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Uma spent many days swimming around the waters surrounding the Isle, searching for a hole in the invisible barrier. Days turned into weeks, until she lost count. But Fairy Godmother’s spell was too strong. Still, there had to be a way to break it, didn’t there? Uma was a witch; she had her mother’s seashell necklace and the powers of the sea in her blood.
She drew herself up to her greatest height, transforming into a giant octopus with eight arms, and tried to cast her spells. “BREAK BEFORE ME!” she screamed. She felt the magic pulse in her throat and in her veins. The very skies above the island cracked with lightning and thunder.
“I COMMAND YOU TO BREAK!” she raged.
Nothing happened.
The barrier around the Isle of the Lost stood firm. The villains, including her pirate crew, would be trapped behind that dome forever. There was no way out or in.
Uma returned to her human form and swam away.
Once in a while she glimpsed a few pirates at the coastline and tried to call to them. One afternoon she even spied Harry, stealing another fisherman’s catch.
“Harry!” she called. “HARRY!”
But he didn’t notice. He just unhooked that unfortunate soul’s line and stole away with the bounty.
Another day there was Gil, skipping stones on the beach.
“GIL! I’M RIGHT HERE! GIL!” she yelled.
Gil looked into the distance. “Uma?” he asked. He looked down and found a large seashell. He put the conch to his ear.
“YES! I’M RIGHT HERE!”
But he didn’t seem to hear her. Eventually he set the conch down.
The next time she saw the boys on the deck of her ship, she didn’t even bother to call out to them. There was no use. It was as if she were as invisible to them as the barrier.
Uma dived down into the depths again. Maybe if she swam deep enough, she would find a place where the barrier ended.
It felt like she had been swimming forever, down and down, cutting across currents and into the dark deep below. And still the barrier held. There was truly no way through the spell.
Except…
What was that?
That sound…
Was she dreaming, or was it…rock music? Coming from the depths below?
t had been a few days since Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay had approached Ben to discuss the VK program, and Mal was starting to feel a little impatient. Every moment on the Isle of the Lost meant neglect, filth, and abandonment for the kids who lived there. The sooner they got more kids to apply to Auradon Prep, and the sooner they got them off the Isle, the better those kids’ lives would be. Evie had brought it up again the other night, and Mal had promised she would ask Ben about it today.
They were at their ballroom dancing practice. And even though Mal wished they were training with swords and shields instead, she kept it to herself. Since she had been announced as the future Lady Mal, she and Ben were expected to lead many dances in countless royal balls around Auradon. There were so many styles to learn—the fox-trot, the waltz, the Viennese waltz (who knew there were two kinds of waltzes?) the quickstep, the mambo, the cha-cha.
Ben was already in the palace ballroom with Merryweather, their instructor. The good fairy was wearing her usual blue gown, blue hat, and blue cape. She eyed Mal’s purple dress and smiled.
“Good morning, good morning, King Ben, Mal,” she said. “Are we ready for our lesson?”
“We sure are,” said Ben heartily. Kingly duties took up so much of his schedule, and Mal knew he was glad for any excuse to spend more time together. Even if that meant learning complicated formal dances. “Shall we?” he asked, offering Mal his hand.
“We shall,” she said, her eyes sparkling as she took it.
He swept her into his arms, and they began counting the steps to the waltz.
Ben was concentrating hard on his footwork, and Mal had to make sure she kept in time with the beat. So it was only when Ben swung her around and dipped her that she was able to catch his attention.
“Pardon?” he asked, as Merryweather tapped her wand and music filled the room.
