What if Chapter 15

A talk with the kids.

Ben came home that next weekend and told his mother about how sad Mal had seemed, when she talked about home and her mother. Belle reassured him, that she just needed to work through everything, and to give her time. But Belle had a plan of her own.

The following week, Belle arrived on campus to volunteer in the library, she did that from time to time. She waited and watched for some of Mal and Ben's friends. She came across Lonnie first. She knew of all the Auradon Prep kids Lonnie was the most accepting of the Isle kids coming over. No one knew it but Belle had seen all of Lonnie's Schools of Secret videos. She knew it was Lonnie from the beginning. She had recognized her voice.

"Lonnie, how are you?"
"Queen Belle, volunteering this week?"
"Yes. Got a few minutes to talk?"
"Sure, about?"
"Mal and her friends. I am just hoping they are fitting in, after…the coronation."
"Yes. I think they are fitting in."

"Has anything happened, does anything worry you?"
"They were doing ok before, better now I think. I…"
"What?"
"Before, once, about two weeks after they got here, I think I made them feel bad for saying something."
"What happened?"
"I found them in the dorm kitchen, around 10:00. They were baking cookies. They got a little upset when I took a taste. They asked me if I thought it was missing something, when I said chips, chocolate chips. They had no idea what they were. I took them out, and added them to the batter. I told them they were the most important food group. They really had no idea what they were. I asked them, didn't your mom's ever make you guys chocolate chip cookies? Like when you're feeling sad, and they're fresh out of the oven with a glass of milk and she makes you laugh and puts everything into perspective? That's when I saw them look at the floor. Mal said it was different where they were from. I said yes, well even villians love their kids. I swear they were all about to cry. Queen Belle, I don't think their parents ever expressed love for them. Or even loved them. Look how small Mal's mom became after that spell."
"Have they ever talked about home?"
"No, it always seemed as if when they did, they would quickly shut down and change the subject."
"I see, I want to thank you Lonnie. I am just worried about their wellbeing, after all that happened in the past few weeks."
"I like them, I want them to fit in. It's fun having someone different around, to shake things up."
"I agree."
"And I will say Ben is so much more himself, now that he has a different girlfriend." Lonnie joked.

"I see the same thing in him."
Lonnie curtsied and walked away. Belle didn't see anyone else she really wanted to question that day.

The next afternoon, she ran into Jane. "Good afternoon, Queen Belle."
"Afternoon Jane dear. How are you today?"
"Well and yourself?"
"Well. Can I help you look for something?"
"I…I was wondering about Carlos' story. I mean his story doesn't have any royalty involved, and well I am just not familiar with it. It's not really one that Auradon History class covers."
"What can you tell me about the kids, have they ever made you worried about them?" Belle asked, searching the shelves for Cruella's story.
"No, not really. I mean, I was kind of the first one, they talked to, well Mal and Evie. They were nice to me. They may have started out being my friend to get close to Mom, but I know Mal meant what she said to me. Mal and Evie have a friendship I could only dream about having with someone. I imagine they have been friends all their lives."
"You would be surprised, Mal and Evie have only been friends for a few months."
"Really!" Jane was shocked.

"I don't know the whole story, but I believe Evie was home schooled up until a few weeks before they came over here."
"Wow." Jane said, Belle handed her the book she was looking for. "Queen Belle, I wonder if they were treated well by their parents. They seem so out of place when they observe the other kids and their parents."
"I don't think they did Jane, dear. I am working on that."
"Oh, that's a good thing."
"Have they ever talked about home?"
"Not to me. I only ever remember them talking about never having boyfriends before coming here, well Evie. That was before Mal spelled…oh oh."
"It's ok Jane, I know about the cookie."
"That's good then. Well before that, Evie was sort of Chad's girlfriend, but really she was used by him. Mal said she didn't need a boyfriend. And then the next day she was Ben's girlfriend. But Mom figured out the love spell right away. I mean that song…"
"Song?"
"OOPS. I didn't mean…"
"It's ok Jane. Just explain please, no one is in trouble."
"Mal...well after the tourney game, Ben kind of broke out in song confessing his love for Mal. That's…how Audrey was um…dumped. She latched onto Chad which kind of hurt Evie, at least that's what Lonnie told me. But Mal…she jumped right in and made Evie feel so much better. That's why…well she knew just what to say, and that made me believe they were lifelong friends."
"Ben once said, they didn't really call themselves friends before coming here, they just hung out."
"Oh, so that's why Mal said, 'us being friends makes me happy.' During the coronation."
"Yes. I guess so. Thank you for your help Jane. You have helped me a lot. I want Mal and her friends to be happy here, and if you and the other kids that are accepting of them, can help I really like that."

