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Chapter Ten

A few weeks had passed since the day the group emerged from the boys' dorm and it shocked people how much the group of five had seemingly changed. It was insane to watch the group slowly become more entangled with each other day by day. Even Fairygodmother was a bit shocked and concerned. Yet no one stopped it, no one tried to look deeper into what was happening. All they saw were the changes being made to each person in the group.

The once-cold Princess Brielle was often seen with a soft smile directed at one of the VKs, a love-sick expression almost always present around them. If you saw Brielle, it was rare to not see one of the VKs with her. She stuck to them like glue and them to her as well. It was a shock to see her yell as staff members in defense of the VKs, almost becoming violent towards some. Yet, the moment one of the four Isle kids touched her, she would calm down and appear as a scolded puppy as they reminded her that they were alright.

It would happen surprisingly often and people became a bit cautious of what they would say around the princess. She seemingly became more aggressive when not seen with one of the others and people typically knew to steer clear. Especially after what had happened when she heard Jane and Audrey talking bad about 'Her Darlings', as she so affectionately called her, and none of the VKs were around to calm her. They had never seen Audrey nearly piss herself and Jane started crying. The Princess had become a bit wild but the change was welcomed by most.

Although she was a bit more aggressive, she was also lighter in a way. She smiled more and even held conversations with students. She connected better with everyone, even if she became snappy sometimes. Yes, the students appreciated the VKs for helping the Princess leave her shell. It was a very welcomed change.

Both students and staff were shocked to see the change in Jay. The flirtatious trickster had become a bit calmer, rarely ever making trouble. Even on the field, he was shockingly calm and even worked seamlessly with the rest of the team. If he wasn't on the field, he was often with 'His Sweethearts', as he had dubbed them. Typically spotted with Carlos or Evie, students quickly realized how protective he was after an incident involving Chad Charming and Evie in chemistry.

The boy had nearly sent the annoying Chad Charming straight into the hospital after he heard what had happened. People were just glad that Mal had stepped in, running through the cafeteria after leaving her class, and healed the boy before Jay could get into too much trouble. He was a comforting presence to most, although he could come off as inattentive with the way his gaze was always settled on his group. Yet he listened and gave shockingly good advice to people. His change was surprising, but it was a happily welcomed change.

Mal's personality change was not shocking to most. They had seen the soft, small smiles the girl had given to her little group before, so when she smiled at people in the halls, it wasn't shocking. Staff and students had noticed her hands being free of their usual wraps a while ago, the girl seldom wearing them, unlike Jay who still wore his religiously. The girls were happy when she integrated herself into the rest of the student population instead of just sticking to her group as she had the first few weeks in Auradon. She was fun at sleepovers. 

She would do the girls' hair with a smile, often helping Evie pick out their outfits. Yet, people knew under her layer of smiles and kindness, a violent snake lay. It was obvious by the way her eyes would grow cold and narrow around people like Audrey Beauty, a sadistic smile on her face as the said girl would scurry off. She had yet to fight anyone, but students often heard her yelling at staff when they bothered 'Her Brood'. It was a stark contrast to the gentle scolding she would give to her group and even some of the students. She was like a fire, providing warmth and comfort but ready to burn everything down. It was a welcomed change.

Evie seemingly didn't change much but it was obvious one thing had changed. The girl who everyone got along with seemed a bit sharper as time went on. Her soft looks that usually contrasted with Mal's and Jay's more intimidating looks, seemed to almost become darker. It was a change in her appearance that clued people into the change in her personality. Her usual pastel blue was often replaced with a deep, royal blue. 

Her bubbly personality would often hide when the usually bright smile and happy gleam in her eyes would turn sadistic. She and Carlos were known to be wild cards when it came to their little group.  'Her Tesori', as she had affectionately named the group after taking one Italian class, were often dressed by her, a well-known fact, and she was known to dress Brielle in cute little dresses, knowing Mal was often seen in pants. This was common knowledge.

What was not common knowledge, apparently, was that those dresses were only for their group to enjoy. Students realized this the day Evie's hand was wrapped around a female student's ponytail, it was the daughter of Rapunzel, slamming her face down into a table and accusing her of looking at Brielle's chest for a bit too long. The girl had cried and apologized as Evie threatened to cut off her magical long hair if she caught her doing it again. The moment Carlos had walked into the Library, the girl calmed down and returned to her now completed group. It was a reminder that Evie had changed a bit and this change was hesitantly welcomed.

The change in Carlos was obvious. Everyone saw the way his eyes would flicker across a room, glaring at anyone who stared at 'His Loves' for too long. Most people tended to refuse to meet his eyes for fear that he would hurt them like he hurt a girl who had stared at Mal's piercings for too long. Said girl had been too scared to even come back to school in fear of Carlos, she ended up going to another school. He had not hurt her though, contrary to what everyone believed. He had threatened and blackmailed the girl until she was too scared to even step into Auradon Prep, in fear that Carlos would somehow find out and go through with his threats. 

Carlos was surprisingly calm, compared to his murderous gaze, and he was sweet. He had grown to love animals, and they loved him. It was a bit scary when he would be hanging out with the team and a group of wild animals would appear on the field and surround him, only allowing his group to get to him. The first time it had happened, Coach nearly fainted. Yet he was kind to most people. He rarely acted on the murderous intent, people could see behind his bright eyes. His change was not welcomed, but no one cared enough to make it a problem.

The group was held together tightly. Everyone knew this, though no one knew why. The relationship between them was obvious as they never hid it. Kisses being passed around the group, even to Brielle who would always go red at the contact, were not new. Seeing all of them holding hands was not shocking, even seeing them piled onto one another was nothing new. It wasn't unusual to see them all gathered on a picnic blanket on the grass laying with each other. It was typically Jay and Evie sat up with a rambling Brielle in the middle of them laid flat on the blanket. Carlos and Mal would be laid between their legs holding onto Brielle's hands while Jay would play with the hair of whoever's head was laid in his lap and Evie would be seen gently running her hands along the body of whoever was between her legs.

Everyone noticed how Brielle was always in the middle. It didn't matter if they were walking, sitting, or lying somewhere, Brielle was never seen anywhere but the middle. The group of five was weird but accepted, violent but friendly, standoffish but approachable. As long as you didn't just burst into their moment, they were friendly. They were sometimes surrounded by students who would chat with them as they relaxed on the grass and they were kind.

They would smile and talk with the students, never having a problem unless you were rude. It was obvious to see that they were extremely calm around each other. When their group was whole, it was like nothing could upset them. They were popular, feared, and loved all at the same time and it was welcomed.