"I know you." A female voice lazily sang in a deep ominous tone, "I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam."
It was dark in the dream, pitch black. There was a rustling of dry leaves as they blew along the ground and very slowly the atmosphere brightened just enough for him to make out dead trees all around. Their limbs stretching to the sky like gnarled fingers desperately grasping for something.
"And I know it's true, that visions are seldom all they seem. . . but if I know you, I know what you'll do." The voice started up again, almost mixing with the wind. He stepped forward carefully, avoiding the tree roots that folded and crossed each other along the forest floor. He continued to look around for the source of the melody. Eventually, he saw a horned figure walking away from him, an air of elegance surrounding the silhouette. He stepped closer following the woman, but couldn't keep up, even though she moved at a leisurely pace. Even when he sped up and she didn't, she remained the same distance from him as she walked.
Then she stopped. And so did he. Her horns turned and he noticed she was looking to something in her hand. The top of a walking stick. No. A scepter. Very dimly it glowed a swampy green color. That little light made him feel warm inside, and safe. But more then that he felt desire.
That little green stone was all he'd ever wanted his whole life. And his whole life he'd been forced to compete for it.
Then, it changed. The speck of green became more vibrant as it turned to a fiery blue.
"You'll love me at once, the way you did once, upon a dream."
The melody continued as another breeze swept through and the woman began to walk again. The long black skirt of her robe dragging over the dead leaves she stepped over.
Then there was a big bang like lightning and he sat up in his hammock immediately awake.
He was outside, on a rooftop.
Taking a few deep breaths he remembered falling asleep here. It was the roof over the hideout of his gang. The hammock he was in was stitched together pieces of fabric, leftovers from Evie's prior projects.
The bang he'd heard came from below, a cat, or a VK, knocking over a trashcan. The sounds of people scurrying reached him just before his sister's voice did.
"They say I'm trouble, they say I'm bad. They say I'm evil, that makes me glad." Mal sang as she finished her graffiti and moved on to meet the others.
"A dirty no good, down to the bone. Your worst nightmare, can't take me home." Jay went on cutting through buildings, stealing as he went.
Getting out of his bed and brushing off his plum leather coat, Drac made his way down the fire escape joining in the tune and shaking off his dream.
"They know my temper, the Dragon Lad, fire in my belly, so don't make me mad." Drac sang as he leapt and vaulted from one fire escape to the next until he landed on the broken concrete of the road making the remaining people flee. The next building over he saw Carlos come through one of the windows and steal a scarf, his mouth was moving but Drac was too far away to hear him.
Eventually, their two paths crossed. The best friends high fived as they made their way to meet up with everyone else. They cut through a warehouse where the second floor had rows of beds. Carlos, in the lead, started somersaulting over people. Drac did the same and quickly caught up. It turned into a race to see who could parkour the fastest – completely disregarding the people they were leaping over.
When they caught up just to the gang Mal was opening a gate made of metal linked fence and they followed her through, jumping on tables and knocking over the things people were trying to sell all while singing, "I'm rotten to the core, core. Rotten to the core. I'm rotten to the core, who could ask for more?"
They ran through a section where laundry was being done and stole ladles and spoons folks were using to stir the clothes in the soapy tubs of brown water. They made loud clang, clang, clang noises as they laughed and battered the tin buckets before slipping into a tunnel, Jay in the lead.
On the other side they split up again, terrorizing the most ground that way.
Drac and Carlos headed for another warehouse, this one had an indoor market they liked to frequent. Carlos took the left side while Drac ran up the metal steps and headed to the second floor. He pushed things over, the convenient rail making it easy to send people's goods flying to the floor below and crashing down on other's heads.
Some chased him, so mad they forgot who his mother was. But he didn't mind. When he got to the end of the catwalk and they thought they had him cornered he grabbed the rail and hoisted himself over. Falling onto a wagon of hay below he looked up at his pursuers and laughed at their stunned faces as they looked over the rail at him.
