Those Who Are Lost
Disclaimer: I don't own Descendants.
Author's Note: If you read any of my other stories you may see this same note but for those of you that don't I will not be updating any of my stories after the 27th of this month until the 11th of next month because I will not be at home, this story will not be updated again before then so I felt the need to let you know about it. As soon as I return I will likely post a new chapter for every story I'm currently updating since being away does not mean I won't write so look forward to that! Now onto the story!
Chapter 7: The Isle of the Lost: Jane's Third Year (Evie)
It was just over three years now that Jane had been a part of the Isle of the Lost, many things had changed within that time. Jane had a new family, in Mal and kinda of sort of friends in Jay and Carlos though not really because friendship wasn't a thing on the Isle.
Secretly though Jane was beginning to doubt that, despite all of the bad memories she had obtained she was slowly building up some fond memories with her three best friends... yeah, she admitted it though not out loud that they were her friends. Friendship was supposedly weak but well not too many people would chance calling her that, she was after all Maleficent's little weapon.
Still burning flesh and breaking bones of people the evil fairy told her to but mostly she had grown immune to the smell of burnt flesh and the sound of bones snapping at least that's what she'd thought until Cruella ruthlessly stomped on Carlos' arm breaking it in front of her and Mal.
Jane felt sick to her stomach and wondered if she'd have trouble breaking bones again herself after seeing, hearing this... worse even than the breaking was his scream, she'd never heard him in pain before... the half-fairy didn't like it.
It was at times like that Jane wondered what good was power when she couldn't use it to help her friends, between the two of them they got him back to the hideout afterward and Mal began to splint his arm while Carlos tried not to cry out.
His face was so pained... Jane didn't know anything about how to fix wounds, not like Mal or even Jay, the two of them took care of themselves and her when it came down to the physical injuries.
Still, she wanted to help him somehow... but all she had to offer was her magic.
"I could set her fur coats on fire..." Jane offers getting a pained smile in return, "As f-funny as that m-might be for a-a second i-it wouldn't b-be worth it-" He winces and grunts in pain, "I-I'd be blamed e-even if I w-wasn't around..."
Jane frown, "Okay..." Even as the words left her mouth she promised herself that one day she'd burn all that crazy woman's fur... once Carlos was outside of her reach.
Carlos' arm was healing okay or as okay as it could with the ridiculous amount of chores he had to do, both Jay and Jane helped him with them when they could. When Jay wasn't busy stealing to stock his dad's store and Jane wasn't being taught under Maleficent's ever watchful eyes they were with him trying to lessen his load. Mal was the one who had the most time, but she was also the worst at chores, after only making things harder on him she just decided to keep him company when he did them when Jane and Jay weren't there.
One day Carlos snuck out while all three of his friends were busy it was a rare day for him to both be free from his mother and to be alone without any of his friends.
It was on this day he met an equally alone little blue-haired girl who had also escaped her controlling mother for the day.
Carlos thought he'd go to his tree house as he hadn't been recently since his friends hung out at Mal's hideout more often when they weren't running around wild in the markets and such.
In Evie's case, she thought to stay away from the market this time as she was less likely to get into trouble or be caught by her mother, although she was thankful for it last time this time she wanted to actually experience life outside of her castle's walls.
That's how she happened upon a hidden tree house, she'd never been inside one before actually outside of storybooks the little bluenette had never even seen one, it was amazing the eleven-year-old girl thought until a voice startled her from her thoughts, "Hey who are you?" Turning quickly, she sees a little boy, he's smaller than her and likely a little bit younger, that's not all one of his arms appears to be broken.
"I'm Evie, who are you?" He eyes her for a minute in thought before answering, "I'm Carlos and that's my tree house," he points up at the structure behind her with his good arm, "Oh well it's a nice tree house... actually it's the first one I've ever seen." She tells him, and he nods, "Yeah I don't think many people on the Isle bother with them."
"That's too bad... can I see inside of it?" He shrugs, "I don't see why not since you've already found your way here."
She smiles brightly at that but then stops quickly and the observant boy notices, "What's wrong?" She shakes her head, "Nothing, I just remembered that smiling causes wrinkles." He looks at her like she's from a different world, "Uh well I don't think kids can get wrinkles though, so it should be okay..."
She gasps, "I've never thought of it that way before!" She smiles again, and Carlos decides she might be even weirder than his friends which is saying something, but he still leads her up to his tree house, it wasn't as easy with only one arm, but he'd been getting used to it, so the young De Vil managed it.
