Chapter 2 – An Interesting Arrival
2 Hours Earlier
"But why did you invite them without consulting me!", Audrey screamed at Ben as they both walked down the halls of Auradon Prep.
"I don't know what to tell you, Audrey," Ben sighed. "It was my decision, and the limousine has already left to pick them up. There's not much I can do now."
"That bitch's mother cursed my mother! She raised an army of the dead! One of which bit the ear off my grandfather, whilst he defended our castle!", Audrey continued, not caring about the many stares they received from other students preparing for the Isle Kids' arrival.
"Audrey, I've explained it to you many times," Ben said, stopping and pivoting to face his girlfriend. "The villains committed the crimes that forced them to be sent to the Isle. Their children are innocent. The zombies were cursed, and forced to serve Maleficent, meaning they are innocent. You are to treat them all with respect and kindness."
Audrey simply huffed in annoyance and stormed off, leaving Ben alone in the corridor. He sighed once again to himself, before continuing down the decorated halls of Auradon Prep. Looking along the walls, he saw the familiar faces of previous monarchs looking down at him. It terrified him that in just a month he would have all the power, if not more, as these dignified figures. Part of him was excited, the the most part he was terrified.
He eventually rounded the corner into the music room, and was met with the loud chatter of the school orchestra, who were no doubt gossiping about his recent announcement. "Guys," Ben said, whilst clapping his hands together in a failing attempt to grab their attention. The crowd continued their rambling, practically ignoring the existence of the soon to be King. "Guys!", Ben repeated, this time in an almost beast-like roar that echoed across the room. This time, he most certainly did catch their attention, as the room fell into immediate silence.
"Thank you," Ben spoke, returning to his quieter and more regal voice. "First of all, thank you for doing this on such short notice. Fairy Godmother tells me that you guys are always ready to perform on a moments notice, so it's time to prove that. If you want to take your instruments out to the front lawn and start to set up, the Isle kids will arrive in an hour or two, so let's give them the best Auradon welcome!"
The orchestra half grumbled an 'ok' before starting to file out of the music room. "You know most of them are pissed at you right now," Doug's voice said, making Ben turn to see the nerdy-looking dwarf son, accompanied by his best friend, Princess Addison Beau, second born daughter of Sleeping Beauty.
"Most of the royals are pissed at me right now, a school orchestra is the least of my concerns," Ben chuckled. "You think this will work?"
"Theoretically, it should. Like you said, they are innocent of any crimes, so shouldn't be on the Isle. But they were raised by villains," Doug replied.
"Plus most of the students here will no doubt hate them the moment they arrive," Addison added.
"Speaking of, can you try and talk some sense into your sister?", Ben asked Addison. "All morning she's followed me around, screeching about how the Isle Kids are going to kill us all."
"Ben, you've known me over ten years. When have I ever managed to talk me sister into doing anything she doesn't want to do?", Addison laughed.
"That's true," Doug noted. "The two of them couldn't be more different."
"Excuse me, Ben," Jane, the shy and nervous daughter of Cogsworth and Fairy Godmother interrupted. "My mom told me to give your parents these last few forms for the, um… new transfer student," she said, handing Ben a stack of papers. "She said it was urgent."
"Ok, thanks," Ben said, taking the papers. "I'll see you guys around." And with that, he quickly walked out of the room, followed by a scurrying Jane, with a list or errands sent by her mother, leaving Doug and Addison alone in the music room.
"So, you never answered Ben properly earlier," Doug said, turning back to Addison. "Do you think this will work?"
"For Ben, I really wish it would," Addison sighed. "But you know Audrey. She's the perfect princess, and always gets everything she wants. She won't stop until those poor kids are sent back to the Isle."
"Sometimes I do wonder how you are related to Audrey," Doug chuckled. "Come on, we'd better get this stuff ready for their arrival."
The driver of the limousine had radioed to say that all six kids had been picked up, and were on their way to Auradon. Knowing they had about 30 minutes until their arrival, Ben couldn't stop nervously pacing back and forth at the top of the steps of Auradon Prep. This has to work, he kept repeating in his head, anxious for their arrival.
At the same time, a few metres away, stood Addison, patiently waiting, until she was quickly pulled away by her sister. "Did Ben tell you about all of this?", Audrey hissed into Addison's face.
Startled, Addison took a second to respond, stuttering, "N-no. Doug told me last week. I don't know when he found out."
"And you didn't think to tell me," Audrey spat. "I'm the future queen of Auradon, I have a right to know when enemies start to invade the land!"
"Enemies?", Addison replied, regaining her composure. "Audrey, they're kids for god's sake! Same age as you and me!"
"The daughter of Maleficent! Zombies! No doubt they've been sent with a mission to kill us all! Starting with our fucking family!"
"We've got no idea what they're even like! Maleficent's daughter might be nothing like her mother. And the zombies are just like normal people when they're not under her spell."
"They're dead-eyed freaks who should stay away from us!", Audrey sneered. "Don't go befriending them when they arrive. Even if I don't care if you die, it's a bad look for me if my sister hangs out with villains."
"I'll do whatever the hell I want, Audrey!" Addison fought back.
