The limousine left the Isle of the Lost on a magic bridge of sorts, one Logan had only seen appear when someone important was coming or going. That being the rare instance it is, he never considered he'd have the chance to ride across it. He studied the bridge through the window, concluding it must incorporate fairy dust to some end. Logan realized he must have been muttering his findings, because he felt Virgil tense up at the word "fairy."
"Oh, no, not like.. her. This dust must have been supplied by a good fairy of some kind, perhaps Auradon's headmistress herself."
Virgil relaxed a little, but his shields remained up the rest of the way across. After the fiasco in their school hallway, it made sense for him to be on edge. The over-extravagant scene was surprising even to Logan. His father had informed him of the transfer that morning, but no one made him aware that he would be picked up directly from school. He would have tried to warn Virgil if that were the case. Though, something about his companion's reaction to the transfer seemed amiss.
"So, what are we doing here?" Virgil broke his train of thought.
Logan was unsure how to respond to such a vague question, so he opted for the most direct response. "We are being transferred to Auradon Preparatory Academy via limo."
Virgil snorted, then turned to his friend. "Yeah, but why? This just feels wrong."
"Well, I assume you received a similar set of instructions from your mother as I did from my father. Be evil, cause chaos, set things on fire, etc." Logan replied.
Virgil remained silent, and Logan raised an eyebrow. "Am I incorrect?"
After a beat of silence, the other responded. "I, uh, didn't know.. about the transfer. She didn't tell me." Virgil let out slowly.
Logan was baffled, to say the least. How Virgil avoided that conversation with the most evil villain on the island was an utter mystery. But, sensing the reluctance in Virgil's demeanor, Logan relented. "Oh. Well... it matters not. The only reason I agreed to transfer is because Auradon has access to countless educational resources. I couldn't care less about my father's fruitless schemes when compared to the expansion of the mind."
Virgil chuckled. "You're such a nerd."
Logan almost smiled. Deep down, however, he was apprehensive about their surprise transfer. Villains were never reached out to in this manner, it just wasn't done. As the limo pulled through the golden gates of Auradon Prep, he kept his guard up, preparing himself to meet the deviant mind who orchestrated all of this.
---
"Ok, that's good, stand right there!" Patton bustled about the school's entrance trying to get everything in order. He had pulled out all the stops to make the Isle transfers feel welcome, including but not limited to a large painted banner, the marching band, and an ample amount of confetti. "When you see the limo pull up, start playing on my cue!"
"Hey, Pat!"
Patton turned, and a wide smile grew on his face when he saw him.
"ROMAN!" Patton ran over to the other prince and pulled him into a hug, "It's been forever!"
Roman laughed, "Pat, it's only been two months."
"Two months too long." They broke apart and Roman took in the display with a perplexed expression. "All this for those Isle kids, huh?"
Patton nodded, "Thank you so much for helping me out with this! It means a lot."
Despite his lack of choice in the matter, and his disdain in general for the Isle, Roman could at least be glad that it made Patton happy. He smiled at his friend, trying to ignore the pit in his stomach.
Patton suddenly turned and began hopping up and down in excitement. In a moment, Roman saw why. A brilliant white limousine was pulling through the gates of the grounds.
"Start playing! Start playing!" Patton directed the band, already out of breath from jumping. The band raised up their instruments and began playing the school song. Usually, the song was played before assemblies or sports games. Now, it was being used to welcome the sons of the most notorious villains of the land. Roman hoped that this experience wouldn't ruin the song for him.
The limousine rolled to a stop in front of them, and as the band wrapped up, all waited in quiet anticipation. Some students who had heard the news had gathered around to take a look at these transfers. The Isle itself was a bit of a mystery to everyone, so even Roman was curious.
The car door opened, and everyone held their breath to see...
A nerd and an emo.
Roman had blink a few times to make sure he was seeing them right. The first boy was tall and thin, wearing a neat black shirt and blue tie. He wore glasses on his expressionless face, and his brown hair was combed back. Behind him stood a shorter boy, and it was hard to get a good look at him. He was wearing a black and purple hoodie with the hood up, and his bangs obscured a lot of his face, leaving what was visible shadowy and eerie.
These weren't the villains he had been expecting, but they were still villains all the same. Roman resolved to stay on guard.
"Hiya kiddos! I'm Patton!" The cheery prince exclaimed, walking towards the two. The emo one seemed to shrink back a bit as Patton approached. The prince seemed to notice this and extended his hand to him. "Welcome to Auradon Prep!" Patton said warmly, "What's your name?"
Almost inaudibly, he muttered, "Virgil," without shaking Patton's hand. Roman coughed loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "Show a little respect. We're trying to welcome you." He exclaimed.
The boy, Virgil, narrowed his eyes. "I sure feel welcome." He whispered sarcastically. Roman glared back, making the emo smirk. He did not like this guy.
The taller boy shook Patton's hand when it was offered. "My name is Logan. You, I assume, are the son of Snow White?"
Patton looked surprised. "Yeah, how did you know that?"
"I do my research."
