On the first day of winter break, everyone woke up early, which marked how different that day was. In the lobby, people were crying and hugging each other as if they were never going to see each other again. Sylphrenia rolled her eyes as she lugged her trunk down the stairs. Mal was waiting for Evie to finish getting ready while she got her car. The boys were planning on meeting them in the lobby, but when Sylphrenia came down, nobody was there yet.
She walked up to the valet who was standing at the door, ready to retrieve the student's cars so they could drive home. "Sylphrenia Waters," she said, using her fake last name that she and Fairy Godmother had decided on before she started school.
He nodded, and left to go and get her car. Syl went to go and stand at the side of the wall, when she heard a yelp and a few students started pointing at the staircase. She turned around to see Jay sliding down the banister, Carlos following behind him with both of their suitcases. She rolled her eyes. When he got to the bottom, Jay looked around, and when he found her, he waved, running over to stand beside her.
"Where's everyone else?" he asked as Carlos struggled through the crowd behind him.
"Evie is getting ready, Mal will come down with her, Jane told me that she was going to be here in five minutes, and I have no idea what Ben is doing," she replied.
"I met him in the hall when Jay was running down," said Carlos, huffing as he got beside them. "He said that he was just going to get his scooter and that he would meet us here to put their luggage in your car."
"Okay," said Syl. They waited around, talking for a bit and looking around at everyone else who were going home.
At one point Sylphrenia waved goodbye to Lonnie, who was going to visit her parents, Mulan and Li Shang. A little while later, Jane hurried over, calling out a greeting.
"Hey guys! Are you ready?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Carlos breathlessly, staring at her.
"Sylphrenia Waters?" a voice called out. She turned around to see the valet. "Your car is outside," he said, handing her the keys.
"Thank you," she said, smiling and he returned to go assist another student.
"Should we go and put our stuff in your car?" asked Carlos. Before Syl could answer, Mal and Evie hurried down the staircase toward them.
"Sorry we're late, I needed to pack my curling iron and everything," Evie said.
"And she forgot three different things, so we had to go back and get them," said Mal, ratting out her friend.
"No problem," said Jay. "I'm probably going to end up using your hair supplies when we get there."
They all laughed.
"Where's Ben?" Mal asked.
Sylphrenia shrugged. "He told Carlos he was going to get his scooter but we haven't seen him since."
Evie noticed the keys in Syl's hand. "So your car is outside?"
"Yeah," Syl replied.
"Are you sure you don't want Jay to drive?" she asked hesitantly.
Sylphrenia glared at her as Mal snorted.
"I mean, he's the only one who has a driver's license," Evie said, trying to redeem herself.
"Wait, you can't drive?" asked Jane nervously.
"I have a driver's licence," Syl protested. "I have it right here." She pulled her wallet out of her purse and showed them the card. "I still don't get that you guys don't believe me when I say that I can drive."
"We'll believe it when we see it," said Ben walking up. "I'm all ready."
Syl glared at him. "You better watch out, or I'm going to dump your stuff on the side of the road."
He gave her a big smile and Mal interrupted to save her boyfriend. "So we're ready to go?"
"Looks like it," said Carlos.
They all walked out into the frigid winter morning. Evie wrapped her sweater tighter around her. "So which car is yours?" she asked. They all looked around, trying to find which one was hers.
"Over here," said Sylphrenia, heading over to her car. They all stared at .
"You're kidding," Jay said.
"Nope," said Syl as she walked around it to the trunk.
"Please, please, please let me drive it," pleaded Jay, following her. "This is the nicest car that I have ever seen."
"No," she said, popping the trunk open and putting her suitcase inside. "You guys make fun of my driving, you don't to get to drive my car." She gestured to the trunk. "There's an extendable charm on it so everyone's stuff will fit."
They all followed her lead and started putting their belongings inside it.
"So, you've never crashed it?" teased Evie.
"I don't know, that looks like a dent right there," said Jane, smiling.
Syl glared at all of them. "I'm getting into the car. If you guys aren't in it in five minutes, I'm leaving without you."
As she got in, Mal and Ben waved goodbye at them. "We'll see you guys at Camelot," Mal said. Ben wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they walked over to where Ben's scooter was parked.
"I call shotgun," said Jay as he ran around the car, and hopping in. He propped his feet up on the dash as the other three got in the back. He turned and winked at them. "Plus, it will be easier to switch if Syl realizes she can't drive."
She punched him. "I am going to leave you here," she warned. He laughed as she put the keys in the ignition and turned it on. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed out of Auradon Prep.
"Maybe you can drive," said Evie. They were passing homes and businesses, and Sylphrenia was paying extra attention to go the speed limit.
After a while, they all started to relax. "So, what are we going to in Camelot?" asked Jane.
"We're going to spend the first week at King Arthur's castle so we can visit all of the places inside the city," Sylphrenia said, mentally adding 'and so we can talk about how I'm going to find Morgan.'
"After, we're going to stay at Merlin's house for the last three weeks."
"That's where you grew up, right?" asked Carlos.
"For the most part. It's in the mountains. You guys will love it." Evie looked skeptical when Syl said this, but Jay looked excited.
"That means room to practice my sword fighting." They all laughed at this. "What?" he asked. "I need to be ready."
They left the town, and Syl hid a smile before she pushed the gas pedal all of the way down to the bottom. "Woah!" exclaimed Jay, holding on to his seat. Evie grabbed Jane, who was sitting in the middle, and squealed.
The speedometer quickly went over a hundred as Sylphrenia skillfully navigated the road. "That's it, I am definitely driving!" Jay's voice went up a bit as Syl quickly took a turn.
