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Appearances could be
deceptive
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Awe unwillingly blossomed across Eva's face as she openly gaped when the VKs got their first glimpse at Auradon Prep. The building itself was almost as big as the Isle of the Lost, let alone the grounds surrounding it. Clambering out of the black limo, Eva got her first look at the converted castle.
The stone building was breathtakingly impressive, gargantuan in size and tailored to perfection. Vibrant green hedges wrapped around it and not a leaf was out of place. Fields and forests surrounded the castle/school, bursting with colours Eva had never before seen. The air was crisp and clean, sweet smelling, instead of suffocating. Clear of clouds, the sky was bluer than Eva's eyes and the sun shone down on the VKs, radiating warmth they had never felt before.
In the middle of the courtyard stood a huge statue depicting King Adam, ruler of the United States of Auradon and the person responsible for trapping the villains on the crappy Isle. Eva looked at the statue with less pleasure than she had the grounds.
Directing her attention towards the welcoming party, insecurity began settling in. All of them were clean, polished and perfect. Tailor made outfits were colourful, devoid of stains and made of rich fabrics that made all of them look perfectly proportional. Compared to the residents of Auradon, the VKs were scruffy, dirty and dull. On the other hand, Eva had noticed that herself and her companions had brightened significantly since their exposure to the magic and beauty of Auradon. Evie's blue hair shone brighter, Carlos' clothes didn't look quite as dusty and Jay's teeth seemed whiter. Mal looked less pale. They had been in Auradon for a grand total of five minutes and it was already beginning to have a positive affect.
Not surprisingly, the boys were making a 'wonderful' first impression – they had tumbled out of the limo squabbling, hitting each other and fighting over an object.
"Welcome to Auradon Prep," the cheerful woman in pale blue greeted, a beaming smile on her face. "I'm Fairy Godmother, Headmistress."
Keeping her focus on the mission she had been awarded, Mal took great interest in the Headmistress of Auradon Prep, focusing heavily on the 'sparkly wand' the woman had once used for Cinderella.
"It's wonderful to finally meet you all. I'm Ben," a boy with blond hair stepped forward, blue suit as bright as his smile.
So, this was the Soon-to-be-King of Auradon – the one who invite the VKs to come to the Land of Everything Good. Interesting, Eva mused. He seemed nice enough so far. However, appearances could be deceptive.
Much to her disgust, a girl dressed in pink and smothered by a cloud of perfume introduced herself to the group. Apparently she was very fond of using the titles she and the prince were born with, reminding the VKs of their lesser station. Especially reminding the twins that their own royal status was null at Auradon. Evie practically whimpered at the insult.
Unfortunately, Princess Prep and Prince Beast were to be the group's guide, showing them around the elaborate school. Maintaining a façade of indifference, Eva concealed the slight excitement that bubbled in her chest at the prospect of starting classes tomorrow. The chance to actually learn new things and be at an actual school with real facilities and classes thrilled her. Not that she would ever share that with the group; she would be laughed at and mocked.
"You're Maleficent's daughter, right?" Audrey asked, breaking the eye contact occurring between Mal and Ben. "I totally don't blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff."
Uh oh, Eva mused to herself, someone clearly holds hostility for something that had nothing to do with Mal.
Thankfully, Ben interrupted the weird power grab between the two women by beginning the tour. Things always got weird when a feud began between two women. Standing before the large bronze statue, Ben clapped his hands together twice and chuckled at the amazement on the VKs' face when it morphed from King to Beast. Well, 4/5 of the VKs' face. Carlos, however, screamed in terror and leapt into Jay's arms upon seeing the animal.
"Carlos, it's okay, My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to remind us anything is possible." Ben reassured, chuckling slightly.
Rolling his eyes at the boy in his arms, Jay dumped Carlos on the floor and followed the rest of the group, drinking in the sights around him. Laughing at Carlos' failed attempt to turn the Beast back into King Adam, Eva slung her arm around his shoulders and dragged him back to their band of misfits.
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After too much walking and an overload of History and information, the group entered one of the many foyers of the school and waited as Ben called out to someone named Doug. Informing the group that the new guy would be showing the VKs to their dorms and give them their class schedules, Ben took his leave.
The son of Dopey seemed at a loss for words after gazing upon Evie, his eyes widened as he fell victim to her beauty. Introducing herself to the dwarf's son, Evie flashed him a dazzling smile that had him struggling to breathe properly.
Poor bugger, Eva thought as she watched the love-struck look on his face. He had fallen for her twin and was now a slave under her spell.
"Here's you room." Doug smiled, opening the door for them and providing each girl with a key. "Sorry if it's a little crowded. The rooms are built for two but we thought you'd prefer to stay together instead of one of you sharing with a stranger."
Glancing around the room, Eva recoiled at the fact that the decorations consisted of varying shades of pink. Lace lined the bedding and the curtains and the only freedom from the splurge of pink was the white furniture that had been placed inside the room. Three beds had been placed in the room, along with their own nightstands and wardrobes.