"The past is past. Forgive forget." Carlos shrugged as he climbed over tables kicking aside anything in his way, "The truth is...
- you ain't seen nothing yet!"
"You ain't seen nothing yet!" Drac joined in as Carlos leapt onto the wagon of hay the son of Maleficent was already perched on as the green haired boy wacked the driver in the back of the head making him go.
The pair jumped off after a minute and climbing over some tables in the street made it to another warehouse – this one empty- where Drac leapt onto a beam as Jay pulled some rope raising it high into the air. As Jay tied the rope off Drac lifted his legs pulling himself up and around so he was now standing on the beam. He leaned over and pressing his hands to it lifted his feet again and hand-walked along the iron as Jay leapt up and grabbed the beam. Drac loved being high up and in the air, it made him feel like he was flying and he longed for the day when he had the magic to actually transform like their mother could.
From below Carlos untied the rope and pulled it making Jay and Drac go for a little ride. Jay let go but Drac flipped until he landed in a crouch on the ground.
"Come on!" Jay called and they ran outside after Mal and Evie and scared people off. A mother with her young child made the mistake of crossing their path and Mal took advantage of the opportunity. Drac laughed in the square with the others evilly as Mal held up a lollipop with victory in her green eyes. Drac laughed along with his big sister, he might be a year younger than her but that never stopped them from ruling the Isle together and causing mayhem with their gang. He ran a hand through his green hair which had every shade in it from a light lime to dark green which made it look a bit like it was on fire. It was cut the same way as Carlos' hair was only the son of Cruella's hair was curlier.
Then, their fun was cut short when two grubby men marched down the street. The other people in the market fled as Mal and Drac turned to the men.
"Hi Mom." They greeted smiling as Maleficent pushed the men aside with flair and approached her children, her staff in hand.
"Stealing candy Mal? I'm so disappointed." She said with a shake of her head.
"It was from a baby."
"Ah! That's my nasty little girl!" Maleficent said with a twisted smile taking the treat and spitting on it before squeezing it under her arm. "Give it back to the dreadful creature." She instructed her minion handing him the candy.
"Mom –"
"It's the 'dets' Mal that make the difference between mean and truly evil! When I was your age I was –"
"Cursing entire kingdoms." Mal and Drac said simultaneously having both heard that speech from their mother before.
"- cursing entire kingdoms." Mom chuckled, "Walk with me." She said leading her kids away from the group.
"See I'm just trying to teach you the thing that really counts, 'How to be me'."
"We know," Mal said nodding. "And we'll do better."
"You mean worse." Drac corrected with a smirk as his Mom looked past his sister to give him an evil smile.
"That's my wicked little boy." She said with approval and he felt good knowing he'd done something to make her proud. "Oh! There's news!" Maleficent shouted regaining their attention, "I buried the lead, haha. You five have been chosen to go to a different school – in Auradon."
The others jumped and tried to flee but Drac's jaw just hit the ground as the rest of him was frozen. His sister was the only other one to keep her composure as she scoffed.
"What?!" Mal shouted, "I'm not going to some boarding school filled to the brim with prissy pink princesses."
"And perfect princes." Evie said with her head in the clouds. Then she caught the look on Mal's face, "Uck."
"Yeah, and I don't do uniforms." Jay said leaning one arm on Carlos, "Unless it's leather you feel me?" he tapped Drac's shoulder with his other hand gesturing to the boy's own leather jacket. It was a dark purple like his mother wore, a shade much darker than Mal's – Evie had once called it 'plum' - with patches of black. Its collar wasn't high like Mal's jacket but they did have a similar logo on the back. Where Mal had two dragons forming a heart Drac only had half of it, one lone green dragon with its tail wrapping around his waist over the belt of the jacket. Down his right sleeve on the underside was green from the creature's wing, while on the left sleeve another patch of green came from its fire-green breath. He didn't have the little wings on his shoulders like Mal had, instead a similar detail was on the front where his pockets were on either side of the diagonal zipper. His pants were mostly dark purple with patches of lime green and zippers and his boots were black, or used to be before the brown sludge of the Isle got on them.
