Chapter 15: Looking After Me
Mal spends the rest of the day hiding from her friends and planning how she was going to catch Uma in the act. She perches herself on a high wall on the far side of Auradon's campus, writing down her plans and trying to fight back tears. She did feel bad for lashing out at Ben and everyone else, but she couldn't take it any longer. They weren't going to do anything to stop this, just accept the blame and wait for the guards to do something. Mal wasn't like that, she'd rather do things herself, she didn't want to wait. She took care of herself, never relying on anyone. The words of her wicked and horned mother echo in her head.
"No one is going to look after you, the world is just going to let you down and turn their backs on you. Learn this now my little-winged demon, for I will never be there either. You must rely on one person to help you, yourself"
While the words seemed hurtful, there was some wisdom to what she said, and it was true. Her mother was never there for her; instead of using her daughter for evil schemes or ignoring her altogether and this is all Mal knew from the time she could walk. She'd learned to take care of herself and she never thought anyone could help her until she met Evie, Carlos, and Jay. They had her back, granted they all had to earn each other's trust first, but now she knows they'd never let her down. Now Ben was one of those people and several more Auradon students who are now her friends… at least, she thought that until Chad started blaming the VKs for all the damage to the school. The thought that maybe her mother was right, and she'd have to look after herself, although her plan to expose Uma was to save all her VK friends from further ridicule.
The purple-haired teen sits on the wall, writing her plan in her journal. She reads it over and over until she's memorized it completely. She knows she'll have to start breaking a few rules and use magic to do so, but she hoped it would be overlooked once the daughter of Ursula was caught in a fish net.
The bell rings, signifying the end of the school day. Mal watches all the students exit the buildings, either heading for their dorms or towards the cafeteria for dinner. At one point she sees Carlos and Jane, with Dude trotting behind them. The two hold hands and look rather happy. Mal feels the envy and guilt of lashing out at Ben. Why couldn't they be like normal couples, instead of the Royal one? Why couldn't they have quiet moments with no responsibilities or worries about the kingdom and just be together?
Once the grounds are relatively quiet, Mal climbs down from the wall and heads towards her dorm. She knew that Evie and anyone else would be getting dinner at this point, leaving her free to get what she needed.
She slips into her dorm room and goes under her bed. She finds Evie's mirror and her spellbook, exactly where she'd left them. She shoves the objects into her bag, along with the hoodie. She pulls her hair back into a ponytail and puts on her favourite purple leather jacket. She then slips back out and down towards the place where'd she'd met Ariel. She knew that since Uma's element is water, she'd be hanging out in the place where she's the least likely to be detected. While the daughter of Maleficent first thought of staking out the Enchanted Lake, she feels that if Uma wanted to do something involving the Isle, she'd be near the ocean.
The sun was starting to set when she makes it to the rocky shore. With the light fading, she knows that she has to hurry. She slips into some nearby trees to create a sort of stake out place. She then holds the mirror up and takes out her spellbook, she searches for the spell she needs. She knew that usually only Evie or the Evil Queen could use the mirror, but the daughter of Maleficent had since found a loophole around this. It would only be temporary, but that's all she would need
"When all is said and done,
Have this mirror work for more than one…" Mal recites.
Immediately, the handheld mirror begins to glow in her hand. Mal can see the clouds forming within the reflective surface, meaning that it was working. She knows what comes next.
"Mirror, mirror in my hand,
Show what Uma wants in this land?"
A faint image begins to appear within the mirror and Mal squints to get a better look. She sits with her back against a tree near the shoreline to be comfortable.
The image of the ocean appears and then there is the all too familiar turquoise braided hair of the daughter of Ursula. The shell around her neck is glowing and she has her tentacles pushing along the rough surface of the sea. Mal can see the faint outline of the dome that protected Auradon from the Isle.
"I knew it," Mal hisses, smiling to herself.
The daughter of Maleficent squints into the tiny mirror and it looks like Uma is holding something in her arms. She can't tell what it is, but it seems to have some greenish tint in the fading light.
She continues to watch as Uma reaches the barrier surrounding Isle. She can see the faint outline of Captain Hook's ship, The Jolly Roger, on the opposite side of the barrier. All Isle children knew that after Uma's failed attempt to find King Triton's Trident and trade it for getting off the Isle, made her own ship, The Lost Revenge, unable to sail ever again. Why not steal the fastest ship on the seas to make a quick getaway?
"Okay, boys," Uma says, Mal hearing what her rival is saying through the mirror. "We've got one chance at this."
Uma pulls out the jar in her hands. She then uses one of her tentacles to toss the jar at the barrier. It smashes once it hits the wall, the liquid pouring out and into the ocean. Mal watches as the ocean where the potion hit begins to glow green and swirl around, what shocks her the most is that the green whirlpool seemed to be mostly on the inside, where her ship was. The light becomes brighter to the point that Mal can barely see through the looking-glass. Uma then uses her magic; the blue magical light is being cast out of her hands to make the green portal bigger and bigger. Somehow the magic cancelling barrier can't stop it from getting into the harbour of the Isle. The more power she feeds into it, the larger the thing gets. The ship seems to sail towards the portal until it hits the surrounding current and is sucked into it.
"Think about where you want to go boys!" Uma hollers as the ship is sucked into the portal.
Mal can't tell what's happened but suddenly a new green portal opens up not far from the shore and to her horror, The Jolly Roger surfaces right in Auradon harbour. Mal shoves the mirror back into her bag and stands up. She watches as Uma now swims back towards the beach where her mortal enemy is hiding. The laughter of the wicked sea witch's daughter echoes everywhere, along with her crew, shouting and celebrating, finally free from the Isle.
Mal knows she has to get back and warn everyone, finally being able to clear her name and reveal the truth. She slips through the trees knowing she has to stay hidden. She decides to use the long way just in case the new band of pirates spots her. Her mind is racing, what would Uma want now that a ship and her crew are here? Terrorize Auradon no doubt. When she comes out near the Enchanted Lake, Mal notices something. It just barely catches her eye as she passes. Wanting to ignore it, she takes a few steps forward, but unfortunately, her curiosity gets the best of her and she stops. She finds a bundle of things next to a tree.
She recognizes the light blue hue of a discarded coat and the rancid smell that goes with it, she knew that it was Uma's. The coat is being used to hold things. Without hesitation, Mal opens it. She finds two books and various potion ingredients, no doubt Uma hid them here, planning to come back for them later. The daughter of Maleficent immediately recognizes the book that was stolen from her locker and she shoves it into her bag without a second thought. Knowing that she's just found more evidence to prove her case, she takes everything and hides it in a different spot, knowing that if she had to bring the teachers and guards over for proof, only she could find them. Satisfied that she has enough evidence, Mal runs back towards Auradon Prep.
She rushes through the halls and begins knocking on Ben's door, knowing he'd be working late.
"It's open,"
Mal sticks her head in, her green eyes meeting his brown ones.
"Mal?" he gasps, immediately standing up. He walks around his desk but stops weary of approaching her, wondering if she was still mad. "Look about earlier…"
"Screw earlier, I saw Uma and I know what she's up to. We have to warn the school because Auradon is going to be invaded."
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