Ella, Jazzy, Aaron and Ryder were hanging out really late watching movies in Ella and Jazzy's room. Ella was laying back on her bed with her head hanging off the foot of it, Jazzy was the window seat watching the movie and drinking a blue soda, Aaron was passed out in a beanbag and Ryder was laying on the floor under Ella with Booboo was sitting on top of him. "I want something," the youngest boy complained.
"You always want something," Jazzy teased. "Is it a snack this time or a new toy perhaps?" He glared at her and stood up walking to the door, dropping Booboo in the process. Jazzy gasped in horror, "Booboo! Ryder, how dare you!" She snapped diving for her pet. She cradled the small money in one arm and raised a fist with the other. "You're supposed to be the one who likes animals."
He raised his hands in surrender, "I'm sorry I'm hungry so rather than harming me lets go get something to eat please we ran out of snacks an hour ago."
"What are you talking about?" Ella asked, rolling off her bed, "I just stocked the mini fridge yesterday." She opened it only to see in completely empty spare a box of blueberries and two lone pieces of string cheese. Ella sucked her teeth and crossed her arms looking at her little brother and best friend who were looking anywhere but at her. "Guys?"
Ryder bravely met her eyes, "Yes greatest big sister in the whole world?
She just raised an eyebrow "Why is my fridge empty."
He laughed nervously, "Well you see what had happened was," he glanced at Jazzy, "run." With that the two shot off down the hall.
Ella sighed; she didn't bother chasing them since she knew where they were going. She grabbed a pillow off her bed and hit Aaron with it to wake him up. "Come one sleeping beauty, we're going to get snacks since someone finished off my fridge."
He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he stood, "Oh yeah Ryder and Jazzy kept coming in to grab stuff in-between classes."
"Good to know I need to lock it up if we still want movie night snacks."
In the kitchen
Mal was mixing up the spell as Evie read them off from the book, "All right. It says that we still need one tear.
"I never cry," Mal said.
"Let's Just chop up some onions," Carlos said grabbing one, Dude was next to him sitting in a bowl. He hadn't let that dog out of his sight since Ryder introduced them.
Mal looked back at him, "No. It says that we need one tear of human sadness. And this love potion gets the best reviews, so we have to follow it exactly," she threw an arm up.
"A tear is a tear," Jay said.
"That's not true, Jay. They both have antibodies and enzymes, but an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear."
Mal smiled at smart Evie "Listen to You."
"Ella and Aaron put me in honors Chemistry after seeing my test scores," She smiled while the boys bickered.
"There you are, Mal! I was looking for you." Lonnie said walking in. Mal quickly covered her spell book with a tissue. "You know, all the girls want you to do their hair!" she ginned. "Midnight snack, huh? What are you guys making?"
Ryder ran in and went to the fridge not even noticing them. And Jazzy bolted in right after still holding her monkey, "Hey what's up? If Ella asks, I'm not here," She dropped to the floor and crawled into an empty cabinet. All he VK's looked at the cabinet confusion and amusement filling them.
"Oh hi Jay, Mal, Carlos, Evie, Lonnie." Ella said as she gracefully walked in almost as if she was floating. She grabbed Ryder by the arm, "Pay up."
"Owe El It was mostly Jazzy."
"She probably already escaped through her tunnel and if I wasn't in short's I'd follow her, but I am so pay for your half." Ryder sighed and took out his wallet as the interested Jay went over and looked in the cabinet to see the missing part of the wall. "It goes a few hundred feet over and you'll pop out in Mrs. Radcliff's writing class," Ella told him. "Tight fit though." She counted the money and moved to sit between Jay and Dude. "Why is Dude in a bowl? You're not gonna cook him are you?" She giggled her infectious bell-like laugh. It made the VK's laugh too. "What are you making?" She leaned forward dipping a finger in at the same time as Lonnie.
