Malevelyn
Malevelyn's mother had exactly two default settings, which tended to happen when one's mother was a villain like Maleficent. The first was the all-powerful, raging, literal dragon that once ravaged the land, striking fear into the hearts of every creature great and small. This one was to be obeyed no matter what, and avoided at all costs. Malevelyn didn't care much to be in her mother's presence when she was like this, but then again, no one on the Isle of the Lost did. She used to hide away in her room, actively imagining what her mother looked like as her reptilian counterpart as she flipped through the pages of her mother's old spell books. Malevelyn quickly ran out of books, so she put her new knowledge to use and had come up with a new way of entertaining herself; she would Illusion her fingers into horns, flash her dragon eyes, and terrorize the younger boy with the funny hair from across the street. That had been amusing for a few years.
The second was plotting. When Maleficent ran out of steam (sometimes literally), she would lock herself in a dark room and plot. For revenge, escape, what they'd be having for dinner-anything, really. This one was preferable, as that meant Malevelyn could walk inside her own house and not have to worry about setting her off. This was when she could do as she pleased, run around the Isle, vandalize the street vendor's tents, and come up with new spells and potions under the guise of a "school project." Malevelyn was going to be graduating this school year, and though there wasn't much out there for her, she could at least Master in what limited magic the Isle permitted. She wasn't sure what exactly would happen after that, but she knew she'd always be among these people. There wasn't any other option, really, unless the Isle decided to Hunger Games it and fight to the death in the world's stupidest game of King of the Rock. Either way, she was free to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, but when her mother was plotting, she could do so without having someone breathing fire down her neck. Malevelyn may live on a barren rock surrounded by a magical barrier, but she liked what little freedom she had.
Whatever way you decided to look at it, Malevelyn had her life signed, sealed, and delivered as far as she was concerned. She had her routines, her books, and her future mapped out, and that was quite fine by her, thank you very much. Of course it'd be interesting (amazing) to get off the cursed Isle and really stretch her wings (she only meant that half metaphorically), but that was her life, and she was destined to live it. As the daughter of a villain, Malevelyn was good at making the most out of what she had.
All in all, Maleficent was no Pete's dragon, but she was predictable. So, Malevelyn was understandably confused when she descended down the staircase, announcing cheerfully that a letter from the Mainland had been received. Malevelyn's mother didn't do 'cheerful,' or even 'kind of joyful,' and she hated the Mainland more than anyone she knew. Naturally, the Isle's colloquial term for Auradon was uttered with distaste among the small outcast society, but no one spoke the nickname with such hatred as her mother. Although, it wasn't often the Isle of the Lost was graced with contact from the Mainland, and judging by Maleficent's sickeningly bubbly and uncharacteristic spirit, something big had to have happened to cause her mother to be in such a mood.
Malevelyn had just returned from a long and frustrating afternoon spent attempting to Disillusion the purple from her hair (keyword there: attempting. Long story short—her most recent experiment had a lot more permanent effects than originally intended. It's a good thing she took after her mother's style and hid her hair beneath a black headdress). Needless to say, her energy was zapped, and she wasn't in the mood to hear whatever the King and Queen's pride and joy had gotten up to. Maybe the brat had kissed a baby or something and made the front pages.
She put her teenage superpowers of selective hearing to good use as she poured herself a glass of water, purposefully avoiding the milk that might or might not have expired a couple weeks ago. The kids used to tease her that the reason she and her mother were so tiny was because they never drank milk, and she had retaliated by Charming their shirts to smother them. That had been a good day. She found herself smiling at the memory as she drank her water.
"...And so, the barrier will be broken and chaos will reign supreme once more." Her mother finished dramatically, and Malevelyn rolled her eyes. She didn't see what she had to do with her mother's latest scheme, and quite frankly, her joyous mood was starting to scare her a bit.
"That's great and everything, I totally agree," Malevelyn leaned against the fridge, feigning interest as she swirled the water around in her cup.
"I'm glad you think so, because you'll have to wait until graduation before you can act."
"Oh, I have a part? Goodie," Malevelyn muttered, taking another sip.
"Of course you have a part, you'll be at Auradon Prep for the whole time."
At this, Malevelyn promptly spat out the water and began choking. Her mother seemed unconcerned. Typical.
"I'll be what now?" she demanded once her throat cleared.
"The King approved the transfer papers this morning, while you were off doing God knows what with those savages."
Malevelyn furrowed her brow—she didn't associate with anyone on the Isle unless she absolutely had to—but let the inaccuracy of her mother's statement slide in favor of addressing a more pressing matter. "How in the world did you get transfer papers to Auradon Prep?"
Her mother gave her a face, one Malevelyn coined as 'Glare #24: Really?', with the one raised eyebrow and everything. "It was quite elementary; I simply pleaded that I've changed and only want the best for my daughter, who's done absolutely nothing wrong."
