Here is the next chapter!
Due to a certain phrase in the last chapter, people have been wondering something about Maleficent.
Once again, yes, the Maleficent in this story is based on the Maleficent in "Maleficent". Now I have yet to see the sequel, so I am totally clueless if Maleficent has changed.
I hope all of you enjoy this chapter, especially with the confrontation between the princesses.
Enjoy.
When entering the first class of the day—which was taught by the vengeful Mother Gothel—Mal didn't expect to see someone in her spot. Even though it was the first day of school, everyone already knew it was her desk. Well, technically it's a cauldron, but there was no need to be stuck on petty details.
As Mal approached the seat stealer, she noticed that the teenage girl had unusual blue hair, but the roots were as black as the night sky. With that little detail, Mal knew exactly who the girl was.
The girl didn't notice Mal when she stood a foot in front of her. After the fairy cleared her throat, the teenager gazed up. Once she did, the girl paled and her eyes went wide like a deer in a headlight, or a scared little girl who had just been exiled from the island.
"Hi," the teenage girl greeted. "I'm Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen. What's your name?"
Mal raised an eyebrow in amusement at the blue-haired princess's attempt to seem innocent. When Mal didn't answer immediately, Evie tried to flatter the fairy.
"By the way, your hair looks amazing," Evie complimented. "It's such a nice shade of purple. How many times did you have to dye it to get it that color?"
"My hair is natural," Mal barked in annoyance. Everyone always assumed it's dyed, having forgotten that her father's hair is naturally blue or red. "Unlike yours, which has probably been dyed so many times to make the blue color stick."
"Girl, that's her cauldron," Yzla, the daughter of Yzma, whispered loudly to Evie. "You need to bounce. Like, now!"
"Oh, this is yours . . .?" Evie wondered innocently. "I had no idea this was your desk, I'm so sorry! But it has such a great view of the lectern." Evie gave a trademarked bright smile, but it didn't affect the fairy one bit.
"Yes, it does," Mal agreed, her voice soft yet somehow menacing. "And if you don't move your blue-haired caboose out of it, you'll get some kind of view, all right." She brusquely brushed past Evie and noisily plonked her backpack in the middle of the cauldron.
Evie got the message, grabbed her things, and found an empty cauldron in the back of the classroom, behind a column where she couldn't see the blackboard.
"Is that who I think it is?" she asked the small boy seated next to her; whose hair was black at the roots but white at the tip. Everything he wore was black and white with a splash of red. It was a pretty cool look, for a skunk drenched in blood.
"If you mean Mal, you're right, and I would stay out of her way if I were you," he warned. "Her mother is Maleficent, and her father is Hades. She's the child of two villains, so everyone fears her."
Evie gulped. Her first day, and she's already made the worst enemy in school.
The boy looked up from the contraption he was assembling and shot the new girl a shy smile. "It'll be okay," he reassured. "She's not as tough as she seems. She talks a big game, but she's probably the kindest person on the island because her parents raised her that way."
"Really?" Evie wondered. "What about you? Do you have a game?"
"Not really." He shrugged carelessly. "I used to get beat up all the time, but Mal put a stop to it a couple years ago. She's kind of like a big sister that shows up to save the day."
"I'm Evie," the blue-haired princess introduced herself, mainly to change the topic. "What's your name?"
"Carlos de Vil," he informed. "We met once before, at your birthday party." Carlos recognized her the minute she walked in. She looked the same as ten years ago, just taller.
"Sorry, I don't remember much about the party," Evie apologized sincerely, before adding, "except how it ended."
"Well our mothers got into an argument," Carlos reminded. "I don't really know what about, but my mother made me leave early because of it."
Evie merely nodded, deciding not to say anything to ruin the first friendship she's had in almost ten years.
Sooner than later class ended, and students began to file out of the classroom. Evie asked Carlos what his next subject was and looked happy to discover they both had Lady Tremaine for Evil Schemes. "That's another advanced class—you must have a really high EQ," he told her. Only those who boasted off-the-charts evil quotients could take it. "It's this way," he said, motioning up the stairs.
