A Fifth Descendant

Chapter 8

They wait until night fall, just before curfew to be safe, to sneak into the kitchens. Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay make their way into the room while Hayden takes the time to do one more perimeter check.

After all, he can blend into the shadows better than anyone but his own father. If there's anyone around who won't approve of or trust them being in the kitchen, which is basically everyone in Auradon, he'll be able to warn the others without being seen.

Content that the coast is clear, Hayden quickly slinks through the shadows back to the kitchen. "Alright, we're good," he says as the door swings shut behind him. He makes his way to where the others are gathered at the counters and comes to an abrupt halt.

He notices with amusement that Jay and Carlos are actually sitting on one of the counters, three guesses who they picked that habit up from, but it's the form between the two of them that makes him pause.

"Why is the dog sitting in a bowl?" Hayden asks blankly.

Carlos looks at Dude, looks at Hayden, looks back at Dude, then looks back at Hayden with a shrug. "He likes it," he answers simply.

There's a beat of silence as Hayden just stares at him. "Fair enough," he says finally. "Who am I to judge someone for sitting somewhere they shouldn't?"

"The last person who ever should," Evie tells him with a smirk. Hayden smirks back at her as he leans on the counter beside where the girls are pouring over the spell book.

"Alright," Mal says as she scans the page. "It says that we need one tear and I never cry."

"None of us do," Hayden remarks with a frown. This does make things a bit more difficult.

"Let's just chop up some onions," Carlos offers as he grabs one from the bowl sitting beside him.

"No," Mal denies, shaking her head. "It says that we need one tear of human sadness and this love potion gets the best reviews, so we have to follow it exactly."

Hayden raises a dubious eyebrow. "Maleficent's spell book comes with reviews?"

Mal shrugs. "Kinda. My mom wrote comments in the margins. This one has the least complaints and critiques." Hayden nods in understanding.

"A tear's a tear," Jay complains.

"That's not true, Jay. They both have antibodies and enzymes, but an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear," Evie explains confidently.

Mal and Hayden exchange a proud look. "Listen to you," Mal says, all three of them ignoring Carlos and Jay's little scuffle on the counter.

"Our little genius," Hayden half teases.

"Stop it you two," Evie tells them even as she lifts her head a little with pride.

It's then that the kitchen door opens and a familiar girl steps in. "There you are, Mal!" Lonnie says. "I was looking for you."

"I thought you said we were good," Jay hisses as Mal quickly covers the spell book.

"We were," Hayden mutters back. "Now we're not."

"You know, all the girls want you to do their hair," Lonnie continues as she makes her way over to their countertop. "Oh, midnight snack, huh? What are you guys making?"

"Oh, nothing special," Mal waves off. "Just cookies." Her eyes widen in panic as Lonnie reaches forward to taste the dough. "Oh, no. No!"

"Wait!" Carlos calls. 

Lonnie gives them a confused look as she pulls her finger from her mouth. "What?" she asks. "It's not like I'm going to double dip."

"Feel anything?" Evie asks nervously.