“Oh! Wait!” said Mal.
Ben paused.
“Um, is it true that we all get to go to your coronation?” asked Mal.
Ben smiled. “Yeah, the whole school goes.”
“Wow. That is beyond exciting,” said Mal. “Do you think it is at all a possibility that the four of us could stand in the front row next to the Fairy Godmother just so we could…soak up all that goodness?”
Ben looked like he was about to say yes, but his face fell. “I wish you could. Up in front it’s just me, my folks, and my girlfriend.”
“And your girlfriend,” said Mal, nodding slowly.
“Yeah,” said Ben. “I’m sorry.”
“Okay, thanks, bye,” said Mal, shutting the door in his face. She turned to her friends and smiled mischievously. “I think it’s time that Bennyboo got himself a new girlfriend. And I need a love spell.” She clapped and Carlos tossed her the spell book.
INITIATE PLAN C: THE LOVE SPELL.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
Mal whisked together the ingredients for the love spell in the kitchen of the school.
Her three friends hung out around her.
“You want a treat, Dude?” Carlos said. He pulled a snack out of the fridge and walked it over to the rust-colored pooch, who sat in a bowl on the stove top.
“Okay,” Mal said to herself as she referenced the spell book.
Evie scampered over, carrying a bowl of walnuts.
Mal incanted, stirring the contents of the large metal bowl. “Crush his heart with an iron glove by making him a slave to love,” she said. Then she turned to Evie. “Um, all right. It says that we still need one tear.” Mal pouted and said, “I never cry.”
“Let’s just chop up some onions,” said Carlos, holding up an onion.
“No!” said Mal. “It says that we need one tear of human sadness. This love potion gets the best reviews, so we have to follow it exactly.”
“A tear’s a tear,” said Jay.
“That’s not true, Jay,” said Evie. “They both have antibodies and enzymes, but an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear.”
Mal grinned. “Listen to you,” she said.
Evie beamed.
“Yeah, I knew that,” said Jay.
“Did not,” said Carlos, tapping his arm.
“Yeah, I did,” said Jay.
The kitchen door opened. Lonnie appeared in bright pink floral pajamas.
“There you are, Mal!” said Lonnie, walking toward her.
Mal hid the spell book under a kitchen towel.
“I was looking for you! You know, all the girls want you to do their hair!” She looked from Mal to Evie to Carlos and Jay. Then she looked at the bowl in front of Mal. “Midnight snack, huh? Whatcha guys making?”
“Nothing special,” said Mal. “Just cookies.”
Lonnie swiped a taste of dough from the bowl.
“No! Wait!” Mal and her friends shouted in unison.
Lonnie licked her finger with gusto.
Everyone stared at her.
Lonnie looked from person to person. “What? I’m not going to double dip.”
“Feel anything?” asked Evie.
“Yeah, like it’s missing something?” said Mal, studying her.
Jay tossed his hair and gave Lonnie his most dashing smile, planting himself in front of her. “Hey, there.”
Lonnie gave him a blank stare. “Could use some chips,” she said, heading over to the refrigerator and opening the door.
Jay looked stung.
“And those are…?” asked Mal.
“Chocolate chips. Just the most important food group.” Lonnie set a bowl of chocolate chips down on the table. She noticed their blank stares and said, “Wait. Didn’t your moms ever make you guys chocolate chip cookies? Like when you’re feeling sad, and they’re fresh from the oven with a big old glass of milk and she makes you laugh and puts everything into perspective and…” Her voice trailed off.
Mal and her friends stared at Lonnie as if she were speaking another language.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?” Lonnie asked them.
“It’s just different where we’re from,” said Mal.
“Yeah, I know,” said Lonnie. “I just, I thought…even villains love their kids.”
Mal and her friends did not look at one another.
They were all lost in a real glimpse of what they’d been missing.
“How awful,” said Lonnie. Tears welled in her eyes at the thought. She touched Mal’s hand in a comforting way. Mal watched as a fat tear rolled down Lonnie’s cheek. Mal quickly wiped it away, surreptitiously flicking it into the dough.
