Sylphrenia was feeling even worse by the time she made it back to her apartment.
Fairy Godmother had arranged for Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother to drive her back after Ben asked Mal to marry him, and that was all the old woman would talk about. The lady had chatted away as Sylphrenia had coughed up more blood (Granny Red hadn't noticed), and her head started throbbing miserably. When they had arrived at the building, Syl was barely able to stagger to her apartment before collapsing onto her bed, throbbing miserably all over.
She had slept for around an hour, according to her clock when she woke up, and Syl felt a combination of soreness, tiredness, and guilt that she hadn't watched the first part of VK day, however she was so tired, she doubted she would be able to pay attention if she was able to walk over to get her remote.
Hot and sweaty beneath her covers, yet still shivering, Syl gave up her pride and reached for her spell book. It took her two tries to open the drawer on the stand next to her bed, and it took her fifteen minutes of resting before she was able to lift the small tome from the bottom of the drawer.
Its blue leather cover was flipped over, and Syl delved through the pages, pausing halfway through to cough up more blood, splattering some on her covers. By the time she found the spell, Syl's head was throbbing so much, the words were barely readable.
"Sana igne aqua corpore purificaret cor et pulmo sanguine animae," she slurred out. As soon as she spoke the words, pain throbbed up her arm to her head, pounding painfully against her skull. She coughed again, and felt her power and energy slipping away.
And then all she knew was darkness and pain.
Tired and shaken, Jay knocked quietly on the door of Sylphrenia's apartment. Assuming her to be asleep, he fiddled the key, listening for the satisfying click before the door opened.
His girlfriend was lying in her bed, asleep, an arm over one of her books, and her head slumped down against it. Jay shut the door quietly behind him and knelt down next to her bed, kissing her forehead. It was hot with sweat, and he smoothed the sticky strands of hair away from her head.
"Hey," he whispered. "I know you're asleep but..." he sighed. "You probably didn't see what happened today. Which is a good thing. You don't need anything else to worry about." He grabbed the corner of the book and slipped it gently out from under her arm, placing it delicately on her bedside table.
Jay sighed, needing someone to talk to about his troubles. "Hades attacked us today, and... and I'm worried what the retaliation is going to be about it. No matter what, VK day is never going to be the same." He stopped as Syl twitched her hand before laying still again, her breathing sounding labored.
Sighing, Jay changed the subject. "Those new VKs though are something else. Dizzy is... well, Dizzy. You haven't met her, but you must feel like you have, hearing Evie talk about her so much. Celia is going to be a handful. We're going to have to warn Fairy Godmother about her. She already conned Ben out of some money. I feel like Mal connects with her though, almost like Celia's a mini version of herself.
"I think Squeaky and Squirmy were our best choice though," Jay continued, stroking Syl's head. "We gave them candy today, and their eyes got so big, I'd forgotten what it had been like to have candy for the first time." He sighed. "They would love you, I know they would. You'd love them too. I could see it being like you and Maddie. They'll need someone to look after them while they're at Auradon Prep, now that they've left Smee, and I think you would fit that description perfectly."
Jay looked at Syl dreamily, imagining a life where they were safe, she wasn't sick, and where they could watch over the two boys that would adore Syl. A life where Jay finally got enough confidence to marry her.
But he couldn't even bring himself to kiss her, worried he would take it too far, to break their relationship beyond repair. It didn't make sense to Jay. He had been in relationships with so many girls before Syl but now, he was worried he would mess everything up.
"I love you," he whispered. She saw silent, the only sound being her breathing.
Jay stood up left to the kitchen, returning moments later with a piece of paper and a pen and writing down a message:
We got back in one piece. We are all going to be staying at Evie's for a couple of days to let the new kids adjust. Call me tomorrow, or else I'm calling a doctor.
-Jay
Leaning over, Jay placed the pad of paper on the bedside table, on top of Syl's book where he knew she would see it. Gently, he kissed her forehead, whispering, "Get well soon," before leaving her apartment.
Jay worried about Syl for the rest of the night, but in the morning, he had to worry about other things. Most importantly: Jane's birthday party.
The warm summer sun rose over Evie's house as Jay and Evie stood in her light-strewn kitchen packing picnic baskets.
"Sandwich," said Evie, tossing one to Jay. He caught it half-heartedly, but Evie laughed, then started to playfully pluck apples from the fruit basket and toss them at Jay with perfect precision. He knew she was trying to keep his mind off of Syl, so when Carlos came in cheerfully, he grinned at his friend.
"Good morning," Carlos said with a spring in his step. Jay could tell that he had put effort into looking extra handsome for the party. Carlos wanted to make Jane's day be as wonderful as possible. She as always doing thoughtful things to make people feel special, and Jay knew that Carlos wanted to do the same to her, from picking a bouquet of wild bluebells that matched her eyes, to the giant birthday balloons, to a yellow layer cake with vanilla buttercream, light blue frosting, and pink fondant bows-her favorite.
"I really think she's gonna like the cake, you guys," said Carlos, who'd had Happy Bibbidi-Bobbidi Birthday, Jane! scrolled in icing along the top.
"Oh yeah?" asked Evie.
