Hey guys! I did find some time to write during the exams, so here is the next chapter, earlier than I had anticipated. I bet you're all wondering how Mal's doing, right? Well, you're going to find out now (after the replies of the reviews, of course). Also, have you heard the new song from Twenty One Pilots for the Suicide Squad movie, "Heathens"? I think it kind of fits the villain kids' attitude. And here are my replies:

pinksakura271: Thanks for reviewing! If they weren't magically concealed, they would have been discovered a long time ago. Yeah, I always had the impression Jay wasn't the brightest while watching the movie, so I tried to bring a bit of that in this story, too. Yet, smart or not, I don't think any young man can say no to Evie. Maybe Henry would be better off not showing up at all - something tells me Jay will be furious when he sees Henry return. Yeah, he should have, but Jay is still a friend (for now) so maybe, in the future... Anything can happen!

jaleftwich: Yeah, I like writing about Carlos' bad side. I think he will surprise everyone in the future. Thanks for reviewing!

Free. Spirit140: Thanks for reviewing! Well, here's the next chapter! I hope it didn't take too long.

Kingson24601: It's always nice to see what the others are up to and this is definitely not the last you've seen from them. Them not bonding is (kind of) Evie's fault. Carlos is (a little) jealous of Jay. Thanks for reviewing!

PurpleNicole531: Thanks for reviewing! Of course they don't - he's still the son of the villain who wanted to make a coat out of puppies. It may be one very evil deed, but they think Jafar, the Evil Queen and Maleficent were worse. And yeah, there's definitely trouble ahead. Jay and Evie will mostly leave him alone, but they might interact in a future chapter.

Decembra1998: Carlos is smart enough not to meddle with certain things and he indeed warned Jay. We'll see if Carlos finds it or not. Thanks for reviewing!

QueenofWisdomandWater: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, me too. We'll see what happens and whether he'll do it or not.

TKDP: Well, maybe he gets his chance, maybe he won't. They're vilains and competitors, it would be a bit weird if they were actually nice to one another. Well, her marrying all depends on what Henry is going to do and when her mother finds another prince to marry to her. We'll see if Carlos can find it or not. Thanks for reviewing!

Enjoy!

-Writer207

In the meantime, one month had passed and Mal had been too busy to even try and contact them. She had tried, obviously, but Henry was always near. The room where she slept for the past month was next to Henry's and the walls were paper-thin; Henry would know about everything she did. During her stay, she had had almost no contact with the other alliance members. Henry never really explained why, but he didn't have too much time.

Other than hanging around in her room and the rest of the camp, she had to do a mission each day. For the most part, those were extraction missions, but sometimes they just had to go to a village and keep an eye on someone who could possibly betray the alliance or who possibly knew too much. Every time they came back, Mal would beg Philip to give her hair its purple color back. Every time, Philip would answer it was not the right time yet. That frustrated her and she hoped that one day, she could get it back. That or her spell book, so she could change it back herself.

The month flew by and before they knew it, Mal and Henry were walking towards the center of the town trough the main street of the camp. As usual, not many people were paying attention to the two. They all had something to do and didn't recognize the villain kid with her still blonde hair. Henry and Mal barely talked, having gone over what was about to happen at least three times in her room. She could still hear him repeat what he said earlier that day. "You might not want to speak unless they ask questions. Ask nicely, and he might do it. You'll have to say 'please'. And preferably 'thank you' after he changed it back."

When they arrived at the center, they could see it was again filled with hungry alliance members sitting at the tables, enjoying their lunch in the sun. They ignored the members – they would join them soon, after the council had decided whether Mal could stay or not. They went to the right instead, to one of the biggest wooden cabins in the entire camp, which functioned as the home of the alliance leader and conference room of the council.

Henry knocked on the door of the cabin twice before someone opened it. It was a young girl. She couldn't be older than ten. Mal's eyes widened when she saw the girl open the door – she's seen quite a few young children the past month, all of whom she had to get out of a dangerous village. It made her wonder how this girl got here and what she's been through.

