Chapter Sixty Seven


A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek Myths.

Smh honestly how is it almost April you guys? And more importantly, how has it been over a year since I first started on this story? 67 chapters later and we're still here!

Just a head's up, and I know it's a way's out but I figure I'd post now, I will be on vacation in September for a few days so if you notice updates ramping up or anything, that's why. I don't want to delay anything so I'm going to do the best I can on the lead up to my vacation to post :D

Marcus Emrys: Oh yeah I think everyone needs to not be a Leah and true, that definitely was a 'no brains' moment from Herc though to be fair he had just gone face first into a boulder so maybe that was a concussion talking?

Katt Kiki: That they are!

JaclynnM: Oh yeah, that scene is definitely going to be a doozy especially for Henry considering how close he is to Ryan.

AmethystDragon14: Oh yay! Yeah it definitely makes one wonder smh, and go Audie! But can you punish someone for something they haven't done yet? :D

miranda88: The Marvel fan in me is what had me use that reference :D

OceanBlueSeaEyes: Yeah Leah's a piece of work isn't she? I have to admit I never quite cared for Hubert in the animated Sleeping Beauty but at least he cared for his son and tried to talk to Stefan about the contract—just worked out that Phillip and Aurora fell in love. Oh yeah I think what's coming up will be nightmare fuel for everyone I won't lie.

danifan3000: I won't lie, that's very tempting to write! And ooh that's a good idea re: the scroll being a different color as if to warn them!

61394: *Shudders* Yeah we really don't want to think about more than one Leah walking around. Well really that's the same countdown—and I can tell you it's two. :D

Filipinagirl04: Gil's not here because…I don't know why. But maybe he'll join if some characters leave. :D Oh yeah that chapter is going to be very interesting in terms of reactions but there's one chapter before that though! :D

twilightgirl587: Hey Leah's going to try anything to get Audrey back at the seat of power so to speak and really a King needs an heir. Would you really put it past this kingdom to say 'okay you're King now even though you're sixteen but we draw the line at you being a parent'? Tick Tock is on the Isle, apparently he has kids. I'll try to get Gil into the reading—as for being sent back to the Isle for not doing their homework…well apparently Fairy Godmother wanted thee Core Four sent back to the Isle in the books because they took a sail boat. :D

Flaresouth: Hmm, good question. I mean, it'd kinda be like reading your own mind wouldn't it?

LOST MUSES: Oh thank you so much! And aww! Cerberus and his dog biscuits! Note to self, find a way to slip that into my fics in someway…

a-person-on-the-internet-75: I can see the confusion but everyone in the reading (with the exception of Audie and Lucas) is from when Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Evie arrive in Auradon. Locklyn and Brooke didn't leave the Rats until the first chapter of Choosing Love hence Claudine specifying the scroll them. And oh what a great oneshot! :D I love your writing :D

Guest123: Thank you so much, I'm so glad you're enjoying my fic! :D

SnowWhite45: Yep, Locklyn and Brooke were in Harriet's crew though that crew was part of Mal and Uma's crew.

Hufflepuff24: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! :D

IWantColouredRain: Ah what a glorious thought! But then you're denying a certain four legged Isle member from getting to perform the same act as the scrolls!

Gigi18: I know, I can't believe it!

LotusQuil: You know seeing as the guards are so useless, you probably could slap both Ben and his parents repeatedly for not getting that in writing. Thankfully it was never needed (well…almost never needed). And ooh I do like the idea of Leah torture! :D

jedblack1997: I'm not going to lie, I had to look up that song because it'd been so long since I heard it but now that I have, I completely agree with that visual!

Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :D


Evie sighed softly as she picked up the scroll. Unless it was her imagination, each scroll seemed to get darker and darker as they went on. She hoped that she'd somehow get a more lighthearted scroll.

Evie smiled slightly as she sat by her father's hospital bed, sketching the final design for Mal's cotillion gown.

"Ooh, I bet it's going to be gorgeous!" Dizzy said, her typical megawatt grin threatening to split her face in two.

Like everything she did, Evie knew Mal's dress was going to look stunning but there was still something in the back of her mind that didn't sit well with her.

"Well…you were right about it being stunning," Malinda said. "But then again, everything you make is."

This wasn't Mal's style.

No…no it wasn't, Malinda thought with a small sigh. Though I tried to make it my style.

Evie might not have been the closest of friends with the Godling but even she knew that.

"You don't have to be good friends with someone to know what looks good on them and what doesn't," Elle said.

Mal's style was more dark colors, leather, and dragons. Not this bright yellow and blue strapless gown.

"…yeah I don't really see Mal wearing that," Rowyn nodded.

"She did in my timeline," Audie said. "Or at least during the viewing we saw."

