"Jay! Wait! Hold on! Do you even know where we're going?"
Jay sprinted down the corridor, faster than he'd ever run before. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure what was going on but he knew it was serious. Mal never joked around when it came to asking Uma and her pirate crew for help. And now, Jay and Doug were in charge of rounding up the newest arrivals for some kind of special mission and Jay was still a bit suspicious of them--even if they had helped stop a tyrannical Audrey from destroying the barrier and sending everyone in Auradon to sleep.
"Are Uma and her pirates even on the school grounds?"
That didn't mean they were just suddenly good. Jay didn't fully trust them. Particularly Harry Hook. He always seemed to be lurking. Gil, Gaston's son, yeah, he was probably not too much of a threat. Uma...Jay had never personally been very fond of Uma but had been mostly due to their travelings in two separate clicks. But Mal trusted her now. And Mal was usually a pretty good judge of character.
"What are they going to be able to do? What if we can't find them? What if everyone's disappeared? What if--"
That's it. I'm done. This has gone on long enough.
"Doug!" Jay came to a dead halt and spun on his heels to face the anxious dwarf, still reeling at the concept of having to look up at him. "Take a chill pill will you? Why are you asking me all of these questions that you know I don't have the answers to?" He tried to give an encouraging smile but his friend did not seem comforted in the least. "Look," Jay said with a sigh. "I get that this is a bit overwhelming but, right now, our main mission is to find the others."
"But what if Maleficent--"
Jay really fought the urge to facepalm. "Chill. Pill," he repeated through clenched teeth. "Maleficent wouldn't hang around," he added, seeing the fear in the dwarf's eyes. "She wouldn't risk someone spotting and recognizing her. And she never did like socializing with the 'peasants'. Besides, I think a fifty-foot dragon would be quite noticeable just hanging around on campus."
They darted out two sets of glass doors and down several marble stairs into the courtyard. The large rectangle of grass was the heart of Auradon Prep. Tables were scattered all across the lawn, each with a collection of chairs in perfect organization. On a normal sunny day, the field would be crowded with laughing students and unruly Tourney players, studying or just fooling around. Not today, however. Today, it was entirely deserted and the ugly green clouds growled overhead.
Jay stopped and scanned the clearing, frowning as he took in the seriousness of the situation. He'd never heard of magic this powerful. Not even from Maleficent. And if what Mal had said was true, the evil fairy was roaming free throughout Auradon. That meant everyone was in danger. They had to figure this out...and fast.
"Where do you suppose everyone went?" Doug questioned, coming up behind him.
"Don't know," Jay responded honestly. "But I think we can cover more ground if we each go a different direction."
Doug paled. "Split up?" He immediately moved to grab something in his pocket. The gesture was not lost on Jay but he had no time to try and guess what it was about. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"
"It'll be fine," Jay insisted. "I'll go right and you go left." It was more of a statement than a question. Jay knew, in these kinds of situations, it was better to give a command than offer a suggestion to one's soldiers--ahem, solider--even if Doug wasn't exactly...designed...for battle--Jay stopped there with a sigh. Forget the war analogy. It didn't work in this situation.
Before the boy could come up with another reason to freak out, Jay turned and sprinted for the trees.
As he hurried over the large roots and huge ferns, he searched for any clues that might help him find the pirates. He was sure there would be some. Uma's crew never went anywhere without making their mark. The question was...what was it? "Uma!" he yelled into the stillness. "Hook! Gil! Anybody out here?"
An owl gave an irritated hoot from the trees.
Jay slid between the trees, eyeing the leafy canopy warily. There were so many ways one could blend into their surroundings. So many ways to sneak up on people and they'd never know what hit them. Stop thinking like that, he scolded himself. This isn't the Isle. There's no reason to fear an attack like that here.
"Hook! Uma!" Jay yelled again, cupping his hands to amplify his voice. "Someone! Answer me!"
He waited for a minute. Nothing.
"Is anyone out there?" he tried again. "Ben? Carlos? Lonnie?"
A bush gave a sudden shake. Jay twirled around, bracing himself for an attack. Who knew what kind of dangerous beasts roamed the forest. Fairy Godmother didn't put protection up against them. "Who's there?" Jay snapped, clenching his hands into fists. "Show yourself!"
"Jay!"
