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Their last conversation keeps playing in her brain."I'm sorry""Please don't""I'm sorry"She blinks trying to get the memory to leave."Just. Fucking. Stay""I'm sorry""Can't you say anything else?!" She'd screamed"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" He tried to say more but it wouldn't come out."I hate you!" Her last words to him."I love you" His last words to her.That was a week ago. A week since her brother left to go to some stupid prep school in Auradon. She wasn't sure she'd ever really forgive him, if she ever saw him again that is. He was the shy one out of the two, never one to speak up or lash out. Now he was in a strange land with three other kids, two of which entertained themselves with making his life a living hell. He may be used to pain in his life but he always had Kit to help him out if things go to bad. Now he didn't. The idea of him all alone made her want to break out of the Isle, fuck the barrier, get her older brother back and leave no survivors in her wake. Because fuck Auradon and fuck anyone who thought it was okay to mess with him."KIT!"The sound of her name being screeched snaps her out of her thoughts.Kit takes a deep breath trying to drown out the panic that rose when she heard her mother's voice.She gets up from where she was sitting in the corner of her brother's tree house. She spent a lot of time up there lately, she was never allowed before but all the old gadgets her brother had been tinkering with offered her a bit of comfort, she did wonder about the hole in the roof that looked like something exploded though.She gets down from the tree and hurries in the back door as her mother continues screaming her name.She smells the smoke before she sees her mother, as she steps around the corner she catches sight of the black and white hair, the crazy pure insanity on her red lips that were sporting a long ciggeratte holder.God, Kit hates how much she looks like her mother, Cruella De Vil, the one and only..."Kit where have you been?!" she continues shrieking "This place looks bloody horrid! Just because Carlos isn't here doesn't mean you can slack in your chores!"Kit flinches at the sound of her brother's name."Well?!"Kit looks up to glare at her."Oh don't give me that look or I'll feed you to the dogs" Cruella sneered.Kit tenses up. No, please not the dogs! From a very young age the De Vil siblings had learned not to cross their mother, and whenever they went to far out of line she would threaten to feed them to a vicious pack of dogs, constantly telling them that dogs were bloodthirsty creatures who ate naughty children. If that threat didn't work she'd just have Jasper or Horace beat them."I'm sorry mother" Kit replies rather bitterly, looking back down at the floor."No you're not, I know you"You don't know me at all Kit doesn't say it but she thinks it, though for once her mother is right, she isn't sorry. But Cruella likes it when people suck up to her so that was Kits only remaining tactic for safety."I truly am, mother, I would never mean to hurt you""You hurt me every day by just existing" Cruella barked back "now get to work this place is filthy!"She walks out her high heels clicking loudly on the floor.Kit looks around, the house was quite nearly spotless as she had been cleaning all day, but it wasn't enough, of course it wasn't.Cruella never wanted her or Carlos, so naturally she treated them the way she did, it didn't help that they both loved to read and learn, in fact she frequently scorned them for it and tried destroying their stuff on a regular basis. She occupied them with heaps of work, most of it exceedingly pointless.Carlos struggled a lot due to her abuse never wanting to disappoint but seemingly only capable of just that.It was a bit different for Kit, she was the one who spoke up and defended them, which only led to more trouble. Even worse was the striking similarities between her and her mother, not just in looks, Kit shared her mother's crazy and violent nature, though some of that could be blamed on her... issue.Nevertheless she hated every aspect of herself that was anything like her mother.And Carlos knew this, and he understood it, and at night they would sit close together and exhaust the fact that at least they had each other.The more she thinks about it the more she realizes that Carlos won't make it a day on his own, especially not in Auradon.~~~~~~~~~"Conner Snow"He looks up."Are you listening to me?"He nods."Conner!""Yes mother""Are you lying?""No mother"Conner keeps his gaze on his mother as she continues speaking but his mind keeps wondering farther away.He thinks of the announcement last week, the one stating that four kids on the Isle of the Lost would attend a school in Auradon.He thinks of the girl in his class whose brother was one of those kid, ever since the chosen kids left she looks upset to say the least. He thinks about hearing that announcement and part of him hoping they'd pick him but the other part insisting he can't leave.Not that it mattered, he didn't get chosen."Do you understand me?" His mother was saying.He blinks,"Yes mother"He hadn't really been listening to her lecture and feels instantly guilty for lying.He's heard this particular lecture several times before but the guilt for not listening and lying about it was trying to swallow him up and drown him.And it might actually if his mother recognizes the lie.He starts picking nervously at the skin on the back of his neck.His mother smacks him over the head."Stop doing that! It makes you look sloppy""Sorry mother"~~~~~~~Melefic Academy.The elite middle school for the extra smart kids on the Isle, well that's how Kit would put it anyways.The kids there were smart, yes, but also violent and destructive.The school was spilt into two different groups, the high achievers who only got there by lying and cheating and the smarter kids who always got beat up, but at least they knew what they were doing and had rightfully earned their place in the school.Kit was a bit of an outsider, not really fitting into either of these categories but also not caring.Her reputation was more like that mysterious kid who the nerds viewed as a superhero because every once in a while she'd save them from getting beat up- unless they deserved it.She is also an eighth grader, the oldest grade, so people tended to leave her alone. That along with her mother's reputation.Kit sits at her desk doodling on her paper not really paying attention to the lesson.She looks around the room, to her left is a boy with light blonde hair, very invested in his work like getting a failing grade would kill him.Kit scans her brain trying to remember his name.He looks up from hi work, probably feeling her staring, and looks over at her.She waves and he looks around for a second then gives a small wave back before going back to his work.Conner Snow.His name clicks into her brain, of course, she recognized him as soon as she saw his emerald green eyes. He was the only kid on the Isle with eyes that color.They also had a sparkle to them, like a glimmer of hope that everything would be fine.You don't find that often in Isle kids. The color is so bright and noticable, despite this they still broadcast the softness of him. She blinks, looking away, and attempts to pay attention to the lesson.~~~~~~~Conner was slightly baffled.It was strangely unsettling to be under her gaze, her brown eyes so dark they were nearly black and the eyelashes on the left side of her face that were white, a long with part of the hair on that side.Her eyes were so intense it was crazy, both troublesome and caring mixed together, almost teasing at times.It was all so gorgeous and horrifying in one small glance.He didn't understand why she was looking at him. He hadn't really spoken to her before and she was an outsider in a school of kids who stuck to their cliques so maybe talking to wasn't the strangest thing she'd ever done.But she also didn't actually talk to him, just made eye contact.And it wasn't hostile either despite her rude attitude to most people and the fact that no one ever seemed to want anything to do with him.So maybe what he was doing wasn't the safest approach to this situation, but he felt it was worth it.Kit is alone, per usual, out by the front of the school.Not many people around at the time and she seems to revel in this, packing up her books with such solidarity.Conner let's out a breath and walks over to her, stopping about six inches away and feeling way to close.Kit raises an eyebrow at him, "Yes?""Uh-" He stutters a bit, not entirely sure what to say," Hi"The corner of her mouth tugs up a bit, amused, "Hi""I'm Conner""I know, I'm Kit""I know, it's nice to meet you""I've seen you around, you're a Snow right?""Uhm, yes" He looks slightly ashamed of it. "And you're a De Vil""Pfft yeah well, think of that what you will""I think it's intriguing" He blurts out. "I mean- it's just, I've heard a lot about you so I didn't know what to expect"She nods, "Yeah, but don't mention it to my mother because she WILL brag about it""That must be annoying""You get used to it""That's understandable""Understandable?""Well the more something happens, the more used to it you become. I don't see what's not to understand""Hmm, well you've taken an interest in me obviously"He looks at his feet, "What gives you that idea?""You're the first person to start a conversation with me the entire time I've been attending this godforsaken school. And if I'm being completely honest, the one I expected the least""Well..." He seems unsure how to continue the sentence, as if uncomfortable with being called out."It's fine, I'm actually rather honored you find me interesting""I'm sorry" He says this looking directly at her."I just said it's fine""Sorry"She gives him a look then jerks her head to point "C'mon""Where are we going?""You'll see"And with that she starts running, Conner right on her heels.They run away from the school filled with hopeless hearts.They run past the dried out fountain and the rundown apartments, they run away from all the villains and their cronies out to ruin someones day.They run past cobweb covered castles and mansions.Conner has no clue where they're going but he follows a long regardless, maybe it's not wise, Kit could be violent and dangerous so following her far away was a very dangerous course of action.It didn't matter, something in him decided to trust her. Possibly the worst decision he's ever made...Eventually Kit slows down and comes to a stop near the very edge if the barrier, the area was deserted, as it was far away from the main living areas of the land, leaving the two kids in perfect solitude.The main problem was that they had run in the complete opposite direction he took to get to the school making it a three hours walk for Conner to get home."Kit-" He started, "why are we here exactly?""This is the once place on the Isle you can get up close to with the barrier" Her words were coming out in huffed breathes from all the running."Okay... but why did you bring me here?"She hesitates, "To show it to you""Oh"He studies the barrier, it was very strange and surreal seeing it up close. Like a clear gold shield separating the Isle, and everyone on it, from the rest of the world.Conners curiosity takes over and he walks up to it and the first thing he realizes is the energy coming off it, like a wave of sunlight mixed with the smell of electricity. It's addicting. It's pure light magic. Slowly his hand comes up and he touches it, as a result the part of his hand in contact with the barrier starts to sizzle and burn and he jumps back. His hand feels as if it's coated in glitter afterwards."Yeah maybe don't touch it" There's a hint of amusement in Kits voice.He looks back at her, "Why did you want to show me this ?""Thought you'd find it interesting, the only bit of light magic around""I do""Good""It's the only magic on the Isle of any type really"She grimaces, "That's... Not entirely true"He blinks, "What do you mean?"She takes a deep breath and reaches her hands out, it takes a second then her veins start getting a red shading to them. Kits eyes keep unfocusing and she's starting to look sick. There's a slight burning smell in the air as little sputters of red explode from her hands until there's just a ball of crimson red tendrils floating in front of her face. It's growing and it's shrinking and it's pulling him in, even more addicting then the previous magic. This magic is dangerous, it's beautiful, and it's horrible. And he's terrified as he stares at the ball of energy that Kit created unable to take his eyes off it.Dark Magic.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Dark Magic.The most dangerous substance in the world."How?" Conner asks stunned."I was born with it""Well yes but the barrier is supposed to keep out all magic- how can you use it?"Kit huffs, "I gave up trying to figure that out a while ago... I assume it's just more powerful than the magic used to make the barrier "Her hands shake violently and she stops, the magic disappearing but you could still feel it in the air."It certainly does limit it though " she speculates, "I've done excessive research on it, I should have a lot of power at this point "Conner thinks on that for a minute, "wait so if you have Dark magic does that mean... all the side effects that come with it?" That last part was put in very cautiously."You mean the possession and high chance of going mad?" She fills in, "yeah probably, it does shock my mind from time to time... sometimes it lasts a while others just a second ""It... shocks your brain?"She purses her lips, " I don't really know how else to explain it, it just kinda- hurts then my minds muddled with violent thoughts and I wanna destroy everything, but like... I'm not in control of it?""That's confusing" Conner observes, "what happens when it goes away?""I get nauseated and it aches for a few more hours ""What does?""Everything "Conner nods, " I need to do more reading on this "Kit huffs out a breath of laughter, "and that's why I knew I could trust you with this "He stops like the thought hadn't crossed his mind, "why? You just met me"She gives a half shrug, "I have a good sense for knowing who I can trust, also you're really different from everyone else on the Isle "Conner looks uncomfortable by this, "yeah...""It's not a bad thing "He looks up at her."It's not" She insists, "anyone else would call me a freak or tried to abuse my power, but I knew you wouldn't, yeah I haven't known you long but it's kind of obvious, you're a good person. ""Really?" The question came out in a small squeak."Yes"Conner seemed at a loss for words."You're the first person I've told ""Not your brother?"As soon as he says it he wishes he could take it back, the defensive look that grew in her face was not worth it."How'd you know about him?" She's avoiding eye contact now."Well everyone kind of knows, more people know about him than you...and anyone paying attention can tell you're siblings"Kit puts her hands in her pockets, "is that so? Do you have siblings?""Hes in Auradon isn't he?" Conner swiftly avoids the question."Yeah... little shit""You resent him for it?"Kit sighs, "I'm happy he got away, I just wish he didn't leave me behind, he's not used to being alone but only he got invited so...""Oh...""Anyways" She flips her auburn, black and white braids over her shoulders, "one thing that crossed my mind is... we might be able to break down the barrier if I can gather enough strength in my magic ""What?!" The idea both scares and intrigues Conner."Yeah I think so " She studies the barrier, "it's not too thick, shouldn't be hard to cut through with enough force ""But that could have disastrous effects on your body... especially if your magic is limited "She just shrugs, "it's fucking worth it "He frowns, "is it?""Yes" It was obvious this wasn't up for debate."Okay well... we should do more studying on the topic of Dark magic, and the barrier, 'cause you can't do it if you're not going to be safe about it ""Oh and you plan on stopping me?"Conner swallows nervously, "Yes "She sighs, "fine, you're a little softie yknow "Conner hums, " I just don't want you to get hurt ""Yeah exactly " She grins and pats him on the shoulder causing him to jump and tense up, " come on we should get home"He nods, "yeah"As they were waking back Kit stops by a vendor to quickly snag a bottle of wine and cracks it open before taking a swing, not wincing a bit at the taste.
Conner glances at her, "how old are you?""13 why""It's not really healthy to drink at that age, or ever really but it's worse the younger you are "Kit stares at him, "nothing we do is healthy Conner, we live on an island designed for Auradon to dump their trash on, it's amazing anyone has lived this long here "Conner looks down, "yeah I guess you're right ""I am"~~~~~Conner's concern had surprised her.
