Once We are Descendants

Chapter 11: Stealthy Shrimpy

Mal sighs heavily as she lugs the bucket she's been using to clean the chemistry lab back to the sink in the janitor's closet. The place reeks of solvents and cleaning solutions, she can't understand why someone would want to be the janitor anywhere, it was tiring and clearly smelled very bad. She had to remind herself to shower once she got back to the dorm.

As she fills the bucket, her mind wanders. Magic would've made the cleaning go so much faster, she was sure that there was a cleaning spell in her mother's book somewhere. Maleficent never had time to waste on cleaning the castle or household chores, there were always too many evil plots to make and perform. However, keeping her promise to Ben and the others, she's suppressing her magic, which is not easy. Not at all... She fills the bucket with warm water and then exits the closet, going back towards the chemistry lab, blowing a lock of her purple hair out of her face in frustration.

She absolutely hates what's been happening, her mind still upset about how her friends acted. They said that they believed her that she didn't take the objects, but she knew deep down it was hard for them to accept that. Mal could be the wild card of the group considering her mother had been the most powerful being on the Isle. But she was not like her mother, she didn't take anything. Although she'd want the spellbook right about now; she had no need for it at any other time and she definitely wouldn't take Evie's mirror without the intention of giving it back to her. She knew the mirror was special to her best friend; it belonged to Evie's mother and it was a connection to home, so why would she steal it from her best friend.

As she begins scrubbing some grime off the walls, she hears footsteps coming down the hall, which is weird. It's after dark and Auradon Prep should be empty, almost all the students would be in their dorms by now. Thinking it might be a teacher working late or someone forgot something, she continues with her labour. She uses a rag to scrub a blue dirt spot near the blackboard when a voice, muffled by the door reaches her ears. The sound of it made her ears tingle and causes shivers to go up to her spine. The voice was familiar...very familiar and it wasn't someone she wanted to see right now.

Could it be? Was she the one causing the problems? It would make a lot of sense.

Going to the classroom door, Mal peeks through the window to see if she can find the source of the voice. Without success, she cautiously sticks her head outside and down the empty halls. The footsteps are still there, but they're getting fainter, however, the voice is now crystal clear.

What's my name...?

"Uma," Mal hisses. She cautiously slips into the hallway and presses herself against a set of lockers. Uma's voice can be heard back in the direction of Fairy Godmother's office. She's obviously talking to someone, but who? On the balls of her feet to muffle any noise, Mal creeps down the hall towards the sounds. Her heart is racing, and she knows that her eyes are glowing. She is going to confront this wicked sea witch junior, they still had a score to settle after what Uma did to Ben, kidnapping him and then hypnotizing him with a love spell. The king of Auradon was the only reason she'd stopped fighting her rival at the Cotillion, he asked them to stop, but Mal knew Uma was a vengeful person and would do whatever she could to get even.

She still can't hear what the daughter of Ursula is saying, but no doubt she was plotting something. She gets closer and closer to the source of the voice, Mal's hands clench into fists, ready to fight at any moment.

She hears a locker slam at the end of the hallway, more footsteps and then a door slamming shut. Mal continues to approach, her heart threatening to break through her chest. It's then she realizes that where she's headed is where her own locker is. Knowing what this could mean, the daughter of Maleficent picks up the pace. She races to her locker.

She gasps when she finds that the protection spells she'd put in place is gone, no doubt Uma undid it. She frantically unlocks it and begins digging through her things. She'd placed her backpack in there when she started cleaning to keep it safe. It was still there, along with the hoodie, mirror, and her spellbook. All of this surprised her because she'd assumed that these objects were what Uma wanted to use to maybe break the Isle barrier or something. All her school books are still there too. What the heck was Uma after if she didn't take anything? At least this confirmed Mal's suspicions of someone putting the objects in her locker. It all became clear to her, Uma was trying to frame her for the crimes, whether to ruin her reputation at Auradon or to even get her kicked out of school so the sea witch to take her place, Mal couldn't tell, but she knew she had to find Uma.

In desperation, the purple-haired teen shoves the mirror, hoodie and spellbook into her bag to keep them safe. Obviously, Uma had access to her locker and nothing was safe any longer. Mal pulls her backpack onto her shoulders to bring back to her dorm.

She then goes to the door that the daughter of Ursula likely used to exit the building. She peers outside into the darkness. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. There is still the distinct scent of seaweed and shrimp... Uma's signature fragrance. She wants to go after her rival, but there'd be little chance she'd find the daughter of Ursula in the dark and the campus of Auradon was so big, the pirate captain could be anywhere by now. With a very heavy sigh, she forces herself away from the window and back to the chemistry lab.

She finishes cleaning to the best of her abilities, even scraping residue from the roof. Once she's done, she's very tired and sore. She goes back to her dorm, ready to fall asleep. She finds Evie already dreaming as she sneaks in, laying her bag down. She quickly opens it to shove the mirror, hoodie and spellbook under her bed. They'd be safe there for now. It's then that as her hand is rummaging through her backpack, Mal's heart drops into her stomach. She realizes that her bag was lighter... much lighter. Something is missing. Her heart goes into her throat as she desperately searches for the book... the book about the different worlds. She begins to panic inside, realizing that Uma had stolen something... something very important, but why would she need it? What was Shrimpy planning?

A/N: Please review. What do you think Uma's plans are?