I suck in a breath as I repeat the facts in my head. I hate tests, especially when Mr. Deley springs them on us out of nowhere. Doug's writing a bunch of stuff down like that will help. Although, for all I know, it might. Evie's the worst, though. The second she heard about a test, the color drained from her face and she instantly reached for her purse. She'd gone even paler and is now rifling through it like her life depends on it. 

"Looking for something?" Mr. Deley says, staring at Evie. Evie looks up quickly and closes her purse. Mr Deley takes his hand from behind his back to reveal Evie's magic mirror. Evie mouths something silently.

"Thank you Chad." Mr. Deley pats Chad on the back. "It's gratifying to see someone still respects the honor code!"

Evie tilts her head to the side fast and glares at Chad with all her might. If I didn't know better, I'd say daggers could come flying out. But Chad just stares back smugly. 

"It will be my recommendation that you are expelled." Mr. Deley says gravely. 

"Mr. Deley, I---" Evie starts.

"That isn't fair!" Doug breaks in, standing up. "Obviously she wasn't cheating since she didn't have that... whatever it is!"

"It's called a magic mirror..." Evie whispers.

"You're not helping. Stop. " Doug says. Then he turns back to Mr. Deley. "Maybe she needed another pencil!"

"Actually, I--" Evie starts again.

"Really. Don't help." Doug says. "Please." He tells Mr. Deley. Mr. Deley sighs. 

"I thought the entire reason to bring VK's here was to give them a second chance." I pipe up. 

"You can hardly speak for them yourself, Elicia." Chad says under his breath. I can't do a thing to hurt him, so I fume silently. Mr. Deley stares at Evie though.

"Well, if you can pass this test I'll return your property and let the matter drop." Mr. Deley says quickly, like he's already regretting it. 

Evie and Doug both grin, and Chad groans and makes an So-whatever-you-won't-win'next-time face at Evie. She glares hard again until Doug pats her shoulder, telling her to get to work on the test. 

I tap her shoulder and she turns to look at me. "Hope you pass." I whisper. 

"Thanks." Evie says back.

________________________________________

"So, what'd you get, Doug?" I ask, walking to the lunch area with him. 

He grins and holds up his paper. A+, of course. I shake my head. "How do you do it? Every time!"

"What, like you don't?" he asks, snatching my paper away and sitting down at a table. He waves it in my face.

"A-, so what?" I ask. "I'm not nearly as smart as you!" I notice a blur of blue running towards us, and Evie presses her fingers to her lips. I nod and keep talking until she slips her paper in front of Doug's face. He looks at it in surprise, and I can't help but lean up a little to see her grade.

"For the first time, it's like I'm more than just a pretty face." Evie says, sighing happily. Doug laughs and looks up at her.

"A shocker, huh?" he asks. She drops the paper in front of him and sits down. 

"I wanted to thank you both. For doing that. You were pretty great in there." Evie says. 

"Hey, don't thank me. Thank Doug," I point out. "It was mostly him."

"You were great too." Doug says. 

Evie taps her paper. "I bet I can get an A on the next test. Without the mirror."

I swear I'm invisible when Doug straightens his glasses nervously. "Well, maybe we can get together and we'll hang out with---"

"Yeah!" Evie laughs. "Let's get together!" I see Mal in the background looking for someone, then throwing her hands up when she sees Evie. She stalks towards us. 

"THERE you are! I have been looking for you literally everywhere!" She explodes. 

"What's wrong?" Evie asks. 

Mal slaps her hands on the table. "Ben. Just asked me out on..." She sighs. "A date."

"Nice." Doug mutters.

"OH, the horror!" I exclaim. "Not that I would know, anyways."

Evie smiles. "We can handle this. Bye!"

"Bye," Doug and I say. They walk off together, arguing back and forth. 

"You're looking a little pale, but I can fix that with some lip gloss and some blush,"

"No!" Mal groans. 

"Mal, I can use the---"

"NO NO NO!"

 I laugh. "Smooth, Dougie. Congrats, you big dope!" I jump over the table and hug him tight. He goes red. "You asked her out! Or, she kinda asked you at the same time."

He smiles nervously. Then he seems to realize what we're talking about and jumps up quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow at Family Day. Bye, Ellie!" he reaches down and hugs me. "See you!" He runs off whistling a tune and skipping happily. I snort and get up to leave. He's right, my mother will be here tomorrow!

____________________________________________

"Ma cherie Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents - Your dinner!" Ben says. Everyone starts singing the song Be Our Guest, and I almost laugh. I am so happy I'm not up there with them. The look so goofy!

"Which one is Audrey, again?" My mother asks. She's awful with names. I point out Audrey dancing. "And where are those four villain children?"

"I don't see them, Mom. Wait! By the chocolate fountain, that's Mal! In the purple! And Evie's there too! Blue hair. I watch Evie take Dude from Carlos and pull my mom over.

"Guys, this is my mom!" I say, tugging her along despite her protests. She hides behind me a little ways. Carlos and Jay look up from the chocolate fountain they're currently drinking straight out of. 

"How do you do." My mom squeaks. 

"Mom, this is Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. And you know Dude." The kids wave as I say each of their names. Mom waves back then hears someone calling her name and runs off. 

"Your mom is sure a talker." Mal says sarcastically. 