She knew he wouldn't mention it to anyone, she knew how he would react, but she didn't expect concern.
He seemed so worried about the side effects and the limitations.
Most people knew her as someone who could take care of herself, so she wasn't used to concern, in fact the only person who was ever concerned about her was her brother when she'd pick a fight with their mom or her henchmen.
When she first saw Conner her first impression was that he was determined, as if one little fuck up would be disastrous, in fact she was sure a lot of times it was for him.
Over the years they've been going to school together she learned more things watching from the sidelines, such as how he always seemed to be reading and, and how he was keeping so many secrets and was good at it, which is why she trusted him with her secret,she noticed how he seemed scared of every little movement.
But she wasn't expecting him to be so caring, or stubborn for that matter.
She expected him to follow her when she ran, noticing he never backed out of anything.
Turns out there was a lot more to Conner Snow than she originally thought.
That's the thing with people though, always much more complex than seen on the surface, if Kit was anything to go by.
His comment toward drinking was strange too. She didn't expect that from him... but it wasn't really something she thought about.
There was a lot of strange things going into figuring out Conner Snow.
Her mind wanders from Conner to Carlos, she can't help but wonder how he was, were the others giving him a hard time? Did he make any new friends? Was he still experimenting and tinkering?
God, she misses him, and she hates him all the same.
She understands why he left, he had to, and he deserved to. If anyone was deserving of getting off the isle it was him.
But she still hates him for it. Not only did he pretty much abandon his little sister in a bad situation, he also put himself in danger by distancing himself from her.
And she doesn't know which she hates more.
How could she not hate him?
I mean, how does one go on without the one person they could rely on?
How could one not hate the one who took that from them?
Even if it was the person themselves.
But it didn't feel like it was really him who did it, sometimes it feels like he just disappeared and some stranger came to apologize for it.
There was her brother, who she misses with all her damn heart, and there was the kid who left and couldn't find the words to explain why.
It just wasn't fair, no one should have someone they care about ripped from them that suddenly.
She wonders if Conner would've liked him.~~~~~~~~It had been almost a week since Kit showed him her big secret.
Ever since Conner has been studying the subject of dark magic a lot, unfortunately there wasn't much information on it and most that was there was just legends or rumors of what people once believed.
Some of them could be true, most of them not.
It wasn't really helpful but he continues to look and reread books in case he missed anything, putting almost all his time and effort into it.
He's already gotten in trouble for spending more time reading than studying his schoolwork, and as much as he would not like to disappoint more he has to find out as much as he can.
He takes a deep breath and remembers that day, he was terrified when he found out,interested and invested yes, but terrified.
He already didn't know Kit very well and now she has dark magic.
Who knows what she'd do with it?
She already seems upset with her brother, who knows how quickly she'll turn on him.
So yes he's terrified of her, but doesn't he have every right to be?
He's scared of near everything, the evil powers just add to it.
But she came to him with her secret.
"You're the first person I've told " she said, and if he was the first person she chose to trust with it then he was going to be deserving of that.~~~~~~~The rain outside is going feral.
The weather has been particularly bitchy today, freezing cold and constant downpours.
Kit can hear the rain beating hard from inside the school, no matter what room she was in. All the students were cold, still wrapped up in their jackets, and no one was in a friendly mood, to be fair, people are rarely ever in a good mood on the isle but the weather still took its toll.
Particularly for Conner.
Or rather the dumbasses who decided to pick on him today.
As Kit walks toward the door to get home she passes them.
A group of kids had decided to take their problems out on Conner today as he was being beat up just around the corner when she turned.
This immediately angers her and she goes over to them."Hey fuckers!"They all collectively turn to look at her.She gives them a small mischievous smile, "hello"
Then she promptly punches the first kid in the face making him stagger back with a bloody nose."What the hell is wrong with you?!" The kid screams.She just shrugs and trips the next one and kicks them away when they fall.
When they try to get back up she kicks them in the chest with her big combat boots causing them to lose their breath.The third and final one makes the smart decision to run.Kit huffs out a breath and goes to grab Conner and shove him out the door and into the pouring rain.
She pulls him under the cover of the roof of an old building and pushes him up against the wall pinning him there."What the hell Conner?"He tries to speak but she interrupts him."You need to start standing up for yourself, you can't just let everyone walk all over you, them, me, your parents "He flinches at this.She sighs, " I know you're parents beat you Conner. It's written all over you, hell I've known you a week and I can tell" She looks down, " and believe me I know what it's like "She takes her arm off his chest."Okay..." he doesn't really know what else to say."Come on, let's get you cleaned up ""Where are we going now?""My place " She gives him a look, "Hell Hall"~~~~~Hell Hall was HUGE.It was a Victorian mansion of course it was big, you could get a good days' run just going around the house.Conner was amazed, you could probably fit about fifty of his house on the first floor, he lives in a small one level house on the crowded bits of the isle, meanwhile Kit lived in a mansion in a more deserted place on the Isle.Kit leads him over to one of the sides of the house through a small door that leads to a cellar that was probably once used for storing products for De Vil industries, judging by all the cardboard boxes marked "De Vil Industries ". The room was rather large with stairs leading to other rooms and a fireplace in one of the walls with an old couch sitting in front of it. Why a storage room needed a fireplace and couch he did not know but he also wasn't complaining."Here we are " Kit breathes out, "I'd advise you don't leave this room- you don't want to get caught by the boys....or worse, my mother"Conner nods looking, why was even the cellar huge?"It's so big " He says under his breath.Kit huffs out a laugh, "yeah maybe one day I can show you the whole place, all five floors, eight bedrooms, five baths, three living rooms,six offices and three kitchens""Why would one house need so many rooms?""Several reasons, mostly to boast about how much money you have ""My parents used to be really rich " He says thoughtfully, "but after my grandfather was executed they lost everything, their money and status,they're not too happy about it. That was before I was born so I don't know what it's like ""Wasn't your grandfather like- a president or something?""Yeah... Coriolanus Snow ""Wasn't he the instigator for some crazy death trap game or something?""Yeah uhm-" This topic always makes him uncomfortable, he didn't like to think about how fucked in the head his family was, "Anyways... I thought I should tell you what I learned about dark magic "Kit looks suspicious for a bit then nods, "yeah but first let's get that blood off you "He had forgotten he had a bloody nose... he didn't really notice since he was used to the way it feels.He flinches back when he feels Kit bring a wet towel up to his face and start treating the bruises like she's been doing it her whole life.
The sight of his own blood makes him queasy, despite seeing it many times before it just brings back bad memories and flashbacks. So he's internally grateful that Kit manages to get it off him quick.Kit puts the towel in an old basket and sits on the arm of the couch gesturing for him to take a seat, so he does."So, you found something helpful?""Mostly just superstitions without much backup to them, but I'm going to keep searching "Kit sighs then curiosity takes over, "what superstitions?""A lot, most of them crazy" He scans his brain trying to remember them, "like the one about addictions being stronger due to the magic ""Hmm" Kit seems to think on this."Also one saying that everyone born with the magic is already morally bad ""I don't believe that's true ""But it would make sense...dark magic targets those with already dark intentions, after all its not genetic and it just happens randomly, there could be a reason to that "Kit purses her lips, " So you think everyone with dark magic is morally evil?""Well-" He stops and looks over at her, "maybe not all of them ""Right " Kit says snippily, "any others?"He swallows, "well there's one stating that people born with the power are basically immortal and can only die when the magic decides it's time ""Wouldn't that be significant ""But no one knows if it's true "She shrugs, "wouldn't it be cool to prove they're right or wrong?""How would we do that?"Kit rolls her eyes then summons a ball of crimson energy, "this is how, I'm right here, the reason there's not much helpful information on it is because it's rare, well if these superstitions are true they'd affect me "Conner eyes seem to glow in the red light of the magic, "that's true... we could figure this stuff out and get the information out there as a reliable source "Kit extinguishes the light and grins at him, "well only way to do that is to get off this island ""Oh yeah... that""It's kinda steps one bud"He shrugs, " the logic of the barrier doesn't make much sense, especially since they used fairy godmothers wand, which isn't even on top ten for most of most powerful magic. They should've sealed it with something much more powerful for it to be effective ""Well in this case their stupidity works in our advantage" She slowly starts taking her braids out while thinking, letting the black and white fall in the front with the auburn locks falling in the back, it was so long it reached her elbows.Conner can't help but to find the fact that she takes her hair out when thinking of it being simultaneously cool and endearing."So you've been looking into other typos of magic too?""Uh- yeah I am""Good, we're going to need as much information as we can get, I'd love to help more but" She sighs and looks around, "my mom is good at keeping me away from stuff I should be doing ""How do you mean?""Well pretty much all the chores fall on me now that my brother is gone""Doesn't your mother have henchmen?""Yeah but she needs them for other things ""Oh..."She gives him a small smile, " it's fine, as soon as we get out of here we can destroy them along with everyone else on this isle ""Everyone?""Well we don't have to destroy the people but I want to see the island itself become rock on the bottom of the sea ""Okay then that's what we'll do "
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
November began with a sudden drop in the weather.To be clear it was never very warm on the isle, even the summer was sweater weather. But as soon as November hit, so did the frost, it wasn't snowing but the chill in the air was intense. You had to get really close to a fire to be very warm.
Another harsh miserable winter was coming their way.
Kit had learned that with enough force she could create heat with her magic, which was precisely what she was doing in order to keep her and Conner warm as he sat curled up on the couch in the cellar reading more about her magic. She offered to also read but he insisted she practice using the magic so she'd be used to it and it'd be significantly easier.
He was wearing a dark green hoodie over his usual sweater over a white button up, with his feet curled under him, shoes still on, his breath was coming out as white smoke and his cheeks were bright red from the cold.
Kit is focused on the ball of red hot energy between her hands while wrapped up in her big leather jacket.
She takes a deep breath trying to summon more warmth and force it into the orb, it was working, just at a frustratingly slow pace. That seemed to be the case for any time she tried to use her magic, still their plan to break out of the isle grew ever more present as the days grew colder so she was gonna have to control it.
Kit has no control over her magic, in fact it seemed that the magic has more control over her, that fact has been true from the beginning, with the intense amount of research they've been doing they found out that was just the way it was with dark magic, it was it's own sentient being, often appearing as hallucinations of the person's worst fear,or a voice inside their head sounding like their worst fear. Either way the message they gave was the same: everyone has wronged you and it's time to take revenge. Or something along those lines, not simply telling them "be evil because I insist" no this fucking demon living inside her bones was a very good manipulator. Always out to fuck up the brain of whatever poor soul was cursed with it.
She had gotten so frustrated lost in her thoughts she almost didn't notice when there was a bright spark in the orb of magic.
After a second it happened again. And again. Till it wasn't an orb of magic anymore but a ball of fire.Kit laughs triumphantly causing Conner to look up and notice.He just nods, "so you figured out how to turn it into different elements, great "Her eyes widen, "I can turn it into different elements?"He nods again, "chapter 23 mentions that" he putz the book aside and takes out a notebook from his pile of... many more books, and marks something down."Are you keeping track of what I can and can't do?""At your magic level yes, I find it's easier to remember and understand things if you keep track""You're a weird kid, you know that?"He just shrugs and goes back to reading, then immediately stops and looks back up at her, "sorry that was rude, I shouldn't have ignored you "She scoffs, "I've done much worse, you're good "He seems very unsure of this but he nods politely, "thank you " then goes back to reading.Man that kid confused her, add that to the list of things that made him different from the other villain kids, good manners. They weren't even just "good " they were great, kind of insufferable, like he belonged in a grand palace. The Snows were definitely the black sheep on the isle, they held a regal stature, and treated everyone as if they were below them, they dressed nice and had strict rules about how to act and how to live. She didn't really know much of them other that, didn't know where they lived, didn't know if they had any kids other than Conner, didn't know exactly why they were on the isle other than some rumors about Conner's grandfather running a death tournament which, according to Conner, was true. She didn't really understand why they acted like a regal 1800s family obsessed with keeping their record clean and not associated with those "below" them. She did however feel sorry for Conner that they were that way, because he wasn't, in fact he was the opposite. She didn't understand how he could possibly be their child, she tried not to pry too much but she was genuinely interested in what the hell was going on with the Snows.She looks over at Conner and finds that he had fallen asleep while reading with his cheek pressed against the side of the couch and the book sitting open in his lap.
God, he looks so peaceful, compared to his usual stressed and scared expression that was.
She doesn't want to wake him so she lets him sit there sleeping for a while. A small smile grew on her face against her will.
She didn't really know why but there was just something about Conner that the moment you saw him it was like a wave of calm, he made all the stressful things in life bearable. And he wasn't even trying.About ten minutes passes before she wakes him.