"Her parents were good friends with Jane Porter." That's all Henry had to say about her. Mal didn't know who 'Jane Porter' was and reminded herself to ask someone, anyone wherever she would be this evening.

The girl closed the door behind the two once they stepped inside. There was a second door and a small hallway they had to pass. The walls were just as thin as the ones between her room and Henry's, so a small hallway like this one was most likely to prevent anyone from overhearing what the council had to say. There was another door on their left, which lead to the living quarters of the alliance leader. They ignored the door on the left and entered the room where the council would be.

Henry opened the door and they entered the room. What she saw in there, was the most diverse group of people she has ever seen in her life, and she's seen quite a few. Mal recognized Ben, Philip and Lonnie, who did not have her sword anywhere near her for the occasion. Other than that, there were three boys and four women present. One of the boys, the one wearing glasses, seemed to be shy and took one small step back. The other boys weren't that afraid. One of them glared at Mal and she could already guess he was against her. The other kid had features that differed from everyone else in this room. Sure, he had black spiky hair and brown eyes, but still… she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She smiled at him and he smiled back, nodding shortly before looking away.

Then she looked at the women in the room. the only one Mal recognized was the daughter of Triton, the red-haired Ariel. Mal thought now would not be a good time to ask about her tail or her father, so she focused on the three other women. The first was a southern woman with jet-black hair and a tan. She stood with her arms crossed and looked at Mal without showing any emotion. The second woman was blonde. She was the only one wearing a dress, a nice blue one. The last woman had a different skin color, but Mal wouldn't dare compare it to what she's used to. Her black hair was in a braid and a red dot stood on her forehead.

"Welcome to the council," Ben said, drawing Mal's attention. "We're glad you could make it."

"Me too," Mal responded. Not that you gave me a choice. Ben nodded.

"Let's start, then," Ben said, turning to Hans' son, "Henry, tell us about Mal."

Henry nodded. "Of course," During his short review of the last month, he looked solely at Ben. "Mal is a peculiar girl. In the beginning, she was withdrawn, angry, moody and secretive. I honestly couldn't believe she would ever be able to join our ranks. But as we spent more time, she changed. She found more joy in helping those who need it. She grew more passionate about it and acted with more enthusiasm than I thought possible. She was rather unbearable at moments, but her situation improved. She became more polite, less threatening and acted overall friendlier. Of course, I can assume some of you will think her lineage will be a problem in the future, as if only villains and their kids can't be trusted. May I remind you about Archie Pendragon and Melinda Dunbroch, as well as the countless members who would rather save themselves than stay loyal to our cause when it's convenient? It's our actions that define us, not who our parents are. And Mal's actions made clear to me that, despite her villainous traits, she tries her hardest to stay with us and help us fight the villains. So, Ben, Mal is a peculiar girl and a powerful asset. If I could vote, I would have her join the alliance."

During the time he spoke, Mal couldn't keep her eyes off of Henry, only because of what he said. At moments, she looked at him surprised – she didn't dare to show any emotion other than indifference, nervousness and surprise. Once Henry finished talking, he smiled at her and Ben nodded.

"Thank you for your help," Ben said, "Mal, do you have anything to add?" Mal did already have an answer ready to the question, one she couldn't say out loud. If I stay, I will have to lead you to your demise. I will have to stab you in the back and have you killed for what you did.

"No," she eventually replied, "What Henry said, is true." Ben nodded again, this time turning to his fellow councilmen and -women.

"Before we go to the voting, does anyone wish to say something about Mal's possible membership before we vote?" They didn't have to wait long before the guy who had been glaring at her spoke up.

"I object." Ben turned his head in the guy's direction. "Can we really trust her? How do we know for sure?" Mal could hear Lonnie groan in annoyance, while the others just patiently waited for them to settle their argument. Ben turned to him.

