A/n: I'm so sorry y'all. I really have no idea what happened to this chapter. I hate it took me so long to notice the glitch. Well, here you are once again, Chapter 5! I really hope you all enjoy. lert me know your thoughts.
S'D
Chapter 5
"Auradon Prep, originally built over 300 hundred years ago and converted into a high school when my father became king." Prince Ben walks them through the campus. Audrey is by his side filling in wherever its needed.
Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos were all finally released from the clinic. They were all given lessons in health and nutrition in their remaining days. Even after Jay's tantrum during one of his sessions with Pocahontas, Auradon had run out of excuses for keeping them there. The campus is much more populated than the last time they were shown around. Though, Evie can't truly say they got a proper tour the first time around. Ben and Audrey simply pointed out buildings and whatnot as they passed them on their way to the school's infirmary. Ben wanted to make it up to them by giving them a more thorough tour even though it would have to be cut short seeing how they have a sizeable campus, its nearing evening and all of them have an early morning. They would be starting classes tomorrow. At least that is what they are allowing the people of Auradon to think. If all things go to plan, they can steal the wand and be home by morning. The world will be changed forever. Mal wanted all of this done their first night here, but their stay at the clinic put a pause in their plans.
Ben guides them past a large statue of King Beast. Evie falters at the sight of it. She grips tightly to her purse, thanking the gods she had the mind to give her backpack to Jay back at the clinic. She may have ended up dropping it from fright. The statue's eyes seem to follow her every move waiting for her to make even the smallest of mistakes to send her packing back to the isle. Her stomach churns so much she thinks she'll lose her lunch. Evie wills her heart to calm. Its just a statue. It can't hurt her.
The prince pauses his walk and claps his hand twice. The statue morphs until it is a beastly version of the king. Startled by the sudden change, Carlos screams and leaps into Jays arms, dropping all of his belongings in the process. Evie herself stumbles into Mal's side only to be shoved away again. She takes a moment to right herself as Ben speaks. "Carlos it's ok. My father wanted a statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that anything is possible."
Or to remind everyone that he's truly a monster. Evie thinks bitterly.
"Does he shed much." Mal Speculates.
"Yeah, mom won't let him on the couch." The prince is quick to respond. He says it's so straight-faced Evie almost doesn't realize he's joking until she sees the smallest twitch of his lip. So, the prince has a since of humor. Of course he does, he's perfect. She's just glad he doesn't throw them out right then. What surprises her even more is the smirk on Mal's face. She found the prince funny, Evie musses.
They continue their walk towards the dorms. Jays drops Carlos back on his feet and leaves the shaking boy to follow the royals. Evie takes pity and links arms with him. She helps him pick up his things. In his tussle, Carlos knocked his new glasses from his face. They are supposed to help improve his sight. Mal was given as a pair as well back at the clinic, though she refuses to wear them. Instead, she wears what they call contacts. Evie does not envy her. They look painful. She places the black lenses back on his face and gives him a small smile that he returns. She'd noticed how much jumpier he seems to be since leaving the infirmary. She suspects it has something to do with the magical medicines wearing off. He's been so happy and at ease these past few days it's easy to forget how anxious he was before. Evie hates that for him. She hopes he'll find that kind of peace again. But maybe without the use of magical drugs. The pair catch up to the group as they enter a new building.
Evie takes in a sharp breath when they are greeted with the interior of the boarding hall. It looks nothing like the places on the isle. The entrance is filled with mahogany architecture- and carpet! It is so clean it looks new. She is still amazed at how the inside of Auradon's buildings maintain so much light. She'll have to get used to seeing things so clearly.
"So, do you guys have a lot of magic here at Auradon?" Mal inquires. "You know, like wands and things like that?" Evie shakes her head at Mal's constant need to ask questions about magic and wands. She might as well just ask them where the fairy godmothers wand is.
"Yes, it exists of course, but it's pretty much retired." Ben explains. "Most of everyone here just ordinary mortals."
"Who happen to be kings and Queens." Mal adds smartly.
"That's true." Audrey smiles sweetly enough, but there's a look in her eye that yells she hasn't completely forgiven Mal for being kicked out the clinic a couple days ago. "Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years." She says hinting at the spell put on her kingdom. Yeah, she's definitely still upset. She and Mal share a tense laugh. Ben laughs awkwardly as well, before turning his attention to a teen walking down one of these sets of stairs
"Doug. Come join us." He calls to the boy. He slings an arm around him once he's joined the group. "This is Doug. He's going to help you with your class schedules and show you the rest of the dorms. I'll see you later, okay?" Evie's breath hitches when he holds eye contact with her. "And if there's anything you need feel free to ask Doug, Audrey, or myself." Ben grabs a hold of Audrey's arm and the two leave the dorms.
"Hi guys." Doug grabs their attention rather awkwardly. "I'm a Dopey's son? You know, like Dopey, Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Grumpy, and-" The boy hesitates. Had he seriously forgotten his own uncle?