Malevelyn refrained from rolling her eyes. "Sure, and why am I going to a Mainland school?"
"To steal the Fairy Godmother's wand," her mother hissed. "When the King's little princess gets his crown, the Fairy Godmother initiates the ceremony with her wand, which you will get and break the magical barrier on this cursed piece of rock."
"But… How am I supposed to-"
"Oh, you're a smart girl, figure it out," Maleficent snapped, and that's about as close to a compliment Malevelyn had ever received. Her mother's glare turned into a feral grin. "What with all those books you read, I'm sure you'll have no problem controlling your powers in a more… open environment."
Was her mother implying what she thought? Malevelyn had heard stories that magic wasn't regulated on the Mainland the way it was on the Isle, and though it wasn't surprising, it had always seemed like a myth, like some far off story. Malevelyn was good with her life here, she had everything she needed already set up. She didn't want to leave the Isle for the preppy royals on the Mainland, and like hell did she want to become another elaborate pawn in her mother's latest scheme. But she would, because that's just the way they worked. Maleficent was still her mom.
But if she could actually get something out of this?
"You mean… Outside of the Isle, they'll actually let me practice magic?"
"Among other things, yes. But the wand is priority, and the Isle has chosen the best candidates for the mission. You are one of four, you should feel honored. Your things are packed already, they should be arriving any moment now."
"Wait, you went through my room?" Malevelyn raised her eyebrow in a questioning glare of her own, still tossing the idea of actual magic around in her head, but her mother was barred from answering when Diavel came cawing into the room with reckless abandon, flapping his wings and sending a shower of black feathers to the ground.
"Oh, you poor thing, you're molting," Maleficent crooned to the old bird. Malevelyn got on with Diaval just fine, but she swore, sometimes, her mother loved that bird more than she did her own daughter. Reminded her of her good old days or something equally pathetic like that.
"Don't worry, I'll get it," Malevelyn muttered darkly, her black robes sweeping across the floor as she went to answer the door Diavel had so kindly announced someone was at. She understood her mother's dark obsessions well enough but she still had yet to understand why they couldn't just get a doorbell like literally everyone else instead of relying on an old sack of feathers. She yanked the door open, not bothering with pleasantries. At the door were two old women. The first was wearing a frankly alarming coat of black and white polka dots, her styled black and white hair trimmed to frame her sallow face and a long pipe sticking out of her painted red lips. The second oozed a regal aura, her face a stern collection of sharp features, and her black cloak covering an elegant blue gown. Where on the Isle she had acquired such a garment, Malevelyn had no idea—a prison wasn't a place for any sort of royalty. She looked the two women up and down, clearly not impressed.
"Can I help you?" she snapped.
"Be a dear and move aside, won't you?" the first woman drawled as she puffed out a breath of smoke, causing Malevelyn to choke and subsequently allowing the woman to float into her house. The second woman gracefully strided in after her, sparing a brief, belittling gaze at her. She had no idea what business these women had with her mother, and even though respect wasn't in the vocabulary of many Islanders, their dismissive gestures infuriated her.
"Mother!" she shouted, stomping back into the living room where she found the grey-haired woman removing her coat, draped on their couch, and the stern woman sitting politely at their kitchen table. There was a third figure she didn't remember letting in. A slim, dark-skinned man dressed in black and red robes sat casually opposite the stern woman.
"Malevelyn, mind your manners," her mother chided, her eyes hard. And oh, wasn't that statement just the joke of the century. " I would like you to meet the Queen Grimhilde, Jafar of Agrabah, and Mrs. Cruella de Vil."
The latter two she had never heard of before, but the first character was familiar. Malevelyn knew of the Evil Queen-one of the most elusive villains on the Isle, second only to her mother.
"Darling, I absolutely despise my introduction coming last," the woman identified as Cruella de Vil puffed another breath of smoke, and Malevelyn's eyes flashed green as she was reminded just how much she hated other people. Maleficent seemed to share this thought process, but evidently, this mission was far too promising to risk offending a participant, and she swallowed her tongue. That was a first, Malevelyn noted.
"I trust the proper accommodations have been made for my daughter," Queen Grimhilde's voice was low, quiet, the sort that one would expect to pass through a crowd unnoticed. Instead, it sliced through every other noise and made the hairs on the back of Malevelyn's neck stand up. She was well accustomed to her mother's own villainous effects, but this was a true Evil Queen.
"The King sent the approval this morning. School starts in three days, they're expected in the afternoon."
"Excellent," the smooth, snake-like intonation came from Jafar, who was carefully examining a golden cane with the head of a cobra and shining ruby eyes.