"That's not cryptic at all." Roman said as he stepped up beside Patton. "And yes, it is I, Prince Roman, son of Cinderella and Prince Charming."
The emo burst into snickers, drawing another glare from Roman. "What's so funny?"
"Charming, huh?" Virgil rolled his eyes, "Guess you don't live up to your dad's name."
"Why, you-!"
"Calm down, kiddos!" Patton laughed nervously, trying to defuse the situation. "You two have had a long ride! Why don't we get you settled first? Later, me and Roman can show you around!"
Roman and Virgil eyed each other warily, but backed off.
Logan, who had taken their bags from the limo, began to walk off. "Hey, where are you going?" Patton called after him. Logan looked back at them. "I am going to Virgil's and my room. Come, Virgil."
Virgil hurried after Logan, as a confused Patton called again. "Wait! How do you know where-?"
"I did my research."
The two transfers walked away and out of sight. Patton felt slightly deflated that they hadn't seemed impressed or even happy with the welcome. Roman tsked beside him with crossed arms. "Those two were so ungrateful! After everything you did for them! Maybe we should drop this whole transfer thing altogether!"
Patton shook his head. "I promised Fairy Godmother I would do this, and I will! I'm not giving up until Logan and Virgil are happy Auradon students like the rest of us!"
Roman stared at Patton, then sighed. There was no changing his mind when Patton got this resolute. He could only hope that eventually Patton would give up on his own. Until then, he would stand by his side.
"Alright, padre." Roman put his hand on Patton's shoulder and smiled, "Whatever you need me to do, I'm there." Patton smiled back and pulled his friend into another hug.
---
Logan set his backpack on one of the beds and immediately began unpacking his things while Virgil just flopped on the other bed and gazed at the ceiling.
"What a jerk." Virgil grumbled, covering his eyes with his arms.
"I assume you're speaking of Prince Roman, who you quickly engaged with in a verbal duel?" Logan asked while arranging the pencils on his desk.
"He thinks he's so much better than us." Virgil continued, "I bet he spends two hours a day to get his hair to be that way. Ugh."
Logan sat in his desk chair facing his friend. "You have a knack for making enemies, you know."
"What? No I don't!" Virgil sat up, hair all mussed up, "I just don't like anyone and I think everyone should know that."
"At least try to play nice, Virgil." Logan said, rolling his eyes.
"Whatever." Virgil flopped back again, "I'm just going to stay in bed forever."
Logan pulled out his notebook as his new roommate took a nap. Flipping to a blank page, he began a new entry.
Day 1 at Auradon Preparatory Academy has commenced. The school itself is larger and cleaner than any building I've ever been in. Accordingly, I expect the science department to be perfect for a mind such as mine. The troves of knowledge held here are invaluable, as I'm sure there are secrets in the universe waiting to be revealed by me. Here, I may find the strength to do so.
Other students seem to be apprehensive towards Virgil and I, seeing as we are from the Isle of the Lost. It is unlikely they will want to associate with us. This is no bother, as I'm not looking to be anyone's friend. As long as no one harasses us, we'll be fine.
Our guides are Prince Roman and Prince Patton. Roman is a narcissistic prat who obviously doesn't like us, so he is probably being forced to help. Patton, however, I'm less sure on. He greeted us warmly, fully knowing who we are. He may be deceiving us in some way, manipulating us by drawing us into a false sense of security so that he may use us for his hidden agenda. Or, he's an idiot. Either way, I'll keep an eye on him.
Just as Logan stopped writing, a cheery knock sounded at the door. Virgil bolted up at the noise, but made no move to get up. Sighing, Logan rose and crossed the room to greet...
Speak of the devil.
"Howdy, guys!" Patton waved, beaming at him, "I hope you're all rested up! It's time for a school tour!"
Logan looked back at Virgil, who vigorously shook his head and made X signs with his arms. "Yeah, no." Logan said, looking back at Patton. "We're good. Thank you."
"Awww, are you sure?" Patton asked, pouting a little, "We've got a lot of cool places on the list! The jousting field, the theatre, the science department.."
Logan's eyes widened. "Well, I suppose I could, uh, spare some time for a tour. Will you be alright on your own, Virgil?"
The emo sighed and gave him a thumbs up. "Go crazy, Lo."
"Not too crazy, though, or else I'll have to add the counselor's office to the list!" Patton laughed. Logan paled as he suddenly realized he'd agreed to a tour with a guy who just made a horrendous joke. Virgil sent him a smug look as if to say "PERISH." as Patton pulled Logan out of the room and into his new school.
---
A/N: First of all, W O W. Way more people are reading this than I thought would ever. I just wish my brain worked well enough that I could write a great chapter for y'all every week! Thank you to so much support when I posted the update! It helped motivate me to sit down and think through the writer's block. To all of you who sent me kind messages, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Feel free to leave comments about the chapter! I really like getting feedback because it helps me improve the story as I go along. If you have only one word to say, comment it. Even if that word is really random. I'm good with that.
P.S. My winter break is ending and I'm heading back to school soon. Pray for me plz.