Mal had always been known as Maleficent's daughter. For sixteen years that had been her identity. She had always been a thief and a villain. She had been wicked. She had been mean. That was the way she'd liked it. She had never known anything else and had had no desire whatsoever to learn...and then everything had changed and, faster than one could say bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, she'd ended up here, in Auradon. She, along with her friends; Evie, Jay, and Carlos, had found themselves thrown into an entirely new environment, one surrounded by students who didn't steal, didn't lie, and, most of all, were actually kind.
It hadn't been a smooth transition. When they first arrived, they'd been ordered by their parents to steal Fairy Godmother's (who turned out to be the head of the school) magic wand and break the barrier over the Isle of the Lost. They had fully intended to do so. There had been only one problem--they had fallen in love with Auradon and, more accurately, with the people who lived there. Mal had met Ben and her future had been decided. She couldn't steal the wand and give up everything she'd dreamed of. The four of them stopped Maleficent, transforming her into a tiny lizard, and peace seemed to be restored. Unfortunately, that peace did not last long. Uma, a long-time rival of Mal, had been furious that Mal had been selected to go to Auradon and she hadn't. She kidnapped Ben in the attempt to make the villans' kids give her the wand. By creating a convincing replica, they managed to fool Uma and rescue Ben, only to accidentally leave behind Maleficent's spellbook, which allowed Uma to escape and spell Ben into bringing her to Auradon. Mal managed to defeat her, (though Ben really did most of the work just by talking to her) by transforming into a strange purple dragon. They never really talked about it, especially the dragon part. It was a bit too weird for anyone--Mal included. But Uma was gone for now, and there was nothing left to worry about.
Except maybe passing Medieval Arts Class.
Mal sighed for probably the fiftieth time since she'd first sat down in the school's ginormous sparkling library. The due five-page report stared up at her, seeming to be laughing at her and her pitiful two-page attempt. There was no way she was going to be able to do this. Why exactly was there a Medieval Arts Class anyway? It seemed a bit pointless in the modernized world.
"Wow. Homework must be really grueling, huh?"
She glanced up, spotting a flash of brown as Ben appeared out of thin air and took a seat across from her. She couldn't hold back the smile creeping onto her lips as she took in his light brown hair and sparkling eyes. He was as handsome as ever.
"What?" Ben went on, noticing her staring. He pulled off his backpack and dove through it until he found what he'd been searching for--a small leather-bound binder filled to the brim with papers and notes. None of them school-related, Mal noticed.
"Not so bad as yours," she responded quickly, pointing at the folder. "Doesn't the king get time off to himself?"
He smiled wryly. "I doubt it. The council seems to enjoy keeping me on my toes. I fear, when I die, my tombstone will be covered with unfinished paperwork instead of flowers."
Mal laughed. "Oh, that's horrible."
He grinned now. "It is, isn't it?" He glanced over at her homework. "Medieval Arts?" he guessed.
Mal grimaced as she opened another book. It was times like these she really wished she still had her spell book handy. She knew so many helpful spells that would be great in a situation like this. Fast-reading. Memorization. Speed-writing...
But she'd given that all up. She wasn't on the Isle anymore. She was in Auradon now. Things were different here. And she was different. "Yeah," she answered. "I mean, how many ways can you use a sword? What are you supposed to do with it? Roast a kabob?" She threw her hands in the air in exasperation but kept on smiling.
"That would be a giant kabob," Ben spoke humorously.
Mal grinned. "Yeah. It would."
"But in all seriousness though," Ben went on. "You could probably ask Lonnie. I bet she'd be able to help you."
"Thanks," Mal said absentmindedly. "I might just do that." She thought of the dark-haired daughter of Mulan. Lonnie was the captain of the fencing team (thanks to Jay's quick thinking) and could probably tell you anything you wanted to know about any weapon of your choosing, and maybe even more. Then, she snapped back into focus. "And what are you going to do?" she questioned.
Ben shrugged and scanned his papers as though searching for something. His schedule, most likely. "Three ribbon-cutting ceremonies," he read, counting them off out loud. "Two weddings. Oh, and a meeting with the seven dwarfs, no doubt about Grumpy's proposition that they get a larger share of the jewels they mine."
"Sounds like fun," Mal said innocently.
Ben coughed, smothering a laugh. "Yeah..." he trailed off. "Listen. I've got to get going," he told her, standing up and stuffing everything back into his backpack. "Will I see you later?"
"'Course," Mal replied. "We still on for that date tonight?"
"Wouldn't miss it. Bye, Mal."
"Bye," she called as he turned and hurried off. I should go find Lonnie, she decided after a minute. Ben was right. If anyone could help her, she could. She quickly picked up her books and headed for the same door Ben had disappeared through moments before.
The halls of Auradon Prep were sparkly and spotless. Gold and blue banners hung from almost every rafter with a variety of cheers and quotes, most about using knowledge instead of magic and being kind and good instead of wicked. It was so different than the school on the Isle with its dreary cobblestone walls and floppy signs with warnings about resisting evil.