"Malevelyn, the other children are waiting in the car, go outside while the footmen bring down your things," she was dismissed with the wave of her mother's hand. She didn't want anyone in her room, but she scoffed, unsure of what else to do. Other kids? She didn't work with other people, it was far too… distasteful for her liking. She worked alone. And, on top of that, she didn't even want to go to the stupid Mainland school anyway, where there were no doubt spoiled princes and princesses and, God forbid, glitter. She shuddered just thinking about it. But, she was reminded, what about the magic…?
"Now." Maleficent's eyes flashed green, and Malevelyn reluctantly stalked out of the house with a scowl on her face.
The thing was, nothing changed on the Isle of the Lost. It was a moody, dreary setting, but it was home, and like many things in Malevelyn's life, it was predictable. She didn't do change, it wasn't something that happened to her. Her mother's newest scheme was happening far too fast for her to process. Her immediate reaction was to be angry, after all, she didn't want to go to Auradon of all places, and she certainly despised group projects. But she also didn't disobey her mother, and if she wanted the wand, whatever, it's not like it was skin off her back to scheme against the preppy kids across the bay. More than that, she could practice actual magic, beyond what little scraps of power slipped through the barrier. Something more than Illusions and Charms. And, after her mother got the wand, she could continue to do so. Alone. Preferably on a mountain.
An actual limousine was waiting outside of her house, and she could just barely make out the figures of three other children waiting in the car. She was hit with the cruel realization that all her hard work of avoiding other people was quickly going to waste, and scowled once more. Maybe there was something in it for her, but she wouldn't have to like it. Malevelyn heaved a sigh as she ripped open the door, dropping into the nearest seat and immediately sizing up the other villains' kids.
The youngest boy she recognized from across the street. Not much had changed since she'd tormented him all those years ago, from the shifty look in his dark eyes, the freckles adorning his face, and the odd frosted tips in his mop of curls. His white and black leather jacket fit him remarkably well for something that had to have been secondhand (everything on the Isle was), though his red skinny jeans were loose, held up by multiple leather belts and chains in a sad attempt to look… She didn't know, tough? Wasn't that something boys did to make themselves look cool? Leather and chains?
That certainly was the philosophy of the second boy, whose entire outfit contained some sort of leather. He wore a sleeveless vest over a simple black T-shirt, displaying his overly-muscled arms that Malevelyn couldn't help but roll her eyes at. He had to have been freezing, the Isle of the Lost wasn't known for its warm and sunny weather. The steel-tipped combat boots looked far too heavy to be functionable. A red beanie poorly covered his black hair that was frankly an alarming length for a guy, but not all that uncommon on the Isle. Either you hacked your hair off or you didn't bother. This must have been Jafar's son, going by his matching skin tone and snake-like eyes. He drummed his leather-clad fingers against his frayed blue jeans (patched with leather, she noted, the overcompensating asshole), giving her a wink when he noticed her scrutiny. She returned it with a green-eyed glare.
The third was another girl. Her long, dark hair was tied back in an elegant knot, something Malevelyn wouldn't be able to do or even name if her life depended on it. Her face was adorned with a golden headcrown, accentuated by what Malevenlyn thought were rubies. Her dark eyes were made more prominent by a heavy layer of eyeliner and fake lashes, her inherited sharp features highlighted by obvious makeup. No one of the Isle's skin was that clear, except perhaps Malevelyn's own, and hers wasn't so much as clear as translucent. The girl wore an actual corset beneath her red leather jacket, along with a black short skirt and fishtail leggings, finished off with what had to be six inches of red stilettos. The heel was intricately detailed with golden leaves, and they made Malevelyn's feet hurt just looking at them. Malevelyn wouldn't exactly call the girl 'pretty' upon first sight, but the way she managed her features and portrayed herself was striking in a way that demanded attention and exuded an aura of alluring mystery. There was no question that this was the daughter of the Evil Queen.
A knock at the window redirected Malevelyn's attention. Her mother stood outside, her standard icy demeanor back in place. She grudgingly rolled the window down.
"These are the other children chosen—"
Thank you, Captain Obvious, Malevelyn thought.
"I suggest you introduce yourselves, you all will be quite close come the end of the year. You will all work together to infiltrate the academy and gain the wand at the coronation. Once you leave the Isle, you will be cut off from contact with us."
"Wait, we're leaving now?" The boy from across the street—had to be the son of Cruella de Vil—interjected, looking a bit alarmed.
"Why? Need one last kiss from mommy?" the ridiculously muscular boy smirked, and the younger boy recoiled.
"No, I just didn't—"
"I trust you've already said your goodbyes." Maleficent silenced them both with her own voice and a well-placed gaze.
Malevelyn rolled her eyes. She hadn't even been aware she would be leaving fifteen minutes ago, let alone said goodbye to her mother. This wasn't the first plot of her mother's she'd been dragged into, albeit it's the first one she'd actually be leaving her home. But whatever, it wasn't like they'd actually miss each other's company. She glared at the back of the driver's head until her mother cleared her throat and caught her eye. Malevelyn shifted slightly in her seat. If there was one thing she was good at, it was staring someone down, but her mother had been doing so with her draconic gaze far longer than she had, and would inevitably win every time.
"This mission is of the utmost importance for the future of the Isle of the Lost. Do not fail us." By 'us,' Maleficent obviously meant 'me,' and Malevelyn averted her eyes, folding her arms.
With that, Maleficent stalked off, the black bird perching precariously on her shoulder. The limousine rumbled to life and started off through the streets of the Isle slowly, obviously unaccustomed to the narrow width of the unpaved roads. The car was quiet for the most part, and Malevelyn stewed in her own anger until someone broke the silence.
"I'm Carlos, uh, Cruella de Vil's my mom," the neighbor boy spoke sitting awkwardly in his seat with his hands folded in his lap. When no one responded, he turned hopefully to the boy next to him. "... You're Jafaran, right?"
The elder boy sighed, eventually deciding to humor Carlos.
"It's 'Jay,' kid," he said confidently, folding his arms behind his head. He added what he must have thought was a charming smirk.
Malevelyn cocked her head at him. Was this guy for real?
"Reya Eve," the other girl added, pulling some weird scrap of metal from her bag and running it against her blood red nails.
"Um, and you're Malevelyn?" Carlos addressed her, his statement turning up at the end into a question. She left it unanswered and stared at him until he cleared his throat and looked away.
"'Malevelyn'? What kind of name is that?" Jafaran—Jay—taunted, obviously trying to get a rise out of her. She narrowed her eyes at him, but Reya cut in before she could Charm his beanie to stuff itself down his throat.
"I'm assuming it's a play on the word 'malevolent,' its roots meaning 'evil' or 'spiteful.' Considering her own mother's name, I'm sure 'Mal' is an inherited title and has significance in her family tree. 'Jafaran,' on the other hand, is quite the uncreative offspring name one would expect from a disgraced and psychopathic Royal Vizier such as your father," Reya's voice was an exact echo of her mother's indifferent tone. Malevelyn raised her eyebrows, grudgingly impressed.
"Wanna say that again, Princess?" Jay's eyes became infinitely more snake-like, his voice dripping with venom. Reya appeared unphased, cocking her eyebrow at him.
"Hey, let's not fight within the first five minutes, guys," Carlos interrupted before anything could go further, and Malevelyn found herself a bit disappointed. She didn't like associating with others, but she did enjoy a good fight.
"Why the hell not?" Jay retorted, obviously feeling the same. "It's not like our parents will care. S'long as we get the wand, we can wreak as much havoc as we want. We're gonna have a whole school of spoiled brats to torment."
"We are not doing anything together, aside from getting the wand," Malevelyn responded for the first time, reminding everyone why they were there. They might have to spend the rest of the year working together, but she wasn't going to become buddy-buddy with any of them anytime in this life.
"Why did the King even allow four villain kids to attend Auradon Prep anyway?" Carlos eventually said, desperately grasping for some sort of icebreaker.
"Maybe the King has Alzheimer's, and in his delusions, he forgot we're all rotten to the core," Jay muttered.
"Our parents convinced the King to give us a second chance. Seeing as how we haven't committed any crimes against Auradon, he's established a trial run for recruiting villain kids into Auradon's society," Reya explained. Malevelyn watched as Jay's sarcasm went flying right over her head.
"Dull," Jay scoffed, evidently accustomed to her quirks, then leaned forward. "So Mal, care to share the reason behind that delightful shade of purple?"
She scowled, realizing that she had forgotten to rewrap her hair after her afternoon tryst. "It's Malevelyn. And I don't want to talk about it."
"What happened, loose a bet? Did your precious hair get ruined by a bad trip to the salon?"
She could see the unspoken and exasperated 'girls' comment that was unquestionably running through his thoughts. Even though her hair was so far down on the list of things Malevelyn cared about that it was right above 'milk' and just below 'world peace,' she didn't take insults too well. Malevelyn contemplated the pros and cons of Illusioning the smirk right off his mouth. Pro: the brainless brute would finally shut up. Con: the driver might send her back for misconduct. She reluctantly let the idea go.
"What would you know, desert scum?" Malevelyn opted for instead, leaning forward threateningly. She might weigh 115 pounds soaking wet but she could easily take on this punk, especially without the magical barrier restraining her. She could feel the effects of unbridled magic coursing through her veins already, and Malevelyn was ready to harness it.
"Chill, lizard spawn," Jay retorted nonchalantly, rolling his eyes at her temper and only further poking the metaphorical sleeping dragon.
"Don't tell me to chill-"
"Let's not start this mission by killing off the athletic one," Reya cut in as Malevelyn's eyes began flashing green. "We'll need him to sneak into places."
"Aww, Evie, is that genuine care I detect?" Jay fluttered his eyelashes. Malevelyn briefly wondered if they knew each other prior to this mission, but then remembered that she didn't care.
Reya didn't even bother to look up from where she was filing her nails. "Watch it, as far as I'm concerned you're useless after we get the wand in our hands."
"I always knew that deep down in that black heart of yours, you really do care." Reading kids who had grown up in the ghettos took a certain talent, Malevelyn found, but she had long since acquired the skill. With her honed ability, she immediately recognized Jay's jab as the reluctant retreat it was.
"I'd rather eat a poison apple." The corners of Reya's mouth curved upwards, the closest thing to a smile she was capable of, as far as Malevelyn's knowledge went. This was Reya basking in her win, and Malevelyn couldn't help but grin to herself at the girl's antics. She herself was intimidating all the time, but Reya was only intimidating some of the time, and that was her advantage. Malevelyn could easily see why she had been chosen for the mission; she herself would never master the mask of cool and utter indifference that the other girl managed to pull off so well. Reya was her mother's daughter, after all, and her mother was the Evil Queen.
While silence fell upon the group once more, Mal pulled the wraps for her headdress from the pockets of her robes, wrapping her hair expertly within a minute. When her purple monstrosity was hidden, she settled with staring broodily out the window, even though they were tinted so they couldn't see out. Someone apparently didn't want them knowing the path of the Yellow Brick Road. So much for 'second chances.'
The rest of the ride went similarly, aside from the brief incident when Jay had to open his mouth and taunt Malevelyn about her "black hood of gloom," which Carlos interrupted stating that it was really more of a tichel headscarf. He was ignored, and Mal Charmed Jay's hair to strangle him—magic outside of the Isle was glorious—which then meant Carlos and Reya had to intervene. Somehow in the midst, the hem of Malevelyn's robes got stepped on and torn (courtesy of Carlos when he had tried and failed to break up the fight), Carlos got a nasty black eye (courtesy of Jay who had been flailing around and not caring who he happened to hit), Jay got several long scratches down his forearm (courtesy of Reya, who was surprisingly lethal with those nails of hers), and Reya's hair was now blue (courtesy of Malevelyn when her Illusion hit Reya by mistake (she had been aiming for Jay)).
Of course, this was when the limousine pulled to a stop, and in the midst of their, ahem, scuffle, neither of the villain's kids noticed when the driver opened the door, causing Jay and Carlos, who had been leaning against said door, to go tumbling out. Malevelyn and Reya followed in a much more composed manner. Since they had been spared the embarrassing exit, they could easily pretend that they hadn't been involved, and Reya pulled off her new blue hairstyle with such dignity that Malevelyn would have guessed the color had been intentional had she not been the one to Illusion it not five minutes ago.
"Wow," Malevelyn muttered with contempt as she stepped out into the bright light, shielding her eyes. She made a mental note to invest in sunglasses. Well, not only was the light overwhelming, but so was what appeared to be the entire school. Her ears were immediately assaulted with what she assumed was supposed to be music, emitting from a group of kids blowing into metal instruments. There was cheering, way too many 'Welcome to Auradon's and smiling faces for her to function. She was shoved along with the other villain kids to face a tall boy with floppy hair. A kind smile adorned his face and there was a slight twinkle in his eyes. He was quite handsome in his blue Auradon Prep uniform. Malevelyn instantly hated him. Beside him stood a plump elderly lady, dressed in a simple lavender sundress underneath a blue robe. Her gray hair was pulled back in a bun and her eyes were filled with cheer behind the half-moon spectacles. That promptly made Malevelyn feel like throwing up.
Everything was too overwhelming, and the other villain kids seemed to think so, too. Jay was leaning against the car, looking downright offended, Carlos had his ears covered with his hands, and even Reya had a slight cringe on her face.
"Okay, that's enough," Mal decided, snapping her fingers as her eyes flashed green. The noise immediately stopped as the band found themselves suddenly unable to move. Malevelyn inwardly cheered. She had never been able to perform a Binding spell on the Isle. She and the other villain kids instantly relaxed while everyone else looked horrified.
"Oh dear," the old woman said, pulling out—whoa, whoa, whoa, the wand? Could their luck really be this good right off the bat? Malevelyn watched with interest as she sent a shower of sparkles over the band, immediately releasing them from their Bind. Afterward, she turned back to the children, specifically addressing Malevelyn: "Magic is only to be used in class, dear. There's a special club designed for magic wielders, and I'm sure they'd love to add you to their group."
"Yeah, no thanks, I don't do light fairies," she replied dryly, tearing her eyes from the wand and folding her arms.
"Well, in any case," she brushed the thinly veiled insult aside, "welcome to Auradon, children. I am Headmistress Fairy Godmother. Unfortunately, your drive took a bit longer than expected and I'm a bit pressed for time. I'll leave our Student Council President Ben here to officially welcome you all, but, please, if you need me for anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."