It's none of your business, Evie thought as she continued to sketch. If Mal wants to change her style, you just nod and go along with it. After all, Mal could have insisted you be punished for your actions at the coronation but she didn't. Instead she was able to go ahead and work with Ben to get your dad back.

"In this case it is your business," Uma said. "Not to mention you're Mal's roommate! Invoke roommate privilege if that's a thing!"

And he was truly back, something Evie would be forever grateful for.

Harriet, Harry, and CJ all avoided the other readers' eyes as Sammy bit her lip, Henry rubbed the back of his neck, and Jay fiddled with his beanie.

Evie doesn't know how lucky she is, he thought. I'd…I'd give anything to have mom be able to come back.

Dr. Sweet had brought her father out of the medical coma about a week ago and Evie had been by every day after classes.

Snow frowned slightly. "Evie dear, I know you're happy your father's back…Gods know I'd jump at the chance to get my own father back, but don't burn yourself out okay?"

"Hmm…" Daniel groaned as he woke up. The unfortunate thing about being Maleficent's captive for around eight years or so was the fact that he seemed to tire easily.

"Whoever recorded this, and I mean no offense to the Fates if it was them, needs math lessons," Herkie said. "Eight years after Evie's sixth birthday would have made Evie fourteen, not sixteen."

"To be fair, it does say eight years or so," Macaria pointed out.

"Still!"

He was always coming in and out of naps which didn't necessarily make him the best companion.

Evie didn't mind in the slightest.

Evie shook her head. "Why would I? He's home…that means the world to me," she said softly.

"How long have you been here?" Daniel asked, his kind voice still tinged with sleep as he looked over at her.

"It doesn't matter daddy," Evie whispered. "I'd…I'd wait for you forever."

"Not very, just maybe an hour or so," Evie said.

"That's nothing when it comes to being able to see your parent," Mulan said.

Daniel shook his head slightly as he sat up in the bed. "Your mother would have had my head if she knew I had been sleeping when you arrived. She would have said it was bad manners and that it was always important to greet a guest."

"I think all mother would care about is that he was home and safe and on the mend," Evie said softly.

Evie gave her father a soft smile as she set the sketchbook off to the side. "I think mother wouldn't have minded if it meant she got to be with you. She missed you."

"I see you don't exactly change much," Neal said, trying to get Evie to chuckle or at least smile.

"I missed you two as well," Daniel said, giving a weak smile. "Once I'm out of here, I'll talk to King Ben about getting guardianship of you."

"He's not going back to the Isle?" Evie gasped. I thought for sure he'd go back to be with mother…

Evie looked at her father in shock. "I…I thought you'd be going back to the Isle?"

"I see you don't change much Evie," Neal chuckled and shook his head.

"And leave you?" Daniel asked as he looked over at her. "Evie, I love your mother. Always have, always will. Will I miss her? Of course I will, I'd be crazy not to. But I'm not leaving you alone in a strange land. Maybe once you're eighteen I'll ask King Ben about getting visitation visits for the Isle but right now, you need me more, light beam."

Evie gasped softly, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes though she tried to not let it show. Hearing that nickname again…she thought she'd never get the chance to do so.

Had her father not been lying in a hospital bed, Evie would have leapt into his arms.

I don't blame you, Henry thought.

She'd waited eight years to hear those words from her father. Especially her old nickname.

Snow gently wrapped an arm around Evie to give her a small hug while she was reading.

Her father used to say that she was the light of his life, always beaming with energy. Hearing that again…it was like a dream.

"And we'll make sure you're able to hear it again Evie," Belle said as Snow White nodded her head in agreement.

"Can I see your sketch?" Daniel asked.

"Oh…sure," Evie said softly, handing her father her sketchbook. "It's just a design I'm working on for Lady Mal's dress for cotillion."

"Cue the freak out over the title!" Harry said with a slight chuckle.

Oh Harry, I can't wait until you realize that, with you being married to Uma in the future, you're a Lord, Malinda thought with a small smirk.

"Maleficent's daughter?" Daniel asked, his voice growing sharp as he said Maleficent's name.

"Nope but he can be forgiven for being behind the times," Hadie said, shaking his head.

Not that Evie particularly blamed him for that; she knew she wouldn't be fond of anyone who held her captive for years because of an imagined slight. "She's a Lady now?"

"Not a Lady!"

"Technically Mal was always a Lady," Jay chuckled. "So's Uma for that fact."

"You can stop talking now Jay," Uma said, glaring slightly at the older boy.

"She's not Maleficent's daughter," Evie said quickly. "She's Lady Persephone's, they said so at King Ben's coronation. Mal likes to say that Maleficent may have given her life but that didn't make her her mother. She's not a big fan of her title either, she only really puts up with it when it's an official event."

