As The Poison Apple Falls (Harry Hook)

3

Harry's POV

I threw my sword into the barrel before storming over to the bar. I sat next to Gil and waited for Uma who immediately came out and saw the anger seething from me.

"What's up with you?" she asked, throwing a tray of fries in front of me.

I looked up at her. "Looks like the Core Five are going to Auradon," I growled.

"What?!" Uma shouted as I started to eat. The sound of a stack of trays hitting the floor could be heard throughout the whole shop until her harsh breaths came close. I let my gaze drift upwards until I met her glare. "How do you know?"

"I saw 'em leave in an Auradon limo. Asked around and looks like they've been chosen by Prince Benny to go to Auradon Prep."

"That...little...traitor!" Uma screamed, causing the customers to quiet down. Her chest heaved as her hands squeezed the table so hard I was surprised it didn't break. "I won't let her get away with this."

"Who?" Gil asked from beside me. The handful of fries in his mouth made him hard to understand, but Uma caught on and replied in a voice close to a whisper.

"Mal." She turned away and stomped to the back room. As I continued to eat, thoughts of last night popped into my head, and I knew that Quinn had to have been at the beach to waste her time until she left for her perfect life in Auradon. Those dark eyes fooled me to believe in her innocence then, but they won't ever again.

~~~

Quinn's POV

We finally arrived at Auradon Prep to the sound of a marching band. The boys next to me barely noticed we had stopped, so when our door was opened, they fell out whilst wrestling over a blanket. I also came out, followed by Evie and Mal, and we stepped over the arguing boys, whom I laughed at, to stand next to the limo.

"Why do you even want it?" Carlos asked, tugging on one end of the blanket.

"Cause you want it!" Jay replied, and the fighting continued until Mal cleared her throat.

"Um, guys? We have an audience," she nervously chuckled. The boys finally glanced around and then stood up next to me.

A lady in bright blue took a step forward and politely told them, "Leave it like you found it! And by that, I mean just leave it." Jay looked over at the group before sighing and throwing all of the stuff he had in his arms back into the limo, including the blanket that he ripped out of Carlos' hand. I rolled my eyes and elbowed him, making him smirk.

"Welcome to Auradon Prep," the woman spoke again. "I'm Fairy Godmother, Headmistress."

"Wait," Mal cut in, "The Fairy Godmother? As in bibbidi-bobbidi-boo?"

She smiled and answered, "Bibbidi-bobbidi- you know it!"

I saw the glint in Mal's eyes as she talked to Fairy Godmother. "Yeah, I've always wondered what it felt like for Cinderella when you just appeared, out of nowhere, with that sparkly wand and warm smile," she said with a grin before hesitating. "And that sparkly wand!" If we wanted our plan to work, Mal would have to be a lot more inconspicuous while talking about the wand.

"Oh, that was a long time ago, and as I say, don't focus on the past, or you'll miss the future!" Fairy Godmother responded, waving her arms in the air dramatically. I glanced over at Evie who rolled her eyes at me. I smiled, mentally agreeing that these people were hilarious to listen to.

"It's so good to finally meet you all. I'm Ben," said the boy in the middle. We all recognized him from the television as the next in line for king of Auradon. The girl next to him cut in quickly.

"Prince Benjamin," she corrected. "Soon to be King!"

Next to me, Evie walked forward and curtsied, saying, "You had me at prince. My mom's a queen, so that makes me a princess." She smiled at Ben, looking at him in awe.

The girl next to him plastered a fake smile onto her face. "The Evil Queen has no royal status here, and neither do you." I grabbed Evie and pulled her back, glaring at the girl.

"This is Audrey," Ben announced.

"Princess Audrey, his girlfriend. Right Bennyboo?" she questioned as they grasped one another's hands.

Thankfully, Fairy Godmother cut in to stop the annoying banter. "Ben and Audrey are going to show you all around, and I'll see you tomorrow." She held the couple's hands and threw them up, saying, "The doors of wisdom are never shut! But the library hours are from eight to eleven, and as you may have heard, I have a little thing about curfews." With that, she smiled at us and walked away with the band tailing her. As they left, Ben stepped towards us, trying to greet Jay with a handshake. However, Jay reacted with a punch to the chest, but he dialed it down so he didn't do any damage.

Next to me, he shook Carlos' hand, licking the chocolate off of his fingers when they were done. He continued his speech as he stepped towards me, holding his hand out. He looked down at me and smiled, waiting for me to return the gesture. After a few moments, I finally took his hand and shook it slowly, letting go after only a few seconds. He had finally finished his speech after shaking Mal and Evie's hands, holding on a bit too long to Mal's.

"Or the day where you show five people where the bathrooms are," Mal interjected, rolling her eyes at the prince. He looked back with an amused smile.

"A little over the top?"

Mal laughed, saying, "A little more than a little bit." Then, of course, Princess Audrey had to interrupt. I blocked them out and looked around, seeing a few people with cameras out. The thought of us being displayed on the Isle televisions left a sour taste in my mouth.

I came back to myself as Jay put his arm around me, waking me of my trance so that I could follow them for the tour. I looked up at him and flashed a grin before we started to walk. The familiar feeling of his arm laying across my shoulders relaxed me, as if he were an older brother.