The Shadow

Unfortunately, this is just a oneshot. These are just series of my OC within the movie. I'm going to do something different and make it be that she doesn't meet the four main characters. Her story in the movie is, I have to say, rather different from anyone else. There's also slight Carlos x OC, but just slight xP Also, don't expect much main characters. If anything, this could be a real story if I let it. But no, I don't own Disney. I wish I worked for it tho…

Enjoy reading~

I was there when they arrived.

I was there when they plotted their plan.

I was there…

…when they changed.

I was just like my father. Because they didn't know I even existed.

"Excuse me? Good morning Auradon Prep."

The moment I heard Ben, I looked up from my little chat with Lonnie and turned to the PO. Everyone else in the hallway turned to pay attention to the king-to-be's voice. There was a bit of a pause, as if the prince wanted to make sure everyone was listening.

"I would like to make an important announcement."

Whispers started to sound out. I looked at everyone else in the halls and they seemed to have assumed this would be good. "I wonder what this is all about," Lonnie whispered excitedly.

I had to chuckle a bit as I crossed my arms. "I'm sure it'll be awesome…"

"As you know, my father, King Beast, banished all the villains in the land of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost."

This caused everyone to burst into cheers.

"Hold, on, hold on. Now I've come to realize the descendants of these villains who, up until now, have lived in the shadow of their parents' wrongdoing. They deserve a chance to determine a path of their own."

The whispers grew louder.

"Which is why, as my first royal decree, I've decided to invite four students from the Isle of the Lost to Auradon Prep this year."

The whispers immediately died down. I could've sworn I heard a pin drop. Or rather, Chad Charming's backpack.

"Now I'm sure you have questions…"

Almost instantly, the whispers turned into complaints.

"OK, now let's all quiet down! They will be attending our classes, follow our schedules, and hopefully, will be taught how to do good. I highly request that everyone here would treat them as an equal…we would want them to feel at home, if they were to be a part of this school." There was a harsh clearing of the throat. "That is all. Thank you."

With that, the PO switched off.

Once everyone shook the thought away, I turned back to Lonnie with a big smile. "Well, look at that," I chirped happily. "Awesome, right?"

"Are you kidding, Penelope?" Lonnie practically exploded. "Children of villains coming here? That's the total opposite of awesome!"

"Come on, Lon. I'm sure Ben has a completely logical reason for bringing them here."

Mulan's daughter only scoffed. "Sure. Like giving them a chance to try and destroy us?"

"Hey. Ben has good intentions. If it makes you feel any better, I'll go talk to him."

Her raised eyebrow was enough of an answer. Before she could say anything more, I gave her a smirk and whirled around to walk away. I heard her laugh lightly, but I continued to move.

As I was running, I managed to say a few hellos over to some people I passed. They waved and smiled back when they saw me off. Some barely saw I was even there. It was my nature to just be up and gone like a flash, without anyone aware of my presence. Being the daughter of Peter Pan probably did that to me.

Putting that aside, I stopped running when I found Auradon's Prince Benjamin leaving the announcing room. I smirked at seeing the far-off look on his face and casually came up to him. He didn't even notice I was there.

"Hey, Benny."

Ben quickly turned to his left but was surprised to find nobody. When he turned to his right, he jolted back when he saw me, and I restricted myself from completely collapsing on the floor in hilarity once seeing his staggered expression. As I laughed at him, he quickly recovered and laughed with me anyway. "Hi, Pen!"

"Your Highness." I bowed to him in a jocular manner, and he laughed again.

"Please. No need for that."

I smiled politely as I stood straight and crossed my arms. "So…about your little…surprise."

"Oh! Good, people heard it."

"Heard it? People are talking about it now. People are worried about it. What are you thinking, Ben? Are you trying to put the school in danger?"

I almost felt guilty when I saw his hurt expression. "Every time I look out the window, I can't help feeling like we abandoned them in the island. We don't know if the villains' children are innocent. Wouldn't you like to find out?" When I didn't respond, he looked into my brown eyes sternly. "Hey. There's nothing to worry about. We'll be teaching them how to be good, anyway. And besides…I gave you a chance, didn't I?"

All right. He hit a sore subject there. After my father had decided he wanted to have a job that involved traveling the world, I was left to fend for myself around school. He had a talk with Ben's parents and convinced them to let me live there. At a young age, I was already a student at Auradon Prep. I also had to thank Ben for that, because he was there when his parents were deciding my fate. He was like the big brother I never had.

So that last statement made me groan up at him. "OK. Whatever. I trust you, so I guess having them here wouldn't be so bad."

Ben's face immediately lit up at that. "Great. Hey, want to join Audrey and me in welcoming them to the school? They'll be arriving any minute now."

I instantly shrugged my shoulders. "Nah, I'm good. You and your girlfriend should go welcome them together. I'll be within the crowd."

He chuckled. "Like a shadow?"

"More like a lost one." I gave him a smile and we did a "low-five". "I'll see you two afterwards."

Ben nodded. "See you."