The two spent the day in the tree house playing around with the electronics that Carlos had scrapped together and just talking, one thing was for sure this little girl had been really lonely before she met him.
Just like how he'd been before he met Jane and then Jay and Mal through her.
A new trend started after that anytime Evie could sneak out she'd find herself at Carlos' tree house, he wouldn't always be there as he couldn't always leave his house either and also because he had other friends.
Evie was nervous about meeting his friends so for the time being it was just them when they were both available.
That went on for just over four months until the day she was heading to the tree house only to see Carols in the market and he wasn't alone, in fact, he was with two people she wasn't too fond of.
Maleficent's daughter and the other girl... the ones that threw rotten fruit at her, the ones she was sure framed her for the theft that first time she'd snuck out.
Why was Carlos with them, were they going to pick on him too? She didn't want that to happen, but she also didn't have the courage to face them, so the blue-haired girl hid and observed.
It didn't take long for her to notice her original suspicion was wrong, they were friends that much was obvious. Why would someone as sweet as Carlos be around them though? It didn't make any sense to her.
So, she did the only thing she could think of Evie left and went back home angry, confused, and sad.
It would be another month and a half before Evie got lonely enough to try and seek out her friend again, only he wasn't at the tree house any of the times she could get away for the next several weeks.
By the time they both saw each other again, it was well over two months since Evie had last seen Carlos.
She was just about to give up again and leave the tree house when a familiar voice calls out shocked, "Evie?" There he was at the entrance to the tree house looking nearly the same as the last time she saw him when she saw him with her bullies.
Tears start to fall and Carlos panics, "What's wrong?" She quickly wipes away her tears taking some of her make up with it, "I-I saw you with you-your friends." He looks confused, "I don't get it..."
"You're friends with Mal... and her friends." He nods before a look of comprehension crosses his face, "I know people talk about them, but they aren't really that scary, they're just kids like us." Evie doesn't know whether to breath a sigh of relief that he doesn't know about how mean they are to her or be upset that he doesn't realize they are as bad as people think.
"They... don't like me." Carlos looks confused again, "What do you mean? I didn't think they knew you..." Looking down at her feet she looks sad, "They don't but Mal and the other girl like to throw things at me when I stand in front of the window and I think they framed me for stealing before and all my clothes went missing only to turn up covered in paint... I know it was them somehow."
Carlos looked stunned, "Jane did that?"
The De Vil kid wasn't stupid he knew Mal had a mean streak and both Jay and Jane could easily get inside somewhere and steal something like clothes but still... Jane didn't go out of her way to be mean or cruel to people at least not from what he knew.
It just didn't seem like his friend at all.
"I don't know her name... but yeah." The boy wasn't sure what to think but he knew one thing, "Don't worry I'll talk to them it's probably all just a misunderstanding."
Her face held doubt, "I know we could go now I planned on seeing them in a little while anyway." Evie's expression turned scared, "I dunno."
"Come on it'll be okay, I'll be there." He grins and so the girl reluctantly agrees.
The two end up getting to the meeting place first and it wears on Evie's nerves until the two girls she wanted to see least show up first. They both arrived together more often than not but it was a surprise to see Carlos there first and not only that but with a certain bluenette that the two of them had a not so pleasant history with.
Jane glances at Mal uneasy knowing her dislike for the girl and then her blue eyes find Carlos and the girl beside him, the brunette wasn't sure what she'd do if this lead to an argument amongst the friends as usually they all got on pretty good.
Jay didn't like conflict given his home life, so he was more of a go with the flow friend, Carlos was nice and not prone to disagreement which may have to do something with him never being able to disagree with his mother and finally Mal... she was the leader.
What Mal said went, if she wanted to do something they followed. Jane could still recall a time when Mal didn't like her, maybe even hated her... she didn't want things to go back to that way so when it came to the girl she was more of a pushover than with the boys.
Jane's right hand finds her beaded bracelet on her left wrist as her nerves get the better of her, it was a tell that no one noticed but her so far and she knew she needed to break it before they did but well she was hardly a bundle of nerves around her friends so it wasn't a real problem for the moment.
But if Carlos actually tried to confront Mal on her behavior what would Jane do? She twists her bracelet anxiously. She didn't want to choose sides... could she even pick one?
"What is the pampered princess wanna be doing here?" Mal asks Carlos ignoring the bluenette, Carlos' fist clench and he glares at Mal before glancing at Jane as if expecting something from her, but she says nothing to his disappointment.
