Here is the next chapter!
As previously stated, this chapter is the one where the Core Four talks to their parents via web cam. That means the next chapter is, of course, Family Day, which brings me to my announcement:
Family Day is going to take me some time to finish since I am changing quite a few things, like who will be there, the confrontation, etc. The chapter may not be posted until the end of the week. I will probably take a couple days break before I start on the coronation, that way I can work on my finals for college. I will probably use that break to also write a new crossover short story, which involves an older boo seeing her kitty again after soo many years.
Enjoy.
About a week later, a few minutes before Wednesday classes would start for the day, Ben was collecting his books from his locker when he heard somebody clearing their throat before saying, "You know, Benny, I thought you would be happier to see me."
With a smile gracing his lips, Ben slammed his locker shut to come face-to-face with someone he considered to be the main parental figure of his life. "Hi, Grandpa."
Leaning against the lockers—a habit Ben must have inherited from him—Maurice smiled at his grandson. "Hi, Benny," he greeted as his smile grew a little wider. "Your parents wanted to me wait until after school to see you, but that meant I'd have to suffer a few hours of boredom. I'd rather meet that beautiful girlfriend of yours than sit through another tense conversation with your father."
Ben chuckled at his grandfather's antics. "I guess you watched the Tourney game last week?"
"I watch all of your games," Maurice corrected with a certain fondness in his tone. "Though, I have to say, that last game of yours was the most interesting. Those transfer students did a fantastic job! Your coach should have put them in earlier."
Ben raised an eyebrow in amusement. "What about what I did after the game? Did you think that was ridiculous of me—"
"To confess your love for a girl you met a week prior in front of all those people?" Maurice finished with a teasing smile. "You did what you thought was best. I am proud of you for being able to come clean about Audrey abusing you and for having the courage to pursue another relationship so soon. Mal must be a very special girl for you to do that."
With a slight huff, Ben grumbled, "If only my parents thought that way."
"They will," Maurice reassured. "Just give them time. Meanwhile, I still want to meet your girlfriend. I've been waiting for over twelve years!"
Laughing happily at his grandfather's dramatic declaration, Ben promised, "You can meet her now. She's . . ." He trailed off as he turned his head to look down the hall, his happy attitude fading into worry.
Just on the other end of the hallway was a depressed looking Mal. She was at her locker, her hair paler than its ever been before, with an almost crying expression on her face as she stared at an odd object in her hands.
Excusing himself, Ben casually hurried to his girlfriend to check on her. Attempting to cheer her up, he grabbed a strand of her hair, a habit he developed when speaking to her. "You're looking a little blue today," Ben teased in hopes of getting a smile out of her. "Is everything alright?"
Glancing up at her boyfriend with teary eyes, Mal gestured to the metal trinket in her hands, which was a small wind-up crow. "This was the first gift my father ever gave my mother. It took him a full week to make this for her. It was my favorite toy growing up, so my mother let me take it to Auradon to cheer me up whenever I needed it. I tried winding it up this morning and something broke inside. I can't return it in this condition."
"Pardon me," Maurice interrupted as he came closer to the couple to join the conversation, "but I think I can help you with your situation."
Mal tilted her head curiously at the older man, unconsciously displaying her puffy eyes for the nosy people to see. "Who are you?"
"Mal, this is my grandfather," Ben introduced, "Maurice. Grandpa, this is my girlfriend, Mal."
Mal perked up at hearing his name. "Oh! I know you! Ben talks about you all the time. He says you are an amazing painter."
"And I create little trinkets like the one you're holding," Maurice revealed. "I can fix it, if you would like. I only ask one thing as payment, to know who your father is."
Mal jerked her head toward her boyfriend. "You haven't told him, right?"
"Haven't said a word," Ben mumbled. "I knew you wanted to keep it a secret."
"You don't have to tell me now," Maurice reassured with a comforting smile. "Ask your parents' permission first if you feel the need to. Meanwhile, I will fix your little crow. It will give me something to do while I'm waiting on Benny to get out of class. I'll return it to you tomorrow."
Reluctantly, Mal carefully held out the trinket for the older man to take. "Please don't lose it," she begged. "This means everything to my mother."
"You have my word," Maurice promised as he placed the precious object safely in his pocket.
"Well, I have to get to class." Ben smiled knowingly at his beloved. "Enjoy your surprise."
A few minutes later, during Remedial Goodness, Mal and her three friends were working on review questions when Fairy Godmother strolled up to them with a spring in her step.
"Children," she called, causing the four to look up from their assignment. "As you know, this Thursday, tomorrow, is Family Day here at Auradon Prep. Since your parents can't come, due to . . . uh . . . distance . . . we've arranged for a special treat."
Fairy Godmother strolled over to a TV monitor on a cart that had been brought into the classroom. After beckoning the children forward, the headmistress clicked a specific command on the keyboard.
"What happened to he will never love you because he can't?"
Blushing the deepest red she ever blushed, Mal greeted with a mumble, "Hi, Mom."
The entire screen was filled with the image of their parents sitting on a couch in the Bargain Castle, Maleficent's home. Instead of being in her usual home outfit, Maleficent had on her town outfit with her leather crown hiding her long luscious brown hair.
"Evie!" Evil Queen shouted, purposely interrupting the other mother-daughter reunion. "You look so beautiful! You must have so many admirers in Auradon."
