“For Auradon,” she said.
“For Auradon,” said Jay, slapping his hand down.
“For Auradon,” whispered Evie, adding hers gently.
They all turned to Carlos, waiting.
“For Auradon,” he said finally, and very reluctantly put his hand on top.
It was done. They were afraid of their parents, but they would move forward regardless. Mal always pulled them together, and Jay could feel the relief that now filled the room.
Jay’s plan for getting them transportation back to the island was simple. They would leave Auradon as they entered it, in the royal limousine, which also held the remote control that opened the invisible dome and let down the connecting bridge with a click of a button.
But if the four villain kids were going to leave Auradon Prep without being noticed, then they couldn’t leave looking like themselves; that much was clear. They didn’t have family or friends in the other kingdoms, so there was no reason for them to leave school before winter break. They would have to be creative. Thankfully, being creative was not a problem for Evie.
“Leave that to me,” she’d told the team the night before. “I’ve got this handled. If you get the wheels, Jay, I’ll make sure no one knows it’s us in the royal limousine.”
But for now, she still had time for regular life. After class, Evie headed to the grand ballroom, where tomorrow’s Castlecoming dance would be held, for the last planning meeting. The annual tourney game and dance was a traditional affair, celebrating school alumni returning to their old stomping grounds, when good ol’ princes and princesses regaled everyone with tales of the pranks pulled back in their day—stealing the Auradon mascot, for instance, or the time they glued the classroom furniture to the ceiling, causing Fairy Godmother to exclaim something a little more colorful than “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!”
Evie said hello to the fellow members of the dance committee and the meeting began. Since the dance was so close, almost all the details had already been agreed upon. The menu had been approved, and Mr. and Mrs. Darling had volunteered to chaperone along with Roger and Anita Radcliffe. Lonnie was going to be the DJ, and would be bringing her own equipment. All that was left was to decide on a theme for the decorations.
“We could do an imperial banquet?” suggested Lonnie.
“How about a sultan’s feast?” asked Jordan. “We could tent the whole area!”
No one seemed to like any of those ideas, least of all Evie, who argued that since it was Castlecoming, the theme of the decorations should reflect the school colors—royal blue and gold.
“Yes, you have a point there,” said Audrey. “But don’t you think pale pink and baby blue are so much prettier?”
“It’s not a baby shower,” Evie mumbled under her breath.
“I’m sorry, did you say something?” asked Audrey, pretending not to have heard.
“I agree with Evie,” said Allie. “But can we do something more psychedelic maybe? In Wonderland, we have the most amazing flowers of so many different hues.”
“Mmm,” said Evie, looking around at the lush, cream-colored carpet and exquisite Auradon Prep tapestries already hung on the ballroom’s walls. “Both sound lovely, but I do think blue and gold would be best. It fits the existing color scheme in the room.”
“If you say so.” Allie sighed. “I suppose that is traditional.”
“So we’ll go with a gold balloon banner? And blue velvet ribbons around all the columns?” said Evie, pen poised at the ready.
“Maybe we can have bunches of violets in gold vases?” said Allie. “Violets are actually blue.”
“Perfect!” She smiled at Allie.
“And we can trim the tables with gold leaf,” said Lonnie helpfully.
Audrey frowned. “If you guys really think that’s best.”
Evie smiled. She knew when she had won, and she could be gracious in victory. “Audrey, Lonnie, do you want to come over and try on your ball gowns?” she asked. “I’m pretty much done with them.”
If Mal was famous for helping with hair, Evie’s talents as a fashion designer and seamstress were starting to become legendary. A number of girls had asked if she would make dresses for them for the dance, so when Mal had said they would need to leave Auradon undercover, it had given Evie an idea.
“Ooh, I can’t wait!” said Audrey. “Did you put on the swan bustle like I asked?”
“It was difficult, but I did it,” said Evie with a smile.
