mal could defend it easily.

For now, 'safe' was a secluded section of alleys courtyards not too far from where the town became beach. It was never too hot there, thanks to the heavy breeze that blew up from the ocean, and if it ever came down to it, it wasn't that hard to go down and sit carefully in the shallow bit of water to keep cool.

Mal's favorite part of her safe place, was the small pit of sand wedged just at the edge of the water, guarded by a large outcropping of rocks and boulders that jutted out of the sand and ran clear down into the waves. Even Jay liked the sand pit, not that Mal let him down there often. He didn't seem to like it when she told him what to do, but he would just have to…suck it up, as Mal had heard her mother say.

Except, Jay hadn't shown up at the beach that day, or the day before, and if there was one thing Mal hated, it was someone who went back on a deal. She tended to try and avoid Jafar as much as possible, which was a true feat since he was at her house practically every day, visiting with her mother. Mal wasn't stupid, even though her mother sometimes wondered if she was; despite only being eight, she knew how the Isle worked- how the people on the Isle worked. There was no doubt in her mind that there was 'something' going on between her mother and the former advisor, but she wasn't about to dwell on it now.

Now, she had to find her partner. She might despise Jay's existence at times, but he was still her partner, and therefore, her responsibility. She stood from the shallow pit of sand and climbed back up and over the rocky outcropping. She was just about to leap down and start the trek back towards the Village when she heard a sudden, angry shout.

"Hey!"

Mal started, her head snapping up to scan the beach for the source. It was not from a furious and dangerous villain as she had feared, but instead…a little kid? Mal frowned at the small girl who glared up at her, eyes squinted against the light and further emphasizing the frustration on her face.

"Hey," Mal said back, straightening slowly and eyeing the girl warily. She wasn't much to look at; tiny and with the tell-tale thinness of someone who didn't get enough to eat, though that was practically everyone on the Isle so no big deal there. She had dark skin that reminded Mal unequivocally of mud, and long, ropy hair that looked like the ocean had thrown up on it.

"What do you think you're doing?" the strange girl snapped, her voice childishly high and yet, sort of raspy all the same, her hands coming up to shield her eyes and lessening her severe squint. "This is my beach!"

Mal smiled gleefully at the challenge, her heat beating with anticipation. Forget Jay. It was time to put this little worm in her place.

"Your beach, huh?"

Mal leapt down from the rock, landing with an unceremonious 'thump!' in front of the girl. She was even smaller up close, and from here Mal could smell the stink of the sea on her. The girl gaped before staggering back in surprise at Mal's sudden proximity.

"I don't see your name on it," Mal continued smugly, curling her lip as she glared down at the weird girl.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" The girl said, her own face twisting in disdain, and Mal almost laughed out loud.

"Do you?" she fired back, and the girl blinked at her before seeming to straighten, sticking out her chest with pointed arrogance.

"I am the daughter of Ursula," she boasted haughtily. "Descended from the goddess Calypso herself. The song of the ocean runs through my blood, and this is my beach by birthright. You're just a trespasser."

"Wow," Mal drawled, exaggerating her syllables in faux appreciation. "A lot of big words for such a tiny shrimp."

The girl spluttered, and Mal's smirk widened.

"I-Exscuse me?!"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure at first, but then your whole 'blood of water' thing cleared it up for me," Mal said, eyeing the girl critically. "No wonder it looks like the ocean threw up on you. It totally did."

The girl didn't seem to have anything to say to that, spluttering so hard Mal wondered if she was drowning. That sparked a nasty, if somewhat violent idea in her adolescent mind, but of course, she'd be disappointing her herself, (and her mother's name really) if she didn't follow through with it.

"Aw, no," Mal sighed, feigning worry. "Have you been out of the water for too long? Here, let me help."

Before the girl even knew what had happened, Mal had grabbed hold of her, pinning her arms to her sides and using her height and strength to her advantage, dragging the still spluttering girl up the rock base and all the way down to the water's edge. The ocean was deeper here than in the shallows, and the rocks were slick with algae and seaweed; the very same seaweed that was woven into the girl's hair.

Mal didn't even hesitate, simply hefted the girl up to the ledge and shoved her screaming into the water just as a wave broke over the rocks. The resulting swell tugged the girl under, and she didn't resurface for at least a good fifteen or twenty seconds. When she did, she was choking, coughing and sucking in desperate gasps of air, cursing at Mal in between ragged breaths.

