Legacy of Evil

by psychic.refugee99

Crown Prince Ben had declared that children of villains be given a second chance and invites the four children of the most notorious villains. Mal, Carlos, Evie, and Jay try to navigate Auradon Prep with the burden of an Evil Legacy.

11. Chapter 11

Thank you to everyone who reviews! I appreciate it so much!

Elizabeth: Sorry darlin' but this is a Carlos/Mal story. I super appreciate the review, but I don't want you to end up being disappointed later. This is a Carlos/Mal OTP story. Ben/Mal is not going to happen. I hope you can still read and like the story anyway, but I understand if you or anyone else can't.

---

Jay was restless, he was having trouble sleeping since arbitration. Whenever he was stressed on the Isle, which was not as often as one would think, he had always retreated to the tallest tower. On the Isle, it was a rickety old building whose use was long since forgotten. Most had avoided it since it was rather unstable and probably about to collapse at any moment.

But at that high tower, it was the clearest view anyone would get of Auradon. He would spend hours just staring at the land so far away, wondering what he would be doing if he ever got a chance to go there. For a few hours, he could just forget he was on the Isle and imagine how his life could be, not what it was.

Sometimes it was the fantasy that got him through the day, the hope that it wouldn't always be so terrible.

Now that he was in Auradon, he spent hours looking towards the Isle from the highest tower of the dorm Castle. He couldn't see the island as they were too far away, but he knew the general direction. He still enjoyed a relaxing view of the inlet; there were also the gardens and the starry sky he could admire.

While he no longer fantasized he was somewhere else, being high up gave him a different perspective and helped him still his mind to think.

"Hey," Mal said quietly as she joined him and sat down, she had figured where he'd disappeared to.

"Hey," he was surprised to see her there. "I thought you were afraid of heights."

"Why would you think that?"

"You never visited me when I needed time to think on a tower before."

"I'm not afraid of heights, I am—however—afraid of being on an unstable building that looks like it will fall at any moment."

"Oh…coward," he joked.

"So what has you up here at the crack of dawn these days…Evie's worried," she didn't have to say she was worried too, he could tell from the slight tremor in her voice and how she wouldn't look at him, she also focused on the view.

He thought about it, wondering how to put it into words. He hoped he didn't worry his girlfriend and best friend too much, but this wasn't something he was ready to talk to Evie about.

Mal, on the other hand, he could tell anything to.

"I'm just thinking about arbitration…how they asked about my djinn heritage."

"Yeah?" she asked patiently, wanting him to go on.

"I lied. I straight out lied."

"You did what you had to do, who knows what Sherwood would have done if they knew you had the potential of a freed genie," she didn't understand the issue, they had never had trouble lying to adults before.

"I'm not concerned about lying to Sherwood or any of the adults. I could easily lie to them until I turned blue…figuratively and literally. It's just…I also lied to Evie and Carlos. They were there too, they think I have no djinn magic in me at all."

"That's not such a big lie," she reasoned. "I mean you got your shackles when you were thirteen and lost them after a day at most…you basically never had djinn magic…it's not much of a lie. And we can trust them. So it's not like you can't tell them if you wanted to."

"And you never told Carlos? Ever?" he was slightly skeptical the two had any secrets.

"Nah," she shrugged. "I love him and all but there are some secrets that aren't mine to tell. And he knows there are a lot of things I had to do on the Isle that I haven't told him about, at least not in detail. And he's never really asked.I figure we have an unspoken agreement that there are some things just better not said and to forget them. But either way, they both love you. They'd never tell anyone if you wanted to tell them."

"I know they wouldn't tell anyone, that's not what I'm worried about."

"What is it then?"

Jay took a deep breath, needing to gather up the courage to tell her and give voice to his fears.

"What if they end up hating me?" he said so lowly that Mal almost didn't hear him.

She blinked in confusion as that was the last thing she ever thought Jay would ever worry about.

"What do you mean? It's Evie and Carlos…"

"It's just that…OK I got the shackles on my thirteenth birthday, right? The fact they showed up meant that I could wield the power of The Wish. And given that genies have 'phenomenal, cosmic power,' I'm pretty sure it meant that The Wish was stronger than the barrier…what if…what if they hate me because I didn't get them off the Isle when I had the chance? Wishes can recreate timelines, bend reality; with very few exceptions and restrictions I was basically all powerful…we could have escaped four years ago…four years is an eternity on the Isle…gods all the things we had to do to survive those years…"

Jay couldn't go on as the guilt ate away at him and bubbled to the surface, wondering if he should have done more and prevented so many terrible things from happening to them. Tears of frustration started to drop from his eyes, angry that maybe if he hadn't been such a coward then they would have been better off.

"Hey," Mal said intensely to him, getting his attention and making sure he looked her in the eyes. "I don't think Evie or Carlos could ever hate you, and if they could then the person they really should hate is me. Djinn can't grant their own wishes. So even if you wanted to just wish us off the Isle, you couldn't. Do you remember what I said when you showed me the shackles?"

Of course he remembered, Mal was his only friend at the time and the only person he trusted on the Isle to show he came into his djinn heritage.

There was no doubt that Jafar was his father.

He recalled the memory, and suddenly he was in the apartment above Bargain Castle; there was the smell of musty old clothes and dust invading his nose, they were hidden away in Mal's tiny room and sitting on a worn out mattress on the floor. Maleficent was off collecting tributes and overseeing the donations from the Mainland, she wouldn't be home for hours.

He was terrified, he knew his father wanted a genie so badly but couldn't imagine such power in his hands. He wondered if it meant he would start turning blue or red, would he lose his legs? Would he have to live in the lamp? It was so tiny, it fit in the palms of his hands; he couldn't imagine fitting into it. He rushed right over to Mal, hoping the lamp didn't suck him in, trapping him until someone found and rubbed it to free him.

What happened if the lamp got lost and he was stuck there for years?

"You told me to show you the lamp, and I gave it to you. It was this shiny new brass lamp with intricate cobra filigree, it looked like it could feed us for months if we could sell it…you took it and told me…you told me 'you are my friend and you are no one's slave.' And then without another thought you wished for my freedom."

He also remembered how the lamp had sputtered white iridescent smoke and levitated on its own volition. Then it turned from a beautiful newly wrought lamp to a dull beat up thing that could have been found in his father's shop on any given day. The gold shackles that had shown up on his ankles had fallen away and become just as haggard and useless.

Jay was djinn for less than a day. He showed the cuffs and lamp to his father, said he had found the items in an abandoned house. Jafar had said they were just more junk but they should fetch a few items of food, apples at least-none the wiser.

Jay had no idea where those shackles and lamp ended up; he hoped they were melted down for scrap and he would never see them ever again.

"That's right. You are my best friend and you are no one's slave. Not even for Evie and Carlos, not even if it's just for one second or one wish. Those shackles were a curse and I wasn't about to risk you spending your life as your father's or my mother's or anyone else's slave, having you do gods knows what and for how long. As harebrained as Jafar got on the Isle, he was not stupid. And he learns from his mistakes. He would have wished for power, gotten himself off the Isle then kept you as his genie, holding onto those last two wishes for as long as possible. That's assuming my mother didn't kill him to get to you. The entire Isle would have been in open war to get a wish at any cost and who knows how many would have died. And what would have happened if you got lost? Ten thousand years in a tiny lamp? By yourself? I wasn't going to allow that to happen to you. And maybe I should have used at least one wish for us…but I didn't want to risk it. I didn't want freedom at the cost of your own. And they can hate me for that, but I stand by what I did and I'd do it again."

Now both friends were crying over the past and wondering about the future. Jay pulled her in for a hug, needing his best friend close. They had been friends for such a long time, they had been through such hell and trials that even Carlos and Evie didn't know about.

Jay loved Mal. It wasn't like how he loved Evie. It wasn't how he loved Carlos. It wasn't how he loved anyone, but it was a deep and profound love where he would kill and lay down his life for his best friend and he knew she'd do the same for him.

"I don't think they'd ever hate you," she said as they calmed down and the moment passed. "Or me…they might be mad at first; wondering of all the possibilities that could have happened, what they could have avoided. They might dream of the instance where things worked out exactly how they wanted it to, how they made the perfect wish where everyone is happy…but I think they would eventually come to realize every story except Aladdin's that involved a genie ends horribly wrong. Wishes are not gifts, they're awful traps and tests from whatever malevolent god thought it was a fun idea. I did what I thought was best at the time. Either way, it was never on you or your fault."

"And it's not your fault either, I won't let them hate you," he promised her and sealed it with a kiss to her temple.

He still didn't know if he was ready to tell the others, at least not yet; he knew that they deserved the truth. But the time wasn't then and he's glad that the four of them were chosen to come to Auradon. He didn't know what he would have done without those three in his life.

---

Of all the luxuries Auradon offered, Mal loved coffee the most. It was like drinking liquid happiness and some days it was the only reason she was able to get out of bed and to school. She didn't understand why everyone decided that 8:00am was the time to start their day; they weren't farmers that needed to be up from dawn till dusk. Once she got a sip of coffee, however, she discovered how they were able to do so without going mad.

She wasn't fond of the syrupy sweet concoctions that most students preferred; to her it was a waste of coffee. Half the time the drinks were more milk and sugar than actual coffee. She preferred hers black and on the rare occasion, a mocha with a hint of bittersweet chocolate.

The fae was surprised when Ms. Charisse had proposed getting out of the library to get a hot cup. She more or less thought the library aide had lived there since she had never seen her outside the building. She knew that was silly, and wasn't going to turn down a free coffee. From there, it had turned into a regular outing. The school had a small café on the premise, it seemed to cater more towards the faculty than the students, and she later found out that most of her fellow pupils weren't even allowed to drink coffee. Someone had told her they feared it would stunt their growth.

Mal figured she was as tall as she was going to get, the lack of proper nutrition to blame and the fact her mother was only 4'11" not counting her horns. At 5'2" she had beat the odds and was tall enough in her opinion.

She was used to the odd looks, people always seemed nervous around her. Although it was a different kind of nervous than she was used to; usually most seemed weary that she was always on the verge of doing something evil. Whenever she was with Ms. Charisse, their nervous energy was almost deferential. Mal hadn't encountered that since the isle. She didn't know what it was, but most steered clear from them and gave them leeway. They looked at Ms. Charisse oddly, wondering what she was doing there with the fae girl. The library aide paid them no mind and went on ordering their drinks as if they were the only two there.

She was one of the few adults that didn't treat her as if she were a bomb about to go off at any moment. Even when she was ambivalent or trying to be nice, people always seemed uncomfortable around her.

They liked to talk about books and school. The adult seemed to have a vested interest in Mal's continued education, the teen wasn't sure what the Crown had planned as it was never mentioned to her what the plans were for the Four after Auradon Prep.

"Well of course Be…Crown Prince Ben would have that covered. It doesn't make sense to have you only go to school for one year. And all four of you show so much promise…so I've heard. With your grades and extra-curriculars, I'm sure you'd be able to walk onto any school you wanted."

That's more or less what all her teachers and Dr. Li as her guidance counselor had told her. That still didn't give her much direction on her future.

"I know I should be thinking about it. Carlos and Evie bug me all the time to get my applications in…I guess it's just hard to think that far ahead…on the Isle I could only think in terms of tomorrow, next week, or through the winter at the longest."

Ms. Charisse's heart broke at the thought the girl couldn't think so far into the future because the harsh island life meant she may not even see the next day. She wanted the world for the girl, feeling Mal ought to be looking towards the future with hope and as far as she wanted to. She also knew that the fae was fighting years of survival instinct, it paled in comparison of being in Auradon for a handful of months. She wanted the so called Auradon Dream for her, but maybe that wasn't for Mal. It could also be just too overwhelming. She herself needed a decade to get used to the idea of being Queen, else she would have married Adam much sooner regardless of the Fae Wars. So she was supportive of whatever Mal wanted to do.

"I know Auradon Prep specializes in getting students ready for college, they do a poor job of actually giving you your options, in my opinion. It's OK to not be ready for that kind of step. Some people take what they call a 'gap' year. They travel or work, they try to get an idea of where they want their life to go without the stress of school."

Mal blinked her eyes in surprise, she had no idea not going to college was an option. Ms. Charisse was the first adult to tell her that it was OK if she didn't go to university. She had worried that she would be rushed into deciding; it was made worse when Carlos and Evie seemed to have the rest of their lives planned out. They had schools and careers they were already so certain they wanted to go into. She worried that maybe she would get left behind because she couldn't keep up.

On the Isle, she knew she was next in line for Leadership. It's what her mother prepared her for; it's what she knew to do. In Auradon, Ben was the future king and she was…nothing. She was just Mal Lefay. She didn't know what that meant outside the Isle and she felt she had no time to really think about it between school and everything else.

With Ms. Charisse, everything seemed to slow down to a reasonable pace and she could think and talk things out.

"Gap year," she repeated to herself. She didn't know if she would do it, but at least it was an option that didn't make her want to run for the hills.

"It's something to think about," Ms. Charisse offered. "I know plenty of people who took a year off and took the time to really think of what they wanted to do. University is such an…investment, it shouldn't be decided on lightly. I actually took a gap year…several years in fact," she recalled the tumultuous time between when she met Adam and the ensuing Fae Wars. She wouldn't admit this to Mal, but instead of going to school she opted to work in all the great libraries across the then independent 18 Kingdoms. She had done all the heavy research on how to fight the faeries and other fairkind. She couldn't fathom going to school, safely ensconced when there were so many that died in battle.

War stories were not what the young girl needed, and who knew how Mal take the fact that her research was used in the war against her kind.

"I even had a friend who worked as a waitress while she decided what she wanted to do, she lived here and there for months at a time; made her way through the Summerlands and Westerly. Working and traveling, she said she learned more than she ever did in a classroom. She eventually went on to get her degree in marine biology; she fell in love with the beaches in Westerly. She works as a conservationist now."

It did lift Mal's spirits to know there were many roads to success or having a happy life. She was rather intrigued with the idea of traveling. She had been literally trapped on the Isle for all of her life, she wondered about all the other kingdoms and if they were as nice as Auradon City. And just because she didn't go to college right after high school, it didn't mean she would never go. She didn't need to simply go to college or marry a prince. There were all sorts of Happily Ever Afters.

Before Mal could reply her thanks, they were interrupted by a familiar voice,

"Hey mom, surprised to see you here," Ben had come in from the chill, he had a hankering for a hot chocolate that the mess hall just couldn't make right.

He had always thought of his mother as the picture of poise and grace. Her mouth slightly ajar and her eyes wide, she froze like a deer caught in headlights was a new experience.

"Mom?" Mal asked Ms. Charisse, although she figured out that couldn't be her name if Ben was her son.

For a moment she wondered if this was some strange Auradonian custom, where Ben was that familiar with Ms. Charisse and had taken to calling her "mom" in some ironic fashion. Some members of the band had taken to calling Carlos their "son."

It didn't seem likely given the age disparity; she couldn't imagine Ben being so familiar with any of the Auradon Prep staff. So that left that Ms. Carisse was actually Queen Belle.

There was an awkward silence, Ben had come to the conclusion that he had just intruded on something and his mother was desperately trying to explain herself.

"Mal…I meant to tell you, I really did. But I have enjoyed our talks so much and I didn't want to ruin it by making you feel you had to be so formal…and…"

The fae surprised them both by bursting out into laughter.

"A royal lying about being royal so they can be a regular person. That's classic. Very Twain of you," she complimented as she sipped her coffee.

"You're not mad?" Belle asked hopefully, she was certain Mal would have been angry at being lied to for so long.

"Mad about what?"

"I lied."

