Chapter 3

A/N

So this is the last planned installment of this small accidental series. I don't have an idea for lunch, and three chapters fit in with the title, even if dessert isn't necessarily a meal, and i'm afraid that if I continue it, the quality of future chapters would differ from the quality of these three. I will have some small one shots associated with food, like Mal's love for strawberries. More explanation of my future fics at the end of this one.

ALSO! I was informed yesterday by a lovely reader that someone had copied this fanfiction. I checked out the fic, and was disappointed to learn that it was true. A day after I posted my first fanfiction, it was copied, rewritten to change some details, and published under someone else's name. Seeing as the person favorited this story they day I published it, they consciously copied my work. Thankfully, she took it down once I messaged her. So, I have a request for you guys. If you happen to see someone has copied my work, please do not hesitate to tell me. I would not have seen the offending fanfiction without the help of an amazing reader.

Jam

Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay were still getting used to how the food situation was in Auradon. As the sun rose, Mal and Evie did too, a force of habit from the Isle. They were unsure of the time for breakfast, but knew it wasn't yet. Instead of going to find Carlos and Jay, who were undoubtedly up as well, the girls stayed in, Evie finishing up some homework, Mal reading her spell book, still fascinated by all the things she could do. Just when Evie finished up the last of it, someone knocked on the door. As she packed her bag, Mal answered the door.

"Good morning!" Ben said with a smile.

"Um… Hi." Mal replied.

Ben's smile drooped a little with Mal's unenthusiastic greeting, but continued on.

"I'm here to escort you to the breakfast that was promised to you. It has come to my attention that the schedule given to you only list the time for lunch, because it is during school hours, so I figured you may not know what time breakfast was." He explained, kind of nervously.

He wanted their approval, because after learning a bit more about the life on the Isle of the Lost, he didn't want them to go back. Lonnie had explained to him what she had learned when she saw them baking cookies, and it just about broke his heart. He had never been more thankful that not only was he born to very loving parents, but he was born the heir to the throne, so he could change things.

"Oh! Okay." She said, hiding her excitement. She turned her head and said, "Evie! Breakfast time!"

They followed Ben, meeting up with Jay and Carlos, who were escorted by a nervous looking Doug. He seemed relieved when he saw Prince Ben, but nervous again when he saw Mal, and especially Evie.

"Prince Ben, here are the other two. I'll just be on my way." He stuttered as he scurried away, sneaking glances at the group… Or maybe just Evie. She didn't mind, she was actually flattered.

"Wonderful, now everyone just follow me. Don't worry, you'll start to find you own way soon enough. The building isn't so confusing after a while." Ben said, starting to walk towards the dining hall.

Following him, Mal muttered, "Too bad we won't be staying long enough to find out."

The prince wasn't meant to hear that, but he did. He stopped walking and looked into Mal's eyes, and said, "I will make sure you will. You won't be going back if I have anything to do with it, not for a while anyway. Things are better for you here. In Auradon, we thrive on love and affection, and anywhere without it isn't a good place to live. Besides, we have a while before the school year ends."

Ben made sure to look at the rest of the group, as if to assure them he was being sincere. Then, he turned and started walking again. The four villains looked at each other, wide eyed and confused, and also a bit concerned. He had spoken to Lonnie. It was obvious. A bit angry, the four still followed the prince.

When they finally made it to the dining hall, the four friends were shown the line this time. Those already on line made sure to speed up, giving the new kids some space. No one went on line behind them, not yet. Everyone had their eyes on the villains, but not in fear. At least, not just in fear. They were curious.

But the four didn't notice they were being watched, as they were too focused in the food at their disposal. How could they have So. Much. Food…? Most of these foods were foreign to the them, as breakfast foods always seemed like a waste. Ben ended up explaining different foods to Mal and Jay, whilst Evie and Carlos were aided by Doug, who had reappeared when Evie looked confused. After they spent a while picking out their breakfasts, they went back to the table reserved just for them, this time with Ben joining them. Doug had returned to his own.

Then suddenly, Ben remembered something. "Wait! None of you got toast and jam. It's a staple in an Auradon breakfast."

"Jam? You have jam here?" Carlos asked excitedly. They knew jam. It was a delicacy on the isle, but they knew what it was. The four transfer students got up to get the jam, but stopping in confusion when they got to the table.

"Prince Ben, is this the jam?" Evie asked.

"Um… yes. Choose whichever flavor you like." He replied.

"You have different flavors? Why?" Mal asked.

"People have different likes. Is it different on the island?"

"Yeah," Carlos said, "If you had any kind of fruit, it went into the jam. We just called it jam, because there wasn't enough of one kind of fruit to make it."

"Wait, so… just because you don't like something, you don't eat it? Seriously?" Jay asked, disbelieving.

"Um… Yes? I mean, yes. What's the point of eating something you don't like, when you can always get something else. You eat what you like here." Ben explained.

This was a concept that the four island dwellers didn't understand. On the island, if it didn't make you sick, you ate it. But the people were too hungry to let things rot before they had a chance to be eaten. But here, it seemed like food was never difficult to obtain.

