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It was almost dawn when they returned to Auradon Prep, and Mal thought she’d never seen a sight more beautiful than the gray stone towers of the school turning pink in the sunrise. No matter that Auradon still didn’t feel one hundred percent like home, she was home in Ben’s arms. “Thanks for being there for me,” she whispered.
“Always,” he said, nuzzling her hair.
He gave her one m
ore hug, then went to help the boys dock the boat in the harbor as they pulled into the bay. Evie went over to where Mal was seated and leaned her head on her friend’s shoulder. “Thanks for being there for me,” she said, echoing what Mal had said to Ben just moments before.
Mal leaned her purple head against Evie’s and told her what Ben had said in return: “Always.”
“That was close,” said Jay, as he helped them climb out of the boat. “I didn’t think we would make it.”
“But we did,” said Mal.
Jay flashed her a rueful smile. “You know it,” he said, giving Ben a fist bump.
“Um, guys? I think we want this, right?” said Carlos, who’d gone to fetch the trident they’d left in the back of the boat.
Ben asked Arabella to meet them at his office, and the little mermaid practically burst into tears when she saw the trident leaning innocuously against a bookshelf.
“You did it!” she said to Ben, obviously not quite believing it was true. “You got it back!”
“We all did,” said Ben with a smile, offering his hand to Mal.
Mal took it and offered her hand to Evie, who linked hands with Carlos, who took Jay’s hand too. “Ben’s right, we all played a part,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without any of these guys.”
Arabella thanked them profusely. “I’ll make sure it gets back to Grandfather and the museum right away.”
Ben turned to her with a serious look on his face. “Arabella, I hope you already know what I’m about to say to you.”
She blushed as red as her hair. “I know, King Ben. I know. I’ll never steal anything again, I promise. Fairy Godmother’s right, magic is too dangerous to use.” Humbled, she curtsied to Ben and left, holding the trident tightly in her hands.
“Arabella will be okay,” said Mal. “I don’t think she’ll ever get near that trident again.”
“Speaking of the museum. You guys do know that all magical artifacts belong there for safekeeping,” Ben said with an embarrassed cough.
“You mean even my magic mirror?” said Evie, looking worried.
“And my spell book?” said Mal. The two girls looked askance at each other.
“I guess we should hand them over,” said Evie reluctantly. “I do keep reminding Mal that we’re not supposed to depend on magic.” She removed the mirror from her purse and handed it to Ben.
“I’ll make sure the curators get this and keep it somewhere safe,” he promised. He turned to Mal expectantly.
Mal shrugged. “I left my spell book in my room,” she told him. “But don’t worry, I’ll make sure it gets to the museum.”
“Great,” said Ben. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’m going to sleep for the entire day.”
“We’ll get out of here,” said Mal, and Ben hugged each one of them as they left, holding Mal extra tightly. She closed the door behind her with a smile.
When they were walking down the hallway, Evie nudged Mal. “He’s a good king,” said Evie.
“The best,” said Carlos.
“You know it,” said Jay.
“Yeah, I think I’ll keep him around,” said Mal. She and Evie said good night to the boys and headed over to the girls’ dormitory.
Mal sat on the edge of her bed, chewing her thumbnail. “What’s wrong?” asked Evie.