Mal laughed again, she couldn't believe Auradonians were so silly.

"I come from the Isle. I've been lied to plenty. This doesn't even make the top ten. Besides, it's my own fault. I probably should have known better, you are the Queen of all of Auradon. Evie was right; I should have watched RBN more. I wonder who else is in disguise. Nick," she caught the attention of their waiter. "Are you a secret Duke or something?"

Their waiter was confused at the question but decided to play along,

"If I were, I'd be pretending to be the Dust Devil's physician in charge of their physicals, not a waiter sweetness."

Belle and Mal's mouth dropped in faux scandal, the latter knowing the professional tourney team from Agrabah as Jay's favorite, both laughed at their waiter's audacity but the Queen was so happy the fae wasn't mad.

"Ben, your mother and I are having a coffee date."

He merely smiled, glad they were having a good time and that his mother had taken to her so well.

"Go away," she expounded when it was clear he wasn't getting the hint, letting him know he was intruding. Belle smiled so wide that it almost hurt, she was so happy that Mal didn't seem to mind and had no intention of stopping their chats. She also enjoyed having a female around; raising just one boy had its drawbacks.

"Oh," he put his hand to his heart as a gesture of exaggerated regret. "Mea culpa, mea culpa, regina mater."

He laughed and barely dodged his mother's pinch,

"I'll leave you two ladies to your coffee date. I'm just popping in for a hot chocolate, I won't bother you further."

"Hot chocolate? Get a real drink," Mal teased him as he got in line. All she got in response was a stuck out tongue and she made an exaggerated confused face in retaliation.

Belle internally gushed at how easy going Ben was around Mal and how they interacted. She certainly never saw him as playful around princess Audrey. While she knew it would be a scandal and utterly complicated, she couldn't help but think that maybe the fae would be good for her Ben.

How could a mother not love anyone who brought a smile like that to her son?

"So how often do you pretend to be common?" Mal asked, couldn't help but tease her a bit.

"I'd say like…once a week."

"Are you always a librarian?"

"No, sometimes I'm the proprietor of Auradon's premier agency for pool boys."

Mal couldn't help but snort into her mocha, Belle joining in the laughter.

---

Jane never thought she would hate anyone, but after being heartbroken at homecoming she had started to hate Mal Lefay.

The half-star fae had run away from the field in tears when she saw Mal and Carlos kiss after the big win. She had such high hopes of congratulating him on such a job well done and maybe even gathering the courage to ask him to dance later on. Everyone was so happy that Auradon Prep had triumphed, no one even noticed her escape; even as she made such a racket in her metal Knight's mascot uniform. In such dire straits, she had flung off pieces as she made her way from the field to the dorms; she had gotten yelled at later for losing parts of the costume but she didn't care.

Carlos, the boy she had been crushing on for so long had a girlfriend. And not just any girlfriend, but Maleficent Lefay II. Jane had never felt so foolish, asking the other girl for advice and fae favors.

She had escaped to her mother's Headmistress cottage on the edge of campus; she couldn't bear to be around her roommates as they got ready for the dance. It was a small three bedroom house provided by the school to house the headmistress and her family. More often than not she would stay with her parents over the weekend as she wasn't allowed to go out and the dorms were rather lonely with most upper years away doing fun social activities she wasn't invited to, Nadine FéeMarraine was always too worried about her precious daughter to ever let her out of her sight.

Jane was so upset and hated her dress so much that she even missed out on the dance. She couldn't fathom going and looking like a shapeless homely commoner and facing Mal and Carlos making their official debut as a couple. She ended up eating ice cream and watching Love Actually and other romantic comedies all weekend. She felt like she made the right choice when people gushed about the beautiful dresses and suits Evie had made all over social media.

It made her heart ache to see how handsome Carlos was when others had posted on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Tumblr. It made her physically ill how beautiful Mal was in such a flattering dress and how she was in every picture with him.

It should have been me on his arm.

Her mood made all the worse when everyone talked about how the Isle Four had lifted off the ground during a slow love song. It was something out of her most romantic dreams turned her worst nightmare. Her Facebook feed was literally all about the Isle Four, people couldn't get enough of gossiping about them. For once it was hushed wistful whispers instead of malicious accusations. So many swooned and cooed over their love. Even her mother sighed about how it was the magic of true love that lifted them that added salt to the wound of her broken heart.

Mal had to have been lying about being able to help me. Clearly she has magic. They probably used magic to make those clothes and to look as nice as they did. How else could islanders know how to do make up and look so nice?

Her mother and the other girls had magic, why could they help others or themselves but never her? A simple beauty spell or glamour would have made all the difference, how was it any different than using a filter on Instagram or Youtube?

It's not like I want to take over the world or seduce a prince. I just want to look nice without having to go broke. Why should only those with money get to look their best? Why does Mal get to use magic and get away with it?

She spent the weekend ruminating, cursing Mal and betting the other half fae knew exactly who she had a crush on and feigned not having magic and ignorance just to be spiteful. She could all too clearly imagine them all laughing behind her back as she wore childish bows and squeaked whenever Carlos came around.

She cried bitter resentful tears when it seemed no one even noticed she wasn't at the dance. Her own mother, who was usually so vigilant in knowing where she was at all times was even too distracted to know she didn't go.

Bitterness turned to hurt when no one asked where she was, some even thought they had seen her at the dance but she knew she wasn't there. They must have figured she had to have gone as no one could guess why she wouldn't; none of them ever paid enough attention to her to know if she were around or not.

Gods, it's like I don't even exist. I'm not even an afterthought.

She contemplated quitting the mascot role, it was a vain attempt at getting in with the popular crowed and it wasn't working. But no matter how hurt she was by homecoming, she couldn't resist the chance to keep seeing Carlos. If she weren't the Fighting Knight, then she would only see him during the one class and games; at the latter, she'd be in the stands with Mal. At least as the Knight, she was on the field and could get a close look at him during games and practices.

Why would he be with someone like Mal? She's so evil and mean.

She knew the answer was that the other girl was beautiful. Mal's fae features were much more pronounced than hers: high cheekbones, wide ethereal eyes, and pouty lips. But that beauty was marred by her constant scowling and clearly malicious nature, she thought. Jane started to find herself being swayed by Audrey's venomous tales about how Mal had to be evil, a Maleficent in training.

Maybe he's attracted to power.

That was the only thing she could think of and made sense. It was the only explanation of how a sweet gentle soul like Carlos would ever be with a vindictive fae like Mal. Perhaps Mal was so powerful on the Isle and Carlos had gone to her for protection; he was clearly too good and nice to have done well on an island full of criminals; she couldn't blame him for seeking shelter. Mal being so wicked, of course had taken advantage of his vulnerable state and probably coerced him into a relationship.

Well I'm just as much of a fae as she is. I have nice lips and star lit eyes, I am way more shapely. I'm at least a cup size bigger than her, it's just hidden under the terrible boxy dresses mother makes me wear…I just need to figure out my powers. I'm a star fae, Mal comes from the run of the mill moor fae, a common nature fae. They are not so nearly as powerful. My mother is Nadine FéeMarraine, she wields the silver crystal wand of Yvaine, Queen of the Stars.

She had asked her mother in the past about magic and if she could teach it to her. But all she got was "real magic is in books, and not the spell books" and a really long lecture about how they lived in Auradon and needed to be free of the "crutch of magic." So while her mother might be a powerful fae, she had other plans for her daughter and it didn't involve going to the Merlin Institute of Magic.

So Jane turned to the internet, figuring the library of Queen Belle, Queen Consort of King Adam, would not have any magical reference books; the House of Bourbon famous throughout the 18 Kingdoms of being anti-magic.

Over the next month, she had gone through maybe hundreds of forums and chatrooms, looking for people who knew magic and were willing to share their arcane knowledge.

She learned the hard way that just because it rhymed, that didn't mean it was an actual magical spell. She learned the same thing about Latin; the dead language did not make anything magical by default.

What she also found were a bunch of old perverts with a wing fetish or people who wanted to play at being fae; all they wanted to do was dress up with fake crystal crowns they bought on Etsy, dance naked under the full moon, and talk about their periods. None of their magic was real, it wasn't until she found the chatroom Stormhold Will Rise Again that she finally found something helpful.

It wasn't much, the forum mostly talked about channeling their inner power and focusing into their hands. After several sessions of private meditation and giving herself headaches trying to "focus" that she finally got definitive proof she actually had magic.

It was small and almost pitiful, but the tiny white spark she was able to create at her fingertips had given her so much hope.

I am magical!

She felt a little silly for tearing up, but it was definite proof that she was more than just Jane. She was magical and could be powerful. The spark was small, but it was hers and she was determined to grow it.

She found the more she practiced then the more her powers started to strengthen. The small sparks turned into balls of light, with time she was able to hold the light longer and longer. She had even gotten powerful enough that she could no longer practice in her room lest her roommates find her and report her to her mother.

Going to cheer practice was no longer as arduous as her confidence grew that perhaps she could show Carlos he had options in Auradon. He didn't need to stay with some bully whose power over him no longer mattered. He was safe and didn't need Mal anymore.

Jane had started to practice magic in the privacy of the dorm gardens. It had started to grow colder, so there were fewer and fewer people out and about to bother her. She found a secluded spot in the fern park; it lacked all the pomp of the areas that were littered with roses, daisies, or any other kind of flower. She wasn't even sure why Auradon continued to cultivate the area as it was not popular in the least, but she was happy for the privacy.

Transfiguration was trickier than she thought. Her mother made it seem so easy, wave of her wand and she turned a pumpkin into a carriage. Jane did not have the advantage of a wand. She started off small; she tried to make an apple into a cornflower; her favorite blossom. Her first attempts did nothing. Several attempts later…still nothing. When she finally was able to transform the fruit into something, all she got was corn flour. It was messy and she kept sneaking into the kitchens to hide the evidence. She just hoped that the chefs thought they over ordered and not question why there were what seemed to be kilos of the starch.

Progress was still progress, however. She thought that for being self-taught with no wand, she was doing just fine. She figured accuracy would come in time. She still wished that the forums had more spells that worked, but there were a few gems hidden amongst the garbage.

Jane had never been as grateful for her lack of social life before, she had all the time in the world to practice and get better. No one knew she was gone and her mother wouldn't ask after her most of the time, trusting she would be in her room studying. If pressed then she'd simply say she was in the garden, enjoying the solitude. It wasn't a lie.

She had been in her spot for weeks without being bothered, she had no idea it would be princess Audrey to be the one to catch her in the act.

---

Audrey had gathered her best public relations' team to deal with her break up. They artfully spun a tragic tale where it was a mutual decision on both royals' parts. Audrey had all her charity and fashion events, Ben had his princely duties. They both had a full course load at school and wanted to focus on their studies as keeping a 4.0 average was important to both of them; education should always come first their spokes people stressed. There was just so much each had to do, that romance just wasn't a priority of theirs but they had all the love and respect for one another and went their separate ways.

She had thrown herself into helping the hospital, even scheduling a charity event even though her schedule was overburdened as it was to help legitimize the story. Helping children had been her only consolation after the break up, but if she could use it to save face then it was just simply a good idea.

At least Ben had gone along with the excuse, which was no less than what he owed her she thought. She would be humiliated before the court and all of Auradon if it got out that he broke up with her simply because he didn't "love her." She still suspected he had feelings for Mal and that was the real impetus for the break up, but he had yet to own up to that; part of her was glad as she didn't think she would keep a princessly façade going if he had. She knew most didn't believe the reasons, she could hear the tittering and others reported to her what was being said. She had some loyal friends on and off the cheerleading squad act as her eyes and ears. They had made sure that anyone saying anything differently than what they reported as the cause of the break up would be corrected immediately or would face social banishment.

Of course, part of her had been hoping Ben would come to his senses and call the break up off. She already had lines prepared and memorized for explaining why they'd break up and then get back together so soon.

She would say that while they had planned to focus on school and their royal responsibilities, but they couldn't deny true love and had gotten back together and would be determined to make it work. She knew everyone would eat that up, particularly the gossip channels. But days had passed and it was almost time for Winter break. It'd be almost a month before school restarted and she would see him again. Her only hope was that they made it to the tourney championship and then the entire tourney and cheer squad would stay on campus for another week.

She didn't understand why he was being so stubborn.

Mal was still with Carlos, and from all reports she would stay with Carlos. It wasn't as if Ben had a better option anywhere else. She figured the time spent apart, he would come to realize how much he missed her and would come back. As the days went by and he remained away, her heart broke a little more and more.

It was a rare moment by herself, or at least as much by herself as she could get. Her bodyguard had agreed to stay outside the gates of the garden entrance and she carried a panic button with her in case something happened.

Before she could mentally recite all the reasons why Ben should come back to her, she found herself in a seldom used area of the gardens. It was the fern park, mostly barren from the fall season going into winter. She herself had never really ventured there, finding it too boring to keep her entertained.

But that day, a glowing and pulsating burst had caught her attention. It was an odd occurrence anywhere, but in particular at Auradon Prep as magic was strictly forbidden. Part of her hoped that maybe Mal or the others were doing some illegal magic and she could get them kicked out of school. When she rounded to the source of the light, she was surprised to see Jane there.

The normally shy girl had been sitting on a stone bench; her hands held chest high and she called forth light to her hands.

Jane had what looked to be a live star in her grasp and even Audrey could gasp at the feat. But it didn't end there, Jane had then held a blue winter rose that she must have snipped on her way to the fern park.

It was a perfect deep almost midnight blue with frost lacing its delicate petals. Jane used her finger to twirl and circle the flower, she mouthed something that Audrey could not hear and before their eyes, the lapis flower had turned to scarlet; the colour so vibrant and rich that queens would wish their daughters had lips such a shade.

It was a promising moment, but Audrey could have done without the clumsy victory dance Jane had done once she noticed her spell worked.

But awkward dance aside, the princess of Auroria had gotten an epiphany.

All the stories ever told, the ones with true love and happily ever after also had magic.

That's what had to have been missing. That magical spark to help princesses along the way to their true love. Her mother wouldn't have survived infancy if not for the help of faery godmothers. Cinderella wouldn't have been able to go to the ball.

She needed a faery godmother…although she already technically had three. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were dear friends of the family and she loved them as if they were her own blood. But it was also 2017, perhaps what she needed was not a faery godmother who probably wouldn't understand her special circumstances, there were no dragons to fight—although that could change if Mal did go evil, which Audrey still suspected she might—nor would there be any ball she would need a dress to.

She was a princess, she had plenty of dresses and was of course invited to every social event—ball or not—worth going to.

There were also all the annoying edicts of the current reigning King; magic was strictly regulated to the point it was basically outlawed. Besides christenings, Unification Day, and emergencies: magic was banned without a ton of paperwork and there were so few approved reasons to wield it. There was no way she could convince any of her faery godmothers to grant her a boon, the paperwork alone wouldn't be worth it.

No, she decided. She needed a faery godsister, a bit more direct magic, and someone who wouldn't care about the laws.

So with that plan in mind, she put on her most congenial smile and stepped into the open area to make herself know.

Perhaps she should have made a bit more noise, as the sudden appearance of someone else had caused Jane to yelp ear piercingly loud and a ball of light had been tossed her way.

"Oh my goodness, princess Audrey, I'm so sorry!" Jane immediately apologized out of habit. She then realized that not only had she been caught doing magic, on school grounds no less, and had hurled a ball of light to Auradon's highest ranking princess. She wasn't powerful enough to have done any damage, she was certain it was more scary than actually harmful but that didn't matter. All the princess had to do was cry "magic" and Jane would probably be expelled before anyone could say "bibbidi bobbidi boo."

