A Fifth Descendant

Chapter 2

Hayden arrives just in time to catch the end of their little 'Rotten to the Core' song. He glides silently closer just as Mal snatches a lollipop from a passing baby. She holds it up in triumph only for the other citizens to scatter. Mal turns to face the reason, already knowing exactly who it is.

"Hi, Mom," she greets. Hayden slinks up beside the group, still in the shadows, as Maleficent shoves two of her minions out of the way and gives her daughter a look.

"Stealing candy, Mal?" she asks her. "I'm so disappointed."

"It was from a baby," Mal tells her, holding the candy out with a smirk. Maleficent gives an evilly delighted little gasp and takes it.

"That's my nasty little girl," she says as the two of them share an evil grin. Maleficent then proceeds to spit on the lollipop and stick it under her arm for a few seconds. She pays no mind to Mal's disappointed look as she hands it off to one of her minions. "Give it back to the dreadful creature," she orders him.

"Mom," Mal starts to say.

"It's the deets, Mal, that make the difference between mean and truly evil," Maleficent tells her as she waves off the mother of the poor, armpit-candy eating baby. "When I was your age, I was cursing entire kingdoms," she says, giving Mal a very fake smile when she notices that she said the last part with her.

"You," Maleficent says in a falsely amused tone. "Walk with me," she demands flatly. She leads Mal a few steps away, as if it would make any difference in them hearing their conversation or not.

"See, I'm just- just trying to teach you the thing that really counts... how to be me," she gestures as she says it like she's writing a book.

"I know that," Mal says, "and I'll do better." Jay, Carlos, and Evie all exchange looks. They know that Mal wants nothing more than to prove herself to her mother. They also know that Maleficent makes that nearly impossible. They all jump a little as Maleficent suddenly throws her arms up and twirls away from her daughter.

"Oh, there's news! I buried the lead," she says with a little cackle. "You five," she says as she points at them, "have been chosen to go to a different school, in Auradon," she finishes grandly. Mal stares at her mother in disbelief as she hears her three friends, no, allies, try to make a run for it. She whirls back around as they're stopped.

"What?" she asks incredulously, before pausing. "Wait, five of us?" She turns back to count and definitely doesn't jump with the rest of them when Hayden materializes from the shadows.

"Jeeze, man," Jay tells him with a smirk. "Wear a bell or something." Hayden just grins back at him. Mal turns back to her mother.

"I'm not going to some boarding school filled to the brim with prissy pink princesses," she argues. Hayden raises an amused eyebrow as Evie walks up beside Mal, her excitement obvious.

"And perfect princes!" she adds. Mal throws her hands up and gives the blue-haired girl a 'really?' look. "Ugh," Evie says unconvincingly as she looks down.

"Yeah, and I don't do uniforms, unless it's leather," Jay smirks. "You feel me?" he asks as he holds his hand out for a high-five that Carlos completely ignores. Hayden gives a short but still slightly hair-raising cackle at the rejection while Jay just gives him an annoyed look.

"Shut up," he mutters with no real heat.

Carlos walks cautiously up behind Mal. "I read somewhere that they allow dogs in Auradon. Mom says they're rabid pack animals who eat boys who don't behave," he says. Jay and Hayden exchange a look. Hayden gestures with one hand for Jay to take the honors so the long-haired boy sneaks up behind Carlos and imitates a dog's deep bark.