There was a flash of brown and a small mutt leaped from the shadows and landed gracefully in front of Jay, panting. Jay blinked. "Dude?" he gasped, recognizing the campus pet wearing what could only be described as Carlos' black and white doggy sweater. "Dude! What are you doing out here? Where's Carlos?" He knelt to scratch the dog behind the ears.
"Wish I knew," Dude replied, shaking his head lazily. "Last I heard, he and Jane were on their way to Fairy's Hill."
Jay grinned, imagining the sunny hill covered with blue and purple violets and for a moment, he forgot he was supposed to be on a mission. "On a date?"
"What else?" Dude shrugged.
Jay let out a thrilled whoop and did a little jig. "I knew it!" he laughed. "I called it! They are so perfect for each other!"
"Kinda like you and Lonnie, huh?" Dude cut in, scratching his ear innocently.
Jay stopped his victory dance almost instantly. He sighed and readjusted his collar with a look of maturity. "Perhaps," he answered with a grin as though he were checking himself over in a mirror.
"Yipe!" Dude yelped. "Who are you, you Chad impostor, and what have you done with Jay?"
Jay smiled at the mutt's antics. "Come on, Dude," he said, spinning on his heel and beginning to walk off. "Maleficent's free. We've got to find the others and stop her before she destroys Auradon."
Dude trotted after him. "Great! I like easy adventures!"
"Uma! Hook!" Jay began shouting again. "Hello? Anybody there?"
"Octopus lady!" Dude joined in with a howl. "Hook dude! Come out, come out wherever you are!" He trotted contentedly beside Jay, tongue rolling in and out of his mouth.
"UMA! HOOK! GIL!"
A clap of thunder shook the heavens. Rain began to pelt down on them. Jay sighed as he was immediately drenched. "Well, that's just great. Now I look like a wet dog." He paused, then glanced down at his companion. "No offense..."
"None taken," Dude responded, bounding on ahead of him, not seeming to care that his fur was soaked. He chuckled. "You really do."
Even in the dire situation, Jay couldn't help but grin as he jogged after the animal. Ever since Dude had accidentally eaten Carlos' truth gummy, the mutt had enjoyed voicing everything that came to his mind--even when he really shouldn't.
"So where do you suppose everyone is?" Jay questioned, wiping a mop of long hair out of his eyes. "They can't have simply vanished."
"I don't know," Dude answered honestly. "But I feel it might be in our best interest to find them."
"Yeah."
The two of them darted through the trees. Dude was ahead, racing in through the shrubs. Jay was right behind him, leaping over the same greenery.
"Um...Jay?" Dude's voice suddenly rang out from up ahead. "You might want to come and look at this!"
What? Jay sprinted towards the dog's voice. "Dude? What is it? What did you find? Uma and Hook?" Maybe this won't be so hard after all! Maybe Mal was just overthinking this entire thing.
"No!" Dude's voice was abnormally high. "But you should probably hurry just the same!"
Jay obeyed. He sprang over a loose root and found himself standing in a small clearing. Large oak trees surrounded him on every side. But it was one tree that Dude was sitting at that drew Jay's attention. It was a simple oak. But it was what was engraved on the tree that made his heart stop. "Whoa..." he breathed, eyes widening as he took it all in. "Is that what I think it is?"
"I don't know. What do you think it is? Is it a symbol? It's a symbol, isn't it? What does it mean?"
Jay stared at the engraving. It was one he would know anywhere. He'd lived on the Isle after all.
"Maleficent."
***
"Mal! MAL! Wait up!"
"EVIE! RUN!"
The two girls sprinted down the south wing of the dorms. Mal didn't dare glance over her shoulder, even though she knew Evie was only steps behind her. It was what was behind the bluenette that frightened Mal.
And Mal, daughter of Maleficent, did not frighten easily.
"Where did those things come from?" Evie screamed as they rounded a bend and kept running. Behind them, the creatures--huge shadows that had taken the form of wolves and hyena--smashed into the wall, taking off some of the plaster, as they skidded around the corner and charged at them, growling, red eyes brimming with fury.
"I don't know!" Mal yelled back. "But I bet Mom had something to do with it!"
A hyena suddenly lunged past her and landed with a thump on the tiled floor before them. It whipped around, snarling. Mal skidded to a halt and grabbed Evie before she launched herself into the beast's fangs. The purplette promptly dove for a side corridor, pulling her best friend along with her. Some of the wolves leaped at them, missed, and collided. They exploded into a cloud of black smoke.
