Were You Expecting Flowers? ✔️

3

I feel like I've been locked up tight
For a century of lonely nights
____________________

MY PLAN isn't working. I was seated at the corner of the room, digging into my sandwich. Cruella de Ville was standing right at the only door, telling Carlos how much she'd miss him and all the duties he performed. It was odd to be surrounded by such well known villains and their kids, especially when I didn't realize they were related.

Evie was the Evil Queen's daughter! The blue on her and the way she gushed over beauty and boyfriends should've given it away, but I guess I was too busying trying to get my thoughts together.

The room was large. It had so much more space than where I lived. There was even a balcony! But I kept those comments to myself and pretended to be unamused. This isn't where I was supposed to be. I wonder if I've ever even been in the same room as this many people for this long.

I am at my best only when I'm alone. But I guess I'm not escaping this one.

Just then, the Evil Queen stop dead in her tracks when she saw me and made a face of disgust. "How dirty you are!" She cried, "What kind of a proper lady are you?"

Again, I focus on the feeling of my knife pressed against my waist to avoiding snapping back at her.

"That's the Isle orphan." Maleficent told her, "She's supposed to be this dirty."

The queen looked shocked. "Where are your parents?"

God did I wish I could leave this place.

"Dead." I smiled at her.

"We know now." Jafar cut in as he rubbed the side of a lamp Jay had stolen, "No one told me Shan Yu had a daughter-"

"Dad, I already tried." Jay said, motioning to the lamp his father was frantically rubbing.

He threw it aside.

"Don't you need to bring anything?" Evie asked me.

I raised an eyebrow. "My home consists a dozen sheets of cloth and six cans of soup. I keep my stuff on me."

Maleficent walked around the table to make yet another one of her announcements. "You five are stealing the Fairy Godmother's wand for me." She turned to me, as if she was sure of everyone's loyalty except mine, "Got it?"

I gave her an exaggerated expression of boredom.

"Mom that's impossible." Mal argued, "How are we even supposed to keep in contact with you?"

"Magic might be restricted on the Isle of the Lost, but not in Auradon." Maleficent handed Mal a small notebook. It's edges were golden with a symbol of a dragon printed at the center. You could tell Mal had no idea what it was.

"Is that-" Jay started.

"A spellbook!" Maleficent finished.

"And if we don't manage?" Evie asked.

Maleficent glared at her. "Try me."

"Lemme guess." I faked a yawn, "You'll swim over to Auradon to punish us?"

This time the glare was aimed at me. "You don't know what I'm capable of." She sneered, before thrusting the spellbook into Mal's hands.

She left the room promptly, her daughter following close behind with her bag hanging from her shoulder. Soon everyone was out of the room, except Carlos.

He stared at me as if in wonder. "H-how do you do it?"

"Huh?"

"You know, " He gulped, "How do you have the guts to talk to them like that?"

I blinked at him. He was taller than me, but seemed so small and helpless. I didn't know what to say.

"Sorry." He said, tucking his hands under his arms, "That was weird. I shouldn't have asked." He proceeded to hurry away out the door.

I went after him, mostly because I had no idea where everyone else went. There was a very clean and shiny black car parked outside. I don't think I've ever seen anything so polished in my life. People crowded around it. Suddenly, Mal pulled me aside by the shirt before we stepped onto the street.

"Hide your knife." She said sternly.

"My knife?"

I've never had so many human interactions in one day.

"Yes, your knife." Mal said, "If they see you take it to Auradon, they'll throw it away in a heartbeat. We're gonna need it at some point when we steal the wand."

"Oh, right." I tucked it into the side of my baggy pants, "Is this good?"

Mal ignored me and stepped outside into the crowd. I rolled my eyes and pushed my own way through those people. I climbed into the car as the others threw their bags in the trunk. It was so sickenly clean, I felt like I didn't belonged in it. I stared out the window and wondered if this was the last time I'd see the old, run down structures and the slummy neighborhoods.