Evie's eyebrows raise dramatically. She masks her shock before anyone can notice. Who let Dopey reproduce? And with who? It must be someone tall. Doug is taller than her and if her mother's stories are correct, he shouldn't be. There's something off about the boy. Evie hates to think she holds some type of prejudice to the boy because of his parentage, but no. That can't be it. He looks at her strangely. It's not filled with hate or disgust. It's something else entirely. It makes her uncomfortable She'd almost rather he looked at her like he hated her. Evie thanks her lucky stars that Jay comes to stand in-between them. She doesn't know if he did it to purposefully separate them or not, but she takes relief in it all the same. Maybe that's what gives her the courage to speak.
"Evie. Daughter of the Evil Queen." She introduces herself. She wouldn't normally include her parentage, but she decides to take a page out of Auradon's book. And maybe she wanted to scare him away a little. Just a little.
Doug's voice quivers as he continues. "OK, so about your classes. I put in the requirements already. History of woodsmen and Pirates, Safety rules for the Internet, and Remedial goodness 101."
By the time he's finished reading Mal is behind him looking over his shoulder at the schedule. "Let me guess. New class?" She looks at the boy as she puts one of the Jay's stolen candies in her mouth. Doug simply nods, properly spooked by Mal. She takes pleasure in his discomfort. "Come on guys. Let's go find our dorms." Mal leads them up one of the staircases. She likely acquired their dorm room numbers when looking at the papers in Doug's hand. They make it halfway up them when Doug regains consciousness of himself.
"Uh, actually the dorms are that way." He points the other set of stairs. "The boy's wing is to the right and the girl's wing to the left." Doug frowns and mumbles to himself the names of his uncles once again. "Dopey, Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Grumpy, and.."
"Sneezy." Carlos supplies as he passes.
The first thing Evie is greeted with when she enters her and Mal's new dorm is a large window flanked by two smaller open ones. There are even more windows along the right wall. It lets in so much light into the room. She thinks because the outermost walls have a curve to them, it allows for more window space. Which in turn allows for more light. Evie makes a mental note of that for when she builds her own castle when Maleficent takes over.
The room is decorated with pink curtains, floral bedspreads, and canopies. Even the fabric of the lamps is pink. It's not her go-to color, but Evie can appreciate design of the room. It truly is fit for a princess. Her room back home isn't completely dissimilar. The colors aren't nearly as vibrant and many of her blankets are worn and have holes in them. Everything here is brand new.
"Wow." Evie gasps. Both girls step further into the room.
To the left are their closets, a built-in bookcase, and desks and chairs for homework. Straight ahead, underneath the windows, are two cushioned sitting chairs and a tall, thin table that rest in front of a heater. The right of the room is where two canopy beds are. They straddle either side of the windows on the right wall. They each have a nightstand with a lamp and under this window is another built-in heater. On their beds are towels and a bag of soaps, washcloths and hygiene products.
Evie can't stop the smile from forming on her face. "This place is so amaz-"
"Gross." Mal finishes for her. They share a strange look.
"I know right? Amazingly gross." Evie amends. "Bleh."
"Uggh. I am going to need some serious sunscreen."
"Yeah."
Sunscreen isn't much use on the isle seeing how there is rarely any sun. People mostly use it to get high, though it can be addictive. Evie understands Mal all the same. She likes the sun and all the light it brings to the room, but over time it will be horrible in maintaining her pale complexion.
"E." Mal points to the curtains in silent demand. Evie quickly closes the curtains. But, not without taking a peek at the garden outside. "Phew. That's much better." The purple haired teen drops her bag on the bed nearest the door.
Evie sighs. She guesses she's taking the other bed, that's fine. It's the bed she wanted anyway. She sets her bags down and takes a seat on the bed. She's there for barely a second before Mal is pulling her towards the door.
"Come on. We are going to the boy's room. We need to come up with a plan the get the wand." Evie has just enough time to grab her purse before she is being dragged down the hallway. The walk to the boy's room is a short one. For that, she's grateful. They'd done a ton of walking during their tour of the school and her feet are beginning to ache.
They could hear the guys before they could see them. Their laughter was accompanied by loud fighting sounds and music. Evie truly hopes there isn't a noise limit on top of curfew. There is no way they can manage both. She is not sure what to expect when they enter the room, but she had not considered the room would already be in slight disarray. How had they managed to get it this way already. One thing is for sure, the guy's room is bigger than theirs.
They even have- Evie gasps- an en suite! That's so not fair. She and Mal have to use a communal bathroom. She honestly hadn't cared much about it until she saw that the boys have their own private bathroom. She knows where she will be getting ready school. To the right of the bathroom is a small fireplace sectioned off by a short wooden fence along the hearth that Carlos stands on to play a game on the television that hangs above it. "Evie look!" Carlos exclaims when he notices them in the room. He points excitedly at the screen before turning back to finish his game. Evie warms at his bright smile. Isn't a surprise that he is the one to figure out how it all works. She's quite impressed by the cordless controllers.