Students wandered in and out of classrooms. Some, like Mal, had been doing a bit of last-minute cramming before the big midterm exams and others were just enjoying the warm summer day by playing a bit of Tourney or soccer. Even from where she was standing on the balcony, she could see the white of Carlos's hair over in the tourney field. She supposed Lonnie had called a last-minute meeting before the big game.
Mal would simply have to wait for her question.
"Mal? Mal!"
At the sudden exclamation of her name, the purplette turned on her heel to see a familiar short-haired girl come hurrying up to her, looking all in a hurry. "Hi, Jane," Mal said, giving the girl a sweet smile. "What seems to be the trouble?"
"Have you seen King Ben?" Jane gasped out as she doubled over, wheezing.
"A few minutes ago," Mal answered. "Why? Is something wrong? Can I help?" She suspected the decorations for the royal banquet were the wrong color again. Surely she could help with whatever the problem was, right? No need to bother Ben when he was already so busy.
Jane hesitated. "I'm not sure..." she began.
Mal frowned. Something didn't feel right. Normally, her offer to help was never turned down. She wondered why this time would be any different. "Jane?" she repeated, no longer trying to hold up the appearance of joy. She sensed something was off. She just wanted to help. "What's wrong?"
"Well...all right...it's about Maleficent," Jane admitted. She clutched her text books tighter and hurried off down the hall.
Mal quickly jogged after her. "My mother?" she questioned, not able to hide her surprise. Though, she reasoned, she had no real reason to be surprised. Whenever something bad happened in Auradon, it was usually somehow the evil woman's fault to some extent or another. "What happened? Is she okay?"
"No one knows!" Jane answered.
They rounded a bend and Mal hastily stepped in front of the girl's path, stopping her in her tracks. "Wait...no one knows?" she echoed. "How is that possible?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer that, Mal!" Jane responded as they kept power-walking.
"Can't? Are you sure about that?" Mal pressed.
Jane looked rather uncomfortable. "Mal, I can't explain it all to you," she answered. "Let's just say, Maleficent has been acting a bit...strange...recently."
"Strange how?"
"Strange, like, you know, strange." Jane really did not seem to want to answer her questions. "Look, Mal, I really can't tell you. She's your mother after all so...maybe you'd get more out of her than I would but...anyone would think she's...plotting something."
"She's a lizard," Mal reminded her friend. "How could she be plotting?"
Jane shrugged. "I don't know," she responded honestly. She glanced at her watch. "Oh! I'm sorry, but, I'm late for a meeting with Carlos!" She turned and practically fled down the hall. "See you later!"
Mal frowned after her. What was that all about? She'd never known Jane to be so antsy--well, not since they first arrived. What's got her so in a hurry? Oh well. She decided she should probably check in on her mother. Not because she was worried about what Jane had said. Because she was a good daughter...even though her mother was wicked. Maleficent was still her mom. And perhaps, with enough time, she too could grow to love.
We became good. So can she.
The corridors got strangely quieter the closer she got to the locked room where Fairy Godmother was keeping Maleficent. This wasn't really surprising. Everyone had heard of her mother's truly evil deeds and everyone still feared her. Though, to be fair, it had been nineteen years since Maleficent had done any burning of kingdoms or turning into fire-breathing reptiles. Now, she just stayed here, locked away, where she'd be safe from the rest of the world.
Two stern-looking guards had been posted outside the door. Neither moved a muscle as Mal approached them. She gave them a wry smirk. "Permission to enter?"
They didn't answer.
Mal took this as a yes. Carefully, she unlocked the door and stepped into the chilling darkness. And by that, she meant chilling and dark. It reminded her a lot of their house--castle really--on the Isle. Maleficent had always liked the dark, said it made her feel more at home. As for the cold, Mal suspected that had something more to do with her mother's aging bones. The only thing in the room other than her mother was Maleficent's famous staff, which had its own secure prison in the corner.
In the center of the room, on a tall white pedestal, was a small terrarium where Maleficent now lived. It wasn't much. A simple cage with a small pond and lots of edible plants. But it was all Fairy Godmother was willing to risk. She may have been a very caring Headmistress, but she was far from stupid. And, after Uma, she definitely wasn't taking any risks that might allow Maleficent to escape.
"Mom?" Mal whispered as she reached into her backpack and pulled out half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "I brought you some lunch."
She opened the lid of the terrarium and laid the sandwich down beside the pond. She closed the lid and waited, expecting the lizard to come running out like she always did. Only, this time, she didn't. Mal's frown increased. She waited another minute. And then two. Maleficent never appeared.
"Mom?"
Stillness.
Something wasn't right. Mal reached for her phone, intent on texting Ben to see if he'd moved her for any reason. But then, a glint of light caught her eye. She froze, her finger hovering over the send button. Oh no. It couldn't be...
But it was.
Mal silently wished it away. She wished she wasn't seeing what she was, that she could see something--anything--else. But there was no denying it, no matter how much she prayed.
Maleficent's staff was gone.
And so was Maleficent.