"I read somewhere that they allow dogs in Auradon." Carlos said with wide eyes full of fear, "Mom said they're rabid pack animals who eat boys that don't behave."
Jay scared Carlos by barking in his ear and Drac rolled his blue eyes before he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants.
"Yeah Mom, we're not going." Mal declared speaking for the group.
"Aww, you're thinking small pumpkin. It's all about world domination!" Maleficent said before ordering her minions away with her. Drac wanted to follow after his mother but his sister's defiant stance made him freeze and look back and forth between the two evil women.
"Kids." Mom called in a sing-song tone getting Mal to roll her eyes and follow as Drac moved like he was Maleficent's shadow. In a lot of ways that's all he was, he rarely went anywhere without Mal, mainly because the Isle was dangerous to travel alone and they always watched out for each other. Some people teased him for it, saying he hid behind his big sister. He couldn't help that he was still shorter than her, but even in his small stature he brought enough terror to those people that no one teased him twice.
Evie and Jay were right behind them while Carlos hesitated like Drac had.
"You too fur freak!" Maleficent shouted down the street and Carlos followed the call.
- - LONG LIVE EVIL - -
They all stood before Maleficent as she filed her nails and sat in her high backed chair back at Bargain Castle.
"You will go. You will find the fairy godmother and you will bring me back her magic wand. Easy peasy."
"What's in it for us?" Mal asked.
"Matching thrones? Hers, hers and his crowns?"
"Um –I – I think she meant us." Carlos clarified and Mom threw her nail file over her shoulder and waved her kids forward.
"It's all about you and me kiddos. Do you enjoy watching innocent people suffer?"
"Well yeah, I mean who doesn't?" Mal said as Drac nodded, his eyes widening with glee at the thought.
"Then get me the wand! And you and I can see all that and so much more. And with that wand and my scepter, I will be able to bend both good and evil to my will!" She exclaimed rising from her chair at the idea of all that power.
"Our will." The Evil Queen corrected, actually looking away from a mirror for once to give Maleficent a stare.
"Our will, our will." Maleficent assured the others before snapping and regaining Mal and Drac's attention. "And if you refuse, you're grounded for the rest of your lives." Mal scoffed and Drac looked to his mom.
"Mal can stay if she wants Mom." He said stepping forward and grabbing the rail, resting his foot on the higher level of floor rising him up to the same height as his mom. His mother turned to him with a raised brow, "I can get the wand myself."
Maleficent's glare turned happier seeing that her son wasn't trying to help Mal get out of it but was seeking the glory for his own.
"Hey!" Mal shouted at him and he turned to her seeing her eyes were glowing green. He leaned forward, his position on the rail making him taller than his sister for once and he returned her 'evil eye' glare as his own eyes glowed green. He could tell his mother was watching, seeing which one would blink and lose the magic first. Mal's face scrunched up as she concentrated but Drac held the connection easily. Then Mal's eyes dimmed, she scoffed and looked away.
"Fine whatever." She muttered.
"I win!" Drac cried victoriously before jumping off the platform.
"Careful darling, your baby brother's catching up with you." Maleficent taunted with a shake of her finger. She'd always encouraged competition between the two and she clearly loved them fighting over her for her affection. Mal sat on the steps bummed as Drac took a seat at the table putting his feet up on the surface. He looked across the room to the fridge where there was a magnet of his mother's pet Diaval. After her defeat at the hands of Prince Philip and those fairies the poor thing had been turned to stone. But Maleficent had gotten him back when she'd also gotten her scepter. Drac ran his hand through his hair at the memory, Mal had taken the crew and went to the Isle of the Doomed to retrieve it and had neglected to inform her baby brother. By the time the four had gotten back the adventure was long over. The only consolation he'd had was that his mother's bird seemed to take a liking to him and brought him things he found on the Isle often. Drac wondered where the crow might be – probably at the Goblin's Wharf picking up scraps for a meal.
