“EVIE!” Mal cried. “Where are you?”
But still there was nothing. The largest wave they’d ever seen rose from the ocean and slammed hard onto the boat, throwing them against each other.
“I can’t keep us afloat much longer!” Jay cried.
Just when it seemed they were going to capsize, Evie emerged from the water, her arms flailing. Mal was spent from using her magic, and fell limply against the railing. “Help her! I don’t know what to do,” she cried, keeping a tight grip on the trident.
But her friends picked up the slack, moving with precise urgency. “We’re too far away for her to swim,” said Ben. “Quick, Carlos, grab a life ring. Jay, you have the best arm, throw it to her!”
Ben took the wheel of the speedboat while Jay tossed the orange floatie as far as he could. “EVIE! GRAB IT!”
Evie caught the ring with one hand and held on, keeping her head above the waves.
“PULL!” yelled Ben, steering the boat as Jay and Carlos tugged mightily on the rope, bringing Evie back despite the waves and the rain, inch by inch, until at last she was floating by their side.
“Evie! I thought we’d lost you!” Mal cried joyfully, tears of relief falling down her cheeks and mingling with the rain as she leaned over to help Carlos and Jay haul her back onto the boat. “Are you okay?”
“You’re okay, you’re okay,” said Carlos, smacking Evie’s back to help her cough up seawater.
“Here,” said Jay, handing Evie a warm towel he’d run to grab from belowdecks and helping Carlos drape it over her shoulders.
Evie leaned on Mal, still shaky on her feet. “I’m okay, thanks to you guys.”
Mal gave Evie a tight hug. “I don’t know what I would do without you! Don’t ever scare me like that again!”
“You scared all of us,” said Ben, letting Jay steer the boat once more. “That was intense. But you got it, Mal?”
“I got it,” she said, handing him the trident.
“We did it,” Ben said.
“We did it,” she said, not quite believing it, as Ben held the golden trident in his hands.
“We did it together.” He nodded. Then he turned to Jay, who was back at the wheel. “Come on, let’s get out of here before we sink.”
“Where did it go?” yelled Uma, as the trident disappeared right before her eyes, and she was thrown backward onto the rowboat, falling hard on her back. Her hat tumbled off her head, and she scrambled to catch it before recovering her balance. “Where’s the trident?” she screamed, looking for it on the floor of the boat, even though she knew it was gone.
Lightning flashed overhead, and waves crashed against the boat, dumping water all over them. The necklace’s chain had snapped, and she almost lost hold of it. The rain was relentless, and the whirlwind doubled its speed, spinning them around in a dizzying spiral, obscuring their vision.
“Do you have it!” cried Harry. “Uma! Where’s the trident?!”
Uma scanned the waters frantically but saw nothing. “It was mine!” she howled. “I almost had it! It was right there!”
“Where?” yelled Harry. “I don’t see anything!”
“I don’t know!” she yelled back.
“Do you have it or not?” screamed Harry, as six-foot waves roared and crashed over the little dinghy. He had to fight to hold on to the oars and steer the boat back to the Lost Revenge.
But Uma was too dazed to answer; she was still trying to get back up and resume her balance.
“Gil!” Harry cried, just as the boat lurched upward and slammed back down, throwing Gil overboard.
“Where’s Gil?” yelled Uma, trying to be heard above the whistle of the wind.
“I don’t know! He fell over!” cried Harry, as he lunged to grab an oar that had slipped from its hold, before it could be lost to the sea as well.
Without hesitation, Uma jumped off the boat and into the churning water to save Gil.
Harry saw a brown hat bobbing up and down in the froth. “He’s over there!”
“Help!” screamed Gil, scrambling in the waves. “Help!”
Gil went under, and Harry feared the worst—but suddenly, Uma’s turquoise head appeared by his side. Slowly but surely, she swam them back to safety.
When they reached the dinghy, Harry leaned over and hauled them both back aboard. Gil coughed and choked and spewed water all over the deck.
“Ew,” said Uma. “You’re welcome.”