He groggily opens his eyes and seems to remember where he is and immediately hides his face in his hands, which only makes Kit smile more."I'm sorry " He mumbles into his hands."It's fine" She suppresses a laugh."No it's not" He looks up the pink in his cheeks fading slightly, "I shouldn't have fallen asleep, I don't know what came over me ""Exhaustion probably ""I'm so sorry" He says this looking directly at her, making her slightly uncomfortable."Stop fucking apologizing for everything ""Sorry"She gives him a look."Sorry, instinct" He looks away as if ashamed."Dear lord " She says through a sigh, "you need help""With what?""Mental help, Conner, when they fix the shit in your brain ""Oh..." Hes looking at his feet at this point.She sighs again, "You should probably go back home now, before your parents freak out about coming home late"His eyes widen and he whispers, "I don't want to" He struggles to explain, "I should've never come here, they're going to kill me ""Well it's not to late-" She tries to reassure him, "they probably won't even notice ""No they will" He mumbles curling up into a little conner-ball and shoving his face on the couch cushion."Are you sure?"He nods into the couch."What about when I showed you the barrier? You must've been home pretty late then ""Yeah" He chokes out, he lifts his face from the cushion and wipes his sleeve against his face, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't cry- I'm being ridiculous "Kit approaches the next question carefully, "what did they do when you got home late last time?"He opens his mouth then closes it then finally, "Just the usual, along with extra yelling "Kit nods, "Okay we should get you home before it gets to late "He nods but doesn't move, doesn't do anything but sit there.She hesitates then hugs him, startling the shit out of him."What are you doing?" He whispers."Just saying goodbye and wishing you luck" She heaves him up to his feet, "I'll see you at school tomorrow ""Yeah, maybe"She gives him a smile as he goes toward the door and hesitates then gives her a small genuine smile back.~~~~~~Conner is humiliated.
He considered killing himself after he had cried in front of Kit, he very nearly did.
The main reason he didn't was because the more he thought about it the more it seemed Kit really didn't mind, of course the idea that she was just faking and was actually deeply repulsed kept coming into reality trying to choke him.
He never cried in front of anyone, the only people who have ever seen it happen was his family, and that never ended well, usually with threats if which were very efficient, and he simply figured he'd never cry again, he came to that conclusion when he was six years old, of course it didn't work- which was incredibly frustrating.
So maybe he didn't leave the situation without going home and punishing himself for it, but it could be much worse he supposed.
He sits curled up in the corner of his room with a blanket and his books. He's flipping through the pages of "History of magic, dark and light " but he couldn't focus on the words in front of him. He has a headache, his heart is pounding, and the air is cold. Without a heat source in his room he's sure if he stayed in the same position long enough he'd freeze solid.
Chapter by chapter he reads with his mind becoming more uninterested the further along he read.
His brain starts recalling everything that happened at Hell Hall, how he had freaked out at the time, how Kit was blunt and truthful about everything, how her magic had sparked a flame and turned into fire warming up the room instantly, burning through the cold-
Burning-
Burning through-
His eyes snap open. He puts down his book and starts rifling through the others before picking up one titled "The History and Logic of The Fairy Godmothers Wand"
And started skimming through the pages.
There it was.
"One of the wands weakest parts was its inability to deal with intense heat, too much will burn up most of the magic "He reads it over a few times, getting excited.
He needs to tell Kit the moment he saw her next.~~~~~~~~~Kit is exhausted.
The very last thing she wants to do was go to school, but she knows she'd just be put to work if she stays home so she trudges along with drooping eyes.Conner is already waiting for her as she reaches the school grounds. She sighs and walks over to him."Hey Conner ""I found something ""What?""I found something" He repeats, "To help with the barrier""What?" Her mind is racing, had he really found a way out?"Fire, the fairy godmothers wand has a weakness, and it's fire" He starts rambling, "It's supposed to kill off the magic depending on the heat level ""Oh my God Conner that's genius "He smiles, "We just need to find out how much heat we'd need for the barrier, which we could probably find out with a bit more research ""Or we could just test it""What?""I learned how make heat yesterday, if I apply enough heat to it we could get to the point it burns the magic out""But that could have disastrous effects if you accidentally get it to a tempature that's not good for the barrier""Well we have to figure it out don't we?""Yeah but we can do it through research so we don't get hurt"She blows out at breath, "fine, but if we don't figure it out soon we're going with my method""Deal"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
December was miserable.
There was a light coating of snow over everything and the furniture was iced over, it took extra caution to walk on the streets and you had to be wearing extra layers even when sitting directly next to a fire.Conner hates December. Always had. It was a depressing,cold, and painful month, worse than all the others in his opinion.
The people on the isle didn't celebrate Christmas so there wasn't that to look forward to. The weather also had an effect on his work, often it was too cold or slippery to even make it to school, and he was too busy trying not to die of cold at home.Conner is sitting in bed, the sheets freezing, trying to find the motivation to get up and study. But every move he makes has him wincing in pain and his brain is muddled by the cold and thoughts.He hears the locks on his door clicking and turns his eyes toward the door, firmly locked there as the door opens."Conner"He doesn't reply."Conner, talk to me "He shakes his head.A sharp inhale, "Okay get out here "He stays put."Conner! Get out here!"He flinches and gives in, walking out the door and tries to distance himself from his sister as much as he can.She crosses her arms and turns to look at him, "Conner why are you acting like that?"He scoffs and goes to pick up his nephew, Noland, who was left abandoned on the counter and moves him to the couch."Conner, stop ignoring me ""Why?"She hesitates and something seems to click in her mind, she hesitates, "Oh please get over that "He turns to her, fury growing in him."It was two years ago-""Three" He interrupts, "it was three years ago ""Exactly""Why did you do it?""You were a ten year old kid, Conner, it was up to me to bring you home after you ran away, it was for your own good"His head snaps up at that, "For my own good? How is this for my own good?""You need someone to take care of you, you're just a kid""Who's taking care of me?"She hesitates."Who's taking care of me Carlotta?""Our parents""Really?""Conner stop arguing with me, you could've died if I hadn't brought you back ""Don't you think maybe that was the point?!" At this point he was shouting.She stares at him for a moment, shocked, "Conner-""No, don't you think I ran away because I knew I wouldn't survive on my own?! Don't you think maybe I purposefully chose to hide somewhere the death rates were higher?" He cant stop at this point, and with every word he steps closer to his sister, "I don't know why I am the way I am okay, I don't know why I'm terrified of mother and father, I don't know why I feel like this, but I do know that at least I have a valid reason to be upset with you""Conner-""Why don't you say anything? I can tell by the look on your face that you don't like them,you're my older sister- you're supposed to protect me! But you don't say anything, why? It's 'cause you're scared they'll do the same to you that they do to me- you're scared-"He was cut off by her hand flying across his face.
He stops and looks up at her, his face growing hot where she hit.
He starts backing up."Conner-"He runs to his room and shuts the door behind him, his mind reeling.Why had he done that? He never shouted, he never raised his voice, he never broke and ranted like that.
Maybe he had needed it.
Why would he?
Why did he get so upset?
He was bit let down already, but it wasn't over anything that bad.
Why couldn't he just let it go?
Why couldn't he just forgive her for something that happened three years ago?
Why had he acted out like that?
Why had his sister hit him?
What did he do to deserve it?
He acted out, that's what.
Why had Carlotta seemed so distressed after she hit him?
Why did she hit him?
She never hit him.
He stands with his back against his door, hyperventilating and cold sweating.
Breathing just gets harder and harder as the moments go by.
He closes his eyes taking deep breaths trying to calm down.
It wasn't working.
He opens his eyes and grabs his coat going over to the window above his bed and opening it. As he climbs up to the window he hears his door open and looks over to see Carlotta standing in the doorway.
She notices what he's doing and nods solemnly.
He jumps out the window and takes off running trying to get that house as far away as he could.
~~~~~~~~~The very last thing Kit expected at 11am on December 2nd was Conner making an unplanned visit.Nor did she expect the first thing for him to do when she opened the door wrapping her up in a hug and shoving his face in her shoulder..She wraps her arms around him and holds him for a few minutes while he regains himself.
Slowly he calms down and Kit leads him to sit on the couch in front of the fireplace that has a small flame flickering in it, the only warmth in the room.
"What happened?" She asks after a few minutes.He shuffles into a little conner-ball on the couch, there was a bruise forming on his cheek and he was moving stiffly, as if in pain."I got into a fight with my parents this morning, I tried taking your advice and standing up for myself ... it only upset them more "She inhales, "what happened after that?"He shrugs with a wince, "Just the usual beating and screaming lecture, nothing that doesn't happen every day"He can see the question in her dark brown eyes."I broke" He stares at the floor, "I completely lost it, I yelled, I've never yelled before, I admitted stuff I wish I didn't, I don't know why I did that""You were going to break at some point " Kit says casually, "when you go through a lot of shit it gets hard to bottle it up all the time""But I haven't gone through a lot of shit ""The fuck are you talking about? You're literally being abused and picked on at school ""I'm not being abused" He gives her a cold look."Yes you are Conner, you're parents are very clearly abusive""No-no they're just a bit strict that's it ""You don't really believe that do you?""Of course I do, why would I lie?"She sighs, "look, Conner, deny it as much as you want but if your parents are beating you and screaming and manipulating you, it's an issue ""I'm not being manipulated""The very fact that you can't admit it is proof you are "He shakes his head and stares into space.She understands that this is hard for him. But she genuinely wasn't aware that he didn't know what was going on.
And she hated to be the bearer of bad news but he needed to know. He should know that he deserves more. And she knew it was hard to accept something about someone you've known your whole life, even if that thing was strikingly obvious.
Maybe she didn't understand the exact situation, but she had a pretty firm grasp of the issue."My family prides themselves on never lying " Conner mumbles, "So I've always believed everything they said""I'm willing to bet more than half of what they said was bullshit""But why would they implement that rule so much if they didn't even follow it themselves?""Because they're shit people ""But they never did anything that bad, the reason we're even on the isle is because of my grandfather, nothing to do with them""That doesn't mean anything, I'm pretty sure your entire family is just shit""Yeah" He looks over at the door, "Being a horrible person kind of runs in our blood""Conner, you need to realize something " Kit starts, "You're not like them, you very obviously come from a line of shit people but just because you're related doesn't make you anything like them"Conner shakes his head, "my great grandfather started the tradition of killing off children annually, my grandfather was to put it simply not above child murder, now my parents are abusers " He looks up at her, "I can't escape it can I?'"No, you can't" She admits, "but you can start by realizing that it's wrong"He stares into space for a while more."Why did they do it?" The question came out as a choked up sob, "why did they want to... hurt me?" That last part took longer to get out, like he still didn't think they'd ever hurt him."I don't know""Did I do something wrong? Was it because I'm a terrible son?" He's whispering with salt steaming down his bruised cheeks."They probably just wanted something to hit""Why didn't they do it to-" He stops suddenly like he almost said something he didn't want to, "uhm- I- I'm sorry- I think there's something wrong with me"Kit scoffs, "well there's no doubt about that"
But she moves to wrap him in a hug, feeling him stiffen for a second at the touch."Is that why I always feel like this?" He asks through his tears."Like what?""Like nothing I do is enough...and it'd be better for everyone if I just died""Yes"A few minutes pass in silence, Conner stops crying but seems to not want to leave the comfort of Kit's arms."Hey guess what" He whispers into her shoulder."Yeah?""I'm officially a teenager now ""...what?""It's my thirteenth birthday "Aw fuck, his birthday?"Well happy birthday""It's okay"She gives a small laugh and starts running her fingers through his light blonde hair and humming, the seriousness of the conversation laying a tired weight on her shoulders.After a while she notices that Conner had fallen asleep, with his breath showing in the cold air.Kit carefully lays him down on the couch and tucks an old blanket around him, then goes over to the fireplace to make the flame bigger and warmer."KIT!"God, she could kill her mother.She finishes up making the room comfortable for Conner than rushes upstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~Conner had returned home about an hour after he woke up.
Why the fuck did he fall asleep in Hell Hall? It wasn't exactly a warm or homey place, he doesn't feel particularly comfortable when there. Maybe he was just really tired.In any case he'd returned to the small dingy house the Snows have been residing in for the last 20 years.His sister had already left with her son when he got back. His parents hadn't returned yet either so he was left alone with his thoughts.And his thoughts decided to bother him for the rest of the day, asking questions with fuzzy answers.Why had he more or less lied to Kit saying that he was fighting with his parents and not his sister?
Easy, she didn't know he had a sister, and he WAS fighting with his parents earlier that day before they left.
Why didn't he tell Kit he had a sister?
Less easy, why did she need to know? Besides it was just easier to say it was his parent.
Why did Carlotta hit him?
Harder, she was angry he supposed.
Did he deserve to be punished for the shit he pulled?
Easiest of all, yes.
Where his parents really abusive?
By far the hardest, possibly? Apparently? Everything added up it's true, it certainly explains things. But why was it so hard to wrap his head around.
His parents? Abusive? Why would you ever think something like that?
Completely and utterly ridiculous.
But it was the most reasonable thing in his life.
The confusion about it and the disbelief that it could be true made him want to die.So he snuck back through his bedroom window.
He grabbed an old lighter from inside the drawers on his desk and held it up to his wrist before starting it.The gass firing up, turning into a flame and burning him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
January arrived with no change in weather and dwindling success in tasks.But Conner's mind was constantly reviewing and decoding the information they had for their little scheme.
Which only made his mother's little learning sessions harder as he wasn't focused on the lessons. Not that he particularly wanted to be, but better safe than sorry.Most lessons were very well focused around the games themselves, and there's nothing quite like dedicating that much time to child slaughter.
January arrived with no change in weather and dwindling success in tasks.But Conner's mind was constantly reviewing and decoding the information they had for their little scheme.Which only made his mother's little learning sessions harder as he wasn't focused on the lessons. Not that he particularly wanted to be, but better safe than sorry.The Snow family being who they were, they tended to make sure their children were more educated on the family history and their legacy. And of course that wasn't something Conner was being taught at school, so his mother dedicated three days a week to give personal lessons to her son, usually accompanied by a lecture as to why he was a disgrace to the family name.Unfortunately for Conner the subjects were usually quite horrifying, especially to be learning from the very young age of three.
Today's lesson was focused around the topic of mutts. Nasty creatures, usually valid points in most of Conner's nightmares.Conner tries to listen to the gruesome details but his mind keeps wandering.
