Escape from the Isle of the Lost

by Melissa de la Cruz

  He had an idea.

  If there was an invisible barrier around the island, there had to be an end to it, right? It couldn’t go on forever, could it? While there were rumors it was a dome, it seemed like it was basically a fence, which meant that he just had to find the top so he could jump over it into freedom! And if it was a dome, maybe the top would be weaker somehow—since the air was thinner up there and maybe the magic was too.

  He had corralled a bunch of pirates and promised them treasure chests full of gold if they helped him. Once they were convinced, he had ordered them to build a ladder using some old ships’ masts tied together with rope and assorted pieces of wood they found in junk piles. Somehow, they made it work.

  The ladder was so long it went almost the entire length of the beach. All they had to do now was set it upright. Then Hades would climb it all the way to the top, punch a hole in the dome with his little invention that he was carrying in a bag strapped across his chest, scale the barrier, and then slide down. He was a god. Immortal. Even if he fell from a great height he’d survive. Probably.

  “On my count!” he told the crew.

  “One, two…THREE!”

  They heaved the ladder upright. Hades was delighted. “That’s what I’m talking about! Now hold it still.”

  And then he began to climb.

  He got dizzy and tried not to look down.

  He kept climbing.

  He saw mountain peaks in the distance. He spied ravens’ nests in their crags. At one point he was so high up that his throat began to tighten from lack of oxygen until he remembered—duh, he was a god. He kept climbing.

  He felt like he was practically as high as Olympus! Could he see it from here? Should he call out for Zeus or Athena? Nah, he’d give them a nice surprise when he was on the other side and had all his powers back.

  Finally, he reached the end of the ladder. The pirates down below were just a bunch of dots. Hades removed a transistor radio from Jafar’s junk shop that he’d been tinkering with; he’d carried it all the way up in his bag. He had this idea to shoot a bolt of electricity at the invisible barrier, sort of like using Zeus’s bolts of lightning.

  He pressed a switch and sent a huge jet of power blasting at the top of the invisible dome. The dome was supposed to shatter and fall, and everyone would be free. Including Hades!

  But nothing happened. It didn’t work.

  The barrier was still there.

  Hades raged. He screamed. He turned red—everywhere but his electric-blue hair, that is. If there had been magic on this side of the barrier, he would have burst into flame.

  But instead, in his rage, he just fell off the ladder, back onto the island, hitting the ground with a thump.

  The pirates looked over. “You all right, dude?”

  “I’m alive! I’m alive!” he said. (After all, he’d never been dead.)

  Hades picked himself up and looked at the deep crater he’d created. Hmmm. Maybe he was going the wrong way. Maybe he should have been digging instead of climbing all along.…

  “Pirates!” he called. “I’ve got a new idea.”

  ne thing you could say about the Isle of the Lost was that it never changed. Mal wasn’t sure if she loved or loathed that about the place. When Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay arrived in the middle of the busy market, everything was exactly as they remembered it. The decrepit tenement buildings covered with peeling paint and graffiti on the sides, the lines of wet, ragged laundry that crisscrossed the plaza, the tin sheds, the hay carts, the vendors hawking everything from holey scarves to varnished trinkets. The sky was gloomy, and everyone looked filthy and sad. This was where they had come from, the neglected island prison where villains were trapped for their crimes against the people of Auradon.

  Granted, the four of them had returned to the Isle not so long ago to fetch Mal and then rescue Ben from Uma’s clutches. But, just the same, it was still a shock to see it.

  Mal glanced up at her mother’s old balcony. Her entire childhood had been spent in those shabby rooms above the Bargain Castle that sold wizard robes half price. She used to sit on that balcony and look wistfully over at the mainland, wondering when her life would change. Sometimes Jay came to join her and they would split a bag of stale cheese puffs, their fingers turning as orange as the sunset.

  “Come on,” said Evie, taking Mal by the arm. “Let’s go to our old hideout.”

  “Hideout?” asked Carlos. “Isn’t this an official visit from the palace? Don’t we have any other place to stay?”