That was too close. They needed to get back to the ship if they were going to survive, so she motioned for the boys to start rowing. Fighting against the thundering waves, the pouring rain, and the howling winds, they finally reached the Lost Revenge, where the other pirates threw a rope ladder down the side.
“Captains first,” Harry said, giving a hand to help Uma climb the rope.
Uma nodded and hoisted herself up. Gil went up next, and Harry last.
The crew was vainly trying to keep the ship upright as it lurched wildly from side to side, at the mercy of the roiling, angry sea. Uma, Harry, and Gil ran to the decks, helping to hold the sail, while trying to stay away from the boom—which was swinging wildly with the wind—as well as all three masts, which were threatening to break and splinter. The storm raged around them, pouring rain all over everyone and everything.
“Let’s get out of here!” yelled Harry. “We need to go back! The storm’s too strong!” He took the wheel of the ship and brought it around, making for the Isle of the Lost.
But as the Lost Revenge reached its destination, the waves pounded against the hull, finally sending the mast crashing onto the deck, and the sails tore as it slammed right against the dock, tearing up the deck plank by plank.
Shipwrecked.
When the storm had passed, and the ship was still, the pirates groaned and assessed the wreckage. It was clear to Harry that the Lost Revenge would never sail again. The damage to the hull was too great.
A fine, light rain continued to fall, adding to the gloom.
Harry sighed and removed his black tricorn hat to squeeze the water from it. But he was too exhausted to be angry, and too relieved to still be alive to feel disappointment.
He looked up to see Uma standing in front of him, a confused and shocked look on her face. “I had it. I saw it, Harry. It was right there. I almost held it in my hands. The necklace worked, and there was this huge surge of magic for a moment—almost as if something had opened a hole in the dome.”
“So what happened?” asked Harry.
“There was someone else there, some kind of magic,” she said. “That’s the only explanation.”
“You’re holding something,” said Harry. “In your hand.”
“I am?” said Uma, wonderingly. She looked down, surprised to find that Harry was right. She was holding on to something she hadn’t noticed in all the commotion.
“Yeah, what’ve you got?” asked Gil.
Uma looked stunned to find she was holding a purple fingerless glove with a dragon symbol embroidered on the kidskin. It could only belong to one person.
“MAL!” Uma raged, when she realized it had been none other than her fiercest rival who had been on that speedboat.
Harry had no idea why or how Mal was there at the same time they were, but there was no denying it. Mal had Triton’s golden trident now, and Uma had nothing but a purple glove.
“MAL! You don’t always get to win!” Uma screamed in fury.
“I think she just did,” said Gil. “Didn’t she?”
“Shut up, Gil,” said Harry, sighing as he put his black tricorn hat back on his head.
It was almost dawn when they returned to Auradon Prep, and Mal thought she’d never seen a sight more beautiful than the gray stone towers of the school turning pink in the sunrise. No matter that Auradon still didn’t feel one hundred percent like home, she was home in Ben’s arms. “Thanks for being there for me,” she whispered.
“Always,” he said, nuzzling her hair.
He gave her one m
ore hug, then went to help the boys dock the boat in the harbor as they pulled into the bay. Evie went over to where Mal was seated and leaned her head on her friend’s shoulder. “Thanks for being there for me,” she said, echoing what Mal had said to Ben just moments before.
Mal leaned her purple head against Evie’s and told her what Ben had said in return: “Always.”
“That was close,” said Jay, as he helped them climb out of the boat. “I didn’t think we would make it.”
“But we did,” said Mal.
Jay flashed her a rueful smile. “You know it,” he said, giving Ben a fist bump.
“Um, guys? I think we want this, right?” said Carlos, who’d gone to fetch the trident they’d left in the back of the boat.
Ben asked Arabella to meet them at his office, and the little mermaid practically burst into tears when she saw the trident leaning innocuously against a bookshelf.
“You did it!” she said to Ben, obviously not quite believing it was true. “You got it back!”
“We all did,” said Ben with a smile, offering his hand to Mal.