The star fae started to hyperventilate which included several squeaks quickly in succession. Audrey wondered if the other girl was about to pass out.

"Oh no worries Jane, I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that," Audrey laughed as if they were old friends who just spooked each other and in no way was the fae breaking the law.

Jane couldn't remember the last time Audrey ever spoke to her directly. She had always been on the outskirts, one of the distant planets that orbited the sun that was princess Audrey.

She was convinced the only reason why anyone even knew her name was because she was Headmistress FéeMarraine's daughter. Before she turned invisible to the other students, most had been weary of her company; some afraid that she would snitch to her mother at the slightest infraction. She of course would never do that, once they realized she was no threat they had stopped paying any attention to her at all.

"So magic, it looked beautiful; whatever you were doing."

"Please don't tell anyone," Jane begged, she could not get expelled. Her mother would go ballistic.

"Oh I wouldn't, why would I?"

Jane frowned in confusion; Audrey acted like she wasn't aware of King Adam's many anti-magic laws.

"Because magic is banned?"

"That only really applies to bad faeries," Audrey claimed and tried to casually assuage her fears, and to Jane it made sense.

"Like Mal," Jane had growled out, a light had jumped out and pulsated from her hands with her anger.

Wow, I didn't even have to manipulate her to hate Mal. Lucky day.

"Yes, exactly. Everyone knows that good faeries like you should be able to practice magic all they want. You'd never do anything evil…"

"Like seduce innocent boys."

Is she reading my mind?

"Boys who are too kind and gentle and would never do well on the Isle and had no choice but to seek protection from a manipulative siren," Jane went on, venting out all her anger.

OK, maybe she can't. Who is she talking about?

"…right. So you have no worries from me, you can trust me. This will be our little secret."

Jane smiled, part of her glad to have someone else know about her emerging gifts. Not just knew, but approved. She knew her mother would put a stop to it immediately, regardless of the plan to use her powers for good; which of course was the idea.

Audrey looked Jane over, really getting a close view of the quiet girl. She had never really paid all that much attention to her. She knew she was the mascot and the daughter of the Headmistress. Other than that, she was drawing a blank. Jane had never really stood out, despite being fae. She just blended in with everyone so well.

Mal, Evie, and Carlos could take a few pointers.

Maybe if they had actually tried to fit in better inside Auradon instead of insisting of being so different, things would have been easier for them.

Up-close, however, Jane was a bit of a mess. Her outfit was so boxy and almost ill-fitting. Audrey knew her uniform was the same and didn't know how she got away with it; she thought everyone had to have a bespoke uniform; even the Isle rats had flattering cuts.

Her hair was another story. It was clearly a poor and patchy dye job, she had never seen such poor highlights and such an odd colour of brown. It reminded her of swamp water. The style was something she was used to seeing on small children, not a grown teenager.

"How about we go shopping?"

Jane's eyes widened in excitement, could she truly mean it? She never thought she'd ever get invited to anything by a cheerleader, much less the cheer captain and a princess to boot.

"Wow, I would love to," she said quickly but then reality set in just as fast. "But I don't think my mom would…"

"Oh don't be silly. Tell her you're going with me. I promise to have you back in plenty of time for curfew and I have body guards, what could possible happen?"

Jane thought she had a point. How could her mom say no when the best security in Auradon was following them around?

---

Jane met Audrey outside the castle dorm an hour later, her pink Mercedes glittered in the midday sun. She had never seen such an expensive car in person, and certainly not in such a colour.

Audrey smiled as Jane checked out her ride in awe.

"It's a limited edition colour, made just for me. No one else in all of Auradon has an Aurorian pink car," she couldn't help but boast, her wealth always on display and so happy she could give a commoner a little thrill.

"It's beautiful," she almost couldn't hold in her delight and delicately ran her hands over the expensive tan leather interior. Her mother was hesitant to let her go, she had school the next day and a multitude of other worries only her mother thought about, but she had said everything Audrey told her to. She pointed out that they would be perfectly safe and it was princess Audrey. Of course she had to say yes, but Jane had to text her exactly when she left, when she got there, when she was about to leave to come back, and finally when she got back to the dorms.

Jane had no idea what her mother thought would happen, but she was too happy to be going shopping with Audrey to be too annoyed. She even got her mother's credit card, with a strict $100 spending limit, and buzzed with exhilaration.

At first Jane was confused when they drove past the usual mall she had always gone to with her mother and knew other students frequented. It didn't become apparent to her where they were going until the streets got noticeably cleaner and every car was just as posh as Audrey's.

Oh my stars, she's taking me to Garderobe Drive.

Jane was thankful Audrey had the radio on and was talking the whole way, making small talk about how she couldn't wait to shop as the half fae was having a slight nervous breakdown and the competing noise had drowned out her smothered squeals.

Garderobe Drive was famous throughout all of Auradon as the premier luxury retail strip. It was about two miles of store after store of haute couture and accessories, she had never heard of anyone other than royalty being able to shop there.

Jane liked to think of herself as rather up to date on the latest fashions, even if she couldn't afford to wear them, and some of the store names were lost on her as they were too high end to even be mentioned on TV or in magazines.

She felt as lost as she must have looked as the valet gave her an odd stare, as if she must have stowed away and couldn't possibly be in the right place when Audrey stopped the car in front of a chic store.

Audrey paid no mind to the help as she casually gave away her keys and waited patiently for the black car to drop off the royal's body guard. Jane hadn't noticed they had been followed but the behemoth in all black was a stark contrast to the light marble and intricate brick work that made up the fashion mecca.

The man said no words as he placed himself a short distance from Audrey and the princess just started to walk, deciding on what store she wanted to peruse first.

Jane had been aware that the royals all had body guards; it was another thing to experience their constant presence when hanging with Audrey.

But soon the bodyguard was forgotten when she was amongst such wealth and beauty. The first store they entered was pristinely white, it looked like dust would never dare enter for fear of offending the sumptuous merchandise. Jane had only ever been to common stores that held racks and racks of choices; the store had few and each item had its own mannequin to display its splendor.

A horde of well dressed women in black had gathered, all ready and willing to help princess Audrey with her every need. Jane was given a cursory glance by them, deemed unworthy to be spoken to besides the bare minimum that was socially acceptable, and only because was a guest of princess Audrey.

Jane had the distinct feeling that if she had come there by herself, she would have been shown the door. Part of her couldn't blame them, she clearly was an outsider and overwhelmed.

She was always the outsider. Too fae no matter how much she tried to fit in, too human for her mother to teach her magic and no other fae to talk to regardless. She didn't count Mal and never would.

Audrey was already bored with the shopping trip, she always had the latest fashions sent to her directly and tailored, and nothing in the shop had anything worth looking at; she doubted the others would as well, but she wasn't there for herself. She was there to amaze Jane and impress upon the fae the advantages of royal favor.

Her plan was still in its infancy, it was inelegant and rushed but time was of the essence. If should couldn't win Ben back as soon as possible, then there was always time for Carlos and Mal to break up in the meantime. They may love each other now, but teen love was fleeting not to mention their base blood; everyone knew bastards and the lowborn were prone to infidelity and promiscuity. Everyone knew fae were mercurial, dark fae even more so. As much as Mal may love Carlos, he was no prince and no future king. Who could resist the promise of a crown? It was only a matter of time before the teen dark fae caught wind of Ben's infatuation; people had tittered about it for months, she wouldn't be surprised if Mal already knew.

She was certain the purple haired girl was simply biding her time, waiting to ensnare Ben as to not arouse suspicion. The thought haunted Audrey's dreams, of the time when Mal knew exactly how much power she held over the Bourbon heir and could bring Auradon to its knees.

So while she held no desire for anything in the shop, she put on her brightest smile and cooed at Jane,

"Isn't everything lovely?"

Jane could only nod, still so in awe. The princess quickly grew impatient as the half-fae seemed content to merely window shop and look at everything as if she were in a museum, happy to only observe but never touch.

The fae felt that "lovely" was too weak a word for what she was looking at. Everything sparkled or shone with divine light, the epitome of wealth and glamor. She wasn't even sure if the princess was aware that she was introducing her to an entirely new world she never thought she'd ever get to see.

Jane was just happy to be included.

"Why don't you try something on?" Audrey offered, wondering why they were still just standing there and wanting to move it along.

Jane wasn't sure if she had heard her right, there was no possible way she could try anything on. Nothing even had price tags, she took that to mean that if she cared about how much something cost, then she couldn't afford it.

Jane was half convinced that her $100 limit could probably be found in the couch cushions of the ultra-white suede sofa in the middle of the store. When it seemed that Audrey was sincere, she had to embarrassingly confess,

"Oh no, I couldn't…I can't afford anything here…but everything does look gorgeous, I'd be more than happy to just watch you try stuff on."

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's on me," Audrey easily offered. She was princess of Auroria, money was never an issue. Even if she did need new clothes, her allowance was limitless and it wasn't as if her parents would check on her purchases. She could more than afford to throw a few off the rack outfits Jane's way. She was also aware of Jane's social and economic status, she was going to use it to her advantage.

"Really?" Jane wanted to protest, but there were so many beautiful options that she thought that trying them on couldn't hurt. She didn't really expect Audrey to pay for anything.

Jane was still a little jarred at how different this store was from any other she had been in. Normally she would simply grab whatever looked nice off the rack in what she thought was her size and then try a dozen things on, eliminating anything that didn't fit or looked horrid; her mother had the final say in whatever she bought so half the time even if she thought it was terrible, it was either what her mother approved of or nothing new at all.

There, the store attendants steered her to towards certain items, they could tell from sight alone her size and which silhouettes would look best on her. At first she was startled that she wouldn't be able to choose whatever she wanted, but once she got into the clothes they suggested she had seen their wisdom.

Most seemed to thaw around her, probably figuring out that she was Audrey's guest (and not some sort of intern or assistant) and therefore needed to be treated with the same respect as royalty. In the end, they still got commission and didn't really care to whom the clothes would be bought for.

"You have such a lovely shape, dear. I think you'd just be stunning in a fit and flare," the dressing assistant said with an Enchancian lisp as she helped Jane into her clothes. The fae was shy at first, not used to undressing in front of anyone but soon grew to appreciate her help as she knew she would have had trouble doing it herself. "And it's all the rage this season, something flirty and fun, yes?"

Jane nodded, shyly smiling and happy to try on something that actually accentuated her curves.

No wonder all the royals are so confident. Everything fits, looks great, and people aren't shy about telling them.

Her biggest compliment came from Audrey who did a double take when she walked out.

"Wow, look at you," she said sincerely surprised at how nice Jane looked. "Why have you been hiding this cute bod of yours?"

The princess didn't understand Jane. If she had looked so nice this whole time, she probably would have made the cheer squad easily with hard work and been tons more popular. She couldn't quite remember why she didn't make the team or if she even had tried out; Jane had always just been the mascot.

Instead of her customary squeak, Jane actually giggled and reveled in the attention.

Audrey came up, agreed with the seamstress that there needed to be a few places pinned and altered but overall it was a particularly charming look on Jane. It was a scarlet cocktail dress with purple flower overlay. It showed much more skin that she was used to, but it was still rather modest as it didn't show cleavage and wasn't obscenely tight in other areas.

"You have such a cute waist and such nice proportions…why do you wear such boxy clothes?"

"My mother," Jane griped and rolled her eyes.

"Ohhh, I completely understand. Some of my uncles are still in the medieval ages and make my cousin dress the same. I don't know why they think everyone is blind, but it looks too good on you to not get it."

"Are you sure?" Jane desperately wanted it; it'd be the first haute couture dress she would own, probably ever, but still part of her felt guilt at the expense.

"Oh I insist, it's what friends do," she laid down the groundwork that she hoped would pay off later.

Jane's heart fluttered at the word "friend." There were plenty of people at Auradon Prep she was friendly with and were just as cordial back to her, but never anyone she was close with.

Don't cry, play it cool. Act as if you've had friends before Jane.

She looked back into the mirror and admired the dress that would soon be hers. She would have to wait for alterations, also something Audrey was paying for, but it would be hers.

As gorgeous as the dress was, she couldn't help but notice it seemed to also accentuate her other less than appealing attributes. Her hair was still atrocious, would anyone even notice the dress? Although Jane kept quiet, Audrey noticed her sudden shift in mood and followed her eyesight and how Jane's hands nervously fiddled with strands of distressed hair. The fae didn't want to say anything, not wanting to seem ungrateful and further would never dream of ever asking for more.

"You know what? I think we deserve a spa day at Iliofáneia, my treat of course" Audrey said excitedly as if she had just thought of it out of the blue.

Jane again was gobsmacked, not expecting so much from the princess.

"We all work so hard, and I know you deserve to pamper yourself after so many games in that heavy sweaty costume."

"I don't want to be any trouble…"

"Oh no trouble," she fiddled with a pink sparkling phone, "there it's done. We can be there in ten minutes."

Whereas a regular person might be on a waiting list for Iliofáneia for months, Audrey with a few quick texts had managed a same day double appointment.

Although they had only been to one store, the princess felt it was enough to impress Jane and whisked them to the hair salon and day spa.

Again, no matter where princess Audrey went, there were always a cadre of people waiting to trip over themselves in order to cater to her every whim. By association, Jane was given the same treatment and had never felt so special in her life. People constantly wanted to know if she was comfortable and what she wanted; they offered the stars and moon to her, all to make her happy.

Oh heavens above, this water is so delicious…this crystal tumbler is worth more than what I get in allowance in a year.

Jane thought she would be treated to a mani and pedi, maybe even a facial but she was again surprised when she was guided to a styling station and Audrey started to consult with the stylist about hair treatments.

"I think we need to start with a diagnosis and proceed with the recommended Kératase treatment along with a shot of Corona Healing Serum. That should take care of the damage and soften her hair up. Then I think we ought to go darker," Audrey confidently ordered, used to taking charge and it wasn't as if Jane had any clue what she was talking about.

"Oh definitely, it would make her eyes just pop," the stylist agreed, taking Audrey's lead and not asking for input from Jane. "Copper or caramel highlights?"

"Caramel, we don't want to be too flashy or aggressive. And lets do 20" extensions and romance curls."

The stylist smiled and got straight to work, Jane was pretty sure they were speaking another language and everything had gone by so fast she wasn't sure what Audrey had just ordered them to do to her.

But once the process got started and after they asked her a few questions, finally acknowledging she was a person, about her heritage and why the damage was so bad, they had understood and were more than happy to help her hide the star platinum hair she was born with.

The process was not as daunting as it sounded; they had simply taken what looked to be a bulky iPhone with an intense camera lens to a lock of her hair and noted what needed to be fixed. They then mixed a cocktail of different fluids into a spray bottle and soaked her hair. The process wasn't rigorous and simpler than she thought it would be. She was then treated to a toe-curling scalp massage and hair wash. Afterwards they had put all sorts of concoctions into her hair that involved aluminum foil, these were professionals so she trusted they knew what they were doing.

She had never felt more like a doll when they had brought out what looked to be yards of hair and had started to intertwine it with her own. They had turned the chair around, away from the mirror so she couldn't see what was going on, it was just as well as she would probably get anxiety if she watched all that they were doing.

The next chair over, Audrey had relaxed with a facial, sparking grape juice, and enjoyed a foot massage. Her normal beauty appointment wasn't for two weeks, but she may as well enjoy some pampering while she was there. It looked way more relaxing that what was happening to Jane, but the fae kept her mouth shut and followed directions; even when some of the treatments and hair dryer turned painful.

Beauty is pain.

