PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

FOUR ~ KIND KING

Throwing herself onto the bed nearest the bay window, Eva let out a groan of delight at how she sunk into the soft mattress. She let out a gasp of surprise when she bounced back up to the ceiling slightly, instead of hurting her back on hard springs. Snuggling into the soft, clean sheets, Eva decided that closing her eyes for a moment wouldn't hurt anyone. Kicking off their boots, the other two girls decided to see whether the beds were as good as they looked and within minutes, the three girls were in the deepest, most restful sleep of their lives.

╍╍╍╍╍╍╍╍╍ ♛ ⎈ ♛ ╍╍╍╍╍╍╍╍╍

Opening her eyes, it took Eva a few moments to adjust to the fact that the room was a different colour to when she had fallen asleep. Night had fallen and so the room was cast in a shadowy darkness. Stretching, Eva marvelled at the lack of aching in her joints.

Comfort was unheard of on the Isle and instead of being rock hard and lumpy, the mattress moulded perfectly to her body as she moved. The pillow was fluffy and soft, not a bumpy strip of fabric that they were lucky enough to receive back home. Pulling the squishy duvet up to her chin, Eva was more than happy to float back into the blissful, peaceful sleep – until Mal turned on the lights and smacked her in the face with one the full, fluffy pillows.

"What the Hades, Mal?" Eva grumbled, scowling up at the purple haired monster.

"Wrinkles!" Evie squealed at her twin, flapping her hands in a manner similar to their mother.

Even safely protected on a magical land filled with comfort, the VKs were unable to outrun the influence of their parents.

"Not that I should have to remind you but we're here to steal the wand, not enjoy ourselves. So, let's go." Mal ordered.

The stern look on her face making her look like a miniature replica of her mother. Eva didn't dear speak that thought aloud though for fear of the wrath it would incur. Whilst they would defend the other, Eva and Mal were far from close. They didn't spend their nights confiding in each other about their deepest thoughts and worries.

Eva didn't share the insecurities she had developed for fear of appearing weak. Whilst Mal and Evie may know that Eva angered easily over her appearance, they had no idea how deep her mother's words had cut. Nor did she mention the feelings brewing for a certain dark haired male for fear that her mother would somehow find out that she was falling for a man not of royal origin. More so, she feared the beating she would suffer as a result.

Mal refused to show any sign of emotion for fear that people would discover she didn't feel worthy of being Maleficent's daughter. Even worse, she worried that if she talked about her feelings, Mal herself would discover that she wasn't as strong as she pretended. The two girls had so much they wished they could say to each other but didn't. Instead, Mal pretended to be the cruel leader of the pack and Eva the indifferent, cold hearted follower.

Marching towards the room that had been assigned to the boys, Mal didn't even glance back to see if the twins were following her. Like the loyal subjects they were, the twins floated after her without complaint.

Pillars of grace and poise, the Evil twins may have matched on beauty but they were not alike. Despite being matched in beauty, the twins were not identical and it showed most in their personalities.

Evie had nothing but confidence in her own beauty and used her charm to diffuse a tense situation – ever the peacemaker. After a lifetime of criticism and venomous comments from her mother, Eva had nothing but uncertainty about her own appearance and shielded her insecurity behind a wall of heartlessness – she was hot-headed and unafraid to tell people what she truly thought. Unless that person was Mal.

Hence why she was sneaking out past curfew to help Villains she had spent her entire life hoping to escape from. Eva had spent years protecting Evie from the harsh words of her mother, not that the younger twin was aware of this. The idea of having to return to the Isle and giving her mother more power to harm her with was unfathomable yet here she was.

Barging into the room, Eva rolled her eyes at the compliment Carlos paid her, she ruffled his hair affectionately. Looking at the pure joy on his face as he played a game on the big screen, Eva smiled slightly. Years of misery had been washed away after just one day at Auradon and Carlos was sporting a look on his angelic face that Eva had never seen before – authentic happiness.

All five of them looked cleaner, healthier and happier than they ever had before. Even Mal, who had yet to show any outward joy at their situation, seemed to breathe easier without her mother around and there was a slight twinkle to her green eyes.

Perhaps staying at Auradon for longer than a day or two wouldn't be so terrible for the wellbeing of the VKs.