Chapter 1 – One Final Look

Zed sighed as he read over the invitation for the hundredth time. "Pops, I'm just not sure if I should go," he said. "I can't just leave you and Zoey here."

"Zed, you have to go," Zevon replied, grabbing the invitation out of his son's hands and reading it over again. "You'll probably never get another shot like this to get off the Isle. You have to take it."

"But what happens to you guys when pirates come knocking on the door," Zed argued. "Mom is gone, Zoey's just a little kid, you're getting older. It's my job to protect us, and I can't do that the other side of the barrier!"

"Zed, you're not wrong," his father sighed. "It's going to be hard without you here. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go. All I've ever wanted was for my kids to live normal lives. Lives outside the constant danger and poverty of the Isle. This is your shot, so please go and live in Auradon." Zevon asked through pleading eyes. "Do it for your mother."

Zed hugged his father tightly, as he said, "Are you sure you will be ok?"

"We'll be fine. Bonzo said he will help us when he can, and the Zambi family too. You just focus on making a good impression, so this new King will see that all zombies are as exceptional as you, Zed. And we can all live together in Auradon, away from the tyranny of the villains."

Zed sniffled, as he held back tears. "Thanks, pops."

"So you're really going?", Zoey's sweet, innocent voice said, catching the attention of the two older zombies. "You're going to live in Auradon?"

"Yeah, but only for a little while," Zed replied, crouching down to his little sister's height. "And pretty soon, you're going to come, and so is pops, and we are all going to live together in Auradon, in a big house, with lots of food, and…"

"And a pet dog!", Zoey added, smiling.

"And a pet dog," Zed agreed. "But I am going to miss you, Zo-Zo."

"Me too," Zoey said, pulling her brother into a hug.

"What! No! I'm not going to a boarding school filled to the brim with prissy pink princesses!", Mal exclaimed.

"And perfect princes," Evie added dreamily, earning a scowl from Mal.

"I don't care where the school is, I'm not wearing some stupid uniform," Jay scoffed, as he picked the dirt from his fingernails.

"You stupid brats!", Maleficent boomed, drawing the attention of the room back to her. "You're all thinking too small. 20 years ago, those self-righteous kings and queens banished us to this god forsaken island. Stripped us of our power, our weapons, and our magic. Forced us to live in poverty, amongst the other disgusting creatures, like zombies and werewolves. For too long we have waited for revenge! Now is our chance to take what we deserve, and you three are too busy squabbling like a bunch of toddlers!"

"How exactly are we supposed to take over Auradon?", Evie asked. "There's three of us, and I doubt they'll just hand us the keys to the kingdom the moment we arrive."

"You really are as stupid as Grimhilde says," Maleficent snarled, causing Evie to cower. "All you need to do is get Fairy Godmother's wand, and bring down the barrier. I'll take the rest from there."

"And what about Carlos?", Jay added. "He wasn't invited."

"Don't worry about Cruella's little pup," Maleficent smirked. "I'll keep a close eye on him whilst you're gone. I'd hate for anything to happen to him, especially if you fail," she threatened, causing the three VKs to exchange a worried look. "Now be gone, pack whatever worthless possessions yo want to take with you. The time of Maleficent nears!"

"Hey," Eliza said as she walked through the cave entrance and into the wolf den. Inside, she saw Willa sitting alone, on top of one of the various rocks. She turned towards the entrance giving a small smile to her girlfriend, her eyes still red from crying. "Is Wynter ready? We have to be there in half an hour."

"She'll be out in a sec," Willa croaked, failing to stop more tears from falling down her face.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," Eliza said, dropping her bags and running into the werewolf's arms. "I don't have to go, remember. I can stay here with you, let someone else go in my place. I love you so much."