We then walked our separate ways. When he was completely out of sight, my playful smile melted into a frown. Now, I could only pray to Neverland the new king was making the right choice about all this…

Outside, all the students put on fake smiles as they waved to the incoming limo. Being the polite person I am (scoff), I waved an Auradon Prep flag along with them. The band was playing the welcoming song, as the black vehicle pulled up towards the entrance. Ben seemed to be pretty happy as he walked with Audrey and the Fairy Godmother up to meet the new kids. I stifled a yawn, seeing as I've been standing there for almost forever, but was immediately snapped awake when I heard the screaming.

"You got everything else! Why do you want whatever this is?!"

"Because you want it!"

Was there fighting? Now that's something I'd like to see. I practically climbed over the person in front of me just to get a closer look at the new students.

There were four of them. Two girls and two guys. As the Fairy Godmother talked with them, I did a quick examination. One of the girls was blue-haired and dressed rather fashionably. Judging by the heart-with-a-crown-on-it-shaped necklace around her neck, she was the daughter of the Evil Queen. She was rather pretty, I had to admit. Meanwhile, there's me. I'm pretty sure she'd chase me down with a makeup kit if we ever met.

The first boy had long hair and wore a beanie. First time I saw him, he seemed to have gotten every technical object he could find in the limousine. His disappointed look wasn't hidden when the Headmistress told him to put it all back. Based on the muscles on his biceps and the devilish look he had, he deemed to be the "bad boy" type. From that snake sign on the back of his vest I saw when he turned around, I immediately thought 'son of Jafar'.

The second girl looked like a person I would want for a best friend. Her hair was purple, her clothes were stylish (and may I add, my type) and her eyes held a fierce, leader-like look in them. She appeared like she was the kind that was good at assessing situations. I immediately liked her, and assumed she was the daughter of Maleficent.

The last boy caught my eye though. His hair was white, and so were his clothes, which held a mix of black and red with them too. He was the easiest guess, for everyone could tell by the colors he was Cruella de Vil's son. But, even still, he didn't appear at all like his mother. The boy had chocolate all over his mouth, as if he'd never tasted the sweet before. I could tell by then he was the innocent, weak-willed type. At the same time, he looked like a really smart person. I admit, I thought he was rather cute, in his own dorky way. But at the moment, I tried not to focus too much on him.

I later realized everyone else had left by then. I had only assumed they were going back to their classes. But I didn't want to leave. I never liked learning anyway. I stuck around just to see Ben give them a short tour of campus. It only ended as they were about to go inside, which was rather disappointing. The four kids followed him, and I trailed right behind them, but not fully. It was rather confusing for me. As Ben gave them some instructions, I just sighed to myself and slumped against Ben's father's statue.

What was wrong? I'm usually friendly with others and would like to make friends real quick. But when it comes to these four…I can't seem to get the courage to stand up to them. Was it because they were children of villains? No, that can't be it. I don't usually judge at first sight. But now, by just looking at these four kids, I could almost hear my heart telling me something was up.

Out of frustration and boredom, I clapped my hands, and the statue turned back into King Beast.

Ben and Audrey came out pretty soon after. I straightened myself and forced myself to smile. "Hey, guys," I greeted. "All is well?"

"All is well," Ben confirmed. "Doug's gonna assist them around."

"Cool…so, what are their names?"

"Jay, Evie, Carlos, and Mal."

"Jafar, Evil Queen, Cruella, Maleficent."

Ben scoffed. "Lucky guesses?"

"Pretty much."

"Hey, why don't you help him? Doug, I mean. Get to know the kids?"

For some reason, I shook my head. "I'm good, thanks. I'll just help whenever. I don't feel like talking right now."

Audrey suddenly began to laugh. "Penelope Pan, not wanting to make any friends? That's a first."

I gave her a half-smile, nodding only slightly. "Yeah, Audrey…I can choose my friends."

"It's not because they're children of—"

"Villains?" I gave a light laugh as I cut Ben off. "No, of course not. I just…don't want to get in their way yet…know what I mean?"

Before either of the two could respond, I showed one last smile before walking away and leaving them. Again.

I then found Doug looking like he was silently cursing himself for forgetting something, and I quickly walked over. "Yo! Doug."

"Oh, hi Pen," The son of Dopey looked at me with a polite expression.

"The new kids all settled in?"

"Sort of. They're in their dorms now. Plan on meeting them?"

I only shrugged. "A shadow doesn't really speak." The confused look he had on then made me grin. "I'll see you later. Maybe I'll talk to the new kids then."

"Uh, sure…"

I walked past him and headed over to my dorm. What I said was true, though…I may be friendly, but I'm like a shadow. Sometimes, I'm there, sometimes I'm not. Sometimes you acknowledge, and at times, it's like I'm invisible.

But this isn't about me.

"Hey, Chad," I called out, knocking on the boy's dorm door. The son of Cinderella looked up from a video game he was playing on TV and took the time to turn to me.

"Hey, Penny," he greeted with that charming smile of his. He paused his game and walked over. I only rolled my eyes and held up a folder.

"Your chemistry homework? