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“I will,” promised Carlos.
• • •
Carlos watched Mal walk away. She seemed a bit off, but maybe she was just concentrating on something. She was Mal, and she could take care of herself. He didn’t have to worry, did he?
Like Mal, Carlos hadn’t been completely straight with the gang. Sure, he was scouting locations for posters and billboards, but he was also testing a system he had invented. Part of the graduation surprise he and Jane had cooked up. It had mostly been Jane’s idea, but Carlos was the technical part of the operation.
He took out his phone and opened the new app he’d put on it. He studied the screen and grinned as it began to work.
Excitedly, he texted Jane.
C-DOG: I think your surprise is going to work!
JAAAAANE: If you’re texting me, it sure is! How’s everything over there?
C-DOG: Okay. Glad we’re going home soon. Isle kids don’t really get the appeal of Auradon.
JAAAAANE: Maybe we need to make a bigger deal out of them.
C-DOG: ?
JAAAAANE: Like a day to really celebrate the villain kids.
C-DOG: Oh like a VK Day!
JAAAAANE: Yes!
C-DOG: Evie will LOVE that idea. You’re a genius! ?
JAAAAANE: Okay I have to go. See you soon!
C-DOG: Counting down the minutes!
She sent him a heart. Carlos looked at it for a long time, then put his phone away.
• • •
If Mal had noticed Carlos was being cagey earlier, she didn’t give it much thought. She was too worried about the strange gap in her memory. She was walking through the bazaar, lost in her thoughts, when she bumped into Harriet Hook.
“Hey, Harriet,” said Mal.
“Mal!” said Harriet. “Oh, I heard about your roundtable at study hall. My sister, CJ, kept bugging me to go, but I had a big test, and you know the Queen of Hearts threatens to chop off our heads if we fail.”
“It’s okay,” said Mal. “You probably know all about Auradon from CJ.”
Harriet gave Mal one of her rare smiles. “So, how did it go?”
Mal shrugged. “Not our finest hour,” she admitted. “We couldn’t get anyone to realize how great it is. Maybe they didn’t want to hear it. Not everyone will get to go, after all.”
“That’s never stopped a determined bunch of villains before,” said Harriet.
“You’re right,” said Mal. “Maybe we have the wrong approach.…Thanks!”
“No problem,” said Harriet.
Mal began to walk away, but Harriet stopped her.
“Mal?” Harriet said. “You were headed that way,” she said, pointing her fake hook in the opposite direction.