Has Kit figured out how to create other elements yet?
If dark magic is still accessible on the isle what does that mean for other villains' powers? It'd be a nightmare if they figured they could still use them.“Conner!”His mother's voice startles him out of his thoughts.
She grabs his arm where his sleeve got pulled up exposing his left wrist, which was covered in scars and burns.
But his mother's eyes are glued firmly to the marking on his wrist, put there when he was three is the symbol of the capital burned into his skin.“Conner, have you been hurting yourself?” She was gripping his arm rather tightly, causing him to flinch a bit.He nods, “Yes mother”“Have you been doing this to cover up the capital? I've taught you the importance of this symbol Conner!”“No mother that's not-”She lets go of his wrist and grabs him by the hair, shoving his head back sharply so he meets her gaze.“Do not lie to me Conner”“I'm not, I promise” Panic is building in his chest rapidly, he is used to this, he doesn't know why it scares him every time.“You are Snow! You need to start acting like one!”“I know-”“Do you?! Because you never get any better! Many times me or your father have had to tell you this, but it has no effect on you! You need to get your act together and prove yourself worthy of your name!”Conner chokes on his words trying to come up with a response.“No, don't start with your excuses! I don't want to hear it! You should be honored to be a member of this family, instead you spit on it! You truly are a problem”“I'm sorry-”She backhands him hard enough to knock him to the ground before he can finish.“When I see you again you'd have better gotten your act together, do you understand?”“Yes mother”“Say it”“I understand”She gives a disgusted huff and picks him up, shoving him across the room and throwing him into his room before locking the door.In his room Conner lays on the floor shaking.
When he gets up he immediately starts banging his wrist against the corner of his desk, feeling the pain shock through him like fire until he's screaming.~~~~~~~~~The two villain kids had often been meeting up in Hell Hall to study and relay information.
And this particular meeting had no plans of being any different when it came to planning.Turns out two thirteen year olds weren't exactly your ideal team for a barrier breakout.Kit was close to falling asleep. All this work with no results, it was driving her up the fucking wall.She's stopped reading the book in her lap, having lost interest.
She looks over at Conner who's still enthralled by what he was reading.She watches him read for a while and notices when he winces as he flips the page, then realizes his wrist is wrapped in makeshift bandages, which was basically just a bunch of old fabric.She frowns, “what happened to your wrist Conner?”His head snaps up, “I- uh- it broke”“How?”He just shrugs.She sighs, “Okay… have you found anything else?”He shakes his head, clearly frustrated, “no it's just the same stuff repeated over and over again”“Yeah… I wish there was more-”She stops speaking suddenly, staring into space.“Uh- Kit?”Streaks of red hot energy climbs through her cells and seeping into her brain, burning with a passion.A laugh starts playing in the back of her mind.Her mind keeps slipping out, replaced by darkness and screams.She can feel her body moving, not much, just a head turn to the right… towards Conner.The pain is intense now… but she can't scream, can't make a single noise.She can sense the fear coming off the other kid, all of her senses are heightened, but she's not even in her own body.
Or she is, she's just not in control.She catches a glimpse of the thing possessing her.It looks like her mother.No, focusing in more.It looks like her.Or a weird hybrid of the two.The next thing she knows she's inside her own body again, but she can't move.
It hurts too much.So she just lays there shaking and gasping for air.“What was that?”Ah yes, Conner is still here.“Oh just y’know” she rasps, “dark magic”“So it possessed you?”He was taking notes, she could hear the paper scribbling.“Yeah, not the first time it's happened, but definitely more intense this time”“Did you see the thing?”“What thing?”“It's said that you will see images of your worst fear when it happens remember”“Oh…yeah” She didn't really feel like telling him what she'd seen, she wasn't even sure what it was, “Yeah I didn't see that sorry”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
February was normally cold in Auradon, but Agrabah was one of the kingdoms that rarely got cold.And young Prince Ali isn't really expecting to have a good time at his older brothers’ sixteenth birthday event.You see the thing with royal families was their parties were HUGE.
Every royal in Auradon is invited, and the kids are allowed to invite any friends of theirs.They are usually balls as well, which he isn't a fan of in general. He's the only one out of his siblings who doesn't like them, Aziz, his older brother of which the party is focused on, is used to it and enjoys the attention, then there was his twin sister, Jewel, the little prima donna adores everything to do with balls, and as much as he loves her, she is extremely annoying, especially about things like this.He's standing in a corner of the ballroom watching his sister spin around in a sparkling wave of blue.Another girl comes over to her, and he recognizes her as Princess Erica, Jewel's best friend.
Next to her is someone else, he's rolling his eyes at Erica, he has bright red hair, not even like orange, just red. And hes fidgeting a lot. Ali could swear he'd seen him before, but before he can work it out the boy turns to look at him, his green eyes are so bright they sparkle from across the room.
The boy flashes him a smile and starts to walk over.Ali has a small moment of panic but pushes it down before the boy makes his way over.He stops a few feet in front of Ali and starts to say something but Ali interrupts him.“Price Aaron” He suddenly remembers his name.He shrugs, “Call me Aaron, Prince Ali”“Call me Ali”Aaron smiles, “Why were you watching me?”“I was watching my sister-”He smirks, “right, you seem pretty bored”Ali shrugs, “not really much to do”“Yeah that's the issue with royal balls I believe, or any dance in general”“The point is to dance, hence the name”“Smartass” Aaron rolls his eyes, running his hands through his hair making the red waves fall over his face.“You think I'm a smartass you should meet my sister, underneath all the glitter she's annoyingly clever”He sighs, “Yes little sisters tend to be increasingly difficult to stand”“Well she's actually my twin, but yeah”“Oh that's right- you two are twins, you two still attending Auradon Academy?”Ali nods, “yeah but we'll be going to Auradon Prep next year”“Of course, I'll see you there”“Right…you're fourteen right?”“Yep, till August”“Well by that logic, I'll only be thirteen till July”“Aw fuck, your birthday is before mine”“Hey language, we're at a royal event”“You don't actually mind do you?”“Hell no, but don't let anyone hear you or your reputation will go down the drain”“Pfft, my reputation is already shit, most people just blame me for everything that goes wrong in my kingdom"
"Why?" Aaron gives him a look."Oh, right "Aaron is transmasc, he gets a lot of hate for it and there was a lot of backlash when his family came out to support him too.
Unfortunately that didn't change the fact that he still gets treated badly due to it.
And it makes Ali really sad because he doesn't deserve to be treated any differently because of it.Their eyes meet for a second and Aaron winks at him.“But hey they can't do anything about it”“You're really cool”Ali hadn't meant to say it, it kind of just slipped out, he wants smack himself.Aaron gives a small laugh, “you think?”“Yeah, I mean you're just…really cool”Aaron is smiling very wide at this point, “well thanks, you're cool too”“Thanks” He's not entirely sure what else to say, so he just stands there looking at the boy across from him.At that moment the girls decide to come bother their brothers, breaking the awkward silence.“Hello boys” Jewel waltzes up to them, her braids flying with the fast movement.“Princess Jewel” Aaron gives her a nod, holy fuck, he could be a gentleman??Erica rests her head on her friend's shoulder, “what were you two talking about?”“Nothing much” Ali answers quickly.Jewel raises an eyebrow at her brother but doesn't say anything.Erica just shrugs and grabs her brother's arm, “c"mon Aaron you need to dance”Aaron groans as his sister drags him to the dance floor, turning briefly to give Ali an apologetic smile.Ali tears his eyes away and holds his hand out to Jewel, “Shall we?”She smirks and takes his hand.~~~~~~After the party Aaron sits in one of the living rooms with his sister.
He's drawing a sketch on a scrap piece of paper he found, thinking about his strange encounter with Agrabahs younger prince.
There is just something about Ali that interested him, he can't quite put his finger on it.He looks up at his sister who's curled up on the couch, long black hair tied up in a ponytail, scrolling on her phone.“Hey Erica?”“Mm?” She murmurs not looking up.“Why haven't you introduced me to Jewels brother before?”She looks up at this, “I don't know? I never really thought about it”“Hmm” He stares out the window fidgeting with the pencil in his hand.“Why?”“No reason… he's just really cool”“Uh huh” Erica is giving him a weird look.“And nice, and he's pretty….cool- pretty cool”“Oh my god”“What?”“You like him don't you?”“I-”“Ugh, come on, he's my best friends brother”“I'm well aware”“I can't believe you of all people fell for Prince Ali of Agrabah”“I didn't- I mean, I just met him, I don't think that even counts as being friends yet”“You're so pathetic”“Oh shut up” He throws a pillow at her face, knocking her over, she retaliates with a couch cushion.“What the fuck?!” He yelps as he dodges it.“Ah sweet revenge” Erica sighs.“You suck you know that”“You're one to talk” She smirks at him.He rolls his eyes and goes back to his sketch.~~~~~~Ali can't get his mind off the previous encounter.
It's ridiculous he knows, but he also kinda doesn't care, and that kind of scares him.Ali has seen Aaron before, they went to school together for a while. But Aaron was a year older so he's at Auradon Prep now… which makes the looming truth that Ali would be attending there next school year even scarier.Aaron was pretty popular when it came to the royal children of Auradon. He was the son of Ariel and Eric, and he had two sisters, one older, one younger.
But that wasn't necessarily what he was popular for.
He's most well known for being one of the few kids who possesses magical abilities, being able to manipulate water.What Ali finds interesting about his family was the fact that Aaron looked a lot like his mother, with wavy red hair and bright green eyes. Meanwhile his sisters looked more like their father, with black hair and Caribbean blue eyes.Growing up all the royal families learned about each other, and spent a fair amount of time together.
Aaron's family was always the one that sparked the most interest in him.Ali thinks it'd be interesting to live next to the ocean, the beach in your backyard.
With their mother being a mermaid it was no surprise that they were so comfortable that close to the water, or that one of the kids turned up with the ability to control the sea.They were also the royal family that got the most hate.
And most people blame this on Aaron.
Ever since he came out in middle school the whole world knows, and several give the entire family hate for supporting him.
Ali wishes they didn't have to deal with it, but he does find it rather amusing that the first people to know was the entire student body of Auradon Academy middle school, when the word spread from someone who'd found out.But despite this Aaron never seemed to be bothered by any of it. And Ali had always admired him for this.He admires him even more after meeting him. And he's beginning to think that maybe he has a slight obsession with him.
Ever since they met Ali has been thinking of him.It's 10pm a week after the ball and Ali is sitting in his room thinking about Aaron instead of doing his homework.He sighs and walks over to the door that connects his and his sisters’ room and walks in.“Do you understand the concept of knocking?” Jewel asks from her spot at her desk, where she's actually doing her homework.“I think something is wrong with me” He says, flopping down on her bed.“Glad to see you finally caught up with that” She replies, pushing her round glasses further up on her nose.“Can I ask a question?”“Go ahead”“Why haven't you introduced me to Erica's brother before?”“If you tell me you like him I will punch you in the face”“What, why?”She hesitates, “Because he's my best friends older brother that's why”“You hesitated”“I did not”Ali snorts, “sure”Jewel sighs, “look if you insist on being an idiot and trying to pursue this little fantasy of yours, just make sure you're prepared for it to go badly”“Please, I don't even know if I like him like that”“Ali, you've been stalking his social media for the last week”He groans, putting his hands over his face, “what's wrong with me?”Jewel comes to sit next to him on the bed, “You're a chaotic pansexual sir, the question answers itself” She smiles at him, in that weird way she manages to glitter like an actual jewel all the time, “Now get the hell out of my room”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Kit doesn't know what to do.Drenched in sweat, bones aching, dehydrated, hungry, and tired.These are all things she is used to, nothing out of the ordinary. Same old, same old.All this on top of a reminder that she can't ignore her problems forever, is not.She studies the letter again.“Dear Kit,I hope you're doing well. Things are great here.Please don't worry about what happened, I know mother will not be happy, but I hope that you can understand. Or at least forgive me.I hope to see you soon, take care of Beelzebub for me please. And keep out of trouble. Stay safe.
-Carlos”This is probably about the 10th time she's read it.But she still doesn't understand it.She hasn't heard a word from her brother since he left. Not till now that is.She isn't exactly surprised, it was typical of him to want to stay in touch, she just kind of wishes he'd have kept the distance.She is.Ever since the letter arrived about five minutes ago she's been psychoanalyzing every aspect of it.What is the meaning behind every word choice?"Dear Kit."Okay well that was just a normal way to start a letter."I hope you're doing well"He should know better than anyone that was impossible."Things are great here"Yeah, of course they are."Please don't worry about what happened"Well it's a bit hard to just not worry about it."I know mother will not be happy"Well, no shit, Carlos."But I hope that you can understand"…Not really."Or at least forgive me"The little motherfu-"I hope to see you soon"Then come see me goddammit"Take care of beezalbub for me please"Didn't even have to ask."And keep out of trouble"It's like he's completely forgotten who she is."Stay safe"Of course, nowhere safer than the isle.-"Carlos"And his name.Of course any normal person would've thought
Oh, what a sweet note, I'll write him back
But Kit has realized by this point that she's not any normal person.Hell, she's a sorceress.She doesn't understand why he needs to get involved in everything.
He deserves to be punished
Okay literally fuck off creepy voice.
He has no right to ask how you are after everything
Kit lets out a strangled sound, “no” she whispers.Pain streaks up her arms and she looks to see red tendrils threading their way up to her shoulders.She runs her hands through her hair, stops short and starts tugging on the locks, head down, trying to drown out the voice.
You can get rid of him
“No!"
You don't have to put up with him if you don't want to
“No! Shut up!”
