There seemed to be a problem when I uploaded this, don't know how it happened (but thanks to Okami Pup for pointing it out as I didn't know) but hopefully it has been fixed.

Mal ground her teeth as the perky princess of Auroria flounced around in front of them, her arm looped through her pretentious Prince's, a plastic soulless smile pasted on her face and a lifelessness to her eyes that would send shivers down Mal's spine if she hadn't seen that expression on Grimhilde's face for as long as the woman had tried to lord over her.

They had been at the school less than thirty minutes and Mal already wanted to cave in her own skull.

First, Jay and Carlos had fallen out of the limo in a flail of limbs less than befitting of the dangerous, deadly aesthetic Mal was trying to display. Then the brunette bobble-head had latched herself onto the Prince like a limpet and announced herself to be the daughter of Mal and her Mother's sworn enemy. Mal had barely restrained herself from spitting something venomous at the girl, reigned in only by Evie's firm tug to the back of her belt which forced her solidly against the blunette's side.

If such grievances weren't bad enough on their own, Princey-boy hadn't stopped staring at her with all the fascination of one of the Isle kids finding food that wasn't rotten.

The look in his eyes had thoroughly creeped Mal out, to the point where her eyes began to glow and her wrist began to pulse, startling everyone but Evie who only slipped her hand under the back of Mal's jacket to press against her back, grounding her near instantly. But Mal wasn't stupid, the gesture was just as much for Evie as it was for her; the girl's glares were furious and pointedly aimed at Ben.

Something about that guy wasn't right and it was setting them all off. Like for all of his seemingly good intentions, there was a twisted ulterior motive that she couldn't see. Like a beast lurked beneath the surface of his skin.

Perhaps Auradon was more like the Isle than she'd thought.

Now though, they were wandering behind his Highness and his side-piece, listening to the grand history of Auradon Prep as they were led down the halls towards the Headmistress' office.

Mal's eyes wandered, Ben's voice a drone in the back of her mind as she took in the curious and frightened stares of the students still loitering in the halls. They were late for class, Ben had mentioned casually, suggesting they all had a good reason for it though Mal knew differently – these people had stayed to watch them come in, to catch the first glimpse of the "Villain Kids" that had come to infiltrate their country. They had stayed to see them, to be able to point them out to their friends, to make their little observations and opinions a part of the next round of rumours to float around the school.

Mal locked eyes with a group of girls dressed in uniforms – her cheerleading squad, Audrey boasted proudly – and took pleasure in the way their faces paled at her stare. One girl even stumbled back, the others rushing to stop her flying over the railing she backed into.

"M," Evie nudged her side, "quit it."

"Why? We're not here to make friends – we're here for the wand," Mal reminded her.

Evie nudged her again, glancing their fingers off each other where their hands swung at their sides.

"What if we need friends to help find the wand? We're new…Auradon's a big place, it could be anywhere," Evie proposed, though both of them knew it was a weak argument. They were children of the Isle, if there was one thing they knew it was how to adapt and survive.

Evie knocked their fingers together again, shyer this time, and Mal caught them between her own for a moment, enjoying the tingle that shot up her arm before she dropped them.

It wasn't hard to see the real reason Evie proposed such weakness; friends were an attachment, a tie not easily severed. To want friends… was to want to belong to something – somewhere. The only problem was that that wasn't the plan. The plan was to get the wand, to make her mother proud – to make her see Mal as more than just a punching bag, as more than just weak, as more than just human like her father. Getting the wand – it would make them all equal, better, stronger. It would make their parents appreciate them. See value in them. In all of them.

But, something nagged at her, would getting the wand really change anything? Make anything better? They were in Auradon – separated from their parents by a shattered bridge, a barrier and miles of land and sea. They were safe.

And that was the only thing that getting the wand would really change, wasn't it?

The group slowed to a stop outside a huge mahogany door and Mal shook the thought away, squeezing Evie's hand in her own, as she whispered, "We're from the Isle, Eves, we don't need anything but ourselves."

Ben knocked on the door, opening it upon hearing an immediate response and Mal tried to ignore the ache she felt at Evie's disappointed sigh, her saddened "Of course, M," cutting into her chest like a jagged knife.

She was doing this for all of them. It was what was best. What was evil.

They were rotten to the core, and they could never be more than that.