"Mal...what just happened?" Evie gasped.
"Don't know and no time to try and figure it out right now!" Mal said quickly as the remaining creatures bolted towards them. "Come on!" They kept running. Four creatures remained. If they could just reach the end of the corridor...
"Mal! LOOK OUT!"
At Evie's warning, Mal's head shot up just as one of the wolves sprang at her. She turned but, before she had time to even think of a spell, let alone utter it, the creature was already upon her. She fell backward and hit the ground with a yell.
"MAL!"
Mal didn't expect what happened next. One minute she was lying there, the wolf about to tear her to shreds, the next, Evie was standing defensively before her. "Evie..." Mal breathed. "What are you--" She never finished. Evie thrust her hands out in a shoving motion. There was a sonic explosion and the shadows were sent flying backward where they slammed into several suits of armor and did not rise again, slowly fading to dust.
"Evie--"
"Come on," Evie said hastily, wiping her hair out of her eyes as she helped Mal up, and pulling her after her. "We need to keep moving."
Mal frowned but didn't argue. What's up with her? She'd known Evie for the biggest part of her life. This wasn't like her at all and Mal knew for a fact that the Evil Queen's daughter didn't have any powers! "Evie--what was--"
"Nothing," Evie cut her off quickly. "It was nothing."
Why is she lying? Mal felt intrigued. She'd never seen her like this before. "But--"
"Mal," Evie sighed and twirled to face her with a scowl. "Please. It's nothing. Don't tell the others. Especially Doug."
"But why?" Mal pressed.
"Because..." Evie looked about ready to cry. "It's hard enough for us now, you know? He's Dopey's son and I'm the daughter of the Evil Queen. Our families are arch nemeses. We both want to bring peace but I'm afraid that telling him this could destroy everything." She turned away before Mal could say anything else and fled down the corridor, leaving her friend behind in the dust.
Mal scowled, trying to piece together all the information she'd just received. Evie was clearly terrified of something. But what? And why keep it from all of them, Mal especially? The two girls had been inseparable for years. What could be so terrifying that Evie felt she couldn't come to Mal about it?
She didn't know the answers to any of these questions but there was one thing she'd known for sure...
...In the one brief moment that Evie had looked at Mal, her eyes had flashed orange.
***
When the storm hit, Carlos was only moments away from blabbing his entire life story to Jane.
The two had left early that morning and had made several detours (the Enchanted Lake, the Wishing Well, and the Museum)before finally arriving at their destination--Fairy's Hill. It had been Carlos' first time to come and Jane had happily filled him in on all of the important history (who knew this was the original home of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather?). Carlos had listened to her as she went on and on at a blistering speed. Now, while that would have been a major turnoff for most guys, Carlos actually enjoyed listening to her. There was so much he had yet to learn and he wanted to know it all.
They'd settled underneath a large willow and their picnic stuff had been spread out before them. Sandwiches, fruit, and a large tray of chocolate and peanut butter cups (those were mostly for Carlos) all neatly organized and waiting to be devoured.
"So..." Carlos began nervously as he leaned against the trunk, eating chocolate with one hand and petted Dude with the other. "This place is pretty incredible, huh?"
"It is," Jane said quietly, giving him a small smile. "Carlos, thanks for bringing me here." She stroked Dude's head shyly. "I think I can safely say that this is the best first date I've ever had."
"Yeah...mine too. Um...Jane? What...what exactly do you...er...do...on a date?"
Jane shrugged. "I guess we just talk."
"Okay...er...what should we talk about?"
"Honestly," Jane said with a small smile. "I think we could talk about anything." As she spoke, a distant rumble of thunder could be heard. Her smile faded. "What's that?" She sat up and glanced over her shoulder nervously at the dark clouds building on the horizon.
"The...thunder?" Carlos questioned, twisting around to follow her gaze. Dude glanced up too and gave a small growl, fur bristling slightly. "Yeah...Jane...it's far off. There's nothing really to worry about..."
"What's thunder?"
Carlos blinked, jaw dropping. "It's...it's...thunder." He struggled to explain it. "You know? It's when lightning splits a cloud in half and the two halves slam back together..."
Jane just looked confused.
"You've...never heard of thunder?"