"Using the brain your father gave you I see," Harry said but there was a lack of harshness that was normally there when he spoke to Evie. Which rarely happened but still.

Daniel nodded slowly as he looked at the sketch.

"To be fair, that's a lot of information to get in what seems like thirty seconds," Meg said. "I'm not surprised that he was still processing it."

"This is a beautiful design Evie. You've got a real gift here."

Dizzy nodded. "Evie's the best when it comes to designing!"

"Thank you," Evie said, beaming with pride at the compliment. "I just hope Mal likes it. She had said that she wanted to branch out into more Auradon styles but…it's not her style at all."

"If it feels that way to you then maybe scrapping it and making it Mal's style would be a better way to go," Ben suggested.

"Oh she did," Benji said, as the memory of Mal in her Cotillion dress came to the forefront of his mind.

"In this instance, you have to not look at Mal as a friend and look at her as a client," Daniel said gently.

"Oh…I hadn't thought about that," Evie said, lightly biting her lip.

Uma scoffed. "Belay that! It'd be one thing if Mal was slowly mixing the two so that she had something part Auradon, part Isle like she was. But when she's giving up her jacket, that's when the alarm bells should go off!"

"This is what she's requesting so this is what you're giving her. No matter what, it's going to look gorgeous. I saw a photo of the dress Lady Mal wore at King Ben's coronation. The caption said you had designed it?"

Dizzy grinned. "Oh Evie that's amazing!"

"And soon you'll be here with me and we'll both have our names out there in the design world," Evie promised.

Evie nodded, amazed that the fashion blogs were still talking about her dress. Then again, she had made something that had stood up to a dragon attack and Mal transforming herself into a dragon. That was something worth talking about, even a couple months after the event.

"Oh wow!" Lucy grinned. "Normally the fashion blogs stop talking about designs around a month after they're revealed!"

"Though to be fair, as Evie pointed out, she designed something that withstood Mal transforming into a dragon before Evie even knew Mal could do that," Kitty said. "I know I'd be talking about that too!"

That was really the only positive to come out of her actions at coronation though. Well, and she and Mal seemed to grow closer from the experience.

"Oh good! I love Evie's dresses and she should get to have all the attention because they're amazing!" Dizzy said, trying to get Evie to smile.

Evie wasn't as dumb as she pretended to be after all, she could see the faint remnants of the word 'traitor' on her locker and knew there were probably only a few people who would clean it off for her.

"And call me crazy but I don't think you all have a janitorial crew to clean up messes," Mal said, shaking her head. "Since all the 'villains' were shoved on the Isle."

There was one day though she had stumbled across the word freshly sprayed on her locker, before there had been a chance for anyone to clean it off.

All the kids, VK and AK alike turned to glare at Audrey.

"Hold up," Audie said. "I know it's a bad look but you're glaring at her for something she hasn't done yet. And something she might not do. So knock it off before you basically shoehorn her into a role she might not want."

Audrey smiled slightly. "Thank—."

"That being said, really?" Audie asked. "Be more obvious it was you."

"Actually…and I hate to say it not because I don't think she's capable of it but because saying it sounds like I'm sticking up for Audrey, but it could be Arianna," Phil Jr. said.

"Phillip…" Aurora sighed.

"I'll talk to Anne when we get out of here," Phillip promised.

Whoever used spray paint probably thought I'd think it was Mal doing it, Evie thought. The only thing is, I know Mal enough to know she would never use pink spray paint. If she used any color other than purple, it would be blue. You know, for Hades.

"Yeah I don't really see Mal as a 'pink' girl," Uma said, shaking her head.

Maybe Mal would use green spray paint if she was in a bind, but it would only be if she had no other choice. With the exception of the green in her jacket and a light green dress Evie had designed, Mal had been vehemently against the color green showing up in her wardrobe.

"I don't hate green though," Mal said with a small shrug. "My mom's the Goddess of Vegetation after all."

Evie had suspected the only reason Mal okayed the dress was because of the fact that it was so light.

"And it was a nice dress too E," Malinda said.

A darker green might have gotten a harsher reaction. A darker green might have been too close to Maleficent for Mal's liking.

"Maleficent doesn't own a color," Tiana said, shaking her head. "While yes dark green is more likely associated to her, I've got some dark green in my color scheme. No one runs away from me or thinks I'm evil."

"Unless you get Louis to scare them away," Naveen chuckled.

At least a lighter green would look closer to one of Lady Persephone's colors than Maleficent's.

"That would probably help," Dizzy nodded.

Evie, though, tried her hardest to keep Mal's wardrobe looking more neutral than anything else. She remembered the articles from The Gazelle and she didn't want Mal to have to go through that.

Malinda smiled softly as she heard that. Maybe I should have done more to reach out to Evie during all of that, she thought. After all, she would have had some idea what it was like.

"Evie?" Daniel prompted.

"Oh!" Evie said and gave her head a little shake. "Got lost in thought."

"As a parent, I can say I think there's no need to apologize," Persephone said. "Being lost in thought, especially for VKs, means you feel safe there and that's all your father wants for you Evie."

Daniel smiled. "I know being here with your dad isn't the most exciting but I'm happy to be here with you Evie. Just knowing you're safe is more than I could ask as a father but getting to see you…"

"That's all any parent wants," Phoebus said with a small smile.

"There's no place I'd rather be," Evie told him, smiling as she took in his words.

"And that's not a lie," Evie nodded. "The fact that he's alive and I'm able to talk to him…that's more than I ever dreamed."

"Now I know that's a lie," Daniel chuckled. "Surely you'd rather be with your friends or your boyfriend than with your old man?"

"That must have been his Auradoness coming through," Malinda said with a small smile. "Considering we don't do boyfriends on the Isle."

Evie sighed softly and bit her lip. "I…I don't have that many friends. I used to but after coronation, the only friends I have are Mal, King Ben, Doug, Jay, Carlos, Lonnie, Ally and Jordan."

"Ahem!" Emma said, raising an eyebrow. "Where am I? My scroll-self had better not have just tossed you to the curb like an old apple pie!"

Maybe Gil but he tends to follow Uma and Harry's direction and everyone knows Uma hates the ground I walk on.

"I don't think Gil can hate anyone," Harriet said. "Well maybe Freddy but other than that, he doesn't hate."

"Well, light beam, if they stopped being your friend after what happened at King Ben's coronation, then they weren't really your friends," Daniel said gently.

"There's truth to that," Lil' Shang nodded. "You find out who your real friends are when you're in trouble."

"Yeah," Lonnie nodded. "I mean, just look at mom, Uncle Yao, Uncle Ling, and Uncle Chien-Po. Mom saved the entire army with that stunt with the firework but they and dad were the only ones to follow her when it came to saving the Emperor."

"But it was my fault," Evie said softly. "I'm the one who snatched the wand and I'm the one who caused Maleficent to escape the Isle. If it hadn't been for Mal and her own dragon transformation, I would have been responsible for Maleficent taking over Auradon and bringing down the barrier."

"Evie, you did it for your father," Snow said gently. "You didn't know that the barrier had been broken or that Maleficent had escaped."

"Hey, hey," Daniel said gently as he looked over at his daughter. "Evie, you might have been the one to grab the wand but you were put in a position that no one your age should have had to worry about. And like you said, thanks to Lady Mal, Maleficent isn't free to rule Auradon."

Malinda shrugged. "No thanks needed. I just did what was right."

Evie smiled slightly. "Mal said that Lord Hades has enjoyed having Maleficent as a pet. According to Hadie, he spends every morning gloating about how once again her plans have failed and she was forever doomed to be on the Isle of the Lost."

"Ah what a glorious way to start a morning," Hades said with a small smirk.

"Why do I have the feeling you're going to try to do that this go around too?" Poseidon asked with a small sigh.

"Because you know me too well Po-Po!"

"Hadie?"

"Hey!"

"Don't blame him Hadie," Persephone said softly. "You were born after he had been taken by Maleficent…I doubt she would have informed him of any population changes on the Isle."

"Mal's little brother," Evie explained. "Well, half brother since biologically Mal's still Maleficent's. It's a little confusing from what Mal explained, but I think I got the gist of it. Lade Persephone adopted Mal in a magical adoption, meaning she became Lady Persephone's daughter and gained some of her magic. However, that doesn't change who Mal is biologically."

"Half or not, he's still my brother," Mal said, shaking her head.

"And I thought we all agreed to stop putting the image of Maleficent providing Mal the gift of life in our heads?" Hades asked.

"Hades…that was only you and Chip," Persephone shook her head.

"I'll tell you one thing Evie, you're a lot smarter than I am for understanding that," Daniel said with a small smile.

"Evie's one of the smartest people I know," Malinda said with a small smile.

"Though considering your mother was a skilled potions maker, I'm not surprised you're able to grasp the more magical aspect of that."

"You know, I've never actually tried potion making…mother never allowed it," Evie said softly.

Evie beamed at the compliment. It wasn't that long ago that her mother would have told her off for showing her smarts to anyone, even her father.

"Yes well your mother's not exactly the smartest person around," David muttered under his breath. After everything Regina did to Snow, she wasn't going to be on the top of David's list of favorite people.

