Nefarious ∆ Descendants

the truth comes out

"Sh."

Hailey moved to hide behind a large oak tree. They were currently sneaking up to Fairy Cottage, where they could only hope that they would find Audrey. There was no guarantee she would be there as of now since she apparently knew every single move they made.

The red head crept behind Jay, being closely followed by Celia. Mal was in front, which was the best idea since she was the one with the ember and she had to be the one to take her down.

The seven villains crouched behind a giant boulder as Mal and Ben crept closer to the cottage. He opened the gate before signaling that they were in the clear. Hailey walked forward, being careful not to trip over Dude in the process.

Ben was the one to open the door, walking into the empty cottage. They walked around the cottage as Jay searched upstairs. Either she knew they were coming or she was never here, and it was probably the first option.

Jay made his reappearance in the main room. "She's not upstairs."

Hailey jumped slightly at the sound of knowing on the door behind her flowed through the room. Ben made his way around her as Carlos pulled her away from whatever was in it.

The king pulled the long board out of the slot and opened the wooden door, revealing Chad in a fetal position, practically shaking. "Chad?"

"I want my mommy." Was all the boy said as Ben brought him to his feet. Chad flinched as he touched him. There was no telling what Audrey did to him, and the poor boy wasn't brave as it was.

Chad's eyes moved to the eight villains before turning his eyes back to his friend, realization setting in. He touched the king's face as if to make sure he was real.

"She's gone. The door's open. I'm free!"

The blond boy shouted as he ran passed the nine of them, never looking back as he left the cottage. So, Audrey was here but she fled before they could surprise her.

Harry laughed at the boys wimpish behavior as they all followed him out of the building, but he was far too gone for them to follow anymore.

"Let's get this Audrey chick taken care of already." Uma said as they began walking up the trail that would lead them to Auradon Prep. Uma and Mal shared a small laugh. "What do you say girl? Time to wrap this thing up."

The two of them fist bumped as Ben wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. "You know, some day you're gonna have to tell me how you all got teamed up."

"Actually, Mal promised to let all the kids off the Isle once this is over." Evie informed the king with a smile. They were all unaware of the truth, so they were happy to believe.

Mal sighed before speaking, stopping everyone from moving forward. "I have to tell you guys something. Um, I lied to you."

Hailey's eyebrows furrowed as she stared over at her purple haired friend. She knew they were talking about closing the gate, but the decision had to be unanimous, and there was no way Mal would agree to it, right?

"The kids won't be coming off the Isle."

"What are you talking about?" Hailey asked, her blue eyes never leaving the girl in front of them.

"The program is shut down." She explained quickly, making their eyes widen. How could they shut it down so quickly? It had just begun. "And the barrier will be closed for good."

Evie and Hailey knew about the option of closing the barrier for good, but they never thought Mal would have agreed to it, let alone be the one to suggest it.

Hailey could feel the lump on her throat beginning to pile up as she realized what this meant. The innocent children stuck on the isle would never be given a chance because the people of Auradon were too worried about theirselves. Uma and the others would be thrown back in as soon as this was over, and she would never get to see them, or her mother ever again.

"Auradons safety."

"Hold up." Uma pursed her lips, trying to comprehend what she was just told. She moved forwards so she was standing in front of the purple haired girl. "We're saving your precious people and your behinds for a lie. I knew it was a mistake to trust you. You're always out for yourself."

"And you." Harry spoke up, pointing his hook over to Ben as he made his way over to him. "King Ben, eh? You're probably just going to throw us all back inside."

They were all so upset, and they had a good reason to be. They were risking their own lives to ensure the safety of Auradon, but they would be treated no different than before when it was all over.

"You know what?" Celia stepped up next to Uma, uncrossing her arms as her eyes glistened with tears. "I actually thought you were brave, but you're nothing but a chicken. To scared to tell me I was never gonna see my dad again."

The young villain reached forward, snatching the ember from Mal's hand. She tossed it into the small bird bath before walking away.

Mal cried out as the ember sparked before it went out completely. Their chance of defeating Audrey were now gone. There was no way they were winning without it.

Mal grabbed it from the water, holding her hand above it. "Regain your might and ignite!"

The ember never regained its color. Mal's spell didn't work. She tried once more, but nothing happened. Holding the crystal out to Uma as a way of asking for help, she set the pirate a desperate look.

Uma simply lifted her necklace, showing her that the charm wasn't glowing like before. "Bummer. Let's go find Gil and leave em' all to rot."

Hailey's legs wouldn't move as the two of them walked away, leaving them defeated. Their only chance of beating Audrey was gone. They were screwed.

Mal turned to the two girls that were looking at her with saddened eyes. "Evie, Hailey, I'm so sorry. I just thought that- I was afraid to tell you. I thought I was going to lose my best friends, but I had to do something! I had to protect Auradon."

"Closing the Barrier was your idea?" Evie questioned, even though they all knew the truth. Hailey was so dissapointed in her friend.

"I did this for us, for the life we have here."

"And what about all the people we left behind?" Hailey retaliated. She couldn't believe Mal would do something like this. She was supposed to be the one to stand up for the kids like them. She was their voice, but now she had gone mute. "We promised that we would be back for them. We were their only hope for getting off that damn island!"

"I thought you were gonna stand up for the VKs, but instead you lied to them." Evie told her, pointing to each of her friends as she spoke. "And you lied to Jay. You lied to Carlos. You lied to Hailey, and you lied to me. We're your family."

Hailey backed away from her friend, the last thing she remembered was wiping a stray tear before she was turned to stone.