"Chad," he started, "we have to trust Henry's rapport." But Chad didn't leave it there.

"And how exactly can we trust Henry?" he continued, "For all we know, he's just as cunning as his father." Henry's facial expression changed. It turned a bit grimmer than it was just seconds ago.

"I can assure you that my father and I only share a last name. Nothing else." He emphasized the last two words. over the month, Mal had learned his full story. Hans leading the life he wanted while his wife just wanted to go out. She escaped her captivity, but Hans caught up on her and took down the horse she was fleeing on, killing her in the process. He was left to raise a ten-year-old boy who loved his mother more than his father. Mal and her mother attended the funeral, only to keep Hans on their side. Hans could have faked being genuinely sad his wife passed away. She got why Henry didn't want anything to do with his father anymore.

This reaction seemed too have intimidated down Chad a little, because he didn't say anything in return. Then, it was time for the tanned woman to speak. "I don't like the idea either. You know I always give people the chance to prove themselves, but…" she sighed, "I can't do that. Not now. Sorry, Mal."

Mal smiled sympathetically. One more vote in favor of her leaving the alliance, but hopefully she and Henry convinced the others. "It's okay."

Those two small words managed to provoke Chad even more. He began again, being this close to shouting. "Can you even hear her talk? I've heard stories of the wild daughter of Maleficent, a girl who couldn't be tamed, a girl who does whatever the heck she wants. Thirty days within our ranks won't change any of that!" Henry sighed.

"She's changed, okay?" He tried to stay calm, so he wouldn't be provoked too much anymore, "She's a different person."

"Why should we trust your word anyway?" Chad continued, as if he hadn't heard what Henry had said, "Who says she didn't put a spell on you to make you say all that?" Henry turned his hand into a fist, but didn't do anything else for now. Mal was ready to jump in and make sure the two of them wouldn't continue fighting.

"Just shut up and let it be!" Everyone turned their heads to the kid with the spiky black hair, who had yelled these words. Philip nodded when nobody dared to say anything for a couple of seconds.

"Thank you, Hiroki," he said. Hiroki nodded and smiled at him. then, he turned to Chad. "She didn't use magic, I would've sensed it." Chad finally shut his mouth, looking away from the girl. Finally peace returned to the small council, as Chad apparently didn't intend to

"Let's vote," Ben then announced, "Who is in favor of removing her from the alliance?" Mal counted the hands in the air. Chad, the kid with glasses, the tanned woman and Ariel. Four against six. Mal sighed in relief when they lowered their hands.

"Congratulations, Mal," Ben then said with a smile on his face, "Welcome to the alliance." Out of joy, she hugged the person who stood closest to her – in this case, that was Henry. Chad sighed and barged out of the room in frustration. The others clapped and left the room, too, though they were much calmer than Chad when it came to leaving. Only Ben and Philip stayed with Henry and Mal.

"Now that you are officially an alliance member," Ben began, "you won't need a guide anymore. Henry, you are relieved of this task. Do you wish to continue your job?" Henry smiled.

"Sure, why not?"

"Then you can go now. We'll let you know when you will be needed again," Ben said and Henry left the room. Mal followed him, but Ben stopped her.

"Mal!" she turned around and her eyes widened when she saw what Philip held in his hands. It was the bag she had taken with her when she rescued Ben. Philip handed it over to her. "You forgot something. We took the food and water out of it, but the other things are still yours."

She quickly opened it. everything still was there, especially her spell book. She opened it and noticed they left it completely intact. There were no ripped pages, no crossed out spells. She wondered if they forgot to do it, or if they didn't have the time to do so. Either way, she was glad they had returned it to her unscathed.

"Thank you," Mal said with a smile on her face.

"There's one more thing I have to do," Philip said, "I believe now is the right time." He didn't need to say anything else for Mal to understand what he was talking about. Philip raised his hand and spoke again in that ancient language. When he was finished, he lowered his hand and Mal immediately ran her hands through her hair. It was purple again.