She and Mal take in the room as they walk past Carlos and around a messy circular table with seats for all four of them. They also have a table in their room, but it only sits two.
Evie follows Mal toward Jay on the opposite end of the room sorting through the pile of junk on his bed. She smiles at the black and white pillow on Carlos' bed as she passes it. She feels special being the one who'd given it to him. The boy's beds are also larger she notes. This doesn't bother her though. Someone Jay's size or taller would end up hanging off of the beds in the girls' dorms.
"Jay what are you doing?" Mal demands.
"It's called stealing." Jay sasses back. "Well, more like taking inventory of stolen goods."
"What's the point?"
Evie takes a seat on Carlos' bed and watches the interaction.
"It's like buying whatever I want, 'cept it's free." He makes a show of dramatically opening a laptop. Evie wonder where on earth had he gotten that thing, and how he did it without anyone noticing? She's honestly amazed at his skill.
"Yeah, you could do that "Mal agrees. "or you could leave all of this here and pick it up when we take over the world."
Evie chuckles at that. "You sound just like your mother." She muses.
"Mal, you're all work and no fun. Live a little. And if you don't like it, I'll do it my way and you can do it yours." Jay walks around Mal to put the code protected laptop on the table. The young fairy growls in response.
"Take that troll!" Carlos shouts in victory. He's won the round. "Jay, check this thing out. Man, it's awesome!" His grin is wide as he passes the controllers to the older boy.
Jay immediately jumps into the game swinging. It seems that he was paying attention to Carlos when he played. Evie isn't positive what the purpose of the game is, but it looks like he's winning. She stands closer to get a better look.
"Guys!" Mal snaps. "Do I need to remind you why we're all here?"
Oh yes please! You've only told us a billion times since we got here. What's one more. Evie thinks bitterly. Couldn't they enjoy themselves a little while they were here?
"Fairy Godmother blah, blah, blah. Magic wand blah, blah."
Evie can't stop herself from laughing at Jay's response. She tries to hide her smile from Mal, but she's already seen and is understandably pissed. "This," The fae begins. "is our one fucking chance to prove ourselves to our parents and everyone one on the damn isle that we have what it takes and we're not to be fucked with." Evie and the boys quiet immediately. Now is not the time for games. The look in Mal's eyes warn them she is one wrong comment away from literally ripping them to shreds. "There will be no repeat of the Forbidden Fortress and the Dragon's eye. We will not go back to the isle empty handed. Understood?"
"Yeah." They nod in unison.
Evie hates to think will happen to them if the semester ends before they have a chance to get the wand. Or what her mother will do to her if she's not married to a prince and expecting their first child or at least engaged. Hades forbid she live her happily ever after without her mother right by her side, leading the way. What would Mother do if she no longer has value to her? Will she finally act on her threat of selling her to the highest bidders? Evie shivers at the thought. What about the rest of them? Cruella will throw Carlos in her closet filled with bear traps. Who is Evie kidding? Even if she removed all of her precious furs, she would never let go of her house slave. Carlos' biggest treats wouldn't be his mother actively trying to kill him, but everyone outside of their home ready to bully him into submission. Though if her freedom is denied, they all may be skinned alive. Evie decides right then never to let Carlos go back to that woman and that house. And Maleficent herself said she'd kill Mal if she fails. None of them want to find out if the applies to all of them.
"Evie." Mal snaps at her then points to a chair at the table. "Give me the magic mirror."
"I'm not sure how to get it to work." Evie says but does as she's told. She has a couple ideas. She spent hours poring over her mother's old spell books. She's sure she can figure it out if actually takes the time to do it. She's never used magic before— well she's not sure if she can count what transpired at the Forbidden Fortress. It may not have been her at all. Evie may not even have magic.
Mal sits next to her at the table while the boys hover over them both. "Mirror, show me the wand!" The young fae shouts at the Mirror in her hand. They wait... Nothing happens. "Show me the wand!" Still nothing. There's no swirling mist like her mother described. No face. There's not even a ripple. The Mirror remains the same, showing their frustrated and concerned face back to them.
Does it not work? It is chipped around some of the edges. Maybe it's broken. Or maybe— she afraid to even think it. There's no need to worry. Mal cannot hear her thoughts especially if she has no magic herself. Besides that takes years and years of experience and advanced magic. Goblins. What if Maleficent's daughter doesn't possess magic? Is it possible that the fires at the clinic were just reactions to having been dosed with magic and not her actually possessing it? She wouldn't be able to use the spell book her mother gave her to assist in getting wand. Would they need it? There has to be a way for them to still accomplish their mission without magic. There are plenty of feared villains on the isle that didn't need magic to become fearsome and respected. Take Cruella for instance, all she needed was a touch of insanity.
Who is she kidding? There is no way they are going to pull this off without the help of magic.
Mal screams at the Mirror again. Nothing. This is becoming embarrassing. The crease in her eyebrows give away she is thinking the same thing about her lack of inherited magic.
