{01} 𖣔᯾ 𝙹𝚊𝚣𝚣𝚢 ᯾𖣔
All that could be heard through the Auradon Prep dorm room halls at 3am on a lazy Sunday were my screams as I woke from a particularly bad nightmare.
They started occuring lightly, with a hint at my old life on the Isle embedded deep within the dream but that one had been fuelled with memories and hatred that I tried to escape each and every day, but they just refused to leave me alone.
I only slept for an extra hour after that, leaving me exhausted and dishevelled when the school wake-up bell sounded.
It didn't take me long to change into one of the many outfits Evie had made me in the six weeks we'd been here, and even less time to simply use a spell from my necklace to do my makeup and remove the heavy black bags from under my eyes.
Though I knew I looked stunning, I just didn't feel like myself as I stared into the mirror.
The dress I was wearing was white with a corset top and a heavily layered under skirt that reached my knees, nothing at all like the leather jackets I felt comfortable in.
But my outfit change was my first step in becoming an Auradon girl.
I opened my dorm door and stepped outside, my white heeled boots clicking on the floorboards.
Where Evie was dating the son of a dwarf, and neither of the boys had royal girlfriends, me and Mal felt the pressure to run from our Villain roots.
Shortly after Ben's coronation, a domino effect started where many of the other Kings and Queens began to step down- Jasmine and Aladdin included. Ali was ritualised as Sultan a week after Ben's coronation and now, his people's eyes were on me, the daughter of the one man they didn't trust, and the girlfriend of their King.
In their eyes, I was dirt under their feet until my place was secured in the United States of Auradon Court. This happened at Cotillion, where me and Mal would become Ladies of said Court.
Cotillion was only a few weeks away and the stress of everything had everyone doing crazy things, like Mal dying her hair a revolting pale blonde.
"Jazzy!" I spun my head around to find the voice until I was met with Evie's eager blue eyes and Jay's skeptical glare.
He had been doing that alot recently, judging my drastic change in character and style with a simple questioning, disapproving glare.
"I need you and Mal for dress fittings, Mal's already in the dorm." Evie squealed, gripping her red leather gloves around my wrist.
"I'm gonna go grab Carlos for tourney and I'll meet you guys at your dorm later." Jay said with a nod as he strutted past us and off down the corridor.
"Wait, J-"
"Nope, Mal and my sewing machine are waiting!" Evie interrupted, tugging on my arm as she began to drag me down the corridor and into their dorm.
Mal was stood on the raised platform, watching TV in the massive blue and yellow dress Evie had made for her. I couldn't help but smile at the scene as I dropped myself onto Evie's soft blue bedsheets.
Evie wasted no time in hurrying over to Mal and tightening the corset strings on the back of her dress. The movement caused Mal to gasp, "Okay, Evie, I cannot breathe." The fake blonde winced, pouting her sparkly pink lips.
"Well, you can breathe after Cotillion." Evie frowned before a happy sigh left her lips when admiring her work.
I had to admit, the gown was stunning, but it was more 'ideal Auradon princess' than 'Mal'.
"I sincerely doubt that, me and Mal have like 20 more events directly behind it and I for one, can't remember a single fucking one." I groaned, picking up one of her blue cushions and hitting myself on the head with it.
Mal giggled as Evie kissed her own fingers and mumbled, "Impeccable" at Mal's finished gown.
I noticed the blonde's eyes drift to her leather jacket that was hanging unused on their hat stand, her face falling, "Guys, do you ever think about what we'd be doing if we were back on the Isle right now?"
I opened my mouth to say, all the time, but Evie's scoff beat me to it.
"That's funny.." The blue-haired girl answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she measured the upper hem of the dress.
The TV began playing the Auradon fanfare as a video flashed up.
Evie gasped excitedly as she pulled Mal off the podium and me off of the bed. "Look who's on TV."
"As the royal Auradon couple continue their coronation tours, they dined with Aladdin and Jasmine and the newly crowned Sultan of Agrabah." The reporter said the words wistfully, as if the experience must have been worth mountains of gold.
The video showed Ben, Mal, Ali and me sat round a table with Jasmine and Aladdin. It unfortunately caught Mal spitting a rather hot curry into her cushion silks and me taking forever to remember which spoon went with which course.
"Six weeks ago, no-one thought King Ben and Sultan Ali would continue their relationships with their girlfriends from the wrong side of the bridge." The reporter continued, her words making me scoff.
"Yeah, no kidding." I mumbled, fiddling with the Agrabah ring on my index finger.
"The girls must be counting the days until the Royal Cotillion, when they will officially become Ladies of the court." Mal gasped beside me and rushed to the bed, picking up her spell book on the way and flipping it open.
"What is it?" I asked her, a crease forming between my brows.
"Ettiquette class homework." She answered simply as she tried to find the spell she was after.
My face visibly paled at her words as my feet carried me quickly over to Mal's nightstand, where I placed my necklace and began a few intelligence spells.
Mal was hurriedly reciting a speed-reading spell from her spell book as she enchanted the reading material Professor Merryweather had given us the week prior.
"I know your secrets to fitting in and Ben and Ali wouldn't like them one bit." Evie said suddenly, leaning against the four-posted bed, "Haven't there been enough secrets between everybody already?"
I sighed as I turned to face her and Mal began speaking, "Evie, you remember what we were like before magic, I mean, I was a complete disaster."
"Yeah, E, my necklace is the only thing keeping me in line right now." I mumbled, clipping it back round my neck.
"Well personally, as your best friend, I strongly believe that this spell book..." Evie said, picking the book up from in Mal's lap despite the blonde's protests, "and your necklace, belong in the museum along with my mirror."
Mal contorted her face into a pout as Evie continued, "Don't give me the face, put the pout away."
I groaned and threw myself back onto Mal's bed. "You two know I'm right." The bluenette concluded, straightening her posture.
"You don't ever miss running wild and breaking all the rules?" Mal asked.
I flipped myself over onto my stomach and nodded, looking at Evie. "And stealing, lying and fighting?" She questioned, frowning at us both.
"Yeah." I smiled, hoping that for once Evie understood how me and Mal felt.
"No!" Evie replied, the smile falling off my face instantly.
Mal gasped as if it seemed so strange that Evie wouldn't miss home, which of course it did.
"Why would we?" Evie giggled, reaching over to us both and pulling us up with each arm. "Come here, look at where we are. We're in Auradon! And we're Auradon girls now."
Evie dragged us over to the TV, which was now showing a televised date Mal and Ben had gone on, "Since Mal revealed her love of strawberries, she has recieved hundreds of cartons from her admirers."
Evie squealed at the reporter's words, while I simply frowned, wondering how strawberries stayed fresh enough to be sent, checked and then delivered without going rotten.
"See? This is the land of opportunity! We can be... whatever we wanna be here." Evie's hopeful expression faded as her voice dropped to a whisper, "So please, let's just leave the past in the past, okay?"
It was easier for Evie to feel that way because she always dreamt of her magical, royal fairytale ending, even when we were little. But me and Mal had always wanted the castles to burn and the fairytale endings and hope gone.
"Besides..." Evie smiled as she picked up one gold shoe and one red shoe, they both had high heels made of a clear plastic that swirled with different glitters, "Look at these shoes!" She squealed excitedly, shaking them around, "Look at them!"
"Severe..." Mal laughed.
"More like severe ankle injuries." I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the small grin forming itself on my face when I caught Evie's infectious smile.