Wicked Ones ♛ MAL [✓]

➣ seventeen.

Even though we had been through a lot in the past few hours, I was glad to be talking with Mal again. I had no idea how much I missed these little moments we had, and I didn't want to lose them again.

When we reached the salon, Evie told us to be quiet as she snuck up on Dizzy, who was busy working at her little desk. Dizzy and Evie had always been very close, and Mal often referred to their relationship as having "a big-sister-little-sister dynamic." So I wasn't very surprised when Dizzy embraced Evie in a tight hug, not even noticing that we were there.

"Evie!" Dizzy said happily. "You came back!"

"Hi!" Evie said to the little girl.

"Hey," Mal said sarcastically. "So great to see you, too."

Dizzy didn't seem to hear her as she bombarded Evie with questions. "Is it all just like we imagined? Do they really have closets you can walk into? Have you been to a real swimming pool? What does ice cream taste like?"

Evie smiled, bending down so she could be eye level with Dizzy and tapping her chin. "It's cold and it's sweet, and if you eat it too fast, it gives you a headache."

Dizzy's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah," Evie said with a nod.

Dizzy perked up, her excitement evident in her expressions and body language. "I saved your sketch book for you!"

"You did?" Evie asked in shock as Dizzy ran off. When the little girl returned with Evie's sketchbook, Evie gasped. "Dizzy! Oh, my gosh."

Evie sat down and opened the book to one of her dress designs. "I made this dress out of an old curtain and safety pins," Evie said, running her hands over the drawing.

"It reminds me of the dress you made for Mal when she and Freddy met Jasmine," Dizzy said.

We all paused to remember that event before Mal said, "I spilled curry all over that."

We all laughed, and I said to her, "You did."

"Yeah, I saw that," Dizzy agreed.

Mal walked over to where we would need the supplies for the smoke bombs, measuring them out. After a moment I stepped up to her, slowly taking one of the vials from her hand. 

"Here," I said as she looked at me. "Let me help."

She pursed her lips, but nodded and handed the measuring cup to me. We were quiet for awhile as we worked, the only sounds being Evie and Dizzy's excited chattering. But then Mal caught me off guard when she decided to speak.

"You scared me, you know," she said, refusing to look at me. "When Evie told me you and Ben had been captured."

I frowned at her. "Why? I thought you didn't car–"

"Freddy," Mal cut me off. "It's impossible for me not to care."

I sighed. "Then why did you send me away?"

"I was hurt. I was scared. I was angry." Mal shook her head. "I was feeling a lot of emotions, honestly. But finding out that Uma had you... in that moment all I felt was regret. Regret that I hadn't been there for you like you've been there for me."

Looking at Mal, I saw that she was staring at me with a soft, sad smile. I knew it was hopeless, but I still had to try to convince her to come back. "Please come home," I whispered.