Quirky Meets Villainous [Descendants 1]

Video Call Disaster

Mal's POV:

In the Remedial Goodness 101 classroom, Fairy Godmother said, "Children, excuse me. Um, as you know, uh, this Sunday is family day here at Auradon Prep. And because your parents can't be here due to, uh, distance, we've arranged for a special treat."

Our parents appeared on the screen. My mom was incredibly close and she said, "I don't see anything, nor do I hear."

"Kids!" Fairy Godmother called, waving us over.

My mom continued to say, "Is it... Is it... Is..."

"Press enter," the Evil Queen said.

"Can I please see a remote? Is this thing on? Ugh, it's broken. Ugh! I hate electronic equipment. Oh!"

The Evil Queen spoke first. "Evie, it's mommy. Oh! Look how beautiful. Oh, you know what they say, the poison apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Don't you mean the weeds?" Mom asked sarcastically.

Cruella's eyes widened. "Ooh! Who's the old bat?"

I gave a tight smile. "This is Fairy Godmother."

"Still doing tricks with eggplants?" Mom taunted.

Fairy Godmother frowned. "I turned a pumpkin into a beautiful carriage."

"You really couldn't give Cinderella till one A.M.? I mean, really. What, the hamsters had to be back on their little wheels?"

"They were mice! They were not... they were mice. They were not..."

"Thank you so much," I said. "Thank you."

"They were mice," Fairy Godmother repeated.

I smiled tightly. "Hi, mom."

Mom looked at me. "Mal! I m-m-miss you."

"You children are never far from our thoughts," Jafar added.

My mom nodded. "Yes, yes. We miss you very much."

"I got it," I replied.

Mom pouted. "How long must mommy wait to see you?"

I glanced at my friends saying, "Um, there's a big coronation coming up. I think sometime probably after... that."

"When?"

"Friday. 10 A.M."

"You sure I can't see you before that? I don't know what I'll do if I don't get my hands on that magic wan..." the Evil Queen jabbed Mom's shoulder. "... you... you little nugget that I love so much."

I nodded. "Yes, I completely understand, mother."

Cruella's eyes widened when saw her son. "Carlos, is that a dog? Oh, yes, yes, baby, I do understand. It would make the perfect size for earmuffs."

"He's the perfect size for a pet," Carlos retorted.

"Oh!"

"This dog loves me, and I love him. And FYI, your dog is stuffed!"

"Oh!" Cruella repeated.

"So give it a rest!" Carlos cried.

"Oh-ho! Burn!" Jafar added.

Cruella pouted. "Oh! Why don't you go sell a toaster, you two-bit salesman!"

"People who talk to stuffed animals shouldn't throw stones."

"Oh, well, people who sell toasters shouldn't use mixed metaphors. Enough!"

Jay turned the screen off and Fairy Godmother looked at us sympathetically; I hated it. "I'm so sorry."

Jay nodded. "Thanks for the special treat."

Fairy Godmother smiled. "Of course."

Evie glanced at me. "M? What do you think our parents are gonna do to us if we don't pull this off?"

I pursed my lips. "I think they will be quietly disappointed in us, but ultimately... proud of us for doing our best."

"Really?" Carlos asked hopefully.

I shook her head. "No, I think we are definitely goners."

"Yeah." Evie agreed.

We made our way to the boys' dorm and I pulled out a map and directed us what we were to do. "Okay, we all know what this looks like. So it'll be up on the dais under the beast's spell jar, and we'll be coming in from here. I will be in the very front. You all will be up in the balcony. Okay. Carlos?"

He nodded. "Okay, so I'll find our limo so we can break the barrier, and, uh, get back on the island with the wand."

"Perfect. Evie?"

"Yeah?" she said.

"Evie, you will use this to take out the driver. Two sprays and he'll be out like a light."

Evie nodded. "Okay. M? You want to break Ben's love spell?"

I looked at her sadly as I nodded. "Yeah. You know, for after. I don't... I've just been thinking, you know, when the villains finally do invade Auradon, and begin to loot and kick everyone out of their castles and imprison their leaders and destroy all that is good and beautiful, Ben still being in love with me just seems a little extra... cruel."

I really, really liked Ben, but the idea of forcing him to be in love with me was wrong. And I needed to fix it; no matter how much it pained me.