Shen's Perspective
Arriving in Auradon was exactly how Shen suspected it would be. Sunny. Way too sunny. No clouds or smog, but bright light that hurt his eyes. And sunny smiles that made him uncomfortable.
The car had taken them straight to Auradon Prep where a smiley woman named Fairy Godmother told them class began in a week's time. Gio had drilled them all on what to do and say here and he felt confident having a plan in place. It was like when The General told him and his brothers and sisters a mission plan.
"Please sit down, children," Fairy Godmother trilled. She stood at the front of the classroom and waited for the four VKs to sit. Fairy Godmother sat behind the teacher's desk. She clasped her hands and looked at them before smiling at the new students.
"Is there a problem, ma'am?" Reggie asked politely.
"No," FG said. "We're just missing a--"
The door swung open and two guards strolled through, leading a tall, pale boy with deep green eyes and black hair. He was wearing a pair of handcuffs and Shen immediately recognized him from the broadcast earlier this year.
He was followed by a girl who looked so similar she could be a copy of him, just with longer hair and lighter eyes. She was led by a pair of guards but the cuffs at her wrists glowed a dull gold.
"Wes, Vivianne, we're glad to have you. Please sit with us." Fairy Godmother said, motioning to the desks.
Wes glanced around at the other VKs in the room before giving a half-hearted wave and sitting as far from them as possible. The cat familiar followed him, ears and nose twitching. Two guards kept to the door and the other two stood vigil at the windows.
"So," FG began, "this must be a very new and overwhelming situation. All of us in Auradon are hoping to become...good friends with you." She paused, waiting for a second.
Gio was the only one to laugh. "I get it," she said. "Good friends instead of evil. Get it, guys?" At her prompting, Shen, Maddie, and Reggie laughed politely, if not convincingly.
"Oh my godmother," Vivianne said, rolling her eyes. Shen giggled at that.
"Viv, come on." Wes said, eyes pleading.
"I will be here if there's anything you need or any worries you have," Fairy Godmother continued. "I hope you come to see Auradon as a home."
"Better than the last one," Vivianne said. "Anyone else remember the prison island we got locked up on for being born? What criminals we are."
Shen fought the urge to laugh when he felt Giovanna grab his hand. Maddie wasn't so lucky. She sputtered and laughed out loud, earning a kick under the desk. Wes grabbed Vivianne's hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb...then her claws shot from her hands and he stopped.
FG blanched. "Well, I can't imagine how you feel to be in such an unfair situation," she began. "I hope this can be the beginning of Auradon making up for that mistake. I was just getting to the topics for the discussion."
"Yes, we're all happy to hear it...with no rude interruptions." Gio said pointedly.
FG nodded gratefully. "Today we'll be undergoing some evaluations in math, science, writing, reading, history, and a few other subjects. It's not anything scary or too important," she clarified gently. "We just need to see the grade to assign you in and what classes you're prepared to take. Any questions?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"After the evals, we'll take you to your rooms so you can get settled before your peers arrive. But before we begin, we've found it's difficult for some VKs to move away from their friends and family. Choosing an extracurricular activity or type of volunteer work has often been helpful in establishing connections with peers quickly."
"As if we'd make friends with people who hate us," Vivianne said. Solid logic from the cat, Shen thought.
"Hate is a very strong word," FG chastised gently. "We try to avoid it here."
"I," Gio began, steering the conversation on track, "like planning things. Like," she glanced at Shen with a smile and he immediately thought of Yazmine all shaky and clammy, "how to do well in classes and parties and stuff."
And how to take that barrier down, Shen thought.
"That's lovely," FG said happily. "We do have an event planning committee at Auradon Prep. Planning dances, field trips, volunteer trips, charity fundraisers--"
"What's charity?" Maddie asked.
"Well, giving back to those in less fortunate circumstances than yourself. Sharing, basically."
"Does that mean I can have your earrings?" Maddie asked. "I've never had a set of emeralds. And I don't even have a house that isn't on the prison island, so...less fortunate."
Fairy Godmother looked taken aback. "That isn't quite what a charitable donation is considered to be," she began unsteadily.
Gio elbowed Shen gently and he said, "She's joking. But she's got an eye for valuable things, she grew up in a pawn shop."
"That's very impressive." FG said. "Do you have an interest in history?"
"Not really," Maddie said. When Giovanna shot her a look, she added, "but all the villains won't stop telling anyone who'll listen about what went wrong to land them on the Isle. I know most of it."
"Well, the museum does have a program allowing students to help with cataloguing and archiving items. It's good for college applications, they write lovely letters of recommendation."
Easy as can be. Maddie nodded. "I might like that." Gio in event planning, Maddie close to the museum, Shen agreed to join the tourney team to travel, and Reggie agreed to apprentice in the Alchemists' Society to learn...strangely, not magic.
"I suppose that leaves Wes and Vivianne," Fairy Godmother said, turning to the two with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Any interests that aren't...your past ones."
"I only like magic," Wes said.
"I only like chaos," Vivianne said at the same time.
"Well those two interests are unfortunately discouraged," FG began.
"What were you saying about activity?" Wes asked. "A little earlier when you were talking about the Alchemists' Society not agreeing with the magic ban."
FG's smile disappeared. "Well, the word I used was 'activism.' They felt it was unfair for magic to be banned since, in their opinion, magic was like most disciplines. Capable of use for good or bad in different hands."
