Chapter Text
*ZELENA'S P.O.V.*
After years of living on the run, scared of every shadow and sound in the night, I thought I had learned to control my anxiety with therapy and medication. It seems there is always an exception, and mine comes in the form of a fashion designer with blue hair and killer instincts.
"Okay, Evie, I cannot breathe," says Mal, yelping when Evie tightens the zipper to her yellow and blue ball gown.
"Well, you can breathe after Cotillion." Evie maneuvers Mal's arms and fluffs the skirt of the gown, inspecting it from all angles.
"I sincerely doubt that." Mal brushes her hair off of her forehead, pressing a hand to her stomach. "I have at least 20 more events directly behind it, and I can't even remember what a single one of them is."
I flop over onto my stomach, crossing my right leg over the back of my left thigh. "Jane has the schedule. I'll grab a copy for you when I see her later, so there's one less burden on your shoulders."
Evie seems to have missed the last part of the conversation as she gasps over her dress, kissing her fingertips. "Oh. Impeccable."
Mal's eyes fall on something across the room, which I see is her leather jacket. "Evie? Do you ever think about what we'd be doing if we were back on the Isle right now?"
The blue-haired seamstress pauses, and then laughs. "That's funny."
"Z? What would you be doing if you weren't here at Auradon?" I can sense a sort of desperation behind Mal's question, though I cannot quite discern what fuels it.
"I came to Auradon after my mom passed. So ... I would either still be driving around with her to no specific destination in mind. Or I'd probably end up being dead myself, all things considered." I cross my arms on the mattress in front of me, resting my chin on the intersection where my wrists meet. "In a perfect world, I would be on a lightning-proof boat charmed to withstand the stormy seas.”
Mal blinks at me. “What would you do, to get what you want -- what you need?”
“I don’t know what I need, but what I want -- I’d have to break just about every conceivable rule of society and magic to get it. And that’s why I don’t have it.”
The TV clicks on to a newsreel, drawing our attention away from Mal's thoughts of the Isle and alternate lives.
Evie beams and touches Mal's elbow. "Ah, look who's on TV!"
As the story recounts Ben and Mal's visit to Agrabah, Evie scoots closer in fascination, sorting through her sewing materials.
Mal looks down at Ben's ring on her pointer finger and gasps, rushing over to her bedside table. "Shove over, Z."
"Please, my darling friend, would you move so I could sit?" I inch over and jerk my head to the side. "Oh, of course Mal, since you asked so politely."
"Sorry, sorry." She grabs her textbook, but then flips through her spell book until stopping on a certain page. "Read it fast at lightning speed. Remember everything I need." Green magic glows as she speedily turns the pages of her textbook.
Evie finally lets her attention fall fully on our friend, coming to stand with her hands braced on the bedposts. "I know Mal's secret to fitting in, and Ben wouldn't like it one bit. Haven't you guys had enough secrets between the two of you already?"
Mal sighs, gesturing around wildly with one hand. "Evie, you remember what I used to be like before I started using my spell book. I mean, I was a complete disaster."
Evie tilts her head, reaching to pluck the worn leather tome from Mal's lap. "Well, personally ... as your best friend, I strongly believe that this spell book belongs in the museum along with my mirror."
I push myself off my stomach, sitting up to slide off the foot of the bed. "So, magic should be remembered but not used except in case of emergencies?"
"Yes."
"Well, what about my lightning?"
"That's more a personal powers thing than outside magic from an object," muses Evie, stepping away with the spell book in her hand.
I cross my arms. "It's close enough to magic and you know it. Should I give up my powers, Evie?"
She blinks a few times, avoiding my gaze. "I mean, it does give you an unfair advantage over people."
My nails dig into my palms and I feel sparks dancing against my fingertips. "I don't even think about using my powers; the only time I've actively summoned them is with Maleficent."
"Well, maybe that's a sign." Evie holds out a hand palm up, eyebrows raised. "Don't you think that shows that you can't control your powers? If you can't do that, you shouldn't be using them."
I inhale sharply, the sparks disappearing in an instant. "Oh." Crossing over to the window, I look out across the gardens and tilt my head. "Maybe..."
Evie looks over at Mal, who has still crossed her arms at the theft of her spell book. "Don't give me that face; put away the pout. Mmm-hmm, you know I'm right."