Evie covers the mirror with a hand and gently priest it from the Fairy's grip. "Let me try." It had been gifted to her after all. She remembers what her mother taught her: command the object, leave no room for disobedience. Evie holds the mirror up for all of them to see. She speaks firmly. "Magic mirror on the- in my hand show me the Fairy Godmother's wand."
They all gasp when the mirror swirls with the grey mist like her mother described. It reveals the wand, floating in the air. But where is it exactly? The image of it is cropped in so tightly it's difficult to see any other details about the room it's in.
"Magic Mirror, not so close."
The mirror zooms out to reveal the entirety of the expansive room it is in. They all gather in to get a better look. The wand is suspended above some kind of platform in a- castle?
"Is that Beast Castle?" Evie theories out loud.
Carlos shakes his head. "No. I don't think this is a Castle look at all the plaques."
"So, it's a museum of some kind?" Jay adds. "But which one?"
"The Museum of Cultural History." Mal supplies.
"How'd you guess that?"
"I didn't." The fairy points to a spot on the mirror. "There's a banner in the back of the room that reads: Welcome to The Museum of Cultural History. I put two and two together."
"OK, ok, miss sassy pants. But how do we get there? Where is that exactly?" Jay frowns and folds his arms.
Carlos gives the laptop Jay stole one last click before turning it to them. "2.3 miles from here." In the time it took Mal to explain how she figured it out and Jay responding, Carlos had hacked into the computer and pulled up a map Auradon. All of this had gone mostly unnoticed by the rest of them. He is truly good at what he does.
Evie smiles brightly at him. "Magic Mirror take us to the Museum of Cultural History." The mirror swirls for a bit before clearing to reveal an arrow pointing toward the door. Evie gasps in delight. This is working out better than she could imagine.
Mal promptly snatched the Mirror from Evie's hand and took lead. The gang of misfits ran the entire way to the museum. They bobbed and weaved through the shadows as not to be caught security roaming around the area. It took one of the miles just to get off the campus. The school is massive. Once they were off school property Mal slows her stride to let the others catch their breath. The streets of Auradon are nothing like the streets on the isle. They are practically deserted here, where back home they'd be coming to life with the most disgusting scum the isle has to offer. Bad things happen at all times of the day, but night is when the islanders really have fun. A feeling pools in the pit of Mal's stomach. She can't be home sick already. They'd only just got here. Sick of home is more like it. She brushes the feeling away a replaces it with another when she finally spots the building they are heading toward. They have mission to complete. There is no time for sentimental moods. Gross. It's time to prove to the world just how rotten they can be.
"Come on." Mal takes off into a sprint toward the building. The others close behind. She tosses the magic mirror to Evie once they are on the premises. They move quickly around the building to check for possible points of entry, but a little guidance from the mirror would be helpful. "Evie, check the mirror."
Evie gasps and holds up the mirror. "Is mascara smudged?"
"Yeah," She nods. "and hey, while you're at it, why don't you see if you can find us the wand." Mal gives the princess a small shove. What the hell is the matter with her?
"Sure." The girl replies without hesitation realizing her mistake. "Mirror." She gives the mirror a shake. "This way." They follow Evie to a side door that leads to a security room.
Mal scoffs at the stupidity of Auradonians. They have one security guard watching monitors displaying, what she assumes is a live broadcast of many magical objects of importance. And it's facing them. Damn. They must really want their things stolen. Why else would they make it so easy?
Right behind the lone guard is a spinning wheel. Not just any old spinning wheel, but her mother's spinning wheel. The one used to curse the princess, Aurora. It's not as scary or imposing like she thought it would be. To Mal it just looks like any other spinning wheel.
Jay snickers beside her. "That's your mother's spinning wheel?"
Carlos joins in. "It's kinda dorky."
So, what? Mal thinks. Of course, it seems a little out of date; it happened over a hundred years ago. "It's magic. It doesn't have to look scary." Mal opens her mother's spell book. She flips through it until she finds the spell she's looking for. They are more like guides. Every spell is different for every witch. She simply needs to find the right words. Mal focuses her energy on the old security guard and says the chant: "Magic spindle do not linger. Make my victim prick a finger."
They wait.
The security guard turns in the direction of the spinning wheel, their direction. They make sure to stay out of sight, while maintaining a clear view of the scene before them. Still, they wait.
Nothing happens.
"Impressive." Jay teases.
"I got chills." Carlos joins in.
Mal grumbles under her breath. Twice in one night? The fire at the infirmary cannot be a fluke. She has to have magic. She has to. The fae uses the burning feeling in her stomach to fuel her words. "Prick the finger, pick it deep. Send my enemy off to sleep."
This time Mal feels her voice as it echos past the glass of the door and to the security guard. Like a second limb she uses her voice to pull him from his chair and toward the wheel. "Prick your finger I say!" The old man touches his index finger to the needle of the wheel. "Sleep." Mal commands.
