Escape from the Isle of the Lost (Descendants 4)

“Please?” Mal heard one of the kids scoff. No one ever used common courtesies like please on the Isle. Mal thought that most of them must have been shocked into complying, though, because they all seemed to pause.

“Yes, listen!” said Carlos. “We’ve had a great time in Auradon! There are so many delicious things to eat that aren’t even rotten or expired. And so many awesome desserts!”

“There’s this game called tourney,” said Jay. “Where you can really beat someone up!” Evie shot him a look and he shrugged. “You have to give them what they want to hear.”

Mal nodded. Jay was right. They would never be able to explain the appeal of Auradon to people who only knew life on the Isle of the Lost. But she had to try.

“I was like you once,” she said. “I just wanted to live a wicked life, full of treachery and evil deeds. But Auradon changed me. I realized there’s more to life than being wicked.”

“Like what?” sneered a snaggletoothed witch.

“Well…” said Mal, searching for something the crowd would respond to. “There’s strawberries—these amazing fruits that burst with flavor on your tongue!”

“And there’s this stuff called peanut butter!” said Carlos. “It’s…like butter! Made from peanuts!”

“They don’t know what butter is except that it’s rancid,” Evie reminded him in a whisper. “Let me try.” She stepped up to the railing. “Like Mal said, there’s more to life than being evil. There’s loyalty and friendship.” The four of them linked hands and smiled at each other.

“You will find friends who will do anything for you,” said Carlos.

“You’ll discover that you’re more than what you thought you were,” added Jay, and they lifted their hands to the sky in unison.

“And there’s love,” said Mal, feeling tears come to her eyes. She was Maleficent’s daughter, born and bred to hate, to plot, to scheme, to command minions to do her bidding. Mistress of Darkness. Queen of the Isle of the Lost. But all she felt for this ragged, unruly crowd was deep empathy and affection. Mal wished they could all understand that there were greater things to live for than revenge or violence or pettiness, greed, and graft.

The crowd still didn’t look too convinced, but Mal thought it was a good start. She had to give them time. Even the four of them took a while to discover they were better off in Auradon than the Isle of the Lost.

he next morning, they all headed back to their old stomping grounds at Dragon Hall. Evie felt a momentary rush of nostalgia for the place. Even though it was no Auradon Prep, she had always loved coming to Dragon Hall—especially after all those isolated years of castle-schooling. The front steps of the mausoleum were full of students tripping each other and pushing their way up the stairs in the usual morning chaos. Once again, the kids stared as they noticed Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Evie in their midst.

The whispers buzzed through the crowd. Isn’t that Mal? What’s she doing here? Did you hear she turned her mother into a lizard? Don’t stare or she’ll turn you into one!

Evie saw that Mal was trying to smile at them, but when she did, the kids ran from her. “How am I ever going to connect with them if they can’t see past my old reputation?” she asked Evie with a sigh. “I’m not my mom. It seems like people in Auradon finally get that. But maybe everyone on the Isle will always think of me as the old Mal.”

“They’ll come around,” Evie said firmly, as she looped her arm through Mal’s.

“And if they don’t, Mal will burn them with her dragon fire,” said Jay with a laugh.

The girls glared at him. “Not the point, Jay,” said Mal.

He held up his hands in surrender. “I was just kidding!”

A trembling LeFou Deux awaited them at the entrance of the school. “Welcome back to Dragon Hall. Please follow me. Dr. Facilier is expecting you.” He groveled, bowing so low his forehead almost touched the floor.

LeFou Deux led them to the headmaster’s hidden office in the Athenaeum of Secrets. Dr. Facilier was seated at his faded velvet chair, but he stood when they entered. “Welcome back,” he said with a terrifying grin. He was as tall and slender as ever—almost as thin as his mustache. He shook their hands with his long, bony fingers. Dr. Facilier never failed to strike fear into the hearts of Dragon Hall’s pupils, and Evie knew the four of them were having difficulty remembering that they were no longer under his supervision. They were Auradon Prep students now, and protected by Fairy Godmother, she reminded herself.

“Now, what brings the four of you here?” he as

ked as they all sat down. “Not looking to come back, I presume? Or are you?” He laughed heartily at his own joke.

Evie shot the other three a nervous smile. “Planning to trap us here, Dr. Facilier?” she asked lightly.

“Oh, no, no,” he said, with a wave of his hand. “As much as I would enjoy trying, I don’t think that would be beneficial to anyone.”

Mal cleared her throat and sat up straight. “Auradon Prep is expanding its program to bring more students from the Isle of the Lost over to the mainland,” she told him. “So we were hoping you could distribute these applications and encourage kids to sign up. And as you discussed with the Royal Council, tomorrow we will be available to talk to students and answer any questions they might have about Auradon.”

Carlos opened his backpack and handed over a stack of papers to their old headmaster. “Here you go,” he said.

Dr. Facilier picked up one of the documents. “And how many kids from the Isle of the Lost is Auradon Prep accepting?”

“Four,” said Jay.