"You really want to put a target on your back, be my guest," Audrey said. "But don't be surprised if people start to think you're hiding other secrets. Maybe someone might find out," she continued, pulling a strand of Addison's real white hair from under her perfectly kept blonde wig. Addison's eyes went wide, grabbing the hair back, and quickly pushing it back under her wig before someone saw it. "What? No snarky comeback? You're a pathetic freak, and don't ever forget it," Audrey said, laughing to herself as she wandered back towards Ben.
Addison stayed put, fighting back tears from the words her sister had just said. Sure, they were nothing new; Audrey took every opportunity presented to her to remind Addison that she was the inferior Beau and would never be anything more than the white-haired freak. But it still hurt.
Yesterday, they were six teens living in the dump known as the Isle of the Lost. Destined for nothing more than to live and die there, never seeing the real world. Now, they sat just moments away from stepping foot in Auradon for the very first time, and Zed couldn't help but feel hopeful. Never in his life had he wanted something to work as much as he wanted this Isle Redemption Program to work. He had to make sure it worked. Because if it didn't, he was sure Zoey would never have this experience.
The limousine pulled to a stop, and the sound of music began from outside. Zed glanced reassuringly to Eliza, and then Wynter, before the door opened and the light from a Sun they'd never seen blinded them all. Evie was the first to step out, standing with the remarkable posture of a princess that her mother had always taught her to. Jay then followed, shielding his eyes from the light, as he tucked away the last thing he stole from the car into his back pocket. Mal was next, initially scowling at everything and everyone surrounding her. Wynter then followed, her eyes lighting up as she watched everything around her with excitement; if werewolves did have tails, hers would be waggling like crazy. Eliza continued the stream of emerging characters, wearing a very uncommon look of surprise and hope.
And finally came Zed, standing much taller than the rest, looking out with amazement, much like his predecessors. He stood for a moment, taking in the freshness of the air, and the bright and vibrant colours surrounding him, before his eyes fell onto quite possibly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her straight blonde hair sat perfectly on her shoulders, and her piercing, ocean blue eyes stared back at Zed. She wore a light pink coloured dress, perfectly framing her short, but athletic build, and her small by sincere smile lit up Zed's entire world. Noticing his stares, she gave a discreet wave, to which he responded with a large grin. Only when the older woman, standing directly in front of them, started talking did Zed move his eyes from the girl.
"Welcome to Auradon Prep," she began. "I'm Fairy Godmother, headmistress."
"Fairy Godmother?", Mal questioned. "As in Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo?"
"Bibbidi-Bobbidi, you know it," Fairy Godmother replied, her voice filled with happiness.
"Yeah, I've always wondered what it felt like for Cinderella, when you just popped out of nowhere," Mal continued, causing Eliza and Zed to glance at each other, suspiciously; this definitely wasn't the same Mal they'd met in the car. "You know, with that warm smile and magic wand."
"Well, like I always say, 'Don't focus on the past, or else you'll miss the future!'", Fairy Godmother replied.
"It's so good to meet you all," the younger man, perhaps a year older than Zed, said as he stepped forward. "I was the one writing to you all. I'm Ben."
"Prince Benjamin, to you people," the brunette standing behind Ben interjected. "Soon to be King."
"You had me at prince," Evie sighed, dreamily. "My mom's a queen, which makes me a princess," she said, stepping towards Ben in a seductive manner.
"The Evil Queen has no status here," the brunette said, pushing herself between Evie and Ben, with a look of slight disgust on her face. "And so, neither do you."
Evie stepped back, an embarrassed blush creeping across her face. "So much for princess then, blueberry," Eliza snickered, earning a small jab in the side from Zed.
"This is Audrey," Ben continued, pointing to the brunette next to him.
"Princess Audrey," Audrey interjected once again. "Daughter of Sleeping Beauty, and his girlfriend. Right, Bennyboo?"
"Ben and Audrey are going to show you around, then you can get settled in your dorms, and I'll see you tomorrow," Fairy Godmother said, before rushing off. She then quickly turned back to face them, continuing, "Oh, and as they say, 'The doors of wisdom are never shut!' But the library hours are from 8 'til 11. And you may have heard, but I have a little thing about curfews." And with that, she continued off, leaving the six in the hands of Ben and Audrey.
"It really is so good to meet you all," Ben said. "This is a momentous occasion, and one I hope will go down in history, as the day our two people begin to heal."
"Or the day you show six people where the bathrooms are," Mal replied, sarcastically.
"Little bit over the top?", Ben joked.
"Just a little," Mal smiled.
"Well, so much for a good first impression," Ben said. "Anyways, if you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to…"
"I've got a question," Eliza interrupted, earning a glare from Audrey. "How quickly are you planning to bring others from the Isle over? Because I know of…"
"You can't expect to ship over the entire Isle overnight," Audrey scoffed. "Auradon would be overrun by hooligans and criminals! You should be grateful…"
"I think what Audrey was trying to say was I'd love to bring your friends over," Ben interjected, placing a calming hand on Audrey's shoulder. "But unfortunately, a decision like that requires a council vote, and it is one that wouldn't likely pass. The idea of this program is to bring you guys across as an example, showing the council that Auradon is equipped to handle more Isle kids. Then, we can look at bringing another batch over."