  Evie smiled at him indulgently. “You’re cute.”

  “You’d rather go to your house?” teased Mal.

  “Never,” said Carlos. “Lead the way.”

  “There aren’t any five-star castles on the Isle of the Lost,” Jay chided.

  “I just remembered that,” said Carlos, smacking his forehead. “If anyone asks, I didn’t pack my spa bathrobe, okay?”

  A few curious onlookers spotted them in the crowd, but most left them alone. Mal’s fearsome reputation tended to keep people away. But even though it seemed like people still feared her, she wondered if they would ever look up to her as a true leader, someone to follow and admire and respect, especially now that she was on official business from Auradon. She tried smiling magnanimously at a street urchin who scurried past them, but the kid just squealed and sped up. Mal sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy.

  Once they arrived, Carlos found the hidden latch, and Jay threw his shoe at it. The iron door opened, and they walked up to the loft. It was just as they’d remembered, with graffiti on the walls, lumpy mattresses, and trash everywhere.

  “Home, sweet hideout,” said Evie, wrinkling her nose. Mal knew she was thinking of their pretty room back at school, with its comfortable beds, fat fluffy pillows, neat rows of bookshelves, and lush carpeting. Carlos grimaced at the sight, and Jay looked just as bummed. It was seriously grimy. There was soot on the windowsill, and there were streaks of dirt on the floor.

  “It’s only for a few days,” said Mal, trying to sound comforting.

  “I know, I just…I always forget what it was like,” said Evie.

  “Who wants to remember?” Jay smiled. “Dibs on the couch.”

  Carlos accidentally kicked a trash can, overturning its contents, and one of Harry’s hooks rolled out. “Pirates were here. Ugh. No wonder this place is such a dump,” he said, his frown deepening.

  Jay glared at the mustaches and assorted doodles the pirates had drawn on the portraits of the four of them that Mal had painted on the walls. “Animals!” he pronounced, and went to look for a rag.

  They made the place as habitable as they could, sweeping up the trash and scrubbing the floors. Evie put clean sheets on the beds and unpacked the pillows she’d brought from Auradon. “Thank goodness you don’t travel light,” said Carlos, looking relieved.

  “Never,” promised Evie, removing a vase and flowers from the bottom of her trunk. She looked around at the newly clean and brightened space. They had brought a little Auradon to their old pad. “Better.”

  “Let’s get going,” said Mal. She felt a rush of energy. “I want to make the announcement as soon as possible.”

  They left and locked the hideout, and Mal led them out through the crowded bazaar back to her old castle. Inside, everything was covered with a thick layer of dust, from Maleficent’s old throne to the green refrigerator that still held goblin slime from two years ago. For a moment, Mal felt sad about her mother, who was still trapped as a lizard—wherever she was now.

  Mal braced herself to go out on the balcony and address the crowd.

  “Hold on,” said Evie, brushing Mal’s hair from her forehead and pulling up her jacket collar. “Better.”

  “Thanks,” said Mal, trying not to feel too nervous.

  “You’ve got this, okay? It’s a great plan, and I know you’re going to do Auradon proud,” reassured Evie.

  “I just really want this to work,” said Mal, taking a deep breath.<
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  “I know. Me too,” said Evie.

  “You’re gonna be great!” said Carlos. Jay grinned and clapped Mal on the shoulder for encouragement. She smiled and stepped onto the balcony.

  Mal took her place and raised her hands to signal for attention. Jay, Carlos, and Evie walked behind her, fanning out so that everyone could see them. Mal hoped they looked like a power squad, and not like a bunch of kids who didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.

  A hush fell over the crowd as the people of the Isle of the Lost spotted them. But whatever Mal had expected their reaction to be, it wasn’t this. The audience shrank back, whispering wildly and gesturing with fright toward the four of them. Some people even seemed to be trembling! A few of the little ones were outright crying. Mal looked around in confusion and disbelief. She knew she had a reputation, but how scary did they really think she was?

  Evie crept up beside her. “Um…Mal?”