“I can’t wait to see mine!” said Lonnie. “Is it red and gold like we talked about?”
“You’ll look like an empress,” Evie promised.
The girls followed her back to her room and Evie handed them their gowns. There was much oohing and aahing over the gorgeous dresses. Audrey’s gown featured pink and blue panels that changed color depending on how she twirled her skirt. “It’s like magic!” Audrey sighed, unable to keep her eyes off her reflection.
“I think Cinderella’s mice are going to be jealous!” said Lonnie, who looked stunning in a traditional imperial column with a pretty lotus print. “Mary’s definitely going to want to hire you when you graduate from here.”
“Thanks, guys,” said Evie with a smile.
After they’d changed back into their school clothes, Audrey wandered over to Evie’s vanity table, which was littered with numerous tiny glass pots filled with different colors. She stuck her finger in one. “What’s this?”
“Oh, just some batches of lip gloss I’ve been experimenting with in the lab. We always had to use expired cosmetics on the Isle of the Lost, so when I got here and discovered I could learn to make my own makeup, I was thrilled. I’ve even been able to enhance them with the right chemical compounds,” said Evie. “Look, here’s one that changes from pink to blue in the light.”
Audrey squealed. “Can I have it?”
“It’s yours,” said Evie.
Lonnie held up a clear gloss. “What does this do?”
“Glows in the dark,” said Evie. “I thought it would be fun when the lights go down during the dance.”
“Cool,” said Lonnie. They crowded around the vanity, picking up tubes and pots and trying every color. Lonnie held up a purple one. “And this?”
“Don’t you hate when your lip gloss disappears in the middle of the day? So I figured out how to make one that never fades,” said Evie.
Lonnie and Audrey nodded in agreement.
“Are you sure I can have this one?” asked Audrey, holding up her blue-pink pot.
“I made it for you, of course,” said Evie. “Which one do you want, Lonnie?”
“The glow-in-the-dark one, thanks. That way everyone can see me smiling up in the DJ booth,” said Lonnie.
“Perfect.”
The girls thanked Evie and left with their dresses. Mal walked in a few minutes later. “All set?” she asked.
In answer, Evie opened the closet door, which held two identical dresses to the ones she had made for Audrey and Lonnie. “Try yours on,” she said. “I want to see if it fits.”
Evie had stayed up way too late the night before, but she’d gotten them done. If they were going to leave Auradon, they would do so disguised as princesses. Lonnie and Audrey often left school to visit their home castles and kingdoms, and no one would question their use of the royal limousine. Jay and Carlos would be dressed as their chauffeur and bodyguard, respectively.
“How’s your mom, by the way?” asked Evie as she zipped Mal up into the replica of Audrey’s dress. “Did she tell you anything the other day?”
Mal shook her head. “Not unless she was communicating by sleeping. I really don’t see how it could be her, but who knows. We’ll just have to assume the worst.” She caught her reflection. Her purple hair framed her horrified face as the dress shimmered in waves of sparkly pink and blue. “Oh, my goblins, I look like such a princess! It’s so…pink…and blue!”
Evie laughed. “That’s the point! Though I have to say, these really aren’t your col
ors.”
Mal stuck her tongue out at Evie. “Any luck with the Magic Mirror?”
“None,” said Evie. “It works perfectly if I ask it to show me anything else. But if I ask to see my mom, Jafar, or Cruella, it’s just cloudy. It’s like they’ve disappeared or something.”
“Let me see,” said Mal. “Do you think there might be a crack in it?”
“It’s already cracked,” said Evie.
“Maybe I can try a spell or two.” Mal grabbed her spell book from the shelf, the one that Maleficent had passed down to her. “Magic Mirror at my command, heal thyself with my own hand!”
The mirror remained the same.
“Magic Mirror, do as I say, show us the villains on the Isle today!” said Mal.
Nothing changed. Evie shook her head. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the mirror at all. I’m starting to believe they don’t want to be found. They’re able to hide from it somehow.”