A round table was placed in the middle of the room for the girls to study on, a large TV screen hung from one wall and the beautiful bay window had a cushioned seat with pink and white pillows placed atop it. Despite the less than desirable colour scheme, the room was beautiful and more luxurious than anything the three girls had seen before.
Looking at Doug incredulously, Eva wondered how he could believe the room would be crowded when it was the most spacious room she had ever been in. All her clothes could have fit in the drawer of the nightstand alone.
Allowing the three VKs to get settled into their dorm room, Doug excused himself. Light filtered in through the large glass windows but whilst the Evil Twins basked in the beauty of the light, Mal groaned in disgust and demanded the twins close the curtains. Rolling her eyes at the bossy girl, Eva begrudgingly abided by the command and shut the drapes. The room went from bright sunlight to a dim glow. Somehow, it was still brighter than the Isle.
Throwing herself onto the bed nearest the bay window, Eva let out a groan of delight at how she sunk into the soft mattress. She let out a gasp of surprise when she bounced back up to the ceiling slightly, instead of hurting her back on hard springs. Snuggling into the soft, clean sheets, Eva decided that closing her eyes for a moment wouldn't hurt anyone. Kicking off their boots, the other two girls decided to see whether the beds were as good as they looked and within minutes, the three girls were in the deepest, most restful sleep of their lives.
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Opening her eyes, it took Eva a few moments to adjust to the fact that the room was a different colour to when she had fallen asleep. Night had fallen and so the room was cast in a shadowy darkness. Stretching, Eva marvelled at the lack of aching in her joints.
Comfort was unheard of on the Isle and instead of being rock hard and lumpy, the mattress moulded perfectly to her body as she moved. The pillow was fluffy and soft, not a bumpy strip of fabric that they were lucky enough to receive back home. Pulling the squishy duvet up to her chin, Eva was more than happy to float back into the blissful, peaceful sleep – until Mal turned on the lights and smacked her in the face with one the full, fluffy pillows.
"What the Hades, Mal?" Eva grumbled, scowling up at the purple haired monster.
"Wrinkles!" Evie squealed at her twin, flapping her hands in a manner similar to their mother.
Even safely protected on a magical land filled with comfort, the VKs were unable to outrun the influence of their parents.
"Not that I should have to remind you but we're here to steal the wand, not enjoy ourselves. So, let's go." Mal ordered.
The stern look on her face making her look like a miniature replica of her mother. Eva didn't dear speak that thought aloud though for fear of the wrath it would incur. Whilst they would defend the other, Eva and Mal were far from close. They didn't spend their nights confiding in each other about their deepest thoughts and worries.
Eva didn't share the insecurities she had developed for fear of appearing weak. Whilst Mal and Evie may know that Eva angered easily over her appearance, they had no idea how deep her mother's words had cut. Nor did she mention the feelings brewing for a certain dark haired male for fear that her mother would somehow find out that she was falling for a man not of royal origin. More so, she feared the beating she would suffer as a result.
Mal refused to show any sign of emotion for fear that people would discover she didn't feel worthy of being Maleficent's daughter. Even worse, she worried that if she talked about her feelings, Mal herself would discover that she wasn't as strong as she pretended. The two girls had so much they wished they could say to each other but didn't. Instead, Mal pretended to be the cruel leader of the pack and Eva the indifferent, cold hearted follower.
Marching towards the room that had been assigned to the boys, Mal didn't even glance back to see if the twins were following her. Like the loyal subjects they were, the twins floated after her without complaint.
Pillars of grace and poise, the Evil twins may have matched on beauty but they were not alike. Despite being matched in beauty, the twins were not identical and it showed most in their personalities.
Evie had nothing but confidence in her own beauty and used her charm to diffuse a tense situation – ever the peacemaker. After a lifetime of criticism and venomous comments from her mother, Eva had nothing but uncertainty about her own appearance and shielded her insecurity behind a wall of heartlessness – she was hot-headed and unafraid to tell people what she truly thought. Unless that person was Mal.
Hence why she was sneaking out past curfew to help Villains she had spent her entire life hoping to escape from. Eva had spent years protecting Evie from the harsh words of her mother, not that the younger twin was aware of this. The idea of having to return to the Isle and giving her mother more power to harm her with was unfathomable yet here she was.
Barging into the room, Eva rolled her eyes at the compliment Carlos paid her, she ruffled his hair affectionately. Looking at the pure joy on his face as he played a game on the big screen, Eva smiled slightly. Years of misery had been washed away after just one day at Auradon and Carlos was sporting a look on his angelic face that Eva had never seen before – authentic happiness.
All five of them looked cleaner, healthier and happier than they ever had before. Even Mal, who had yet to show any outward joy at their situation, seemed to breathe easier without her mother around and there was a slight twinkle to her green eyes.
Perhaps staying at Auradon for longer than a day or two wouldn't be so terrible for the wellbeing of the VKs.