"We're all going to die!" Jane exclaimed. Carlos just looked green.
Sylphrenia laughed. "You guys worry to much. This is what you guys get for making fun of my driving."
Jay let go of his seat, glaring at her. "I am driving on the way back."
"My car, my rules," Syl said, speeding up. In reality, she was a very good driver, so when people weren't around, she liked to go fast. If she was in danger of getting in an accident, she could just use her magic, but she hadn't had a problem ever since she started driving.
"You're going to cut off like two hours off of the time it takes to get there," said Carlos, closing his eyes, trying not to throw up.
"At this rate, we're not going to make it there," Jane whimpered.
"I don't want to hear you guys complain the whole way there," Syl complained.
"How about some music, so we can enjoy our last moments of life," said Jay, opening Syl's compartment under the dashboard and picking out a CD. She rolled her eyes as he started the track.
Three hours later, Syl finally started to slow down. She hadn't gone less than a hundred the whole way, so her friends had acclimated to her driving. Carlos had lost the green tint, and Evie and Jane were both relaxed. Jay had even fallen asleep, not bothered by her driving any more. When the car started getting slower, Evie, Jane, and Carlos looked up. "Are we here?" Evie asked.
"We are here," Sylphrenia confirmed. She turned around to find Jay sleeping. She reached over and stole his beanie, tossing it back to Carlos. "Here, hide it."
He looked at her frantically. "He's going to kill me!"
She rolled her eyes. "Put it in my stuff if you want. And he won't kill you, just maim you a bit."
Jane laughed, and Carlos grabbed Syl's purse, putting the hat in it. "I wasn't involved if he asks," he told her.
"Can you wake him up? It's an awesome sight just a little farther ahead," Syl asked Evie.
"Sure," she said, shaking Jay's shoulder. He didn't wake, so she pinched him on his arm. He almost jumped out of his chair, surprised.
"What's happening?" Jay asked frantically.
"We're here," Evie said, sitting back down on her seat.
Jay opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Jane. "Oh my," she gasped.
They had gotten there at the right time, so the sun was just behind the castle as they turned the corner. Camelot was sprawled out below them, and in the distance, Sylphrenia could see the bluffs overlooking the ocean. She breathed in. She was home.
They descended the cliff, the others too awestruck to do anything more than stare. Jay was also so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed his hat was missing. Syl smiled. She had hoped that they would enjoy the beauty of her home.
They pulled up into the first houses. They were slightly old fashioned, made out of stone and wood rather than the more modern look that Auradon's homes had. They drove up, and people stared at them as they passed. Some small children ran up behind the car and started following them. Sylphrenia laughed, and slowed down so they could catch up.
One of the faster children, an older girl, came up next to Syl's window and waved at her before speeding off.
"Wow, she ran fast," gasped Evie.
"She's from Avalon," gasped Jane.
Sylphrenia nodded. "Many of the people in Camelot have origins in Avalon. This is one of the few places where the two worlds are the closest," she said proudly.
"Avalon?" Jay asked.
"It's the magical realm. It's everywhere, but it is incredibly hard to access in other places. In Camelot though..." Sylphrenia sighed. She could feel the wild magic all around her, trying to overtake her. Tempting her to let go of her magic, to be free. To swim, to run, to- she shook her head, trying to resist. "Mal should be able to feel it. She's got heritage from there as well. Actually, I think all of you should as well. Everyone who has magic or magical ancestry can feel it."
Carlos closed his eyes. "Is it that feeling of running wild? Hearing the call of your pack? Feeling the-"
"Snap out of it!" Syl yelled at him. His eyes sprang open, and they all looked at her, surprised. "Sorry," she apologized. "But it's really easy to lose yourself here. Make sure to remember who you are, what ties you have to this world."
To Sylphrenia, the feeling was a hundred times worse. She was from Avalon, so her ties to it were strong. It was calling her back, straining at the veil separating the two worlds, trying to break free.
"Wait, where's Dude?" asked Jane, looking at Carlos.
They all looked at him as well, realizing that his constant companion was missing.
"Syl said there would be snow at Merlin's house. Dude's not really made for this kind of weather, so I gave him his own doggy vacation." Carlos smiled. "He's going to spend four weeks at a dog spa, being pampered like none other."
They pulled up at the gates to the castle, and Sylphrenia rolled down her window at the attendant who was sitting at the gatehouse.
"Identification?" he asked, clearly bored, and looking down at a clipboard.
"I've got a clip," said Syl. Recognizing her voice, he looked up, and stared at her.
"So sorry, Lady Sylphrenia," he apologized to her, standing tall and dropping the clipboard.
She smiled at him. "No problem."
He pulled out a small scanner, and she pulled her hair back away from her left ear. He came out of the gatehouse and held the device up to her ear. It beeped, and he checked it. "You're all good," he said. He looked inside the car at Syl's friends.
"Who are they?" he asked.
"They're with me," she said.
"Of course, my Lady. One moment." He stepped back into the gatehouse and Sylphrenia rolled her window back up. She turned to see her friends staring at her.
"Lady, huh?" asked Jay.
"Yeah, why?" Syl asked, confused.
"Who are your parents exactly?" Evie asked.
"I've told you guys, you wouldn't know them," said Syl exasperated, as the gate started to roll open.
They dropped the subject as the car slid inside and headed up the hill to the castle. They gazed up in awe at the magnificent structure.
"It's even bigger than Ben's castle," Jane breathed out.
Syl smiled proudly. "Of course it is. Just wait until you meet Arthur and Teddy. They're awesome."
"Teddy?" Jay asked, looking up. "Who's Teddy?"