“But the only way to do that is with magic,” said Mal. “And there’s no magic on the Isle.”
“Or maybe the Magic Mirror is weakening,” said Evie thoughtfully. “Since we’re not encouraged to do magic here, I haven’t been using it as much.”
“What of it?”
“Well, what if magic is like a muscle: if you don’t use it, it atrophies or tries to find somewhere else to go. Energy has to transform, right? That’s what we learned in chemistry,” said Evie. “There’s no such thing as turning something into nothing. It just becomes something else, even if we don’t see it.”
Mal considered this. “You know, you might be right.”
The biggest barrier—literally and figuratively—in their plan to return to the Isle of the Lost was the invisible dome that covered the island. There was no way in or out of the island without the king’s permission. Of course, it would have been easy enough to ask for Ben’s help, except he was out of town. Also Mal didn’t want the king to have to answer to his councillors and his subjects if they learned he’d allowed four villain kids to return to the Isle of the Lost now that the borders were guarded more rigorously than ever after Maleficent’s attack. The recent embargo meant most of the goblin barges that brought in supplies and leftovers to the Isle had been blocked, and the few that were allowed through were being monitored very closely.
Hence Jay had decided on stealing the royal limousine for their escape. The only problem was how to get hold of the car without being caught.
Luckily, the one person who could help him had already issued an invitation. Jordan had asked him to stop by her lamp that afternoon. She was recording a new episode of her popular online show and planned to interview him as one of Auradon’s Top Tourney players in the lead-up to the Castlecoming game that weekend.
Jay followed her directions to the lamp, which was kept on a special shelf in the residence halls. Jordan’s lamp was smaller than her father’s, made of rose gold with delicate filigree carvings all over its surface. Jay wondered if he should pick it up and decided not to. Instead he called down into the lamp’s spout. “Hello in there! Jordan?”
“Just rub the front and you’ll pop in,” he heard Jordan yell from inside. “No need to shout! I can hear you loud and clear!”
He did as told and soon found himself comfortably seated on a pink velvet footstool across from a small octagonal coffee table. Green columns painted with gold swirls circled the spacious room, and heavy blue curtains draped dramatically from the ceiling. A striking purple-and-gold Oriental rug was centered on the floor, and peacock feathers were arranged in vases all around. “Neat,” he said. “It’s bigger than it looks.”
“Thanks, I like my space,” said Jordan, who was seated across from him on a purple footstool.
“Is it annoying that this is all the magic you can use at school?” Jay asked, picking up one of the many stuffed pillows.
“Not really,” said Jordan. “I’m actually glad for the restrictions. Magic can be wildly unpredictable, so even though it’s fun, it’s nice to have a break from it sometimes.”
“So no more granting wishes, huh?” he teased.
“Not today, anyway,” she said cheerfully. “Ready for your interview?”
“Hit me,” Jay said.
Jordan snapped her fingers and the lights went on. “Welcome to TourneyCenter!” she said, smiling into the camera. “Today we have Jay, a star player on Auradon’s Knights! Jay, so glad you could join us!”
“Great to be here, Jordan.”
“Are you excited about the upcoming game? Do you think the team is ready to win the tournament?” she asked.
“Very excited, and I think we’re more than ready.”
“The Lost Boys have a killer defense; how do you think the Knights will succeed?”
“The way we always do: we run hard, we dodge the cannons, we make the goals.”
“You’re confident.”
“I am, I know our team.”
“What about the rumors that King Ben won’t be back in time to play the game? We’ve heard he left earlier this week on some secret official business,” Jordan said keenly. “Can you tell us anything about that?”
“I can’t speak to the rumors, but I know Ben wouldn’t want to let us down. I hope he makes it back in time, but if not, we’ll carry on.”
