(Evie)

Evie woke with a vivid image of the nightmare that had twisted itself around her subconscious, her hand reaching up for her fingers to close around the crowned heart resting on the mattress by her heaving chest, the chain still around her neck. It was all in my head. Except, her necklace was hot against her skin, and quick pulses originated in the heart, traveling through her fingers and up through her arm; another warning. More specifically, another warning that someone was watching her.

She looked around; there was no one in her room.

With a heavy sigh she dropped her body back onto the mattress, reaching up to push the stray hair from her face in annoyance. What are you playing at, huh? She felt insane for talking to a necklace, of all things, but she had nearly reached a point where she couldn't take it anyone. It was shown to her with perfect clarity that the necklace was doing something to her, making her obsessively paranoid, but she couldn't think of anything that might help her explain why everything was happening, why the necklace reacted so excessively to her emotions. It clearly reacts to nothing, as well. She groaned as she felt a sharp pulse against her chest.

"There's nobody here!"

She came close to tearing the chain from her neck and throwing it out the window, but once again, guilt stopped her, so she settled for a vivid image of her doing so. As she shut her eyes in attempt to get some more sleep she found herself wishing that the unexplainable feeling she had felt the night before would wash back over her. The calming feeling had returned to her another time when she had returned to her room, curling through her body to wipe away every ounce of fear she ever felt. And she still had no idea what had caused her to relax so easily either of the times it had happened, but she found herself yearning for whatever it was, craving the feeling.

After what felt like multiple hours of lying there with a fogged over mind and attempting to find sleep, Evie gave up. With a disappointed sigh she got to her feet tiredly, rummaging through her dresser and carefully deciding on an outfit for the day, remembering only now that there was a weekend game for tourney. Well, she thought as she headed for the personal bathroom in her room; at least I know what my plans are, now.

Finished with her shower and hair, Evie exited the bathroom and checked the time; 9AM. The game shouldn't start until 11AM. Not knowing how to use her time she moved over to the large windows almost parallel to her bed, drawing the curtain open in order to see the early morning sky. Looking past the tree she studied the fields of grass that spread until they turned into trees.

You know you need to get rid of it.

Her stomach clenched.

But it's a family heirloom, I can't just throw it away.

It was inconsiderate.

It's obviously causing you issues, distracting you from important things.

But that was logical.

It was like two separate versions of herself were arguing inside the resulting version, the internal debate only managing to irritate her stressors. Maybe I should take it off, but keep it in my drawer, or somewhere like that. It sounded simple, but the guilt continued to gnaw on her heart. I would be disrespecting my own family, still. No matter what she couldn't seem to beat herself, never finding a solution she agreed whole-heartedly with. She didn't understand how her mother had been able to wear it for so long. Nonsense, it's nothing more than a cherished necklace, Evie remembered; unless she didn't feel anything, and I'm just losing my mind. She settled on that. I am slowly, but surely, losing my mind. But then she wondered what could have triggered the hallucinations that urged her to feel reactions inside the glass jewel. Something new about her life, or in her life, would have had to cause all of it.

Nothing seemed to make even the slightest bit of sense.

Within less than a second, Evie felt her necklace give a sudden jolt on her neck in warning just before something moved in the tree just outside her window and stole her attention. Quickly, she shifted her attention to the branches extending toward her window, her entire body stiffening with fearful tension as she studied the tree, straining her eyes to see through the excessive amount of greenish-brown. Nothing. She waited for the leaves to shift again, but the only thing causing them to rustle was the light wind. Still, she couldn't stop her heart from pounding viciously into her ribcage, the idea that it was more than just the wind originating from the glass heart throbbing in time with her own.

A knock on the door startled her, tearing her attention from the tree outside. She glanced over at the wooden door, wondering why she feared who was on the other side. If it was someone who wanted to hurt me they wouldn't have knocked. There were no locks on the doors – which is completely unsafe – so anyone could come in at any given time.

"Come in!" Evie called.

Once the door opened to reveal Carlos a smile spread across her face as she realized how ridiculous she was being.

"Good morning, Carlos," Evie greeted, smiling warmly at the young boy before glancing behind him. "Where's Jay?"

"He's getting Audrey, I believe," Carlos answered, shutting the door carefully behind him. "You ready for the game?"

She didn't like hearing Audrey's name, but she ignored her dislike for the girl. "Yeah, are you?"

"Not really," Carlos laughed lightly, playing with the fabric left on the table from her last project. "But the game's fun, at least."

"You're worried you guys are going to lose again," Evie stated more than asked.

"Yeah, we lost Ben, and Jay's been playing worse since he started dating Audrey, and they were our best shooters," Carlos explained, and Evie understood his take on the topic.

"Just play the best you can, so you don't feel as though it's your fault," Evie spoke softly. "Though it doesn't matter much whether you win or lose, as long as you're enjoying playing."