“Yeah, well, big bummer, but we have to get these into the oven, so thank you so much for coming by. Really, really, have a good night,” said Mal, guiding Lonnie toward the door.
Evie mixed the dough furiously.
“See you tomorrow. Evil dreams,” Mal said, waving.
“Good night!” said Lonnie, ducking out of the kitchen.
Mal turned toward her friends. “Okay!” She clapped. “Boys. Cookie sheets!”
They loaded the dough onto the sheets and waited till the cookies were done and cooled before transferring them to a baggie and heading to their dorms to sleep.
The next morning, Mal and Jay walked through the school and outside by the lockers, following Ben and Audrey at a careful distance. A group of girls with fun, edgy hairdos were hanging out at a picnic table nearby. When they saw Mal, they waved and pointed to their new looks. Mal waved back at them and opened her locker. Jay noticed Mal pulling out her baggie with a special love-spell cookie inside.
“Are you feeling kind of weird about this?” he asked her. “I mean, it’s not so bad here.” He laughed.
Mal faced him. “Are you insane? Long live evil!” She shook her fist. “You’re mean! You’re awful!” She pointed a finger. “You’re bad news! Snap out of it!” She snapped twice.
Jay said, “Thanks, Mal. I needed that.” He laughed and walked toward the picnic table of girls, who ran over to him. “Hello,” he said to them. “The name’s Jay. Y’all going to the tourney game tonight?” The girls giggled flirtatiously.
“Do you think they actually paid for those?” Mal heard Audrey ask Ben, pointing to the girls’ new hairstyles. Audrey turned petulantly to Ben. “She did it to Jane’s hair, too, and Fairy Godmother’s not happy about it. Isn’t that breaking rules? I mean really, Ben, what did you expect?”
“What’s the harm?” asked Ben, shrugging.
“It’s gateway magic!” said Audrey. “Sure, it starts with the hair. Next thing you know, it’s the lips and the legs and the clothes, and then everybody looks good, and then where will I be?” She pointed to herself.
“Listen, Audrey—” Ben started.
She composed herself. “I will see you at the game after my dress fitting for the coronation, okay? Bye, Bennyboo.” She air-kissed his cheek and flounced off.
Mal slammed the door of her locker. “Hey, Bennyboo!”
“Hey!” He smiled and walked over to her.
“I just made a batch of cookies.” Mal held up the baggie to him with an innocent look on her face. “Double chocolate chip. Do you want one?”
“I’ve got a big game. I don’t eat before a big game,” said Ben. “But thank you so, so much. Thank you. Next time, next time.” He started to walk away.
Mal smiled and nodded. “No, yeah, I completely understand,” she said. “Be careful of treats offered by kids of villains. I’m sure every kid in Auradon knows that.”
“That’s not it,” said Ben. “No, no, no.”
“No, I get it. You’re cautious. That’s smart. Oh, well. More for me, I guess,” said Mal. She took the cookie from the baggie and acted like she was about to take a bite.
Ben grabbed it and scarfed it down. “See that? Totally trust you,” he said. “Totally.”
Mal glanced over her shoulder at her fri
ends, then back at Ben. “How was it?” she asked.
“Good. Great. Amazing! I mean, it’s chewy. Mmm…Is that walnuts?”
Mal nodded.
“I love walnuts,” he said. “I mean, the chocolate…” He cleared his throat and his eyes focused completely on Mal. “The chocolate chips. I’m sorry. They’re warm…soft.…They’re sweet.” He looked deeper into Mal’s eyes. “Mal, have you always had those little golden flecks in your eyes?”
Jay, Carlos, and Evie crept close to Mal and Ben.
Jay clapped his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “How you feeling, bro?” he asked.
Mal looked at Ben, pleased that the spell seemed to be working.
“I feel like singing your name!” Ben told her. “Mal!”
Mal looked horrified and clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Let’s get you to the game,” said Jay, steering Ben away.
Evie and Carlos shot Mal a look. Mal gulped and smiled.
TOURNEY IS A FUN GAME.
SO IS RUINING LIVES.
On the tourney field, the Fighting Knights and the Sherwood Falcons were tied.