She shook her head, wide-eyes. "No, I haven't. Is it dangerous?"
"The thunder? No. The lightning? Yes."
Another rumble of thunder. This one was accompanied by a sudden downpour as the sky above them instantly darkened. Carlos yelped and instantly scrambled to his feet and began gathering up the food and shoving it back into the basket. "That's not good..."
"Why?" Jane stood up too. "What's going on? What is this water?"
"Rain," Carlos answered. He backed up beside Jane, underneath the safety of the willow, and flung his wet mop of hair out of his eyes irritably. How dare the storm mess up their perfectly good date? "But I didn't think it rained here..."
"It doesn't," Jane responded. "It hasn't for years!"
"Well, that can't be good," Carlos muttered. If it was raining in Auradon, that must have meant the weather spell over the kingdom was down. And since there was only one person powerful enough to do this... "I'm sorry, Jane," he said suddenly. "But something's come up. I...I have to go. Can...can I see you later?"
Jane nodded, understanding completely. "Of course," she told him. "Just tell me when, okay?" She gave him a small smile and turned to leave, Dude at her heels.
Carlos sighed, disappointed, and grabbed the picnic basket, preparing to take off into the trees back towards Evie's. Maybe the others could make more sense of what was going on than he could.
"Carlos! Jane! Wait up!"
They paused and turned, blinking through the rain, to see Doug jogging toward them, looking even more drenched than them if that was even possible. And, by the look of it, he'd been running for quite a while.
"Carlos?" Jane whispered, hurrying up to the white-haired boy. "What's going on? Doug, why are you here?"
"Yeah, I'd like to know that too," Carlos admitted. He frowned, watching as Doug finally caught up to them and took off his glasses in the miserable attempt to dry them off. It was pointless, as Carlos could have told him, to find any part of his shirt that wasn't soaked by rain or sweat. "Let me guess, Evie sent you to eavesdrop on our date, right? Come on, Doug, fess up. We caught you. Game's over."
"N--no!" Doug protested. "Evie didn't send me!" He paused for a moment to rethink that statement. "Well, actually, she did, but not for the reason you're thinking! Carlos, everyone's gone! Disappeared! It's Maleficent! She's back!"
The force of those few words was enough to make Carlos want to faint right then and there. Maleficent? How was that even possible? Wasn't Maleficent a lizard? Was this some kind of cruel joke? "Are you serious?" he demanded. "Where are Mal, Evie, and Jay? Why aren't they here? Why are you here?"
"They're fine," Doug assured him, not looking at all offended. "But Ben is missing. Mal and Evie have gone to look for him. Jay went to find Uma and her pirates."
"Okay," Carlos nodded, his mind kicking into high gear. This wasn't a joke. This was the real deal. "So here's what we're going to do. Doug, take Jane back to the school. Make sure she gets there. Then meet us at Evie's. Dude, go find Jay and tell him to meet us there too. I'll get Mal and Evie." He readjusted his headphones and sighed, his gaze meeting Jane's. "I'm sorry," he said to her. "Duty calls." He waved a hand helplessly.
"It's okay," she told him. "Go find our friends."
Their gazes locked for another minute or two and then Carlos turned and took off towards the woods. As he ran, his mind flashed into overdrive. With the barrier down, they'd anticipated trouble from some of the villains but never Maleficent being released! Who could have done such a thing? Who would want to free the evil fairy? And if Maleficent was back, did that mean other villains had come as well? His mother?
A chill ran up and down his spine at the thought of Cruella showing up at his front door. The woman wasn't exactly--evil--but she was definitely insane. Maybe there was something Fairy Godmother could do about that? He'd have to remember to ask her later.
Lightning illuminated the sky. Carlos kept running. He didn't stop. If Auradon was in danger, he wanted to be there to help. "Mal! Evie!" he yelled as he ran. "Ben! Jay! Uma! Harry! Gil!" None of his friends answered him--or perhaps they couldn't. He blinked away the rain and tears threatening to blind him and ran harder.
I wonder if the others know what's going on.
If it is really Maleficent, then how are we supposed to stop her?
There was a roar. And it wasn't thunder. Confused, Carlos glanced up towards the heavens. His eyes widened as a flaming object came barreling towards him. Carlos screamed. He shielded his eyes as the UFO slammed into the earth just over the next ridge.
