Descendants 2 [H.S. & C.S.]

Chapter 16

It feels good plotting and planning with my friends. Just like old times. I've seriously missed that.
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Harry and Calum entered Lady Nelson's Curl Up and Dye and crept behind Jesy.

She was hunched over her table, which was piled with knickknacks, making a colorful headband. Calum snuck up behind her and tapped her shoulder to get Jesy's attention.

Jesy beamed, jumping up, and hugged Calum. "Calum? Calum! You came back!"

"Oh, my Jesy," said Calum, taking the younger girl's hands in his own.

Harry looked on and chuckled. "It's good to see you, too," she said drily.

"Is it all just like we imagined?" Jesy asked Calum, wanting to know all about Auradon. "Do they really have closets you can walk into?"

Calum giggled at her earnest questions.

"Have you been in a real swimming pool? What does ice cream taste like?" asked Jesy.

Calum laughed. "It's cold and sweet, and if you eat it too fast, it gives you a headache," he said, stooping low so that he and Jesy were eye to eye.

"Really?" Jesy squealed.

Calum nodded.

"I saved your sketchbook for you!" said Jesy, bolting across the salon.

"You did?" Calum asked Jesy, looking at Harry. Calum put a hand to his heart.

Jesy raced back to them, carrying a thick blue book that had a red heart topped with a gold crown on its intricately decorated cover.

"Jesy!" cried Calum. He sat down in front of the book as the table and beamed.

Harry stroked Calum's hair affectionately, and Jesy smiled over her shoulder.

"Oh, my gosh," said Calum as he opened the beautiful book to a drawing of a short yellow-and-blue pants. There are some lacy blue fabric pinned to the page. "I made these pants out of an old curtain and safety pins," he said, relishing the memory.

"Yeah! It reminds me of the suit you made for Harry when he met Jasmine," said Jesy.

"I spilled curry all over it," said Harry.

Calum and Jesy laughed.

"Yeah, I saw that." said Jesy.

Harry left them to inspect another table that boasted an assortment of items. After all, they were at the salon for a reason. They needed smoke bomb supplies.

Meanwhile, Calum tapped the suit and pants design with his fingertips. "You're totally right, Jesy," he said. "This was totally the inspiration for that."

"I knew it!" Jesy punched a gloved fist up into the air. "You can take the girl out of the Isle, but you can't take the Isle out of the girl!" She pressed her cheek to Calum's.

Behind them, Harry picked up a plastic bowl and began to fill it with shower caps. He had an idea, and he was going with it. This just might work, he thought.

Calum closed his sketchbook, and he picked up a shiny metallic accessory and a tiny gold crown. He held the crown against the accessory, creating a hair ornament. "Is this too much?" he asked Jesy. "Or is this fabulous?"

Jesy struck a pose and extended her arm. "Hand me the glue gun!"

Back at Auradon Prep, Michael and Justin walked down the hallway to their dorm rooms. Nick bounded toward them, obviously excited that they were finally back.

"Sorry I'm so late," Justin whispered to Nick. "Cole got taken."

"Why's our door open?" asked Michael.

He and Justin entered the room and found Niall printing on the 3-D printer.

"Are you kidding me?" yelled Justin.

Niall jumped and looked up. "I knocked," he explained.

Justin held out his hand and looked at Niall until Niall gave him the copy of his room key. Then Justin canceled Niall's print job, pulled the object from the tray, and handed it to Michael.

"What is it?" Michael asked Niall.

"A Niall action figure," said Niall. "Minus the head," he added.

"Sounds like an improvement," mumbled Justin. He moved around the printer and quickly programmed it to make the sparkling silver wand from a photo on his phone.

As the wand began to appear, Niall peered at it curiously. "Why are you making Becca's wand?" he asked.

"Justin looked at Michael. "Umm . . . why are we making the wand?"

"Cole's been captured!" said Nick.

"What?" shouted Niall. He did a double take. "Nick can talk?"

Justin looked at Nick. "I was stalling," Justin said from the side of his mouth.

Nick wagged his tail. "I thought you forgot," he said.

"You can't tell anyone," Michael said to Niall. "Cole's life depends on it."

Little did they know that outside their dorm room, Camila, who had dropped by to ask Jade about her Cotillion dress, had heard the whole thing. She gasped and sprinted down the hall.

Niall furrowed his brow. "If something were to happen to him . . ." He smiled at the boys. "You know . . . what I'm saying . . ." He wagged his eyebrows.

"Something bad, we get it," said Justin, rolling his eyes.

"God forbid," said Niall, feigning concern. "What do you think might be next in line to be king?"

Michael looked at Justin. "Is it me, or is that in really poor time?"

As Niall left their room, Michael made sure to slam the door behind him. Justin quickly punched some numbers into the printer, and the machine whirred to life.