9:54 am - Fairy Godmother's office
"Mal and Evie had taken two seats outside of the headmistress' office after being directed to by one of Fairy Godmother's assistants. Both girls had woken up later than usual after their adventurous night out and were dressed in comfy clothes as they had been running late and were close to missing breakfast.
"Evie's usually polished look had vanished and instead she wore some black leggings and a blue sweatshirt with the school's crest embroidered on the back in a golden thread. Despite that, she still managed to look cute and put together as her hair was intricately braided into a crown. Mal on the other hand, had simply grabbed the first clean outfit she saw. Mal's grey sweatpants belonged to Jay so she had been forced to roll them over at the waistband so that she wouldn't trip. Along with that, a simple black tank top and her school hoody finished the look. As she sat in the pristine main building, after being sneered at by the smartly dressed reception girl, she was wishing she had gone back to the dorm and changed.
"Evie picked up on Mal's nervous energy easily, knocking her friend's foot with her own to make her stop jerking her leg. Mal blinked and snapped back to attention, halting the bouncing of her knee and shooting her best friend a crooked smile, knowing how much the habit annoyed her.
"Sorry, I just want this to be over with. I feel underdressed," Mal told her, using her own foot to knock against Evie's. Soon the pair were struggling to control their giggles as they fought with their feet, trying to pin one another's foot down under their boots.
"Evie, Mal," Fairy Godmother called, sticking her head out from her office door. The pair quickly stood up, shuffling and picking at their informal wear in front of the Headmistress. "Why don't you two come on it," the fairy suggested, retreating back into the office so that the girls could follow.
"Inside, the walls were dark mahogany and large bookshelves had been built into the wood, a vast collection of books going from waist height to the ceiling, broken only by the single door and three picturesque windows behind a matching mahogany desk. Fairy Godmother took a seat behind the large, cluttered desk and motioned to the two leather back chairs in front of her, smiling warmly as the girls took their seats.
"Mal's eyes drank in the desk in front of her. There were knick-knacks and trinkets, a framed photograph of Jane and stacks of papers held down by shimmering stones covering every inch of it. Godmother rooted around the clutter and pulled a scroll out from a small basket of others and Mal wondered how she knew which one it was as they all looked the same.
"These are a copy of the school rules and just handy things to know. I of course will also be there to welcome the new transfers but I would like you Mal, to take the lead in introducing them to Auradon Prep," Godmother began straight away, waving her fingers and magically duplicating the scroll. She passed them to the two girls and then rested her elbows on the desk, clasping her hands in front of her with a smile.
"What time will they be here?" Evie questioned, taking all three scrolls and putting them into her purse.
"Fairy Godmother glanced over her shoulder out into the courtyard and then back to the girls. "Around five minutes or so, so I suggest going down to the statue and waiting there. I will meet you in the foyer of the main building in twenty minutes."
"Mal swore under her breath when she realised she wouldn't have any time to change. "Who are the new students?" she asked, crossing her fingers and hoping that it wouldn't be a select few.
"The daughter of Drusilla, Dizzy Tremaine, " Godmother began, counting on her fingers. Evie gasped and gripped Mal's hand, beaming at the news. "The son of Gaston, Gil Gaston, and the son of Hook, Harry Hook."
"Both Mal and Evie sucked in a breath when Godmother mentioned the two pirates. "Uma isn't coming?" Mal questioned, venom dripping from her words which made Godmother bristle.
"No, she is currently serving a punishment for an illegal spell with King Triton in the East," Godmother clarified and she watched the two girls visibly relax. "Well, you should be going," she reminded them and they made their way to the door. "Oh and Mal," she said before they made it out of the door. The purple haired girl stopped and turned her head. "This is your punishment remember so no skipping this, and I expect to hear good things when you see me after dinner."
"Mal nodded once and joined Evie, rolling her eyes to make her friend laugh. Mal readjusted her baggy sweatpants and rearranged the hood on her unzipped Auradon Prep hoodie before she linked her arm through Evie's and they left the main building, laughing together and throwing dirty looks at the receptionist who shivered as they passed.