What was that? Maleficent?
If it was, Carlos might have been the only one to see her. He had to keep her there until the others could arrive. He glanced at his phone. No service. How wonderful. He groaned.
Great. Guess it's up to me.
He moved swiftly towards the hill. He carefully climbed the ridge, keeping himself firmly behind the shield of trees and shrubs. He wanted to stay hidden--especially if it was Maleficent out there.
He reached the top of the hill a few moments later, a bit winded but overall all right. And then he gazed down at the clearing, gasping at what he saw.
The entire clearing had been obliterated. Trees littered the ground and a huge trench had been formed across the meadow. The first thing that came to Carlos' mind was an asteroid. But how likely was that? Carlos gulped and slowly began to pick his way down the opposite side into the wreck. What is all of this? Suddenly he wished he'd brought his laptop with him so he could have analyzed a sample of the dirt. Okay. Let's see. The ground is scorched and, by the size of the impact, the rock couldn't have been any more than a meter in diameter.
He knelt down beside the wreck and ran a hand over the dirt.
And that was when he noticed an orange glow from underneath a mound of dirt. What's that? Curious, he quickly brushed off the top layer of dirt, revealing a small orange stone, shining brilliantly as Carlos reached for it. He blinked. He'd seen this before! Is this--
The stone glowed brighter as he grabbed it. His eyes widened and he nearly dropped it as it began to sizzle and pop.
Oh no! It is! It's a--
That was as far as he got. The stone gave one final hiss and the entire clearing was enveloped in flames.
***
Jane stopped and turned towards the sound with a frown. "What was that?"
Ahead of her, Doug skidded to a halt and came back with a frown. "What?" he questioned, peering over her head towards the forest beyond. There was no denying the quiver in his voice and Jane did her best to ignore it.
"That noise," she explained. "Didn't you hear it? What if it was Carlos? What if he's in danger? What if he's hurt?"
Doug swallowed hard. "Come on," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and leading her away. "We should get inside."
They headed up the marble steps leading to the school. It was kind of eerie, Jane had decided, not seeing anyone at all. "Are you concerned about the others?" she questioned as they went inside and headed straight for her dorm.
Doug nodded. "Of course I am. But they can handle themselves. This isn't the first time they've faced down Maleficent, remember?"
They rounded a bend and hurried down the corridor towards the girl's dorms. "Yeah," Jane sighed. "You're right." She glanced down at her phone worriedly. "I should try to call him..."
"And say what?" he questioned, biting back his irritation. "Carlos will be fine, Jane. I'm going to meet up with Evie and the others. I'll text you as soon as he gets there, all right?"
Jane gave a weak grin and held up her phone as they reached her dorm and she headed inside. "Please do. Oh? And Doug?" She paused, the door halfway closed. "Take care of everyone." With that, she closed the door, leaving him standing alone in the dark hall.
Doug sighed and turned back to come the way he'd come. As he started off, he pulled the small gem from his pocket, turning it over and investigating it from all angles. He still didn't know what it was or how he'd gotten ahold of it. It wasn't like any rock he'd ever seen in the mines before. It wasn't a lapis lazuli. It was too white for that. But it was tinted too blue to be a diamond. Not to mention it was hardly any bigger than a beetle. Granted, a large beetle. But a beetle nonetheless.
Evie will know, he told himself. He had to show it to the others and he would tell them about the dream. They had to know. Maybe it was important. Even if it was just a nightmare, he felt they needed to know. Evie. He shuddered, recalling the bloodthirsty look in her eyes. He prayed desperately that she'd never turn on Auradon--on him. It had been a nightmare, right? Why did the ache in his heart tell him that it could still happen?
His phone suddenly buzzed. Taking it out of his bag, he quickly read the message. It was from Jay.
Uma and her crew are nowhere to be found. Something strange is going on around here. I found something that I think everyone needs to see.
A moment passed and then a second message came in, this one from Mal.
We found Ben and I agree. Something weird happened to us as well. Everyone, meet back at Evie's to regroup and plan our next move.
Doug sighed and tucked his phone into his pocket. Well, at least they found Ben. At least that was one. It may not have been everyone but at least it was a start. Once more his mind circled back around to the dream.
I have to tell them. I can't keep it a secret forever. They need to know. It might be important.
And with that mindset, he hurried off down the corridor towards Evie's.