Reggie's Perspective
It was exciting to be back in Auradon Prep. Especially without the whole anxietyrelatedtoactivelyplottingtodestroyAuradonforever thing. Shen left to join the festivities already, but Reggie was not the type who was able to get ready quickly. He was still styling his hair with pomade.
He, Maddie, and Shen were admitted back to Auradon Prep after saving the day and undoing all that they'd done in the past. The only caveat being that they'd have to repeat their goodness class. They also wished Jordan free. She and her father were the first stop on their apology tour. But Reggie was convinced he'd prove he wasn't going to be that person going forward.
He straightened his tie and made sure his heart-shaped cuff links were right side up. Then he heard a knock at his door before he could decide whether he preferred the red blazer with black trimming or the black blazer with white trimming.
He went to the door and his heart dropped. Not because of Gio this time, shockingly. But it was someone he wanted to plan his words to for a while longer.
Wes smiled at him, holding a plate with a couple cupcakes in his hands. "Hey, hero. Can I come in?"
Reggie blushed. He stepped aside to let Wes in. "Only because you bear the toll for admittance," Reggie said. "Sweets."
"Oh, you're sweeter than these." Wes said, sitting on the couch and setting the plate down. "Is it true you faced off against Gio and Mal in the past to save the day?"
Reggie joined him. "More or less, but it wasn't as grand as all that. And Mal wasn't fighting against us." He reached for the cupcakes. One was black with red hearts iced on the top. It was even heart-shaped. The other was black with green flames iced onto it and shaped like a cat face. "This is so thoughtful." He took a bite and it was the most amazing thing he'd ever tasted. "And delicious. Citrusy."
Wes laughed. "If you can save the day, I can bake something. It smells way better the poisons I used to brew."
"Should I be afraid?" Reggie asked jokingly, taking another bite.
"Speaking of afraid," Wes said, his face troubled. "I was terrified when I found out what had happened. I wish I could have been by your side to help you."
"It's fine," Reggie said. "Next time I go through a portal to the past, I'll swing by to grab you."
"Seriously," Wes said gravely. "I wanted to tell you something."
Reggie looked down. "Mal told me you saw my messages with Gio." He couldn't bring himself to look in Wes's eyes. He couldn't even bring himself to move, he felt himself go stiller than he'd ever been "I'm sorry. I just want you to know that my feelings for you have always been real, but I understand if you can't trust me. I was being awful..."
"Hey," Wes said, touching Reggie's shoulder. "Gio was right about one thing. No matter the pretenses, your feelings were real. I know that. And so are mine because...I love you."
Reggie's heart lifted. He wanted to smile, but he still felt like his face couldn't move. He wanted to look straight at Wes, but he couldn't bring himself to. "Truly? You don't hate me?"
"I could never hate you," Wes said.
"I think...I think I love you too."
"Oh, you have no idea how much I wanted to hear that." Wes chuckled and Reggie tried harder to look at him. He still couldn't move his head, his eyes, or his face. His grip went slack and the cupcake fell to the ground. "Don't you wanna look me in my eyes, cupcake?"
Reggie couldn't do it. No matter how hard he tried. "Wes? What did you do?"
"One of the things I do best, darling." Wes laughed. "Ironic that I'm the one who poisoned you, you snake, huh?"
Gio's Perspective
This prison food was awful. It wasn't as bad as Isle food. But at least on the Isle there were options. And sometimes labels with information about calories or ingredients. She settled on the apple.
It was the first time they'd given her any fresh produce and it would definitely be the last time she could enjoy any. To the Isle she went. Back to her mom and army of sisters. They could've at least been merciful and drowned her. Or kept her a doll and let her live in a dream palace.
She took a bite, considering her options to get out of here. Not enough contact with the guards to deceive one. Another bite. She could fake an allergic reaction to the gluten in the sandwich. Maybe someone would come to tend to her and she could overpower them. Another bite. She needed a weapon that was sharper than a spork. Maybe she could glance at the guard that brought dinner to see what they carried? Another bite. And an escape would be difficult without a destination in mind. Another bi--
She heard a CRACK and looked down at something impossible. She was trying to bite into a skull! A legit human skull! She threw it. That could not be sanitary. She spat out the fragments and gasped.