Instead of giving a verbal answer, Evie waved bashfully at her mother, knowing that telling the truth about her crush would madden her mother.
Maleficent rolled her eyes at Evil Queen's behavior. "How's school?" The fairy wondered with a slight tilt of her head. "Are the four of you adjusting well?"
"We made a couple Auradonian friends," Mal listed off the top of her head, "Evie made a good grade on her Chemistry test last week. Carlos and Jay made the Tourney team—"
"And you got yourself a boyfriend," Cruella teased. "You can't forget that, Bertha. You got yourself a prince!"
Ignoring her friend pestering her daughter, Maleficent raised a curious eyebrow at her daughter. "You think he'll approve?"
"I hope so," Mal admitted timidly. "Ben's been good to me, like he's been good to you."
Cruella leaned over Maleficent's shoulder to get a better look at the monitor. "Carlos, dearest?" She questioned as she squinted her eyes. "Are you holding a dog?"
Hugging Dude closer to his chest, who wore an outfit identical to his, Carlos answered uneasily, "Yeah, he's the campus mutt. He hangs around campus like Lucifer does at Dragon Hall. I've been allowed to take care of him, and when I graduate, Dude will officially be my pet. He's been a big help with my anxiety and helping me build my confidence." He cleared the lump in his throat to hide his nervousness. "Are you mad?"
Hesitating for a moment, Cruella shook her head in denial. "No, I'm not mad. If having a dog makes you happy . . ." The mother trailed off as she let a small smile grace her lips. "Then I'm happy."
Relief washed through Carlos as he hugged Dude even closer, almost bringing the dog on the verge of a yelp.
After speaking with their parents a few minutes longer, their conversation had to be cut short so the students could be let out earlier. However, with only a handful of minutes left of class, there was still one surprise left for a certain student.
"Mal," Fairy Godmother called on before she could leave. "You have one more surprise."
Mal tilted her head curiously. "What do you mean? I already talked with my mother—"
"Who told me about one more person that you would want to see," Fairy Godmother finished, grinning ear to ear.
The headmistress practically skipped to her desk, where a small laptop rested. Slightly intrigued, Mal followed her teacher while her friends left the classroom, not wanting to be late for class. After clicking a few buttons in the device, Fairy Godmother stepped away from her desk before ushering Mal to take her seat. Still confused, Mal rested her backpack against the leg of the wooden desk as she plopped in the chair. A moment later, the computer screen came to life causing her to gasp.
"Dad!" Mal shouted. "Hey! Why am I seeing you?"
Hades chuckled at his daughter's reaction. Due to his background, Mal could tell that he was sitting in his lair, probably to help keep the surprise a surprise. "Nice to see you too, Mali," he teased. "I thought you would be happier to see me."
"I am happy!" Mal insisted defensively, a smile worming its way on her face without her knowledge. "I'm just wondering how I'm seeing you when you told me I could tell only one Auradonian about you."
"Well your new boyfriend wanted to surprise you and your friends, since you were most likely feeling homesick," Hades clarified. "Your mother wanted to surprise you even more by having you speak with me, since you are such a daddy's girl. She and your boyfriend arranged this with Fairy Godmother, and now here we are."
Mal was about to say something, but then suddenly the school bell ringed, signaling that class had just ended. She glanced up at Fairy Godmother, looking like a child that just had her favorite toy taken away for an unlawful reason.
"Keep talking to your father," Fairy Godmother instructed as she slowly backed away. "I'll tell your teacher that you'll be a few minutes late to finish a test."
Not waiting for a response, the headmistress left, leaving the daughter alone to speak to her father.
Mal adverted her attention back to the screen with a small, hopeful smile. "So? What do you think about Ben?"
"Considering you told him about me and he planned this entire surprise for you to be happy, I think he is definitely worth your wait." Hades gave her a reassuring smile. "In other words, I approve of him, especially if he cares for you as much as he claims. However, if he hurts you in any way, he will have to deal with me."
"That won't happen," Mal promised almost immediately. "Like you said . . . he was worth the wait."
Hades raised an inquisitive eyebrow, somehow knowing what his daughter was thinking. "You haven't told him you love him," he assumed. "I'm going to guess it's because of what happened between your mother and the first person she loved."
"You know me so well," Mal commented in hopes of settling the tense atmosphere. "Ben knows the truth behind Mom's tale. He said he would wait forever for me to tell him that."
Hades cocked his head slightly. "How does he know her tale?"
"His grandfather, Maurice, told him," Mal answered without thinking. "Maurice overheard a conversation with Audrey's grandfather and someone else about the tale."
Pausing for a moment, the daughter sighed as she confessed, "Dad, I broke Mom's crow. Maurice said he could fix it, but he wants to know who you are as a sort of payment. Can I tell him? I don't think he will tell anyone."
"I don't see a problem with that," Hades reassured with a light shrug. "Your mother told two Auradonians about me. I think it's only fair that you can tell two."
Mal was taken back by the statement. "Really? Who else did she tell?"
"You'll find out tomorrow during Family Day," Hades promised mysteriously. Smiling softly, he insisted, "Meanwhile, you should head to class. Maybe you can convince Fairy Godmother to make this a routine. Don't forget, I love you, Mali. That will never change."