This Enchanting New World

Chapter 6

  We were surrounded by a huge entourage of teenagers and a few other seasoned adults, all of which I immediately recognized with a glance.  There was Fairy Godmother, with a warm and welcoming smile, her standard preppy periwinkle cardigan and sweet hot pink bow, and a sparkling, intricate wand I knew quite well. Both queens of the Isle had put everything on the line for that very wand. 

There was King Beast, with smart glasses and a long, shaggy mane of hair, wearing a suit that was almost exactly like the one he wore for his very first dance with Belle and hadn't aged a bit, and Queen Belle, in a diamond-encrusted tiara and ruched origami gown with inlaid crystals. Both my heart and Goth's leapt at the sight. 

And then there were all the kids.

I could tell who was from here and who wasn't with just a glance, but no matter now. I instantly recognized Evie, with her lush blue hair with a single braid at the crown of her head, royal blue poncho trimmed with gold, and poison-heart necklace and choker. In fact, she wore that symbol all over, even covering her shoes completely with hearts and crowns.

Ben, the current king, wore a golden crown trimmed with a beast head and teal jewels, and Auradon's patriotic colors all over. On his finger was a beast-head ring. He was holding the hand of someone else, who was wearing a huge, majestic dragon ring.

I recognized her, too. Everyone knew Mal. But in the flesh, she was so different than she was on TV, at those fancy royal events and made out to be this lady of the court in her special. She had a very different vibe in person. And she was staring at me with her huge, piercing emerald eyes, as if trying to warn me about something that I was doing, or that I wanted. Not only that, she was staring at my arm and the dragon-heart mark emblazoned on it.

But even the infamous Mal was overshadowed when I noticed two other villain kids.

There was me and Goth's beloved Dizzy, wearing a puffy-sleeved dress and gorgeous accessories and so excited to see us. "Clarissa? Goth?," she asked before letting out a squeal of delight. "You came!," she cried, giving us a huge bear hug. "I'm so happy!" At last our threesome was reunited and living our dreams.

"That's SO SWEET," another VK whom I knew well said sarcastically. "Is it necessary to be so HAPPY about all of this?" 

"God, I'm the only smart person in this place," he mumbled coldly under his breath. His wild hair was gray and colorless, and his eyes were a chilled ice-blue. He wore black robes trimmed with macabre blood red slashes and stains. 

"It's YOU!," I confronted. "You're the boy that almost stole my crown back on the Isle!"

"Well, well, well, your insipid dreams magically came true. How privileged you are," he retorted.

"Nice to see you, too," I said, rolling my eyes.

He was silent.

"Name's Calahan Frollo to you," he responded, before vanishing into some hidden place.

"Oooh, mysterious," mimicked Goth, giving a mock swoon.

I rolled my eyes. 

"Welcome to Auradon Prep," greeted Fairy Godmother kindly.