Mal took it and offered her hand to Evie, who linked hands with Carlos, who took Jay’s hand too. “Ben’s right, we all played a part,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without any of these guys.”
Arabella thanked them profusely. “I’ll make sure it gets back to Grandfather and the museum right away.”
Ben turned to her with a serious look on his face. “Arabella, I hope you already know what I’m about to say to you.”
She blushed as red as her hair. “I know, King Ben. I know. I’ll never steal anything again, I promise. Fairy Godmother’s right, magic is too dangerous to use.” Humbled, she curtsied to Ben and left, holding the trident tightly in her hands.
“Arabella will be okay,” said Mal. “I don’t think she’ll ever get near that trident again.”
“Speaking of the museum. You guys do know that all magical artifacts belong there for safekeeping,” Ben said with an embarrassed cough.
“You mean even my magic mirror?” said Evie, looking worried.
“And my spell book?” said Mal. The two girls looked askance at each other.
“I guess we should hand them over,” said Evie reluctantly. “I do keep reminding Mal that we’re not supposed to depend on magic.” She removed the mirror from her purse and handed it to Ben.
“I’ll make sure the curators get this and keep it somewhere safe,” he promised. He turned to Mal expectantly.
Mal shrugged. “I left my spell book in my room,” she told him. “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure it gets to the museum.”
“Great,” said Ben. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’m going to sleep for the entire day.”
“We’ll get out of here,” said Mal, and Ben hugged each one of them as they left, holding Mal extra tightly. She closed the door behind her with a smile.
When they were walking down the hallway, Evie nudged Mal. “He’s a good king,” said Evie.
“The best,” said Carlos.
“You know it,” said Jay.
“Yeah, I think I’ll keep him around,” said Mal. She and Evie said good night to the boys and headed over to the girls’ dormitory.
Mal sat on the edge of her bed, chewing her thumbnail. “What’s wrong?” asked Evie.
Mal sighed. She was glad Auradon was safe once more, and that they had defeated Uma, but she was still embarrassed about almost getting all of them kicked out of school and sent back to the Isle of the Lost. She’d seen the horror and fear in her friends’ eyes, and while she might still feel the tug of home, she knew they felt otherwise—especially Evie, who loved Auradon. She also had to take her position as Ben’s girlfriend more seriously. What she did reflected on him, on his reputation, and on his ability to govern the kingdom.
She wasn’t the girl from the Isle anymore. She wasn’t just Maleficent’s daughter, tagging King Beast’s posters with spray paint and generally kicking up a ruckus. But she wasn’t an Auradon princess either, who knew exactly how to act at every royal occasion.
If she wasn’t Mal from the Isle anymore, who was she?
Later that afternoon, Mal grabbed Maleficent’s spell book from her locker. She intended to walk it over to the Museum of Cultural History at some point before classes started the next day. She flipped through its well-worn pages, softly caressing each spell.
It was one of the only things she had left of her mother’s, and she was loath to part with it. There was so much knowledge and wisdom in its pages. The time-turning spell had helped them retrieve the trident after all. Plus there were so many more that she loved to use. Hair spells, which had proven popular with the female segment of Auradon Prep, love spells, and anti-love spells. There were spells that brought luck or great fortune, and even a few that could turn a girl from the Isle into an Auradon princess, or a close facsimile of one. Spells for every aspect of life, truly. And while Mal understood why it had to go to the museum, that didn’t mean she wanted to surrender it.
Still, she had promised Ben, and if Evie, who cherished her magic mirror as much as Mal treasured her spell book, could voluntarily give that up, then she could give up her book. Mal tucked it under her arm, determined to head to the museum before she changed her mind.
But as she walked across campus, Mal realized that while she still wasn’t sure exactly who she was, she did want to make Ben happy and explore the kingdom by his side—even if the idea of all the royal events coming up made her feel just a little ill. She turned on her heel and ran all the way to her room.
“E?” she said, bursting through the door and glad to find Evie at her sewing machine as usual.
“Yes, M?” asked Evie, looking up from her task.
