Rise of the Isle of the Lost

Left Behind

Once upon a time, the offspring of an evil fairy and a sea witch were friends. Mal, daughter of Maleficent, Mistress of Darkness, and Uma, daughter of Ursula, Witch of the Seas, were an inseparable duo, partners-in-petty-crime. Mal had purple hair, flashing green eyes, and a mischievous streak, while Uma had turquoise locks, eyes the color of the abyss, and a wicked sense of fun. Luckily for the poor, unfortunate souls who lived on the Isle of the Lost, they didn't get to see each other very much, since they lived on opposite sides of the island and went to rival schools-Dragon Hall for Mal and Serpent Prep for Uma.

Life on the Isle of the Lost-where all the villain folk had been banished after King Beast united all the good kingdoms and exiled all the evildoers and their sparky sidekicks-was already difficult. For one, and impenetrable dome covered the island and its surrounding waters, keeping out any source of magic, as well as every kind of Wi-Fi network. For another, most of the island's residents subsisted on leftovers from Auradon's mainland along with the goblins' terrible coffee. But life always got a little worse during the summer when school was out, because that was when Mal and Uma could hit the streets together again.

They would rampage up and down the island, terrorizing step-granddaughters and traumatizing even the most stalwart goons, and no one would dare voice a peep of annoyance, for fear of something truly frightening-the girls' mothers.

One hot day in June, not long after each had turned ten, Mal and Uma were playing on the docks by the water. The two bad little girls were pranking Hook's crew, making tick-tock noises to scare the pirate captain himself, and getting on Smee's already agitated nerves. They giggled naughtily behind some empty barrels as their best trick of all went off without a hitch. One pirate after another tripped and fell on the slippery wooden planks, which they had covered with a nearly invisible slime. It was Mal's idea to coat the decks with bilge and oily, murky scum, and she laughed with glee to see it work so well.

"Here comes Cruella De Vil," said Mal, spotting a telltale black-and-white bouffant rising from the crowd of pirates.
"Let's get her!"
Cruella was a nemesis of theirs. As one of the only citizens on the Isle who wasn't afraid of Maleficent or Ursula, the Dalmatian-obsessed lady never hesitated to pinch their ears when they tried to make her their victim. They were determined to get her back one of these days, but they'd have to be crafty.

They watched her sauntering down the docks with a ratty spotted fur on her shoulder, glaring at everyone she met.
"What's she doing down here, anyway? whispered Uma.
"Goblin barge is arriving soon, and she likes to have first dibs," explained Mal, holding her breath as Cruella sashayed closer and closer to where they were hiding. "She's always hoping someone's thrown away an old fur coat."

The girls looked at each other, eyes sparkling with mischief. Mal raced to pour another batch of the disgusting concoction in Cruella's path, but the bucket was too heavy for her.
"Hurry!" said Uma, running to grab the bucket's other handle.
"I've got it!" said Mal.
"Let me!" said Uma. "You did Gaston!"
Mal chuckled darkly at the memory of the big man going bottoms-up on the dock and finally crashing over the railing with a loud roar and splash, his sons slack-jawed at the sight.

Uma pulled the bucket to her side.
"Stop it! Let go!" Mal demanded.
"You let go! You're splashing it on me!" whined Uma.
They each yanked on the bucket. As Uma wrenched it away, Mal lost her grip on the handle, overturning the pail and its contents-and she tripped and fell upon their own slippery puddle.

"Mal!" yelped Uma, as her friend skittered down the length of the dock, flailing, all the way to the edge.
"Help! Help me!" Mal screamed, as she attempted to grasp the wooden rails while she sped toward the sea. "I can't swim!"

But the irony that the mastermind had been caught in her own naughty little prank and the sight of her purple friend sliding down the docks like a flopping wet fish was too hilarious for Uma to resist, and instead of running to help, the little sea witch was doubled up on her knees in laughter.