Street Rat

واحد - مؤامرة الضخمة الكبرى

Jay had never been inside Bargain Castle before. It was so dark he could hardly see even though it was daylight outside, and it was somehow colder. The thief shivered. He was the only one with sleeveless clothing, and he wished he had brought something warmer than a waistcoat.

The entire building was just as dishevelled as the rest of the Isle. Anything made out of fabric was threadbare, painted surfaces were chipped, and those that were malleable were bent out of shape almost beyond use.

Twirling a knife in her hand, Maleficent was sat in a large green armchair. The ex-vizier was busy examining counterfeit valuables on a battered coffee table. Grimhilde was sat at the dining table, fussing over her make up. Cruella was comfortably sat on the sofa, absent-mindedly smoking a cigarette. The four Villain Kids were stood in front of the dark fairy.
"You will go, and you will find Fairy Godmother's magic wand™," instructed Maleficent.

Mal sighed. "What's in it for us?"
"Matching thrones, hers and hers crowns..." came the disinterested reply.
"She.. she meant u-us," Carlos stammered, which made Jay give him a discreet smile. The De Vil boy had toughened despite his suffering from Cruella, and to see the determination gave the thief a sense of pride. However, Maleficent simply ignored him.

"It's all about you and me," she told her daughter, "don't you want to see innocent people suffer?"
"Well yeah, I mean who doesn't?" answered the quartet leader.
"Then get me the wand, and you and I can see all that and so much more. With that wand and my sceptre, I will be able to bend both good and evil to my will!"

All the other Villains looked up at her, only now paying attention. They all gave the fairy a look of annoyance.
"Our will," the Evil Queen corrected her. The monarch was halfway through putting on liquid eyeliner, so only one of her eyes was done. Jay nearly cracked a rib in attempt to not laugh.

"Our will, our will," Maleficent rolled her eyes, before turning back to the teens. "And if you refuse, you'll be grounded for the rest of your lives, missy."
"Wha- but mum-" Mal argued, but was silenced by her mother. Jay had no idea what was happening, but it might have been a fairy thing, as it caused both Mal's and Maleficent's eyes to glow green. It must have been something competitive, as Mal finally caved, agreeing to the older fairy's plan.

The vain monarch called her daughter over, who sat gracefully in the seat opposite her mother. They both giggled over rich princes, mirrors and happily ever afters, before the Princess was chided for laughing "because it causes wrinkles!".

"Well, they ain't taking my Carlos 'cause I'd miss him too much," said Cruella, stroking her son's hair as if he were a dog. Jay couldn't help but glare at her, he knew she saw Carlos as nothing more than a possession. The younger boy seemed to forget this, however.
"Really mum?" he dared to ask. The hope in his voice was heart shattering. Well, it would be if Jay had a heart, but his dad's mantra invaded his mind every time he felt sympathy.

"Of course! Who else would touch up my roots, fluff my furs and scrape the bunions off my feet?" yelled Cruella. Jay's glare intensified, but no one noticed it.
"Maybe a new school wouldn't be the worst thing..." Carlos muttered.
"Carlos, they have dogs in Auradon."
"Oh no... I'm not going!"
Maleficent rolled her eyes at the two and Jay let out an exasperated sigh.

The sorcerer then decided to contribute. "Jay isn't going, either. I need him to stock the shelves in my shop."
Well, at least I would be here with Carlos, Jay thought. He remembered what it was like for the tech genius before he joined the gang, and he wouldn't want Carlos to return to that.

Jafar beckoned the kleptomaniac to the coffee table. Everything that had been concealed on Jay's body was laid out in front of him, and no one could see the table for it all. The malicious grin on Jafar's face grew with each stolen item, until lastly a lamp was pulled out. Excitedly he rubbed the side, and his expression fell when nothing happened. Out of fury it was hurled in Jay's direction but Jay had ducked just in time.

"Am I here? Was I speaking? What is wrong with you people?" yelled the Mistress of all evil. "For twenty years, we have rotted away on this island. For twenty years, they have robbed us from our revenge! Revenge on Snow White and her seven little men!"

The Evil Queen, who was having her eyebrows plucked by Evie, turned to Maleficent. "Ow!"

"Revenge on Aladdin and his bloated Genie!"

"tatahadath ean nafsak (speak for yourself)," Jafar grumbled. Jay gave his father a curious look, but as no one else in the room spoke Arabic, Maleficent continued without batting an eyelid.

"Revenge on every sneaky dalmatian that escaped your clutches!"

The De Vil burst into a fit of manic laughter, squeezing the stuffed dog's head that sat on her shoulder.

"And I, Maleficent, evilest of them all," continued the fairy, sitting on Grimhilde's lap, "I will finally have my revenge on Sleeping Beauty and her relentless little Prince."

No one else was paying attention, so she huffed in annoyance. "Villains!" Everyone jumped, their focus now back on the fallen dragon. "Our time has come."

Evie was given her mother's Magic Mirror™, and Mal her mother's Spell Book™, to aid in their plan. Jay knew that his father wanted him to steal them, but to him there was no point. They're aiding a grander theft, and they didn't seem all that impressive after roughly two decades on the Isle anyway.

Outside, a car horn sounded. Carlos was chased out of the building by his mother, with Mal and Evie following closely behind. Jay made after them, but was held back by his father.
"Jay, our mantra?"
The thief sighed. "There's no team in I."

"And the golden rule?"
"He who has the gold makes the rules," Jay answered. "Dad, I need to go -"

Jafar cut Jay off by a completely unexpected hug. The teen stiffened.
"sa'ashtaq 'iilak (I'll miss you)," the sorcerer muttered. Jay couldn't believe what was happening. The simple phrase sounded quite alien to him.
"I'll make you proud, father," he managed.