Mal bites her lip, and then her eyes flash bright. "You don't ever miss running wild and just breaking all of the rules?"
"Like stealing and lying and fighting?" asks Evie, eyebrows furrowed together.
"Yeah." Mal's face brightens at the words, at Evie's seeming recognition of her thoughts.
"No! Why would we? M, come here." Evie takes Mal's hands, lifting her off the bed and directing her to the center of their room. "Look at where we are. We're in Auradon, and we're Auradon girls now." Even the TV seems to support Evie's thoughts with reports of Mal's fans and thousands of gifts. "See? This is the land of opportunity; we can be whatever we want to be here. So please, let's just leave the past in the past. Okay?"
It seems like Evie's idea of "anything we want" is very limited compared to Mal's, because the now-blonde girl's face deflates.
I paste a smile onto my face, heading over to the two. "I guess. I mean, look at those shoes you made for Mal's Cotillion outfit."
Evie lifts up the matching yellow and blue boots, smiling at the detailed embroidery. "I know. Now, Mal; get back into your normal clothes so I can fit Z for her dress."
Mal releases a big breath after being unzipped from the ballgown, slipping back into her white lace sundress. "I'm so glad I don't wear corsets on the regular."
"Z, pedestal." Evie snaps in my direction as I wriggle out my shirt. "Quickly; we don't have all day."
"Alright, alright." My skirt pools on the ground as I clamber onto the pedestal. "Gown me."
"Arms up." Evie guides the dress over my raised arms, past my head, and guides my arms through off the shoulder straps (A/N: Dress pictured, but full length). "There. Now, what shoes are you going to wear with these?"
"Umm, I've got a pair of nude pumps. 4 inches?" I look down, lifting the skirt of my dress so it comes a couple inches higher than before. "About here, I think."
Evie nods, holding up her tape measure to check the distance between my hem and the floor. "Alright. You sure that you'll be able to handle the heels with your leg? I can always try to hem it up some more."
I turn sideways to check my profile in the mirror. "I'll practice. Just have to adjust the arch and the angle of my ankle, but I'll manage."
She taps her lip. "I'd like to check now, just to be sure. Where are the shoes?"
"In my wardrobe, blue box on the bottom--"
"Perfect. Be back soon." Evie's out the door in a flash, leaving me standing on the pedestal and Mal pouring over her textbook.
"Is this too much skin?" I ask, posing to the side with my right leg flexed in the slit of my dress. It stops halfway up my thigh, which I regret not shaving along with my calves this morning.
"Nah. You've got the legs ... leg for it." Mal seems momentarily discomfited, but eases when she sees my smirk. "Shut up."
I roll my shoulders back and check the mirror once. "Mal?"
She closes the textbook with a huff, but smiles afterwards. "What?"
Running my hands over the fabric of my dress, I meet her eyes in the mirror. "You know I don't want to hurt anybody, right? With my lightning?"
"Z, you'd never--"
"Alright, I've got the shoes." Evie swans in, shaking the box in the air. "You've got to clean your wardrobe, by the way."
"Yeah, I'll get right on that." I easily guide my right foot into the pump, but I smile at Evie when I place a hand on her shoulder for balance to navigate adjusting my left foot. "Thanks."
After getting situated, Evie steps back and nods. "Mmm-hmm. Yep. Good. Okay, you can get dressed again. Come get your gown before the Cotillion if you don't want to be involved in the last minute rush."
I accept her help getting the dress over my head before shrugging back into my normal clothes. "Quick question. How am I supposed to get this on without a roommate to help me?"
"Semantics. I've got too much else to prioritize."
"Okay..." I avoid Mal's eyes which seem particularly concerned for me. "I've gotta finish up a write up for my chemistry class. See you tomorrow."
My room seems so empty without Audrey's things, but at least Chad isn't hanging around trying to recapture memories of her today. The vanity table went with her to Sherwood, but the bare mattress and desk top is a constant reminder of my solitude. I didn't think I'd mind it when she left a month or so ago, but now ...
I'm lonely. And I can't stand it.
*****
I let my messenger bag swing loosely at my hip, though I grip the strap tightly by my shoulder. I've fallen behind the other four as we head for class, the boys walking up front and the girls strolling in the middle. It's been happening more and more over recent weeks, the edging back. I'm sure they don't intend to do it, and it's unlikely that they even notice it happening.