Malevelyn couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the display of such blatant cheerfulness as the Headmistress then gave the prep boy's arm a reassuring squeeze and flitted off to who-knows-where, unfortunately taking the wand with her. It didn't seem wise to Malevelyn to leave this boy in charge of them, but then again, most of the heroes' stories around here happened in their teens.
"Um," the boy with the scruffy hair cleared his throat awkwardly before deciding to approach her. "Y-you must be Malevelyn, daughter of Maleficent."
Malevelyn cocked her head. "What gave it away, the outfit or the magic?"
"Little bit of both, actually," he smiled, attempting to be friendly. Malevelyn rolled her eyes. None of the others offered their own introductions, and she sighed. Unofficial leader it was, then. Morons.
"That's Jafaran, Reya Eve, and Carlos. I'll let you figure out who's who since you seem to be such a modern day Sherlock," she said, taking a page from Reya's book and feigning indifference. The boy seemed at a loss in response to her blunt rudeness. She smirked inwardly to herself; poor baby had probably never been talked back to in his life.
Jay stepped forward with his own smirk, "We like to be called Jay, Mal, Evie, and Spot."
"No we don't," Mal and Carlos said in sync, Mal with confusion and a frown upon her face and Carlos turning red as he rubbed his black eye. Reya just shrugged.
"Okay," the boy blinked. "Um, anyway, like Headmistress said, I'm Ben, son of King Adam and Queen Belle. I'd like to formally welcome you to Auradon Prep, where you'll attend your senior year. Junior, for you, Carlos."
"Oh goodie, we get our own welcome committee. How positively thoughtful of you," Malevelyn allowed the sarcasm to drip from her voice.
Ben winced in light spirits. Malevelyn didn't even know that was a thing, let alone that it was possible. "A little over the top?"
"More than a little."
"I'll keep that in mind, Malevelyn," he tried smiling at her again. She just narrowed her eyes at him. Is this what all heroes are like? This… nice complexity? Stars above, if so all the magic in the world might not be enough to keep her from hurling herself from the roof of the school.
"It's Mal," Jay reminded cockily, grinning. Ben silently sent her a questioning stare.
"I don't care, call me whatever," she eventually threw her hands up. She really did prefer her own given name, but she had to admit, she'd never had a nickname before.
"Okay, Mal, Jay, Carlos, Re- uh, sorry, Evie…? Would you all like a tour?"
"Not particularly, but I get the feeling you're gonna show us around anyway, so lead on, Your Highness," Jay smirked, gesturing overdramatically. Mal rolled her eyes, deciding that she had done enough talking for the time being.
"Actually, I'm not royalty yet. I'll be having my coronation to be named official Crowned Prince at the end of the year. It'll be a big event and everyone's invited. You all are included, of course," he began as they walked away. Mal listened in, taking in the scenery of the school. She didn't really know what to expect of the Mainland school, but it wasn't exactly an actual castle.
"This is the main courtyard, where a lot of students gather to hang out, study, and the likes," Ben said as he waved his hand in the area around him, where students had already returned to their previous actions. Most of them were eying the villain kids warily, but put on a smile whenever they caught one of their eyes. A lot of the boys were eying Reya with a predatory stare and Mal couldn't help but inwardly roll her eyes (well, not so much as 'inwardly' as 'exaggeratedly').
"How does anyone study with all of this noise?" Reya asked, making a face and ignoring the influx of male attention. Mal realized that she hadn't actually seen her move in those crazy heels, but she was walking across the grass with seemingly unpracticed ease. Another point to the daughter of the Evil Queen.
"There's also the library, just over there," Ben pointed, "or your dorm, which my friend Doug will show you after the tour. Really, the courtyard is a great place to meet people."
"No thank you," Reya replied coolly, voicing Mal's exact thoughts.
"Okay, well," Ben cleared his throat once more. "I'll take you through the classroom corridors, then we can go to the stables."
"Stables? Like, with horses?" Carlos asked skeptically.
"Yes," Ben mistook Carlos's tone of voice. "If you're interested, we have an excellent equestrian team, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to-"
"No, I don't do animals, keep them far away from me please and thank you," Carlos shook his head erratically. She watched as Jay rolled his eyes at the supposed villain's son. One would think he'd be used to animals, what with all the fur his mother had been wearing.
"Oh, that's fine. If the rest of you are okay with it, we can skip the stables, we don't have to see the horses. Although, they are very fascinating, especially since you haven't really gotten the chance to be around them-"
"We're good," Jay interrupted, holding his hand out.
Mal rolled her eyes. This kid was trying way too hard, it was just kind of sad now (not that it wasn't before, but at least it'd been something to laugh about).
"Anyhow… Oh, fun fact, this statue here," Ben practically herded them over to a towering statue of a figure Mal recognized as the King, "was commissioned when Auradon Prep was first founded."