"I know," Carlos nodded, offering her a grateful smile as his fingers continued toying with the blue fabric. "I feel like I'm the only one who enjoys it no matter the outcome, it just gets kind of tiring."

"Maybe you should show them how to perceive losing differently," Evie suggested, hoping to encourage the timid boy to speak up to more than just her and Jay. "Jay might help you."

Carlos chuckled. "Yeah, once he finally realizes that he's got Audrey's claws buried deep in his skin and gets rid of them."

Evie couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled up from her stomach due to Carlos' reply. "If he realizes it."

"Which he probably won't," Carlos concluded, mouth curved into an amused smile. "Anyway, you ready to head down to get some breakfast before the game?"

Evie nodded, taking a small step toward the boy. However, before she could get too far her necklace pulsed against her chest once again, forcing her to turn back around and stare at the tree, waiting for something to reveal itself, though she knew it was ridiculous. She could feel Carlos' body heat radiating onto her body before he spoke.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Evie shook her head, tearing her gaze away from the tree by reconnecting the curtains in the middle. "Probably just a bird."

She said it because it was what she desperately hoped, not because it was what she believed.

(Mal)

As she lurked in the woods lining the school, Mal found herself struggling to remain awake due to boredom from watching the few students roaming the campus and Evie eating breakfast. It only reminded her that she needed food as well. A yawn forced its way through her body as she locked her gaze on the distant figure of Evie, wondering how she hadn't noticed the dark blue of the girl's hair without the aid of the picture. Why are you still dwelling on small characteristics? Chewing on the inside of her lip in annoyance she leaned her head against the trunk she sat by; if my present life is going to be this boring, I might as well allow myself to judge Auradon's residents. Though, no matter how much she knew it was what she was doing with the majority of the residents, a small part buried deep inside her whispered that it was different with the girl.

The second she saw Evie get to her feet she scrambled to her own quickly, ready to do anything else. Could this mission be any more boring? She kept a close eye on the girl, watching as she, the irritating girl, and the young boy headed toward the sports field, leaving behind the other two. Turning quickly to follow after them, Mal found herself colliding with a tree immediately. She grumbled; fucking tree. Glancing around, she realized that the tree-line wouldn't lead her to the area in which Evie was headed, and she stood for a moment in internal debate, eventually deciding that – though Head had explicitly told her to stay in the shadows – she would quickly die inside from the boredom. And so she stepped out of the cover of the trees, moving toward the sports field while keeping an eye on Evie.

And it seemed as though Evie was the greatest distraction, leading her first into a tree, and now, a person.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," a deep, soft voice apologized, one she could tell belonged to a boy.

"Clearly," Mal scoffed, brushing off her jacket from where she had touched the stranger. "Maybe next time you should actually watch where you're walking."

She knew she had been the one not paying attention to where she was headed, but she also knew it couldn't have only been her fault. The unknown boy had to have been distracted as well in order for them to have ran into each other. Surprisingly, to her, the boy chuckled deeply, which she found irritating.

"Yes, I'll admit I was distracted," the boy spoke again. "Again, my apologies for running you down."

Mal's eyebrows furrowed as she looked up to finally take in the stranger's appearance, finding that he had messy bronze hair, a long nose, and a soft smile on his face, his eyes squinted in the sun's glare. Everything about him got on her nerves. "You didn't 'run me down'; I'm obviously still standing. So why don't you tuck away your ego in that fancy blazer of yours and move along."

"Excuse you, I'll have you know you're…"

"Father, it's okay," the boy interrupted, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

Her eyes flickered to the older man who had spoken up, voice raised in anger, eying him with furrowed eyebrows and noting that age creased his cheeks, his eyes protected with glasses. That's too bad, I won't be able to easily blow them out. Chewing on the inside of her cheek she returned her attention to the tall, bronze-haired boy who still smiled down at her. She wanted to punch him in that long nose of his.

"I haven't seen you around before," the boy spoke up again, lacing his fingers together in front of him. "I'm Ben."

Mal paused at that, the name sounding familiar to her, though she couldn't place it. "As much as I really wanted to know your name," she started sarcastically, glancing around the boy to locate Evie; she was still in sight. "I have better places to be, man, so if you would kindly just get out of my way so I could get there and be relieved from your unwanted presence."

Ben chuckled at that, but the man behind him seemed to reach his limit. "That's it, Ben. If you won't deal with this girl correctly, I will."

Mal arched her eyebrow to silently challenge the man, knowing she could take him down easily, however, it wasn't the aged man that came for her; it was two others that seemed to come from nowhere. Before she could react her arms were restrained by her sides with a grip that dug into her skin through the leather of her jacket.

"You will be taught how to treat the King of Auradon," the aged man said, eyes glowing with rage. "Even if I have to teach you myself."