"Evie." The Evil Queen called, "My little evil-ette in training. You just find yourself a prince with a big castle, and a mother in law wing, and lots and lots of mirrors."
"Lots and lots of mirrors." Evie smiled.
"No laughing." Her mother scolded, "Wrinkles."
"Well, they're not taking my Carlos because I'd miss him too much." Cruella chimed in.
"Really Mom?" Carlos asked looking skeptical.
"Yes. Who would touch up my roots? Fluff my fur? And scrape the bunions off my feet?"
"Maybe a new school wouldn't be the worst thing." He muttered.
Cruella cupped her son's face, "Carlos, they have dogs in Auradon."
"Oh, I'm not going!"
"Well Jay isn't going either! I need him to stock the shelves in my store!" Jafar declared before turning to his boy, "What did you score?"
Jay started pulling stolen objects from his pockets. "A lamp!" Jafar gasped and started furiously rubbing.
"Dad. I already tried." Jay muttered sadly.
"Ah!" His father cried tossing the lamp to the floor.
"Well Evie isn't going anywhere until we take care of this unibrow." The Evil Queen said grabbing a pair of tweezers.
"What is wrong with you all!" Maleficent shouted, "People used to cower at the mention of our names!" she dragged Mal to the table and sat her across from where Drac was leaning, though he put his feet down so they wouldn't be in his sister's face. He shared a worried look with her, both of them knowing when their mother got mad it never ended well. "For twenty years I have searched for a way off this island! For twenty years they have robbed us of our revenge! Revenge on Snow White and her seven little men! Revenge on Aladdin and his bloated genie!"
"I will –"
"Pop." Jay said trying to calm his father.
"Revenge on every sneaky Dalmatian that escaped your clutches!" she pointed to Cruella who had Carlos hiding behind her.
"Oh but they didn't get baby. Ha! They didn't get the baby!" she began to cackle.
"And I! Maleficent, the evilest of them all, I will finally get my revenge on Sleeping Beauty and her relentless little prince." She said taking the queen's mirror and sitting on the couch. "Villains! Our day has come. EQ give her the magic mirror."
Evie's eye's widened as her mother bestowed her with her most valuable possession, "This is your magic mirror."
"Eh well it's not what it used to be, then again neither are we. It will help you find things though."
"Like a prince."
"Like my waistline."
"Like the magic wand, hello!" Maleficent said irritated that they kept forgetting the one thing she thought was the most important, "My spellbook, my book. I need my – that book. . . " She muttered and EQ pointed at the teal Wickedaire fridge behind her covered in alphabet magnets that read 'Revenge Fools!' right next to the Diaval magnet. Drac remembered his mother teaching him and Mal the alphabet with the magnet letters when they were very young, 'A is for aggressive, B is for brutal, C is for curse, D is for dragon, and so on.
"Ah! The safe. The safe. Queen help me!" Maleficent shrieked, "I never can figure this thing out."
"Voila." The queen said as she pulled the door open.
"My spells, come my darlings, come." Mom said waving them over. "Ohh ah, oh. There she is. It doesn't work here, but it will in Auradon. Remember?" she asked the queen, "When we were spreading evil and ruining lives?"
"Like it was yesterday." The queen said nostalgic.
"And now you will be making your own memories." Maleficent said handing her book of spells to Mal ignoring Drac's outstretched hand which he immediately pulled back when he realized his mother wasn't giving it to him.
"By doing exactly as I tell you." Mother said before giving the book to Mal, "Now come! Let's pack your things and get you two ready to ruin Auradon from within its own walls!"