The guard yawns and stretches. He lays across the high platform the spinning wheel rest on and is fast to sleep. She gasps in excitement as the magical rush leaves her body. She stands straighter and smirks at the boys to her side. "It's not so dorky now, huh." Mal says smugly and reaches to open the door.
The smirk drops. The door is locked. Damn it. Of course, it is. She let herself get too distracted. Mal shakes the door in frustration.
"Stand back." Jay orders as he prepared to break the lock with force. Carlos and Evie move out of his way, but Mal stays put.
She glances at the spell book once more. "Make it easy make it quick, open up without a kick." The doors swing open just as Jay's foot is about to make contact. As opposed to hitting the door, he goes flying through the air and onto the floor inside the room. The landing is a hard one.
Mal leads the rest of the snickering group past him, but not before giving him a little kick while he's still on the ground. "Ya coming Jay?" She teases.
Evie gives his head a tap as she passes. Carlos laughs but stops to help. "Come on Jay." He attempts to lift the bigger teen into a standing position.
Jay stands and shoves Carlos' arms off of him. "I got it." Embarrassment evident on his face. Be stalks away from Carlos and follows Mal and Evie to the monitors.
"I was just trying to help." Carlos grumbles after him.
"How do we turn these off?" Mal questions as she and Evie look around the monitors displaying memorabilia from heroes and villains' past. They don't need video evidence of them stealing the wand. They would take the kingdom by surprise when they are ready.
Carlos begins typing on one of the monitors to disable the cameras. Evie watches what he does and begins the process on a separate monitor.
"This is taking too long." Jay pulls out his pocketknife and slices through a handful of cords and wires.
They've nearly finished shutting down all of the cameras and monitors when the screens go black. "Hey! What the fuck man?" Carlos snaps. "Why would you that? I hadn't finished shutting off all the cameras."
"We've got more things to worry about than having our picture taken by a few cameras. It doesn't matter. Once we have the wand will have the power to make all this go away with a wave of our hand."
"Jay's right." Mal steps in. "We don't have time for this. Let's get the wand and get out." Her word is final.
Evie stops typing on her one monitor that was still working. She gives an encouraging squeeze to Carlos' shoulder and smiles brightly at the group of them. This is really happening. There are going to get the Fairy Godmother's wand. All of their dreams will become reality. "Come on guys! This way." She feels the same tingle in her hand when she uses the mirror. Evie looks down at her hand with the mirror in it. It activated itself, telling her where to go.
They run through the halls like they did on the island. Only the cheers, smiles, and laugher aren't at the expense of some else's suffering. No, this is pure excitement. It's exhilarating. It's liberating. It's nothing like she ever experienced before. Of course, she hasn't. Never have they been so close to happy ending, happy beginning they're still young.
Her mirror changes to read: Hall of Heroes. Evie easily finds the sign pointing the way. "Guys, upstairs." She leads them to the second floor, their momentum never slowing. "Come on we're almost there." She's practically skipping down the hall. Something catches in the corner of her eye, stopping her dead in her tracks. Had she led them down the wrong hallway? The mirror burns in her hand. She must be imagining things. She has to be. She's positive they were left in the isle. They are free of them, at least for a little while. Right? Happiness is fleeting. It never seems to last; a lesson she must continue to learn the hard way it seems.
She's too stunned to speak, to move.
Mal nearly collides with her. "What th-" her voice dies in her throat when she catches sight of what made Evie pause. The boys look in that direction.
"Mommy?" Evie's voice is weak. She finds the courage within herself to move. The statue is of a much younger woman in her prime. There is no love reflected in her heart. It's cold and miserable and looks ready to kill. The face is striking, mesmerizing. Evie flinches uncontrollably when the statues eyes align with hers. She inches closer to get a better view, but a woman in her youth is not what greets her. The statue transforms into the wicked old hag. She's lived with her mother for 16 years. She's seen her at her absolute worst on the isle, even in her old age Grimhilde keeps as certain beauty about her. Yet looking at this statue she's never seen her mother so ugly.
"Killer." Jay gasps in awe.
There are statues of so many villains in the hall. Such as Captain Hook, Mother Gothel, Claude Frollo, and Ursula. None of them have seen the sea witch on the island, other than maybe Mal. If all they have to go by is her statue, the woman is breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying all at once. So many villains, so many stories, and lives forever changed. All of their parents are among them. They are all so very life-like. It takes constant convincing in their minds that their parents aren't truly here. They all heard the stories, but that's all they really were until now. Jafar's statue is of him draped in his Royal Vizier garbs, riding a magic carpet with his serpent staff pointed toward them. There's a gleam in the statues eye that gives Evie half a mind to cover herself more than she already is. That, it seems, has not changed.
Cruella's statue is beyond frightening. Carlos shivers. "I will never skip a cleaning day again." To think he is only experiencing only a fraction turn off her insanity. He is aware of the moment this statue is referencing. Everyone on the isle knows about her break in sanity that led to a major car crash. It looks like Jasper and Horace described it. Her eyes dilated and unfocused, teeth bared, her hair unnaturally suspending in the hair as if electrocuted and a skeletal thinness that amplifies her other features.
