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Evie darted from one end of the room to the other straightening a pillow here and repositioning a lamp there. Mal leaned against the bedpost with her arms crossed and exasperation in her eyes. After almost ten minutes of Evie fussing she’d had enough.
“E, you’ve gotta stop. You’re making me dizzy,” she said as she caught Evie’s arm before she could run back and smooth down the comforter she’d already adjusted six times.
Evie looked at her helplessly as her eyes flitted to the door then back to Mal’s face. “What if she hates it?”
“She’s not going to hate it. You have got to calm down.”
Turning away, eyes downcast, Evie wrung her hands as she resisted the urge to reorganize the closet for the hundredth time. “I just want everything to be perfect, you know?”
With a small grin playing on her lips Mal moved to stand in front of Evie and snaked her arms around the taller girl’s waste. Evie tried to avoid her gaze, but Mal reached up and cupped her cheek, forcing Evie to look at her. “You know her better than anyone, she’s going to love this place. Just look at it.”
Gently Mal turned her around so they could both take in the room. It was a standard issue Auradon Prep dorm room except Evie had spent the last week redecorating it. A thick cozy comforter in a shocking shade of purple covered the bed accompanied by an array of colorful pillows. The boring pink curtains had been replaced with a white set Evie had found and splattered with every shade of paint she could get her hands on. An equally colorful wardrobe had been made by Evie’s own hand and hung with care in the closet in the corner. Evie had even gone so far as to set up a small worktable in front of the large windows with all manner of craft supplies and what Mal considered to be an egregious amount of hot glue.
“I could have done more. She deserves so much more,” Evie whispered as she leaned back against Mal, her heart racing with anxiety.
Mal ran her hands up and down Evie’s arms. “Stop worrying. It will be fine.”
Someone chose that moment to throw open the door to the room with a surprising amount of energy. Mal and Evie spun to find the familiar face of Dizzy standing in the doorway with Fairy Godmother hovering just beyond in the hallway. The little girl had frozen in place with her mouth agape and her eyes the size of saucers.
“Dizzy?” Evie asked tentatively and took a step toward Dizzy.
Another half second of utter silence before Dizzy bounced to life. She vibrated with excitement as she launched herself into Evie’s arms almost knocking her over. Mal caught them both, and they all dissolved into a fit of giggles. When they had gathered themselves Dizzy broke away from Evie and darted around the room touching everything she could reach.
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” she squealed and threw herself onto the bed, sending at least half a dozen pillows tumbling to the ground. “A bed! A real bed!”
She ran her hands over the purple fabric and gave a contented sigh as her eyes fluttered closed. In the hall Fairy Godmother slipped away without a word. She knew Evie and Mal had this well in hand. Evie stood with Mal’s arms around her as they both watched Dizzy hug one of the pillows to her chest with aching hearts.
“Sometimes I forget how little we had back home,” Evie whispered, her voice as heavy as her heart as she let her head fall to rest on Mal’s shoulder.
“I bet she’s never had anyone do so much for her in her whole life,” Mal whispered back as she ran her fingers back and forth across Evie’s back. They let Dizzy lay there for a moment basking in the utter joy of finally having a bed that was more than just a moth-eaten pile of grimy blankets.
“Hey Diz,” Evie started as she stepped up to the side of the bed.
Dizzy opened on eye to look at her. “I don’t want to get up.”
“Don’t you want to see the rest of your room?”
“There’s more?”
“Mhm.”
That was all the motivation Dizzy needed to propel herself up off the bed. Evie offered a hand and Dizzy took it. Mal watched them as they toured around the room and Evie pointed out all the little touches she had added. When they reached the craft table Mal was sure Dizzy would lose it then and there, but she just fauned over the shiny new glue gun and the drawers upon drawers of little ribbons and trinkets Evie had picked out. After seeing the entire room Evie and Dizzy rejoined Mal in the center of the room.
“Do you like it?” Evie asked with just a whisper of worry in her voice. She looked down at Dizzy and the little girl’s eyes shone with tears. Her heart broke all over again, and she gave Dizzy’s hand a tight squeeze.
“This is the best day of my whole life,” Dizzy replied before throwing her arms around Evie’s middle and burying her face in Evie’s shoulder. Evie hugged her back just as tightly, pressing a light kiss to the little girl’s color-streaked hair.
“You can be happy here, Diz,” she murmured and pulled Dizzy even closer.
“Is this what being happy feels like?” Dizzy choked out as she looked up at Evie with a face streaked with tears. “It makes my insides feel weird.”
“You get used to it,” Mal replied with a wink. Dizzy laughed and wiped at her tear-stained face with the back of her hand. The sound sent warmth spreading through Evie as she looked down at Dizzy’s face full of unbridled joy.
“How about some ice cream?” Evie offered as she helped Dizzy clean the tears off her cheeks.
Dizzy bounced up and down making her glasses almost go flying off her face. “Ice cream? Really?”
Before either of them could respond Dizzy grabbed each of their hands and started dragging them toward the door. They just looked at each other and laughed, but let Dizzy pull them out in the hall. Hand in hand with Dizzy tucked safely between them, they headed off for Evie’s favorite ice cream parlor. As they stepped out into the warm afternoon sun she smiled to herself at the thought of all the wonderful things Dizzy would get to experience now that she was in Auradon. It was a new beginning.