Drac had a bag hanging from the nearby coathanger and Mal grabbed her small purple backpack from the back of her chair. They followed their mother who led them deeper into the castle. Mal had her arms crossed clearly still mad that she had to go to Auradon and it wasn't something Maleficent missed.
"I was once like you my child, slightly insecure. Argued with my mother too, thought I was mature. But I put my heart aside and I used my head, now I think it's time you learned what dear old mama said."
Mal and Drac both looked to each other before looking back at their mother.
"Don't you wanna be evil, like me? Don't you wanna be mean? Don't you want to make mischief your daily routine? Well you can spend your life attending to the poor." She sneered and Drac scrunched his nose in disgust at the idea, "But when you're evil doing less is doing more! Don't you wanna be ruthless and rotten and mad? Don't you wanna be very, very good at being bad?"
She pulled open the next door and they walked into a room that looked decorated to resemble a cave, it was as grim as their mother's original castle which now sat on the Isle of the Doomed that lay just off the Isle of the Lost's shores, still under the barrier.
"I have tried my whole life long to do the worst I can. Clawed my way to victory, built my master plan. Now the time has come my dears for you to take your place." She continued across the room to a stone table with vials and scrolls. She flipped through a couple before turning to her children pointing a finger at them, "Promise me you'll try to be, an absolute disgrace."
She snickered as she started tossing them books and scrolls. Drac read the cover of one small tome that said '101 Uses for Newt Livers'.
As they packed they listened to their mother's lecture at the same time. They both kept looking up from stuffing their bags knowing how mother's temper flared when she thought she was being ignored.
"Don't you wanna be evil like me? Don't you wanna be cruel? Don't you wanna be nasty and brutal and cool? And when you grab that wand that's when your reign begins." She sang tossing Mal her scepter. His sister dropped her bag and caught the staff holding it delicately and looked at it in awe while Drac felt jealousy raise in his chest. Why should she get the scepter? Why not him?
"Who wants an evil queen without a sack of sins?" She clapped and Mal tossed her back the scepter. "Don't you want to be hardened and heartless as stone? Don't you wanna be finger licking evil to the bone?"
Then mother crossed the room and rested her hand on Mal's shoulder. "This is not for us to ponder this was preordained, you and I shall rule together." she looked from Mal to Drac.
"Freedom soon regained. I'll be mistress of the universe powerful and strong." She looked over their heads like she was picturing it as she stepped backwards several paces, before she glanced back at them standing shoulder to shoulder.
"Children, hear me, help me, join me, won't you sing along?" She tossed Mal the scepter again but this time Drac reached out and caught it first, he looked into the dragons egg jewel as it glowed and he felt his own magic surge in his veins as the barrier kept him from using it and he felt like he'd explode if he couldn't let some of it out and make some mischief. Then the scepter was pulled from his hands as Mal tugged on it, he tugged back and they both began a tug of war over it.
"Now we're gonna be evil, it's true, never gonna think twice." They sang together.
"And we're gonna be spiteful." Drac said pulling on the scepter as Mal glared at him refusing to let go. Then their mother walked between them and kept on giving her lecture.
"Yes spiteful. That's nice." She said snatching back her scepter and both Mal and Drac fixed their jackets pretending they hadn't just been fighting like toddlers.
"In just an hour or two our future's safe and sure. This family act is going on a tour! If you want to be evil and awful and free, then you should thank your lucky star that you were born the pair you are! The children of an evil-licious queen, like me!"
She finished right before they heard a car honk from outside.
"Let's get this party started." Jay said from the room above them.
"Carlos! Come." Cruella cried.
Maleficent smiled, "The hour is here." She said sounding giddy as she left and Mal and Drac quickly grabbed their backpacks and ran to their rooms to get clothes.
Drac took the crumbling steps two at a time and ran for his school bag, quickly he dumped out the Dragon Hall school books and stink bombs and packed some clothes - whatever his hands touched.
