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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓

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The following morning Rylee and Morgan took Ruby, Roland, Gabby, and Hanna to Evie's. They had Jane's birthday party later that day and wanted to help get everything ready for their friend's party. As soon as they arrived, the four younger teens went off somewhere with Dizzy and Celia, most likely to cause some sort of trouble. While they did that, Rylee and Morgan went into the cottage to find their friends. They barely made it a step into the kitchen when they found Evie tossing Jay a few items to put into a picnic basket. It wasn't long after that when Carlos ran in with a pile of beach towels in his hands.

"Morning," the De Vil boy greeted the two princesses before turning around to face Evie and Jay, "got the beach towels."

Morgan couldn't help but laugh at how frantic the white-haired boy was before she took a few towels from him. Rylee moved to help Evie and Jay finish nicely putting the food in the baskets so that the lids would close. While the three of them did that, Carlos and Morgan neatly placed the towels in another one of the baskets. Once they finished packing the three baskets, Morgan, Evie, and Jay forced the lids closed and Rylee tied them shut. It wasn't long after that when Carlos walked around the counter to get a better look and Jane's cake, only for his smile to be replaced by a panicked look.

"Okay! Who got into Jane's cake?!" the son of Cruella De Vil shouted, completely unaware of the six young teens feasting on their pieces at the back of the house.

Rylee and Morgan instantly shared a look, having a hunch at who may have stolen a couple of slices of cake. However, before anyone could say a word, a loud bang came from somewhere outside. Everyone looked around at each other, totally confused about what was going on. It wasn't long after that when the group of young teens came sprinting into the kitchen with scared looks on their faces. After sending their siblings and their friends to a room at the back of the house, everyone raced down the hall and out onto the patio, only to stop in their tracks when they saw what was happening.

Rylee couldn't even find the words to describe how she felt after seeing the scene unfold in front of her. All she could do was stare with wide eyes and an open mouth as Audrey continued to maniacally laugh with the Queen's crown on her head and Maleficent's scepter in her hands.

"What are you doing with that stuff, Audrey?" Morgan questioned while taking a step toward the now pink-haired girl, only for Carlos to grab her arm and pull her back.

Rylee's blood ran cold when a wicked grin appeared on the girl in the stolen crown's lips. Silence surrounded them as they watched Audrey bring the scepter closer to her chest like it was her most prized possession. Despite everything she and Audrey had been through, the blonde girl couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for the princess standing in front of them. After all, she thought she had her whole life planned out, only for it to be taken from her. Another long moment passed before Rylee let out a long sigh and managed to make her way around Jay to stand in front of her friends.

"This isn't you, Audrey," the Fitzherbert girl said as calmly as she could, drawing Audrey's attention toward her. Chills ran throughout Rylee's entire body as the daughter of Aurora and Phillip stared at her with a large smirk on her face. It wasn't long after that when the blonde girl forced her emotions away and continued speaking. "Just give us the crown and the scepter and we can talk about this."

"You think you're so brave and selfless, but I can see straight through your little act," the pink-haired girl hissed while keeping her eyes glued to Rylee, who was doing her best to keep a stoic look on her face. Audrey studied her for another moment as her grip tightened around the scepter before breaking the tense silence surrounding them. "You just wanna look like the hero everyone wants you to be. You wanna show the world that you're still 'Mommy's little princess.' But you and I both know you'd rather be back on that island."

Rylee just stared at Audrey with a shocked look on her face, not knowing what to say. Despite not wanting to admit it, the pink-haired princess was somewhat right. Some of the responsibilities were becoming too much for the Fitzherbert girl and she couldn't stand the choice they made about the barrier. Rylee wouldn't say she wanted to go back to the Isle, she hated how everyone was treated there. But there was just a small part of her that longed for the time that she didn't feel like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

The blonde girl was soon snapped out of her thoughts when Audrey continued speaking. "You'll pay the price of what you did and so will all of Auradon! So long, suckers."