Maleficent's is the most imposing. Her sharp features a reflection of her formidable personality, her arm stretched out to show long black robes drape across her figure accented by the deepest purples. Its seven-foot frame exudes power. This image of Maleficent matches the suffocating presents they felt in the Forbidden Fortress. Mal frowns at the statue. She suddenly understands why she's never earned her full name. If her mother can bring terror to people by simply looking at a mere of her image of her, what it will be like gets the magic wand? She'll have both the dragon's eye and fairy Godmother's wand. She will hold the power of both good and evil at her mercy. And what will Mal be remembered for? The girl who brought her the wand? No. She has to do something. She has to be remembered for something great for years to come. People will whimper at the mere mention of her name. Maleficent. They won't be thinking of just her mother. They will be the most powerful duo the world has ever seen, working together as a single unit. She has to earn her name. She has to be more than just Mal.
"Welp. The wand's not here. Let's bounce." Jay snaps them all out of their trance. There's nothing to worry about. This is what they want. Right? "Let's go." He says again, more firmly this time. Evie and Carlos follow him out of the hallway. Mal remains put.
To be evil like her mother she'll have to do things differently from her. She'll need to forge a path of her own. Once they have the wand, then what? She can't simply hand it over to her mother like a good little daughter. No! She has rain hell on Auradon first, pave the way for her mother's rule. She will earn her name.
"Mal, come on. We found the wand." Evie pops back in the hall. She tentatively puts a hand on Mal's arm once she's close enough. "Are you OK?"
Mal slaps the other girl's hand away. "Let's get what we came here for." The two of them catch up to the boys who lean over a circular railing in the center of the room. Within it is a thick beam of light that shines from an upper floor to the one below them. At the bottom of the light, resting in suspension is the Fairy Godmother's wand. They are on the wrong floor. There is no way they are going to be able to reach it from here.
"Come this way." Jay leads them down a set of stairs conveniently placed right next to the wand's display. He makes it well before the rest do. By the time the others arrive, he's already come up a strategy to get the wand. He sends a bold look to the group of them on the other side of the display before preparing himself to dive under the railing.
"Jay no, wait!" Mal stops him before he can dive under.
He listens. Maybe she saw something he missed. "What is it?" He asks from his crouched position.
"This is a magical object. Let's get it by using, I dunno, magic." She waves her mother's spell book.
Jay rolls his eyes as he stands properly. "By all means great and terrible witch." He mocks with a show of faux flamboyance.
Mal ignores him. She holds her hand out toward the wand. "Make a hole clear to see, come my wand draw near to me."
Nothing happens.
"If I may," Evie begins. She takes a half a step back incase Mal doesn't take well to the interruption. "you don't own the wand. It's not yours, at least not yet. Perhaps you need to be more specific."
The young fae is quiet for a moment as she considers this. "Okay. Okay. Make a hole clear to see, let thy power draw to me."
Once again nothing happens.
Mal tries again. They watch with rapped attention. "Make a hole clear to see, come now wand draw near to me." The wand doesn't budge. It doesn't even move in the slightest. It's not working. Why isn't it working? Not even the atmosphere shifts. Everything remains the way it is. Mal growls her next words. "Make a hole clear to me, set the magic wand free! Set it free damn it!" Carlos and Evie both flinch.
"Alright." Jay intervenes. "We tried magic. Maybe it's time we go back to the good old-fashioned robbery now?" He swings himself underneath the railing surrounding the wand.
"No. Jay wait." Mal tries the spell once again.
Jay doesn't listen. He is too close to grabbing the wand to wait for Mal's broken magic. Seriously, why haven't they just grabbed it? They are wasting so much time. Jay takes a breath and shoots a wide tooth grin at the others before lunging for the wand. He doesn't make it. As it turns out, the light cascading around the wand isn't light, but a magic force field. Two things happen when he touches the field. First, Jay is flung far away from the field and the wand. He lands roughly on the hard floor. He takes inventory of himself. Nothing seems to be broken, only bruised. Second, and probably most importantly, the second Jay's hand touches the force field an alarm is set off. It's shrill ringing is so loud that it makes it hard for anyone to think. The four if them cover their ears in a desperate attempt of blocking out some of the sound.
"A force field and an alarm? Doesn't that feel excessive?" Carlos yells over the sirens. It turns out Auradon is smarter than they let on.
Evie helps Jay to his feet. The blast really did a number in him. "Can you walk?" She shouts loudly enough so she can be heard over the ringing.
Jay does the same. "Fuck yeah." He stands fully. It doesn't go unnoticed that he hasn't let go of Evie. The princess for her part of it, doesn't appear bothered by it in the slightest.
