The Greatest Sea Witch

A Million Dreams

Uma hated the world.

As far as she knew, the world hated her right back.

The young sea witch, just a little over ten years old, had experienced betrayal in its purest form. She had a partner-in-petty-crime whom she considered her closest confidant and–dare she say it–best friend. The purple-haired daughter of Maleficent and Uma were going to rule the Isle together, starting from the bottom and rising to the top like it was their birthright.

However, Mal had other plans.

Uma sat at the edge of the lowest dock on the pier, her feet just barely skimming the surface of the muggy water. She was still plucky rotten shrimp from her damp teal locks and dropping them into the ocean below, joined by the few tears she wasn't able to keep within her eyes.

The murky water mirrored the black sky, and the cover of night ensured Uma would stay hidden. She prefered it that way; she would be dead if anyone caught her crying. The Isle of the Lost was a place where you ended up if you broke Auradon's rules, yet there were just as many unspoken rules here. Don't be good, don't show emotion, don't get attached to anything or anyone, don't care for anyone but yourself.

Uma's already faced the consequences for breaking those rules. She didn't need to suffer through anymore punishments.

So when she heard footsteps racing on the creaky wood behind her, she quickly wiped her face clear of any sign that she was crying. She sat up straight and threw on her best evil glare, ready to greet whatever imbecile decided to disturb her bitter peace.

"Uma, there ye are!" Squeaked the familiar voice of her friend Harry. Being the young guppy he was, his voice was still as high as Uma's. He stopped running right behind her, nearly slipping from the lack of friction between the damp planks and his hand-me-down (stolen) rain boots. He kept his balance, steadying himself in the boots that were a few sizes too big, and flicked his head to move some of his mousy hair from his eyes. His breathing came out in heavy pants, evident of overexertion, and he coughed a few times as he caught his breath.

"I've been lookin' all over fer ye," He continued once he could articulate his thoughts. He sat beside her, and Uma turned her head away from him while he went on, "Yer gonna love this, Uma! I heard the funniest thing went down at the wharf this morning. Some poor bloke-!"

He stopped himself short when he heard the faintest sniffle. The young pirate nit his brows together in confusion, curiosity slowly turning to worry once he noticed the sparse pieces of shrimp still tangled in Uma's nappy teal hair. His voice lowered from its excitement as he inquired, "It was you, wasn't it?"

"If you're here to laugh, just get it over with," Uma warbled, fruitlessly trying to hide the despair in her voice. Her shoulders started shaking as tears streamed steadily down her face. Harry finally caught a glimpse of her contorted expression, and he became even more confounded. He'd never seen Uma cry before. Uma was one of the fiercest and strongest villain kids on the Isle, and every soul around feared her mother. The only person he could even imagine crossing her was...Mal

"Uma," Harry whispered, and he had to repeat it a few times so she could hear it over her own fits of sobbing, "Why on earth would you think I came here to laugh at you? We're friends, remember?"

"That means nothing here!" Uma just about screamed, her anguish reaching a dangerously high level, "All that friends on the Isle do is stab you in the back, so if you think of yourself as my friend, then just go ahead and laugh or push me in the water or something!"

Harry flinched at her outburst, a little hurt by how little she thought of him. He knew where she was coming from, though. This place is survival of the fittest, and even if you start at the top, the instant you show weakness, someone knocks you down. After that, everyone else does the same. You become a stepping stone in the Isle hierarchy, and people put you down as leverage for boosting themselves up. Pretty soon, you'll be all the way at the bottom. That's just how life is.