So Many Ways to be Wicked

Chapter 2

The four villain children stood in front of Ursula's Fish and Chips shop, letting Mal collect her thoughts before banging open the door. The ruckus of pirates and other patrons quieted down at the sight of the notorious VKs stepping foot on Uma's turf. They knew nothing good would come of this. Either there would be a turf war or...well, they had no idea what else it possibly could be.

"Beat it, I gotta talk with Queen Shrimpy," Mal sneered. Much to her displeasure, none of the pirates had gotten up and left like the normal patrons had.

"Everyone out, Mal and I have a few things to discuss if what Gil was telling me has been true," Uma said, her braids swinging behind her as she came out of the kitchens. "Scram." The pirates left reluctantly, Jonas deliberately bumping into Jay's shoulder on his way out. Jay went to grab him but Carlos put a hand on his bicep to stop him.

"We have to be here, Jay. Don't start shit, don't finish shit, got it?" Carlos whispered. Jay nodded imperceptibly. Carlos let his hand linger for a moment longer before letting it fall, feeling a slight squeeze in his stomach. Uma kicked a chair over for Mal before straddling her own, Harry Hook and Gil flanking her. Mal sat in her own, Evie and Carlos beside her with Jay behind her, looming over the chair.

"What do you want from me, Maleficent. Oops, sorry, you haven't earned that name yet, have you?" Uma said, an innocent smile spreading across her face. "What do you want from me, Mal?" Mal resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It used to be a soft spot, but that was when she figured Maleficent to be a role model, a true villain to look up to. Now, Maleficent is just the name of a nobody who wasn't able to do their damn job. Mal would rather not be associated with that name anymore.

"Uma, enough with the petty squabbles," Mal replied. "The four of us are going to Auradon, what Gil told you is true. However, we have a plan that's slightly different than what our parents want. Loathe as I am to admit it, you pirates are our biggest threat." Uma looked smug at the admission. "Look, the plan is to get Fairy Godmother's wand and take over Auradon, but without our pathetic parents. They didn't succeed the first time, chances are they won't the second time. I'm not letting this chance pass by for me, for all of us VKs to get away from our parents, this absolute hell hole and make Auradon our own. Are you in?" Uma's face was blank, though her eyes gave away her growing excitement.

"What's in it for us?" Uma asked after a moment. Mal suppressed a smirk. She knew she had gotten to Uma.

"Not only would you be able to sail the seas freely, but you could become the General of the Sea Navy, tasked with hunting down those that hide in the ocean and bringing them back to us for retribution."

"We will also allow you to give punishment to Ariel and Eric if you so wish," Evie added. Uma leaned back in her chair, throwing her legs over the side like she often did in her throne.

"Tempting..." Uma purred. Harry grumbled something under his breath. Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay were all surprised he managed to keep his mouth shut for as long as he had. "Shut up Harry."

"No, what is it he said? We would like to assuage any...concerns," or coups Mal silently added.

"The idiot Hook wants to go after Wendy Darling and Neverland," Uma said, stretching from her position. "However, that fish-bitch Ariel is my main concern." Fish bitch, seriously? Carlos thought to himself as he watched his leader and the leader of the pirates negotiate.

"Neverland isn't my concern at the moment, for it falls under the reign of Auradon in the long run. Go after Wendy when you have the time, Hook. Or get CJ and Harriet to go after them while you follow Uma around like a disgusting pup." Mal wrinkled her nose.

"Watch yer mouth--" Jay immediately got between the aggravated Hook and Mal.

"If you intend to fight, I wouldn't count on winning. We leave in a few days. You're either in or out. No fights, no attempts to dethrone us. You get to sail the seas, hunt your little fish, maybe a couple darlings but if you want to start something you know you can't finish..." Jay trailed off, grabbing Harry's hook and ignoring the pain as it cut into the palm of his hand. He easily pulled Harry towards him, pulling the teen's arm behind his back and hearing a satisfying pop as the arm came out of its socket. Harry only grunted and looked to Uma, knowing Jay had the muscle compared to his own lithe frame.

"Hmm," Uma pretended to think, obviously not wanting to look too eager. Jay tightened his hold on Harry. "Fine, we agree to those terms. We'll stop attempting to have turf wars as long as you keep your end of the deal." Uma stuck out a slender hand which Mal shook firmly.

"Jay, let him go," Mal ordered and the Arab teen pushed the pirate towards his captain, the boy's arm dangling uselessly by his side. "We have some more terms to discuss."

"Toodles," Evie called after them as they left the shop, feeling satisfied as she noticed the grimace of pain on Harry's face. All through their talk, the pirate had to endure his arm being out of its socket and Evie could tell the pain was getting to him. She sauntered to the hideout with her gang, knowing that by then almost all the villain kids, plus their parents, would know that Uma and Mal had talked and neither one had blood on their hands or bruises and cuts to signify a fight. If Evie wasn't a part of one of the two gangs, she would be terrified. Uma and Mal getting along meant no good whatsoever. It was amazing! As they made their way into the large room, Evie sighed happily and twirled, her blue leather skirt fluffing out slightly.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked, weirded out by her behavior.

"Imagining all the despair and terror on the faces of all those people," Evie said dreamily. "It's hilarious and amazing what we can cause when we actually work together, yes?"

"Right as always, E," Mal agreed, amused by the actions. Evie pulled her by the hand, silently telling her to sway along with her. Mal resisted at first but eventually gave in and twirled Evie around. Who could say no to such a beautiful face?

Carlos was last to make it to the clearing at the docks. The pirates had made a half circle around the other three villain kids, keeping any of the straggling villains that wanted to get their hands on the children, be it their parents or anyone else with a vendetta. Despite their straight faces, the three were a bit nervous for Carlos. They all had to go to their houses to grab more clothing or anything important. Jay and Carlos were the only two, however, who had to sneak into their own houses. Carlos was normally very quick, unless that woman had gotten to him. The three were stiff as they watched the crowd, ignoring the engine of a car that slowly came to a stop beside them.

"Jadid, Genevieve, Carlos and M-Maleficent!" A man, so painfully obvious from Auradon even without the long car the teens had never seen before.

"That would be us," Jay said for the three, stepping forward and gesturing to him and the girls. "But we're waiting for Carlos."

"Hurry up. If he isn't here in one minute, we leave." The driver was anxious and nervous, the feeling getting stronger when the three teens in front of him sneered or growled. Or, in Mal's case, let's her eyes flash green. However, before anything could happen, Carlos broke through the crowd, a garbage bag slung over his shoulder. His face had long, red scratches on his left cheek along with bruises around his skinny wrist.

"CARLOS!" A shrill, evil and, frankly, insane voice called from the crowd. The pirates pulled together, giving the boy enough time to dive into the car, quickly followed by Jay and Evie. Mal took one last glance around, nodding slightly at Uma before ducking her head and getting into the vehicle. As the door closed behind her, Cruella de Vil pushed her way through the crowd, a long cigarette dangling from her spindly fingers and a malicious look in her dark eyes. As the teens felt the vehicle shift into gear, they turned to stare out the window at the retreating forms of the Isle dwellers.

"Well, here goes nothing," Carlos murmured.