“I think I need some help,” she said. “I’ve got a kingdom to meet.” She counted herself lucky to have Auradon’s most promising young fashion designer as her best friend and roommate. Mal decided she wanted to make a splash, and not the watery kind that left her looking like yesterday’s yams.
“Do you think you could make me look more like them?” Mal asked, motioning to the wall of princesses on Evie’s pin board. She wanted to look as smart as Belle, as beautiful as Cinderella, even as sweet as Aurora—but she wanted to maintain something of herself as well.
“Ooh! Yes!” said Evie, clapping her hands. “I have so many ideas. Plus, I want to show you this fabulous dress I made you for Cotillion.”
“Great!” said Mal, picking up a thick fashion magazine and riffling through the pages. “When’s Cotillion?”
“Oh!” said Evie. “Ben hasn’t asked you yet?”
“Asked me what?” said Mal.
Evie smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see.”
Over at his homeroom, Carlos leaned back in his seat, his exams arranged on his desk. All of them boasted A-pluses, as well as effusive praise from his teachers in the margins. Brilliant!—Professor Merryweather. Astounding—Genie. Even crotchety old Grumpy, who was teaching a seminar on Cooperation, had drawn a happy face on Carlos’s paper.
Carlos smiled in satisfaction at a job well done. He was looking forward to the next semester. There were so many new elective classes to take: Language of the Stars, Enchanted Oceanography, and the Politics of the Palace, just to name a few. After having the usual fight with the registrar over his need to take over the maximum amount of classes allowed for the term, he bumped into Jane, who was wearing a brand-new blue-and-gold Auradon cheer uniform.
“You did it!” he said. “You made the team! That’s awesome! Congratulations!”
“I did! Thanks so much!” Jane said, a huge smile on her face.
“What did I do?” asked Carlos.
Jane punched him in the shoulder. “You’re the one who said I should try out and not give up!”
“Aw, shucks. Anyone would have told you the same thing,” he said, looking down and shuffling his feet as his ears turned pink.
“But you did,” said Jane. “So thank
you. Are you heading that way?” she asked. “I have to meet Ben in a few minutes.”
Carlos, who had been heading in the exact opposite direction, said “Yes,” just so he could walk with her a little more.
“So everything worked out okay?” asked Jane. “With that secret mission?”
Carlos nodded. “Yeah, it did.” He wished he could tell her all the details, but he knew it was safer for everyone if only the five of them plus Arabella knew what had happened. “It all worked out okay.”
“Good.” Jane looked up from behind her bangs and smiled at him, and Carlos felt something in his heart that hadn’t been there before. Something more than friendship. He couldn’t stop smiling; his cheeks started to hurt.
But before he could say anything about it, Audrey ran up to them. The bossy princess looked harried. She was carrying a huge cardboard box in her arms. “Jane! Just the person I’ve been looking for!” she declared.
“Oh, hey, Audrey,” said Jane.
“I’m so glad I found you. I need a lot of help,” said Audrey.
“What’s up?” asked Carlos.
In the background, they could hear Chad sobbing. “Audrey! Audrey, don’t do this!”
“Ignore him, he’ll be fine,” said Audrey, rolling her eyes. “Jane, we’re really glad to have you on the team, and you’re sure you can handle Cotillion duties too?”
“For sure!” said Jane.
“Great,” said Audrey, and she dumped the box on Jane. “That’s all the planning we’ve done so far. You’re going to have to work closely with Mal, since it’s her big debut. Although hold on, I don’t think Ben’s asked her yet, so she probably has no idea she has to do all this. So maybe remind Ben he’s got to formally ask her.”
“He’s working on it as we speak,” said Jane.
Audrey didn’t respond, and tapped her pen against her forehead, thinking. “What else. Oh, and do you have a date yet? Just curious.”
“No,” said Jane. “Not yet.”
Carlos blushed and tried to look somewhere else. He’d heard vaguely about Cotillion, but hadn’t realized that it was a date type of situation. So far at all the balls and parties, everyone went as a group, even Mal and Ben.