(Valkyrie Cain and Dexter Vex love story)The Descendants

The Flashback - Part 1

She waved goodbye to her best friends Dove and Harley and turned to Vivi.

"The bus is late, it's never this late," she commented and Vivi smiled cheerfully.

"Oh, do you mean the six-five-eight? Our school bus? The one that just went past about seventy-three minutes ago?" Vivi asked, still smiling.

"What!? Oh my gosh! we missed the bus! It's already almost five The sun's going down in an hour or two! Mum's going to kill us!" Alice shrieked and grabbed Vivi's hand. The two ran fast as they could hauling their heavy school bags, but didn't get far before they were exhausted. Fat drops of water splattered across the pavement as it began to rain.

"Seriously! Why is the universe trying to kill me!" Alice yelled up at the sky and the rain pounded down even heavier than before. It was dark and wet and the two girls would have to continue in this weather for another forty minutes. So they trudged along.

Vivi happily splashed around in the ankle-deep and steadily rising puddles. But the cherry on top of the sundae was when a giant four-wheel-drive sped by and they were sprayed with a mixture of mud and water. Three parts mud, one-part water. The sludge covered them completely. Hopefully, the rain would wash it off on the way home and mum wouldn't notice, Alice had thought to herself.

"This is like a day in heaven!" Vivi twirled. "FIRST WE GET A FREE SHOWER AND NOW WE GET A FREE MUD BATH! Wait up Mr with the truck! I want another mud bath. What do you think I am, made of money!? I can't afford to go to the spa! Come back!"

"Vivi, no!" Alice called out to Vivi and chased after her sister, who was running after the car, that was driving all through the side streets in the suburb behind the one they lived in. The car disappeared, the two girls were left stranded and slightly lost. It was still raining and the low rumble of thunder had begun, leaving flashes of electric light across the slate grey sky.

"Come on, let's go. I think I recognize that street up there." Alice grumbled but she quickly realized that they weren't the only people walking on that road. There was an overweight man and he was coming towards them from behind. That was odd. No one in their sane minds would be out in this weather, especially not for a simple stroll. Then the man started barreling towards them. Alice cried out. Vivi turned to see what the fuss was about and her face brightened up.

"Yay! The nice man wants a hug!" she cheered and if it wasn't for Alice holding her back, she would have run straight into the man for a hug.

"Hide here and wait till I get back. Don't move! If you're good, I'll get you ice-cream." Alice promised and Vivi ducked behind the rose bushes in some random person's front yard.

As Alice made sure the man saw her and ran in the opposite direction Vivi rolled around in the muddy grass playing commando.

"I'm sorry, civilian, but you're being arrested for stealing Ice-cream!" Vivi badly imitated a low bellowing voice and glared at her right hand. She wriggled her fingers, changing her voice to a high pitched whine. "No officer, I swear I didn't do it!" she replied to herself and while the puppet show went on Alice still ran.

She tried to shake him off in the back streets but he was persistent. The weather wasn't helping either. So she abandoned her plan of losing him and instead led him to the small shop that sold curdled milk and mouldy bread to desperate passers-by who'd forgotten to add something to their shopping lists and opted for a closer, cheaper option. She figured that there would be people there. But when Alice reached the corner shop, she was shocked to find a bright coloured 'sorry, we're closed' sign hung up on the door. The animated girl licking a lolly-pop on the sign failed miserably to give a happy vibe in the circumstances. Sweat dripped from her face mixing with the thundering rain and the mixture caused her clothes to cling to her skin. Alice Edgley glanced over her shoulder behind her and saw nothing but darkness. Her muscles were burning and she felt out of breath.

Panic took over. What was she meant to do now?! She racked her brains for a solution. "You can't use magic because it drains you and you'll be left weak and defenceless so think, Alice. Think!" she told herself and watched her reflection in the glass. She looked around and when she was satisfied that nothing was behind her she had a better look at herself.

She saw herself, a teenage girl with long, curly hair of the darkest brown that was hanging wet from the rain. Alice noticed she was short and curvy and her upper body muscles were not nearly defined enough to put up much of a fight. But she still had strong shapely legs. Good for kicking. She stared into her own golden hazel brown eyes speckled with deep green and they were full of fear. Alice saw a tall shadowy figure of the man behind her in the glass.