The scoreboard read 2:2 with forty-seven seconds left on the clock. Cheerleaders, including Audrey, clapped, chanted, and danced. Jane, the mascot, in a knight’s suit of armor, jumped up and down with them. An announcer stood on the field with a golden microphone, as the teams got into their huddles and took up positions along the kill zones. Mal and Evie stood in the bleachers, watching Jay and Carlos down on the bench.
Coach looked at Jay. “You’re up!” he said.
Jay grabbed Carlos. “Coach!” he said. “How about my buddy here?”
“Hmmm, not so sure about that,” said Carlos.
“Coach, he’s been practicing,” said Jay. “And you said yourself a team was made up of a bunch of parts.”
“Jay, I’m not that good,” said Carlos.
“Well, he’s kind of like my brain,” said Jay.
Coach called Amir, another player, off the field. Then he turned to Carlos and tossed him his playing stick. “You heard him!” he barked at Carlos. “Get out there!”
“Don’t worry, bro. I got your back,” said Jay.
Carlos gulped. “How about my front?”
Jay laughed and gave him a friendly noogie.
Jay and Carlos trotted out onto the field and took their positions.
The announcer said, “He’s bringing Jay in from the Isle of the Lost and that little guy Carlos who can barely hold his shield! And the tip-off is ready. Here we go.”
The girls in the stands and the cheerleaders squealed in glee at the sight of Jay suited up. The teams broke from their huddles. The long pass went to Jay. Jay dished it off to Ben. Carlos blocked a player and did a little jig in his opponent’s face. Jay, who was in possession of the ball again, did a hurdling maneuver midfield. He made a nice pass to Ben, who was in the kill zone. Chad did a big block, then passed the ball to Jay. Now Jay was in the clear. He shot the ball, but it was saved by the Falcons’ goalkeeper.
“Come on, guys!” shouted Coach Jenkins from the sidelines.
“Twenty-three seconds left,” boomed the announcer. “You could cut the tension with a sword!”
The next play began. The long ball was passed to Jay, who leaped and ran with it down the field. There was a big block from Chad. Jay dished the ball off to Ben. Carlos, with a big block, went down. Jay ran through the kill zone and picked up Carlos. They were hammered by dragon fire. Jay did another hurdling maneuver midfield and ran until he was in the clear and could get the ball again.
“Jay!” called Carlos, who stood in front of the goal.
“Carlos!” said Jay, whipping the ball his way. The ball bounced off Carlos and flew back to Jay, who passed it to Ben. Ben shot and scored. The Knights had won.
In the stands, the crowd roared and went wild. Mal held her ears.
“What a team!” said the announcer. “Incredible! And it’s the new guys, Jay and Carlos, who set up the prince for the win. What a victory! An absolutely wonderful end to one of the best games ever! Here they come, folks, the winners—”
Ben grabbed the microphone out of the announcer’s hands and said, “Excuse me! Excuse me! Can I have your attention, please?”
The crowd went silent.
He stood on the dragon cannon. “There’s something I’d like to say!”
Mal watched him from the bleachers with wide eyes.
Ben surveyed his captive audience. “Gimme an M!” he shouted, making his arms form the letter M.
There was an echo from the crowd after the letter. They all copied his moves.
“Gimme an A!” said Ben, arms at his sides.
“A!” roared the crowd.
“Gimme an L!” said Ben, throwing his arms up.
“L!” boomed the crowd.
“What does that spell?” asked Ben.
“Mal!” said the audience.
Mal crossed her arms and looked mortified.
“Come on, I can’t hear you!” said Ben.
“Mal!” the crowd roared.
“I love you, Mal,” Ben said. “Did I mention that?”
Mal pursed her lips and grinned.
Audrey, looking heartbroken, ran off the field.
The crowd ooohed.
Ben turned to the band. “Gimme a beat!” he said.
