The Gladers from the Isle (ABANDONED)

A Wicked Thing

That afternoon, as the VKs had occupied the girls' dormitory, the Gladers met in the boys'.
They were talking about how their lessons had gone so far and Newt was talking to Minho and Teresa about the simple-minded son of Princess Cinderella and Prince Charming, Chad. "Evie's smitten by him already," he stated. "Even after Doug told her there's not a lot goin' on upstairs." He tapped his forehead.

"I guess we'll just have to hope she learns her lesson," Minho replied, not at all interested in Evie's romantic endeavours. "Hey, where's Thomas?"

"I dunno, he was taken away by that Ava Paige woman," Teresa stated dismissively.

"The one who's trying to stop the Flare?" Newt asked.

"I don't trust her," Minho said, going over to the window and looking out to see people milling about the campus, all with their preppy-style clothes and neatly-combed hair. He wondered what it would be like if any of them were taken to the Isle. They'd get eaten alive! He chuckled at the thought of Ben's girlfriend trying to run, in heels, from Uma's merciless pirate crew.

Uma was the daughter of Ursula, the Sea Witch who'd once stolen the mermaid Ariel's voice.
Uma's crew consisted of Gill (one of the sons of Gaston), Harry (Captain Hook's son and CJ's sister) and at least twelve other boys. Those who lived on the outskirts and beaches of the Isle of the Lost feared and respected Uma. Although, those further inland took to mocking her for a dispute she'd had with Mal when she was far younger, resulting in the never-forgotten nickname 'Shrimpy'.

Mal had been the most feared Villain Kid. But with her and her friends gone, Uma was starting to take over.

~

Meanwhile, Thomas was walking through the quietened grounds of Auradon Prep with Chancellor Ava Paige. "I'd like you to be my spy, Thomas," she'd been saying. "Don't tell your friends of course - we don't want them to worry and it's important for them to focus on getting used to living here."

"Then why are you asking me?" He inquired. He didn't see himself as anyone particularly special. His parents were not heroes nor villains; he didn't have magic; he was completely human. What made him different from the other Gladers and VKs?

"Feedback from your teachers so far after so little time of you being here has been outstanding. I'm sure you wouldn't be hindered by an additional task."

"What would you want me to spy on?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh, it's nothing like that. The Flare virus is getting worse, you see. I want you to take note of anyone who's showing symptoms and alert me as soon as possible."

"But I don't really know everyone's names."

"You won't need to. I only need you to press this button," she handed him a small device no larger than her palm. "And the entire area will be cleared - everyone will be tested."

"Won't that be quite disruptive; during lessons and stuff?" He asked.

The Chancellor looked disappointed. "What do you think is more important, Thomas; the lives of everyone in Auradon or your schoolwork?" When she worded it like that, he felt bad.

"I..."

"I know it's a lot of responsibility to place on you, but I know that you're capable." With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

~

Thomas made his way back to his dormitory. He didn't think he'd be using the device anytime soon. And he was definitely going to tell his friends about the conversation. What he didn't know, however, was that the Chancellor had known he wouldn't accept her task. The device was designed for listening in to conversations.

Ava Paige had driven back to the WCKD office building - about four miles southwest if Auradon Prep. She was talking with a few associates of WCKD. "Exactly how is spying on these kids going to help us find a cure for the Flare?" Someone asked. He was one of the Psychs.

"We need to know if we can trust them to bring them directly into our operation. The device I gave Subject A2 will tell us," Ava explained.

"How can you be certain he's not going to press it?" A rat-faced man named Janson asked.

"He doesn't trust me yet," she replied. "And if he does press it, it will spark and flicker out: appearing broken. If I know him as well as I believe I do, he'll go straight to his friends and tell them everything. And from there... we will hear who we can take on personally to aid our cause."