“I’m sure you will,” she said, rifling through her index cards for the next question. She smiled back up at the camera. “One of the things we like to do on TourneyCenter is to get to know our players better. Can you tell us a little about yourself?”
“Well, I’m Jay, son of Jafar. I grew up on the Isle of the Lost, but I think everyone knows that by now.”
“That’s right, you’re one of the so-called villain kids. When did you move here?” she asked.
Jay perked up at the question. “At the start of the school year. A big old limousine picked us up and dropped us off at Auradon Prep’s front door.”
“How fancy,” said Jordan, leaning forward with a smile.
“Sure was. The amount of candy they have in the back of that thing, I’ve got to tell you, Jordan, I wish I had the keys to that limo in my pocket right now,” he said, rubbing his stomach.
“Jay! You know the rules!” Jordan said, looking worried. “You can’t say the word wish in my lamp. Otherwise…Check your pocket for the keys. You’ll have to return…” She trailed off as the entire room went topsy-turvy, and the two of them were thrown across the lamp like rag dolls.
“Must have been another earthquake,” said Jordan, struggling to right herself and her footstool. Lamps had crashed, pillows and peacock feathers were scattered everywhere. “They’re so annoying! Every time one hits, my lamp falls on the floor. When you leave would you mind putting it back on the shelf?”
“Not at all,” said Jay with a smile, noticing she had forgotten all about the limousine keys. He felt guilty for deliberately deceiving Jordan, and tricking her into using her magic. But since it was for a good cause, maybe that was okay? The villain kids were just trying to protect Auradon from harm. He’d have to ask Fairy Godmother about it next time in Remedial Goodness class.
Jordan wrapped up the interview and thanked him for stopping by.
As Jay walked back toward campus, the keys to the royal limousine jingled in his pocket.
Saturday morning dawned bright and early, and Mal woke up with the sun. She’d been unable to sleep the night before, thinking about the day to come. Tonight they would return to the Isle of the Lost to confront this sinister Anti-Heroes organization most likely headed up by the biggest villains in the land. We can do this; we have to, she thought to herself, but a small, worried part of her was anxious just the same.
“I’m terrified too,” Evie said, when she saw the look on Mal’s face as they got ready for the day. “But like you said, we can handle it.”
“I think Jay said that.”
“Yes, but we all know you’re the one who’s going to make it happen,” Evie said confidently. “And if you don’t,
well, at least your lip gloss won’t fade.” She handed Mal a jar full of a purple tint. “You know what my mom always says, beauty is as beauty is.”
Mal smiled at Evie and Evie smiled at Mal. It was wonderful to have supportive friends, especially when they were good at conjuring up cosmetics. Mal carefully applied the gloss, liking the way it matched her purple varsity jacket. She told Evie she’d meet her at the game and headed over to the library to check on Maleficent one last time before they left.
Her mother was curled around a rock. She looked so tiny and helpless that it was hard to imagine how she could have anything to do with the mischief that was going down on the Isle. “If there’s anything you want to say to me, if you can change back, you should let me know, Mom,” she told the tiny lizard.
But Maleficent just kept sleeping on her warm rock.
“Fine,” said Mal. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
She left the library and walked to breakfast. The entire campus was festooned with balloons and banners, a lively feeling in the air as students walked around with their parents. She saw Audrey with her mother, Aurora, poring over the class pictures that hung in the hallways. Doug was taking a family of dwarfs on a prospective students’ tour. “This is where we have choir practice. I’m sure your kids will love singing in it,” Mal overheard him say proudly.
For a brief moment, Mal wished she could be one of those kids showing off the school to their parents, but Maleficent had never even once attended a villain–teacher conference back at Dragon Hall, and it was futile to think she would find anything to admire about Auradon Prep.
But she didn’t have time to worry about feeling out of place on Castlecoming day. Friendly students mobbed her, eager to introduce her to their parents.
“Come meet my parents!” said Lonnie, introducing her to Mulan and Li Shang.
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