"Come on. They'll likely have people coming after us." Mal leads them back the way they came. The gang quickly and quietly run through the hallways and toward the exit. The sleeping security guard is gone. Probably woken by the alarms. That or the insistent telephone that keeps ringing.
Carlos stops to answer the phone. "Hello? Uh, give me one second. One second."
What is he doing? Evie really wants to backtrack to find out or to drag him along, but considering how slowly she and Jay are moving they'll need as much of a head start as they can get. They only just make it past the door when Carlos types in some number and the alarm stops. Only then does Evie pause to look back.
"Yeah, yeah. No, false alarm." Carlos speaks into the phone as he reads off some papers. "There was a malfunction in the LM 714 chip in the breadboard circuit. Yeah. Okay. Say hi to the missus." He smirks at his own charm.
Heavy footsteps could be heard coming in their direction from down the adjoining hall. They don't have time for this. "Carlos." Evie snaps at the boy to get him to hurry up before maneuvering her and Jay out of the door as well. Mal is already across the street.
"You're welcome." Carlos grumbles back at her from near behind.
Once all of them are safely tucked under the bushes and shrubs in the park across the street they all stop to take a breath. The alarm is no longer blaring. Carlos managed to toss them off their trail for a while, but none of that cleared them with the security guard still running after their ghost. One thing is for sure, there is no way they are getting the Fairy Godmother's wand tonight.
"Way to go Jay. Now we have to go to school tomorrow." Mal gives Jay a shove to the chest.
He does his best to hide a pained groan, but Evie is too close not to hear. Perhaps she could attempt one of the healing spells she read in her mother's book. Grimhilde's spell book is back on the isle. So, she'll have to work from memory. She doesn't think she'll have a hard time recalling it; it was one of the only things she could read for the past 6 years. Evie is more worried about her execution. There were plenty of warnings of what could happen if done wrong.
"Leave your door open a crack tonight." Evie whispers so only he can hear. "I can take care of your injuries once everyone's gone to sleep or distracted."
He tries to push her away from him without grabbing the attention of the others. It is a weak attempt and Evie is able to keep her strong hold on him. Thus, proving her point that there is something definitely wrong with him. "I'm fine. I don't need your help. It's just a bruise."
"Jay, please? You can barely stand straight. Let me help you, please?"
"How are you going to do that?"
"Magic."
He takes a moment to consider. "Fine." Evie smiles brightly at her victory. "Tell anyone and your dead. You hear?"
Mal continues. "We move on to plan 'Z'."
"What's plan Z?" Carlos interrupts.
"Plan 'Z' is to play nice and blend in with the Auradon kids until we formulate a new plan. We cannot let them catch on to what we're doing." She explains seriously. "We play the part."
The others let out a chorus of grumbles. Evie will never say this out loud, but she is looking forward to attending Auradon Prep tomorrow. Hopefully her first day will turn out better than her first day of Dragon Hall. She'd forgotten her lunch, sat in the wrong seat and angered a dark fairy who plotted to get her killed in a closet, and when that didn't work planned to let her sleep for the next thousand years. But that's all in the past right? Well, mostly.
Evie is aware Mal is awake. She simply lays unmoving in her bed. It's unnerving, but she thinks she's gotten used to it by now. They shared a room at the clinic. The thing she worries about is exiting the room without making a scene. One thing she's learned is that Mal isn't too keen on letting Evie go places without her knowledge.
"I need the bathroom." Evie says to the dark room. When Mal says nothing, she takes it as her ok to go.
The walk to the boys' room is a quiet one. She shivers at the chilliness of the hallways. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to leave her room in only her pajamas. She wears a spaghetti strapped nightgown that stops just above her knees. It's the only pajamas she's brought. The cool of the air isn't what makes her uneasy. She is more than used to being cold. No, what makes her pause is the silence. Evie hates to admit she misses home. Nights in the Castle Across the Way were quieter than most homes on the island because of its distance from the cluster of crumbling buildings and alleyways that make up the most of the population's dwelling, but it was never this quiet. She could still hear the faint sounds of the trader wagons and footsteps moving through the streets. More nights than she could count, she'd put herself to sleep to the sound of the crickets and other night creatures communicating amongst themselves. The subtle creak of her large home haunted her dreams and made her imagination run so wild it'd take ages before she could get to sleep, but Evie found it near impossible to sleep without it her first night here. Yes, her home is quiet at night, but never Auradon quiet.
Evie breathes a sigh of relief when she sees the faintest light coming from a crack in the boys' dorm door. She picks up the magazine keeping it open as she pushes her way into the room. Jay is sat hunched on the edge of his bed that still holds all of his findings from earlier that day. His roommate is sound asleep, wrapped around his pillow from home. She smiles at the image before bringing her attention back to Jay. She walks over to where he's sat, and grabs hold of his arm. "Come on. Let's do this in the bathroom."
Evie guides him to sit on the closed lid of the toilet seat. She squats until she is eye leave with him. "Hi." She says nervously. She doesn't think she's ever been alone with Jay before. All her confidence from before has vanished when she needs it most. She isn't quite sure what to do with herself or him for that matter.