She'd chipped all of her front teeth and they'd fallen out of her mouth. No, no, no, no, no. They must've been from the skull. She felt her mouth and...they were really her teeth.
She went to the toilet, another thing that could not be sanitary. She looked in to examine her reflection and...no. She had fuzzy hairs all over her face, no teeth, no nose, eight red eyes, and giant mandibles sprouting from her cheeks. She was a spider.
She wanted to throw up. She tried and strings came from her mouth. Little thin strings that looked like threads. Like...like spiderwebs.
When she heard a knock, she cowered from the door. A panther waited outside the bars to her cell. And the panther smiled.
"No, how did you get here?" Gio screamed. She noticed the mandibles out of the corner of her eye and started to scratch at her cheek.
"Giovanna," the panther purred. "You don't look so good. Don't you know not to eat apples in Auradon? Ask Snow White." The panther hissed and Gio screamed, scrambling away.
Wes's Perspective
Wes couldn't be more elated. He didn't think Reggie would, but the idiot did. He said he loved him. It was perfect. Everything was perfect.
Wes picked up his own cupcake and Reggie was right. They tasted amazing, despite the citrusy taste of the antidote in them. The sleeping tonic was in the air vents. And everyone in the school would be catching more Zs than Aurora soon.
"Wes, I know I've upset you--" Reggie began.
"I'm not upset," Wes said, leaning closer to Reggie. He had to grab Reggie's chin to force him to look in his eyes. "I'm blisteringly, seethingly, murderously angry."
"But I thought Evie spelled your anger away."
"Didn't last." Wes retrieved a needle made of bone from his pocket. "Oh wait," he set it down on the table and retrieved a collar from one of his other pockets. "One more thing." He held the collar in front of Reggie's eyes. "The diamonds are actually my tears. Potent stuff."
As Wes secured the collar to Reggie's neck, the other witch said. "Wes, why are you doing this? What are you even doing?"
Wes fastened it and pulled his hands away. "You hurt me in the worst way someone as pathetic as you could be capable of." Wes smiled. "I've always been competitive. I think I can go a few steps further."
"Please, Wes," Reggie pleaded, still fighting to move. "You're scaring me."
"That's kinda the point." Wes said. "But I would never hurt you, dear. I didn't lie, I do love you...as much as someone like me can."
"I don't understand."
"Right," Wes said. He waved a hand and his ring appeared on his finger, the illusion disappearing like smoke. It glowed red and the temperature rose drastically. "I used to struggle with saying the spells in my head. But you remember how I told you my ring works off of passion?" He didn't wait for Reggie to speak. "Well hate works. But so does love. I just so happen to hate and love you. I've never felt stronger. You'll be by my side for a while. One look at you and I feel like I could burn down all of Auradon."
Reggie wanted to leave. Especially because it was getting hot enough for him to start sweating. And a white shirt wasn't the best for that. They revealed secrets.
"I know you didn't want to use me the way you did," Wes started, emotion in his expression.
"I didn't, I swear." Reggie said. "I shouldn't have, but I didn't want to."
Wes laughed. "Too easy. But I do believe you're a good person. Way too good for the real me." Wes stood. "So I'm gonna keep you at my side for the rest of time. And you'll see me make countless people suffer in the cruelest ways I can imagine. That's your punishment. After thirty years we'll be even and I'll forgive you."
Reggie's heart dropped again. "Please, Wes...don't do this..."
"Kinda have to now." Wes said. "You, Gio, Evie, you all thought I was stupid enough to trick." He tilted his head, smirking, "You probably felt so powerful doing it. Now each and every one of you has to suffer. It's just business, I have a reputation."
"But--"
"Shut up." Wes commanded. And he did it. "Perfectly obedient," Wes said. He grabbed the bone needle and pricked Reggie with it. "Come to the mirror."
Reggie stood, motions mechanical, and strode to stand by Wes at the mirror. Wes retrieved a jar of oil and dipped his fingers into it. He drew a series of runes on the mirror.