In a way, finding out that Fairy Flutter Nutter was the Headmistress was no surprise. Disappointing, yes, but not surprising. After all, she was literally known for enforcing curfews and making vegetable get-away vehicles and nothing else. And for all of her mystical power; she was more mortal than Fae – her wand being the source of almost all her power.

All the same, powerless or not, Mal couldn't seem to help the way she tensed up at the sight of the blue marshmallow perched behind her desk, her spine straightening, her shoulders pulling back and a thick cloud of anticipation swelling before her.

Evie kept close to her side despite the disappointment Mal knew still clung to her like a second skin; Jay to Mal's left and Carlos perched on Evie's right, both boys quiet, observing the setting as they picked up on the atmosphere. Prince Ben barely hesitated at the door, a sappy smile seeping across his face as Audrey tugged him away with a giggle, quietly assuring him that they were Villains and made of sterner stuff, well able to take care of themselves. She wasn't wrong but Mal let herself be offended anyway.

It was the principle of the thing.

Fairy Godmother cleared her throat so loudly Mal thought she might hack a loogie, and adjusted the already pristine piles of paper on her desk to be the slightest bit straighter.

"Children, it's a delight to see you here, at last. Now, I know I met some of you," she stared pointedly at Mal, "but I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the rest of you. Won't you introduce yourselves?"

Mal truly didn't see the point. There were four of them and Ben had personally selected them from the Isle. It wasn't that hard to guess who was who, especially when you considered the way they dressed.

Jay crossed his arms, shiftily, and Mal rolled her eyes at the slight bulge in his vest that hadn't been there a minute ago. Carlos kicked the ground in front of him, a subtle diversion and introduced himself skittishly. Fairy Godmother's eyes softened at how nervous he seemed, Carlos casting a smug look at them when the old bat wasn't looking.

"Jay – Son of Jafar," Jay proffered loftily, swaying slightly towards Mal who only watched, amused, as he stuffed something into his opposite pocket while Fairy Godmother was busy cataloguing his movement.

"Evelyn Grimhilde," Evie preened, "the Evil Queen's daughter."

Evie met the woman's eyes with a calculating look, quickly coming to the same assumptions Mal had already made about the woman's power. She cast a glance around the room, noting that for all its grandeur there weren't many places a wand could be hidden that it wouldn't be sensed. Magical items like her mirror radiated simple power and the wand was so much stronger than that. It wasn't here.

Fairy Godmother nodded quickly, "And we've already met of course, Mal."

"Obviously."

"Right – well… there are some things to go over, rules and such, but there are quite a few and with stipulations so we here at Auradon Prep, took the liberty of writing them down in a sort of guidebook. This guidebook will also include your class schedule, locker and dorm numbers and a school map and list of electives and clubs, in case you want to join something. They're not mandatory – hence the elect in electives, but they're there," She giggled brightly before her expression became more subdued.

"Your things will be waiting in your dorm rooms as well as your guidebooks and copies of your keys… But that's not really the main focus of this little pow-wow," She informed them coolly, gesturing to the chairs behind them.

There were only two of them – probably meant for any parents that might come into her office, plush and pristine with delicate edging on the silk cushions and fragile embroidery depicting La Téne art; gentle winding leaves and floral patterns curled across the fabric.

Mal made a gesture with her hand and immediately Carlos slumped into one chair while Evie commandeered the other, settling herself delicately with all the poise of a princess. Jay stood guardedly next to Mal, unwillingly to move and show favouritism or weakness while Mal seated herself on the arm of Evie's chair, lining her hip to bump against Evie's shoulder as she casually draped her arm across the back.

Fairy Godmother sat silently before them, her eyes wide as it seemed she came to understand just how close they were – a well-oiled, finely tuned machine. It was unlike what they'd presented when Jay and Carlos tumbled out of the limousine and Mal felt something in herself relax as she realised how their mistake had turned to their advantage. Those that had witnessed their arrival only saw them scrambling – they had no idea how truly dangerous they were.

The purplette made another gesture, clearing her throat slightly and watching, bemused, as Fairy Godmother startled, nodding her own head and again adjusting her papers.

"Yes…I'm sure you know of Prince Ben's proclamation. He intends to bring the Children of the Isle to Auradon – to this school and several others. However, for all of his well-meaning intentions, the general populace is more wary of his proclamation. That is to say –"

"They don't trust the children their King forced to be raised in a prison colony," Evie interpreted curtly.