But still ... that's the problem. They don't seem to notice me slipping.
And I get it; I do. Evie's dress business has been taking off since the coronation, especially after the tear-away skirts for dancing were revealed. Carlos has been getting really good at his tech classes and he's even built a three-dimensional printer all by himself. Jay's been balancing both Tourney and fencing. And Mal ... Mal has been thrust into the spotlight of a court role on top of being a normal student.
It's a lot for all of them. But I have a lot going on too, and I still try to be there for all of them. It doesn't always work, but it feels like there's a clear hierarchy in the group and I'm ... not a priority.
Girls giggle at Jay as we pass, and Carlos looks over at him. "Why do you torture them? Just pick someone to take to Cotillion already?"
"I'm going solo," announces Jay proudly, winking at more girls. "That way I can dance with all of them."
"Ah! Well, you're the expert." Carlos stops short of the lockers, turning to face Jay. "Um, Jay ... if you were going to ask someone, what's the best way to go?"
Jay smiles and puts his hand on Carlos's shoulder, and for a split second I think he might offer genuine advice. Of course that's ruined when he opens his mouth. "Listen, all you've gotta do ... is look like me."
"Oh, ha ha." Carlos catches sight of a certain fairy's daughter and his face goes pale. "Hey, Jane. I was wondering, uh ..." Oh gods, is finally getting up enough nerve to ask Jane out? "If you ... liked the carrot cake last night?"
"I had the pumpkin pie." Jane's eyes are wide as she smiles up at Carlos, though I see a glimmer of disappointment on her face.
"Oh, cool. I--"
"Smooth." Jay takes Carlos by the shoulders and steers him away from the awkward fall out of his failed conversation.
Evie steps up and waves her notebook around. "I have an opening for a fitting at 3:00. Who wants it?"
Lonnie practically leaps over and holds up her hand. "Me! Sorry, Jane."
The blue haired seamstress nods towards the girls. "Perfect. I'll take Jane later," she adds, steering Lonnie to the side to presumably discuss the fitting.
"Mal, I hate to bug you but the decorating committee needs answers. So as much as I hate to ... um--"
"Bug me?" Mal asks, cutting Jane off. "Jane, I would love to but I have to get to class."
"You know, just nod if you like it." Jane pulls out her tablet and swipes through pictures of the layouts. "Chair swags, entry banners, twinkle lights, napkin design, table bunting ... and you still haven't picked party favors yet."
Mal's eyes flit back and forth. "Honestly, Jane, we can do whatever--"
Jane glances back at the tablet. "I mean we can do chains, key charms, pen toppers -- I kind of love the pen toppers, but I mean, we can do all three."
Suddenly, Mal looks up and her eyes flash emerald green before returning to normal. Taking a deep breath, she pastes on a smile and nods at Jane. "I say pen toppers."
"Yeah? You won't regret it."
"I can hardly wait to see what your wedding will look like," announces Lonnie, finally back from her conversation with Evie.
"Me too. Wait ... what?"
Jane flips her hand about as though this is all obvious. "The Royal Cotillion is like getting engaged to be engaged to be engaged."
Evie gasps happily. "I knew it!"
Lonnie smirks, replying, "Everyone knows it."
I roll my eyes before tugging on the strap of my bag. "I mean, I think it's a bit overkill. Why can't they just say they love each other and are enjoying their relationship? Why does everything have to be a sign of the next stage?"
"I didn't know it. How come no one told me that?" Mal's breath comes out in sharp huffs, her face having lost what little color she already had. "Is my entire life just planned out in front of me?"
"Hi, Mal." Ben comes up and puts his hand on Mal's back.
"Hi, Ben," chorus the other three girls before Jane pulls him to the side to talk about official things.
Stepping over to Mal, I lower my voice. "Hey, you looked a little overwhelmed back there."
Mal straightens the shoulder of her dress. "I mean, it was just a surprise about the pre-pre-engagement, but I'll be fine."
I pop my hip to bump against her. "You sure? Because your eyes flashed green for a second when Jane was asking all those questions."
"Zelena, seriously. Thanks for the concern but I've got this."
"Hey, Mal. See you later." Ben looks over his shoulder apologetically, and I'm sure he won't get away from Jane anytime soon.
"Oh, okay."
I notice the drop in her expression and loop my arm through hers. "Come on. Class waits for no woman."