Don't make me do it myself
Kit starts screaming.She doesn't know how long it's been, or how much of the time was spent screaming but eventually someone comes to bring her back to real life.“Kit, the hell are you doing?”“Get out Jace” Her voice comes out raspy, and she realizes he probably heard her screaming.Jasper's son studies her with slight concern.She realizes she must look pretty strange, curled in a ball on the floor, gripping her undone hair, pale and thin, and screaming, talking to herself. Oh God, she's crazy.“Well ya mum is lookin for ya, just came to tell ya”She sighs, ungripping her hair and standing up shakily, “okay”~~~~~~~~
The last month or so had been wild, it started off when the news of what happened at King Ben's coronation got out to the isle, apparently someone had burst a hole in the barrier allowing temporary magic to make its way through, resulting in Maleficent escaping to Auradon.The most Kit knew that happened after that was the four VKs who were taking residence there at the time had sworn loyalty against the villains and the isle as a whole, agreeing to follow the path of good for the years to come.One of these four kids just so happened to be Kit's brother.And Kit doesn't know what to think.Or must've taken a lot of guts to suddenly drop everything you've ever known for some goody two shoes school.Especially knowing what their mother would say.But the way Kit sees it, by swearing off his old life, he was swearing off his family and by default, Kit herself.She never once in her life thought that he'd push so far from the De Vil line.Their mother is one of the most malicious villains in all history, it's a pretty cool legacy.So sure, maybe their mother is a piece of shit, but that's no reason to leave the whole family behind.Okay, maybe it is.But Kit isn't about to admit that.But if he really cares that much he wouldn't have leftAnd that's something she will admit.
She fights back angry tears and continues her chores, ignoring the aching pain trying to take over her whole being.She usually tries to work her chores in a certain schedule making sure she is as far from her mother as possible, in the hopes that the smallest slip up won't have severe consequences.
She deserves to be punished too
Kit lets out a small suppressed sob, getting very irritated with the voice.
You know she deserves it, probably more than your brother
“Shut the fuck up!” She shouts, breathing shallowly.“Who are you talking to child”Kit jumps at the sound of her mother's voice, she looks up to see Cruella sneering at her, cigarette holder in her mouth and eyes as crazed as her hair.“No one, mother, just myself”“Ah, so you're going crazy now are you?”
Just kill her
“No!”Cruella grabs Kit's face, holding it close to her own, “don't yell at me!”Kit hates herself for having to fight the urge to run and hide, “s- sorry mother”
You know you want to
“Yes”“Yes?”She blinks, “yes, yes mother you're correct, I was being disrespectful, I'm sorry”Why had she said yes?She doesn't want to kill her mother.Does she?Cruella makes a disgusted noise and lets go of her daughter before walking out, her heels clicking on the floor.Kit falls to the floor, shaking, “what the fuck-”
Oh Kit
“Shut up”
I'll get through to you eventually, I'll make chaos of you yet
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The testing for the end of the year is coming up and Carlos is far from prepared.He's lying in his bed in the dorm,in the dark, alone other than the campus mutt, Dude, snuggled up next to him.He stares at the ceiling and the last year flashes through his head.It started out normal, then he got picked to attend Auradon Prep.Kit hadn't been too thrilled with the news.He still wishes he could've brought her with him.But she would never be allowed, Auradon isn't the place for someone as crazy and reckless as his little sister.She'd tear the place down brick by brick.Then all the stuff at the coronation happened.He's been living in constant fear since that day.What would happen if word got to his mother?It probably already has.She'd have a fit, he'd be grounded for life.Kit is never going to forgive him.He knows how her brain works.Defying evil was defying the De Vils.And by default, Kit herself.He's been having recurring nightmares of their reactions, they always end with Cruella dragging him off to feed him to a pack of wild dogs with Kit shouting that he deserves it.He knows Kit would never say that, but it felt so real, he woke up screaming most nights.Oh god, Kit.She's probably getting the brunt of it all, undoubtedly their mother had been taking her anger at him out on his younger sister.She's only 13, she doesn't deserve to get punished for his faults.Realistically one wouldn't care about the opinions of an old hag who'd done nothing but make him feel worthless and insecure.But there's going to be a deep need to make his mother proud through everything he does.And when this person is actively hurting someone you love with your whole being it comes with a feeling of conflicted guilt and hopelessness.He wishes Kit were here with him, safe and protected, never having to be near the horror of their past.Even if he can't escape it just yet, he'd do anything to bring her back with her someday.He takes a deep breath and wipes away the tears he hadn't realized had been seeping from his eyes.He could worry about Kit later.He has exams to study for.He sits up and glances over at the other bed in the dorm, currently belonging to Jay.But Jay would be graduating this year, along with Evie and Mal.But being two years younger and only a grade above average he wouldn't be graduating till next year, meaning he'd be getting a new roommate.He takes a shaky breath and runs his hand through his bleach blonde curls. Dude comes over and nudges his nose against Carlos’ arm.He smiles down at the dog and gives his head a little rub before getting up to do his work.~~~~~~~School has always been easy for Carlos, in fact, if anything he prefers to be in class then almost anywhere else. Almost.All throughout class his mind strays away. He can't stop thinking about Kit, the little bitch.He doesn't really have any reason to feel guilty about transferring schools, it was what was best for him.But leave it to Kit to point out every little flaw in his plans.Because she knows, damn well, that he is never going to forgive himself for leaving her.And he suspected it'd take her a while, if ever, to forgive him as well.But he could make it easier. And he was going to try.He takes a deep breath standing outside the headmistresses office before knocking on the door.She opens the and shock spreads across her face when she sees him, “Carlos De Vil, hello, come in”“Hello ma’am” he greets politely and takes a seat when she gestures for him to.“What is it you need?” The Fairy Godmother asks him with that sickening smile everyone in Auradon wore.He inhales and exhales heavily, “It's my sister, ma’am”She raised an eyebrow, “I wasn't aware you had a sister”“Yes, she's younger than me, ma’am” He stares at the floor, “I'm worried about her, being home with only our mother there, she's not exactly the most… reliable parent. And Kit’s only thirteen, and I was wondering if there was a way she could come to Auradon” he talks quickly and quietly out of nerves.The headmistress folds her fingers together on top of the desk, “Carlos are you implying that it's not safe for your sister at home?”“Well-” He hesitates, “it's just… I don't know”She nods slightly, “is there something going on? At home? Do I need to be worried?”“No! No it's just” Well fuck now he's exposed himself, “I just- the isle isn't the best place for kids, and I miss her you know… so I was just wondering”“I see” She was giving him a skeptical look, he really wished she wouldn't, “However, I am not in charge of the project to bring kids on the isle over so I-”“Project?”“What?”“This is a project”Of course, why else would they invite a bunch of no good kids to their precious school? They were just lab rats.“No, I'm sorry I misspoke, but I still am not in any way in control of the kids brought over, it was all up to King Ben and no one knows if he plans to bring over more children”“Right”“I'm sorry, but you can visit your sister any time you'd like Carlos”“Thank you ma’am” He gives her a small smile before leaving.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Don’t be an embarrassment this time, Conner, it's not that hard. You're just incompetent and lazy. And you know what happens when you're lazy. You need to uphold the family legacy, remember. Snow. Lands. On. Top.”Conner keeps playing the lecture over again in his head, pinching himself with every word.His dad's lectures were always the worst.His words stung with every letter, every syllable.And all Conner can do is stand there and take in every word. Hang on to them like a life source, believing them with every fiber of himself.They had a meeting with someone important today, he isn't sure who exactly or what for, but last time they'd seen this person the only memory he didn't lose was how badly he'd fucked things up, and the consequences of it.He was determined not to fuck it up this time, but in the end his parents decided to simply leave him behind, not wanting to risk having him tarnish their reputation.So Conner is stuck at home, locked in his room.He can hear the sounds of his nephew on the other side of the door, Carlotta always brings her son with her when watching him, she doesn't trust to leave the kid home with his father.His nephew is obsessed with him, though Conner always found the child to be slightly unnerving.He sits curled up in the corner of his room looking around at all the books he's read and reread.I really am worthless He thinks. He can't do anything… not even find out simple information.He rests his head against the wall and takes a heavy breath, he should probably tell Kit he wasn't worth being kept around.He glanced at the door before going over to the window and climbing out.It's still rather cold out despite winter fading into spring so as he walks he wraps his coat around him, seeing his breath in the air.He's heading towards the more abandoned areas of the isle where Hell Hall is located.As he walks he bumps into someone.“Sorry” He mutters and starts to continue but then he looks up and sees who he'd run into, “Carlos?”The older boy runs his fingers through his hair and gives him a small smile, “Hi”“What are you doing back here?”“I- I just- uhm… who are you?”Conner blinks then holds out his hand, “I'm Conner Snow, I'm a friend of Kits, sorry I thought you knew”“My sister Kit? She has friends?”Conner blinks at him again, “Yes?”“Oh… well, I was just going to see her”“You were?”“Yeah, is that okay?”“...I don't know if she'll be okay with that”Carlos looks down, when he speaks his voice is heavy, “I just want to talk to her”Conner nods, “Well I was just heading there, come on”Carlos gives him an appreciative smile.They decide to approach the house from the side, going to the door that leads to the cellar to avoid being noticed by Cruella or her henchmen.Kit had placed an enchantment on the door so that she'd know when Conner was there, one of her other abilities she'd learned from the excessive studying.Conner goes over to the door and knocks lightly twice.A few minutes later Kit opens up and peeks her head out, it takes her a minute but soon enough she spots Carlos.She glances over at Conner for a split second before stepping out of the house and staring at her brother, who gives her a small shy wave.Conner, realizing his intrusion, walks around the corner to be out of sight, but he can still make out the words the siblings are exchanging.“What are you doing here?”“I came to see you”Kit scoffs.“Why don't you believe me?”“I thought I'd made it pretty obvious that I wanted you to fuck off”“Kit, please just hear me out”“No! You made your intentions very clear when you swore off everything our family has ever stood for to the whole world!”“Kit, please, you have to understand- I had to do it, it was what's best for me-”“And what about me?”“It's best for you too”“Bullshit”“I promise, Kit, if you could just get out of here you'd see-”“Oh and you have a plan to get me out, huh?”“I-”“And what about all the other vks hmm? What about Conner? You want them all to throw away their lives for some peaceful fantasy you have?!”“Kit-”“No! No, you hadn't thought about them, if you can't convince me then good luck with the others, nobody here really likes you y'know, it was risky just showing your traitorous face on this island”“I just want to protect you!” Carlos blurts in desperation.There's a moment of heavy breathing where no one says a word, then there are footsteps on the rocky ground.Then a loud noise as Kit smacks her brother hard enough to draw blood.Conner flinches at the sound and tries to keep it together.“Fuck off” Kits voice comes out jagged and heavy.“I'm sorry” Carlos passes Conner as he walks away with his head down, Conner could swear he could hear him crying.“You can come out now Conner”He jumps at the sound of Kit's voice and nervously approaches her.“What were you doing here with him?”“I just uhm- ran into him on the way here”“Hmm” She nods and he notices the slight sluggishness of which she moves, she has been drinking again.“Well uhm… I should probably get back home”“Why were you coming here?”He glances at her then quickly looks away, “it's not important”She starts to speak again but he interrupts her.“see you tomorrow then”He doesn't give her the chance to respond before walking away.~~~~~~~Being home was no better.His parents had returned while he was out, and his sister got in trouble for letting him leave, but not as much trouble as he did for running away.Now he's sitting at the dining table trying to hold back tears, in fear of getting beat again.His parents directly across from him, giving him looks of sheer disappointment and anger.So he stares at the table.“So you left?”He nods, it's not often his parents lectured him like this after already issuing and following through with a punishment.He can hear his mother inhale sharply.“Yes, father” he says, of course, he can't just nod, he needs to respond.“Why?”He hesitates, “I just needed some air”“Don't lie to me!”He flinches as his father slams his hand on the table.“I'm not” He whispers, it's not entirely false, he did need to get out of the house for a while.“I bet you went to go hang out with that De Vil scum”He looks up at that, “what?”“Ah! So you did!” His mother shouts.“What… what are you talking about?”“Don't stutter!”“Sorry, mother”She huffs, “You know very well what we're talking about, your sister has mentioned seeing you around with Cruella's filthy spawn”He looks over to Carlotta who looks down at her hands.His father scowls, “You are not to be meddling with that girl, do you hear me?”“Why not?”“So you haven't heard the rumors about her?”“What rumors?”“Rumors is putting it lightly” His mother scoffs, “they're all true”“Like what?”“She's insane, and doesn't dress or act the way someone with her status should”“On top of that, there's people saying she might be … queer”Conner can't say anything to that, he knows she is, she'd told him herself. But judging by the Snows reaction, they wouldn't be too pleased by this information.“Ugh” His mother makes a disgusted sound, “If I hear about you hanging around vermin like her again you'll be being punished before you can say sorry”“But-”“Do you understand!”The sound of his father's booming voice is enough to bring out the tears he'd been holding back.“Y-yes father, I un- I understand”“Stop crying this instance!”He's finding it hard to breathe, his heart is pounding and his head is whirling.He wraps his arms around himself.“Conner Kurt Snow!”He forces himself to look up and steady his breathing, “Sorry, mother”“What did I tell you about crying?”“Crying is wasteful and worthless…and so am I”“Exactly”His father stands up quickly and crosses over to his son.Conner shrinks back as his father grabs his shoulder and pulls him up and turns him to look in the eye.“Listen to me Conner”He doesn't dare break eye contact, despite desperately wanting to.“You WILL learn to adapt to the legacy that has been gifted to you. And if you do not comply I will do anything I possibly can to break it into you, because we cannot have you tarnishing our family name!”He shoves Conner into his room, shutting the door and locking it.“You will start acting like a Snow! Because Snow always lands on top!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
He deserved it.Didn't he?You don't just leave, not say a word, betray your family, then come back to “check on” the person you abandoned.That's not something people do.So Kit had hit him.So he deserved it.So she refuses to feel any remorse for what she did.And she refuses to listen to her brain telling her she's no better than her mother.‘Cause it's not true.What she does feel guilty for, what keeps her awake at night, was the way she had scared Conner.She'd lost some of his trust that day, and she doesn't think she'll ever regain it.So yes she is beating herself up, yes she's losing sleep and being consumed by guilt.But it has little to do with her brother.Because every time he flinched away from her and every time he refused to get too close, part of her wanted to kill everyone and then herself.Her mind keeps circling through it all as she walks down the hall to class.She circles a corner and promptly bumps into Conner Snow himself.Speak of the devil.He stumbles back quickly, “Kit-”Well no time like the present, “listen Conner, about what happened-”“No”She looks up at him, “no?”“I-” Even he seems shocked it has come out of him, “I'm really sorry, I have to get to class… see you around”And with that he takes off.God, the kid had to be kind even when dodging a conversation.Kits frustration grows with every breath.Why won't he just hear her out?She starts tugging on her braids as the anger builds, she bangs her head against the wall and lets out a frustrated grunt and then continues casually to class, ignoring the stares.~~~~~~
Come on Kit, just a little revenge
She sits curled up on an old mattress, hugging herself tightly after a long day.