"And I love you too," Willa replied. "That's why you have to go. You have to show the world that amazing, talented person I love so much." They stood like that for a few moments, wrapped in each others arms, foreheads pressed lovingly together. "I just can't believe that you're really going. Wynter too. I mean, when you told me, I knew you would leave, but I can't believe you're actually going to Auradon."

"Willa, will I need to…. Oh, sorry, did I interrupt something?", Wynter said as she walked into the main cave area, startling Eliza and Willa. "Do you want me to come back, or…?"

"No, Wynter you're fine," Willa waved her off, pulling away from her girlfriend. "You got everything you need?"

"I think so," Wynter said, pulling her bag over her shoulder. "But I can't help thinking that it should be you going not me. You're the alpha!"

"Exactly," Willa replied. "I need to stay here, with the rest of the pack, and keep things in order. That is, at least until you show Auradon that wolves aren't evil. That we can get off the Isle, and back into the forest, where we belong. Where we can find the moonstone once again."

"Are you sure I should be going?", Wynter asked, her voice filled with nervous energy. "Shouldn't it be Wyatt? Or…"

"Wynter, there's nobody I trust more for this than you," Willa said, pulling Wynter into a hug. "You are going to do great, I know it. Just look after yourself."

"Thanks, Willa," Wynter smiled. "I'll see you soon." And with that, she pounced out of the Wolf Den for one final time, leaving Willa and Eliza alone once again.

"Please look out for her whilst you're there," Willa pleaded. "If something happened…"

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her," Eliza said, turning face-to-face with Willa. "I promise." They gently pressed their lips together, embracing each other lovingly for a minute or so, before Eliza broke their kiss. "I'll write to you as soon as I can."

"I know you will," Willa smiled, sadly. "Goodbye, Eliza."

"It's not goodbye, it's see you later," Eliza added. "So, see ya later."

"Yeah, see ya later," Willa said, watching Eliza exit the cave, leaving her alone in the darkness.

Wynter and Eliza walked side by side down the tired streets of Zombietown, bags on their backs, for possibly the final time. The cracked sidewalk, broken panes of glass, and the faded road signs suddenly felt nostalgic, as if they would strangely miss all of this when they were in Auradon.

"You really think this will work?", Wynter enquired, breaking the silent barrier built between the two girls. "You think that they'll bring the other werewolves and zombies across?"

"I don't know," Eliza answered honestly. "The new king kid seems to care, but the rest of those royal assholes are the ones that put us on this trash pile in the first place. They can't be too happy that we're leaving."

"Surely they can't send us back without a reason though, can't they?"

"You overestimate the privilege of spoiled princes and princesses," Eliza scoffed. "Besides, it's not like they won't have at least some reason. We're going with three VKs. You see the way they prance around, destroying everything in their path. It won't be long before one of those idiots pickpockets some queen, and we'll all be sent back."

"You seem to have already given up hope," Wynter replied.

"Expect the worse, and you'll never be disappointed," Eliza said, dryly. "Anyway, we've got to grab Zed before we go to the gate."

Eliza walked the familiar route through the streets of Zombietown to Zed's father's house, hoping he wasn't in an emotional wreck like the previous afternoon. They were almost there, when Wynter interrupted Eliza's train of thought, suddenly saying, "Isn't that Zed, up there."

Eliza looked up to where Wynter was pointing at. Sure enough, sat perched on the edge of the roof top of one of the abandoned warehouses sat her best friend, sat along side one of the many people on her long list of those she despised on the Isle. "Not that bitch again," Eliza grunted under her breath, but loud enough for Wynter to hear her.

"Who is that?", Wynter asked, as she looked up at the girl sat next to Zed. Her fairly short legs dangled over the edge of the building next to Zed's longer ones, as she sat side by side with the zombie, her head resting on his shoulder as she leaned into him. Her wavy, long blonde hair snaked across Zed's chest she sat clutching an envelope in her hands, as she and Zed talked, both watching over the rest of the Isle. Zed's hand twirled her hair as they spoke, with his other hand softly stroking her other free hand. But the main thing Wynter noticed was she wasn't a zombie; she was human. Her skin wasn't grey, but pale, as if she had caked sunlight for a long time, which wasn't uncommon on the Isle. To Wynter, or any other neutral observer, the picture of the two looked sweet "Eliza, who is that?", Wynter repeated.

