Choosing Family

Chapter Twenty One

Mal sighed as she crossed out yet another design for her tags. Ever since she had gotten the spray paint and a proper sketch book from Steph, she had been trying to design tags for her crew to put on the buildings on Hades' side of the Isle.

After all, how were the other gangs supposed to know who's territory they were entering without them?

She winced as she shifted and accidentally brushed the bruise she knew was on her left leg. Maleficent had finally found out that she was staying at Hades' most of the time. It was safe to say her reaction wasn't pretty.

"Mal!"

"Yes mother?" Mal said, trying to keep her voice calm but knew it was no use. Maleficent was clearly angry about something and Mal was about to pay the price.

"The goblins had some interesting news this morning," Maleficent stated, stalking toward her daughter. "Would you care to guess what it was?"

"Something idiotic as it always is?" Mal asked, trying to not show any fear. Fear was the enemy when it came to facing off against Maleficent. Mal may have only been six but it had been something she'd known for a while.

"Normally that would be an acceptable answer but not this time," Maleficent hissed. "They told me that you've been seen multiple times on that so called God's side of the Isle, near the Underworld. Why?"

Mal swallowed to try to remove the pit in the back of her throat. She had figured that Maleficent would find out, she just didn't think it would be so soon. "Am I not allowed to spend time with my father, mother?"

That had been the wrong thing to say as Mal had been met by the back of Maleficent's hand, but it was light compared to what might have occurred if Mal had said she was Hades' errand rat. The slap had been so powerful that Mal had been knocked down from the force. She bit her lip to keep the tears prickling in the corners of her eyes at bay.

Her father might have said that no one was going to judge her for crying but she knew crying would only make Maleficent madder. The dragon may not have had her powers but Maleficent didn't need magic to make Mal's life a living hell.

"Your...that weakling is nothing but trouble. You honestly think he cares about you? All he's waiting for is a chance to destroy what we've built! Remember Mal, he walked out and never looked back."

"But, mother, he and Steph seem to really—"

Mentioning Steph seemed to be another mistake, as Mal quickly learned due to the scepter hitting her leg. Mal bit her lip again to make sure no tears slipped out—there was a reason most of the Isle kids had numerous sayings about the importance of not crying. You cry, you die was the most popular, and was the most likely to ring true.

"Do you think I care about that tart? The so called Goddess who thinks she's better than the Isle her family helped create? All she's waiting for is a chance to have a child with Hades."

The one thing Maleficent could claim that Steph could not, Mal thought. However, Mal knew that wasn't the case anymore. Steph was pregnant with Mal's sister. Oh sure there was no way of knowing until the baby was born but Mal just knew she was getting a sister.

After all Harry had a little sister. Uma had a little sister since Celia had been born a couple weeks prior. Jay didn't have a sister but he had a cousin—Jade. They weren't exactly the closest but family still meant something on the Isle. Hell, Freddy boy of all people had a sister—granted Claudine was the most timid thing known to man but she was still his sister.