She reminded herself, she only hoped that she didn't turn out worse than she had before. Her previous experiences at salons had not turned out as she had hoped, but she had faith that Iliofáneia would never let a customer come out unhappy, especially at their prices and not while under the supervision of princess Audrey.

She also had no clue that being beautiful would take up so much time and effort. Audrey was always so put together and perfect, Jane had always thought the princess had awoken that way. But as the sun started to set and they were inching closer to the time where they would miss curfew, Jane started to get anxious.

But once they were finished and had swung the chair around, any thought of Jane suggesting they hurry out had left her lips and were replaced with gasps.

She almost didn't recognize herself in the mirror. Before, she had always seen this frumpy girl with terrible hair and who everyone was happy to ignore. Now she saw a girl with magazine perfect hair, the darker colour complimenting her skin tone and making her starlit blue eyes demand attention. The deep chestnut tresses cascaded well past her shoulders and almost to her waist, rivulets of romantic curls looked soft to the touch which she ached to feel but was too afraid of ruining them. Part of her fearful that she was hallucinating, that any disturbance would destroy the illusion and she'd be plain Jane again.

Everyone around her was smiling, obviously proud of their work and her awestruck silence.

"Well, aren't you just gorgeous," the stylist cooed, twirling a few locks to show how bouncy and healthy her hair had become.

"Absolutely beautiful," Audrey agreed genuinely. Although she was planning on using Jane's magic to win back Ben, part of her was glad to help the girl out. It wasn't as if the fae was her enemy, she had come from a good family and the princess had nothing against her. They simply came from different classes and it was a big reason why they were never close; Audrey simply didn't have a reason to befriend the other girl until now.

Jane had managed to not cry when trying on the dress, she couldn't help the few tears of happiness that escaped when she realized it was the first time she had ever felt beautiful.

I'm beautiful, I'm really beautiful.

More stylists had come to give their own opinion, their hearts bursting with tenderness at helping a young girl find her confidence and beauty.

Jane couldn't stop saying "thank you" enough; in her mind they had done a miracle. Despite flirting with breaking curfew, she listened aptly to their instructions on how to care for her new hair and she wasn't going to rush or cut them short.

She left the salon with a goodie bag full of products that would keep her style as fresh and bouncy until the next appointment which would be in a few weeks; Audrey had already promised to pay for that one as well. Jane knew she couldn't depend on the princess' generosity forever, and she needed to figure out a way to pay for these treatments. She may not go as far as the extensions, but she definitely wanted to keep colour treating her hair with the salon's superior and healthier dyes.

Once mother sees how great I look, she has to let me get a job. I bet a part time job would pay for at least half and mother would make up the difference. It's clearly a better deal than to keep paying for subpar dye with disastrous results.

She happily chatted with Audrey on the way home, glad they had managed to leave in time to make it to curfew, or she would only be a few minutes late at most. She spent most of the ride looking in the sun visor mirror, every inch of her new look amazed her.

They had reached the threshold of the school right as the curfew bell rang, no one could say they were late. She had texted her mother and knew the floor chaperone would corroborate her story as she knew her mother would double check.

Even though they had spent the day together, Audrey had invited her to her royal suite to do homework and hang out.

"But curfew…" Jane pointed out, she definitely wanted to see the royal suite, deeply curious as to how much more luxurious it had to be compared to the common dorms.

"Oh that," the princess dismissed, "That's only for the degenerates. They know we're proper and good; they have no reason to worry about us being out late."

The perks of being royal seemed to be endless. The chaperones in the commoner wing always had their eagle eyes out for stragglers, would snap at anyone dawdling, and had frequent rounds through the night to catch anyone out of bed. In the royal wing, she had yet to see an adult to tell them to get to bed.

Jane couldn't help the awed face she made as she stepped into Audrey's suite. She was fairly certain it was larger, it was certainly more lavish, than the entire cottage given to her mother. The amount of wealth just in this one room could probably set her up for life.

Audrey walked around and started to relax as if she wasn't swimming in money, paying no mind to Jane. They both sat at an ornate marble table, taking out books to do some last minute homework.

While Jane tried to concentrate on her Auradon Lit essay, Audrey tried to think of a natural way to bring up magic. The other girl was still rather shy, which was maddening as she was eager to get Ben back as soon as possible.

"Know what I think would be fun?"

Jane didn't respond other than to pay attention and wait for Audrey.

"We should have a sleepover."

The fae's eyes widened, not expecting that and the surprises seemed to never end that day. Part of her excited and wanted to say "yes" right away, but an always cautious part of her refrained; worried how her mother would react.

Before Jane would bring up her mother, again, Audrey went on,

"Besides, you want to surprise everyone with your new hair right? No one has seen it. It'll be great; you'll walk into school with me as a new person."

That certainly appealed to Jane. She almost felt like she would be one of those contestants on a talk show or even a dating show. She would walk in and everyone would gasp, wondering how they had overlooked such a beauty. She could be anyone she wanted to be: confident, poised, and graceful.

She could be someone that Carlos would notice and he could forget all about Mal and her evil ways.

As always, Audrey could charm her way to anything she wanted and Jane had agreed to a sleep over. Her mother already thought she was in her dorm, there was no reason to text her.

She's probably already in bed, there's no need to worry her. I'm with princess Audrey, so it's not like I'm doing something naughty.

The princess walked over to a golden rope on the side of the wall and pulled, a distant ringing could be heard and suddenly a goblin had popped into her room.

"Get Miss FéeMarraine's night clothes and toiletries from her room as well as a fresh set of her uniform. Bring them here and do not let anyone see you."

The squat house goblin didn't answer other than to nod and just as suddenly as it was in the room it had disappeared. A few minutes later, the goblin came back with all that was requested.

On one hand, Jane was happy she didn't have to go all the way to the other end of the castle to get her stuff, and she could also keep the surprise of her new look as she wouldn't have had to run into her roommates.

On the other, it was a bit disconcerting how the goblins could come and go unnoticed as they pleased into their rooms.

All of that was forgotten when Jane used the guest bathroom in Audrey's suite, everything was pink, marble, and gold. Even doing something as simple as a quick shower, brushing her teeth, and washing her face was getting the royal treatment.

At least her pajamas weren't out of place, the princess also had fuzzy bottoms with cute cartoon prints and matching tops. Both were comfortable and about to get down for the night, a trundle bed had been pulled for Jane to sleep in Audrey's room.

"You know, I think it's just so natural isn't it?" Audrey asked as she brushed her hair and put it in a ponytail.

Jane almost didn't hear her, she was trying to remember all the steps the stylist told her to take care of her new hair.

"Hmmm?"

"Us…a princess and a good faery…we're just natural friends, aren't we?"

Jane had never thought of it that way. Too many times she had forgotten she was fae and just saw herself as no one and nothing.

"And since we're such good friends, I'm going to let you in on a secret…you promise you would never tell anyone?"

Jane nodded, of course she would never betray Audrey. She inched closer and both sat on Audrey's massive four post bed, and although they were alone they still huddled together to make sure only they were in on the secret.

"I know I can trust you, you come from such a good faery family… my break up with Ben wasn't mutual. He's the one who broke things off."

Jane's eyes widened at the revelation. She had been so convinced with how both royals acted and it was what was told on the news.

"Ben broke up with me because of Mal."

That's what Jane gasped and frowned, incensed on her friend's behalf.

"He denies it, but there is no other explanation…we were so happy before that horrible girl came to Auradon."

Of course they were, Jane knew as did everyone else that Ben and Audrey were going to be married someday. There wasn't a day that went by that the magazines and all the television shows gushed over the royal couple and speculated when they'd see a ring on the princess' finger. They had also been going out for a year and had seemed so in love in all their photos.

Audrey was right to suspect Mal, she didn't know why she had ignored her until she herself became a victim of the fae's cruel nature.

Mal is so evil, of course she would go after Ben. He's the next King of all 18 Kingdoms…poor Carlos. Under her evil spell, she's probably stringing him along until she gets her claws into the Crown Prince.

Jane laid a comforting hand on Audrey's, trying to convey that she was there for her.

Audrey knew she had Jane where she wanted her, she had pushed out a few tears for good measure.

"I just don't know what to do. I have to help him before she turns him evil or does something terrible. I love him so much…but how can I fight an evil faery?"

"Maybe my mom can help…"

"We can't go to the headmistress. She's under her spell too, everyone just fawns over her. For some reason they can't see how evil she really is."

That was true enough, Jane knew. Her mother lectured her for months about how Mal and the others were just misunderstood. For some reason, it was perfectly fine for Mal to have her fae hair and have her eyes burn with magic, but Jane had to have terrible dye jobs and was never allowed to lose her temper in order to fit in. Perhaps it was a spell, she wouldn't put it past Mal to have bespelled everyone as soon as she step foot in Auradon; the more she thought of it the more Jane became heated.

She can't be allowed to get away with this!

It was seriously starting to annoy Audrey how quiet Jane always was, it was like she had to suggest and do everything herself.

"But you have magic…you can help me…us. You can help us."

"…I can try…should I look up how to break spells? We would have to figure out which ones she has cast, that could take a while…"

"We don't have time…how about a love spell?"

"Love spell?"

That was the last thing she would have thought of, a love spell didn't sound like it would help anyone.

"Yes, a love spell…to combat the lust spell she must have cast on poor Ben. Once he shakes off her evil influence, the love spell turns into regular love again."

"Oh…yeah…I guess that makes sense…but I don't know a love spell."

"But you're so clever, I'm sure you could probably find one. And of course I would never tell a soul, your secret is safe with me. It's not like we'd get in trouble anyway, we're doing it for a good cause. We just don't have time to fill out all the paperwork. Everyone knows you're a good faery and would only ever do spells to save someone."

Jane still looked unsure, Audrey couldn't have that.

"And of course I would be eternally grateful, as would Ben. We would need a good faery on our side at all times, who knows what Mal would do when her plans are ruined. Royal events, school functions, we'd need you for all sorts of things…and of course you would need to look presentable and dress appropriately, so it would be no problem for us to cover all of that for you. It would be the least we could do to thank you for saving Ben."

Jane couldn't help but think of all the beautiful dresses Audrey wore. If she were the royal good faery, then she would have to go to Garderobe Drive and Iliofáneia on a regular basis. It's basically a full time job and it could be hers. If she saved Ben from Mal, that's basically like saving Auradon.

She'd be a heroine.

And if I did find a love spell to help Ben, then I could help Carlos too…he would be free from Mal and we would be so happy together.

The realization that she could have Carlos on top of everything else, every dream and desire was within her grasp.

It's not like you're doing anything bad. You're helping, just like Audrey said. Both would be better off without Mal's evil influence. You'd help the princess, just like in all the stories. And the de Vils are the richest family in East Riding and even most of Auradon, they're practically royal themselves they're so wealthy. Carlos is just like Cinderella, he needs help going from rags to riches…mother was more than happy to help Cinderella, it's no different.

"Yes," Jane agreed, she would help Audrey.

The princess smiled widely, so relieved to finally have her plan under way. For the small price of dresses and hair treatments, she would get her Bennie Boo back and save Auradon.

"Oh, I knew you'd help. They'll write this story for generations to come. With the help of my faery godsister," Jane perked at the title, "We'll save Auradon from that tramp's claws and with any luck, have her kicked out and back on that wretched island where she belongs."

Jane couldn't have said it better herself.

---

Mal was enjoying an afternoon nap when Carlos came to her room. He had knocked but she had not answered and he let himself in. He walked quietly into the room when he saw she was asleep, he took a moment to watch her. Something deep in his soul stirred at the tender image, how peaceful she looked and without a care. She had surrounded herself with the thick downy duvet and had a mountain of pillows at her disposal. She had somehow convinced the goblins to provide her with a dozen or so, creating probably the most comfortable nest in all of Auradon, one pillow within her embrace. He might not have known she was even in the bed if not for the stark contrast of her dark purple hair against the light linens, so lost was she in comfort.

He took a few more moments to admire his fierce and lovely fae, enjoying the moment where he could just stare at her and be still.

Perhaps she could feel his eyes on her, she started to stir from her slumber and he walked towards her. He gently sat on the bed, with some difficultly as the pillows and comforter were a barrier and he had trouble finding balance, and he ran his over her cheeks; moving the hair that had fallen over her face. Without even opening her eyes, in a sleepy voice,

"Hey Carlos."

With a cute yawn that reminded him of Beezy, she slowly awoken; she blinked away the last remnants of rest. She made no move to get out of bed, she only smiled at him and determined to not leave her nest of coziness.

He couldn't help but to lean down to kiss her, although she was too lazy to even meet him halfway. He smiled into the kiss when he started to pull away but she had gotten a grip on his shirt and refused to let him move. He made a few more half-hearted attempts at pulling away, but she was determined to keep him prisoner to her kisses.

"Mal, I have a surprise for you," he mumbled against her lips, still at her mercy.

"I prefer this," she mumbled back, but she was intrigued enough for his surprise that she finally released him from her grasp. He did hang back for a few more kisses, but finally rose back up and she had sat up. She deigned to be at attention but still didn't want to leave the comfort of her bed.

She slightly frowned at the laptop that he brandished for her. Although a deep sparkling purple, it was still a computer and she was not eager to have such an item which she knew he was aware of.

"I know it's a 'demon box,'" he had started, slightly amused and wondered where she had picked up such a dramatic term. "but I made this one especially for you."

Touched that he would create something just for her, she opened it gingerly and pressed the power button. She was surprised that the light didn't hurt her eyes as other computer screens had.

"I programed and created the screen to account for your photosensitivity and fae eyes."

Well that certainly would go a long way to enduring her to the technology.

"I also created a special keyboard that is completely sound absorbent, so there is no clicking."

Testing it out, she had started to henpeck the keys in order to set up her account. Carlos winced at how slow she had typed behind her and out of her sight, but patiently took it all in stride. He knew typing wasn't natural for her and it would come with practice. It worked as promise, even with her hitting the keys as hard as she could, no sound had come from the board.

"I know even with these adjustments you would probably still prefer books, but Auradon is basically all computer based and paperless. All applications, college or jobs, will be online. You need at least something that connects to the internet."

Her heart skipped a few beats, fluttering at how sweet and thoughtful he was. Although he had dreams of going to university and knew exactly which one and where, he had not mocked or pressured her to apply to schools near his top choices. She had been afraid that the other three would be adamant about sticking together and going to the same college, she dreaded applying to some school she didn't care about and being stuck there for four years. But she was honest with Carlos, one late night before they went to sleep she told him all her doubts. How she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life as it seemed so far into the future that it was unfathomable to her. She told him how anxious it made her to even contemplate committing to such a huge choice and sticking with it for years in the event she hated it.

She had expected him to tell her that her fears were nonsense, that she was Mal Lefay and could do anything she wanted by sheer will alone. She had expected that she would be told that this was the best choice and it would be foolish to squander the opportunity she had been given.

Carlos didn't do any of that and she fell in love with him all over again.

He understood it was a major choice for them and they had very little time to get used to the idea. Most other students had all four years to think about what they would do after high school. Their options available to them since they could toddle. They hadn't been in Auradon even a year and they were asked to map out their lives. On the Isle, they had such limited choices that they were easy to make.

Most of them revolved around not dying.

She would always remember what he told her,

Evie and I are just lucky that we happened to have found our passions so young. We had so few choices, sometimes none at all, on the Isle…I don't want you to ever feel like you have to rush into something just for us.

That's what had stopped her from deciding outright to go traveling, she knew she would miss him and the others something fierce. But it had lifted the burden of deciding soon, if she changed her mind about university then she still had the option to do late admissions.

She would always appreciate how he made her heart light, never putting the burden of his happiness on her.

"If you decide to take a gap year and travel, the computer will be essential so we can talk to each other over Skype and you can tell me of your adventures."

Carlos certainly made a good pitch for computers.

"I also made one for Evie, so her typing in all her invoices and cost spreadsheets won't drive you nuts."

She couldn't help but pepper his face with appreciative kisses.

"You…are…the…best…boyfriend…ever…"

He grinned and tolerated her playful pecks,

"Yeah, I know."

She decided to punish his immodesty with tickles.

Evie found them tangled in Mal's comforter and all sorts of downy feathers wafting in the air like snow.

"Mal's bed attacked us," Carlos said cheekily when he knew they looked ridiculous, all twisted in the duvet and feathers in their hair.

"Looks like it won," Evie joked back, she got a face full of pillow for her troubles.

That's how Jay later found them, the room looked as if there was a pillow genocide.

He couldn't even say anything, so confused as to what had transpired.

The three thought Jay looked too clean and grinned mischievously as they cocked their weapons.

---

The first day at school with her new hair was everything Jane dreamt it would be…well mostly.

The day started at an hour Jane thought was reserved for farmers who woke at a rooster crow. Audrey had several animal helpers get ready for the day which she had only read about before; it was surreal to see it in real life. Jane barely could even think yet and the princess was already ready to work out. The fae was certain she only agreed to exercise with her was because her brain wasn't functioning well enough to say "no." Suddenly she found herself with a fresh work outfit in her size and still not totally awake.

Although there was plenty of room in the living area with the television, Jane had almost run into Audrey several times as she was not used to the cardio and almost acrobatic video the princess liked to work out to.

Jane had never sweated so much and so early ever in her life.

It was also rather odd to have animal helpers, unsure of their presence and they acted as skittish around her as well, uncertain of how to respond to a non-princess who couldn't understand them and they could barely understand her.

The fae also found it bizarre how they helped Audrey get ready; although they were required to wear a uniform, the princess still took their suggestions of hair accessories and jewelry. The squirrels assigned to help her looked rather put out that she didn't have anything more than a bow after she had showered and dressed.

She had agreed with the squirrels, however. She looked at the remnant of her former self, the insecure and childish Jane that wore Cinderella blue bows in her hair since she could remember. She could hear her mother cooing in her ear, saying "It's just darling" and in a fit of rage, she tore the silk accessory to shreds.

Being "darling" was for little girls. She was a woman grown and wanted the world to see the new Jane and refused to go back to that frumpy loser.

The two squirrels looked at each other askance, wondering what the issue was with the girl who they found with their princesses. Still, they were there to help and although they had little to work with, one bounced to the overflowing chest of accessories of their mistress.

The squirrel's tale twitched, wondering what he should pick. The girl was clearly not royal, so he wouldn't waste the fine jewels of their mistress; he had no idea if they could even trust a commoner with such finery. But he knew his mistress kept costume jewelry, for times when she amongst her lessers and didn't need real jewels. He decided on something suitable and came bounding over, happy with his choice. The strange girl gasped, taking the bejeweled clip from his paw.

Jane was in awe of the beautiful hair clip, an ocean blue Atlantican starflower with a creamy white pearl in the middle. She had always loved pearls, she thought they were the epitome of elegance and grace. The cerulean sapphires that made up the petals gave the accessory a dash of flash,

This is probably worth a fortune, no way would Audrey let me wear this.

Audrey was ready for school and as impeccable as Jane had always known her. She saw the clip in her hands, recognizing it as part of a mermaid costume she had worn several years ago; she had forgotten she even had it. She had worn it to one of her first high school parties, although the jewels and pearl were fake, they were the best fake jewelry money could buy. Most commoners couldn't tell the difference, only Doug who came from a long line of dwarf miners and could spot a fake from a mile away.

"Oh, that would look great on you," she complimented, vastly preferring it over those horridly old fashioned bows Jane always wore. It was one thing for Headmistress FéeMarraine to wear them all the time, but it was quite another for a young woman such as Jane to wear them.

"Really?" Jane couldn't believe that Audrey was so generous; Ben must have been such a fool to break up with someone so kind and giving.

He certainly must be under an evil spell, who would break up with someone like Audrey to be with Mal?

Audrey simply walked over to Jane and took the clip, placed it becomingly in her new hair and smiled as they turned to a mirror.

"Ready to wow them?"

Jane could only nod enthusiastically and smile, eager to go to school.

At the bottom of the Neptune stairs, the reactions were immediate; the entire cheer team had rushed to them and started to compliment her on her new look. She didn't even have to speak for the most part, people just volunteered their compliments and were in awe.

It was even better when she walked into class, most had done a double take and she could almost hear them wonder if she was truly Jane FéeMarraine from just their stares.

And it wasn't just compliments, people were noticeable nicer to her all day. They offered to sit with her at lunch, they were eager to be paired with her for class assignments, and people made an effort to hold the door for her or to walk with her.

The table where she ate lunch had never been so full, it seemed the new her was a beacon of friendliness that no one could resist.

Although she was flattered at all the attention, there was still one person she hadn't seen all day and it was his reaction she looked forward to the most. As she walked the halls, it went over and over again in her head. How Carlos would finally see her as something more than Plain Jane FéeMarraine, and it would be the beginning of how she would break Mal's hold on him.

He will apologize for not seeing my true beauty the entire time and thank me endlessly for saving him from Mal's evil influence. I will of course console him, telling him everything will be alright and it wasn't his fault. He'll make me his new girlfriend right away, not wanting to waste any more time. We'll go to Cotillion, I'll be the official Royal Good Faery and we'll look so amazing on all the magazine covers. We'll go on expensive vacations with Audrey and Ben. I'll be the new Royal Faery Godmother as well.

It was a future she couldn't stop thinking about, not since Audrey told her the heartbreaking story behind her and Ben's break up. She would have to go to the Merlin Institute of Magic, although she was still very new to magic she was certain that as a Legacy that she would get in. Maybe once school was out, she could get special tutoring over the summer so she could catch up.

Certainly Audrey would want the most powerful fae to be her faery godsister, it would only make sense that she would sponsor me. And Carlos is good with computers, everyone says so. That's such a normal and non-magical career. Probably another reason he needs to get away from Mal. The de Vils are staunch supporters of King Adam's anti-magic legislation. Cecil de Vil is a famous lobbyist. I'm sure once Carlos proves he's loyal to the royal family and doesn't personally want to be involved with evil magic like Mal, then his family is certain to welcome him back to the fold.

She had thought it was odd that no one from Carlos' extended family had come to see him. While certainly Cruella had left a black mark on the family's reputation, it wasn't like that was his fault. At first she thought maybe they wanted to wait and see if he showed any of the same madness as his mother. It was certainly something people worried about when he first came to Auradon Prep. But time went on without any incident and still no sign of any other de Vil to pay him a visit, she had started to wonder if it was because of Mal. Certainly they would want to distance themselves from any suggestion of villainy, which definitely would include the daughter of Maleficent.

It seemed the more she thought about it, more reasons why Mal was a bad influence and she was doing everyone a favor by helping Audrey. The de Vils were a tight knit human family, as rich as the nobility, and even the royalty, but without titles. While Jane was magical and from a different economic class, being in royal favor would certainly make up for that to his family.

And who knows, maybe if we have children then they can marry into the nobility. I would certainly be their ticket in, given how close we'll be to the Dornröschen and Bourbons, and there's always the Charmings; I am literally Chad's faery godsister.

While she knew that there was no way any child of hers, official royal fae or not, would ever be wed to someone in the upper tiers of the succession, she knew Audrey wanted an army of children; it was rather open and well known that the princess loved kids.

Certainly one of the youngest of their brood, and female, would not be remiss to marry a wealthy quarter fae son of such a prominent family from East Riding. If a youngest daughter was still considered too high above their station, then perhaps a second daughter of Chad or one of the other curtesy royal families of Auradon.

Together, Carlos and Jane's future was bright and boundless.

As with every class, Jane had decided to walk slower than she would on a normal day. Under the advice of Audrey, it was best to be the last person in the room; it was to make sure that not only would she stand out but it would be certain that anyone who could see her walk in would as they would already be seated.

She had gotten a few reprimands for being tardy and she dreaded what her mother would say when she found out, but they were all worth it as she drank in the stares of admiration. So she had taken her time, even went to her locker to put back some books she normally would have carried to class, and the bell rang while she was still in the hall. She was able to elude the hall monitor but she walked in perhaps two minutes after she should have.

"So sorry Mrs. Meza," she demurely said, not wanting to antagonize the teacher and knew she would get in any trouble further than a reprimand. Perhaps the honors teacher had gotten a heads upon Jane's new found inability to get to class on time and was willing to let it go. The teacher was more than aware of how hard high school could be, adding in Jane's heritage and having to compete with the wealth of the royalty and nobility, if Jane was having a Pretty in Pink moment then she'd let her have it.

For the first time that day, Jane was disappointed by another student's reaction, or she would say lack of reaction. He had clearly seen her come in, new hair and all. But instead of the jaw dropping awe struck stare she had gotten from anyone else, he acted as if it were any other day.

He had seen her, they had made eye contact and she put on the biggest most welcoming smile she could. But still, he did not seem fazed whatsoever of her new look. She even slowed down her walk, aggravating the teacher, to see if maybe he would say something as she walked by.

But he didn't seem the least bit interested. One glance was all she got and a half cordial smile, it was no different than how he had always treated her.

Maybe he doesn't want to be obvious…Evie's in this class. If he were too eager then she would go running to Mal. I certainly don't want him to get in trouble before I can help him.

Jane kept stealing glances at Carlos, mentally willing him to look back at her and declare his undying love for her. But that was a power she clearly didn't possess as he aptly paid attention to the lesson.

She had found herself again the recipient of a reprimand when the teacher called on her and she hadn't noticed. When she finally did realize someone was talking to her, she didn't know the answer and all Mrs. Merza could do was tisk and annoyance creeped into Jane, knowing her mother was certain to hear about her behavior in class.

Gods, it's one stupid class. Give me a break. How does Audrey get away with everything?

Jane attempted to give the teacher a megawatt smile, hoping her charms would see her through. Unfortunately for Jane, wide smiles only seemed to work for royals as Mrs. Meza scolded her again and she was certain her mother was going to freak out later that day.

The class went on, Carlos still wouldn't notice her; not even when they were told to pair up and go over with each other the reading. It was the perfect opportunity to branch out, talk to her, and no one being the wiser. Although she was flattered at all the boys who did ask to be her partner, the boy she wanted didn't even look back to her when he paired up with Evie.

I'm beautiful now, why doesn't he see me?

All too soon, the class was over and she wouldn't see him again until practice. She was still technically the mascot, although she didn't know what she was going to do. She couldn't get into the sweltering tin can and mess up her hair.

Maybe Audrey will let me be a cheerleader.

The class had started to funnel out, and soon he'd be gone. In desperation, she hurried to him before he left the door and in her panic she did the first thing that came to her mind: she ran into him and dropped her books.

He was rather startled as he wasn't expecting Jane to rush into him, but his natural grace and solid body had taken most of the shock. The same couldn't be said for Jane, who had dropped everything and almost fell down. He instinctively reached out to steady her, and when she finally got her balance she had smiled shyly at him.

"I'm so sorry, I'm such a klutz sometimes."

"Oh, it's no problem," he reassured her, glad it wasn't on purpose and done to be mean to him. He reached to the floor to help her pick up her stuff.

Jane was so happy that he was so kind and chivalrous, not being angry at running into him and helped her gather her things. She tried to think quickly of what to say, but her attempt to flirt was derailed when Evie had joined them and also helped with her things.

"Thanks, Evie," she muttered with far less enthusiasm as she had with Carlos.

"No problem, I've got to say your new hair is amazing," the witch's daughter complimented. "Are these Rapunzel extensions or Bellami? I read Rapunzel extensions can keep growing, like real hair. They're all the rage in East Riding, I'm so jealous, I wish they came in blue…"

Evie was certainly chattier than her female counterpart, Jane thought. While Evie was cordial and friendly, she wished the other girl would go away so she could attempt to flirt with Carlos.

The boy in question was slightly horrified there was something in Jane's hair that wasn't hers but could still grow. He didn't understand Auradonian grooming rituals. He'd have to be blind not to notice Jane's new look, and he knew it was customary to compliment others on dramatic changes,

"You do look nice," he offered with a smile that didn't show his teeth, he nervously watched the clock as time ticked away. If he didn't leave soon then he'd be late to archery but he also didn't want to be rude.

Nice?

That's all he had to say about her new hair? The hair that took hours to put in and an hour to get ready in the morning? Her new hair wasn't just "nice," it was life altering and she felt she could almost cry that he didn't see how great it was.

He didn't seem to sense her inner turmoil whatsoever and as politely as he could,

"Sorry Jane, I have to get to class. See you at practice."

He didn't even wait to hear her respond, before she could he was out the door and Evie made similar excuses to leave but still managed,

"I have to get going too, but you look great, and I love that hair clip. Très Westerly chic. Bye…"

Jane knew she ought to get to History of Magic, her mother taught that class and certainly would not allow any suggestion of favoritism and would probably even go as far as to give her detention if she were unpunctual. So for the first time that day, she rushed to her next class and thankfully got in before the bell.

While she went to her desk, she locked eyes with her mother who was clearly not happy with her daughter. Headmistress FéeMarraine would never cause a scene, so dealing with Jane's new hair, which she did not give permission for her to do such a thing, and reports of her behavior would happen in private.

It was the first time Jane wished school would never end, she dreaded the confrontation with her mother. It was clear the older woman wasn't happy with her new look, she tried not to resentfully frown and only half paid attention.

I don't know what my mother has against me looking nice, why does she want me to be such a loser all the time?

All too soon the end of day bell rang and most students rushed to leave; glad the day was over and it'd be hours before they'd have to step foot in a class again. Some grumbled about the amount of homework that waited for them, while others had after school activities they had to go to.

Normally, Jane would walk towards the gym and look over her knight's uniform if they didn't have a game; she'd make sure it was well maintained and clean for the next event. Once the uniform was taken care of, she'd make her way to the field and watch the cheerleaders' routine and also steal looks at Carlos without being obvious. Memorizing the cheer routines wasn't necessary, but she had convinced herself that maybe if she was at least familiar with the dance sequences, then maybe she could be a back-up if anyone got sick or injured. If asked why she was there, she always said she wanted to be aware of their steps so she wouldn't accidently bump into them. Most seem to believe that excuse, not aware of how desperate she wanted to be part of their group and the best she could do was hover on the outskirts of their circle.

"Jane, I will have a word with you," Nadine said primly before her daughter could escape. Luckily most had already gone and didn't notice she had to stay behind. Even with her new hair and popularity, it wasn't enough to catch other student's attention when they had places to be.

Jane squared her shoulders and did her best not to be kowtowed by her mother. If she wanted to be seen as an adult, then she needed to show her mother she wasn't this timid little girl anymore who would bend at the slightest hint of disapproval.

She refused to wince when her mother had closed the door to give them more privacy in the empty classroom. She went to sit at a desk, back straight and ready to fight for the right to have beautiful hair.

When Nadine woke up that morning, she did not think she would have to discipline her normally perfectly behaved daughter over her hair. She almost didn't believe the pre-calculus teacher when she told her that Jane had a new look but was late to class. It wasn't until two other teachers had collaborated essentially the same story: Jane had not only newly coloured hair but was several inches longer. Certainly such a drastic change was more than the $100 limit she had set for Jane's excursion to the mall yesterday.

To Nadine's surprise when she checked her credit spending, her daughter had not made any charges. So not only did she have to talk to her daughter about her new hair and tardiness, but how in the world she was able to afford a salon day.

If she were a lesser fae, when Jane walked in barely on time and saw that not only had she gotten her hair done, but must have gotten it done at Iliofáneia, she would have chided her daughter then and there. There was no other salon nearby that could have done such a natural looking job on fae hair.

As disappointed and angry at her daughter as she was, she almost thought to move this meeting to their cottage. She did not expect it to be a long conversation, however. What was done was done, but Jane needed to know that she could not just make such drastic changes while she was under her care. Once she was an adult, then she could do whatever she wanted, but as her daughter she had to follow her rules.

"There are so many things we have to go over, I don't even know where to begin."

Jane's heart started to race at how cold her mother sounded, so different than her normal sing song cadence and buoyant personality. She almost wanted to apologize then and there, say that she'd never do any of it again if only she wouldn't speak in such a way again.

But then she looked down, her silky hair still in a perfect curl cascaded past her shoulders and she remembered how heartbroken she felt at homecoming. Not just this past one, but every homecoming at Auradon Prep. Where she would go in a dress that she hated, with a haircut she hated even more, spending hours in the ballroom to never be asked to dance and just hanging on the sidelines.

She remembered every smile and kind word she got that day, more people talked to her that morning than they had in the four years that she had been there.

That was worth her mother's anger.

She remained quiet, not sure what to say and not wanting to admit that she had done anything wrong.

I haven't done anything wrong. It's not wrong to want to be beautiful and liked.

"Lets start with: how did you pay for your new…style?"

"Audrey was nice enough to…"

"Princess Audrey paid for you to do this to yourself?"

Jane wasn't only shocked by the interruption, but how her mother made it seem as if she had disfigured herself.

"…yes? I mean, she was nice enough to treat me to a spa day."

"Jane, a spa day is a facial and maybe a massage. Your hair is a totally different colour and several inches longer. You can't just accept such extravagant gifts from someone you barely know."

"I know princess Audrey," Jane said defensively, frowning at her mother's description of their friendship. If her mother was reacting so badly to her hair, she certainly wouldn't tell her about the designer dress. She didn't like that she had to keep secrets from her mother, but if she was going to be so unreasonably upset, then what other choice did she have?

Nadine refrained from scoffing, knowing it would be unduly cruel to remind her daughter that not only where they several stations below the princess, but said girl was willing to almost all but ignore her daughter before the previous weekend. She didn't know what caused the royal to start paying attention to Jane but it certainly seemed suspicious to her.

"Regardless," the adult fae moved on, trying to be diplomatic. "You cannot just accept such expensive gifts. And you do not make such drastic changes without talking to me first. And you certainly do not hide it from me as long as possible. You weren't where you said you would be, if something had happened then I would have had no idea you weren't at the mall, but several miles at Garderobe Drive."

"I didn't know we were going to Garderobe, she just said shopping. I thought we were going to Starcourt, I was mistaken. We weren't that far away from the mall…plus we have cell phones and body guards, nothing was going to happen."

"I don't care if you have the entire Kingsgaurd with you, you tell me where you're going and where you are if plans change."

She didn't understand why her daughter was being so obtuse. The world wasn't safe for women, and certainly not safe for fae women, she only cared about her daughter's wellbeing.

Any fear Jane had of her mother's reaction had been replaced with annoyance and frustration. She didn't understand why her mother was so overbearing. They were in Auradon City, what exactly was she afraid would happen?

"And your hair…"

"What about my hair? It's amazing and finally not some swamp water colour and hideous."

Nadine did not appreciate the disparaging tone, knowing her daughter didn't like the dye they had to use but it was what they could afford. She always feared Jane would succumb to the pressures of having such wealthy classmates, but up until then her sweet daughter had understood their limitations. It wasn't as if she was going to Iliofáneia while her daughter was left with drugstore boxed dyes. They both had used it and made the best of what they had.

"What is the big deal? It's a 'natural' colour, it's not in some crazy style. I look perfectly normal and well within the school rule," she went on.

Sure it was a normal enough colour and style, but Nadine did not want to set a precedent where Jane could just go and make such decisions on her own. If her daughter thought she could, then they could find themselves with some wild colour like orange or red, in a style that didn't adhere to the school handbook.

"It's not about what it looks like, it's about respect. Respect for me and your father, you do not make such drastic changes without consulting us. We are responsible for you and everything you do. It reflects badly on us if we don't know what you're doing."

Jane knew if she talked more, she was just going to get more upset and fight a losing battle. It was clear her mother thought she were some pet, having to jump when commanded. What was worse, no matter what, her mother had the power and would be right, no matter how much Jane made sense.

While she did not speak, her huffing, rolling her eyes, and slumping shoulders said everything.

"I do not like this attitude, miss. I especially don't like this new look if it causes you to be disrespectful and late to class. If Audrey is putting these ideas into your head…"

"She's not," she defended the princess. Although technically it was true, Audrey was just trying to help her be popular and gave really good advice that worked. Better advice than "real magic is in books, and not spell books" or "just be yourself, that's how true friends are found" ever would.

Nadine thought otherwise, however. Although Chad was her human godson and she loved him very much, she was not blind to the arrogance and other failings of the royals. Given their station, they had been taught from birth that certain rules were not for them, and they thought they could get away with whatever they wanted. Unfortunately, most of the teaching staff has seen it that way, despite her own emphasis of treating every student—regardless of their station or title—the same way and to execute the rules the same for everyone.

If princess Audrey was putting it in Jane's head that she could do whatever she wanted with no consequence, then that was not the friend she wanted for her daughter.

Jane had to think quickly, she couldn't lose Audrey as a friend. Not so soon, they had to save Ben and Carlos from Mal.

"I didn't know there was some 'rule' about getting my hair done or whatever. I'm sorry, we won't do it again."

At the very least she won't get such a dramatic change done. Although it looked amazing, perhaps getting the extensions was a bit too far and too much. The next appointment, they would just do the dye—probably closer to the box dye she got—and the softening treatment. That should look normal enough where Jane could have done it herself.

If her mother asks, then she'll just say she got some really good tips from the stylist at Iliofáneia. Clearly her mother was completely unreasonable and couldn't be told the truth.

"And being late?"

"Sorry about that too…everyone has been so nice to me today…I wasn't used to it and forgot the time. It was just this one day…I won't be doing it again."

That was the first time Jane had said the truth and Nadine softened at how sincere her daughter sounded. She wasn't blind to how hard it was for her daughter, teenagers—human teenagers especially—could be cruel and harsh. Although there was no name calling or other harsh words, ignoring the existence of someone could be just as hurtful.

Although she thought the extensions were a bit much, she did think her daughter looked really nice. She probably would have approved of a more toned down style and might have treated Jane to Iliofáneia as an early birthday and graduation present if she were consulted.

She just didn't want her daughter to learn that only looks mattered, that true beauty was found within and not skin deep. So she would allow Jane to keep the style until the extensions had to be taken out, but she would not be allowing Audrey to pay for such luxuries in the future.

"Well, what's done is done," Nadine started, figuring Jane had gotten the message. "There's no point in taking the extensions out. Maybe Iliofáneia has special shampoo to make the dye we normally get be a little…kinder to our hair. But no more visits there, and certainly not on Audrey's coin. And for not updating me on where you were, and for all your tardiness…you're grounded for a week."

"Grounded?" Jane was confused, they were at a boarding school and it wasn't as if she went out a lot anyway. Although she had hoped that she would now that she and Audrey were so close.

"Yes, grounded. You are going to sleep at the cottage for a week. You'll have to turn in your phone to me every night and your computer usage will be restricted to school work."

That was basically her life before Audrey anyway, so Jane was alright with accepting that punishment for just a week.

"I accept and I'm sorry for my behavior."

She wasn't but knew that was what her mother wanted to hear. Auradon Prep had a messaging feature with its student page network, so it wouldn't be like she couldn't message Audrey or be totally cut off. No one really used it because they had cell phones, but it was a good backup as it had an ".edu" domain and Jane was pretty sure whatever restrictions her mother put on her computer wouldn't filter it.

And it was just one week, what was one week of simply living as she had been for the past four years compared to how great it was to finally be popular?

Having to sleep in the cottage every night for a week was a little annoying because it was so far away, but again it wasn't as bad as having to take the extensions out or being barred from hanging out with Audrey indefinitely.

Her mother smiled, glad they had the talk and Jane was taking her punishment so well and maturely. Nadine figured all teens went through a rebellious phase, she was just glad her darling Jane wasn't as bad as others.

Jane excused herself and went to the gym. She didn't really feel like cleaning the mascot uniform again, and she certainly didn't need to practice. It was just jumping around and shouting "go team" so she just went to the field where they were practicing. The tourney team was running drills, the cheerleaders were practicing moves in their winter uniform. No one said anything as she hung around the side, she even made herself useful by bringing water bottles to the squad between routines.

"Hey, where were you? We missed you on the field," Audrey greeted her, gratefully taking the bottle and daintily swigging the water.

"My mom was mad that I got my hair done and was late to every class today," Jane scoffed and rolled her eyes, thinking the whole thing was so stupid.

"What?" Audrey couldn't believe anyone would be mad about that.

"Yeah, she thinks it's like…inappropriate or something that you paid for it and because I 'didn't respect her or my father enough to consult them first.'"

None of that made sense to Audrey, or any of the other cheerleaders as they had the same confused look on their faces.

"I didn't know being nice and generous was so weird…but whatever."

"Right? And she was all mad about how we went to Garderobe Drive instead of Starcourt and I forgot to tell her. Like chill out mom, why don't you just put LoJack on me?"

The other girls laughed, they could empathize with her plight.

"My mom is super controlling too," a cheerleader commiserated. "Did she pull out the 'while you're under my roof you will follow my rules' card?"

"Thank the gods, no she didn't but probably would have if I pushed it. There's no arguing with my mother, I just said I was sorry and understood. I was willing to say anything to stop the boring lecture."

They all laughed again, some congratulating her on her ingenuity and patience; they had all been there at least once.

Jane took Audrey aside after practice, to update her on another aspect of her punishment.

"I'm 'grounded' so she's putting blocks on my computer but I should be able to message you through the school's website."

Audrey nodded, not really sure what she would message Jane about but let the fae think she would.

"I have to sleep at the cottage but that'll just give me more time to work on our…project."

The princess caught her meaning and smiled, thinking maybe she ought to throw Jane a bone and message her; she was certain she could think of something to talk about.

Jane spent the week researching for a love spell, the restrictions on her computer really only pertained to social media and nothing else. That was fine with her, all the forums she was on weren't associated with the regular social websites and her mother wouldn't have thought her darling Jane would ever look up magic on her own.

She was able to talk to Audrey and even a few cheerleaders on the instant messaging feature; she ate with them as well during lunch, she was living her best life and what she had dreamed about since starting Auradon Prep.

Carlos still didn't seem to notice her the way she wanted to, but kept telling herself it was clearly whatever spell Mal had him under. There was no other explanation on how every other boy had started to pay attention to her, with the exception of Chad and Ben but they were royal and in a class of their own and didn't count, but Carlos remained elusive.

She remained optimistic, however. She would have her Almost Prince Charming and live happily ever after, the heroine of Auradon.

---

Auradon Prep was officially in the National Championships for 2017. It had been the first time the school had made it past semi-finals in the last ten years. School would be extended another week to accommodate all the students that participated or wanted to attend. Finals were next week as well as Winter Recital, practice had become more intense for both the cheer squad and the tourney players.

The first Friday after the win that flung them into the championship there was a huge party happening at Archer Dornröschen's estate, the son of the Marquess of Schöneblume and Audrey's cousin. Most students had a car and were able to get to the party, if they knew about it at all. A few months ago, Jane would never have known Archer even lived that close, a half hour away at most and just past the border of Auradon City and Auroria. He was rather well known for throwing the biggest parties as his estate was the largest one closest to the school.

Now she was personally invited by none other than princess Audrey.

She had come to find out that most parties happened a little closer to campus, maybe a five minute drive depending on which noble was hosting, but since it was a party to celebrate the tourney team's chance at a title then a higher born noble had taken it upon himself to host a grand festivity while his parents were away skiing in the Bald Mountains.

It was Jane's first high school party and it was said to be the biggest one of the year, unless they won the championship of course then they all speculated it may even be thrown at Rose Hall Castle, the Crown Prince of Auradon City's official seat.

She couldn't help feel that it was such a big step that she wasn't all that prepared for, as if she were on the JV squad and was thrown straight to the Olympics. She had already fought with her mother over trying to go to other parties. They had gone nowhere except her in tears of frustration. She decided she didn't care anymore, it was easier to get forgiveness than it was to get permission.

It's not like I'm even going to be doing anything bad. Mother acts like I'm about to snort cocaine and run through the gardens naked. It's just one party…first of many I hope.

Luckily Audrey was on her side, the princess agreed her mother was way too over protective. Even queen Auroria and king Phillip made allowances for their princess as long as she was discreet and didn't do anything shameful. Most other royals were in agreement to be inconspicuous, so pictures of them partying never made it to social media. Any non-royal or noble that were invited were warned to keep their phones to themselves lest they find themselves socially ostracized and never invited to a party worth going to ever again.

So unless Jane got arrested, she could get as drunk and wild as she wanted and no one would be the wiser.

Which I'm totally not going to do. The worst is that I'd get a little tipsy, it won't be the end of the world. I'll be with Audrey, it's not like she'll ditch me to like a bunch of rapists or something.

Jane would admit she was slightly afraid of that scenario, there were certain warnings that went bone deep and couldn't be shrugged off as easily. But she was determined to have a great time; she already limited herself to two drinks, maybe three if she didn't feel too out of control. Other cheerleaders had boasted having up to eight drinks before they got wild, two should be nothing.

She was glad her roommates were easily bribed. With a promise of an invite to the next party, they were willing to take her phone and text her mother; same with being online with her profile. As far as Nadine FéeMarraine was concerned, Jane was sulking in her room and mopey about not going to a high school party.

In reality, Jane was putting the finishing touches of her makeup, curtesy of Audrey's tutelage, and admiring another dress the princess had bought her.

"This is going to be the party of the year, second only if we actually win the championship. The red dress is a cocktail dress you'd wear to Family Day. You need something sexy and fun."

Sexy and fun sounded like just what she needed to get Carlos' attention. She had tried playing coy but it seemed Mal's hold on him was just too strong. Perhaps showing him her superior curves would do the trick.

The dress Audrey got for her was a simple jean material, but it was off shoulder with bell sleeves and the tightest and shortest skirt she had ever worn. In front of a large tri-fold mirror, Jane admired herself from head to toe. Her hair was straightened and loose, large silver hoop earrings adorned her ears and four inch black suede pumps made her legs seems miles long and her rear pop out.

Her eyelashes were pitch black and fanned out, framing her electric blue eyes. She donned some peachy blush and matching lipstick.

Watch out Carlos, I'm a siren tonight.

She giggled at the thought, never would she ever have thought of herself as a sex symbol but that night she felt powerful. As if every man in her path would bow to her femininity.

The rest of the cheer team was in Audrey's suite, all getting ready with them. Each girl was dressed to kill, their outfits tight and accentuated their best attributes. Jane was rather surprised at Audrey's rather daring dress.

The normally modest princess wore a black backless and deep plunging neckline dress with tiered ruffled skirt.

Wow, she's not going to need a love spell to win Ben back with that dress…that's probably the point.

Jane knew better than to say that out loud, but couldn't help but giggle at her friend's boldness. She rather enjoyed getting ready with the cheer squad. She wasn't sure if she was going to fit in with the other girls, they had been just as happy to ignore her as others had before she befriended Audrey. But it turned out they were all really sweet once she came out of her shell. She had never been complimented more in her life than with a group of girls who wanted to be fierce and sexy.

They all gossiped for a bit while a couple of them had put finishing touches on their outfit or hair, Abigail Darling had come over giggling with a bottle of clear liquid.

"Come on Jane, pre-game!"

Without declining politely or accepting, Abigail had poured her a shot and handed her a diet coke. She didn't think she would have her first drink before the party even began, but it seemed like every other girl there had at least one shot, Abigail had at least three already.

Audrey smiled encouragingly,

"It's super gross but it's strong and whipped cream flavored so it's not the worst. Definitely swallow and chase it as quick as you can," she advised.

"Swish some coke, try to get that taste first. Then shoot, then immediately start drinking coke again," Eva Bonfamille suggested.

"Boo, shoot it like a man. None of this chaser shit," Barbara Dear mocked, encouraging Jane to take the liquor straight and led by example of taking a shot of her own.

The smell was rather nauseating, however, and Jane went with Eva's advice.

One shot won't kill me.

So Jane put the cold can to her lips, tasted the sweet soda and then drank the whole shot glass in one gulp. She was so glad that she had thought to immediately drink afterwards as the booze burned as it went down her throat, so bitter despite the saccharine whip flavoring that it made her almost gag; she didn't understand why drinking this horrible nasty stuff was so popular.

"It tastes like death," she finally said after she recovered.

But the crowd of girls cheered loudly and Jane felt oddly accomplished. She was surprised when Barbara took a black sharpie and drew a small line on her wrist.

"To keep track of how many drinks you have," she winked. Jane thought it was rather ingenious.

"OK, before we get too shitfaced," Barb went on, seemingly the one in charge. "Who is our designated cock blocker?"

A junior cheerleader had raised her hand and the girls applauded.

"We thank you for your sober service. Next, who—besides Audrey—definitely does not want to have sex tonight?"

Jane wasn't sure if she was surprised by the amount of girls that had raised their hands, but she definitely felt better not being alone. Her mother definitely made it seem like every girl who went to parties was loose and always about to get pregnant.

"OK, for all the freshmen and noobs, remember. The designated cockblocker will make rounds at this party, she will not drink, she will check in on you throughout the night to make sure some Neanderthal does not get his filthy hands on you. Remember, this blockage is rigid and absolute. If you change your mind, too bad your drunk ass doesn't know better."

"OK, I want to change my answer to: no sex unless it's Jayyyyy," a senior cheerleader joked, but was serious. She earned herself several high fives and similar changes to their answer.

"Yeah, right. Good luck with that. He and Evie are grossly in love and he's like annoyingly faithful."

"I'm OK with that, she can join in."

Jane and a few other girls couldn't help but choke on their laughter, not ready for such a bawdy statement.

"Meh, maybe I'll give Chad another whirl," she decided when Jay seemed too out of reach.

"You'll want a penicillin chaser then."

All the girls riotously laughed, all knowing his reputation and most wouldn't sleep with him…again…unless they were particularly desperate.

"Alright ladies," Audrey alerted them after getting a ping from her phone. "Limo is ready."

"Shoulders back, boobs out, lets walk," Barb gave marching orders and they all made their way through a back entrance to an awaiting limo.

The whole gaggle of girls rushed from the dorms to the awaiting car, none wanted to bother with a jacket but had to beat the cold.

Jane slid in, feeling heady and eager for her first party. She accepted a flute of champagne, the bubbles tickled her nose but it was sweet and easy to drink down.

All her thoughts of only having two or three drinks started to go out the window, she was having too much fun.

I have the cheer squad looking out for me, I'm not driving, it's a celebration…I'm going to let loose.

The radio was turned up and every girl was belting along, Jane thought this was everything she ever wanted. A group of friends she could just hang with and have fun.

Soon, they were at an estate that was roughly the same size as Auradon Prep's castle dormitory.

Although the cadet Dornröschen's were not technically royal, they certainly lived just as richly. The huge mansion made in the Beaux Arts' fashion and mixed both Old French and Aurorian architecture.

Audrey was always willing to share her family's wealth, even the non-royal ones, and told her everything she knew about the estate,

"It's 70 rooms, 33 are for the help. It sits on 13 acres, several rooms were built in East Riding, shipped here, and reassembled. The central great all has 45 foot high ceilings…"

Jane only half listening as they pulled up, in awe of her surroundings and wondered how much wealth just one family had.

As they got out of the car, Audrey had taken her aside and whispered,

"There's going to be a lot of people from Auroria here, so don't tell them you're fae; OK?"

Jane was a little shocked at the instruction, her being part fae had never been a problem before.

"It's just that not everyone is as accepting as us for your…differences. I just don't want the party ruined by some hick saying something stupid."

Jane guessed that made sense. And it wasn't like her being fae was all the obvious, not with her new hair.

She's just trying to look out for me.

The girl's made their way in, the large doors open and welcomed whoever could make it; basically the wealthiest and every heir and heiress Auradon had to offer, and all the commoners who could get a ride. There were already a ton of people there, some not even from their school.

The main party was inside the great hall, it was bigger than even Jane had imagined. There was a DJ on the second floor, looking over the hall. She wondered how anyone could just leave their kids alone, it didn't even seem like there were any adult servants about. It was only teenagers as far as Jane could see.

"Those are all Count Whitmore's kids, from the Summerlands and their friends. They're all out of school already. Those are…"

Jane had been introduced to every royal and noble east of Sherwood Forest. She would never remember their names, but since everyone had been drinking it didn't seem to matter. She mostly stuck with the group of girls who weren't interested in hooking up. She had a ton of fun just dancing and joking around with them, having a few more drinks.

There was every type of liquor Jane knew about, which wasn't a lot but still it seemed to be everywhere. Large buckets filled with ice and sodas, bottled beer, and wine coolers; several kegs of beer from every kingdom; and mountains of red cups stacked for anyone to take.

It was basically her mother's worst booze filled nightmare.

"You might want to slow down," Stacy Sinclair warned, motioning to the four marks Jane had on her wrist as she finished her cup. "Here, have a Gatorade. You don't want to black out or anything…unless you do but they're not that fun."

They both laughed and Jane was grateful. It was another thing her mother was wrong about; no one was pressuring her to drink if she didn't really want to. She was feeling really good and took the cheerleader's advice and drank the sports drink instead. She didn't want to get sloppy, although a few other guys and girls from other schools didn't have such restraint.

Although she was having a blast, she couldn't help but be disappointed that Carlos wasn't there. She was certain he would have been since he was such an integral part of the team.

Mal probably made him stay home, too jealous to ever let him out of her sight. She ruins everything.

But her sour mood couldn't last long as a great song came on and she danced with Audrey and the others. A couple hours into the party, Jane still felt like she could go on all night. She a few more drinks to keep her buzz up and even started to play Beirut.

She couldn't believe Doug was such an amazing player; he got the ping pong ball in every time. The only time he drank was when he wanted to.

Audrey and Jane were on one team one round, they lost rather spectacularly but it was all in good fun.

The only time Doug missed was when he got totally distracted by the six that come in through the door.

"JAY! CARLOS! My man," Doug shouted and left the game, eager to see his friends.

Jane's heart jumped in her throat, seeing Carlos at the party looking as handsome as ever in a simple red polo shirt and jeans. The boys clapped their hands in greeting with Doug, happy to be there and immediately being offered a drink.

The cheer team tensed a bit when they saw Ben and Chad were with the Isle Four, he must have been their ride to the party. It seemed Audrey and Ben had some unspoken agreement not to cause a scene as neither really acknowledged each other's presence other than a simple nod when they made eye contact.

Chad and his past paramours did not have such an agreement as several girls had stormed away, too angry to deal with him.

"Oh damn Jay's lookin' fine," Barb commented as she took another swig from her red solo cup.

He was particularly eye catching wearing a black men's tank top and low hanging jeans. It was completely inappropriate for the weather but perhaps he was hot enough to keep himself warm. The shirt was tight enough that it rode up as he moved and gave everyone plenty to admire; not to mention his toned muscled arms that even Jane couldn't help but stop and stare although in her heart she knew she loved Carlos.

"Shit, maybe I will try to sleep with Evie too if it meant I could hook up with Jay…I'm pretty right?"

"You're beautiful," Jane fiercely told her friend, her loosened tongue and slightly fogged head couldn't let her friend think differently for a second.

"Beautiful enough to get Evie?"

"She'd be…she'd be so lucky to have you," she sincerely said and meant it with all her heart.

"Gods Jane, we need to hang out more, you're awesome."

"Thank you! You're awesome."

That's what Jane loved about the cheer squad, just a bunch of girls who were awesome and hanging out being awesome.

Her happiness soon faded when the two Isle girls strode in. Although they came from humble means, they were dressed as finely as any princess there.

Mal wore a red minidress with white flowers embroidered throughout, her gossamer sleeves went to her wrists, obscuring her arms and back, the embroidery lacing up and down her arms. She and Carlos' outfits complimenting each other nicely without looking oddly too matched.

Evie had no intention of matching anyone, as her shoulderless mini dress had every inch covered in teal sparkling glitter, Jane wasn't sure if it were stones or what but the material sparkled like stars and shifted with lights of peridot and white.

Doug was quite the charmer with a few drinks in him, he started to introduce people to the Four; not paying one bit of mind of the shocked faces of those who did not expect the children of villains to be at the party. They all went with it as Ben stuck with them as well.

But the Four seemed to know the secret of ingratiating themselves as they each brought several bottles with them and offered them to Doug and others.

"What is it?" he asked as they poured him the ruby red liquid.

"It's apple wine, my own recipe," Evie said, excited to be at a party.

"Your own recipe? You made this?" Doug was impressed, wondering how in the world they managed to ferment wine on school grounds.

Ben pretended he didn't hear that but he was curious as well.

"That's the greatest thing I've ever heard in my life," he complimented when she nodded her head.

Others looked at their cups wearily, not exactly eager to taste the apple wine of the daughter of an infamous poisoner. Doug, however, trusted her completely and didn't hesitate to down it all in one gulp.

"You should probably not…too late," Evie tried to warn him but he had already finished his glass.

"Whoo! Damn that is good. Whew, that is strong but amazingly delicious," he gushed over the drink. He already felt the libation go straight to his head, everything was light and dizzy in the best way.

When the dwarf didn't drop dead, and after Ben had taken a few sips and praised it as well, the other felt confident enough to take their own drinks but took heed that they need not down it all at once. Just a few sips in, they agreed that it was the best tasting wine they have ever had and strongest to boot. They could see how a few bottles could go a long way. Most other kids still were not too keen on drinking anything offered by a child of a villain, Mal being fae also didn't bode well in their minds.

The dark fae didn't care, it just meant more wine for them. She could smell the horrid alcohol the humans favored from where she was and was more than happy to not imbibe.

She didn't quite understand the concept of drinking games. After a few turns at Beirut, which she and Jay were surprisingly good at,

"But I want to drink…right?" she asked Doug.

"Well, you want the others to drink. That's why you get their ball in their cups, it gets them drunker so they're more likely to keep missing."

"But I want to drink…"

Doug barked out a laugh, he felt her pain as most were not able to match him in Beirut, and he had never seen the fae so confused. It was actually cute and he realized that when he wasn't cowering in fear, Mal was actually really pretty.

"You just do what I do, drink anyway and mock them for their lack of talent."

"That I can do," she took a big swig and told their opponents, "I'm getting too sober over here, I'm helping you guys out."

"Nice burn."

The dwarf and the fae high-fived and the game went on.

The boys were particularly popular that night. While most of Auradon Prep knew they were in relationships, some of the girls from other schools did not and tried their luck. There were even several girls, and some guys, who were drunk enough that having a significant other was not a road block but merely a speed bump to get over.

The apple wine had run out quickly, the Four were used to it but others were not and the party had gotten even rowdier. Evie and Mal had discovered a stash of wine coolers which were almost as good and strong as the witch's apple wine. They had broken away from the boys and were chatting up a couple girls from the marching band.

"Doesn't it bother you guys? How bold some of the girls are being with your boyfriends?" Addison asked.

The two Isle girls looked to where their boyfriends were; just standing a few feet away and at the center of a bunch of girls who were not exactly subtle in their flirtation or body language.

"Nah," Mal told her, not worried. "They are really cute, aren't they?"

Addison and Evie nodded, the former still perplexed at their cavalier attitude when she had seen all out fights happen between girls, and boys, out of jealousy. But when she really looked at the boys, she could tell that while they were being friendly and polite, they didn't really seem to be reacting to what the other girls were offering.

Mal and Evie are beautiful, I'd love to be that confident to not be jealous.

She also couldn't miss the heated stare that Carlos sent Mal's way, apparently he was too distracted by the very short and tight dress she wore. The fae was all too aware of the effect she had on her boyfriend, the fae only smiled then politely excused herself from the group and went in the direction towards a wing of the estate.

Addison smiled when soon Carlos followed her soon after, she fanned herself knowing exactly what those two were probably up to.

Jane found a less crowded place in the vast mansion, just out in a sunroom that overlooked a massive pool and just beyond, gardens. She was sulking just a bit, it was a repeat of the first day of debuting her new hair. She had gotten so many compliments and even a few boys had flirted with her through the night.

But it wasn't by the boy she really wanted, she had tried to flirt with him but she was blocked by the dozens of other girls who had the same idea. He treated them all with a friendly smile but nothing more, answering questions they may have but always just polite and never flirted back.

"Jane, what are you doing out here all by yourself?" Audrey slurred out, clearly tipsy but not falling onto herself just yet.

Jane was impressed Audrey could still walk in such high heels, she had trouble even when she was dead sober.

"Why do you look so sad? Don't be sad, have another drink."

Jane tried not to get weepy, but the liquor was making her emotions hard to control but she accepted the hurricane flavored wine cooler and took a deep drink. Once she had gotten more alcohol in her, she opened up,

"I just wanted to get the attention of…" she wasn't quite ready to reveal who her crush was. "…of a boy…and he didn't notice me at all."

"Boys are so stupid," the princess lamented. "We'd all be so much better off if there were no boys around. Women get shit done and it's us who should rule the world, not stupid boys and their stupidness."

Jane couldn't argue that point, but giggled at how angry Audrey was on her behalf and the booze lifting her spirits.

"We're…we're going to find this boy and I'm gonna…I'm gonna punch him in his stupid face until he realizes how great you are."

Jane was drunk enough to think that was a great idea.

"Yeah, lets find him and make him not stupid…I mean look at my boobs, they're so nice in this dress," she grabbed them to emphasize her point.

"They're amazing! You have the special boobie lifty bra…boys don't appreciate anything we do for them, they're so ungrateful."

"And my butt, it's such a cute butt…he should be all over…this," her hands flailed as she motioned towards all of herself.

"Exactly, we're going to find him and unstupid him."

"Yeah."

They both stumbled through the massive house, neither really knowing where they were going but still drinking as they went. The princess didn't even know who they were looking for and several times Jane forgot as well.

In their quest they had picked up Barb who was just as enthusiastic to find "the stupid boy" and make him see reason.

"Who are we looking for?" Barb asked, still following but aware enough that maybe they ought to have a real person in mind to look for.

"I'm not sure, I'm following Jane," Audrey admitted.

"OK," it was all perfectly reasonable to the cheerleader.

The three finally came across glass French doors that led to what looked to be a study, and on a massive oak desk sat Mal. Although she was facing the door, she was too distracted by the head that nestled between her thighs, skirt bunched up, her eyes closed, and scandalous sounds escaped her lips.