But before they could get too far, a cold voice cut through the chatter. "Why, if it isn't Carlos de Vil," it said behind them.
Carlos knew that voice anywhere. He had been bullied by him and his twin too many times over the years to not recognize it. For the past two years he finally had some relief from the torture, but that may change today.
When Carlos turned, the burly Gaston twins were standing only a yard away from him, but they were coming closer in a threatening way. "What you doing with our girl?" One of them interrogated.
Carlos instinctively backed up, knowing that the outcome wasn't going to be good. While he debated what he could say to make sure he didn't get hurt badly, someone swooped in front of him to save him. That someone was none other than Mal, his guardian angel—though he'd never say that out loud.
"Back off," Mal ordered boldly. "In case you forgot, you mess with him; you are messing with me. You don't want me to remind you what happens when you mess with me."
The twins shared a look of annoyance before they begrudgingly walked off. Once they were out of sight and hearing range, Carlos sighed in relief.
"Thanks, Mal," he greeted trying to appear nonchalant despite being over relieved about being saved. "What can I do to repay you?"
"Your mom's going to be away at the Spa this weekend, isn't she?" Mal asked, getting straight to the point. The Spa was Cruella's one bit of comfort, her one reminder of her luxurious past.
"Y-yes," he said uncertainly, unsure if that was the correct answer even though it was the truthful one.
"Right answer," Mal said and patted him on the head. "I can't exactly have a party at my place since that's the one place that my mother doesn't have to hide herself."
Carlos nodded in understanding. He's been over at Mal's place a couple times with her mother to know that the Maleficent out in the streets is different from the Maleficent at home. One major difference was how beautiful Maleficent looked in the comfort of her home. The first time Carlos saw her like that, he lost his breath and had a blush that remained permanent until he left. He couldn't look at the elder fairy without being transfixed by her beauty, which is why his gaze was always adverted to something else.
"We can't have it at Jay's because his dad will try to hypnotize everyone into being his servants," Mal continued.
"Totally," Jay agreed, who suddenly appeared at his friend's side.
Carlos nodded again, although he wasn't sure where this was leading.
"Perfect. Party at your house. Tomorrow."
"Wait, what? Tomorrow?" He blanched. "I can't have a party! I mean you should understand, my mom doesn't really like it when people come over—and, um, I've got a lot of work to do—I have to fluffs her furs, iron her undergarments, I mean—" He gulped, embarrassed.
Mal rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it. Your mother won't know about it. Besides, if she does find out, I will say it's my idea. I am her favorite god-daughter after all." She seemed to cheer up at the thought. "Spread the news. Hell Hall's having a hell-raiser."
"There's a party?" Evie asked shyly. Carlos had gotten she was standing right next to him, and he jumped at the sound of her voice.
"Eavesdrop much?" Mal snapped, although it was obvious Evie couldn't help it, as she was standing right there.
After a moment, Mal sighed. "Of course there is. The party of the year. A real rager, didn't you hear?" Mal looked her up and down and shook her head sadly. "Oh, I guess you didn't hear." She mocked-winced, looking at Carlos conspiratorially. "Everyone's going to be there."
"They are?" Carlos looked confused. "But you only just told me to have it—" He quickly got the message. "Everyone," he agreed.
Evie smiled. "Sounds awesome. I haven't been to a party in a long, long time."
Mal raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sorry. This is a very exclusive party, and I have yet to decide if you're invited. Since you seem too weak to stand up for yourself—"
"You can't talk to me like that," Evie interrupted rudely as she stepped forward to show her dominance. "I am a princess. I demand respect from peasants like you."
"Evie," Carlos chided sharply. "Don't—"
"And I want that respect too," Mal retorted as she raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Just a heads up, you are not the only princess on this island."
Evie scoffed at the claim. "My mother is the only queen—"
"But my father is a king," Mal intervened. "My two uncles are kings and I have an aunt who is a queen as well. Your mother became queen because she married into it. My father was born into royalty thousands of years ago. Oh! Did I forget to mention that he and his siblings are immortal?"
Evie paled in disbelief. "Wait . . . so you're—"
"Princess of the Underworld," Mal announced as her stance straightened to seem more proper, "because my father is the god and King of the Underworld. Not to mention, I am Queen of the Isle, which means I definitely out-rank you."
The fairy adverted her attention to Carlos with a small smile. "Don't forget the party."
"Well, you had look very pleased with yourself," Jay commented as he entered the classroom behind Mal. "Carlos looked like he was going to have a cow when you told him he was hosting your party."
"You mean a dog?" Mal joked, though the joke was getting old.
Jay elbowed her with a wink before melting away to his desk in the back of the room.
Mal was in a slightly better mood. This class was her favorite: Advanced Evil Schemes and Nasty Tricks, taught by Lady Tremaine, otherwise known as the Wicked Stepmother. Mal was particularly fond of the old woman—she was like a grandmother to her. The class was only her favorite because of Lady Tremaine.
"Hello, you dreadful children," Lady Tremaine said as she entered the room with a swish of her petticoats and casting a bored look at the class in front of her. "Today we will embark on our annual class project: Crafting the Ultimate Evil Scheme.
"You must learn to adapt, to be faster, more cunning, and wickeder than ever before. You will spend this year working on an evil scheme of your choosing. The student with the best nasty trick will win Dragon Hall's Evilest of the Year award."
The class nodded their heads in unison, each filling with a variety of ideas for awful tricks.
Lady Tremaine turned her attention to the purple-haired fairy. "As usual, Mal, you are exempt from the project."
Mal nodded softly. When the project was first created, Mal had been about ten years old. She refused to participate in the event because what happened with her ex-best friend had been fresh in her mind. After her parents spoke to the teacher, Lady Tremaine agreed to excuse Mal from the yearly project.
While everyone was momentarily working on their plans, Mal doodled a drawing of her parents to pass the time. Ever since she was a little girl, she preferred drawing her mother and father over any other subject matter. Mal always tried to show the love they have for one another in the drawings because their emotions are so pure, unlike anything Mal has seen on the Isle.
During her doodling, Mal heard the faint sound of giggling. Turning her head slightly, she noticed Evie and Carlos chatting it up with one another. Maybe . . .
Just as the bell rang, Mal caught up to Jay, who was all cheer and charm by the time they reached the door, his pockets were full of much more than that.
"Hold up," Mal said as she spotted Carlos and Evie coming toward them.
Evie looked genuinely fearful while Carlos had a look of suspicion as they approached Mal, who blocked the doorway.
"Hey, Evie, you know that party I'm having?" Mal asked with the sweetest smile she could manage. "I made my decision. You are definitely invited."
"Really?" Evie squealed. "Are you sure you want me there after I insulted you?"
"Absolutely," Mal reassured grandly, and truthfully. "Don't miss it."
"I won't," promised Evie with a nervous smile.
Mal watched her and Carlos skitter away with satisfaction. Jay raised an eyebrow. "What was all that about? I thought you didn't want her there," he said, as he deftly stole a rotten banana from a first-year's lunch pail.
"Plans change." Mal insisted with a shrug. "Carlos seems to be friends with Evie, so he may feel more comfortable about having the party if she's there."
"But don't you hate parties? You didn't go to Anthony Tremaine's kickback the other week, and you missed my cousin Jade's 'Scary Sixteenth.' They were off-the-hook, as the pirate posse would say." He smirked.
"Those were different. Anyways, Carlos can't throw my party alone." She grabbed his arm, so he'd listen to her. "We need jugs of spicy cider, bags of stale potato chips, sparking slop, the works. I'll get you a list of what you need for tomorrow."
Jay peeled the banana and took a bite. "Done."
"And make sure it's the good stuff from the wharf, from the first boats. I've got a reputation to uphold as queen."
With a nod, Jay tossed his banana peel on the floor. He watched gleefully as a fellow student slipped and fell.
Mal rolled her eyes, her green eyes glittering a little more like her mother's than usual. "Let's go. I have to make sure my godmother approves of the party before we can have it."