"Caw!" he heard and looked up to the window over his desk. Diaval had returned and looked confused, for a bird, and cocked his head before cawing again.
"Hey Diaval." Drac smiled throwing his backpack over his shoulder and picking up his messenger bag with the things his mom had tossed at him. He raised his hand and pet the crow on his head. Diaval lifted his beak silently asking to be scratched under his chin, which Drac complied to. He felt an empty hole open up at the thought of leaving the bird. He knew he'd be well taken care of, he was one of Maleficent's treasure's after all. Not that she ever showed that care in front of anyone. Although, Drac thought, she was so focused on the wand she might forget about the poor thing. He fiddled with the strap of his messenger bag and looked down at the flap.
- - LONG LIVE EVIL - -
"The future of the free world rests on your shoulders. Don't blow it." Maleficent told her daughter on the balcony as they looked out at Auradon. Mal took a deep breath, no pressure, and looked down at the limo. She saw the others and Drac, but only her brother seemed to feel her eyes on them. He turned and looked up over his shoulder at her, his expression was blank but his blue eyes were curious.
"Mal!" her mother called from inside so she picked up her bag and followed.
Drac turned back around to the others, he glanced at the shiny limo. Wow, Auradon was either very trusting or very blind.
Several villains had gathered to gawk at the shiny car while Jay snatched the hood ornament with his cap.
"Ew, smells like common folk." The Evil Queen sneered and waved her hand at the smell.
"Come back here! Now! Carlos!" Cruella shouted as her son ran out, threw his bag in and dove in the car. He'd been running so fast Drac had actually felt a breeze when he passed him.
"Ingrate." Cruella scoffed fixing her jacket. Drac tossed his black and purple backpack in the trunk before he climbed in and took a seat by the window with his messenger bag on his lap. Jay and Carlos sat on the bench seat with him as Mal and Evie rode backwards behind the driver.
"Bring home the gold."
"Bring home a puppy."
"Bring home a prince." The parents all called as the limo drove away but Drac looked out the back window and saw their mother still on the balcony looking down at them. She had a wicked smile on her face and pointed from her eyes to him and he knew the message was loud and clear. Even from the Isle his mother would find a way to keep an eye on them, not out of any kind of parental concern but to make sure they didn't ruin her plans.
As he worried he stuck his hand discreetly into his messenger bag, then he turned as Jay and Carlos began to fight over something. He noticed there were stacks of colorful foods and wacked Jay on the shoulder. He stopped roughhousing and all three boys looked to each other before grabbing for the candy. Jay fought off Carlos with one arm while his other grabbed Drac's leg and rose it high into the air as Drac pushed his bag a safe distance away on the seat.
"Ah! My leg!" though Jay's grip didn't stop him as Drac twisted his body and his arms flailed as his hands grabbed at whatever candy he could get.
"It's salty like nuts but sweet like I don't know what." Carlos said as they ate various sweets. Drac pivoted his body so he was sitting upright again. He hummed the flavor was so good. It left a sticky mess on his fingers, after he licked them clean he took a handful of caramel corn and put his hand back in his bag. After a moment he felt pecking and one of the pieces was pulled from his grip.
"Look!" Evie suddenly shouted getting all their attention. Ahead of them was the old bridge that had been torn down when the villains had been banished - and they were headed straight for it!
"It's a trap!" Carlos shouted as they all began to scream as the limo got closer to the edge of the cliff.
But they never fell off the bridge, instead there was a bright golden light as a shimmering bridge came to life before them allowing the limo to drive smoothly away from their home.
"What just happened?" Carlos asked.
"It must be magic." Evie said with a bright smile.
"Hey!" Mal called to the driver, "Did this little button just open up the magic barrier?"
"Nope. This one opens the magic barrier." He said holding up a golden button. "That one opens my garage. And this button. . . "
He shut the screen between them rudely, "Okay." Mal said, "Nasty. I like that guy."