  Mal stage-whispered back, “What’s going on? Why do they look so freaked-out?”

  Carlos cleared his throat. “Well, we’re kind of standing in the shadows,” he said, gesturing to the overhang that was cloaking them in darkness. “I think that they think you’re, well, your mom.”

  It was only then that Mal could make out the fervent, terrified whispers from the crowd. “Maleficent!” they were saying. “She’s back!” Someone in the crowd shrieked and ran away.

  Mal tugged down the collar of her jacket—which might have looked a bit cape-like in silhouette, she realized. But, come on, it’s not like she had horns. She stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight.

  “Guys, guys,” she said, waving her hands. “It’s me, Mal!” And my mom is like, eating leaves and lying on a rock somewhere, she wanted to add, but didn’t.

  A murmur rippled through the crowd as terror turned into something that resembled relief, but a relief that was definitely still tinged with terror. Mal! She’s back! Mal’s going to curse us! Why is she here? Who’s that behind her? Why, it’s the four of them! They’re all back! I like Evie’s dress! What’s Mal going to do to us?!

  “I hope my mother doesn’t find out I’m here,” muttered Carlos, standing next to Evie.

  “Shhh,” said Evie, who was waving to the crowd and blowing kisses like a true princess. “Everyone calm down! We have good news!” called Evie, but the crowd ignored her and continued to churn with nervous energy.

  Jay stepped forward. “Settle down, settle down!” he commanded. “Go on, Mal, tell them.”

  Mal raised her hands once more for silence. This time, she got it.

  “Hi,” she started again, then took a breath and squared her shoulders. “I have an official announcement from the kingdom of Auradon. Auradon Prep is taking more applications from the Isle of the Lost!” Mal paused, glancing around for applause or gasps of excitement. But they were only staring up at her silently. “Four new kids are going to be selected to attend the school, just like we were. I promise you, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I hope you’ll all consider applying. Join us on the mainland!”

  Mal finished her announcement with a grin and waited. But the villains were just shaking their heads. They grumbled to each other: School? Who wants to go to school? Auradon? Why would we want to go there? This is stupid. Homework? Ew.

  The crowd began to disperse, muttering and shaking their heads. Evie rushed up next to Mal, her arms outstretched. “Wait! Hear us out! Please!”

  “Please?” Mal heard one of the kids scoff. No one ever used common courtesies like please on the Isle. Mal thought that most of them must have been shocked into complying, though, because they all seemed to pause.

  “Yes, listen!” said Carlos. “We’ve had a great time in Auradon! There are so many delicious things to eat that aren’t even rotten or expired. And so many awesome desserts!”

  “There’s this game called tourney,” said Jay. “Where you can really beat someone up!” Evie shot him a look and he shrugged. “You have to give them what they want to hear.”

  Mal nodded. Jay was right. They would never be able to explain the appeal of Auradon to people who only knew life on the Isle of the Lost. But she had to try.

  “I was like you once,” she said. “I just wanted to live a wicked life, full of treachery and evil deeds. But Auradon changed me. I realized there’s more to life than being wicked.”

  “Like what?” sneered a snaggletoothed witch.

  “Well…” said Mal, searching for something the crowd would respond to. “There’s strawberries—these amazing fruits that burst with flavor on your tongue!”

  “And there’s this stuff called peanut butter!” said Carlos. “It’s…like butter! Made from peanuts!”

  “They don’t know what butter is except that it’s rancid,” Evie reminded him in a whisper. “Let me try.” She stepped up to the railing. “Like Mal said, there’s more to life than being evil. There’s loyalty and friendship.” The four of them linked hands and smiled at each other.

  “You will find friends who will do anything for you,” said Carlos.

  “You’ll discover that you’re more than what you thought you were,” added Jay, and they lifted their hands to the sky in unison.

  “And there’s love,” said Mal, feeling tears come to her eyes. She was Maleficent’s daughter, born and bred to hate, to plot, to scheme, to command minions to do her bidding. Mistress of Darkness. Queen of the Isle of the Lost. But all she felt for this ragged, unruly crowd was deep empathy and affection. Mal wished they could all understand that there were greater things to live for than revenge or violence or pettiness, greed, and graft.

