The Tour

Honesty

Jay and Carlos looked for Ben and Doug in the room the two shared but neither were there. "I wonder where they are." Carlos said. "I don't know but I haven't seen Lonnie around either." Jay said. "Come to think of it I haven't seen Jane either." Carlos said.
They walked in silence for a while.
"Hey Jay, do you think Mal and Evie are right? Do you think that Jane hates me now?" Carlos asked in a small voice. "I don't think so. I just think that they all need time to process everything." Jay replied. "But they knew that we weren't good people when we were on the Isle. So why are they acting like this now?" Carlos asked. "I know they knew we were different on the Isle and they know life there was very hard and we had to do what we had to do to survive. I just don't think they knew know just how far things went." Jay answered.
So basically they just needed time away from us to clear their heads." Carlos said. "Yeah something like that." Jay replied. "I think I know where they're at." Carlos said. "Well don't keep me in suspense. Where are they?" Jay asked.
"The throne room with the emperor and empress." Carlos answered.
The boys immediately changed directions and headed to the throne room.

"What do you all think about what happened at the tea house today?" Doug asked. No one spoke for several minutes. "I think, I underestimated what life on the Isle made Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos capable of. I also think we still have a long way to go before we will ever be able to fully understand the damage that the Isle has had on them." Ben said, solemnly. Everyone nodded in agreement. "I never thought Carlos was able to or had to kill someone. I'm a bit afraid of them now." Jane admitted, softly. "Evie once told me that on the Isle it was a struggle to survive. I always thought she was talking about having to find food, or fight off disease. Things that effect the body naturally. I never thought that to survive they also had to kill." Doug said. "I know that Jay acts all tough and violent but never did I think that he actually was a violent person." Lonnie said. "What do your friends say when you ask about their past?" Mulan asked, speaking for the first time. "When I ask Carlos about life on the Isle he immediately changes the subject telling me I'm beautiful and focuses on me. So I don't ask often." Jane answered. "Evie mainly gives me one word answers or pretends not to hear me." Doug said. "I asked Jay once, he smiled at me and told me not to worry about it. Later I found him in the gym beating the stuffing out of a punching bag. I never asked again after that." Lonnie said, not meeting her mother's eyes.
"Every time I ask Mal she either gets this far away look in her eyes or emotionally shuts down and refuses to talk to me, sometimes for days." Ben answered, sadly. "So basically they never talk about the Isle when you ask?" Mulan asked. "Yeah." Ben said. "Well, it sounds to me like you all should wait for them to bring it up instead of asking them. They probably feel like they are being pressured. I also think you should go comfort them because, while I'm sure you all didn't mean to you've ignored and avoided them ever since the tea house. I know that if I were them my feelings would be really hurt." Mulan said.
"Oh my gosh you're right. I have to go find Mal." Ben said rushing to the door, but was stopped by the sight of Jay and Carlos in the doorway. Lonnie, Jane, Doug, and the emperor and empress saw them to. An awkward silence filled the room. "So um, how much of that did you guys hear?" Ben asked.
"All of it." Carlos said, not looking at Jane, remembering her saying she was scared. "The Empress is right you know. You all really did hurt our feelings by ignoring us. Mal and Evie just cried themselves to sleep while Carlos and I tried to comfort them, We've seen Mal and Evie cry three times out of the 15 years we've known them. They're convinced you all hate them." Jay said. "And quite honestly we are hurt to." Carlos said gesturing to himself and Jay, looking at Jane and Lonnie so they understood that they were the ones that hurt them. With that Jay and Carlos left the room, and went back to Mal and Evie's room.

"I feel awful." Lonnie said after they boys had departed. "I know, we're monsters." Jane agreed. "We are mean." Doug concluded. "Guys, I just realized how deeply they are hurt. Not only did we ignore them but when they finally were willing to share something about the Isle with us we shut them out, we have to make this right."
"But how?" Doug asked. "That my young friends is simple, you apologize." The emperor said. After a few moments the group got up and went to apologize.