An Isle's Advocate

Chapter 5

Mal lasts all of about another day before she admits to Ben that she's been using magic to handle all her duties as 'Lady of the Court'. She takes her scooter and drives right back to the Isle of the Lost, leaving only a note for someone, likely Evie, to find.

For the entire journey her mind is filled with nothing but thoughts of her failures, in more ways than one. Yes, she couldn't handle Auradon's expectations for their king's girlfriend and that's what finally pushed her to go back but...

She also can't get Hayden's words, delivered with the sharpest and most dangerous tone she thinks she's ever heard from him, out of her head.

Then why do I seem to be the only one trying to bring down that barrier? Why am I the only one trying to help everyone left on the Isle?

Mal parks her scooter, hiding it the best she can, and can't help but think he's right. All of them- Jay, Carlos, Evie, and especially herself- got caught up in their new lives. A life she's apparently not even meant for, as she found out.

A lock of her blonde hair falls in front of her eyes and Mal knows exactly what her first stop has to be. She makes her way carefully through the rundown streets of the Isle, avoiding the residents as best she can as she imagines they're probably not very happy with her, and starts to notice the changes.

Rather than her own spray-painted tags of her mother's silhouette, she's seeing a lot of teal conch shells. It's Uma's symbol, she knows. Along with the shells she sees bright red hooks- three guesses who that belongs to- and even a few of the bronze bull's head Gil wears around his neck.

These things aren't what surprises her. While she's never given it much thought (and doesn't that just drive the whole forgetting-where-you-came-from thing home) she would have expected Uma to move into her territory.

The surprise comes from the number of familiar skull-and-roses she sees painted in black. Hayden hasn't been to the Isle since they all left in that limo ride what seems like a lifetime ago.

Why would his symbol be tagged on what seems like nearly every building and structure?

Mal shakes her head as she finally comes to Lady Tremaine's Curl Up and Dye, dismissing it as Harry claiming territory for his not-boyfriend while he's not here to do it himself.

She pushes aside the paint splattered plastic tarps that act as a door and looks around at the different dyes and paints all around the room. It's so different from anything in Auradon. Movement out of the corner of her eye catches her attention and she can't help but smile at the rather colorful little redhead sweeping up the shop, dancing as she goes.

"Mal!" Dizzy gasps when she looks up and sees her. "Is Evie back too?" she asks eagerly.

"As if," Mal says flatly, trying to ignore the way Dizzy's face falls. "I, um, I forgot that you guys don't open until midnight. The place looks great," she adds.

Dizzy's smile returns at the compliment, clearly proud of her work.

"So, what's your deal?" she continues, slowly walking around the salon. "Your grandmother give you any customers yet?"

"Ah, just a witch or two," Dizzy dismisses. "Mostly it's just a lot of scrubbing and scouring and sweeping, lots and lots of sweeping."

"Sounds like the old Cinderella treatment, huh?"

"Yeah," Dizzy huffs. "She's gone from wicked stepmother to wicked grandmother."

"That's not really much of a switch," Mal remarks with a smirk. "Hey, Dizzy," she says, finally getting to her reason for visiting, "you used to do Evie, right?"