Before Rylee had a chance to say another word, the Rose girl let out another maniacal laugh. Her actions caused Jay to wrap his hand around the Fitzherbert girl's wrist and pull her behind him. It wasn't long after that when she began spinning around in a circle before she disappeared into a cloud of pink smoke. After the fog cleared, everyone turned around to look for Mal, only for everyone to quickly jump back when they noticed how much her appearance had changed. Instead of the young girl who was about to be Queen, an elderly version of her stood in her place.

"Woah! Uh, you might wanna think of a spell for that," Jay said as his eyes scanned over every inch of Mal's new appearance.

"There's no spell that can reverse the curse of the scepter," Mal responded while Evie continued to stare at her friend with a concerned look on her face.

"Well, that's a shame," Carlos muttered as Morgan nodded along in agreement.

"Forget about me," the daughter of Maleficent declared, drawing everyone's attention back to her before she pointed to where the pink-haired girl once stood, "Audrey's out for revenge. And all of Auradon is in danger."

"What should we do?" Morgan asked, trying her best to hide all the emotions she was feeling about what just happened.

Mal hesitated for a moment as she thought back to everything she learned about her mother's scepter. Only a few seconds passed before she opened her mouth to respond. "The only thing more powerful than the scepter...is Hades' ember."

"Do you really think the former god of the Underworld is going to willingly hand over his prized possession?" Rylee questioned with a quirked eyebrow, causing Jay to point at her with his thumb and nod in agreement.

"And no one knows where his lair is," Evie added while looking around at her friends.

"I do," a new voice said, causing everyone to jump before they turned around to face a confident-looking Celia, "I'm his errand rat. I've got the key at my dad's."

"You're coming," Mal declared while pointing a wrinkly finger at the daughter of Doctor Facilier.

A disappointed look appeared on the curly-haired girl's face as she took a step backward. "But I just got here."

It wasn't long after that when the sound of Mal's name cut through the air. Everyone instantly turned their attention toward the source of the sound to find the rest of the young teens standing in the doorway. Dizzy let out a small scream as the Smee twins clung to her sides after seeing Mal in her new form. Gabby and Hanna just stared with wide eyes and mouths open, not sure of what to make of the scene in front of them. Ruby and Roland wore confused looks on their faces as they studied Mal before their attention turned to their older siblings. But before Rylee and Morgan had a chance to explain anything, Evie made her way over to them.

"I need you guys to stay here and watch out for each other. We'll be right back and everything will be just fine. Go inside," the blue-haired girl told them, receiving nods in response from every one of them before they went back into the house. As soon as they were gone, Evie turned back around to face her friends. "Guys, go get your stuff."

Carlos and Jay send the daughter of the Evil Queen a nod in response before taking Rylee, Morgan, and Celia inside. A thousand thoughts ran through the Fitzherbert girl's head as she changed into more appropriate clothing for their adventure ahead. She didn't know how she felt about going back to the Isle for the second time when the first was already hard for her. But she also knew that she needed to help her friends before the situation got even more out of hand.

Rylee was soon snapped out of her daze by a hand on her shoulder. That instantly made her turn around to find Morgan staring at her with a small smile on her face. Before the Fitzherbert girl could any anything, her redheaded friend pulled her into a tight hug. The two of them stayed like that for a long moment before ending their embrace and grabbing everything they needed. After saying a quick goodbye to Ruby and Roland and promising they'd be back soon, they made their way back outside.

Carlos and Jay didn't waste any time as they escorted the princesses and Celia to where their motorbikes were. After helping Mal and Celia onto one of the bikes, Morgan climbed onto the back of Carlos' bike while Rylee got on another one with Jay. It wasn't long after that when the four VKs started their bikes to begin their journey.

After riding through the forest in silence, the VKs stopped their bikes in front of the ocean that separated the Isle from Auradon. Rylee's grip on Jay's waist tightened without thinking as they listened to Mal reciting her spell. As soon as the words finished leaving the purple-haired girl's mouth, the VKs rev their bikes' engines and head towards the water. However, instead of falling into the ocean, the motorbikes glide across the water as green mist emitted from the tires. Rylee's thoughts were on overdrive once again as they continued to make their way toward the Isle of the Lost.

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