  The crowd still didn’t look too convinced, but Mal thought it was a good start. She had to give them time. Even the four of them took a while to discover they were better off in Auradon than the Isle of the Lost.

  he next morning, they all headed back to their old stomping grounds at Dragon Hall. Evie felt a momentary rush of nostalgia for the place. Even though it was no Auradon Prep, she had always loved coming to Dragon Hall—especially after all those isolated years of castle-schooling. The front steps of the mausoleum were full of students tripping each other and pushing their way up the stairs in the usual morning chaos. Once again, the kids stared as they noticed Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Evie in their midst.

  The whispers buzzed through the crowd. Isn’t that Mal? What’s she doing here? Did you hear she turned her mother into a lizard? Don’t stare or she’ll turn you into one!

  Evie saw that Mal was trying to smile at them, but when she did, the kids ran from her. “How am I ever going to connect with them if they can’t see past my old reputation?” she asked Evie with a sigh. “I’m not my mom. It seems like people in Auradon finally get that. But maybe everyone on the Isle will always think of me as the old Mal.”

  “They’ll come around,” Evie said firmly, as she looped her arm through Mal’s.

  “And if they don’t, Mal will burn them with her dragon fire,” said Jay with a laugh.

  The girls glared at him. “Not the point, Jay,” said Mal.

  He held up his hands in surrender. “I was just kidding!”

  A trembling LeFou Deux awaited them at the entrance of the school. “Welcome back to Dragon Hall. Please follow me. Dr. Facilier is expecting you.” He groveled, bowing so low his forehead almost touched the floor.

  LeFou Deux led them to the headmaster’s hidden office in the Athenaeum of Secrets. Dr. Facilier was seated at his faded velvet chair, but he stood when they entered. “Welcome back,” he said with a terrifying grin. He was as tall and slender as ever—almost as thin as his mustache. He shook their hands with his long, bony fingers. Dr. Facilier never failed to strike fear into the hearts of Dragon Hall’s pupils, and Evie knew the four of them were having difficulty remembering that they were no longer under his supervision. They were Auradon Prep students now, and protected by Fairy Godmother, she reminded herself.

  “Now, what brings the four of you here?” he as
ked as they all sat down. “Not looking to come back, I presume? Or are you?” He laughed heartily at his own joke.

  Evie shot the other three a nervous smile. “Planning to trap us here, Dr. Facilier?” she asked lightly.

  “Oh, no, no,” he said, with a wave of his hand. “As much as I would enjoy trying, I don’t think that would be beneficial to anyone.”

  Mal cleared her throat and sat up straight. “Auradon Prep is expanding its program to bring more students from the Isle of the Lost over to the mainland,” she told him. “So we were hoping you could distribute these applications and encourage kids to sign up. And as you discussed with the Royal Council, tomorrow we will be available to talk to students and answer any questions they might have about Auradon.”

  Carlos opened his backpack and handed over a stack of papers to their old headmaster. “Here you go,” he said.

  Dr. Facilier picked up one of the documents. “And how many kids from the Isle of the Lost is Auradon Prep accepting?”

  “Four,” said Jay.

  “I see,” Dr. Facilier said, as he continued to study the forms. “And if I do this for you, what’s my cut?”

  Mal blinked. “Your cut?”

  “Excuse me?” asked Evie, as Carlos hesitated to remove more application forms from his backpack.

  “Your cut,” said Jay, deadpan. “Your bribe, you mean.”

  The headmaster of Dragon Hall leaned back on his chair, put his feet up on his desk, and took a moment to admire his shiny shoes. “Exactly. What do I get in return for sending students to your program?”

  “The joy of knowing they’re learning and well cared for!” Evie said indignantly.

  “Dr. Facilier, that’s not really how it works,” said Mal sharply. “We don’t do kickbacks or deliver bribes. Especially not in Auradon.”