***Author's note: Trigger warnings. Humiliation, abusive parent, body image issues, eating disorder related topics.***

"I'm so jealous," Evie sighed as she cinched her corset. "Eating lunch with Ben all alone."

Flopped across the bed, Mal rolled her eyes. "Nothing to be jealous of, E."

There was something to be jealous of, but explaining that to her stubborn leader wasn't worth the effort. Instead, Evie focused on her reflection and makeup. Today red red lips and a blend of brown eyeshadows would best accent her outfit: tight-fitted knee-length red dress with a blue and black corset. It was a bit threadbare and ratty compared to any Auradon dress, but it was one of her nicest Isle dresses. Until she was able to complete more outfits, their old clothes would have to do.

"Were you able to get any information from him?" Jay asked from the windows, idly looking outside.

Mal rolled onto her stomach and shrugged. "Kind of. He said that bringing us here is worth Beast's disapproval."

"Seriously?" Carlos frowned as he stepped out of the bathroom, towel around his waist.

"Weird right?" Mal shrugged again.

"Stupid is a better word for it," Carlos muttered.

None of them disagreed. If Evie ever did something so blatantly against her mother's wishes she'd be isolated for at least a month and assigned several canings. A faint shudder ran through Mal and Jay and Evie couldn't stop herself from glancing at the jagged mess of scars on Carlos's back.

Shaking away the thoughts, she applied her foundation. "I spoke with Doug yesterday," she said, breaking the others out of their thoughts. "He didn't have a lot of details, but some of the information could be useful."

Mal leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees, chin propped up in her hand, grey eyes sharp while Carlos paused in getting dressed. Jay closed the window and moved to lean against the wall by Mal.

"Our parents' reputations are why we were chosen," Evie continued. Hand steady, she accented her eyes with eyeliner. "If we can adapt and be 'saved' then so can other children from the Isle."

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mal's jaw clench and Carlos's lip curl in a snarl.

"Fucking hero complexes," Jay spat.

Finished with her eyeliner, Evie nodded as she made sure her work was symmetrical. "The most important thing, though, was his answer about how they'll decide if the experiment is successful."

Silence, heavy and taut, filled the room. They had to succeed. They had to prove that they didn't belong to or on the Isle. If only so they could break the barrier. Returning to the Isle after seeing everything Auradon had would make life on the Isle so much worse than before they'd left.

"What-How will they know?" Carlos finally whispered, refusing to look up from the shirt he was fidgeting with.

Taking a deep breath, Evie turned to face them, resisting the urge to bite her lip and instead winding a strand of hair around her finger. "He didn't know." Green flickered in Mal's eyes and Jay's fingers curled into a fist.

"What?" Mal hissed.

"He couldn't give me a solid answer," Evie explained. "All he gave me was a vague answer about not hurting people, stealing, or enchanting people without permission. Something called the golden rule."

"Fucking useless," Mal snapped. Several sparks flew from her fingers and Evie exchanged looks with the boys. She'd hoped Mal's magic acting up would only be an occasional problem, but if the boys were worried too, it was becoming a common occurrence. And that was bad. "How are we supposed to know what to do with that? All of that is basic common sense or so easy to get away with that it won't be a problem. Fuck."

"Maybe Ben will know more specifics?" Carlos suggested, visibly trying to make himself seem smaller. "It's his decree."

That was a good point. Doug wasn't a true noble and even though he belonged to Ben's gang he likely didn't have access to all the details. If anyone would have the answers they wanted it would be Ben.

"But we won't know if he's telling us the truth," Jay pointed out. "And we still don't know what his real goal is. Asking him straight up will let him know we're trying to figure out his game."

Another good point. It was why they were looking for information from other sources in the first place. Careful not to frown, Evie applied another layer of lipstick and selected her eyeshadow. There wasn't a good option at the moment for learning more about the standards they had to meet; the only options just led them in circles about which one to choose.

"Right now, the standards sound straightforward," she observed, cutting off the brewing storm. "Like Mal said, they're common sense." Gaze shifting to meet Mal's Evie continued, "For now all we need to do is just that. Use our common sense until we're in a better position to look for more information."

Finger tapping, Mal tilted her head, Carlos relaxing a little and Jay's posture loosening. Finally, Mal nodded. "It's our best option."

