So Many Ways to be Wicked

Chapter 11

As Evie went to sit down, the door burst open. The VKs were on their feet instantly, ready for a fight. There stood Lonnie and a girl in a plain blue dress cowering behind her.

"Hey guys!" Lonnie exclaimed, a smile plastered on her face. The Vks loosened up, still on guard but not in an active position to fight. "This is Jane, FG's daughter."

"H-Hello," Jane stuttered. Evie glanced at her and she squeaked, clenching on to Lonnie's dress. Evie felt a tingle of pure excitement run up her spine at the obvious fear only their presence was inducing in this girl.

"Is there anything you need or do you just enjoy coming into people's room uninvited?" Jay asked, standing in front of Evie and Carlos slightly.

"Well, I overheard Evie saying she was working on dresses for coronation and I got excited and wanted to see because Jane here," Lonnie pulled Jane in front of her, despite the girl's protest, "needs a dress and her mother won't take her shopping." Evil, does this girl breathe? Jay thought to himself. Evie pushed him to the side, inspecting Jane closely.

"And why would I help you?" Evie asked, staring boredly at Jane and Lonnie. Lonnie held up a bag, coins jingling in it. Evie's eyes lit up and she snatched the bag out of Lonnie's hand. "I'll show you a bit of my work and we can see if you like it. For an extra fee, I can get Mal to do your hair into something more...magical." At this, Lonnie perked up as well, fiddling with a strand of her bob cut. Before Jane could utter a single word, Lonnie butted in.

"We'll take it."

Mal hopped off Ben's scooter, hating how close she had to be to him the entire way.

"The forest? Your date with me is in the forest?" Mal asked, genuinely unimpressed.

"Not exactly, follow me," Ben replied. He took off into the woods, Mal lagging behind him. As they walked, Ben chatted, basically telling Mal his life story. They got to a rope bridge and Mal let herself swing back and forth with their steps.

"My middle name is Florian," caught Mal's attention and she burst out laughing.

"Florian? That's ridiculous," Mal heaved out between giggles.

"Tell me something about you," Ben demanded, his cheeks flaring up in embarrassment.

"What, trying to change the subject? Alright, I'll allow it," Mal said, gathering herself. "Um, my name isn't actually Mal."

"It isn't? What is it really?" Ben asked. Mal shook her head, smirking slightly.

"You probably don't want to know," Mal said. "The name incites fear in most people."

"Tell me!" Ben exclaimed as they got closer to the end of the bridge.

"Fine, my real name is Maleficent. Maleficent wanted me to be another her, to scare people so she gave me the name of the scariest person she knew, herself. However, I don't live up to my mother's expectations so I go by Mal until I 'earn' the title of Maleficent," Mal said with a shrug. She got over it years ago. She had done more than her mother ever had. She had killed people on the Isle, to protect herself and her gang, to protect those that came to her in need of assistance (for a price, of course). Her mother never had been able to do such a thing, never prevailed. Mal had and that's why she would make the name Mal more feared than ever.

"Oh," Ben said. "But you don't want to be like your mother? I know you don't, you have good in you Mal."

"Of course I don't want to be like my mother." I will be better, remained unsaid as Ben led Mal into a clearing surrounded by a lake. It was breathtaking.

"Wow," Mal whispered to herself.

"You like it?" Ben asked, looking eager. Mal simply nodded, taking the place in. There was a red and white striped blanket on the ground with a wicker basket next to it.

"What's that?" Mal asked, heading towards the blanket.

"What, you've never seen a picnic before?" Ben asked jokingly. At Mal's blank look, Ben's smile disappeared. "Oh, uh. A picnic is where we sit down somewhere outside to have lunch." Mal's eyes lit up at the mention of food. She was starving!

"Can we eat now?" She asked. Ben nodded and began taking the food out of the basket. Mal immediately went for the red things in the glass dish. Biting into it, she groaned at the sweet taste. "What is this?"

"A strawberry? You've never had--of course you haven't. You must've had it bad on the Isle, huh?" Ben looked down, picking at a loose thread on the blanket.

"We got by," Mal said, her voice hardening. "No thanks to your people."

"I know and I intend on changing that when I'm crowned king. It'll be my first declaration," Ben claimed. Mal sat up straight, cocking her head to the side.

"Really?" Mal asked, intrigued. Maybe this kid isn't so bad, Mal thought to herself before shaking her head slightly. No, no thinking like that. She can't get attached to these people. The same people who let her rot on the Isle for sixteen years. Who allowed Cruella de Vil to beat her son bloody, who let the Evil Queen starve Evie. Who let Mal and Jay get verbally and physically abused. No, this boy might not be bad but his father certainly was and Mal wasn't going to let some kid get in her way. He was a means to an end and that was it.

"Yes, it may take a while, but it'll happen." There it was, the catch. It'll take too long for everyone on the board to agree and to get the paperwork put through. It would be too long, too many Isle dwellers would die.

"That's cool of you," Mal said, disinterested now. She took another handful of strawberries, popping them into her mouth sporadically. She barely noticed Ben getting up and walking off. When she did finally notice it was because he let out a pathetic roar from on top of the rocks, standing only in a pair of shorts.

"Are those...Are those crowns on your shorts?" Mal yelled to him, laughing. Ben blushed.

"Maybe!" He shouted back. He roared again and jumped into the water.

"Holy shit!" Mal exclaimed. "What the fuck?" She'd never seen anyone willingly jump into the water. Even Uma wouldn't get into the shark infested waters of the Isle. Mal didn't see any sign of him.

"He can't die!" Mal muttered to herself. "He's my ticket to the wand." Mal tentatively stepped into the water, splashing in until her feet couldn't touch the bottom. Evil, she was an idiot! How'd she make it this far? Mal splashed around, going under slightly. Suddenly, hands grabbed her, hauling her out of the water.

"You can't swim?!" Ben exclaimed as he brought her to the edge of the platform.

"No! I live on an Isle where the water is infested with sharks, you moron!" Mal spluttered, spitting out some water.

"But you still jumped into the water. Why'd you jump into the water if you can't swim?"

"You weren't surfacing!" Mal defended, feeling herself blush slightly.

"You're a good person, Mal," Ben said, putting his hand on top of hers. She wanted to rip her hand away from the contact but instead let him keep his hand over hers. This was all going according to plan.