"Mother's going to be so happy when she hears you're alright," Evie said. "King Ben said that he would pass the word to her if you want or he'd set it up so you could talk to her. They did that for Carlos, Jay, Lady Mal and me before Family Day though Mal ducked out before she could be face to face with Maleficent."

Ben and Snow both nodded.

"No matter what, she's still his wife and she should have the chance to talk to him," Ben added.

"Smart girl," Daniel muttered, wincing slightly as he shifted to try to sit up more than he already was.

The adults (well almost all of them) frowned at the sign of pain. That generally wasn't a good sign and they weren't sure how Evie would take it.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to get the doctor?" Evie asked worriedly, noticing the wince.

"Get one anyway," Claudine said. "He's from the Isle after all, he won't admit he's in pain otherwise."

"I'm fine," Daniel said, giving Evie a small smile.

"Huh, guess that line's not just for villain kids," Sammy shook her head.

"Maleficent's goblins weren't the most gentle of beings and ten years of their ministrations isn't going to go away in the blink of an eye."

"I'd be happy to 'not be gentle' with the goblins for him," Phillip said. "I kinda owe it to them anyway."

Evie couldn't help but give a sad smile at that. "I should go…you need your rest after all. I'm sorry for being a pest—."

Gods Regina…what did you do to Evie? Snow thought. No child should think they're a pest to their parent.

"Hey, my room is always open to you Evie," Daniel said, his voice soft as his eyelids seemed to grow heavy. "Never think you're being a pest, light beam. I love you."

"One's child could never be a pest," Rapunzel said.

"Even if there's six of them," Eugene added.

"I love you too," Evie said softly as she bent down to kiss her father on the forehead before packing up her stuff. She had a few consultations with a few more of her classmates to make their clothes for Cotillion.

"I don't even need my tarot cards to know that they probably just want Evie's stuff because she's making Mal's dress too," Celia said, rolling her eyes.

"Or because Evie makes good designs?" Dizzy suggested, trying to stay positive.

They had gotten wind that she was designing Mal's dress and remembered that she had also done Mal's dress for Ben's coronation.

"Oh so now that Evie's some big name again they want to be friendly?" Mal scoffed.

"How shallow can you get?" Uma shook her head.

Though honestly, the request that had surprised her the most had come from Chad.

Chad shrugged. "By the sounds of it, your designs are the most popular around the school. I'd want to look good after all."

At first, when it came, Evie thought it had been a joke. After all, Chad Charming hadn't exactly been apologetic about getting her to do his homework in exchange for a date.

Chad winced as his parents shot him a look at that reminder.

And then of course there was the whole 'almost getting her expelled' incident though she did have some blame for that too.

"I'm sorry what?" Uma and Mal said at the same time.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure that wasn't covered in the scrolls," Jay nodded, glaring slightly at Chad.

Chad sighed. "Great, so safe to say I'm not leaving the castle any time soon," he muttered.

If she hadn't shown Chad her mirror…but other than that one time in class, when Mr. Delay had pulled her up to the board when she was talking with Doug, the only time she ever used the mirror was to see her dad.

"To be fair, he shouldn't have pulled her up like that," Jane said. "Does Mr. Delay know the Isle curriculum? Does he know how much the kids have been taught? Honestly Evie was just trying to use the mirror to avoid being embarrassed and a good teacher wouldn't embarrass a kid like that."

The barrier stopped wicked magic from coming through after all, and there was nothing wicked about a daughter's love for her father.

"Could that mirror have worked on the Isle?" Jane asked, looking at her mom. "I mean…Evie's right, that's not wicked magic."

"That's an interesting thought, I'll have to look into it when we get back," Fairy Godmother told her.

And besides, the magic was affecting the mirror in Auradon, not the Isle.

"I'm glad it helps…or will help you see your dad sweetie," Snow said with a slightly sad smile.

Well all that, and the fact that he'd gotten involved in a relationship with Audrey after stringing her along, meant that Evie wasn't exactly the most trusting of Prince Charming. But he was actually one of the easiest of all her clients to deal with.

"Chad? Our Chad?" Kitty asked. "He once drove one of the mice to tears because he kept changing things about his suit."

"He wouldn't even go to them, he'd send letters," Lucy shook her head.

Because they kinda freak me out, Chad thought. He'd never say it out loud of course.

On top of that, he also told the Fitzherbert girls about her business and they had been quick to commission gowns for Cotillion.

"…thank you Chad," Evie said, more than slightly shocked.

Chad shrugged. "You're welcome I guess."

Okay this doesn't make sense. How can Charming almost get Evie expelled but then help her business? Uma thought to Mal.

I don't know…but I guess we'll find out, Mal thought back.

It was weird but Chad really turned down the jerky meter after he and Audrey broke up, Evie thought as she left her father's hospital room. Sure he's had some slip ups, but those have really been few and far between after Leah got sent to the Isle.

