Mal couldn't help the small cough that came as she choked on the rotten atmosphere. The vile smells of the sulfur infested island just worked to cement the feel of evil that worked as a barrier by itself. To remain anonymous Mal convinced Fairy Godmother to allow her passage on the food truck. The trucker is always thorough in his truck check, so once she was off even if anyone saw her no one would get away with trying to get out. Hesitantly the older fairy agreed, a car would come pick Mal up before dark.
Mal knew the immediate moment they hit the magic barrier because her smooth ride suddenly got rough, and as mentioned earlier, the air was so saturated with deceit a person could choke on it. Jumping out of the chart Mal shot a silent thank you to the trucker and slipped into the alley.
Technically, the young fairy had come home. This is where her whole childhood happened. This is the place that suffocated her into submission to evil, and shut out any possible beauty, but Mal didn't know that... and at the time she loved being ignorant.
She saw the island through a new lens. The island was crumbling with each step. Buildings were barely holding up, but this was life for the islanders. Mal imagined the resources that she and Ben could bring in to update the island. Ben... what would he think if he were seeing this? No, she wasn't going to think about Ben. She needed to be thinking about herself and figuring out whatever it is that Godmother wanted her to learn.
It was still too early in the morning for anyone to be on the streets, but the smell of rotten fish overwhelmed her senses. Her house, her people, and her evil heritage are all on this island, but home... the island was never home. She found herself in front of the place where it all began. There was slight movement in the window so Mal made herself scarce. Before she could really think about where she was going she found herself in a familiar back alley.
She came across her "Long Live Evil" painting. She smiled as she heard Ben's voice, "You should really think about taking this talent of the locker into art class." She loves that art class, but there was something about seeing this painting that brought out all the insecurities of living under her mother. She turned to lean her back against that wall, in the distance she could hear the early rustling of the islander merchants; time to blend in.
There were a couple things about the island that Mal missed; the shady shenanigans, the constant bartering, and bossy merchants. She also sort of missing the lazy speed that the island produced. It being an island of villains there is just no motivation to do anything about it. Towards the end of the day Mal found herself back in front of her childhood house.
She didn't think anyone was home, but before she realized it she was back in front of her house. She contemplated going in, but as she approached the door she realized that there was nothing behind that door for her. She was ready to go home... she needed to see Ben.