As The Poison Apple Falls (Harry Hook)

1

(Mal)

They say I'm trouble

They say I'm bad

They say I'm evil

And that makes me glad

(Jay)

A dirty no good

Down to the bone

Your worst nightmare

Can't take me home

(Evie)

So I've got some mischief

In my blood

Can you blame me

I never got no love

(Quinn)

So what I'm crazy

I just get bored

But I'm a good time

You can't afford

(Carlos)

They think I'm callous

A low life hood

I feel so useless

Misunderstood

~~~

Quinn's POV

The crowd roared with laughter as Mal raised up a lollipop she snatched from a small child. However, the sound of shoes screeching across the ground interrupted our good time, and after turning away from the people running, I faced a few familiar bodyguards.

Mal greeted her mother with, "Hi, mom," and Maleficent pushed through her line of goons to look at her daughter.

"Really, Mal? Stealing candy?" she asked disappointedly. The air seemed still and quiet although the wind throwing my hair around made it apparent that it was just me feeling this way.

"It was from a baby," Mal defended.

Her mother seemed pleased and responded, "Ah, that's my nasty little girl." Snatching the candy from Mal the same way she had with the kid, Maleficent spit on the sweet, squeezed it under her arm, and told a goon to give it back to the 'dreadful creature.'

"Mom," Mal practically whined.

"It's all about the deets, Mal, that make the difference between mean and truly evil," her mom lectured, waving to the mother of the now sweetless child. "When I was your age, I was cursing entire kingdoms." Mal easily mimicked her mother during the last part, which I could have done as well at this point considering how often she told those stories, as if to relive her days in the sun. "Ha, you, walk with me. See, I'm just trying to teach you the thing that really counts – how to be me."

"I know, and I'll do better." I think that I could speak for the whole gang in saying that we feel bad for Mal. Yes, each of our parents expected a lot from us, but she has to impress the best of the best.

"Oh, I buried the lead!" Maleficent said suddenly, racing back to the front of the group. "You five have been given a chance to go to a new school... in Auradon," she finished. I jumped backwards and turned to run because I could at least hide long enough to miss the cutoff of whenever she wanted us to go to that place, but her stupid goons were already stationed behind us, so not one of my friends made it out. The one holding me flipped me back towards Maleficent.

It wasn't like I didn't want to go to Auradon, but I never dreamt that we would actually be able to leave. The thought of going to a school filled with royals that wouldn't think of shoving someone around – even for fun – made me sick. Even so, I can't deny that going to Auradon was a dream Evie and I had shared since we were little, and our mother has it drilled into our minds that we need to find a pair of rich princes. Around here, the only way to do that is by leaving.

Mal snapped me out of my thoughts with a yell. "What? Mom, no! I'm not going to some boarding school filled to the brim with prissy, pink princesses!"

"And perfect princes," Evie sighed dreamily, earning a glare from Mal. "Ugh," she corrected.

Jay spoke his side of the argument by saying, "Yeah, and I don't do uniforms. Unless it's leather, you feel me?" He grinned, amused by himself.

"Uh," Carlos started shakily, "I heard that they allow dogs in Auradon. Mom said they're rabid pack animals who eat boys who don't behave!"

"Woof!" Jay shouted over Carlos' shoulder, startling the smaller boy and earning a punch.

"And we were made for skipping class, not attending it," I argued.

Mal stated, "Yeah, mom, we're not going. Forget about it."

Maleficent smirked at her daughter. "Oh, you're thinking small, pumpkin. It's all about world domination! Knuckleheads!" She turned and started walking away. "Mal," she sang. The girl gave us an exasperated look before following her mother with us trailing closely behind.

~~~

I woke up in the darkness without a care to go back to sleep. I checked my bedside clock which pointed to 3:29. I groaned as I made my way out of my bed and towards the bathroom.

I splashed some water on my face and dried myself off. Grasping the countertop, I stared at my reflection in the dirty mirror. My long, dark brown hair needed brushed, and my brown eyes looked a little too black in the dim lighting.

I headed back to my room and decided to change into something other than pajamas. I chose a long sleeved, white top, black ripped jeans, black combat boots, and a dark blue leather jacket. I also grabbed my dagger with a black handle and red blade, stowing it away in the back of my jean's waistline just in case.

Being careful not to make a sound, I snuck out of my room and made my way through the alleys of the Isle. It was eerie on the island at night, but it was better than having to swerve and hide from people during the day. Not many residents were out this late but using the less popular alleys seemed like the better option. The last thing I needed was to be jumped while walking all alone without anyone knowing where I went. Growing up here, I learned how to hold my own, but it still depends on how many I'm up against.

I wanted to find a place where I could be alone and relax. Here on the Isle, that was rare to exist, but there's a spot I know about that I love to visit.

When I reached the shores, I headed down the beach a bit until I found what I was looking for. A secluded, rocky grove was waiting for me to join it, so I sat down and grabbed a flat rock, skipping it into the sea. I leaned against the large rock behind me and tried to take a deep breath as I peered across the ocean. To my right was Auradon, the place I'd be leaving for in a few hours. A younger version of myself would be ecstatic to know where I'd be going, but right now, I didn't have a clue about what I wanted.

Although, one thing was for sure. I want revenge. I want each and every prissy do-gooder to know that they messed with the wrong villains, and it won't go unnoticed. Chaos will consume their land once we get our hands on that wand, and they'll be sorry for ever sticking us in this dump.

I picked up another stone and forcefully threw it into the water, causing ripples to flow from the spot I hit. I could feel the anger bubbling inside me, ready to overflow and burn the whole island. Hopefully, I would feel the same later today so that I could rip that stupid beast apart.

In the quietness of my rage, I heard a voice behind me say, "Well, well, well. What have we here?"