"Your dad's really that conceited to put up a statue of himself?" Mal raised her eyebrows. Ben's face colored.
"No—actually, here, let me show you." He quickly clapped his hands twice, and the stature magically transformed into that of the Beast from his parents' fairy tale.
"Whoa," she couldn't help it. Mal tried to appear unimpressed, but it was a decent show of magical prowess to incorporate it permanently into an inanimate sculpture of that size.
"It's to remind everyone that even though we're all different, there's a prince—or princess—in us all," Ben smiled to himself while the four of them gaped at him. When he noticed their looks, he became confused. "What?"
"You just had to ruin it, didn't you?" Mal retorted. Ben looked lost. "Okay, moving on, what's next, Your Highness?"
"Not officially a prince," he reminded her, blushing once more.
"Not officially caring," she retorted. Mal didn't bother to wait for Ben's reaction as she started walking off with a sweep of her robes. She just listened to him scramble as he tried to catch up.
The rest of the tour went over Mal's head, but she didn't exactly plan on being the perfect teacher's pet, so really, what did it matter? There were endless classrooms, all perfectly clean and well-equipped with school supplies-the exact opposite of the Isle's poor excuse of an educational environment-and people with smiling faces were there to welcome them wherever they went. It was enough to make any villain kid sick.
Finally, they made their way back to the courtyard, where a gathering of other students were waiting around in clusters. It wasn't unlike a cult.
"Well, anyways, we have a line up of representations from several different clubs here on campus, and they've all prepared a welcoming committee to introduce themselves," Ben explained, and Mal wondered if she could drown herself in the fountain to her immediate left.
Speaking of the swimming, some ridiculously fit guy with a shock of red hair began launching into a speech about how the water was a passion of his. Mal wasn't sure but she thought he mentioned being part mermaid. As much as she wanted to scoff, she didn't want to bring attention to the swim team; she didn't know about the others, but she didn't actually know how to swim, and the first lesson anyone on the Isle learns is to never reveal your weaknesses.
After the guy finished speaking (what was his name? Some sort of ship?), several others followed him, each with their own creative and monotonous spin on 'hello.' Mal was actually impressed by the amount of empty space she could detect in the cheerleaders' headspace. That made sense, given that the first girl introduced herself as "Audrey, daughter of Aurora" Mal would have been fine with glaring from a distance, but then the girl actually had the nerve to single her out with, "I just want you to know, Evelyn, that despite our parents history, I totally don't blame you, and I really want us to be friends."
Even Ben had the sense to stiffen at that. Mal felt her eyes blazing, but it wouldn't do good to get into trouble and be sent back to the Isle, especially on the first day. For God's sake, she had more self control than that.
"Just keep to your princess squad and leave me alone, unless you want to spend a hundred years waiting for Prince Charming to kiss you awake," Mal hissed, magic flaring up in her eyes. She didn't actually know how to cast her mother's curse, let alone anything that powerful, but it was still satisfying to watch her doe eyes widen in shock and every Mainlander in the near vicinity flinch.
After Audrey "daughter of Aurora, I really want us to be friends" came a boy whose bright hazel eyes looked more skittish than the evil stepsisters around the market. He was fairly tall, not as much or Jay or the smiling idiot to her right, but this boy also had yet to fill his gangly limbs, giving an overall awkward appearance. His brown hair was longer than any Mainlander had a right to be, but more so that it fell in his eyes. A flash of color from beneath the hair curling at the base of his neck made Mal wonder if he was a sorcerer, but if she really looked, she could make out a pair of eyes. Some sort of… frog? Weird protagonistic ways. Then, she remembered her mother, and her frankly unhealthy relationship with Diavel, and she halted her eyes mid roll.
"Um," he stuttered, "I'm Flynnigan Fitzherbert, uh, I'm here representing the Auradon Art Club. If any of you—"
"Yeah, I don't think so," Jay held his hand up from where his arms were previously crossed, obviously as bored as Mal was with putting up with the speeches. The boy, Flynnigan—what the hell kind of name is that, anyway?—flushed and looks down at his boots. Jay then turned to address Ben, "Is all this really necessary? I mean, no offense dude, but this is just getting—"
He was promptly cut off by thundering hooves as a dark blurr went streaking past them. Mal couldn't help but startle, but not nearly as bad as Carlos, who was completely knocked off his feet and went crashing into Flynnigan. Both their faces were red as they picked each other off the ground, but Mal ignored them in favor of glaring at the rider who had nearly ran them over.
The horse itself was an impressive beast; the thing was pure muscle stretched beneath coal black fur, with four white feet and a large blaze. It snorted as it impatiently pawed the ground, sending turf flying behind him at the cheerleaders, who screeched and quickly attempted to duck behind one another. The rider was dressed in dark armor with golden accents, and a helmet obscured their face.