"Seems like a long-winded process to help innocent people trapped on the Isle, who need help now," Eliza remarked.
"I'd hardly call the people of the Isle innocent," Audrey scoffed under her breath.
Ignoring Audrey, Ben continued, "I know, and I wish it was faster. But at least it's change, right?" Eliza gave a half-hearted acknowledgment, allowing Ben to carry on. "So, how about that tour?", Ben began leading the six through the main entrance. "Auradon Prep was built over 300 years ago, and converted into a high school by my father when he became King." They stopped in front of a statue of King Adam, which then morphed into the Beast. "My father had the statue enchanted so it turns from beast to man to show us that anything is possible."
"Do you have beast powers, too?", Wynter asked eagerly. "Like, are you part werewolf?"
"No he is most certainly not!", Audrey exclaimed. "He is a prince, not a monster like you!"
"Audrey." Ben warned. "To answer your question, Wynter, I have beast episodes, just like my dad does. They happen when I'm angry, or stressed, but are quite rare. It doesn't mean I'm a werewolf, it's just reminiscence of the curse."
"Do you have a lot of magic here?", Ma; questioned. "Like curses, and wands?"
"Magic still exists," Ben answered. "But it's pretty much retired. Most of us are just mortals now."
"Who just happen to be Kings and Queens," Mal remarked.
"That's true. Our royal blood goes back hundreds of years," Audrey bragged, earning an eye roll from both Eliza and Mal.
"Anyways, this is Doug and Addison," Ben said, introducing another student, around their age, wearing glasses and an orchestra uniform, accompanied by the same girl Zed had noticed earlier. Zed's face lit up at the sight of seeing her again. "They're going to help you with your class schedules and show you to your dorms. If you need anything else…"
"Ask Doug," Audrey interrupted for the last time, before pulling Ben away. There was a small but awkward silence, as Audrey dragged Ben down the hall and out of sight, before Doug started.
"So, hi guys, I'm Doug, Dopey's son. As in Doc, Dopey, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy and … Heigh-Ho…" he trailed off when his eyes fell upon Evie.
"Evie, Evil Queen's daughter," she responded, gracefully.
"So," Addison said, taking over and delivering a quick kick to the back of Doug's leg, breaking him from his trance. "About your classes. Some of your credits from Dragon Hall transferred over, but a lot of them didn't have a grade, so I've put in the requirements; History of Woodsmen and Pirates, Safety of the Internet, and um… Remedial Goodness 101."
"Let me guess, new class?", Mal snarked.
"Yeah, I don't agree with it, but FG just wanted to be sure," Addison said, apologetically.
"So, dorms?", Eliza asked.
"Right, if the guys want to follow me, I'll take you to yours, and Addison will show you girls to your rooms," Doug said, leading Jay and Zed up the right staircase.
"The girls dorms are this way," Addison said, walking up the left staircase. "I've got Mal and Evie sharing a dorm, and Wynter and Eliza sharing a dorm, if that's ok with you guys. If not, I can always switch…"
"No that's fine," Eliza snapped, shooting a small glare at Mal.
"Perfect! You guys are neighbours anyways; I thought you'd appreciate some familiarity given this is all brand new," Addison smiled, gesturing to the large castle around them. "Plus I'm just across the hall if you guys need anything. I'm one of the few on campus who doesn't have a roommate, which can get a little lonely, so feel free to come and knock on my door at any time."
"Are you always this energetic?", Mal asked, with a slight sneer.
"Mal, play nice," Evie said before Addison could answer. "So, Addison was it? Who are you're parents?"
"Oh, I'm Queen Aurora and King Philip's daughter," Addison answered quietly.
"As in Sleeping Beauty?", Mal asked, whipping her head around to face Addison.
"I thought Princess Bitchy was Sleeping Beauty's daughter," Wynter added, causing a slight giggle from Evie.
"Yeah, Audrey's my older sister," Addison said.
"You don't seem like sisters," Evie commented. "I mean, you seem kinda chill compared to her."
"We're quite different," Addison explained. "She's older, and so has always been a little controlling of me."
"That seems like fun to grow up with," Eliza remarked.
"So anyways," Addison said, desperately trying to change the subject from her sister. "These are you rooms, Mal and Evie on the left, Wynter and Eliza on the right. And this is me," she continued, tapping the door behind her. "Breakfast starts at 7:00 tomorrow, and classes at 9:00. I'll let you guys get settled, and knock if you need anything."
With nothing left to say, the girls piled into their room.
"Did you notice anything weird about Mal?", Eliza asked, as she opened the wardrobe filled with dresses and skirts she would never wear. "And also, you have any better clothing than this garbage?"
"You mean aside from being a general bitch," Wynter laughed, throwing Eliza one of her various leather jackets.
"I mean how she acted all 'Mommy's Evil Gremlin' in the car, then we arrive and she's talking about Cinderella, and asking about magic wands," Eliza explained.
"You think she's up to something?", Wynter asked.
"If she is, it cant be good, for any of us. We'd better keep an eye out…"