Silence fell again and while it wasn't as suffocating as before, tension still lingered in the air as Carlos finished getting dressed and Jay returned to the window. After a few moments of delicately blending her eyeshadow, Evie asked, "How was training with Lonnie? Have fun?"

"What?" Jay asked, twitching a little, caught off guard.

"Oh he had fun," Carlos smirked. "They ended up racing for almost seven laps. And later they were just sprawled in the grass."

Evie laughed. "She's competitive."

"Good," Mal snorted, eyes glittering. "Maybe we can let her handle Jay when he's restless."

"Shut up," Jay grumbled, crossing his arms and turning to face them fully. "She's just a sparring partner."

"Sure," Carlos said, rolling his eyes. "And Mal never curses."

It'd be good for Jay to have someone from Auradon to spar with. He'd be able to learn their styles and the weaknesses while getting stronger himself. And if Lonnie was as competitive as Carlos was suggesting then Jay'd have extra motivation and a way to burn off energy if the rest of them weren't available. As it was, she and Mal never sparred when people could see them. None of the other students needed to know Evie could defend herself. Carlos could get away with wrestling Jay but real sparring was off the table except when they were alone for the same reason Evie didn't show off. Better to keep Carlos's skills hidden.

"What about you?" Jay replied, pointing at Carlos. "You're the one who came back with a dog."

What?

"Dog?" Mal repeated, eyes wide.

Carlos froze, gaze darting to the door for a split second, judging the distance, before tracing the stitched pattern on one of the quilts. "Yeah, uh… The stray that's been following me," he explained. "Yesterday, I kind of, um, ran into him at the stables and Max-Max introduced us."

Staring at Carlos, Evie struggled to process what he'd said. She'd seen the stray of course, but she'd always made sure it kept a good distance away from Carlos. The last thing he needed was to be mauled by one of his biggest fears after finally getting away from the threat of Cruella and her goons. Yet here he was saying that he'd willingly interacted with it.

Under her gaze, Carlos forced himself to sit a little straighter.

"And you're okay with that?" Mal pressed, catching and holding his gaze. If he said no Evie knew Mal would go after whoever had forced him to get so close to a dangerous animal.

"Yes," he nodded.

"I'm glad you made another friend," Evie told him. Leaving the mirror after one last quick check, she pulled Carlos to her side and kissed his cheek. "Maybe you can introduce us later. I'd like to meet it."

"Him," Carlos corrected.

"Whatever," Jay shrugged, smirking. "Come on. Breakfast is gonna start soon."

After giving Evie a grateful nudge, Carlos pulled away and threw a pillow at Jay then bolted out the door. With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Mal followed as Jay sprinted after their pup. Smiling, Evie grabbed her bag and put the day's makeup inside for any emergency touch ups she'd have to make throughout the day.

As she double checked her appearance, smoothing her hands over her dress, Evie frowned. It felt tighter than it used to. She'd have to let it out a little…

Let it out.

Let. It. Out.

What was it Doug had said? "You're all healthier"?

Now that she thought about it, the others weren't as thin as they were on the Isle. Carlos's ribs weren't as pronounced. Jay's arms were gaining muscle. Mal's cheeks weren't as hollow.

Evie swayed.

"Posture," Grimhilde snapped.

Suppressing a flinch, Evie forced herself to straighten, further exposing her naked body to the chilly air of the basement. But the coldest thing in the room was her mother's assessing gaze. Dark eyes inspecting every inch of her, vigilant for any possible imperfection no matter how small. Nothing was insignificant. Nothing could be insignificant. Unlike the princesses on the mainland and her mother, Evie wasn't naturally beautiful. Passably pretty, but not beautiful. If she was ever going to catch a prince, she had to be flawless. Potions to remove wrinkles or freckles or hair, anything that wasn't clear, perfect skin.

A click of her mother's tongue brought her back to the present.

"Evelyn. Have you been eating properly?"

"Mother?"

Sharp nails plucked at her waist and Evie risked a glance down.

Oh.

Oh no.

"You've put on weight. A princess is not fat, Evelyn. You've been sneaking food."

"No. Mother. I would never," Evie tried, but her voice trailed away as her eyes met her mother's. The few bowls of broth and fire cooked potatoes Mal had given her weren't approved by Grimhilde before she ate them. And now she was suffering the consequences.

"A princess never lies to her mother. If you are not at a proper weight by next week, you will be confined to your room and have your meals restricted. Do not fail me."

Choking back a scream, Evie fled for the bathroom.