You need it
Kit lets out a small whimper as more tears stream down her face.
Do It!
Her body is aching in intense pain.It's 2am and she's restless.Curled up, crying, with voices in her head.
DO IT!
“Shut up” She whispers into her knees.
Don't make me do it
She tries to fight as she feels her consciousness slipping away.“No!”
You're the one making this hard Kit
She hears herself scream as her mind retreats to the back of her head before she can only watch from the sidelines as that THING does whatever it likes.~~~~~~~She doesn't remember most of it.She remembers pain.She remembers the smell of blood.She remembers the heat from the magic.And the brief understanding that she wasn't on the Isle anymore.She remembers the look of pure undying fear in the eyes of someone she believes to recognize.Most of all she remembers it was fun.It was adrenaline.It was sweet, sweet revenge.It was everything she ever needed.And it was the most horrifying experience of her life.But God, it was so much fun.And when she woke up.The news was everywhere.An Isle breakout.And ten deaths.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Miss De Vil”“Call me Kit”“I don't have time for your games, there are very serious issues to be addressed”“I'm not sure I know what you're talking about”She smiles innocently up at the officer from where she's huddled in a corner of a jail cell, where she's been for the past few hours.“The king wishes to speak to you”Kit lets out a dramatic gasp, bringing her hand to her chest, “King Ben? Wishes to speak with a lowly villain kid such as myself? What an honor!”He gives her an annoyed look and promptly turns to exit the cell, “You are to follow me”Kit sighs and gets up, following him out.Realistically yes, she does know what he's talking about, it's all anyones talking about. So many conversations happening in the dingy crowded little jail and almost all of them about her.Yes, she knows it's an issue, she knows what she did is unforgivable beyond any measures. And yes, she's disgusted with herself.However,It only happened a few hours ago, and Kit has decided to ignore the more pressing issues and think about getting through with a grain of salt and not having to think about it.Which, admittedly, would be easier if she didn't see flashes of new resurfacing memories of the night every time she closes her eyes.And the creepy voice has gone quiet, so maybe it was satisfied for the time being.She knows the long lasting effects of this situation won't hit until later, when she allows herself to really feel the gravity of what she did.That's how it's always worked with her.So Kit ignores it as well as possible while being led down hallway after hallway, until eventually the officer stops in front of two fancy wooden doors and nocks.Two seconds pass before a royal guard opens the doors to let them in, once entered Kit is made to sit in a cushiony chair in front of a desk as the officer positions himself in the corner.She looks across the desk to see King Ben of Auradon looking back at her with a slight frown.“Miss Kit De Vil” He addresses her in a soft, kind voice that makes her want to hold him under water till the bubbles stop.“Your royalness” She returns with an exaggerated half bow.“I assume you already know why you're here so might as well skip the pleasantries”He gives her a polite smile.She huffs, “Well I can make this really unpleasant for you if you'd prefer”“No, I meant-” He stumbles on still smiling.“First of all I think your hair looks stupid”“What-”“You look sloppy and confused as to what your doing as a whole, that crown looks very wrong on your head, which goes well with the complexion and body language saying you're obviously too young and too inexperienced to be running a kingdom, especially seeing as you're only sixteen, but that's more a fault on your parents I must say, also your consistent smile is freaking me the fuck out”Ben looks at a loss for words.“Was that unpleasant enough or shall I go on?”“No, that was- that was quite enough thank you” He suddenly looks very self conscious, which Kit is going to take nothing but pride from.And why was he thanking her for insulting him?
What is in the water in Auradon??“Kit, you are aware of the consequences for committing mass murder, I believe?”“Mass murder?”“Yes”“I'm not a murderer”Ben pauses, “do you remember what happened last night Kit?”“Bits and pieces, most of it I got from hearing people talk”He nods, “Were you aware you possess dark magic?”She blinks, “...yes”“How long have you known?”“Since I was six, what does this have to do with anything?”“Kit” He folds his hands on top of the desk, “Last night you broke out of the Isle of the Lost and murdered ten people. I'd like to know how and why”“You already said it yourself dumbass, dark magic”“Yes, you passed out shortly after my guards managed to get ahold of you, they ran a blood test and found dark magic in your system”“So you know, perfect, can I go now?”“No, you may not. We know you possess dark magic, we don't know how you knew and we most certainly don't know how a thirteen year old girl broke out of the Isle”“Well first off the magic you used for the barrier was kinda shit”“Excuse me-”He is interrupted by arguing outside the door before it bursts open and Carlos runs in with the guard in tow, attempting to stop him.“It wasn't her!” Carlos insists, looking directly at the King.“Carlos-”“No, she wouldn't”“Carlos” Kit looks up at him, daring him to look over at her, “Who the fuck else would have done this?”He does turn his gaze to her, “You wouldn't kill someone”“I would if I wasn't in control of my own mind, which I clearly wasn't”“You weren't?” Ben asks.She rolls her eyes, “Dark magic does this thing where it can possess you, it's its own sentiment being. You need to look more into this subject before you try to accuse me of shit”“Kit, please” Her brother tells her off with that voice he uses when she talks back to their mother.“So you've studied it?”Kit leans closer to him over the desk, “Let me ask you something Benjamin, if you were born with an evil curse, would you simply refrain from finding out all you could about it?”“How did you figure it out? You couldn't have used it on the Isle”“I already told you, the Fairy Godmothers wand has very shitty magical abilities, it's very weak, my magic is much stronger than that crystalized light magic producer”“Is that so?”“Yes, the barrier may limit my abilities and make everyone's lives miserable, but it will never be a match for dark magic”“Who else knows about your ability?”“No one”Ben glances at Carlos who's looking at the floor, “You didn't tell your brother? Or your mother?”“No”“May I ask why”“Well since you asked so nicely, my mother would only try to use my power to her advantage, and Carlos couldn't be trusted not to let it out by accident”“And you never told any friends?”“I don't have any friends”“Do you have a defense for yourself?”“Am I going to court for this?”“No, I'd prefer to keep this quiet”“Oh yeah, mass murder is something you should keep quiet, besides the whole world is going to find out eventually so what's the point?”He sighs, “Do you even feel any remorse for this crime?”“Well, I'm technically not the one who committed it so why waste my energy?”“We're going to have to issue out a punishment”“No!” Carlos practically begs, “She's innocent, and she's already here, so let her stay, I can take care of her”“She's dangerous”“You can trust me with this, I promise”Ben shakes his head, “Carlos can I speak to you in private for a minute?”He nods and the two walk out.Kit glances around and curls into a ball in her chair, still refusing to think or feel anything about it.She knows she'll be going back to the Isle, there's no way she won't.
Her mother is going to throw a fit and it'll be a whole thing.
Conner's newfound fear of her is only going to get ten times worse.There's not really much to go back to, but she has no choice, unless she fancied the idea of dying right here and now.
And she considers it.
But evidently doesn't follow through.A few minutes later the two boys come back and Ben takes his place across from Kit.“Miss De Vil, for your crime you shall be escorted back to the isle-”Called it.“And put under house arrest to prevent endangering anyone else”“What?”No.No.
No, she can't be trapped in that house.
The only relief she gets in life happens far away from that mansion and everyone in it.
The very idea makes her reconsider my dying option.“Wh- what about school?”“The school year is almost over, your remaining studies shall take place at Hell Hall”“No”“Excuse me?”“I'm not staying in that house, forget it”“This is not up for debate”“How do you know I won't break out again? I did it before, I can do it again-”“We will be notified by your mother if and when you leave the house and for how long. If you consistently resist your house arrest, we will have to consider a more extreme punishment”“I-” She looks over at Carlos who's avoiding her eyes, he doesn't look too happy with this either.“After a year, if no trouble occurs, we will consider lifting the house arrest”“A year” She closes her eyes.How is she supposed to survive a year?“You are to leave immediately”He gets up and moves towards the door where Carlos stops him and whispers something on his year.Ben looks back at Kit, “I'll let you say goodbye to your brother first”He exits, his guards following and positioning themselves right outside the door.“What the hell Carlos?”“I'm sorry, you committed mass murder, you could've been executed for that, I had to keep you safe”She scoffs, “You think this is keeping me safe?”“It's the best I could do”She stands up, goes over to stand right in front of him, looking him directly in his dark brown eyes, identical to hers, “I prefer the execution”“You don't mean that”“Don't I?”“Kit-”“I already told you to fuck off, why don't you listen? If I'm to be condemned so be it”“But you're innocent”“I deserve it either way”“Kit- please, I'm sorry”“Goodbye Carlos”With that she walks out, knowing full well that everything is about to go shit very soon.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It's raining.
How fucking aestheticly perfect.
The limousine is almost at Hell Hall to drop off their little delinquent vk sulking in the back seat.
Kit is already dreading her mother's reaction to her running away, breaking out, and murdering ten people. Which is completely fair.And yes, her mother will care. Just because she's a sadistic villain herself does not mean she will just let this go. Not something this big.Even worse, how she's going to react to her daughter having dark magic and never mentioning anything. Best case scenario she ends up abusing the power and it against Kit.Which for the sake of the world CANNOT happen.
Kit sits in the back with her face pressed up against the window, cold from the raindrops on the outer side. It's already getting to her.Everything. Absolutely everything. She still doesn't remember much, but she remembers it was fun. And she hates herself for it.
The limousine pulls up to Hell Hall. Kit looks out the window to see the old crumbling Victorian mansion she grew up in looming over her like a curse. A promise of eternal pain. Least to say she's not too pleased about being back.
The guards escorting her open the door to the backseat to retrieve her. They continue to cuff her before walking her to the door where they then knock and wait for someone to come to the door.Kit thinks this is rather ridiculous seeing as she lives there, she can literally walk in whenever she wants. And it's not like her mother keeps the doors locked.
Of course Cruella is not the one to answer. That would be Harry and Jace, those two are together wherever they go, and they look rather startled by the sight of their mistresses daughter being brought home handcuffed by Auradon guards. This only proves to Kit that not everyone on the Isle knows about what happened yet, they really are trying to keep it quiet.
“May we speak to the mistress of this house?” One of the guards asks.
Harry shoots Kit a strange look, “Uh, yeah sir come on in”
The guards escort her into her own house as Jace runs off to get her mother.
“So what's all this then?” Harry asks Kit, she ignores him, “Does it have anything to do with where you were last night?”
Kit rolls her eyes. It's not that she dislikes Horace and Jasper's sons, she just…isn't fond of them. They're rather clueless. Carlos enjoyed hanging out with them, if only as a distraction from everything else. But Kit preferred not to speak to them.
She looks up to the staircase as she hears high heeled footsteps descending from them. At first the guards seem uncomfortable to be in the same room as a notorious villain but one of them manages to grow up and address her.
“Miss De Vil, we are here to return to you your-”
“Yes I'm well aware of why you're here” Cruella cuts them off, “along with why you have to be here at all, it was explained in the letter I received from your king” she shoots a glare at Kit who turns to stare at the floor.
The guard clears their throat, “Yes, but we're on orders to deliver the news in person. You also have to sign this” He hands her a contract which she takes with a disgusted look on her face.
“You expect me to sign a contract with the king of Auradon” She studies the text carefully.
“You forget the Isle is part of Auradon and therefore he is your king as well”
“No we're not” Kit pipes up, “The Isle is NOT a part of Auradon and we certainly want nothing to do with you and everyone on this godforsaken island will agree with me on this!”
“Kit shut your mouth for once” Cruella snaps, “no one wants to hear your useless blabber” She sighs and turns over the paper studying the backside before returning her gaze to the guards.“Well I'm going to need a pen if you want me to sign this”
The guard nods and hands her a pen.
“What does it say?” Kit asks.
“I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut child!”
“Well it concerns me so I'd like to know what it says”
Oh, Carlos would be begging her to stop now if he were there. He always hated when she put up a fight and didn't immediately bend to their mother's will. He'd tell not to provoke her for the sake of their safety. She hates that he's what comes to mind at this time.