10:03 am - The courtyard in front of the Beast's statue
"Jay was leaning against the stone plinth the statue towered on, throwing a small ball from one hand to another, listening to Jane rattle her schedule off quickly to Carlos who tried to stifle his yawn.
"Did something happen last night? All four of you VK's have been yawning all morning. I thought you were going to fall asleep in your porridge this morning," Jane asked Carlos, poking his shoulder when he finished yawning.
"What are you on about? It's just been a busy week that's all," he scoffed, poking her back and making her smile. "Come on then, tell me again what's going on," Carlos said to distract her.
Jane fell for it and reopened her tablet, swiping and scrolling until she found what she was looking for. "New transfers arrive at five past ten, then a guided tour by Mal, followed by lunch at twelve in the dining hall and then... Mal! Evie!" Jane broke off, rushing to the two girls and greeting them with quick, one-armed hugs. "Evie, have you seen Doug?"
Evie shook her head and pouted for a moment, rooting around in her purse to pull out her phone. "Oh," her eyebrows rose and a smile came to her face. "He messaged me a few moments ago, he should be he-" Evie cut herself off when Doug skidded into view, gasping and struggling for breath.
"Hey," he huffed, pecking her cheek and nodding to the boys. "Are they here yet? I'm not late am I?"
"Jay nodded his head towards the drive and the sleek black limo that was winding its way to the front of the school. The VKs shared a look before standing together behind Jane who was clutching her tablet tightly. Doug patted her shoulder to reassure her. Together, the six had come to stand in a line, each expressing different levels of enthusiasm for the new students.
Mal and Jay had their arms crossed, both with hard expressions. Carlos had his hands in his pockets and his head dropped back, eyes closed and his stance relaxed. Evie was next to him, gripping Doug's hand and bouncing on her toes. Doug smiled at his girlfriend's infectious joy and next to him, Jane was biting her lip.
The limousine came to a stop in front of them, a driver exiting the front cab to open the passenger door. As soon as it opened, Dizzy was out, launching herself into Evie's open arms, both squealing in excitement at being reunited.
"Everyone, this is Dizzy, the best jewellery designer on the Isle," Evie smiled as she introduced the girl and Dizzy waved to everyone, pushing her glasses further up her nose. Mal winked at
"Hi, I'm Jane," the daughter of the Fairy Godmother introduced herself, holding out and hand to the young girl. "I'll help show you around if that's alright." Dizzy nodded and hugged Jane as well, the ear to ear smile never leaving her face.
"Dizzy, this is Doug, my boyfriend," Evie told her when she had untangled herself from Jane. "He's also going to keep an eye on you for the first few weeks."
Dizzy blushed and nodded, allowing Doug to pick up her hand and kiss her knuckles as Evie laughed at the interaction.
"Ever the gentleman," she whispered into his ear.
Jay hit Carlos in the stomach when Gil emerged from the limo, his face smeared with chocolate, much like Carlos' had been when he had arrived. The son of Gaston smiled to the group, holding out a hand for Jay to shake. The ex-thief looked at him warily, slowly sliding his hand into Gil's, shaking it firmly.
"Hi," Gil grinned, swallowing the last of the chocolate he had taken from the limo. "Do you want some?" He held out his hand to the boys, offering some of the chocolate wrapped in gold paper. Jay and Carlos smirked and took a piece, thanking Gil.
"We're in the dorm next to yours so if you want, we can swing by and pick you up for dinner," Carlos offered, hesitant but remembering the work Jane had put into the transferal of the students and how Gil had been on the island.
Gil smiled and nodded. "Thanks, and I'm sorry about Uma," he said, pocketing the rest of the candy. "It must be hard seeing us again."
"We've known each other since childhood Gil, we all have things to apologise for," Jay told him, allowing Gil to join him in the line so that the last student could exit the car.
Mal sucked in a breath and stared when the leather-clad boots of the final student swung out of the car. Evie shot Carlos a worried look as Harry Hook, an already notorious pirate, stepped into the sun. His red leather coat was slung over his broad shoulders but it failed to mask the sword strapped to his hip. He looked into the bright sunlight for a moment, tilting his head into the warmth before he set his hat on his head and looked at the welcoming committee.
Harry stood above six foot and looked both intimidating and relaxed in front of the students. He grinned wolfishly at Jane as her eyes widened at the sight of his sword peaking out from under the tails of his long coat. When he finally withdrew his left hand from behind him, Doug had to grip Jane's arms when she stumbled at the sight of the sharp, silver hook.
"Oh darlin', if that gets you weak at the knees then we're in for a lot of fun," he smirked at her, following the comment with a wink that made both Jane and little Dizzy blush. His accent was thick and it made Mal shake her head minutely to clear it of the hazy fog that had engulfed her once she heard it.
"Knock it off Harry," Evie scolded, reaching forward and flicking his bare bicep since the sleeves had been ripped off at the seams like she had done when they had been children. Harry looked at her and laughed, crowing almost as Evie raised an eyebrow.
"Ya missed me, Evie? I know I've missed you, me bed was so cold whilst ya were gone," he teased, falling back into the same flirtatious routine the two had shared whilst growing up.
Evie rolled her eyes as Doug stiffened beside her, something that didn't go amiss by Harry. He laughed at the half-dwarf and turned his attention to the rest of the line as the driver excused himself to collect the luggage.
"Looking good for saying you just lost a captain. Selfish and rude, haven't changed a bit then I see," Carlos ran a tongue over his teeth, disdain evident in his voice.
"Between having me own vessel and a crew, I guess I forgot to grieve the loss of a greedy captain," Harry replied coolly, his ocean eyes sliding to Carlos' dark ones. "Still a runt I see."
"Cool it. You're in our territory now and lucky to be here at all," Jay stepped in, reminding the pirate of his place.
Gil walked up to his friend, whispering something in his ear. Harry turned his head to look at Gil and nodded once.
"I owe ye an apology," was all he said to Carlos, not elaborating on it further but there was a certain sense of hostility to the forced apology that even Harry couldn't hide.
Mal couldn't help but scoff at his words and her spine turned to steel when Harry finally looked at her. Mal's heart doubled in pace and she struggled to keep from ringing her hands together with an anxious energy that always seemed to bubble over when she was in the pirate's presence.
"And what about you my little Dragon, have you missed me?" Harry crooned, tracing the outline of her face with his hook. The cool metal helped calm Mal and she felt slightly annoyed when Jay's hand shot out and stopped Harry's arm. It was a gesture he had made numerous times in their past, each filled with a crooked smile and bright eyes. This time was no different.
"No weapons. No swords and no hook," Jay said, releasing Harry's arm once the pirate had stepped back from Mal, never breaking the intense eye contact.
Harry pouted momentarily and then grinned again in spite of Jay's words. "I've already seen the Fairy, she's cast some shit to make sure I can't hook anyone so the hook stays, so does the sword," he replied, twisting his left hand so that the hook glinted in the sun, his eyes never leaving Mal's.
"Language!" Jane gasped and this only added to Harry's amusement. Mal frowned and then pinched the back of her hand, focusing herself on the punishment she had been given and not the ex-lover standing in front of her. She blinked and looked away, failing to see Harry's wicked grin.
"Come on, we'll show you around," Mal said, ignoring the pirate and holding out a hand for Dizzy who took it eagerly.
Evie took the young girl's other hand and the three lead the way, trusting Gil and Harry to follow. Carlos and Jane struck up a friendly conversation with Gil as Jay and Harry stood toe to toe, staring at each other intimidatingly.
"You heard her," Jay told him calmly. "She may not be the queen of the Isle anymore but she still holds the same power, so follow."