"Insighthio," Wes chanted. The mirror shifted to show Vivianne outside Giovanna's cell. The familiar was throwing bits of a sandwich at her and Gio screamed about beetles flying at her. Wes laughed. "Get her, Viv."
Reggie started to cry. Wes wanted to laugh at him, but decided an explanation would be crueler.
"Don't scream, but you can speak now." Wes said. He sobbed and Wes rolled his eyes. "Stop crying."
Reggie stopped the waterworks immediately, face becoming neutral, but he spoke. "Does she really deserve that?"
"Yes," Wes said. "No one uses me and gets away with that, as you'll soon find out. She thought she could make me believe anything she wanted. So she'll see illusions that terrorize her until sleep deprivation...you probably don't wanna know what it'll do."
"You could've coughed in her face if you wanted to do something to hurt her." Reggie said. "She's a total germaphobe."
"This is why I come up with the ideas, babe." Wes said. For some reason, Reggie didn't see that as funny. Or seem to like the pet names. Perfect. "I love the sound of your laugh. Laugh at her," Wes ordered. And Reggie did. Only to start looking guilty a second later.
"Why did I do that?" Reggie asked.
Wes tapped the collar. A red string of fire appeared between the collar and Wes's hand. "The power of our love...or your betrayal. You'll never be able to leave me, or disobey me."
"That's...that's awful." Reggie said. Wes tapped the collar again and the leash of flames disappeared.
"You're such a hypocrite." Wes said angrily. "You tried to do the exact same thing without a spell. Only you get to be aware of the fact that someone is actively trying to control you. Guess I'm not as sneaky as you."
Reggie's face fell. "Please at least let me cry. I want to be able to cry."
"No, sweetiepie," Wes laughed. "It'd make me sad. But I know the feeling because of...hmmm, let's go visit Evie. Apporime."
Evie's Perspective
Evie went to her bedroom for an outfit change and saw a cupcake on her desk. It was heart-shaped and frosted blue with red hearts. She knew it just had to be from Doug. She took a bite before she went into her closet for a garment bag.
She unzipped it. The dress was amazing, one of her greatest recent creations. She wanted to run her hand over the fur that trimmed the shoulders. But she couldn't. It was like she was just tapped in freeze tag. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move.
The smell of smoke confirmed her suspicions. "Wes," she said derisively.
"Guilty, as always," she heard Wes say. "Censan."
Evie's scream was cut off. Wes used another spell and she turned toward him. Wes used another spell and she could speak. "How are you even doing this?"
"Maybe your curse wasn't strong enough," Wes shrugged. Evie saw Reggie stood with him, looking like a kicked puppy. He even wore a collar. "But you should really thank Reggie for being garbage enough to bring out the evil in me."
"Wes, I didn't curse you," Evie said, "I gave you a second chance."
"To be like you." Wes said. "Fine, second chance. I'll give you the same thing."
"What do you mean?" Evie asked.
"That trapping my evil side away was clever," Wes retrieved the nautilus shell from his jacket. "So, I'm gonna do the same for you, but backwards."
"Pardon?" Reggie asked.
"Quiet, love." Wes commanded. And Reggie didn't speak anymore. He approached Evie and she couldn't back away. "Did you know genie magic is kinda like a radioactive thing. It lingers for years, it's that powerful."
Evie decided to let him talk.
"The effects of the spell to go through time twice are lingering around Jordan's house, I can feel them from here," he said happily. "I've been teaching the snake behind me how to harness those magical energies. Should be perfect to send your soul back to when you first arrived in Auradon, right?"
"How will that--" Evie started.
"Minus all the good bits." He grinned. "You decided it was your right to make me a weak, lovesick ball of sunshine. So, by that logic, I should be able to send you back with the worst aspects of yourself."
Evie blanched, wishing she could retreat from the smell of smoke that was attached to Wes.
"You'll be vapid and vain and materialistic, waiting to trick a prince into paying for your luxurious lifestyle," Wes said. "All your friends will be the worst versions of themselves. And we'll see what happens from there." His eyes simmered with red flames. "And I'll be there to make sure you hurt as many people as possible. So will Reggie. Right, baby?"
Reggie looked like he was ready to faint, but Wes ordered him not to. Evie wondered how she was going to stop him this time.