"Well, on the island, if you were lucky enough to have food, you ate it." Mal stated, firm enough to finish the conversation, not liking Ben's pity or ignorance. How could a prince know so little about a piece of his kingdom? She doubted he would do anything to aid the ones still stuck on the Isle of the Lost.

They turned their attention to the jams. Evie took some apple, smiling at the significance of the fruit. Mal took two different kind of grapes, liking the colors, but she saw something called a strawberry that she decided to try a different day, and Carlos and Jay took a bit of each, smiling to each other as they did.

But they dove into their food again, excited to eat the new foods that smelled delicious. Ben spent most of the time watching the others at his table, fascinated by their reactions to foods he'd been eating since he could chew. But he started to fear they would make themselves sick.

"Hey you guys, slow down a bit. No one's going to steal your food." He laughed, but that died down when he looked at their faces. Evie dropped her fork quickly, Mal was thinking, her eyes far away in a memory. Carlos just started stuttering through apologies, as if he'd been reprimanded. He was only calmed down by Jay rubbing his back. And Jay? Well, Jay was furious. His hunger and fears were not something to joke about.

"Don't you dare laugh about our past suffering. How am I supposed to know someone won't steal my food, or poison me? At home, if a baby can't keep a lollypop, I sure as hell can't keep my food safe unless it's gone. Everything on the island is fast. You steal fast, you run fast, you eat fast, you get hungry fast. That's what we had to learn. We aren't gracious that you brought up here, because soon enough, we're going back. So we're not going to allow ourselves to get spoiled, because that causes us to suffer in the future. When you decide to throw us back because we are just burdens to the prissy people of Auradon. Stop pitying us, too. We spent our whole lives on that island. We can deal with it."

The dining hall was silent again, as Ben tried to find his words.

"I apologize for my ignorance, but let me assure you again, things will not return to the way they were before. I promise."

Jay went to yell at him again, but Carlos' hand on his arm stopped him. He slowly sat down, returning to his meal, not wanting to waste a crumb.

Soon after, when everyone calmed down, Ben went to get up to throw his food away, having barely eaten any. He should have known this would cause another fight. Especially since the four villains were already in terrible moods.

"Ben," Mal asked, "What are you doing?'

"Just throwing away my… oh." He realized what he had done wrong.

"You just throw away perfectly edible food? Why?

"I don't know… All uneaten food is thrown out. We have… plenty to spare."

Evie gave a gasp of horror, while Carlos looked sad and Jay, once again, angry. As did Mal.

"I know people who would do unspeakable things for even a bite of that food, Ben. Food you are just throwing away. People are starving, and you are doing nothing to help them. All four of us barely ate a meal a day, the size, in your standards, would have been just a snack. We survived off of that. We survived off of food we stole, because we had no other choice. Our parents didn't care if we ate, Ben. We wouldn't have survived to now if it weren't for each other. And where were you? Throwing away perfectly good resources, because you didn't think anyone needed them. Why did you get to live in the lap of luxury, while we had to withstand starvation and abuse and pain and nothing a child should have to suffer? How are you the good guys, when all you do is take advantage of what you have? You never had to know what it's like to have nothing."

With that, Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay got up, having finished all of their food, and started to leave, but Mal had one more thing to say.

"Oh, and Lonnie? Next time you learn something about us, i'd suggest keeping it to yourself. Because I can take away that hair and do so much more."

With that, our evil foursome left. They didn't need an escort. They didn't care that the whole school had watched them fight with the prince that brought them here. They didn't care that they weren't grateful to him. They didn't care because the people of Auradon were just like they were told they would be. Arrogant, narcissistic, and a list of other things. The "good" people of Auradon were just as bad as the villains, and that wasn't right. They looked at each other, and vowed to get that wand, and take revenge on those who wronged them. And with that magic cookie, they would break poor little "Bennie-Boo's" heart. They were truly rotten to the core.

~:-:~

Meanwhile, Ben was planning. He would be crowned King in a short while, and with that power, he could make a difference. Feed the starving, give more kids on the Isle of the Lost a second chance. They didn't need to be banished just because they were born to evil. Mal was right. And Ben would change the way things are. For the better, because Ben? He was truly good.

A/N

I rewrote this chapter so many times. I'm pretty pleased with it now though.

As for new fanfictions! I'm working on for some new stories, mostly fic recs right now so they don't pile up. I also have a list of ideas. For now, what I plan on writing next is:

1) A Jay/Carlos fic where Carlos gets bullied, requested by LunaLovegood'sBestFriend. This one will be angst, and might have a few chapters, because the person did me a huge favor.

2) A Evie/Doug meet the parents fic, requested by Venturian Girl. That will probably have two parts.

3) A Jay/Carlos fic, where Carlos is bullied and Jay both saves and comforts him, requested by a guest. This will be a hurt/comfort oneshot.

4) A Jay/Carlos fluff fic, requested by Nicolive.

I will also be working on a series of oneshots that have to do with life on the isle, how our characters deal with the memories, and how the people of Auradon react to learning what our favorite foursome went through while growing up on the island. This one has been what people have been asking me for the most.

See you next time! Evil Dreams!