"Thank you so much," she then said and Philip nodded. Mal then turned around and walked out of the room, into the hall and out of the building. She didn't see the little girl again, but she couldn't care less about her. She had her spell book back and full access to everything and everyone in this camp. After thirty long days, she could finally complete her mission.

"Congratulations, Mal." She turned to her left and saw Henry standing there with a smile on his face. She smiled back. "I knew you'd make it. Now, let's eat something. I'm starving." Together, they walked to the small hut where they served lunch to all alliance members. Mal barely paid attention to the people sitting at the tables, but she could hear the volume increase. They had been talking without worry and then changed to semi-whispering to each other. She could already guess what they were talking about to each other and couldn't help but smile. Nice to know that, after thirty months, she still had a reputation.

She was caught off guard by a loud roar. She quickly turned her head and noticed that, at the other side of the tables, there was a bear standing on its hind legs, coming down again, looking in her direction. It gave her chills. She couldn't understand how Henry and the others didn't seem to be bothered with the bear at all.

"Relax," Henry then yelled in the direction of the bear, "the council accepted her." He then turned back around and with Mal they continued their way to the hut where they served lunch. The whispering disappeared altogether, as the alliance members talked out loud about how the council accepted her into their ranks. Mal couldn't be bothered this time because she still thought of the bear.

"Why is there a bear in the camp?" she asked Henry, "And why did you yell at it?" Henry smiled, amused by the situation.

"Don't worry, Koda's with us. He's an ally and probably wondered what you're doing here. Two portions, please," he added when they reached the hut. The woman behind the lowered wooden wall that must be the counter of this hut looked suspiciously at Mal, but Henry's presence definitely calmed her down. She gave them two plates with the usual vegetables and a piece of meat, along with knife and fork. Henry and Mal accepted it and turned around.

Mal decided to follow Henry – this was the first time she was allowed to eat among his friends and not in her room, whatever time of day it was. She ignored the looks people were giving her as well as all conversations that suddenly stopped when she passed by. Eventually they sat down on a table where only three others were sitting. Mal recognized Lonnie and the guy with the glasses from the council who voted against her, but there was one more girl. She sat across Lonnie and was wearing a blue shirt and had short, straight black hair. Mal could clearly see the scared look in her eyes.

"Hey guys," Henry greeted them, "You don't mind her sitting with us, right?"

"She's very welcome," Lonnie said with a smile on her face and Mal and Henry sat down. They made sure Henry was sitting next to the girl when they put their plates on the table and sat down. They started to eat – Mal saw the plates of the three were empty – and nobody said a word.

"Congratulations," Lonnie eventually said to break the silence. "I'm glad you made it. I knew you were different." Mal smiled back at her.

"Thanks," she replied, "I didn't think I'd make it, but I'm glad to be sitting here." Lonnie nodded, and then looked to the guy with the glasses and the girl, who had been quiet since they sat here. Mal had noticed it, too. they were either very shy or quite afraid. Or both. Time to change that.

"Guys?" she looked directly at the girl and boy. "I don't bite. Well, not anymore. Whatever you think I am, it's not true. I'm a changed person."

"C'mon guys," Lonnie then said, maybe urging them to start talking.

"Fine," the boy with the glasses then said, "I hope you don't stab our backs while you're here. It would prove I was right not to let you in, but that's completely up to you." Mal had already expected something like that to come out of his mouth, though she hadn't though he would mention her possible betrayal. Lonnie looked shocked when she heard that.

"Doug, really, you shouldn't say something like that!"

"Why not? What is she gonna do, kill me? Turn me into a beast?" Doug then said, directly looking at Mal this time. She could see a lot of emotions in his eyes. He was angry with her for some reason and he was still a bit afraid of her. Good.