Kit frowned slightly as warning bells began to go off in the back of his head. He wasn't sure how much he liked the sound of that, Chad almost having different personalities depending on who he was with.

Ben had tried his hardest to make sure the news was restricted to just those in the know, out of respect for his former relationship with Audrey and the working relationship with Queen Aurora but he forgot about one thing.

"I think I know what it was," Rose said, shaking her head slightly.

"Care to share for the rest of us?" Evan asked

Teenagers gossip and Akiho was at the council meeting where the judgement was handed down.

"Oh yeah the Auradon Prep gossip chain!" Evan chuckled.

He had told Emir, who of course told his sister who then told Kitty who told her twin sister who had it spread to about half the school in three hours.

"Huh," Lucy said, looking rather impressed. "Gotta say, that's better than I usually manage. Normally takes a couple of days to get to half the school."

Cinderella sighed. "And do I want to know why you're spreading gossip?"

"Because if I don't then the gossip gets spread anyway but the people I like don't have it filtered in a way that won't negatively impact them," Lucy shrugged.

Evie had to admit, it was pretty impressive how fast the younger Charming twin had gotten the news out about Leah's exile.

Lucy grinned as she polished her nails on her shirt. "It's a gift."

Of course Audrey wasn't all that pleased about it but then again she wasn't pleased with much ever since Mal became Ben's girlfriend.

When is Audrey ever pleased? Phil Jr. thought as he slightly shook his head.

She would tell anyone who would listen about how hard her life was and how unfair Ben had been, to remove himself from their betrothal contract without talking to her first.

"Except for the fact that he did," Phil Jr. said with a small sigh. "Remember? He risked being late to the championship game just to tell you to your face that the contract had been dissolved."

Honestly Audrey, if your parents thought there wasn't an issue in getting you two out of the contract then really you weren't all that negatively impacted, Evie thought with an inward sigh. If you really want to see a hard life, try being a kid on the Isle in a low ranked gang…or no gang at all.

Lonnie looked over at Audrey. "She's right you know. You have no idea what a 'hard life' is like, none of us do."

She had been lucky in that even though Mal and Uma hated her guts, her mother had been able to get in with Maleficent's gang. After all, Maleficent ruled the Isle so she got first dibs when it came to the food that arrived. It also meant anyone in her gang got first dibs as well—plus Lord Hades did have some decent food at his restaurant.

"But…Mal and Uma hating your guts wouldn't impact who Maleficent decided to bring into her gang," Celia said.

"Celia's right," Dizzy nodded before pausing. "She is right isn't she?"

Mal chuckled. "She's right Dizzy. If Maleficent ever took my feelings into account when it came to her gang, it probably would have been never bringing Frollo into the fold. And even then it likely would have been more for her than me."

"Yeah I don't see Maleficent partnering with Frollo," Hades shook his head. "Despite the fact that they're both evil enough to possibly do so."

Evie wasn't so innocent though that she didn't know how lucky she was that her mother was in Maleficent's gang. Otherwise she would have been a girl without a gang on the Isle.

"We may have disliked you Evie but no girl deserves that," Mal said, shaking her head.

If she was lucky, she would have had to get a job at one of the shops around the Isle. If she hadn't been lucky…

"If you hadn't been lucky…well let's just say I can't say what you would have had to do because of the under-fifteens in attendance," Harriet said.

"We know about the flings for food!" CJ exclaimed.

"I was referring to the Auradon under fifteens," Harriet sighed.

"Oh."

Don't think about that, Evie thought as she walked out of the hospital.

"It's not the most pleasant thing to think about," Harriet nodded.

If you think about that, you're going to go down a rabbit hole that won't help anyone. Just focus on your designs. That's probably the best thing you can do really. Mal'll do the work to help out the Isle, she's the highest ranked out of all of us anyway.

"That doesn't mean you can't help Evie," Audie said. "In my timeline, you became an advisor to Ben, working with him and Mal to get VKs off the Isle."

"I did?" Evie asked, looking shocked and yet impressed by her other self's actions.

Ben grinned. "I think Evie would be a great advisor!"

"Debatable," Leah muttered.

Not to mention she's got the ear of the King, being his girlfriend and all.

"That does tend to help in terms of making sure the King listens to you," Rowyn chuckled.

Honestly, if you had told Evie a month ago that Mal of all people would be the one dating the King of Auradon, she'd have said you were crazy.

"I think we all would have to be honest," Jay nodded.

Mal was notorious for not having flings on the Isle—she and Uma were probably the only girls who hadn't had some sort of a fling.

"Let's revise that to say only girls of fling-having age not to have some kind of fling," Henry stated. "Because I doubt the under-fifteens were having flings."

"Henry…there were always the girls without gangs," Claudine said as she looked over at him. "Just because you lot gave away food without having flings doesn't mean the other gangs with food access were so kind."

Even Evie had had innocent flings to get what she wanted, always stopping before it went too far. Her mother always taught her that a princess kept her purity.

"Hmph, at least she was teaching her daughter something about being a royal even if her title was stripped," Leah muttered.

She was a flirt, nothing more. Flirts were safe in a way, there wasn't a risk in getting a kid involved by being a flirt.

Evie winced slightly at the description but nodded slowly. "I will not bring kids into the mess that is the Isle," she said.

"But you're not on the Isle anymore," Dizzy pointed out.

"Evie!" Doug called over to her, waving a bit and pulled Evie out of her thoughts.

"Why is Stalky there?" Uma asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Lay off Uma," Malinda said. "At least Evie's not alone."

"Doug!" Evie grinned and rushed over to him. She hadn't expected that he would be picking her up but she wasn't going to fight it. After all, the only other mode of transport available to her would have been a bus.

"Okay…point for him," Jay muttered.

She hadn't been around the general Auradon populace since Ben's coronation so she wouldn't know how they would react to seeing her.

"Evie, I'd be happy to volunteer my services should you need someone to accompany you on the bus in the future," Akiho said. "Honestly, no one should be giving you a hard time."

Evie smiled. "The offer's appreciated Akiho but I don't think it'll be necessary. Hopefully at least."

"We'll get your dad Evie," Ben said. "I promise."

"How was your dad?" Doug asked, giving Evie a hug as he took her bag to put it in the back of his car before opening the passenger's side door for Evie.

"Okay so clearly Stalky has manners but he's still on thin ice," Uma said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"He seemed better," Evie said as she slid into Doug's car. "Hopefully he won't have to be in the hospital for too much longer."

"That's great Evie!" Dizzy grinned.

"It's likely that even if he doesn't stay in the hospital, it'll be a while before he's at one hundred percent," Doug said gently.

"I know he's probably just trying to be realistic but not the best thing to say right then," Sammy said, shaking her head.

"I know," Evie sighed, her voice soft. "But I've got to keep hope."

"You're stronger than some Evie," Harriet said with a small sigh. "Hope is the first thing that dies with us."

Doug gave a sad smile before taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "You know Snow will let you stay as long as you need. I think Emma might kill her parents if they kicked you out."

"I have my sword at the ready!" Emma declared.

Evie couldn't help but give a weak smile at that. Emma White had become another unexpected friend after the catastrophe that was Ben's coronation.

"I'm just surprised I wasn't your friend sooner than that," Emma said, clearly disappointed in her scroll-self.

She and her brother were always quick to come to Evie's defense if needed and Emma had been one of the first to commission an outfit for Cotillion.

"You're family," Neal said. "Why wouldn't we come to your defense?"

She was also really easy going in terms of her gown, preferring to stay in her normal color scheme of blue, white and red but not afraid to branch out. Let's just say pink would not be a color found in Emma's wardrobe.

"I'm not much for pink," Emma shrugged. "Being royal means that there'll be people who're going to try to tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back sometimes and say no, this is who I am and I'm not apologizing for it."

"How're you holding up?" Doug asked, his voice cutting through the silence, and Evie looked over at him.

"I'm okay," Evie said, her voice still soft. "I just…I wish I could go back to my dorm and know I was rooming with someone who didn't hate me."

Mal couldn't help but wince slightly as she heard that and sighed softly.

"Mal doesn't hate you."

"Mal's not the only one she's rooming with though," Neal pointed out.

"Anymore, and I was talking about Uma," Evie sighed. "I almost feel bad for Mal because of all of this, it can't be easy being put in the middle. Not that I'd ever tell Mal that to her face."

"Your dad is severely injured Evie," Uma said. "I'm wicked, not cruel."

"Oh right because no one wants to hear that someone has sympathy for them," Doug said, his voice dry.

"Unless you were in an alliance, we generally didn't do sympathy on the Isle," Malinda said. "It was believed that it'd make us look soft which could be deadly."

"VKs don't do sympathy," Evie said with a small sigh.

"There's no 'me' in 'empathy' after all," Evie said softly. "That's what Mother Gothel likes to say in her classes at Dragon Hall at least."

"I'm sorry…what?" Rapunzel asked, stunned.

"She teaches Selfishness 101," Mal said. "Why are you shocked? You already know she has a kid. Ginny Gothel remember?"

"I…I thought if I told myself that was Cass' kid…" Rapunzel whispered.

"She's…she's also Clayton's kid," Carlos said softly.

Mal looked at him, slightly shocked. "I didn't even know that. How'd you know it?"