The King of…? Oh, that's where I've heard the name. Keeping her eyes locked with the man's she sent a flow of magic through her, and almost immediately the two men let go of her with sharp cries, her magic coming through her as electric shocks. She saw the recognition in the man's eyes just as more hands grabbed her, and she readied herself to shock them with higher intensity; that is, until she caught a glimpse of the area further behind the King and the man. The entire tourney field was watching them. You are to keep from the Auradon resident's suspicion and curiosity. She inhaled deeply; way to go, Mal. You've fucked that one up. She didn't have to study the audience closely to know that they were all suspicious of her behavior, and curious as to what was being said.

With all the self-control she could muster she quit fighting and allowed the men to yank her in the direction of the castle, casting one last glance over her shoulder to check on Evie, hoping desperately that no one decided to strike the girl when she was being interrogated. Despite the distance between them, she could feel that their gazes had met, and although she knew that the blue-haired girl couldn't read her mind, she addressed her thoughts to her. Stay safe, girl. I'll be back as soon as I can.

(Evie)

After speaking with Ben and figuring out that he would be watching the game, Evie turned in search of Carlos with a wide smile on her face, managing to catch a brief glance of the boy just before he stepped into the team's building. She couldn't get Carlos' earlier words out of her mind about the game losing his interest since the King had left the team, and she also couldn't stop herself from searching for a way to get the boy to hold onto that interest no matter what. And though she knew it was most likely a ridiculous thought – as if she hadn't been having an excessive amount of those recently – she couldn't help but hope that the boy would be capable of enjoying the game more after realizing that Ben was present this time.

Beginning to wonder how long it was going to take Jay and Audrey to show up she shifted her attention back in the direction of the outdoor cafeteria, feeling a small amount of relief when she found the boy walking toward the team building; she couldn't say she felt the same for seeing Audrey. She hasn't said anything to me since the last game. And even though she knew it probably wasn't going to last, she still hoped that it would.

However, just as she was dreading Audrey coming up to take the place beside her a sudden commotion silenced the entire field, stealing everyone's attention.

Evie turned her head in the direction of the shouting voice, finding Ben calming his father down with a small gesture and amused smile before turning back to the girl in front of him. A girl Evie had never seen before. She couldn't see too clearly with her distance, but she could make out the girl's purple hair cropped above her shoulders and the extensive amount of purple and green dying her outfit – which Evie noted wasn't much different from her own outfit, dominated only by purple instead of blue. Her curiosity getting the best of her she trained her eyes to the girl, only to find that she was now staring Beast directly in the eyes. Seconds later, the men holding the girl jumped back as if they had been burned, causing Evie's eyebrows to knit together in curiosity. The girl didn't even move; how could she have hurt them?

She felt someone come up next to her, but she ignored their presence, keeping her eyes glued to the scene unfolding before her, not being able to trample her curiosity for the mysterious girl. How stupid do you have to be to fight against the King and his father? She thought, shaking her head at the girl's behavior. She felt it was idiotic for anyone to think they could disrespect the royalty in Auradon, especially the King of all Auradon. This girl is arrogant. Still, she kept her gaze locked on the girl, following the movement as Ben's guards led her away from the tourney field, wondering who she was and where she had come from.

Her attention was stolen from the girl when her necklace pulsed in warning against her chest; she's a stranger. You don't know her, and she definitely doesn't attend this school. She's one of the people you should avoid. She lifted her gaze to lock on the mysterious girl she had never seen before, her mind twisting rapidly at that thought. She had terrified herself. Anyone who is stupid enough to get taken in by the guards, I should stay away from. She didn't want trouble, and someone like that girl would definitely lead her into the depths of it. However, the quietest voice inside her brain told her she remained intrigued by the girl, told her she wanted to know why someone would behave that way toward the King. But that didn't matter to her, she had always been professional at holding back her curiosity if it meant keeping herself, or her friends, from danger.

However, when her muscles tensed and the nerves along her spine ignited with the knowledge that the girl's gaze had skimmed across hers she knew she wouldn't be able to stay away. For some unknown reason that she would probably never learn, she wanted to know about the girl.

"What's the matter?" The person who had stepped up beside her spoke up, and she immediately knew it was Audrey. "Thinking about getting in trouble yourself just to get alone with Ben? We both know it's the only way you'll get that way."

"Only ignorant people would believe she's going to be alone with him right now," Evie answered calmly, tearing her gaze from the mystery girl and instead bringing it to the field where people were, more likely than not, discussing the recent event. "There'll be Beast and both of their guards."

She could tell Audrey was clearly picking from scraps, nothing truly against Evie presenting itself to the girl. It made it easier to not care about what the girl was saying. As Audrey continued trying to get a rise from her, Evie tuned out every word the girl spoke, and she could tell it was quickly turning the tables, getting a rise from the short girl instead. She ignored that, too, her mind still wound around the mysterious girl that had fought against Ben and his father. And no matter how hard she tried to focus on something else – her necklace even – her mind just continued straying back to the recent event, making her curious as to what would happen once the group of guards brought her into the castle.