The next person Belle found was Chad. She was leery to talk to him after what happened at Family Day and what Jane had said about Chad's using of Evie, but she also felt having Ben's long time friend's opinion might be a good thing too.

"Queen Belle, how are you today?"
"Well and yourself?"
"Not too bad. You volunteering this week?"
"I am. Can I ask you something?" She dared to venture.
"Sure." He answered nervously.

"What do you think of Mal and her friends?" She bravely asked.
"I…I was wrong about them. I mean…well, Mal does make Ben happy, and well…after dating, if you can call it that, Audrey for a few days, I can see how annoying she can be. Heck I have no idea how he put up with it for as long as he did."
"I think he did it out of duty, more than anything else."
"True." He would have gone on, but Audrey was walking up to them. "Afternoon Audrey."
"Princess Audrey, good to see you." Belle asked

"Queen Belle, you're at school this week. How interesting."
"I volunteer here from time to time." She reminded her. "Can I help you with something dear?"
"I can find it." She said walking away.

"Thank you for talking with me Chad. It is nice to see you again, and I am glad you have changed your opinion of our newest members of Auradon."
"Yea." He bowed and left. Belle decided to search out Audrey and see what she was up too.

She found her looking at the books in the family history section. Belle stood back seeing Audrey pull a book on her own family history. Belle was surprised that Audrey was needing to read about her own story. Belle walked away.

Audrey sat in a quiet area of the library and read over her family history. Nope, there was nothing in there she didn't already know. No, there was nothing in there that would make her like Mal. It was then Fairy Godmother happened to walk up to her and see what she was reading. "Audrey, there is something in there you aren't seeing?"
"Why's that?" Belle came closer to listen.
"Because it isn't written in there. Maleficent only put your mother to sleep. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather put everyone else asleep, so that the court didn't know Maleficent had been successful in her attempt to put your mother to sleep for 100 years. Than they rescued your father and he broke the spell. They weren't asleep for more than a few hours."
"That's not what…really."
"Yes. I can have you speak to the other fairies. They want to meet Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos. Especially Mal."
"My mother's good fairies want to meet her?" Audrey objected, Belle was shocked at her attitude.
" Yes. I just finished speaking to them and I was looking for Mal."

"I haven't seen her today. And I really don't run in her circle."
"That's your choice Audrey." Fairy Godmother said moving on. Belle watched Fairy Godmother leave and then moved over to speak to Audrey.

"May I ask you something Audrey?" Belle asked.

"Of course."
"What is it about Mal and her friends you don't like?"
"They changed everything. Everything I was taught is different now."
"Life is full of changes Audrey."
"No, it didn't have to be. If Ben hadn't had those…those villians come over here, I would still be with Ben, and things would be fine. But now. I am single, and Ben is under some stupid love spell or something, I mean why else would he leave me?" Audrey pouted.

"I hate to tell you dear, but Ben isn't under a spell. Fairy Godmother made sure of that."
"Whatever, she stole him from me, and she messed everything up."
"Mal and her friends are welcomed here Audrey. I am sorry you can't accept that."
"I won't accept that. She has messed everything up, just as her mother did."

"History has many versions of the same story Audrey. Different people tell the same story in a different way. Opinion and time can skew a story."
"I know my Grammie remembers her story."
"That's true, as she saw it. Mal's mother saw it a different way. The other fairies saw it their way."
"My Grammie's way is the only truth I will accept."

"And that is your right. Just realize there are others points of view." Belle said and walked away. She knew there was no changing he mind…yet.