Fairy Godmother almost seemed like she'd try to deny it, though much to Mal's intrigue she merely inclined her head in begrudging agreement.

"To rectify this…it has been arranged for you four to act as liaisons…representatives of your people, if you will. During your time here in Auradon, you will pay visits to the sovereigns of different parts of Auradon. You will spend time in their kingdoms with their leaders and it will be up to you to assure these Royals that Ben's proclamation is good and just."

Carlos swayed more into Evie's side, subtly confused even as Jay openly asked, "Why do we have to meet with Royals? All of our parents fought Royals…"

Carlos hummed indignantly.

"Except Carlos' then. But why should we go see them? They'll just be prejudiced against us."

"Now, Jay, there's a reason for this. The Royals - even if they're not the Royals of Auradon, are still the heads of their kingdoms. They are the ones who influence their people - who will ultimately sway the will of the public for or against Ben's proclamation," The Blue Bon-Bon disagreed, "But I assure you, there's no reason for them to be prejudiced against you – and they aren't. We Auradonians aren't like that."

Evie hummed softly to mask the unlady like snort she so wanted to make and leaned back into Mal's arm as she crossed her legs.

"Mhm, okay, yeah, no – see us? We're from the Isle. Do you people just honestly gloss over the fact that it's a prison colony or do you really just not get it? How much more prejudiced could you be than forbidding children asylum just because they were born in the prison you banished them to?"

A surge of pride bubbled in Mal's chest at Evie's eloquent retort, expanding and blossoming as Fairy Godmother's face dropped and any reply she might've made was cut dead in its tracks. She squeezed her shoulder discretely, Evie leaning into her slightly more in response.

She wanted to stay there for a moment and relish in it, the warmth that flooded her in Evie's company, but a quick glance at Jay jolted her back to reality. They didn't have time for fluffy feelings. They couldn't feel them – they were a distraction. They could only be evil – they had to be evil.

What would they be without it?

Good had never been there for them – never been an option. Evil was. Evil was what made them strong, what made them survive, what gave them power. And Evil didn't have fluffy feelings – Evil destroyed them.

"Look – it's obvious we don't have much choice in this, so there's not much point in saying no. But we're not some stupid show-pony you can tout around to your beloved Council; we're people – no matter how much you all love to forget it."

Mal rose from her perch, gesturing for Evie and Carlos to do the same as Jay made his way towards the younger boy.

"It's been a…trying day," Mal informed her, "I think we'll go find our dorms."

They left, quick and sure-footed, a unit, before Fairy Godmother could even open her mouth.

They congregated in Jay and Carlos' room, Mal eager to escape the bright pink of her and Evie's own room; far more pleased by the neutral and dark tones of the boys' dorm.

Jay was busy unloading his stolen cargo from the various pockets and hidden compartments of his outfit and Mal rifled through his loot, disinterestedly, poking at the books he'd pinched from Fairy Godmother's office and sneering at the abundance of jewellery and tech. She almost said something to him, certain that he didn't understand that signet rings were something people would notice was missing, but he seemed much too pleased with himself for her to ruin it.

Carlos cheered raucously from his stance in front of the television, playing a video game and Evie sat a ways behind him on his bed, studiously reapplying her makeup though Mal hardly thought she needed it.

She clapped her hands together, gathering their attention and motioned to the blunette, "Evie, mirror me."

Evie looked at her confusedly for a moment before realisation dawned and she strode over, sitting at the table in the middle of the room as Mal loomed over the back of her chair.

"I need a rhyme," The brown-eyed girl declared quietly, humming under her breath as Jay looked at them curiously, Carlos still too entranced in the violence onscreen to care.

"Well, how did all the ones your mom did go?"

"Magic mirror on the wall, blah, blah, blah…but it's different now – it's smaller…and in my hand… Hmm," Evie's brow scrunched in thought and Mal studiously glanced away to make sure nothing in her expression shifted to betray how cute it was.

"Hand, stand, band, canned, banned," Jay chimed in from behind them, "Spammed, hammed, jammed, land."

"Jay, you know not all of those rhyme, right?" Carlos muttered.

"Well yeah – but isn't rhyming just about how you pronounce it?"