Harry cocked an eyebrow, raising his hook to tilt his hat, the feather brushing along Jay's forehead until he took a step back and swatted it away.
"Of course your highness," the pirate mocked, still grinning as he followed the group, leaving Jay behind. Jay had to take another step back to avoid being hit in the shins with the bottom of Harry's sword. "I haven't forgotten about the power she wields," Harry called out behind him.
Swearing under his breath at having accidentally backed down from their power struggle, Jay trudged after the welcoming committee, glaring at the pirate's back.
11:48 am - The upper floor of the Main Building
"And this is the art classroom," Mal told Dizzy, opening the door to reveal a massive room filled with canvases, statues, materials and paints. Dizzy gasped and clapped her hands, her eyes scanning every inch of the room.
"It's massive!" she exclaimed in awe.
Evie chuckled. "It used to be a ball room but there is already one downstairs and this was small so..." Evie shrugged and then grinned. "Dizzy, do you see that table over in that far corner," she asked, pointing to the workstation over Dizzy's shoulder. "That is for metal work so you can start making your own designs."
Dizzy wiped away a tear and pulled the two older girls into a bear hug, burying her face into their torsos. "Thank you," she cried as Mal and Evie looked at one another with panicked expressions. Evie returned the hug eventually whilst Mal patted the younger girl's head, unsure of what to do. Her stomach was twisting itself into knots and Mal didn't know why.
"You belong here Dizzy," Jane spoke up, smiling at the girl. "I for one can't wait to see what you create."
Behind the four girls, the boys were trailing, none really that interested in the classrooms. Gil was eager to see his dorm room and was asking Jay and Carlos question after question about the rooms, the classes, the food and the sports.
Mal turned to watch him punctuating each question with wild hand gestures, just like he had when he had been a child. It sobered Mal to think that the villains had all grown up together. She knew Gil and his friends, tormented them even when she was still on the Isle. She had teased and bullied him for the lisp he had suffered from as a child but now that she listened to him, she realised he had overcome the impediment. Gil had grown up.
"He's going to have Carlos' eye out if he doesn't stop waving his hands around," Evie commented and Mal nodded slowly.
"For saying he's Hook's best friend, they couldn't be more different. I mean, Hook would really have someone's eye out," Dizzy laughed, referring to Harry by his surname.
Mal gasped, realising what felt so wrong. She couldn't see the pirate. Mal gripped Evie's wrist tightly, looking up and down the corridor frantically.
"Ow," complained Evie as Mal's nails began to dig into her skin.
"Where's Harry," Mal hissed, clicking her fingers to get Jay's attention. The boy excused himself from Gil and Carlos and joined to the pair, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"What's up?"
"Where is he?" Mal bit out, still gripping Evie.
"Who?" Jay replied, looking at the group of students. Mal and Evie watched him scan the corridor and then tense up, the muscle in his jaw becoming more pronounced when he realised who had slinked off. "I'll go find him, you two head to lunch," he told them, his voice deadly and cold.
Mal shook her head and gripped his bicep. "I'll go. I was supposed to be showing them around and Fairy Godmother will blame me if he causes any trouble," she told them. Evie nodded, rubbing the wrist Mal had finally released.
"If you still can't find him after lunch we will all come and help," Jay assured her, not liking the idea of Mal and Harry alone together but he knew better than to tell the witch what to do./p
p style="font-family: -webkit-standard;""I'll save you some food and put it in our room, okay?" Evie asked, wrapping an arm around Dizzy as the group began to descend the staircase to the dining hall for lunch.
Mal nodded and went the other way down the corridor, using her shoulder to open a thin wooden door that led to a spiralling stone staircase. It ran connected to multiple passageways and other corridors and was the fastest way to get around the main building. Quickly climbing down the steps, Mal went over all of the places on the campus, trying to decide where Harry might have wandered off to.
She only encountered a few other people when she used a second-floor passageway so that she could cut across the building to leave by one of the south exits. Mal crossed her fingers hoping she would find the pirate before he found trouble.