"That's true," Wes said. "Cinderella would be a servant still if you hadn't used magic to give her a fair chance to meet the prince."
"I agree," FG said gently. "But most disciplines of study don't have the capability to put an entire kingdom under a sleeping curse for a hundred years. So they gave up when King Beast showed his opinion wouldn't change."
"Well I think I'll pick up where they left off," Wes said. "Yzma taught us to use chemicals to blow up a small building, but they have a class teaching chemistry here."
"The chemistry we learn here is a bit different," Fairy Godmother said. "And the Alchemists' Society hasn't pursued--"
"There's a time for everything to change," Wes said determinedly. "I'll convince them."
"Well," FG said. "If that's what you want."
"I think that's bloody brilliant," Reggie said, meeting Wes's eyes with a smile. "Mum always said nothing changes until you force it to."
Wes met his eyes and tilted his head. "That's the main rule of magic too. Viv? Any interests?"
"The alchemical whatever thing you're doing," Vivianne said disinterestedly. "There'll at least be one decent person to talk to, even if you're half as interesting as before."
"Thanks, Viv," Wes said with a smirk. "You know how to sweet talk a witch, don't you?"
"Whatever."
"Maybe we should start the exams now?" Fairy Godmother said, retrieving a stack of laptops from a cupboard.
Reggie's Perspective
"Any chance you know the reason for the summoning?" Reggie asked Maddie when he and Shen arrived outside the girls' dorm room.
Maddie shrugged and stepped aside to let them through the door. Reggie and Shen entered, finding it to be very...blue. Powder blue sheets, curtains, canopies for the bed, nightstands, rugs, armchairs, loveseats, tables, dressers, mirrors.
"This place is so pretty," Reggie said with wonder in his eyes. "Fit for a queen, Gio."
"Suck-up," Shen muttered.
"But I like that about him," Gio said, hugging Shen quickly. "He keeps my ego the size it should be."
"Why are they here exactly?" Maddie asked.
Gio turned to Reggie. "Did you bring the cards?"
"I wouldn't have shown up without them," his eyes were downcast when he said it. Gio smiled, pulling him into a hug.
"You are the best ever," she said happily. Almost as if she hadn't threatened to trap him on the Isle seven days ago. Shen shot Reggie a jealous look and he gently pulled away from her. Gio noticed and said, "I'm not his type, don't worry, Biceps."
Reggie retrieved the cards from his jacket pocket. They were a bit larger than an average deck and in a crimson, metal holder. "What does that--" Shen started.
"Don't worry," Gio said, sneaking Reggie a wink. "Reggie is gonna start pulling his weight today. We need you to read our futures and how successful our mission will be."
Reggie's heart dropped. His hands trembled a bit and he held onto the cards tighter. "I--"
"What is our mission?" Maddie asked disinterestedly. "Other than forcing us to come along for the ride, of course."
"Oh please, Mads," Gio said, sitting on the loveseat and beckoning Shen over. Maddie sat in the armchair.
"So, I haven't had a chance to use the cards yet," Reggie started, sitting down and pulling them from their case. They were all completely blank and white. "I'm not sure--"
"Wait," Shen started, chuckling. "You went to that lame school and meditated in the grass all your life...devoted all your time to doing something that could never work on the Isle..." he giggled, only finishing his sentence when he stopped, "and now that all that garbage could be useful, you--"
"Shen, please," Gio said softly. "Have a little faith in Red. Try it, you know everything you're supposed to do. Just put it into practice."
Reggie may not have exactly known what to do. Classes were so boring at the Cursed Academy. So many languages and esoteric theories and stories and he never really even knew how to meditate in the elemental chambers. He mostly napped in the water chamber because the hot springs were so relaxing. He couldn't even read a tea leaf. But no one needed to know that.
He took the cards in both hands and split the deck. He did an impressive bridge and shuffle to stall for time. "I call on you, great magic of Wonderland," he began grandly. Everyone perked up at that because...it sounded important. "Reveal to us our fates and futures as the stars which guide our lives intend. Destiny!"
He laid the cards down on the table, one in front of each of them. He flipped over his and it was...blank. Maddie's...blank. Shen's...blank. Gio's...they were all blank.
Shen was guffawing and Maddie chuckled. He tried to say something, but he was so busy laughing that Maddie beat him to it. "I knew you witches were all frauds," Maddie said, crossing her legs.
Gio sighed, eyes turning dangerous. "Don't be mean." She leaned forward, staring at Reggie intently. He hated being stared at. Sometimes he thought she knew that and did it just to make him uncomfortable. "Buuuuuuut, I happened to see something interesting today."
"What?" Shen asked.
"You know that witch that was in those cuffs today?"
"Curse Guy?" Maddie asked.
"Curse Guy." Geo confirmed, a grin on her face. "He looked at Reggie in a way I know all too well."
Reggie flushed, wondering where she was going with this. She definitely knew he was uncomfortable.
"Maddie," Gio said. "Be out of the room early the day class starts. I'll need to get Reggie looking his best if we're gonna get him some magic lessons."
"What do you mean?" Shen asked, completely not following thankfully.
"Fine." Maddie said with a curious look.
"Reggie knows," Giovanna said teasingly. "Don't you, Red?"
"Yes, I know, Giovanna." Reggie said, eyes cast down.
"Great," Gio clapped happily. "First meeting a terrible failure thanks to someone who won't be named since I don't wanna put Red on the spot like that. Everyone dismissed."