"Sorry. She's not really used to being in public all that much." I apologize. Mal laughs. 

"It's fine. At least she didn't try and curse anybody, like I know my mom would were she here."

"Well, she had her powers taken away because she was scared of hurting somebody again, sooooo..." I drawl out. The VK's nod sadly. By now I've basically told them my life story. I have to say, I really trust these kids. 

"Mal! Mal," Ben calls. Mal perks up and walks over to him. 

"She's so crushing." I whisper to Evie. She smiles tightly, like she knows something I don't. That's weird. Ben talks with his parents for a minute then they all look over at us. I wave with Evie while Carlos and Jay look up with chocolate-covered mouths and make grunting noises. Mal has us come over to play croquet, which I've never liked playing, so I just hang with Evie. I laugh when Carlos starts trying to get Dude to chase the balls and Dude's butt wags crazily with his tail. I see Queen Leah come over to Mal and talk with her for a minute. Mal laughs at something then Audrey comes over.

Uh oh...

I start my walk over when suddenly Queen Leah gasps. "You!!" 

I stop mid-walk, petrified. Then start to run. 

"H-How are you here? And how have you stayed so young?" Queen Leah asks in disbelief. A crowd comes around them as I catch up to Mal and put my arms around her. She looks hurt. She shouldn't look hurt!

"Queen Leah, it's OK!" Ben tries. "Maleficent is still on the island. This is her daughter. Mal. Don't you remember my proclamation to give the new generation a chance?"

"A chance to what, Ben?" Queen Leah demands. "Destroy us? Come on, you remember, don't you? The poison apples? And the spells??" She says angrily. 

"Queen Leah, this isn't---" I start. 

"The spells." Queen Leah interrupts. "My daughter. Was raised by fairies. Because of your mother's curse." She tells Mal. "So her first words, her first steps, I. Missed. It. All!" She hugs herself and turns away. 

"I'm so sor--" Mal starts forward.

"Go away!" Chad breaks in, stepping in front of her. "Stay away from her!" He yells. 

"Don't do this, Chad." I hiss through my teeth, stepping in front of Mal's hurt face. 

"What? They were raised by their parents, Ellie. What do you think villains teach their kids? Huh? Kindness? Fair play?  No way, OK? Uh-uh!" He glares at Mal. "You stole another girls boyfriend." 

"Hey, hey!" Ben says, but Chad's on a roll. 

"You enjoy hurting people!" He points at Jay. Then he settles on Evie. "And you... You're nothing but a gold digger, and a cheater." he turns and nods at Doug, who's seething.

"Mirror mirror in my hand, who's the biggest jerk in the land?" Evie cries, shoving the mirror in Chad's face. It shines with Chad's reflection. 

"What?" Chad laughs. "Come on." He swats the mirror out of Evie's hand and I snap. 

"BACK OFF, CHAD!" I yell, throwing my hands in his direction. My gloves shatter once more and ice screams its way off my palms and directly at Chad. He barely has time to look at the oncoming storm before the ice hits him full-on in the face and he crumples to the ground. Everyone stares at Chad's unconscious form as I take in what I have done. I look to my mother. She's looking at me like I'm the most horrifying person in the world. 

"Mom...?" I whisper. I look down at my hands. Ice trails off them in mist. 

"Chad? Chad? Ellie did something to Chad!" Audrey cries. 

I gape in horror at what I have done. Then someone's hand slips into mine. "Come on, Ellie." Evie whispers. I don't argue and let her drag me and a dumbfounded Mal away. 

My mind is numb as I follow them to Mal and Evie's dorm room. Only once I've sat down with them and glance at the mirror do I understand why mom looked at me that way.

"I look..."

Like a villain. 

My once blonde hair streaks in white, and my ice blue eyes literally are glowing. I'm a deadly pale white. Even my makeup has changed. Heavy black eyeshadow and deep blue lipstick replace my normal bland getup.

I stare in horror at Evie, Mal, Jay, and Carlos. "What happened to me?" I whisper. 

None of them seem to have an answer. Then Mal speaks up. "For what it's worth... Welcome to our gang. If you want." She says in a hollow voice. 

And that's when the ice starts to take over my heart. Auradon. This is their fault. Today was going fine until Queen Leah accused Mal of something she'd never done!

"What about Doug? And Lonnie? And Ben?" I ask. "What's going to happen to them?"

"Who cares?" Mal answers halfheartedly. "They're all Auradonians. They all think the same. I mean, did you see the way your mom looked at you?"

Her words are like a dagger in my chest. "Yes. I saw." I whisper. If my own mother could look at me like that, what will everyone else see me as?

"Before you decide, though, hear us out." Jay says. "Can we trust you?"

I hesitate for just a second. Doug didn't defend me. Lonnie didn't defend us. Ben? Who knows what he might have said after we left?

I nod.

"Don't tell on us or anything, but..." Carlos starts. "We've got a plan. To get Fairy Godmother's wand. You want in?"

Ice seals in my chest. These people will pay for this. 

"I'm in."

__________________________________________

Thank you guys for reading this! Please comment on what you think! I'm not going to be updating during Spring Break, sorry! Sometime after that will be next update. Also, HUGE thank you to @dragongirlgamer1 for your very helpful comments.