It Won't Happen Again

(Day 36: Sunday Morning)

When Mal returns to the dorm she finds herself gathering her sketchpad and black pencil case into her dark purple bag. "How did it go?"

She turns around and sees Evie all put together, the makeup and clothes covering what lies beneath. "Did you see what happened last night?"

"Yes, Mal," she quietly stresses. "I was there." Mal glances down, observing the blue rug's color. She could just drown in it, the color reminding her of the dark waves of the Isle. Evie takes a step forward, "M. Are you okay?"

She looks back up at her, "What I did last night, have I ever done anything like that to anyone else before?"

"I don't think so," Evie slowly answers. "You had a lot of trust issues, remember?" Mal remembers overhearing Uma confront Hook. "You wouldn't go after anyone you didn't know."

And you believed her? She's a floozy, kissing guys and girls left and right. She'd do anything for heat. You know that. She watched through the window and saw as he took a step forward to reassure her. Trust me. She wanted it. "What about you?" Mal sees Evie's frown, "Did I ever do that kind of thing to you?"

"No," Evie looks down for a second. "Not really… You may have seduced me a few times, but for the most part it was something I wanted."

You're a real damn good liar. You know that? "For the most part," Mal breathes. What were you thinking, that if you claimed he forced you into that then he'd be booted and that you'd be able to rise up and take his place?

"Mal." Evie reassures, "I'm fine with it. Really."

"It wasn't like that," Mal says, before she looks Evie in the eyes. "I've forced you to do things before, haven't I?"

"You've never used your hypnotism on me before," she assures.

I can't believe this. I thought we were friends. "How could I do this to you?"

Evie scrunches her eyebrows in confusion, "Are you talking about last night?"

Mal remembers how Uma had laughed at her. Are you kidding me? Get a grip of yourself. We were never friends. She had reminded her of all of the embarrassing moments she had caused her. Now. Tell me you won't discredit a group member again, and I'll let you get back to work.

"Mal?"

"It won't happen again," Mal promises, before she grabs her bag, puts it on, and heads for the door.

"Hold on," Evie turns her around. "Where are you going?"

"I can't be here. I need to go."

"Go where?" Evie almost laughs at the absurdity.

"I don't know. I just need to go," Mal shuts her eyes, before she begins to turn.

Evie grabs her arm, "Just tell me where you're going." but Mal shakes her off and strides down the hall. She sees them staring— She sees them all staring— but it's to be expected. She's a monster. She knows that; however, apparently her friends are unable to see past the skin she wears, as she's stopped again by Jay near the front doors.

"Hold on. We need to talk."

"I don't think we do."

"Yes. We do," he insists as he holds her in place. "You're going to need someone to stand by you today."

"You have better things to do," Mal disputes.

"No. I don't." He looks into her eyes, "You're my family, and you need me. I'm not going to let you face this alone."

"You're right. We are like family," Mal accepts, "which is why I'm sorry I have to do this." She glows her eyes at him, "Let me go and leave me be." He lets go of her shoulders and she walks off, and even though he watches her leave the building, he's unable to do a thing.

- And that's the backstory to how Mal left Uma's gang. It's a very nice tragedy, isn't it?... It probably would have felt more impactful had I posted it along with the previous chapter at the same time; however, if you want the full impact of the story, then all you have to do is binge read it again. No. Seriously. After this next chapter you will be completely caught up, and since my mind has been distracted by scenes that wouldn't even play out until two (possibly even 5) fanfictions from now I'm not sure how many chapters directly after this one I'll be able to write and how often I'd be able to post them. (If anyone wants a spoiler on what my mind as come up with for those potential future fics, then feel free to ask and I'll post it with a disclaimer. There's always the chance that I would have moved on by then and wouldn't make it that far, so if you want to know it now's your chance.) I'll try to get myself focused back on the present time in this fic, but it still may have to turn into a weekly update instead of a daily. Sorry. (By the way, can anyone tell me why "impactful" isn't a word on here? Same as "relatable"... funny. That's actually counted on here, but my Word document unfortunately doesn't count it as one... why can't spellcheck and grammar just make up its mind?).