Street Rat

اثنان - دخول Auradon

Stood out in the alleyway was a very long, shiny black vehicle. Whoever owned it clearly had took pride its appearance, and were clearly quite rich. Many Isle inhabitants had surfaced to gawk and marvel at it; nothing on the Isle was ever that posh, even if the locals came from aristocratic heritage.

Jay seemingly innocently walked around to the front bonnet and, making sure that the driver wasn't looking, swiftly hid the golden decoration in his blood-red beanie. Even if it wasn't actual gold, the quality was beyond decent, and would receive an extensive profit.

Smirking at his most recent grab, he slid into the back seat of the limo, between Carlos and the door. It took them a few seconds to notice the many bowls filled to the brim with sweets, and when they did, they scrambled to claim as much of it as they could.

The young scientist had seized what looked like a brown solid with a gooey beige centre - the brown seemingly melting quickly, as it was all around his mouth. Something in Jay bubbled in his stomach with happiness at the sight, but it only lasted a few seconds so he decided to ignore it.

"It's salty like peanuts!" Carlos exclaimed. "But it's sweet! Like... well, I don't know what!"
"Lemmie see!" said Jay. It wasn't a demand as such, but please and thank you were absent from the four's vocabulary. Carlos opened his mouth to reveal chewed up food, and Jay playfully slapped him in the face because of his childishness.

Similar sort of banter was shared between the four as the limo drove through the slums they called home. It drove them all the way to the very edge of the Isle, where barrier was almost visible. Despite it being the end of the road, the limo didn't slow down.

"It's a trap!" Carlos yelled in fear. Jay held the other three close to him, knowing he couldn't save them. He felt weak and vulnerable, and he hated it. Eyes closed, he waited for their impending death...

Which never came.

Jay sat up and took in their surroundings. They appeared to be on some sort of invisible bridge, most likely created by magic. The thief let go of the two girls but kept a firm arm around the shaking fourteen-year-old. This, he convinced himself, was due to Carlos being the most vulnerable of the four and the youngest. At that, Jay was surprised in himself, as he usually didn't need to convince himself of anything.

The purple-clad leader tapped the back of the driver's seat with what appeared to be a small remote. "Hey! Did this little button just open the magic barrier?" she asked.
"Nope," he answered in a standoffish tone, "a golden one here does. That one opens up my garage. And this..." He pressed a button on the roof of the car, which made a screen appear, dividing him and the passangers. Mal turned back around to her friends.
"Nasty," she smirked. "I like that guy."

On solid ground, the scenery had amazed the four teenagers. Everywhere was covered in leaves and fungi and flowers - things that were extinct on the Isle. The place was so full of life, and Jay was already glad to have come here when he was given the choice.

Slowing to a stop, the limo pulled up outside a massive castle, many people cheering and waving banners (Jay couldn't exactly tell what was on the banners, because they were in English). At that exact moment, the narrator realised that they could change the fact that the majority of the welcome parade were white, and did so because they were peeved at the inequality presented.

Three people were stood in front of a towering golden statue; a short, kind looking woman with white hair; a pretty brunette girl in a baby pink dress and a sky blue cardigan, with a fake smile applied in a similar manner as her makeup; and an innocent-looking boy in a smart blue and yellow suit. Instantly, Jay didn't trust them.

"Welcome to Auradon Prep," smiled the short woman, "I'm Fairy Godmother, headmistress."
"The Fairy Godmother?" perked up Mal, evidently thinking about the mission. "As in Bibity Bobity Boo?" She waved her hand in a wand  motion. As the head teacher confirmed it, she continued, and Jay internally cringed at her lack of subtlety.

The boy in the blue suit introduced himself as Ben, at which the girl in pink interrupted him; "Prince Benjamin, soon to be King!" she squealed. The thief nearly groaned, she reminded him strongly of the Tremaine daughters, and the thought made him remember the earrings he had recently stolen from Anabella Tremaine.

At the mention of 'Prince', Evie stepped forward with a dreamy look in her eyes. "You had me at Prince! My mother's a Queen, which makes me a princess," the bluenette curtseyed.
"The Evil Queen has no royal status here, and neither do you," the girl replied venomously. Glaring at her, Evie stepped back.

Benny Blue Suit, apparently forgetting that the girl was there, quickly added, "Oh, this is Audrey."
"Princess Audrey, his girlfriend," Audrey interrupted him rudely.
Didn't exactly need to know that, Jay thought to himself, but nice to know. She seemed possessive, and in her attempt to protect Ben from Evie, she had let slip the worth of her possessions.

Stop it Jay, she's a person, not an object.

But when father gets hold of me...

The two thoughts chased each other around in circles in his head, so much he developed a headache relatively quickly. Eventually he shrugged the whole idea off, settling for an "if". If  his father found him. It gave more hope than "when".

By the time Jay paid attention again, Fairy Godmother was nowhere to be seen, along with the welcome parade (which the narrator stresses was incredibly diverse). Ben was leading the others towards a solid gold statue of whom was apparently King Beast. The thief let his mouth hang open slightly in shock. Suddenly, Ben clapped his hands and the statue morphed into a beast.

At this, Carlos jumped into the older VK's arms out of panic. Jay didn't even flinch, he knew the De Vil's fears of the unexpected and knew exactly why. And Jay also knew that as soon as Carlos knew the statue wasn't a threat, he would apply logic to the situation and would prepare himself next time that happened.