She gave in to her laughter then, doubling over and cackling wickedly, the sound dissolving into giggles as the girl was sucked under another wave. She didn't take quite so long to resurface that time, but Mal was too caught up in the moment to care.

"You…you'll pay…!" the girl screamed desperately, and Mal straightened from her hunched over form to carelessly flip her off.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she laughed. "You might just want to stay in the water, little shrimp. Maybe you'll learn that it's best not to try and mess with dragons.

The girl let out a furious scream, which was swallowed instantly by the next wave, the white foam swallowing her form completely and sending a resounding crash against the rocks. Mal chuckled to herself as she climbed back down and started towards the Village in a significantly happier mood.

"Little shrimp," she scoffed, her eyes flickering with green.

She didn't look back, though if she had, she might have noticed the pale boy in red scrambling up the rocks in her stead. There was a flash of silver as he reached the top, and then the boy was gone, over the side and into the ocean beyond.

Jay

If someone had told Jay a week ago that he would not only be going to Auradon against his will to uphold whatever twisted sense of 'family honor' Jafar possessed, but that he would actually kind of enjoy it there, he'd have scoffed in their face before stealing their clothes for having stupid ideas. And yet, here he is, not only in Auradon, but sprinting neck in neck with a couple of red faced princes, laughing in abandon as he launches himself up the side of an eight foot wall without breaking stride once.

He ignores the rope dangling from the top, planting his left foot firmly against the wall and pushing himself up, feeling the familiar burn of callouses on his palms as he grips the top of the ledge and hefts himself up. He feels like he can breathe, for the first time since coming to this stupid kingdom, and he sits astride the wall and glances down at the princes who are still huffing and puffing at the bottom, glaring up at him in what he knows is definitely envy.

"Ha ha, yeah!" he crows at them haughtily. "You wish you were this good!"

He laughs when they curse up at him, one of the boys grabbing the rope and beginning to sloppily climb his way up. He's all set to swing himself over the side and keep going, when a flash of movement catches his eyes. He frowns, peering down at the strange blur of…pink?- that's steadily making its way through the course.

The figure easily clears the 'stepping stones' as Jay had sneeringly referred them to; practically skipping back and forth between the muddy gaps and landing smoothly on the other side. He blinks, surprised, and watches in shock as the stranger throws themselves down and crawls deftly under the cargo nets, barely brushing the buckets of paint perched precariously atop the wooden pegs.

He can see them better now, and the flash of long dark hair as they toss their head catches him so of guard he almost falls of the wall. It's…

"Damn it Lonnie," one of the boys below him hisses. "As if it wasn't bad enough with him, now you have to show us up too?"

"Hey, I came to dominate, don't complain if you didn't bring your A game, Kory," the girl calls back, cocking a hip and titling her head back to stare up at Jay.

"What, and I guess you're gonna just hang up there like you own the course?" Lonnie hollers at him, and Jay feels a thrill of excitement at having a competitor, while also bristling just a bit at the challenge.

He straightens further on the wall, swinging his leg back up into a casual half-crouch. "I don't see anyone coming to take it from me," he fires back, his lips twisting cockily.

Lonnie shakes her head, her own mouth twitching as she lets out a slow chuckle. "Oh-ho! You are so on, Jr."

"Jr?" Jay snaps, frowning sharply at her. "The fuck is…?"

"Yeah, you know, 'Jafar Jr.,'" she snipes slyly. "That's totally what 'Jay' is for, isn't it."

Jay gapes a moment, completely caught off guard. He wants to fire an insult back, wants to leap down from the wall and show her just how much like his 'father' he was. But before he can do more than stare, Lonnie had sprinted up the wall, planting a foot firmly and leaping up a good couple feet before grabbing for the rope and effortlessly hauling herself up the last bit. She pauses at the top, the upper half of her body already over the other side, to toss him a cocky grin.

"You wish you were this good," she whispers, before swinging her legs up and over, barely missing the side of Jay's head.

She lands on the other side with a hearty 'oof!' before laughing smugly. "Try and keep up, Jr! If I'm feeling nice, I just might let you win!"

