Were You Expecting Flowers? ✔️

6

I don't want you blaming yourself, It's bad for your health
'Cause honestly, It's not you, it's me
I'm the only one I need
____________________

THE CAMPUS was humongous. We got lost several times, and Evie had to use her magic mirror to get us back on the right track. I still had my knife tucked under my trousers. Occasionally I would check to see if it was still there, and it would reassure me and keep my nerves down.

The knife and my dad's notebook were the only two things that was delivered with me and my mom when we were imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost. It was my dad's knife, and my mom managed to hide it. She died shortly afterwards, they say of the shock of being sent away. Apparently I was 'raised' by a handful of random people who left me breadcrumbs and half eaten meals. No one cared for me. It was the Isle after all. I was forced to look out for myself, and my dad's knife came in great handy. I knew how to fight with it, but I never killed. Killing did not appeal to me as much as it's supposed to, according to my dad's notebook.

We wondered into the auditorium. Banners of blue and yellow hung over us like Christmas stockings in all its glory. A tall long haired girl dominated the stage, sword swinging wildly, but in her control. She stopped when she heard our footsteps.

"I'm pretty sure I have the auditorium booked for another half hour." She said.

"Oh we were just walking around." Mal replied.

The girl lit up. "Oh!" She let her arm drop to her side, "You're the VKs, right? Well, at least four of you, cause if I haven't remembered wrong, there's supposed to be fiv-"

"VKs?" Jay said.

"Yeah. The Villain Kids?"

"Oh."

She approached us. She didn't carry half the fear people looked at us with when we first arrived. The girl shook Mal's hand.

"Lonnie." She told us, "Mulan's daughter."

I almost choked.

Mulan as in the Mulan dad wrote about?

"I'm Mal." Mal said, smiling and playing the nice kid, "Maleficent's daughter. That's Jay, Jafar's son. Evie, Evil Queen's daughter." Then she turned to me, a devilish little grin at the edge of her mouth, "And Braelyn, Shan Yu's daughter. You know, the one who tried killing your mom?"

Lonnie's smile became shiny like fake plastic. "Hi there." She said to me, her jaw tense, "I heard you were coming."

I simply nodded.

"Okay well." She laughed it off, "Welcome to the auditorium." She held her sword to the ceiling. "I'm practicing for the fencing team that's starting next semester. And I am an expert at it, if I do say so myself."

"Can I take a look?" Jay asked, reaching for her sword.

Lonnie seemed a touch hesitant, but handed it over to him anyways. Jay ran his fingers across the cool metal, an admirable look on his face. I glanced at it myself. Mulan's initials were craved into the handle, making me wonder if this was her sword.

"It's beautiful." Jay said, a cheeky grin appeared, "You should teach me sometime."

"You really think you're up for it?" Lonnie challenged.

"Oh yeah." He answered, handing the sword back to her.

"Alright then. I'm here everyday around this time." Lonnie said, "You can pop in anytime and I can get you a sword from the storage..."

"Okay!" Mal cut in between the two, "Thank you, Lonnie, but I think we should get going."

"Oh have you visited the tourney field? And the Museum of Cultural History?" Lonnie asked, "They're like... the highlights of Auradon Prep."

"We will." Evie said, "Thank you."

Lonnie nodded with a "yeah", then walked to her bag for her water bottle.

Once we exited into the hallway, I gave Mal a shove.

"What was that for?" I hissed.

"Hm?" She smiled innocently at me.

"You know, the one who tried killing your mom?" I mocked.

She crossed her arms and opened her mouth to say something. But Evie beat her to it.

"You know what?" She said, obviously trying to change the subject, "Let's spilt up. Mal and I will go to the tourney field. Brae you can go visit the Museum. Jay, go to the west wing of the school. I think that's all the places we haven't covered."

"Why do we have to split up?" Jay asked.

"To find the wand more quickly."

I didn't think Evie was obsessed with it too, but the idea of being alone excited me, so I immediately agreed.

"Okay." Mal said, "Back at our room in an hour. See you."

I made my way outside the crammed corridors, a little skip in each step. It felt so much easier to breathe. And although I was not completely free from everything, being away from those kids felt so much better. The sky was getting darker, reminding me of the absent of sunlight on the Isle and making Auradon a little more like home. But there was nothing to climb, no one to scare, nothing to amuse me. I tried clearing my head.

Where's the Museum of Cultural History?

I didn't want to ask anyone who passed by. And it seems as though they were glad I didn't speak to them at all. They had their heads turned as they walked by, their eyes wandered away to anywhere but me. I didn't have any unusual hair colors like the others, but I guess my clothes made it obvious I was not from around here.

Eventually I found a couple signs which helped me find my way and soon I saw the museum looming over the hill. It was a large structure with pillars lit with half a dozen spotlights.

A white haired boy sat on the stone stairs, head in his hands.