"…we share a half-brother," Carlos said. "Clay and I share….we share a mom and Ginny and Clay share a dad."

"Huh. Then again, dunno why I'm surprised. Most of the VKs are related in someway considering how few adults there really are on the Isle."

"After all, unless you're in an alliance or it's your family member, it's pretty much every kid for themselves. And we might have left the Isle but there are still some here in Auradon who won't let us forget that we are from the Isle."

"Leah," Chip coughed.

"Coming down with something there teacup?" Lucas asked, shaking his head.

Doug reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze again, having put both his hands on the steering wheel as he was driving.

"Keep your hands to yourself Stalky!"

"Well, if it helps, I know there are a lot of people who like the fact that you're from the Isle. You provide a point of view that we never got before."

"Now why does that sound familiar?" Chip asked with a small chuckle as he looked over at Ben.

"Is that an official 'King Ben' statement?" Evie asked with a small chuckle.

"I think Evie might be on the same wavelength as you are there, teacup," Lucas said, shaking his head.

"I mean, I know one of the reasons Ben wanted to bring you all from the Isle was because you guys could give him a point of view he didn't have," Doug said. "But then again, Ben just wants to make sure everyone's happy."

"He wouldn't be the people pleasing puppy we know and love if he was any other way," Emir grinned.

"Again with the being called a puppy!" Ben sighed, shaking his head.

"He's been good with that," Evie said. Ben really had worked tirelessly to make sure everyone was happy, she had seen that first hand. From getting her father back from Maleficent's clutches to helping spread the word about her business, Ben had truly been in her corner. He was a good friend.

Benji smiled as he looked over at Evie. "I'm happy I could be your friend Evie. And I hope my younger self gets the chance to be your friend too."

I think I've never been more grateful that Mal's not the jealous type, she thought as Doug made their way back Auradon Prep. It could have been so easy for her to think that I had put a spell on Ben for him to do all these nice things for me. Especially after how I ruined his coronation. But she's been just as nice as Ben has—and that's honestly the strangest thing throughout this whole debacle.

"Maybe not the jealous type. I don't need to be," Malinda said, shaking her head. "But the selfish type? Yeah I'll freely admit that I'm selfish when it comes to Ben."

After all, Mal hating her was somewhat normal. Even being tentative allies had been nice but strange but this? This was the closest they had ever been to being friends and Evie was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"If it's been a couple of months, I think you should be safe to be in your own dorm," Rose said.

For Uma to somehow convince Mal that a return to their normalcy was needed and to have Evie get kicked out of their dorm.

"Please, if I'm going to take turf, I'm going to win it," Uma scoffed. "I'm not going to have other people do my dirty work."

She knew that no matter how close they got, Mal would always pick Uma first. Not that Evie faulted her for that. Uma was Mal's family. Family was everything on the Isle.

For some people, Harriet thought as she thought about her father, about how he had treated Harry after the death of their mother.

It was the one thing they thought they could always depend on.

"Unless you're Gaston's kid and you were born a girl," Harriet said, shaking her head.

"Not exactly true," Sammy countered. "The LeGume girls can still count on themselves. Even Locklyn is someone their family can rely on since she looks after Brooke."

"Which will change at some point considering in these scrolls, Locklyn drags Brooke to the Angels," Harry spoke up, growling the last word.

"Which kinda makes you wonder what Freddy has over Locklyn," Evie said, speaking up and startling the pirates. "I mean…I don't know her all that well considering we all run in different circles but if Locklyn was the type to just join the Angels after being part of the biggest gang on the Isle, wouldn't she have done so before the scrolls we're reading? Or just not join you guys in the first place?"

"…Evie has a point," Mal said. "And for right now at least Locklyn and Brooke are still part of the crew. After all, from the scrolls, Locklyn and Brooke leave during the month between Benny's coronation and getting the next group of VKs over to Auradon."

"Meaning we've got time to figure out what Freddy has over Locklyn," Uma nodded.

Well, until we got to Auradon that is, Evie thought with a small smile as she glanced over at Doug as he parked his car and got out to let Evie out.

"We can agree there," Henry said, his voice soft as he nodded slightly.

"I should probably go get started on my homework," Evie said softly.

"You want any company?" Doug asked with a small smile. A smile that Evie readily returned.

"I'd love some."

"Prove you're not Stalky first!"

"Honestly Uma," Malinda shook her head. "Doug's fine."

"Once I get a confirmation on the lack of stalkiness, then I'll say he's fine," Uma said firmly.

"Is stalkiness a word?" Ben asked.

"It is now!"

Evie looked around. "That's the end of the scroll. Who'd like to read next?"

"I'll read Evie," Hercules said, giving the blue haired girl a kind smile.