"Interesting but not the point," Evie hummed again, her expression calming as the rhyme clicked in her mind. She cleared her throat, muttering to herself, "I got this," and then shrugged the tension from her shoulders, "Magic mirror in my hand, show me Fairy Godmother's wand in this land."

The mirror, previously only reflecting Evie's face, shimmered – the image rippling like gentle lapping waves before a close-up of the wand appeared. Evie hooted in victory and Mal smiled proudly, Carlos glancing over with a small smile of his own as Jay wandered towards them with a laptop.

"Magic mirror, not so close…closer….closer..." The image zoomed out to a wide view of earth, slowly making its way back in until finally a building with a huge sign outside appeared; "Mal, look…The Museum of Cultural History."

Carlos scrambled over from his video game, passing the controls to Jay as he cracked open the laptop and began typing. It seemed like minutes passed before he turned the screen towards the girls with a flourish.

"It's not far from here," He told them, gesturing to the map and the highlighted pathway on the screen. "Are we going now?"

Mal shook her head. It would be impressive, she knew, to get the wand within a day of arriving at the school – but they'd already been in Auradon for more than two weeks and seen barely anything except the school and the hospital. They didn't really know where they were, or how to get back to the Isle. And presuming they avoided whatever security measures were undoubtedly in place for the wand, they had no means of transport or breaking the barrier. They would be caught before they could make it anywhere near the Isle.

No, this would take more time and finesse.

"We need time…Currently, we don't have much to go on and we'd be caught and chucked back to the Isle wandless before we could say 'Mother Gothel'. They're going to be watching us and we've got to be careful, let them get comfortable with us, let them think they know us, can trust us. Then… when they let their guard down..."

"We strike," Evie agreed, though Mal could see the hint of reluctance in her expression.

Evie liked it here already. She adored their princess-like room, the friendly people and the opportunities Auradon presented. She liked being away from her mother, free to do her own thing even if there were moments where she struggled to truly escape her mother's grasp. Evie didn't want to go back to the Isle and she certainly didn't want other people from the Isle to leave it.

Carlos looked at Mal with the same gleam of reluctance and disappointment in his eyes and Mal turned away, staring straight at the dark wood of the table to avoid it.

For all his fear of dogs, he certainly resembled one when he wanted to.

"Mal...," he broached, "Fairy Godmother said we're like liaisons…if we do this…what about the other kids on the Isle? If we do this they won't have a chance here."

"Carlos," Mal breathed, reeling from the exhaustion she felt settling in her bones, "If we do this – there won't be an Isle. Not for us, just for them."

"You hope."

"I know."

"But you don't," he barked.

Mal felt her eyes spark, magic pulsing through her veins as she glared at him. Normally he would back down, quickly and remorsefully, but he met her gaze coldly for perhaps the first time ever.

"Mal – we're safe here. We have a chance, and we can help other kids from the Isle have a chance too. Why do you want to ruin that?"

She opened her mouth to tear him a new one, stopped only by Evie who rose from her seat and stood between them. The brown eyed girl rested her hand on Mal's shoulder, shushing her and rubbing her thumb in circles until the unnatural brightness of her eyes dimmed – leaving her even more tired than before. She stared at Carlos, quietly urging him into submission as she inclined her head to the games console and a silent Jay.

"I think we're all a bit more tired than we've let on," she said diplomatically, gathering her things and herding them into Mal's arms as she gently guided her to the door. The purplette could only submit to her whims, too tired to argue.

"Mal, especially, she's still recovering – getting stronger everyday," she added quickly at the disgruntled look the Fae gave her, "And we should take some time apart. We have been stuck together for two weeks in a hospital. Now, big day tomorrow – so everybody better be prepared and ready bright and early. We can hash all the details of whatever plan we decide on out later."

With that, she nodded curtly and hustled them out the door, down the hallways and into their own room.

Evie kindly took her things from Mal's limp arms and set them in their proper places, watching as Mal robotically got changed and quickly doing the same.

The purplette climbed under the girly covers of her bed, resolving to do something about the utter disgrace that was her side of the room when she had energy and time the next day.

She looked to Evie, finding her mirroring her position and smiled at her sleepily.

"E," she murmured into her pillow, blearily noting Evie's own quiet grin.

"I know, Mal," the girl muttered kindly, as Mal's face went slack, the blunette cuddling into her own pillow as the light sound of snoring started,"Love you too."