Beside her, Ben sighed.
"How many times have I told you, it's against protocol to gallop your horse across the courtyard," he said, bringing his thumb and forefinger to his temple.
"Sorry, boss," the voice was decidedly female as she removed her helmet, long black hair spilling around her shoulders. "Drill didn't wrap up fast enough, and I didn't want to be late to meet the kids of the four most notorious villains in Auradon's history."
The girl was taller than Mal was used to. She had tan skin and dark, almond-shaped eyes, and though she was definitely a Mainland kid, there was something fierce, more wild, than any of the others they had met so far. And even though she had almost run her over with her monster of a horse, there was something about her dry tone that was as cold as she'd ever imagined a good guy's voice to be. Her eyes briefly passed over Mal, unamused, before returning to squint questioningly at Ben.
"Sorry guys, Lannie likes to be overdramatic," Ben explained.
The girl—Lannie—rolled her eyes and steps towards Mal, reaching out her hand. What a freaking power move. "Li Jia Lan, pleasure to meet you."
Her tone suggested anything but, and Mal allowed one corner of her mouth to curve upwards in a smirk. Or a snarl. She kept her arms where they lay casually folded across her stomach, refusing to play her game.
"I'm sure the pleasure's all yours," she retorted.
Lannie glanced down at her outstretched hand, then looked back at Mal. "It's a handshake, they don't have those on the Isle of the Lost?"
Mal raised her eyebrow at her. "No, it's against our customs to touch each other. In fact, we just stab anyone who holds eye contact for longer than five seconds."
"Good luck with that here in Auradon," she replied coolly before moving on to the others. She didn't care to humor Mal in her sarcasm, and she obviously didn't approve of the villain kids. But she was also the only one to approach them without any hesitance or fear. Stupid as that might be, she had guts.
Evidently, Jay did as well, as he eyed her up and down, even in full armor. Mal almost wanted to laugh when Lannie gave one look at the way Jay is scrutinizing her, uttered a resolute "no," and moved on to Reya.
"Reya Eve, I presume," she said instead, and Reya actually took her hand.
"Evie," she corrected, looking bored, and huh, who knew, she and Jay must have been closer than she thought.
When she got to Carlos, she raised her glove-clad hand and gestured at his head. "What'd you do to your face?" she said in lieu of a greeting.
Carlos chuckled awkwardly, "May or may not have gotten punched in the face."
Lannie frowned, pointing at his hairline in clarification. "I meant the weird scar right there."
He turned red once more and cleared his throat. Mal was almost irritated, they're from the Isle of the Lost, if she was going to ask about scars, she might as well ask about the nutritional value of their food. Jay cut in once more, voicing Mal's thoughts, "Look, we're villain kids. Scars kinda go with the gig."
"I assume you'd know," Lannie snapped back, finally looking him over in all his leather accessories. "Anyway, I'm here for the Equestrian Team, but considering the only animals that can get to the Isle are birds and the occasional reptile, I'm gonna say to you guys what I said to Ben not five days ago—it's pointless me being here. I assume I'm correct?"
From the way Carlos was eying the horse like it might eat him alive (they're vegetarians, even she knew that) and Mal, Jay, and Evie's general uninterested expressions, she nodded to herself in confirmation. "Awesome. If you need anything, ask this dork over here."
She ruffled Ben's hair, despite him being half a head taller than her, and vaulted herself back onto the black horse.
"Lannie," Ben called out exasperatedly.
"Hey, I said I would be here. Never said I'd stay. Or that I'd be nice." She nodded once at the villain kids tersely before making a clicking sound and digging her heels into the horse's flank. As fast as she'd arrived, Lannie had galloped off towards the stables that they'd avoided on their tour. Jay whistled in what Mal perceived as appreciation.
"Well, she was quite rude," Mal clapped her hands together, startling Ben, whose palm was pressed against his face. "I like that girl."
The last thing I need is another story, but I've been messing around with this idea for a while trying to get inspiration for another story of mine, and I probably won't finish this due to massive bouts of writer's block (just a head's up for anyone reading...) But I really liked the Disney's Descendants movie, it just really bugged me how they downplayed key issues and how silly they made everything. So I of course came up with my own version of what the villain kids would be like and set them loose in a world where Disney didn't have to keep it G-rated. I plan to get into a lot darker of issues than the movie does so if anyone would like a trigger warning, I'd be more than happy to add one where necessary. I'm a bit rusty at writing so this isn't the best quality, but hey, it's a fun little project to do while I work my way back to my old self. So join me on this journey if you feel like it, my updates will be "if Lewis and Clark went this pace they'd have just reached Montana."
Also, if anyone can think of a better title, I'm all ears.
~Pearlness4700
P.S. If you think I didn't get this temporary(?) title from Wander Over Yonder, you're wrong.