"My mother would," Mal replied, "but I wouldn't. Even if I wanted it, which I don't, I can't. I'm not good with magic." This was one of those things she didn't have to lie about. She did have some skills, but she couldn't control the spells from her book like she wanted to. She only had it in her possession for a few days before the alliance confiscated it and returned it thirty days later. She didn't really have the time to look at every spell in there.

Doug, the girl, Henry and Lonnie looked surprised. "You're not good with magic?" he asked and Mal shook his head.

"No, not really. I can do a few spells, but nothing more. Mother never taught me. I'm starting to think she didn't so I wouldn't become more powerful than her. Anyway, I'd love to learn how to do it. Off course to put it to good use. Maybe Philip can teach me. Or the Fairy Godmother, if she's still alive." Mal thought this was the perfect time to start talking about the Fairy Godmother. The wand she was looking for was inevitably tied to her, so it would be a great idea to get to know that famed woman first. The first reactions of Doug, Lonnie and especially the girl told her it was safe to assume she was alive.

"She's still alive, right?" Mal insisted, hoping to get some information.

"Yes, she is," the girl spoke, looking at her empty plate, "she's just not around most of the time." She looked sad all of a sudden. That emotion popped up when Mal mentioned the Fairy Godmother.

"Do you know her well?" Mal then asked her, "You seem to know her." Nobody said a word as the situation grew more and more awkward.

"Mal, Jane's her daughter," Henry then said, having finished his meal while Mal talked, "She's had to miss her mother for most of her life."

"Oh," Mal then said, placing a hand in front of her mouth, "I'm so sorry I started about it."

"It's okay," Jane said. "She has an important job and can't just abandon her post. Stupid wand…"

"Wand?" Mal immediately said when Jane mentioned it. She had waited for one of them to mention the wand and now that they have, it wouldn't be suspicious if she continued the conversation. "I thought her wand was missing or destroyed. At least, that's what my mother always said." Mal took one bite from the meat, thinking by herself this was all going well.

"She has to protect it," Doug then said. Mal was surprised he even wanted to speak after his sudden outburst, "She's, like, the wand's guardian. There are a lot of people who are after it. Nobody can be sure it exists, but we know. We'll see it…" Then, he shut up, his face turning red. He's hiding something.

"We'll see it?" Mal said, "Are you going to visit the Fairy Godmother?" Doug looked at Lonnie, asking her non-verbally what he should do. Lonnie eventually sighed and looked at Mal.

"Ben's father thought it would be a good idea to place a protective spell on him. I know Ben wants to do it when it is most save to visit her. The council and some people Ben wants to be there can come with him. it won't be too many people or we could attract unwanted attention." She explained it and Mal nodded. Thank you for the information, she thought. all she had to do was to befriend Ben. Easy, right?

"Wait, protective spells?" Mal eventually replied, "Aren't those performed with good magic?" Lonnie nodded.

"Of course Maleficent will find us afterwards, but the risk is worth taking. At least Ben will be protected." Mal nodded in response and went back to eating her meal and looking around who was walking around. She couldn't see the bear from her position, but a lot of people she had only heard stories about. Of course, not everyone was present and there probably were a lot of commoners, but she could pick her targets out of the crowd.

When she accidentally looked to her right, she saw a face she would have never expected to see. There was Philip, but Mal was surprised about the person he was hugging. She would recognize that face anywhere. Audrey, the only person who had managed to escape more than anyone who tried, was now hugging the man. they exchanged some words before Audrey turned her head.

Their eyes crossed briefly. Pieces fell together – Audrey must be Philip's daughter, which would make him the man who once fought Maleficent and won. Him having mastered magic must be the reason for not recognizing him, even if the red cape and hat were a big giveaway.

Mal ignored Audrey and she did the same. It was the wisest to just stay away from one another until her plan succeeded. At the moment, Mal decided to enjoy having fooled the council (and especially Ben) and continue to eat her lunch as she thought of possible plans to make Ben take her with him to the Fairy Godmother.

Why did she feel slightly bad for fooling the council? She should be happy to advance the plan to the next stage, right?

Right?