Carlos had a huge grin on his face as he walked to the pink bakery box, but suddenly, he frowned with surprise, due to a giant slice of the cake being missing. "Oh no! Who got into Jane's cake?" he asked, exasperated.
Jay raised his eyebrows but said nothing, knowing that they were all thinking of the four new VKs who would all likely have a fascination with sugar.
A flash of light and loud shouting made Jay and the others look up and immediately run outside, leaving behind their preparations for Jane's party. They burst out of the house, stopping in surprise to see Audrey in possession of the Queen's crown and Maleficent's scepter. Jay looked over next them where an old woman was huddling. An old woman that could only be Mal, the only one who had been outside.
Audrey took a moment to bask in everyone's shock, then snickered, twirled around, and disappeared in a puffy cloud of pink smoke with one last shout of, "So long, suckers!" at the surprised trio.
Jay rushed to Mal's aid, but accidentally recoiled when he saw her up close. "Whoa! Ah, you might want to think of a spell for that." He winced.
"There's no spell that can reverse the curse of the scepter," responded Mal. Her voice sounded gravelly and old.
"Well, that's a shame," Carlos muttered, and looked away with a grimace.
Jay watched in horror as Mal shook her head of wiry gray hair, squinting her eyes toward the remaining wisps of Audrey's pink smoke. "Forget about me. Audrey's out for revenge. Auradon's in danger" Jay knew that Mal knew first hand that the scepter was dangerous, especially in the hands of a woman scorned.
"What should we do?" asked Evie.
Mal looked around at her frantic friends. "The only thing more powerful than the scepter is Hades's ember."
"Like he's just going to hand it over to you after you blew him back to the Isle," Jay said, raising his eyebrow. He found the likelihood of their quest very unlikely. And Syl was sick! What happened if Audrey found her, and she was too weak to resist her? Jay clenched his fist, immediately worrying about the worst scenario.
Evie's contribution to the conversation brought him out of his thoughts, and Jay slowly let his fist relax. "No one knows where his lair is," said Evie as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I do," Celia piped up. "I'm his errand rat. I've got the key at my dad's."
Mal pointed at Celia. "You're coming."
Jay felt bad for the girl as her shoulders slumped. "But I just got here," she said disappointedly.
Just then, Dizzy appeared in the doorway, holding Squeaky's and Squirmy's hands. They were all spruced up and ready to leave for Jane's party. "Mal?" asked Dizzy, her voice cracking with confusion. As the realization hit, Dizzy shrieked in terror. The twins buried their faces in fear.
Jay felt bad for the new VKs, but he didn't know how to comfort little kids. They were all looking terrified and he had no idea what to say, but Evie's heart went out to the kids. "Dizzy," she commanded, "stay here and take care of the twinds. We'll be right back and everything is going to be just fine. Go inside." The younger VKs bought her fake confidence act, and they ran inside as she turned to Carlos, Jay, and Celia. "Guys, go get your stuff."
Jay ran inside with Carlos and Celia, the boys turning off at a hallway and running down to their rooms, which were right next to each other. Jay entered his room, which was decorated in his favorite red, blue, and yellow theme. Immediately, he headed straight to his closet, where an array of newly designed clothes by Evie were lined up. Some were more Auradon themed while others had more of an Isle feel, but all of them matched his style.
Grabbing a leather biker outfit, Jay quickly threw it on. As he adjusted the collar, he almost laughed, realizing that Syl had made fun of the outfit for the shoulder pads and the tight sleeves and how Evie had threatened to make Syl model for the new dresses that she was designing.
Jay's smile soon turned to a frown as he grabbed his phone and checked it. The only notification was an unread reminder about college applications, but nothing from Syl.
"Man, are you coming?" Jay's head snapped up to find Carlos at his doorway. The blond boy noticed his friend's frown. "You haven't heard back from her, have you?"
Jay shook his head, trying to find his voice. "Nah," he said, trying to play it off. "She's probably still tired. We must have worn her out from the proposal and the party. She'll call me later."
Carlos raised an eyebrow, but chose to ignore Jay's worry that had seeped through his words. "Let's go, They'll be waiting for us."
Jay nodded, slipping his phone into his pocket, and followed Carlos back out into the hallway.
A little while later, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos peeled their way through the forest on their motorbikes, with Celia riding behind Mal. On a normal day, the VKs loved to take their bikes out for a spin, but there was no joy in that day's ride as they headed toward their unfortunate mission. Jay felt uncomfortable on his bike, as he had always taken Sylphrenia with him, and was used to her arms tight around his stomach as he sped along the roads. He just had to keep reminding himself that she was sick, not dead, and that she would get better soon.
They all pulled to a stop on a rocky bluff looking out across Auradon Bay, an unsettled feeling forming in the pit of Jay's stomach.
Mal lifted her safety goggles. Her wrinkled eyes flashed green as she incanted her spell from memory: "Noble steeds, proud and fair, you shall take us anywhere."
With a thrum of enchantment, the motorbikes roared to life and magically zipped across the surface of the sea toward the Isle.
As they left, Jay could have sworn he could have heard someone call "Carlos!" but all he could hear was wind in his ears, and by that time, it was too late.