Choosing Home

Chapter Fifty

Quinn sighed as she sat on the bank of the Enchanted Lake, watching the others enjoy their time in the sun. Sammy and Harriet were off playing a came of 'chicken' with Freddie and Ally, with Harriet on Sammy's shoulders and Ally on Freddie's; CJ, Ryan, Sura and Hadie were all goofing around splashing each other. Celia and Hadie were sitting on the platform keeping Sura company while CJ and Ryan were in the water.

Sura had begun to climb out of her shell, especially with the ability to have more allies around her age here in Auradon as opposed to on the Isle. Plus Hadie and Sura at least had been friendly back on the Isle. It'd make sense that they'd stay that way in Auradon. Though when Hadie got friendly with Sura was a mystery to some of the older VKs.

Meanwhile Uma, Harry, Ben, and Mal were sunning themselves on the platform; each of them every so often picking their heads up to look to make sure the younger kids were safe or that the others hadn't killed themselves.

It wasn't as if she was being excluded, on the contrary. It'd been Harriet who invited her to come along when they ran into each other in the hallway as Harriet was getting ready. Freddie and Sammy had invited her to swim about a dozen times since they arrived, King Ben was always inquiring if she needed something to drink, and Mal's dog Estelle had tugged gently on her towel as if to get Quinn to join in the fun only to go swim in the water when Quinn wouldn't join him.

The last thing I want to do though is bring down the mood, or remind Mal I used to be a Caster, she thought with a small sigh. Things had gotten better with Mal, or at the very least the purple haired future Queen wasn't actively going around and turning everyone against her like Quinn had feared she would after the whole fiasco with King Ben's ring. It definitely helped that King Ben had been more vocal about trusting her after she came to him with a list of VKs she wanted to bring off the Isle.

All properly vetted by Evie and Ginny before being presented of course. And Brenden had been there every step of the way. Quinn really wished he was here now, but he had a family emergency to deal with.

Going back to the ring debacle, in Quinn's defense, a lifetime of living on the Isle wasn't about to just go away overnight and she had been the 'Jay' of the Casters. Sure she was a lot more equipped at 'smooth talking' since she was a 'royal' of the Isle and so getting the merchants and shopkeepers to just give her what she wanted was a lot easier than it would be for a non royal. No one could beat a complement and a flutter of one's eyelashes.

Well, no one except for Jay. That boy was such a smooth talker sometimes, he could sell oysters to a walrus if he wanted to.

Hard to believe Jay's off at college and DeVil's apparently looking at vet schools to apply to for after he graduates considering everyone on the Isle knew he was pretty much terrified of any sort of animal but dogs especially, Quinn thought as she pulled her towel closer to her. Evie had graciously made her a beautiful two-piece swimsuit for events like these and had she not been busy with running her own business and then meeting with Ginny about hers, she'd likely have been at the lake with Quinn.

But Quinn...she wished Evie had made it a one piece. Every time her hand brushed her side, she could still feel the raised skin of the scar left by Audrey's dagger piercing her flesh. If she went to swim with the others, Quinn knew such a scar would garner questions which would only increase Mal's distrust of her.

Plus...Quinn couldn't swim so there was that.

"This seat taken?" Mal's voice broke through Quinn's thoughts and Quinn looked up to see Mal standing over her, gesturing to a spot on the ground next to her.

"Oh...no go ahead," Quinn told her. Honestly it was surprising that Quinn hadn't noticed her get up and come over, but then again VKs were always light on their feet. "I mean...you're going to be Queen of Auradon soon so it's technically your seat anyway."