What Did She Make You Do
(Day 9: Monday Afternoon)
"Well done, Evie. That was a very interesting perspective on the pirate James Hook." The teacher looks around the class and finds Mal doodling in a notebook. "Ah. Mal. I'd like to see what you've got for me now."
Mal sets down her colored pen and stands from her seat, but when she reaches the front of the classroom she informs the teacher, "I didn't exactly do the report. Can I improvise?"
"If you must," Mr. Turner answers.
Mal looks back at the class, "My report will be on Harry Hook, the son of Captain James Hook and a resident of the Isle." There's a few whispers, but Mal talks over them. "Harry Hook is exactly what you think of when you think of a pirate. He drinks, he steals, and he takes whatever he wants whenever he wants." Mal glances at the floor for a moment, remembering how he'd stolen her innocence. "He runs a crew with Uma, the daughter of Ursula, and their followers contain the sons of Gaston among many others. The docks and fishing areas are under their control, and after my friends and I abandoned the island I can only imagine they will be taking our territory as well."
There's silence before Mal continues, "Harry Hook is the most deplorable guy I know. Unlike many so-called villains of the Isle, he has no moral code or line he won't cross. He hasn't murdered anyone yet, but if presented with the opportunity I have no doubt he would. His gang constantly threatens people for money, they burn whatever they can't have, and they push alcohol and drugs onto the helpless so that they may stay helpless. So, all in all, Harry Hook wants to be his father and much, much more, and although it's hard for villain kids to match their parents' accomplishments while stuck on the island, it won't mean that he won't try."
Mal looks around the room before glancing at the teacher, "That's it."
The teacher nods, "Does anyone have any questions?"
Chad comments, "Yeah. I do." without even raising his hand. "How did you know this guy? Were you all buddy buddy with him or something?"
"Geeze Chad," a guy from behind him disapproves.
"What?" Chad replies. "It's just a question." He smiles at Mal, "So?"
"We did hook up a little," Mal acknowledges. "But after what happened… after I realized how horrible of a guy he was I left both him and the crew. That's when Jay and I got our own territory and soon after that we met Carlos and Evie and they joined." She watches as the class glances at her friends. "Any other questions?"
"Yeah." Audrey inquires, "You said how horrible they are and all of the horrible things they've done, so why didn't you leave sooner?"
Mal shakes her head at Ben's ex-girlfriend, "It didn't matter what they were doing. I was going to have to do horrible things to innocent people anyway."
"You didn't have to do anything. You could have just been good."
"No," Mal calmly comments. "I couldn't have."
"Yeah. You could have," the cheerleader retorts. "You didn't have to be mean to anyone. That was your choice."
"I had no choice," Mal yells, causing Audrey to lean back in her seat, seemingly startled. "I was going to be forced to do things anyway. If I was going to be mean to anyone, I at least wanted to be in control of my own actions while I was doing it." Mal lets out a long breath and shakes her head, "I just wanted my free will back. That's all I wanted."
Doug replies through his shock, "Your mother really did use her hypnotism on you." Mal takes a step back and stares at the floor for a moment, before she jets for the door.
Evie stands from her chair, calling after her, before she runs out into the hallway and yells, "Wait." She slows her pace, "Mal. Wait." and then Mal turns around. She walks up to her, and the closer she gets the clearer the tears are shown. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Mal inwardly laughs as she painfully smiles, "Because it hasn't really happened in a while. Once I started to do those horrible things myself I was free… you know, aside from the occasional thing she really needed from me like stealing the wand, but yeah. It's—" She lets out a breath and the tears stop, "It's been a while. Way more than just a few years. By the time I met you so much time had passed… I guess I didn't think it was important anymore."
Evie takes a step forward, "What did she make you do?"
"What didn't she make me do?" Mal grins. "Just the usual things, I guess. Saying horrible things to young children. Stealing from the homeless. Pulling a gun on the butcher." She looks down at the floor and contemplates, "She made me do it all, because she thought that if I just did it once that I'd be able to do it again on my own." Mal's expression falters, and then she looks back up at Evie's attentiveness. "And she was right. After she made me do all of those things, I needed to have my free will back. I had to take control of the situation, because if I didn't— if she were still in control of me…"
Evie sees Mal about to cry again and goes in for a hug, "You don't have to say it. I know. I know, and it must have been absolutely horrible, but everything's okay now. You'll see."
Mal hugs her hard, "I did it to keep them safe. I couldn't bear it if— if—"
Evie feels the tears drop onto her neck, "I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now." She tries not to cry herself, "But I'm here for you. You hear me?"
Mal's breathing slows, "Is that—" and she sniffles. "Is that strawberries?"
Evie laughs, "Yeah. It's, uh, my new body wash. I thought you'd like it."
Mal pulls Evie's hair from her neck to behind her back, "You smell really nice."
She feels Mal kiss her neck and uncomfortably laughs, "Okay, but it's not going to taste like strawberries." She places her hands on Mal's shoulders and moves her off, before she scans the hallway for prying eyes. "If you're in the mood for some… comforting," she offers, "then maybe we should just head back to our room. There is only like one class after this. We could just skip it… if you'd like?"
Mal smiles, reaching out for Evie again, "I very like."
- Mal seems to have a lot of demons. We can't blame her for not letting out every single one, can we?