All three girls were struck with shock, unsure of what to do and too drunk to make a decision quickly. They could only watch as the scene unfolded before them, in Barb's case she continued to drink, enjoyed the show, and smiled as she completely forgot what they were doing.

They immediately recognized the platinum white and pitch black hair of Carlos de Vil as Mal ran her hands through his silky locks, pushing him closer to her core. They couldn't see exactly what he was doing, but as Mal kept making lewd sounds and writhed, he was clearly doing it right.

"Carlos!" she shouted and stilled, shaking as her peak wracked her body. She collapsed back onto the desk, sighing loudly in contentment.

The girls finally snapped back to reality when Carlos stood up and they heard him unbuckle his belt and figured they had seen enough.

The three scurried like frightened mice out to the veranda, it was too cold but they didn't want to turn back and made their way to an unlocked pool house.

"Wow," Barb giggled when she felt she was far enough away. "Maybe it was Carlos I should have been gunning for. Mal's so lucky."

"You've got to be kidding, that was disgusting," Audrey almost gagged, "I can't believe they were doing…that," she couldn't even name it.

The excitement, and several drinks she had had, was too much for Barb and she had fallen onto the first soft couch she could find and passed out. Audrey sat down too, her feet sore after being in high heels for so long and then running, wanting to give her feet a rest.

Only Jane remained standing, pacing around the living room of the comparatively small house. The princess saw small sparks start to emerge from the fae's hands and wondered what was going on.

Jane couldn't believe what she saw, she knew that they were "together" but it just tore and ate at her heart to know they were so…intimate. If they had stayed longer, she was certain she would have seen them even more intimate than she would ever want to see.

It's all just a spell, Mal's evil spell. No one would want to do what he was doing, she must be making him. That filthy harlot!

With a livid scream, Jane released a supernova from her hands and the entire house lit with her fury. Audrey had to close her eyes to shield her from the brightness, she wondered why Jane was so mad.

"I will find you that love spell Audrey, and Mal's evil reign will be put to an end," the fae growled out her promise.

"Yay," Audrey cheered, not connecting what they had witnessed to what Jane had just said. She was just happy that Jane was still committed to the plan.

"What happened?" Barb suddenly got up, frightened by the light but no idea where it came from.

"Nothing happened, you're drunk," Audrey told her fellow cheerleader, not wanting anyone else to know of Jane's magic.

"Oh, OK," with that, Barb went back to blacking out.

Ben was never much of a drinker, while he had a few to relax; there was something about imbibing to the point of losing his wits seemed too unprincely so he normally stopped when he had a nice buzz going. He made his rounds to all his royal peers, wanting to be friendly and never snub anyone. He had lost sight of the Four for a good portion of the night, but once the party finally died down around two in the morning, Evie and Jay had gathered at the main entrance.

"Where are Carlos and Mal?" he asked.

"Not sure, it's the third time they've 'disappeared' somewhere in the castle," Evie snorted, knowing what their friends were up to and hoped they didn't leave a mess. She would hate to not be invited back because Carlos and Mal left evidence of their activities.

"It's your own fault for putting Mal in red, you know Carlos can't keep his hands off her when she does," Jay jokingly chided his girlfriend.

Which was exactly her and Mal's intention that night so Evie just giggled uncontrollably.

The Isle teens were too buzzed to see how strained Ben's smile was, trying to laugh at the joke as well but Chad could see his best friend's struggle.

"Well they need to hurry their asses up or we're leaving them," the prince of Charmington grunted to change the subject.

Before anyone could challenge the prince on this threat, the last remainder of their party had finally shown up. Both rather disheveled and it was not lost on any of them on what they had been doing.

"Where are your shoes?" Evie chided Mal when she noticed she was barefoot, they were hand dyed and sewn with matching embroidered flowers, "You better not have lost them."

"They're so uncomfortable I don't like wearing them," Mal whined.

But before the witch could get angry, Carlos brandished the missing footwear and saved the day.

"You can't walk out with no shoes," Evie's anger turned to a mother's worry, not wanting her friend to hurt her feet.

Since he knew Mal was not going to put the shoes back on, and didn't want her to be uncomfortable he swept her up into his arms.

"Problem solved," he said cheekily, he was rewarded with a kiss from his girlfriend.

"You two make me want to vomit," Chad said obnoxiously, hoping they would stop being so cutesy in front of Ben. "Speaking of vomit, I love my car and if any of you hurl in my baby I will have no problem leaving you on the side of the road.

"Chill out Charming, we know how to handle our liquor," Jay told him dismissively. "Just pull the car around and turn the heat on, we'll rush to get in."

"Why didn't you guys wear coats?"

"Jackets don't go with these outfits Ben," Evie answered the Crown Prince condescendingly, as if he didn't know that and notice practically no one at the party had a winter coat despite the cold.

Ben could only roll his eyes, grateful that his fashion sense at least included a sports jacket.

He would say the Four's first social event was a success and he could be happy for them.

No matter how much it tore out his heart.

---

The boys were done with their weekend practice, on their way to the girls' dorm to hang out with them the rest of the day. As they came to their door, Jay had reached up to knock before Carlos caught his hand and stopped him.

He sniffed and air and tilted his head to get a better angle to hear what was going on inside.

"We need to make a trip to the kitchens."

Jay knew exactly what he meant and immediately turned around to follow instructions.

When they came back, they had their trays filled and knocked softly, they carefully entered even when told to come in.

They saw their girlfriends looking rather miserable and splayed out on their respective beds. Both still in their pj's and were not about to get up anytime soon. The tv was, showing some movie on a channel they could see was called "Lifetime" from the logo in the bottom corner of the screen.

Neither boy understood why the girls were watching it when it seemed to have made them upset.

"Carlos come here," Evie commanded with tears in her eyes and sniffing. He immediately came to her, dropping off his items on one of the desks in the rooms. He was surprised when she enveloped him in a tight hug, as if she were scared he'd disappeared if she let go.

"You're my best friend, I won't let the bees get you," she fiercely promised through her tears.

He had no idea what she was talking about. He looked to Jay, wanting some help but his friend was in the same position. Mal had latched onto him and made similar promises,

"I'll burn down the entire forest to kill all the bees if they got you."

"Mal, it's almost winter…there are no bees," Jay tried to reason as he hugged her and rubbed his hands up and down her back to sooth her. He didn't understand what was going on, but he knew she was upset and he'd do his best to make her feel better.

It took a few minutes and reassurances that they were alright before the girls let them go.

"Look, we got you tea, chocolate, cookies, other snacks, and a hot water bottle," Carlos offered to them, knowing they were probably in pain.

He wanted to take it all back when Evie started to cry again.

"I love you so much," she hiccupped while she accepted his offerings, placing the warm rubber bladder over her pelvis and started to relax when it soothed her cramps.

Mal allowed Jay to pamper her with food and comfort, although she vehemently refused the honey for her hot tea.

"No honey…I'm mad at the bees."

Jay took the sweetener away and wondered if it was worth asking where their sudden hatred of bees came from. Both boys then snuggled with their best friends, sort of liking how clingy the girls were being.

They spent the rest of the day relaxing, cuddling, eating snacks, and watching movies while the girls convalesced.

---

It had been a while since they were able to get away from school long enough to enjoy a day at the field. They couldn't be there long, Winter Recital was that evening and they all had to prepare. Finals were over and the recital was technically the end of term, but it was Carlos' birthday so they got up extra early to sneak out to give him his gifts.

Carlos was the only thing that could get Mal up at the crack of dawn, particularly since they all had a long day and probably evening ahead of them. But he was always worth the extra effort, and their gifts were not something they could do within the comfort of their dorms.

The ground crunched beneath with winter frost, their breaths clouded the air. The forest and field had a unique beauty, covered with ice crystals and so still from the cold.

Mal, Jay, and Evie were wrapped head to toe with every layer they could and still be able to walk, still light shivers plagued them as they fought the frigid temperatures. Only Carlos seemed to be in his element. He smiled as he admired the intricate patterns created by the frost as they moved through the woods, dressed in the lightest layers and only wearing a winter coat because Evie would not let him walk out without one.

Free from prying eyes, Carlos let out a soft blow between his lips and magically the air started to dance and twirled snowflakes around his friends, landing on Mal's nose. She scrunched her face and shook her head as the magic tickled. She pouted playfully at her boyfriend who only smiled mischievously, narrowed her eyes and she wondered if he deserved a flicker or two of green flame his way.

Knowing her exact thoughts, he rushed to her before she could make a decision and picked her up, whirling her around and not stopping until she laughed and begged,

"Noooo, Carlos stop!" she giggled, too dizzy to even think of doing magic. He did as she commanded, but stole a kiss as payment for his submission. It was his birthday so Mal thought it was magnanimous of her to not retaliate and to give such payment.

"It's too early for you guys to be this gross," Jay yelled at them from ahead, wanting to get to the field and back to the dorms as quickly as he could to hopefully get back to sleep. He felt a light punch to his arm and saw his girlfriend frowning at him although there was no real heat to it.

"Leave them alone, it's his birthday."

"And his gift is us freezing to death?"

She rolled her eyes at her dramatic boyfriend, then decided he was right and they were indeed freezing while Carlos seemingly immune to the cold and Mal able to conjure fire frolicked. Still, she didn't want to disturb them as they were quite adorable despite Jay's grumblings, so she unzipped Jay's thick jacket and snuggled herself to his chest; he laughed and wrapped his open jacked and arms around her and thought it was a fair compromise.

He gazed into her lovely eyes, lined with cobalt kohl and the dark blue lashes were graced with delicate snowflakes. Although cold, he couldn't help but be happy whenever he was with her, her ruby lips smiling up at him.

Perhaps Carlos has the right idea.

He leaned down to kiss Evie, she stood on her tip toes meet him half way. When they broke, he couldn't help but rub their noses together in affection and loved to hear her giggle. When he looked back to his friends, he rolled his eyes as the two were again levitating off the ground. He could see Carlos' magic had caused the light snowfall.

"Showoffs," he scoffed, but stopped from saying anything further when Evie playfully bit him in his chin, reminding him to be extra tolerant of Carlos on his special day. Jay decided not to be as courteous as his girlfriend would want him to be and gathered the dusty snow that had accumulated on the ground into his hands, packed it into a ball, and then threw it at the floating duo, hitting Carlos' leg.

It was enough to get their attention but both were powerful enough to maintain their position despite being startled. Carlos merely stuck out his tongue but Mal's eyes promised retribution at some later point. Jay only laughed, always enjoying tormenting his friends when he had the chance. They came down to the ground and they finally were on their way again and made it to the field soon after.

Mal checked their root cellar to take inventory and that nothing was disturbed, stolen, or damaged by wild animals. Once she was satisfied with their stores, they made their way to the fire pit she had dug for homecoming. Green flames erupted with a snap of her fingers and they started their gift to Carlos.

Evie made a wide circle around them with blessed black salt, their trust and love for one another were absolute and were easily able to enter the circle unharmed. Within that circle, they placed Carlos at the center; Mal, Jay, and Evie locked their hands together around him to create another circle.

"Carlos Oscar de Vil, you are adored and most precious to us. On this day of your birth, a most auspicious day, the solstice where the day and night are in equal measure and is the first day of winter, do you accept our blessings?" Mal recited the beginning of their ritual.

"I accept freely and with an open heart," he responded perfectly.

"I, Maleficent Bertha Lefay the Second bless you with my power, that it may protect you from those who wish to harm you with magic."

With Mal's words, the air in front of her started to glow aflame with green; her magic then flowed into Carlos and lit his heart radiant, he felt its warmth and love.

"I, Jay ibn Jafar al-Jina, bless you with my strength, that it may protect you from those who wish to harm you with their might."

Jay's magic took the form of scarlet sand that twisted like a cyclone until it wrapped itself around Carlos, creating a barrier that no man could hope to breach. He felt as if he could take on the world.

"I, Evilette Viveca Von Weither, bless you with my wisdom, so that you may know you are always loved and cherished and that it may protect you from those who wish to harm you with their words.

Her magic came as a calm river, flowed above him as it turn into a crown upon his head, filling him with joy.

The ritual was done, Carlos imbued with the power of their blessings.

Mal, Jay, and Evie were still freezing, but wanted to present Carlos with his other gifts, material items they had gotten for him still needed the privacy the field granted them, away from prying eyes and unfriendly ears.

Mal took the lead and went to a black duffle they had carried with them.

"This is my gift," she pulled out a red, black, and white wrapped gift box.

It was the first time any of them were able to get wrapped gifts, he excitedly tore at the paper and was confused when he saw it was his own laptop and cell phone.

"Thanks?"

They all giggled at his confused expression but still willingness to be grateful.

"They're both enchanted to never break and never be able to be stolen. If anyone tries, they both will re-appear when you're looking for them."

His eyes widened, duly impressed with such a feat.

"How were you able to do this? Most magics and electronics don't mesh, I've tried."

"It took a lot of research, the library has a surprising number of theoretical magic books and Evie worked out the math. A lot of laptops and cell phones perished in our experiments."

"What computers and phones did you use?"

"We kept stealing Chad's. Every time we stole them, he thought he just lost them and he got new ones the next day," Jay explained.

"Wow, thank you. I love it," he kissed Mal, she smiled wide at how happy he was with his gift. He would never have to worry about his computer or cell being dropped or stolen. Although Mal hated technology in general, she knew he had an affinity for it and would want to keep what he loved safe.

"I expect a similar thank you, by the way," Jay joked when he handed Carlos his own gift.

Carlos laughed but Mal just growled her discontent. Evie gave Jay a pinch to let him know he was not as funny as he thought he was. He couldn't help but laugh at all of their reactions.

Jay's gift turned out to be a carved wooden chocolate box, filled with Carlos' favorites. The box itself was beautiful, dark mahogany with gold inlay of geometric designs. He helped himself to a peanut butter chocolate disk, savoring the sweet and salty treat.

"Now close the box and open it again," Jay instructed. Carlos did as he was told and was amazed that when he reopened the box, the chocolate disk had been replaced and the box was as filled as when he first opened it.

"Self-filling chocolate box, you're welcome. I know it's your favorite gift ever."

Carlos just rolled his eyes, the three knowing he would love all his gifts equally but perhaps there was a little truth to Jay's statement. He shared the unending bounty of the chocolate box with all of them, still amazed at how it magically refilled itself and he'd never go without chocolate again.

Evie handed her gift next, a long shirt box with a simple white button down shirt inside.

"Hold it and think of your favorite pattern," Evie instructed him. He did as he was told and as he thought of his jacket from homecoming, the white became filled with the black paisley design. He then thought of the crimson red he wore at the party and the shirt morphed into the scarlet colour.

"It can turn into any print or colour you want, and it's self-cleaning, self-ironing, and it will always shift so it fits perfectly."

It was an amazing gift; he basically would never have to shop again.

They were all amazing gifts.

"All of these gifts are amazing, thank you guys."

And just like the first night they found the field, they all hugged each other and reveled in the security and love of their friendship.

---

10 Points to the first who can tell me the movie the girls were watching.

Yes it's a long chapter and the Winter Recital is next. I first meant to put the WR in this chapter, but I really wanted to flesh out Jane some more. I hope you guys get a really good insight into her character.

Also there were SO MANY people who wanted Ben with Mal. I totally get that, because it's cannon and I think I did a good job at detailing how much he's in love with her. But man I felt bad for Carlos. While no one said it outright, in order for Ben/Mal to happen then Carlos has to be dumped. So I really wanted to also add in Carlos and Mal's dynamic and relationship. Hopefully I get people to see why I love them together.

I've dropped more hints as to Carlos' heritage. I hope people picked up on it. lol

Of Carlos' gifts, which was your favorite?