In fact, it's not just his, Mal's eyes also drift to her for backup. Both of them seem to want to different reactions from her but her silence disappoints the both of them and that hurts the blue-eyed girl.
Her wrist still has a recent burn mark and playing with her braclet isn't helping but the slight throb helps the hurt she feels from disappointing them so she doesn't stop twisting it.
"She's here because she's my friend and I wanted her to meet the rest of my friends." He tells the purple-haired girl, Jane winces and knows what Mal is going to say before she says it and not wanting to hurt Carlos anymore she lets go of her own wrist to grab Mal's hand.
Mal closes her mouth and glances at the girl beside her and Jane just shakes her head, the girl frowns and yanks her hand back.
"You seem to be mistaken then we're not your friends, friendship is weak. Just because we spend time together doesn't mean anything, and if you'd rather spend your time with little miss perfect princess there then be my guest." With that Mal turns heel and leaves.
Jane doesn't follow though she looks at Carlos' crushed face and instead feels unreasonably upset with the bluenette who's trying to comfort him, she wants to blame her even if that wouldn't be fair.
Her hand grabs her own wrist again tightly, so much that she thinks the blister might have busted but she pays it no mind.
"Jane! Come on!" She snaps out of her thoughts to look towards Mal who is quite a ways away from them now but still able to shout her order at the other girl.
Jane hadn't felt so conflicted in a long time. "Jane..." Carlos' voice has her turning back to him and seeing his eyes knows she has to try and fix this somehow, "Mal...she doesn't mean it... she's just repeating her mother is all, it's not actually what she thinks... she's lashing out because she's mad it's what Mal does."
Though Carlos hasn't had the privilege before now of seeing her anger at work.
"Jane!" Mal shouts again and Jane looks back at her feeling torn before looking back to Carlos and his 'friend' who she hurt more than once.
"You don't have to listen to her." Evie finally tells the girl before her after witnessing her struggle, the girl's eyes leave Carlos and find the other girl's eyes. "Yes, I do... Mal used to hate me." Carlos looks surprised as he'd witnessed how close the two girls where it seemed impossible.
Evie though looked confused by the confession, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"I live with her... and I can't deal with her hating me again even if it meant being mean to somebody," Her eyes dart to Evie's before going back to Carlos, "that didn't deserve it so that she would stop being mean to me..." Mal calls out one final time and Jane knows this is her last chance otherwise Mal will be unbearable to live with until she gets over it and who knew when that'd be.
"Sorry..." Jane says before fleeing and joining Mal who grabs her arm tightly dragging her away without any protest from the brunette.
Jay shows up a few minutes later to find an upset best friend and a girl he vaguely recalls helping to steal clothes from a few months back, "Um, what did I miss?"
Carlos glares before laughing a sad laugh, "Seriously what did I miss?" He turns to the girl, she decides to have pity on the confused boy and tell him.
"Hmm, well that sounds like Mal she'll be upset for a while but well it's like Jane said she was horrid to her once upon a time so if you can forgive Mal like Jane once she gets over herself then everything should be fine." Evie doesn't know how to respond to that, did she want to forgive Mal? Or even Jane for that matter?
"Was Mal really that mean to Jane?" Carlos questions uncertainly, "Oh yeah I still remember her running away willing to face Maleficent's wrath just to get away from Mal's so-called pranks... it wasn't pretty she's got a vicious streak. I'm still amazed Jane forgave her for all that... actually, now that I think about it I'm more curious what happened to make Mal do a one-eighty like that."
Carlos felt like he had more than enough revelations for the day he just wanted to go and crawl into his pallet in the closet and sleep for a long time until everything started to make sense again.
The rest of the year was an adjustment period for the five kids' friendship.
Carlos and Evie were good friends and the two of them forgave Jane for her part in the bullying. Carlos and Mal took longer to get back to normal after the whole 'we're not friends' bit she'd spat in anger. Jay got on with everyone and Mal went from ignoring Evie to tolerating the girl.
It was a start though the two never thought they'd be true friends it seemed to them that they'd merely accept the other would always be around because of their mutual friends.
The events of the next year though would prove to once again change the dynamic of the five friends' relationship.
I don't dislike Mal or any other characters there's no character bashing meant here, they are 10-11 years old and going through a lot. Mal doesn't know how to handle people she's jealous of or friends with well, she's still learning but even then, her interactions with Uma in D2 prove that to some extent she had/has a bullying streak in her despite the kindness she's capable of. As for Jane, she always struck me as a follower so having the ability to stick up for what she believes won't come as easily to her, she's not the best with peer pressure.