Descendants: Remastered

Chapter 18 - The cold, hard, truth

Carlos's POV

I was sitting in the stuffy Remedial Goodness classroom, sandwiched between Jay, who was staring out the window, and Tracey, who was reading. Dude was in my lap. Since that day in the forest, he hasn't left my side.

"Children, excuse me." Fairy Godmother got our attention, "As you know, this Sunday is family day here at Auradon Prep. And because your parents can't be here due to, uh, distance, we've arranged for a special treat."

She herded us up the front to a small TV screen. Tracey shut her book and came over too. She stood beside me and whispered, "I'm curious to meet your parents." I wrinkled my nose. "Don't be too excited."

A picture of our parents came up on the screen. "Can I please see a remote?" Screeched Maleficent, "Is this thing on? Ugh, It's broken. Ugh! I hate electronic equip... Oh!" She must have fixed it. The Evil Queen came up close to the screen.

"Evie, It's mommy. Oh! Look how beautiful. You know what they say, the poison apple doesn't fall far from the tree!" Scar smirked. "Don't you mean the weeds?"

Mother came up even closer than EQ. "Ooh! Who's the old bat and the ice sculpture?" She meant FG and Tracey. "This is Tracey and Fairy Godmother."  Said Mal. None of them reacted to Tracey's name, but they all grinned at the mention of the Fairy Godmother.

"Still doing tricks with eggplants?" Maleficent sneered. "I turned a pumpkin into a beautiful carriage." Retorted FG. "You really couldn't give Cinderella till one A.M.?" Cackled Maleficent. "I mean, really. What, the hamsters had to be back on their little wheels?"

"They were mice!" Protested FG. "They were not... they were mice. They were not..." "Thank you so much. Thank you." Mal ushered her out of the way. Tracey put her arm discreetly around me for comfort.

"Hi, mom." Said Mal. "Mal! I m-m-miss you." Stammered Maleficent. "You children are never far from our thoughts," Jafar said. "How long must Mommy wait to see you?" Maleficent asked. "Um, there's a big coronation coming up. I think sometime probably after... that." Mal reported.

"When?" Maleficent asked, trying to pry out any information possible. "Friday, 10 A.M." "You sure I can't see you before that? I don't know what I'll do If I don't get my hands on that magic wan... you... you little nugget that I love so much." Maleficent begged, nearly spoiling our whole plan. "Yes, I completely understand, mother," Mal said solemnly.

"Carlos, is that a dog?" Cruella asked, stepping forward. Tracey hugged me tighter. "Oh, yes, yes, baby, I do understand. It would make the perfect size for earmuffs." She told her stuffed toy. This got me really mad. I took Tracey's arm away from me and stepped towards the camera. 

"He's the perfect size for a pet." I spat. "This dog loves me, and I love him. And fyi, your dog is stuffed! So give it a rest!" "Oh-ho! Burn!" Jafar laughed. "Oh! Why don't you go sell a toaster, you two-bit salesman!" Cruella shrieked at him.

"People who talk to stuffed animals shouldn't throw stones." Scar butted in. "Oh, well, people who transform into lions shouldn't use mixed metaphors!" they continued bickering until Hamish stepped forward and turned the screen off.

"I'm so sorry." FG apologized. Tracey put her arm back around me. I lent into her warmth. "Thanks for the special treat." Freddy thanked her. We walked out of the classroom while Tracey stayed to talk to FG

"M? What do you think our parents are gonna do to us if we don't pull this off?" Scarlette asked."I think they will be quietly disappointed in us, but ultimately... Proud of us for doing our best." Mal said. I was confused. That didn't sound at all like our parents. "Really?" I asked. "No, I think we are definitely goners."

"Carlos!" Tracey called. I turned to the VKs. "I'll catch up," I told them. They nodded and walked off. "What's up?" I asked her. She shrugged. "You seemed down after that. I thought you might like to come for a walk with me. I can show you some special places around campus." I nodded. "Sure."

We walked around for a while, before turning into the forest and following a small dirt track. Then we came out into a clearing with a gazebo on the water. (Mal and Ben's date location in D2) "Wow, Trace, it's beautiful," I told her. She giggled at the nickname. "Isn't it?" I looked at her. "Yeah." I breathed. She turned and found me staring. She blushed and I did too.

"You know, I wish we could live in a world that didn't discriminate against people because of their backgrounds." She told me. I nodded. "Maybe someday, we can."

(But Tracey and Carlos)

I turned to her and sang,

I know it might be crazy, but did you hear the story?

Tracey  smiled,

I think I heard it vaguely

I sang,

A princess and a VK

Tracey laughed,

Oh, tell me more, boy, sounds like a fantasy

We sang together,

What could be so wrong with a princess and a VK?

You're from the perfect paradise, and I'm living on the other side
Oh, I've got a feeling, if you get to know me
Right from the start, you caught my eye
Something inside me came to life
Ooh, I've got a feeling, if you get to know me

Someday, this could be, this could be ordinary
Someday, could we be something extraordinary?
You and me, side by side, out in the broad daylight
If they laugh, we'll say, "We're gonna be someday"

Someday, someday
We're gonna be someday
Someday, someday
We're gonna be someday

She hugged me and buried her face in my chest. "Someday," I told her. "We're gonna be someday."

The VKs realize life in Auradon would be good if they could just be accepted for who they are. Here's today's meme