"Hey." Jay responds tiredly. He looks to her expectantly. Exhaustion is clear on his face and in his body language. He needs a bed and a good night's sleep.
"I'll try to be quick." She promises him. "Now let me see your rib." She tugs at his shirt.
"It's uh, actually my back. My rib hurts too, but that's nothing I can't handle. My back is killing me." Jay begins to lift his shirt. He winces at the movement.
"Here, let me." Evie helps him out of his shirt slowly, mindful of his injury. She can't help but let out a small gasp when she sees how his skin is already changing colors. His ribs are a bright red color, and it stretches all the way to his back where it begins to purple. Yeah, so not a bruise. "Jay."
"Damn. Is it that bad?"
She really wants to ask how he managed to walk back from the museum and how he's sitting up now. Evie is no stranger to injuries. She and her mom both tended to many people seeking refuge during the War of Territories a few years back. She's gained a healthy knowledge of how to treat one's injuries. "I won't lie. It's bad, but I've tended worse."
Jay shifts uncomfortably. "So how does this work? The magic I mean."
Evie looks around the room for a towel. Once she finds one, she runs it under some water in the sink. "It requires water. My mother's spell book doesn't specify what kind of water, so I assume any is fine. This beats isle water at least." She presents a now wet hand towel to him.
"There were healing spells in your mother's books?" He looks at her curiously.
"Yeah. Quite a few in fact." It may be a good idea to write down as many of the spells she can recall. One never knows when it may come in handy. It beats trying to recall them every time she needs to use them. At least until she knows them by heart. She'll need plenty of practice.
Evie squeezes the towel water across his back and chest. She then gently rubs what she can into his skin with her bare hands. The book specified that it be the casters hands to spread the water. Not a towel or outside force. She never understood why until now. It's to become intimately connected with the area. She takes note of the way his muscles tense then relaxes under her fingers. There's a new understanding of how they should work and how his injury is preventing that. She wets her hands in the sink to both clean her hands of some of Jay's blood and gather more water before moving to his front. She takes a moment to admire his chiseled chest and toned abs. She'd be blind not to have noticed the definition in his arms, but to know for certain that his torso matches– Every muscle, every scar tells the story of his life. They build on top of the other until they make up the beautiful creature that is Jay.
The princess is brought from her musings when Jay sucks in breath in reaction to where she's pressed too hard on his chest. She finds his eyes immediately and flushes at his smirk. She'd been caught admiring. And to do it so intimately. She internally curses. "I- I am so sorry. I should have asked if this was ok." Evie pulls her hands away from him. Jay grabs her wrist just as quickly and pulls until her hands are once again on his chest. He holds her hands under his so she can't pull them away again. She looks at him curiously.
"Continue." His voice comes out low husk. As an afterthought he adds: "Please. I promise I don't mind."
Evie spreads her fingers across his torso. It's probably time to actually do some healing magic. "This may feel a bit uncomfortable." She warns. She wraps her arms around him until her hands reach the source of his pain in his back. She's aware she could have moved to face the injury, but she selfishly doesn't want to break eye contact with him. She feels for the spot on his back where his rib has broken away from his spine. Her hands begin to tingle. Evie takes a breath. She pictures his rib once again connecting to his spine, stronger than before.
"Shhhiit." Breathes the injured teen. Evie doesn't stop. The bones connect as if they've never been broken and realign with its joint. His muscles weave together until the tear in them is a distant memory. Pain eases from his spleen, kidney, and lung as they shift back into their proper place. She doesn't stop until her hands are once again on his chest. She finishes by easing some of the ache from body, mindful not to forget places he used to overcompensate for his injury.
"There. All done." Evie sits back on her feet. The action a bit uncontrolled, but she sums it up to being tired. She reaches for one of Jay's hands to give it a squeeze. That took a lot out of her. She needs a moment to catch her breath. Her heart is racing as if she just ran a mile.
"Hey, whoa. Are you okay?" Jay sits up quickly ready to catch her if things turn south.
"You're the one who dislocated his rib from his spine and you're asking if I'm ok? Yeah, I'll live." Jay makes a face she can't quite decipher. "Are you okay?" She asks in concern she may have done something wrong. Maybe her magic hadn't done anything at all, and he is still in pain. Or maybe it did work and she made it worse somehow. "Jay."
"I'm fine. I'm more than fine, if not a bit sore. I'm right as rain I promise." He squeezes her hand.
She looks in his eyes for any deception. She can't find any. "OK. If you say so. You will let me know if you're ever not, right?"
"Of course." Jay's stare is so intense she feels like he can see past the surface and ventures into a place no one has ever dared before. That absolutely terrifies her.
Evie becomes very aware of her minimal state of dress and shivers. She removes her hand from his and wraps it around her bare shoulders. "I should go. It's late. And you should get some rest. We've got a big day tomorrow."
"Plan 'Z'."
"Plan 'Z'."