And that did it. Jay half scoffs, half snarls, swinging himself backwards over the wall, landing heavily and launching himself forward into a roll to counter the severe shock.

"Let me win," he spits, staring at Lonnie's retreating form as she sprints to the next obstacle. "Who does she think she is?"

He springs up to his feet and pretends not to hear the boys on the other side of the wall. 'Poor bastard,' he thinks he hears one mutter anyway. 'Doesn't yet realize that it's hopeless to go against her.'

'He'll find out soon enough.'

Jay growls and darts after Lonnie, shaking off the idiotic comments and pushing hard against the burn already searing his lungs. He'd show her. No one insulted Jay's abilities and got away with it. Not for long, at least.

No one got away with it…except for Lonnie, apparently. By the time Jay reached the final obstacle, he had realized he was basically running a second place time. And as furious and shocked as that made him, he couldn't help but laugh as he spotted Lonnie, lounging on her back at the top of a thick wooden plank that was decorated with flags. The thing had to have been at least twelve feet tall, maybe more, and yet she'd clearly scaled it like it was nothing.

"Shove over will ya?" Jay hollers to her, and she starts slightly before grinning down at him.

"Hey, you made it," she yells back. "I was afraid you'd gotten lost."

"Shut up," he snaps, but he's smiling too, unable to quite figure out the strangely light feeling bubbling in his chest. It comes out as a laugh, as Lonnie slides over and gestures dramatically to the empty place beside her. He shakes his head once, eyeing the plank and deciding the best route was just going at it head on, and throws himself at it with his usual reckless energy.

The plank is not, as it turned out, square. It's rounded, more oval, and Jay finds himself unable to get a good enough grip. He starts to slide, and Lonnie snorts above his head.

"Pro tip: don't do it like that."

He shoots her a glare and tries again anyway, planting his feet and trying to wrap his arms around it for leverage. He doesn't even make it up a foot, and he punches the 'plank' furiously before grimacing, biting back a curse in Arabic.

"Yup, the temper is definitely Jafar," Lonnie teases. "Hey, second tip: you won't be able to force your way through this like you did with the rest of the course."

"Some Auradon Princess secrets passed down from your Mommy?" Jay snipes back, though he finds himself almost regretting the taunt as Lonnie fixes him with a fierce look.

"My mother was a warrior, thank you very much," she says coolly. "And if you ever call me a princess again I will show you exactly what secrets she passed down to me."

Jay actually finds himself reasonably intimidated, and he nods his head slowly in even further admiration. "Noted," he mutters, and she beams at him, completely opposite of the threatening demeanor only moments ago.

"Good," she chirps cheerfully, before shimmying down the plank and dropping the last few feet to land gracefully in front of him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go express my bragging rights to the rest of Auradon. Good luck dealing with that stiff board."

And the coy look she gives him before sauntering off leaves Jay with no doubt that she knew exactly what she was saying.

"Fuck me," he whispers hoarsely.

She hears him, somehow, and pauses, glancing back over her shoulder. Jay quickly adopts a neutral expression, hoping to avoid another threat, but instead she smirks at him slyly, her eyes glinting darkly.

"Maybe if you ask a little nicer," she murmurs, before turning and sprinting back across the field.

Marry me, Jay thinks desperately, but doesn't say. Because that would imply too much sappy Auradon-fairytale-ness for his liking. But damn if this girl wasn't something else.

"It's Jayden, by the way," he shouts after her instead, cupping his hands around his mouth.

She turns, and jogs backwards a few feet, mimicking his gesture and bringing one around her mouth, the other pointing behind him to the 'plank.'

"I'll catch you at the top of that next time, Jayden," she hollers back, and then she's off again, her high, throaty laugh drifting to him over her shoulder.

Fun Fact of the chapter: The origin and history of the Fae and Faeries are actually Celtic, with roots in both Old French and German. I decided to go with the Welsh/Celtic route because I love the accent and the way the words sound, so the language of magic that Mal speaks in this chapter is Welsh; specifically the words for 'Fire,' 'Destroy,' and 'Cease.'

Tân: Fire, pronounced 't-ah-n'

Ddinistrio: Destroy, pronounced 'th-eness-trio' (Really cool language note, that double dd makes a 'th' as is in 'the' sound, not at all what you think it is!)

Beidio: Cease, pronounced 'buy-dee-oh'