The Isle's Love

|16|

Once Zevon and Shawna caught up with Malificent, she was struggling to keep Mal inside the hotel. Evie and Carlos were helping her and finally Carlos gripped her hands and hugged her. "Mal, please stop. We'll find him tomorrow." "He's been gone for 2 weeks!" Mal said and there were tears rushing out of her eyes. Malificent let go of her, and she was about to run, but Carlos wrapped his arms around her, and he sunk to the floor with her. 

"Now I've really done it." Zevon said. As Malificent, Carlos, and Evie brought Mal back to her room, Zevon pulled out his phone and dialed Jay's number. Jay didn't answer. "What should we do Shawna? I basically ruined my little sister's life." "You were just worried about her. I would've done the same if she was my little sister." Shawna said sqeezing Zevon's hand. 

Zevon decided he'd go and talk to Mal to see if he could do anything to make it up to her. She was alone in her room and Evie inspected her from the door of their ajoining hotel room when Zevon came in. "Can you try and talk to her? She's refusing to talk to any of us so I have no clue what's going on." Evie said. Zevon nodded and he slowly walked over to Mal. Mal's face was buried in her pillow and he could tell she was trying her hardest not to cry. 

"Mal?" Zevon gently asked. Mal didn't answer. Zevon tried again 3 more times and Mal didn't move. "Mal, please talk to me." Zevon said. "Go away." Mal said quietly. "That's a start." Zevon said and he went back over to Evie. "Mal's upset because I chased Jay away." "Oh. That's why I haven't seen him lately." "Yeah. I feel terrible. I don't know if I was possessed again or I was just too protective of her." Zevon said. "You meant well." Shawna and Evie said. Evie lingered a little longer in the doorway and then she went back into her side of the room and no one bothered Mal, not even to check on her for 5 hours. Mal noticed this and she silently crept out of her bed to the door. 

She opened it and slipped down the hallway. Evie immediatly heard Mal leaving. She called Malificent and told her Mal wasn't in her room at all. Mal was caught right as she was at the doors. She was brought back to her room. She crossed her arms and sat at her bed glaring at the blank tv screen. "Mal you can't leave." Malificent told her after the 10th time she had been caught. 

Mal didn't answer as suspected and Malificent sighed. "Mal, it's been an entire month since Jay's been gone. Can't you just let it go?" Mal stared at her mom and clenched her fists together. After several minutes, Mal broke down. "I can't!" She wailed. She curled into a ball and when Zevon tried to hug her she jerked away from him. "Mal, that was rude apologize to your brother." Malificent said. "He never apologized for chasing away Jay!" "That was a month ago!" "I don't care!" Mal screamed and she slammed the door to the bathroom shut and locked it. She leaned against it and slid down to the floor. 

As she sat there staring at the space, across the street, Jay was hiding in another hotel. He saw everything that was happening and he knew that he could go back. He wordlessly grabbed his stuff later that night and stashed it in a hall closet on Mal's floor. Zevon was having trouble sleeping again and he heard a noise in the hallway, which had been Jay accidently dropping one of his bags. 

Zevon shot up in his bed and listened to see if anything else could be heard. He stood up and Shawna yawned. "Can't sleep either?" She asked. Zevon shook his head. "What is it Zevon?" "I think there's someone or something out in the hallway." Shawna stood up and together they crossed the room and opened the door. The lights were flickering on and off and Shawna gripped Zevon's hand. 

Mal was looking out at the flickering lights. Zevon saw her and he said, "What's there?" Mal turned to him and saw their intwined hands. She made a whimper like sound and tears engulfed her face again. She disappeared from view and slammed the door shut behind her. "I guess she's still angry at me." "She'll get over it sooner or later." Shawna said. 

The next morning Zevon, Shawna, Hades, and Malificent sat at a 7 person table, waiting for Carlos, Evie, and Mal. "So, Mal's coming to breakfast too?" Zevon asked. "Yes. I just found out she lied about eating." "You mean she hasn't been eating for the past month?" "Yes. Carlos found out this morning and he and Evie are bringing her down to breakfast." Malificent answered. 

Evie walked in and sat down at the table next to Shawna. Carlos came in and he walked to the side of Mal to make sure she didn't run. Carlos sat down across from Evie and Mal took the only seat open, which was next to Zevon. Mal sat at the table and stayed silent. She slumped back and stared straight ahead at a poster on the wall. Evie slid a blueberry muffin in front of Mal and said, "Eat it Mal." 

Mal didn't respond and Malificent sighed. She stood up and picked up the muffin and put it in Mal's hand. "I know you're miserable because of losing Jay, but it's been a month later, GET OVER IT! Now eat that muffin before you end up dying." Mal bit her lip and everyone watched her as she slowly ate it. When she was done she stood up and threw the wrapper away. 

She sat back down and Malificent looked at her. "Are you over it now?" Mal didn't answer and Malificent sighed. "Just go back to your room. I love you Mal, but you're being so stupid about this." Mal stood up and bit her lip even harder to keep from crying or screaming. She padded down to the elevator bank and she pressed the up button. She taped her foot against the room and when the doors opened she walked inside. 

She kept her eyes trained on the floor the entire way up and the doors opened again. She looked up and someone was standing in front of her. A figure that was dressed in red leather. "Jay?"