The band churned out a funky rhythm. The whole crowd, with the exception of Mal, joined in as Ben led an R & B stomp out on the field. Mal smiled and blushed. With Carlos, Jay, and Chad as his backup, Ben began to sing a song to Mal. He danced and sang about how his love for her was ridiculous. Mal put her hands over her mouth. She couldn’t help smiling as Ben shook and rolled in the grass and knocked his knees together. He took off his sweaty jersey, balled it up, and tossed it to swooning girls in the bleachers. Mal surprised herself and leaped to catch it. Ben crowd-surfed up into the bleachers so that he stood right in front of Mal, who clutched his jersey like it was made of gold.
The band stopped playing and everyone clapped.
Ben moved in to kiss Mal, but she blocked his attempt with a squeal.
“I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?” Ben asked, pulling Mal into a side hug.
Audrey and Chad climbed the bleachers and leaped up beside them.
Audrey snatched the microphone out of Ben’s hands. “Chad’s my boyfriend now!” she said, draping her arm around Chad. “And I’m going to the coronation with him. So I don’t need your pity date.” She smiled and kissed Chad firmly on the lips.
Evie put her hands on her hips and looked away.
Ben grabbed the microphone back. “Mal!” he said. “Will you go to the coronation with me?”
“Yes!” Mal said into the microphone with a huge smile.
“She said yes!” Ben announced.
People in the stands cheered.
Audrey huffed, and she and Chad stormed off.
Jay appeared beside Ben. “Come on, man. Whole team’s waiting for you!”
“Bye,” said Mal.
Ben and Jay ran down to the field.
Mal squealed to herself and checked out Ben’s jersey in her hands. She bit her lips and shrugged. She looked at Evie and saw that her best friend looked awfully upset.
“I feel really sorry for Audrey,” said Mal.
Evie looked surprised. “You do?”
“Yeah. I feel like if she were talented like you, and she knew how to sew and do triple flips, then she wouldn’t need a prince to make her feel better about herself.”
Evie chuckled softly and smiled. “I guess I am kind of gifted,” she said.
“Kind of,” said Mal, smiling.
Evie laughed and beamed at Mal. “Thanks, M,” she said.
Below, the players on the field whooped. Mal and Evie waved at them as Jay held the trophy over his head and his teammates lifted him up on their shoulders.
MAYBE THE WHOLE LOVE SPELL THING WASN’T SUCH A BAD IDEA AFTER ALL….
In chemistr
y, Evie and her classmates were taking a tough multipage test.
Chad tried to cheat off another student, who blocked his view. Evie frowned at a hard problem. She gave up and reached for the mirror in her purse.
But it wasn’t there.
“Looking for something?” asked Mr. Delay, holding up her mirror.
Evie gasped, speechless.
“Thank you, Chad,” said Mr. Delay, resting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s gratifying to see someone still respects the honor code.”
Chad looked at her smugly.
Evie glared at him.
Mr. Delay rounded on Evie. “It will be my recommendation that you are expelled,” he said.
Doug stood beside her in protest. “That isn’t fair!” he said. “Obviously she wasn’t cheating, since she didn’t have that…whatever it is.”
“It’s called a magic mirror—” said Evie.
“Not helping,” Doug whispered to her.
“Okay, sorry,” said Evie, bowing her head.
“Maybe she needed another pencil,” he told the teacher.
“Actually, I was—” Evie started.
“Really,” Doug told Evie. “Don’t help.” He turned to the teacher. “Please.”
“Please,” said Evie, looking up at Mr. Delay.
“Well, if you can pass this test, I’ll return your property and let the matter drop,” said Mr. Delay.
Evie smiled and Doug sighed.
Chad smiled meanly at her.
She smiled right back at him.
A little while later, Evie ran up to Doug, who was at a picnic table outside doing his homework and eating lunch. She placed her blue Auradon Prep examination booklet in front of him. There was a red “B+” at the top of the booklet.
“For the first time, it’s like I’m more than just a pretty face,” Evie said.
Doug laughed. “Shocker, huh?” he said with a warm smile.
Evie took a seat beside him. “You were pretty great in there,” she said.
Doug grinned dopily. “So were you.”
Evie beamed. “I bet I can get an A on the next test without the mirror,” she said.
“Maybe we can get together and hang out,” said Doug.
“Yeah,” said Evie, blushing. “Let’s get together!”
Descendants Junior Novel Page 5