“Keep your mouth shut you little-”
“Miss De Vil” The guard interrupts, “There is no need for this reaction, your daughter has every right to know what's on that contract”
Cruella finishes signing the bottom of the page and hands it back to the guard, “As her mother, I get to make that decision, not you”
She keeps a steady glare as the second guard, the one who didn't speak, uncuffs Kit and folds the contract before putting it in his pocket.
“Now if you would please leave my house” She sneers.
“Just a moment ma’am, there is one other thing we need to clear up”
“And what would that be”
“Your daughter now belongs to the kingdom of Auradon as a certified criminal and will now be tracked, you are simply here to be her caregiver so she can continue to lead a somewhat normal life while being under watch. And if you so much as encourage her to continue with this dangerous life of crime you'll be reported immediately and you'll both get locked up”
Her scowl deepens, “Very well”
“Good day miss” The guards nod before exiting.
“Leave us” Cruella addresses Harry and Jace who have been observing the scene. They both nod and run off. Cruella turns her head to look at her daughter, “So you have dark magic now”
Kit swallows, no lying her way out of this one anymore, “Yes”
“And yet, you never said anything. Instead you broke out of the Isle and murdered several people”
“Yes” She closes her eyes, she really doesn't need a reminder of what she did.
“Tell me how any of that benefits me? You may not like it but you serve me, I made you, I can break you. And from now on you don't do anything without my approval first, do you understand me!”
“Yes, mother”
“Good”
“What was in that contract”
Cruella lets out a cruel laugh, “Only the fact that you're stuck here, with me. And you can't leave, you're never running away again”
Kit lifts her head to stare her mother in her dark brown eyes, identical to Kits, “You are a horrible person, and I HATE you”
Her mother growls and smacks her right across the face so her head snaps to the side. She then grabs her by the back of her hair and puts her mouth up to Kit's ear.
“You’re going to regret ever being born” She threatens directly into Kits ear so the words seep into her brain and are sure to never leave.Cruella shoves her daughter away from her and leaves in a fury.
Kit stands there for a minute, not really believing anything. Scared out of her fucking bones.
You deserve it.
No, no she does. She really does. She killed and she gave in. She's an awful person. And as much as she's terrified of being back in this house, with her mother, unable to leave. Deep down, she knows she deserves it.She let out a sobNo, no. Because no one deserves this, this living hell, a prison of thorns she was born into and destined to die in. And she doesn't want it. And god, she's angry.
You could always do it again, you already have so what impact does a second time have?
She could, if she really wanted to. She can make her mom suffer if she so wished. If she wasn't so scared.
Kit screams, she screams a lot, she sinks down to the floor clawing at her skin and screams.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
One day since the incident.“Ten murders?”“Who was the culprit”“That De Vil girl”“Surely not, how would she do so? She's been here on the isle”“Supposedly she's found a way out”“How?”“It's uncertain, but she did it”“Oh please! These are all just rumors”“Rumors that happen to be true! I always knew that girl was trouble, here's our proof!”Conner can't listen anymore, the voices drown out into the background.His mother had been filling them in on all the recent news, and recently taken to fighting with his father on whether or not any of it is true.He doesn't want to hear anything about Kit anyway. Though she seems to be the only thing he can think of anymore. And he can't escape the topic anywhere he goes.The news of the breakout spread quickly and thoroughly, being the only thing anyone would talk about, it has been told in so many ways now that no one is sure what's true anymore.That includes apparently denying who did it.But Conner knows. He'd known since the very first wave of rumors hit.Kit did it, there was no question.“Conner!”“Yes, mother?”Mother studies him, “You knew the girl accused of this, correct?He swallows, “Yes, mother”“Do you believe this is out of range for something she might do”Breathing suddenly becomes very difficult, and it takes a few steady breaths and impatient huffs from Mother to speak.“No, mother”She turns back to Father,“You see?”Father sneers, “That doesn't prove anything, we banned him from talking to that miscreant several months ago!”“Yes, well this is your son we're speaking of, knowing him he's probably gone and done so anyway!”“MY son? He is just as much yours as he is mine!”“Don't make me lay claim to him”“Then don't expect me to”Conner stares at his hands, he doesn't particularly want to be claimed by either of them. Or anyone, really. He just wishes they wouldn't admit to not wanting him to his face.“Conner”Fathers voice snaps him from his thoughts and has him looking up to meet his fathers stern gaze.“Yes, Father?”“Did you continue to fraternize with the De Vil girl after we explicitly told you not to?”“I-well I-”“Speak clearly boy!”“Yes, Father. I did”He bows his head again, squeezing his eyes shut.What a foolish thing to say. But there was simply no way out of admitting it without lying.A sharp inhale, then, “Why, may I ask, did you disobey this order?”He blinks, “I don't know”“Look at me when you're speaking, Conner!”He lifts his head quickly, “Yes, Mother. I am not sure why I disobeyed you. I suppose I did not think it through” He certainly didn't, it would take no more than one brain cell to realize this is how it would end.“Do not lie, Conner!”“I'm not-”“You must have a better reason than that”“I swear I-”“Conner!” Father cuts in, “Do not treat your mother this way”“I'm sorry-”“No- we are not doing this now” Mothers sharp voice interrupted, “Conner, I need to speak to your father. Go to your room, I'll deal with you later”“Yes, Mother”And he goes, shutting the door behind him. He can still hear his parents arguing in the other room. Grabbing a pillow and shoving it over his head, he decides to ignore the upcoming punishment.That's how the month without Kit starts.~~~~~~~~One week after the incident.They're not stopping.No matter how much you beg.So maybe stop begging, you look pathetic anyways.They're going to keep clawing and screaming in your ears no matter what you do.You're never going to be rid of them.The darkness somehow gets darker. The cold somehow gets colder. And they never stop, screaming day after day. Hour after hour. Till you break. You don't really know what they are, just that they want to hurt you. And you don't want to be hurt, you're so tired of being hurt. But they keep going, and their bird-like claws rip into your skin, they pull at your hair and rip it out by the roots. Every touch burns, every hit stings. But the screaming is the worst part, and the words that are being screamed only get worse.GET UPI can't!And it's true, you can't move an inch.DON'T LIE.I'm not!And it's true, you don't lie, you know better.YOU DISGUST US! EVERYTHING WE DO IS FOR YOU AND YOU DO NOTHING BUT SCORN IT! I HATE YOU!Please don't!I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!I know! Please, I know! Stop it! I know!The world comes back into focus.A nightmare.That's all it was. It wasn't real. He's safe.Conner takes a few deep breaths.SafeWhat did that word really even mean? If the person you trust is willing to hurt you, are you truly safe? Were you ever really?Conner runs his hands through his hair, still messy from having just woken up.Out of the corner of his eye he spots a pile of books stacked on the floor in the corner of his room. Going over to them he realizes that they are his old books on magic. The books he poured over for hours so he could help her. The books he spent all his time glued to. Getting in trouble for doing next to nothing else. Stuff he willingly suffered for her, stuff he'll willingly suffer again for her.Wiping the tears from his eyes he frowns and starts picking up the books. One by one he throws them into the closet where he won't have to look at them, where he won't have to remember everything he had done and everything he will do, for a girl who stabbed him in the back.~~~~~~~Two weeks after the incidentIt's easiest to just not think about anything, if you don't think about anything you can't run the risk of thinking of the thing you specifically don't want to think about. And when everyone is talking about it constantly you don't think about them. You drown them out, you don't listen. You can't hear what they say if you're not listening.So Conner doesn't think, and Conner doesn't listen. He doesn't think when he sees something she would've found funny, or something she would scowl at. He doesn't listen when the kids in his classes talk about it constantly. He doesn't think and he doesn't listen.Conner isn't thinking and he certainly isn't listening walking down the hallway in between classes. So really what happens could only be blamed on him.“Hey, Snow!”He flinches as the kid bumps into him so hard he almost falls over.“Don't look so sad, Snow. I just want to ask a question”Don't listen, don't think.“You knew Kit, didn't you”Don't listen and don't think. Don't do it.“Well? Did you?”“Yes” He whispers, “yes, I did”“She was kind of batshit wasn't she” the kid laughsLaughs.Laughs as if betrayal was funny, laughs as if- no, don't think.“You could say that, I suppose”“Do you think she's still alive? I mean I haven't seen her around school in weeks. And she hasn't made any appearances. There's no one saying for sure she's not dead”Don't think. I told you not to think.“She's not dead” He might've said that a little too harshly, “She wouldn't let that happen”“Right, sure” The kid continues, “But you obviously know more about that bitch than anyone else. I just need more information to talk shit more efficiently”What.No, don't think.“Well I wish you luck getting that information”That was the wrong thing to say. The kid gets mad. The kid pushes him. He barely feels it. The kid calls him a selfish prick and a softie. He doesn't listen. He's not allowed to. He feels his own nails digging into his skin. Good. That's good. Because he's not allowed to think. So he doesn't think, and he doesn't listen. At least that's what he tells himself.~~~~~~~One month after the incidentNot thinking or listening caused a lot of pain. Maybe if he just didn't think or listen he wouldn't have to get hurt. He brought it upon himself.So he's back to thinking and listening. But it's not much better. It doesn't get better when he thinks about how much he deserves every blow he takes. It doesn't get better when he listens to the words said, the words expressing and bringing to life his own fears, and he believes every word. It doesn't get better. It never does. He doesn't know why he expects it too. It did for a while, when she was there. But she destroyed it. Now it's worse than it was before her.It's worse as he watches his parents leave for another mysterious meeting he's not worthy of being invited to. It's worse as they leave his sister there to make sure he doesn't run away again. It's worse as he watches his nephew be neglected and barely noticed by his own mother. It's worse when he listens to the words that she says. It's worse when he gets up from the couch he was sitting on as he listened. It's worse as he runs out the door and through the street, knowing his sister won't follow. It's worse as he doesn't know where he's going.And it's worse when he finds himself in front of Hell Hall.He's not supposed to be here. But he still knocks on the door to that little cellar he's been in several times. That's when the worse becomes the worst.That's when no one answers and instead of leaving he opens the door and finds her. She's right there. But she doesn't know he's here. She's on the floor, covered in bruises and blood and sweat. Her usually tight braids are limp and greasy. There's a smashed bottle next to her. There's a strong smelling liquid pouring around her head. The head that's lying on the floor. But she's breathing. It's short and stuttering but she's breathing. And she can't stay here, if she stays here the worst will get worse. So he picks up her light, limp body. And he carries her back the way he came.If his sister was expecting him to come home with a sickly criminal she wouldn't have nearly dropped her own kid upon seeing them. But she did help, she helped clean up their guest and set up the guest room for her.And so Kit was there. In his parents house. But not consciously. She's sick, and she can't go back. But she can't stay. But it's Kit. And Kit needs help. So he will help.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“All you had to do was listen! And you couldn't even do that!”
And she hits.
“Stop it! Mother stop-”
“Shut it! I don't want to hear another sound out of you, unless you're singing my praises, you filthy little brat!”
Another hit.
“I fucking hate you! I'll die before I say a single positive thing about you!”
Another hit.
“I thought I told you to keep quiet!”
“Stop it! I'm not scared of you! You can't make me do what you want!”
Another hit.
Then her face is cupped in her mother's hand as Cruella's face gets close to hers.
“Do you want to test that theory?” Her voice was level and calm, not her usual shrieking. Kit wanted her to shriek again. Kit was shaking, why was she shaking?
“I hate you” She replies with the same level of calm, but her voice is shaking, why is her voice shaking?
She spit in her mother's face and locked dark eyes with identical dark eyes. No matter the shaking, it could wait some other day.
Then it started. More hitting. A lot of it, and it hurt. She was vaguely aware of blood. Or maybe it was tears. Red tears? Yes, that must be it.
She's not entirely sure when the hitting stopped. Or when her mother left. It hurt to move, it had for a while. Even before the hitting started. But she moved, despite the pain from the new bruises and the old ones. Despite the red tears and the stabbing sensation in her stomach. She moved. She moved down to the cellar. In the cellar she found her stash. Yes, that would fix the pain.
But her fingers were still shaking. She dropped the bottle. And she went toppling beside it not long after.
Kit doesn't know where she is. Or how she got there. She's in a ratty old queen sized bed. Were there any queen sized beds in Hell Hall? Probably somewhere. But looking around she can tell that she is not in Hell Hall.
Getting up from bed she spots the vanity in the corner. And there. In the mirror. It's her. That weird hybrid of her and her mother. Staring at her. She's always watching. She wants revenge. She's there when Kit lies awake at night trying to sleep. She's there throwing even worse insults than Cruella herself. And now she's in the mirror.
Kit crosses over to the mirror and stares at her. But the closer she gets she realizes it's just her own reflection. Kit starts to turn away and she's there again, in the corner of her eye. Laughing at her. Kit looks back at the mirror, one squint and it's not Kit anymore.
“Do you remember what you did last night?”
She speaks, but her lips aren't moving. She's still copying Kits movements. Kit doesn't remember what she did last night. It's scary, losing memories.
“You need to remember. You remember the smell of blood and the taste of it. But you can't remember what happened just a few hours ago” .
She's laughing, taunting. Kit shrieks out of frustration and punches her. The glass shatters. She's gone. But she'll be back. Sure enough when Kit looks in the shards she's there. Laughing. Her long multicolored locks falling in her face. Kit isn't really sure how it happens. But she's gripping the glass shard in her hand. And she's using it to cut through her braids. Two long, greasy braids fall to the floor. Kit runs her hand through her hair to take out what remains of the braids. It's short now. Only down to her chin. But Kit looks into what remains of the mirror, she's not there. It's just Kit. She turns away from the mirror and goes to the door. She slowly runs the handle to open a crack and look out.