"No! Wait." They all freaked out. Ryder was startled out of the fridge dropping his pack of cheese and Aaron jumped as he walked in. Upon seeing the soldier's daughter, he blushed a deep red.
Ella and Lonnie didn't understand the big deal, "We're not gonna double dip."
"Feel anything?" Evie asked.
"Yeah, like maybe it might be missing something?"
Jay wrapped an arm around Ella and pulled her closer "Hey."
Ella blushed a little and quickly tried to cover it up, "Could use some chips." She said lowly while Ryder glared, and Jay and Aaron realized he needed to get his winnings from Jazzy.
Lonnie walked to the fridge; everyone was calm about her but a little on edge about Ella. They were gonna use the cookie on her anyway, but they didn't need it back firing because it wasn't done. Jay started playing with the back of the silver chain around Ella's neck, for once not thinking of stealing it. She relaxed into him half tired and half at peace. "And those are?" Mal asked easing up a bit as she realized that there was no magic in Ella yet, she just really liked Jay. That didn't make things any easier though.
"Chocolate chips. Just the most important food group." Lonnie started to sprinkle them in, and Aaron stole a couple giving some to Ella. Carlos noticed Jazzy briefly come out of her cabinet to grab a bag of chips that was on the counter before heading back in. "Wait, didn't your moms ever make you guys, like, chocolate chip cookies?" Ryder and Aaron tenses having heard a little bit about the isle already. Ella just looked confused at their reactions. The VK's looked upset. "Like, when you're feeling sad, and they're fresh from the oven, with a big old glass of milk, and she just makes you laugh and puts everything into perspective and... why are you all looking at me like that?" They had all looked at her with a sad confused face that looked like they were asking, 'That's what Moms do?'
Ella looked up at Jay, his face clearly read, 'I never had a mom.' Ella interlaced her fingers with his making him give her a sad smile. She read his file she knew his mom passed away shortly after having him and it made her heart break for him but seeing all the broken expressions she noticed that Jay wasn't a special case, none of them really had a mother who loved them. It made her blood boil, their parents had trusted Adam with the isle, and he lied. He let these children get hurt, he abandoned them.
"It's just different where we're from," Mal said. Ryder finished his sandwich putting it on a plate softly, Jazzy, who was still in her cabinet, cuddled Booboo close. Aaron looked down at the gold and pearl seashell bracelet from his mother on his wrist, and Ella leaned closer to Jay pulling the chain out from under her shirt playing with the arrowhead, a nervous tick he would come to notice.
"Yeah, I know. I just, you know, I thought... even villains love their kids." They all looked away.
"Oh... How awful." Mal saw tears running down Ella's face. Mal Jerked her head almost unnoticeably to Jay. He 'pretended' to wipe away the tear and dropped it in the bowl.
Mal tried to shake off the feeling, "Yeah, well, big bummer, but we have to get these into the oven, so thank you so much for coming by. Really, really have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow. Evil dreams." She and Evie tried to push everyone out. Even going as far as to grab Jazzy from where she had forgotten to escape back to her tunnel.
Everyone called out goodnights over their shoulders. "Evie, I need to talk to you tomorrow before the game," Ryder said, walking out with his sandwich.
"You know You have us right," Lonnie said, making them stop in their tracks. "I'm not just saying that I'm being one hundred percent serious when I say that. We may not be your parents but we're someone. I mean that's better than nothing." They all looked at the other four AKs in the hallway, each one looking at one of them smiling.
Ryder at Carlos, Jazzy at Evie, Aaron at Jay and Ella at Mal. "Lonnie is right," Ella said, taking Mal's hand, making her tense. "You have us if you want us," she said confidently. She shrugged and dropped her hand, "Sweet dreams."
Mal started at the closed door for a second before clearing her throat, and turning back, "Okay boys cookie sheets Evie oven."
"Yes Ma'am" Evie replied. They all wanted to forget what Ella and Lonnie said but they couldn't.
Published: May 18, 2020
Updated/ Edited: Jan 15, 2023