“Happy Friday to you,” she said. They reached for each other’s hands at the same time, causing Jane to giggle. “So, is everything set for you-know-what next week?” she asked, lowering her voice in case one of the seniors could overhear them.
“I’ve got the list, and I’ve alerted the proper authorities,” said Carlos. “Everything should be ready.”
“Amazing,” said Jane. “It’s going to be such a fun night!”
“The best!” he enthused. They had really pulled it together. It had been a little difficult getting all the parents to agree to their plans—Rapunzel, for one, didn’t want to let down her hair too much—but in the end they’d all agreed to help. Carlos was no longer the scared little boy who’d arrived at Auradon Prep, shaking at the sight of a puppy. He had grown taller, leaner, and much more confident in the time he’d spent away from the Isle of the Lost. Without his mother’s haranguing and constant criticism, he had truly come into his own—especially since he no longer had to fluff her wigs and take care of her furs.
Everything was going happily-ever-after—he was doing well in his classes, he had a very cute girlfriend, and next year, once Jay and Ben had graduated, he was going to be the BMOC: Big Man of the Castle. Maybe he could even run for Class King! He ruffled his crop of black-and-white hair, thinking about how everything would truly be perfect. Except for just one thing—he would miss his friends.
The others would be going their own ways after graduation—that was for sure. Jay was going to be some big R.O.A.R. star, Evie would probably expand her fashion business, and Mal had her duties to Auradon—after all, she was the future Lady Mal now. Carlos felt a tad nostalgic for how it used to be, when the four of them were just a bunch of Isle of the Lost misfits, stumbling and scheming their way through Auradon.
Which was why he was doubly glad he and Jane had coordinated this very special supersecret project next weekend that was part of the traditional graduation activities at Auradon Prep.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked.
“At the Auradon City Mall,” he replied with a grin. “Seven o’clock.”
“They just installed new dancing fountains—trained by the Sorcerer’s Apprentice!” she said. “It’ll be so cool!”
“Can’t wait.”
He walked her back to her dorm, where she gave him a quick kiss good-bye. “Tomorrow,” she promised.
“Tomorrow,” he echoed with a smile, still feeling the sweetness of her kiss against his cheek.
As Carlos walked back to the boys’ dorm, he texted the group chat nicknamed “VKs”:
C-DOG: Hey! It’s Friday! Let’s hang! Want to grab eats at Charming’s Chili?
MALEVOLENT: Sounds SO FUN, but Ben and I have a dinner with Aziz and his new princess tonight. So sorry!!!
IT’SJAY: Rain check? Kinda sore from practice, spending night in.
PRINCESSEVIE:…
Carlos was waiting for Evie’s reply when she ran right into him, still typing a response on her phone.
“Carlos!” she said joyfully.
He broke into a smile; Evie was always so cheerful. She was like a big sister to him. “Evie! What’s up? Want to go to Charming’s Chili?” he asked.
“I’m so sorry, I can’t. Doug’s band is playing at the Wishing Well later,” she said with an apologetic smile. “Want to come with?” While Doug was a member of the marching band in the daytime, at night he whistled a different tune. Carlos would usually be happy to join her, except Doug’s music was just a tad too EMO for him. (Extremely Moody Orchestrations, that is.)
“Next time,” Carlos promised, as they fell into step together.
“But do you have time now?” asked Evie. “I’m actually going this way.” She motioned back to the main castle.
“Now?” he asked, following her lead.
“Yeah, I was about to go and find Mal and Ben to talk about the VK program—you know, the initiative to bring more villain kids to Auradon?” she asked, as she opened the doors and they stepped through.
Carlos nodded. It sounded vaguely familiar, although he hadn’t been paying much attention. Mostly he’d been wrapped up in his new relationship with Jane. “Uh-huh?”
Evie led the way to Ben’s private wing of the palace. “I was thinking maybe we should go back to the Isle of the Lost and get more kids interested in applying!”
“We should?” he asked, paling to the roots of his black-and-white hair. Even though they’d returned to the Isle of the Lost before, it always felt like a dicey proposition. In the back of his mind he was always a little worried he’d end up stuck there again, and he really didn’t want to be trapped in his dingy room in Hell Hall.
“Yeah, we should!” said Evie, who seemed very intent on this idea. “That way, they can see Auradon is a great place, even for villain kids. Don’t you think? Because, so far, no one’s applied to the program except for Dizzy.”
“Oh.” That did seem odd. Carlos would have guessed there would be more kids who might want to escape the island. For starters, he remembered the kids from the Anti-Heroes club were pretty keen on Auradon.
“Yeah.” Evie shrugged. “Doug thinks that maybe they’re scared or intimidated somehow. Or maybe they think it’s some kind of trap. You know how it was, back on the Isle. There’s always some kind of angle.”
He certainly did. Carlos drummed his fingers on his chin. He was warming up to the idea. “You know what would help? If we brought peanut butter!”
Evie laughed. “Um, okay. I was thinking we should meet with the kids personally to talk about Auradon. But that works too!”
“Perfect. Let’s find Jay and Mal first, then go talk to Ben,” said Carlos. He always found safety in numbers.
en bent over the paper on his desk, his brow creased as he read the latest safety report from Genie, who kept an eye on all the kingdoms. The news was the same—no sign of Uma or her tentacles. Ben was writing a note advising Genie to keep an eye on the oceans, when the door to his study burst open. He was surprised but happy to find Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos talking excitedly to each other as they made their way to the front of his desk.
“We could tell them about tourney!” said Jay.
“And chocolate chip cookies!” said Carlos. “Oh, and hot showers!”
“We could stress how good the classes are. Pun definitely intended,” said Mal with a droll smile.
“And how nobody locks you up in a tower if you forget your homework!” said Evie.
“Ben! Wait till you hear this idea!” said Mal, coming to perch on the side of his desk.
“What is it?” asked Ben, grinning and leaning back on his chair, glad to have a distraction. It was his duty as king to read every document presented to him and make certain he was prepared for meetings. He liked to be just as informed as his councillors, if not more so. But sometimes, even kings needed a break. “What’s the big idea?”
“You know the VK program?” Evie asked. “The one that’s going to bring over some more villain kids to study at Auradon Prep? Well, I was looking at the applications we’ve received, and aside from Dizzy, there aren’t any.”