On the other side of the door there's a large room fitting a kitchen, dining room, and living room into the small space, with more doors lining the wall across from the one she's in. In the area of the room that seems to be the living room is a fireplace with a couch in front of it. On the couch are two.. no three people. One woman, one teenage boy with a toddler on his lap. Upon looking closer the boy looks familiar.
“Conner?”
His head snaps up, “Kit? You're awake”
He hands the kid to the woman and rushes over to her.
“...Conner”
He wraps her in a hug and they stand there like that for a moment. Kit is confused, isn't Conner mad at her? She thinks he is. But he doesn't seem mad.
He pulls away with a small smile and studies her face, “What happened to your hair?”
She reaches up to touch her hair, “Oh- I cut it”
But Conner isn't looking at her hair anymore, he's looking at her hand.
“You're bleeding”
She looks down at her hand, it's covered in blood.
“I am”
Conner doesn't ask anymore questions. He just leads her over to the couch and sits her down then goes rustling through the cabinets in the kitchen.
Kit risks looking over at the woman and child. They both look a lot like Conner. The child more than the woman. He has the same light blonde hair and startling green eyes. But the woman has darker hair and lighter eyes. She has Conner's face shape though.
Kit doesn't know when he got there, but Conner is kneeling in front of her, cleaning and wrapping her hand.
“Aren't you mad at me?” She hears herself whisper.
Conner looks up and meets her eyes, “Yes, but that's not important right now. You need help”
“Oh…”
The woman smiles at her, “I don't believe we've met, I'm Carlotta, Conners sister”
“Conner has a sister?”
He grimaces, “Yeah, she's older than me… as you can probably tell” He gets up off the floor, grabs the child and sits down on the couch next to Kit.
“This is my nephew, Noland” Conner smiles down at him, “He's three”
“Why am I here?” Kit asks, waving awkwardly at the child. How do you interact with a three year old? He must have found the wave acceptable because he starts smiling at her.
Conner looks down guiltily, “I went to Hell Hall to talk to you and found you passed out in a puddle of liquor, I couldn't just leave you there”
“You should've, I would've been fine”
“I don't think you would've though” He grimaces at her confused look, “Kit, I found you passed out, covered in blood and bruises, shaking and sweating looking like you hadn't eaten in days. There was a giant bleeding gash under your left rib cage, I don't think you would prioritize it enough to clean it up before it got infected”
Kit is staring at the ground, unhealthy habits aren't rare in her life. But they have been getting worse.
“When was the last time you ate, Kit?”
“I don't know,” She whispers, “A while”
Conner makes eye contact with his sister who nods silently and walks over the kitchen.
“It was really dangerous to bring me here, Conner. You could get in trouble”
She was looking in his eyes now, but he wasn't backing down. He's staring right back stubbornly.
“I've been in trouble many times, Kit. It's nothing I can't handle”
“You don't understand. I am a criminal. I'm supposed to be under house arrest”
“What?” His stubborn looks changes to one of concern, “But you can't, you won't survive. How could they do that”
“I'll survive just fine, Conner. I've been living there all my life, I can do it”
“But you haven't lived there while your mother was aware of your powers. Or without being able to leave. Why didn't they just lock you up in Auradon? You would've been safer”
Kit scoffs, “I always knew they would send me back. I originally planned to just run away and live in some discreet corner of the Isle. But that plan got ruined”
Conner blinks, “Would they know if you tried to do that?”
“Yeah, my mother swore to notify them whenever I tried to leave, which means they probably know I'm not home now”
“They don't know where you are though” Conners sister says, coming back over to the couch with a plate of food that she hands to Kit, “Eat, you need it”
“... thanks” Kit mainly eats so Conner will stop worrying, but once she starts she can't stop. She is really hungry.
“I wish I could say you can stay here,” Conner sighs, “but that's not really an option. My parents hate you”
“Why” Kit asks through a mouthful of food, “I don't think I've ever met them”
“Your reputation mostly,” He glances at his sister, “And because it's known that we know each other”
“Well everything I know about them is that they're shit anyways”
“Yeah…”
Conner's sister lets out a heavy breath and stands up, “I think I'll leave you two now”
She walks in front of Conner and holds out her hands for Noland. Conner hesitates.
“Give me my son, Conner”
He reluctantly hands over the child and his mother takes him to another room.
Kit watches them walk out then turns on Conner.
“What's wrong?”
He's fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve, “It's just- She isn't that reliable with Noland. Doesn't even notice he's there half the time”
“Oh…”
“Anyways,” He lets out a hoarse laugh, “What was Auradon like?”
“I didn't see much of it if I'm being honest. But everyone there smiles all the time and are way too nice for their own good. Like, you act like that and naturally people are gonna want to kill you”
“Well it's Auradon, at least they have a reason to be happy all the time”
“Do you really think just living in Auradon makes life automatically happy?”
“I like to believe it does”
“Well that's unrealistic”
They sit there in silence for a moment. There's still so much to unpack, but not enough time. Kit needs to go back but she really doesn't want to. The Snows will probably be back soon, and as much as Kit wants to meet them, out of curiosity more than anything, she can't trust she won't end up punching them in the face. It would only get Conner in trouble anyway.
Conner.He is there.He showed up.He didn't know what was going on and he still showed up. Lord knows why. That goddamn kid. So many secrets and too many complicated situations, Kit can't get enough of him. But he's so kind, so good. Better than she deserves. Who shows up to see someone they're mad at and then brings them home to get better. Conner Snow. There was none quite like him. Kit doesn't want to be seen as bad to him.
“Are you still mad at me?” She hears herself ask.
He looks down, “Maybe. I don't know. I think I'm upset you did what you did, and I'm scared of how you can use it against me. Or that I might be on your bad side someday. What's going to stop you from getting all riled up and hitting me the way you did your brother?”
“You will”
“What?”
“You will. I can't see a situation in which I would want to hurt you, but if one arises all you need to do is be there. I won't do anything”
“How do you know?”
“I don't, I just hope. And maybe if I hope enough it'll become true”
“But that's not solid reasoning. I need to be able to trust you, Kit”
“I know” She flashes him a mischievous look for a half second before it turns serious again, “You can trust me, Conner. I swear it”
“Thank you” He deflates in relief. Then stares at her a moment, “Are you okay?”
She lets out a heavy breath, “I should be. Still processing it at the moment, trying to cope. But I do need to get back before anyone realizes I was gone”
“No”
“Excuse me? No?”
“You can't go back” His eyes widen in desperation, “Not after how I found you last night”
“Conner, I don't have a choice”
“You can run. You can leave and go somewhere they'll never find you. You can be safe”
“Nowhere is safe for me! There is nowhere on this Isle I won't be found! No use in trying when they inevitably find me and accelerate my fucking punishment”
“Please” The singular word was forced out. It was begging. It was worthless.
“I'm sorry, Conner. But I can't”
His face hardens and he nods harshly, “Fine, then I need you to promise me something”
“And what would that be?”
“Stop drinking. Stop starving yourself. Stop provoking your mother. Take care of yourself. You know how to survive, I need you to do that now”
“Conner…”
“Promise me”
“What if I can't?!” She cries, she's crying. She's scared, “What if I can't?”
He wraps her in a hug, the same way she did for him months ago. Exactly the same.
“You can. I know you can, but you need to promise me you'll at least try”
She pulls away from him, “I promise”
“Thank you”
~~~~~~~~
Hell Hall.It feels so strange to be standing outside the building and not trapped inside. Sneaking in through the cellar door was easy enough, leaving the cellar was not. Probably because Cruella has the boys running around the place trying to find the missing De Vil.
On the journey to the second floor Kit runs into Jace who, for once in his life, isn't glued to Harry's side.
“Kit, there ya are!”
“Hello Jace”
She continues walking at her fast speed going right past him.
“You're mother is looking for ya”
“I know”
And she continues. Hands behind her back, head up, looking forward. Not stopping for any reason. Jace gets left behind. But he's quickly forgotten. Kit goes straight up the staircase and into the wide hallway, stopping in front of heavy double doors and quickly knocking then returning her hands behind her back.
It's Horace who opens the doors. Behind him Kit can see her mother at her desk. She is smoking. She is always smoking.
“I found her!” Horace yells, excitedly.
“You mean she showed up at the door you complete imbecile”
“Yes, ma’am”
“Get in here, Kit!”
Kit walks past Horace and stands in front of the dusty old black marble desk at which her mother is sitting.
“Mother”
“Where were you?”
“I am not sure what you mean”
“Don't play dumb with me! You disappeared, the boys couldn't find you anywhere!”
“I'm afraid I overslept. I woke up in some small unused part of the house. You know how large this place is, I don't know most of it”
“Yes, yes, a very good excuse. However,”
Cruella stands up and crosses around the desk to stand in front of her daughter.
“You are lying”
“I'm not-”
“I'm not an idiot, Kit! You left! And you're going to tell me where you went and what you were doing”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because if you don't, I will notify Auradon and you don't want them getting involved”
“Why not? I'm already living in hell, literally that's what the fucking building is called, what more could they possibly do to me?”
“They can make an example out of you, that's what! Show the whole world what they'll do next time a villain dares to act out!”
Kit leans in closer to her mother, “So be it”
Cruella hits her. Perfect. The plan worked.
“When are you going to learn that your actions have consequences! Your mistakes reflect badly on me as well!”
Kit scoffs, “You don't need my help for people to think the worst of you”
Another hit.
Keep going.
“Really, our family's reputation has been tarnished for years. The only thing that could make it worse is if one of your kids turned out to be a mass murderer… oh wait”
She grins, this earns another hit. The grin doesn't go away. If anything it grows. She can feel the blood trickle out of the corner of her mouth. She lets out a small laugh.
“You're fucking insane”
“I get it from you, darling”
Cruella looks her up and down, “What happened to your hair?”
“Don't you like it? Did it myself”
“That explains why it looks terrible”
“Thank you”
Cruella does not appreciate this behavior. Cruella hits her again. Kit wants her to do it again.
“Listen to me, Kit, just tell me where you were and you won't get hurt”
“Bit late for that mummy dearest, why do you want to know where I was so bad?”
“I am your mother! You obey me!”
“I do?”
“Yes”
“You're losing your control”
“Oh, I'll get it back”
The grin finally disappears. Kit gets right up in her face and stares into her eyes.
“Try. I fucking dare you”
“So be it”
~~~~~~~~~
Conner is worried. Kit is most definitely not having fun right now. But she promised she'd stay safe. So she has too. Or she'd be breaking her promise. She can't do that. She only just got his trust back. Then again, if she did it before she could do it again.
No, no use in thinking like that.
Besides, he has to stay strong. He has too. For Noland.
Noland. He's so small. Conner wants to keep him safe. But he doesn't know how, he doesn't even know what safe is. How can someone raised through violence keep someone safe from violence? He can't, not really. He only sees his nephew a few days a week. He doesn't know what goes on in his sister's house. But he knows his sister is scared when she's there. So Noland must be too.
And Noland doesn't cry often. Like he knows he shouldn't. But when he does it's always around Conner. And it always lasts a long time. When this happens Conner will hold him. He'll keep him close and try to keep him warm until he's better. Noland is very attached to Conner, he doesn't much like anyone else. In fact “Conner” was his first word. So Conner keeps him safe. And he holds him. He doesn't think he's doing it right though. He always tries to do it the way Kit did for him several months ago. With the same amount of warmth and care.
Conner likes making Noland feel better. He also likes making Kit feel better. And sometimes, when he is very sad himself and he doesn't think he can make it another day, he'll hold himself too. Make himself feel better. Which is why he doesn't think he's doing it right. But he's trying.
In any case, Noland has stopped crying and is asleep on his lap. His hair fisted in his chubby fingers. He's not a very restful sleeper. So this is good.
“He likes you”
“I know”
Carlotta studies him, “Why?”
“I don't know”
She seems to think on this for a moment before changing the subject, “So, your friend? The murderer?”
“Kit” He nods, “What about her?”
“She didn't know about me”
“I didn't feel she needed to know”
“Mother and Father won't be happy you let her stay here”
“I know, I hope they can try to understand”
“You could not tell them”
Conner looks up at her, “What? But what if they ask?”
“Ask what, Conner?”
“What happened today, or something I don't know”
“When have they ever asked something like that”
“I- that's not the point. They're going to know”
“How?”
“They just will”
“Then don't let them. If they ask, you lie”
He fixes her with a horrified look, “I would never”
“Why?”
“We're not allowed to lie, remember?”
“You actually listen to that rule?”
“If course, I can't lie”
“How would they know you're lying?”
“You're here often, Carlotta. But you haven't lived with them for years” He can't look at her, he can't look anywhere. So he closes his eyes, “They know everything, always. They will see me and know I'm hiding something, confront me, and everything will gradually fall to pieces”
“You're right, they've changed a lot from when I was a kid”
“They can get violent. Really violent”
She shrugs, “It happens, they're not perfect”
“You've seen it”
“I have, I've also lived it, maybe not from them but I have”
“Then how can you be okay with it”
She stares at him. She stares at him until he has no choice but to stare back.
“Because, that's just the way it is sometimes. You need to accept that life isn't perfect. And you won't be saved from your own family, your blood, by insisting it's wrong. We're all bound by blood. And sometimes the ones we share blood with want to hurt us. So we let them. Do you understand?”
He looks down at the sleeping child in his lap, “Is he bound by blood?”
“Yes, ours, and his father's”
“But we don't want to hurt him”
She fixes him with a sad look.Oh.
“But he's so small, how can you expect me to accept it if he's getting hurt?”
“Because you have too. You don't have a choice, no one does. So, do you understand?”
He swallows the lump in his throat, “Yes”