"Bad news," Eliza muttered, through clenched teeth "Zed!", Eliza called out, quickly grabbing the attention of Zed and the mysterious girl. "We need to go! Come say goodbye to you're family," Eliza continued to shout, putting particular emphasis on the last word, causing the girl's face to fall. Wynter watched as the hugged for a few seconds, and as she handed him the envelope that Zed tucked away in his pocket, before making his way down the fire escape, leaving the girl alone on the roof.

A minute or two later, Zed walked up to the zombie and the werewolf. "Come on, let's go," Zed said, wiping his eyes.

"Are we really doing this?", Evie hissed as she, Mal and Jay walked down the castle stairs. "Leaving Carlos alone with Maleficent! She'll kill him before we get back."

"She can't, he's the only thing keeping us attached to the Isle," Mal said. "Mom knows that, and it's her way of ensuring we go through with it. Besides, don't you want revenge on Auradon! They imprisoned us here!"

"Yeah, I'm tired of living off scraps. Let's take back what's ours," Jay agreed.

"Because we're rotten…"

"To the core," they chimed.

"Evie, dear, come to Mommy," the Evil Queen commanded. "Here is your chance to finally put years of training into practise. I've spent the last 16 years moulding you into the perfect princess, so find your prince. Find me a castle with a mother-in-law wing and lots of mirrors!"

"Just like we always dreamed," Evie smiled.

"Take this," Grimhilde said, handing her the magic mirror. Her tone then turned much more serious, as she grabbed her daughter's face and pulled it harshly towards her own. "And don't disappoint me."

Meanwhile, Mal stood next to the doors of the castle, next to her own mother. She took one last look at the Isle, before Maleficent said, "It is almost our time, I can feel it." Mal rolled her eyes at the comment, and continued to watch the Isle. "Mal, as much as you may hate me, you know I'm right. Auradon deserves to suffer, and I will make that happen." She then leaned in, whispering into her daughter's ear. "And if you fail, I have already thought of a few good ways to kill your little pup. Tell me, does he enjoy torture?". She followed that with a mighty cackle, making Mal's blood run cold. They most certainly couldn't fail.

They limousine to take them to Auradon had arrived, and Jay knew they would be leaving in a few short minutes. He looked over to see the zombies and wolf who were coming with them. The tall zombie, who's name he couldn't be bothered to learn, was held in a tight hug from his father, whilst his sister, he assumed, gripped tightly to his leg. Jay couldn't help but feel slight resentment, since his own father had barely said two words to him since he revealed he was going to Auradon. He wondered what that felt like, a father's love.

"You guys weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, right?", Carlos's voice said, grabbing Jay's attention. Standing just a few feet away from him, with his signature smirk painted across his face stood Jay's best friend and brother, Carlos, son of Crulla DeVil.

"I can't believe you're not coming with us," Evie said, wrapping her arms around her brother.

"Listen to me carefully," Mal said, pulling Carlos away from Evie. "Stay away from my mother. Don't speak her name, don't contact her. If something goes wrong over there, you're the first one she's going to come after."

"I know, I've moved as many supplies into the hideout as I can, I'm going to lay low there. None of our parents know about it," Carlos replied.

"We'll try and get you out as soon as possible," Mal promised. She then quickly pulled him into a rare hug. "Please be safe."

Jay then stepped up, knowing it was his turn to say goodbye. He looked into Caros's eyes for a few seconds, as he did the same. "Dude?", he said, offering out his hand.

"Dude," Carlos smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a half hug, half chest bump.

"How is it that guys can you say dude, and work their way out of any situation?", Evie whispered to Mal as they walked over to the limo. Mal chuckled to Evie's comment, before turning around to see Maleficent's judgemental eyes watching over her from the balcony. Her blood ran cold, as she piled into the back of the car, followed by Jay.

The six teens sat in complete silence for the first few minutes of the journey. Sure, there were some intense stares and scowls between them, but not a single word was spoken. Anybody from the Isle would expect nothing less from three VKs, two zombies and a werewolf; it was well established that the groups didn't get along.

It was Evie, the most likely of the six, that finally broken the silence. After reaching into her purse and grabbing out her blush, she nudged Mal, saying, "You look a little washed out, let me help you," whilst waving around her brush. Mal shrugged Evie off, causing her to turn to the rest of the car. "How about you two," Evie suggested, looking at Wynter and Eliza. "I can offer like 20 different tips to make that grey skin look a little more lively."

"I'm good, Princess Blueberry," Eliza snarled. "Not all of us are so shallow and superficial that we prove our self worth with makeup and pretty dresses."

"Eliza, be nice," Zed warned.

"Sorry Blueberry, superficial means you lack any depth and character as a person, other than you're looks. I know the long words can be confusing sometimes," Eliza replied sarcastically.

"Woah, just because she's pretty means she's dumb," Jay scowled at the zombie.

"Well, if the glass slipper fits," Eliza smirked.

"You've got no right to judge, zombie," Mal snapped back. "You've got no idea who any of us are, or what the hell we've been through."

"I know that we wouldn't even be on the Isle, if it wasn't for your bitch of a mother," Eliza argued.

"There's no need for name calling," Zed tried to interject. "We're all …"

"Shut up zombie boy," Mal hissed. "You do realise that you were sworn to serve my mother and me. Both you zombies and your mutt."

"Who are you calling a mutt, fairy!", Wynter yelled, causing a wave of bickering and insults the crash across the car.

Amongst the chaos and disarray, nobody except Evie noticed the direction the car was travelling in. She looked out in horror, seeing the limousine heading directly into the vast sea separating the Isle and Auradon. "Guys! Guys! The bridge!", she exclaimed, pulling the attention of the others.

"Oh my God, it's a trap! We're gonna die!", Jay yelled, desperately clutching the car door. But as they all braced to be plunged into the freezing water below, a bolt of yellow light shot across the gap, holding the limousine up, and allowing it to pass over the water.

Zed was the first to look up, and out of the window. He peered out the window at the makeshift bridge in awe, muttering, "It's magic," in utter disbelief. Soon, the others followed, each with a similar reaction.

"We're past the barrier," Mal smiled, wiggling her fingers. "I can feel the magic coming back to me."

"Try a spell," Jay suggested, tossing Mal the spell-book that fallen to the ground amongst the commotion a few moments earlier.

"Let's see, hair growth spell, night vision spell, tracking spell," Mal read, flicking through the pages of the book, until one in particular caught her eye. She smiled wickedly, as she continued to read, "Here's a good one. Zombie control spell. The effects of the spell make any infected zombie a loyal and devoted servant to the blood of Maleficent."

"You even dare, and I'll claw your devilish green eyes out before you can chant a single word," Wynter growled.

"Like you could stop me, doggy," Mal smirked back.

"Enough!", Evie shouted, silencing the two. "I get we don't all like each other in this car. But I'm willing to bet that there are people in Auradon who hate us all more. So, for the sake of survival if not anything else, how about we at least try and get along."

"She's right," Zed agreed. "We all need all the allies we can get over there. So, how about we start fresh, no grudges, no vendettas, and introduce ourselves. Hi, I'm Zed and I'm a zombie."

"Hi Zed, I'm Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen. Now someone else go," Evie encouraged.

"Wynter."

"Jay."

"Eliza."

"Mal."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it," Zed said, cheerfully.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, with all six anxiously waiting their arrival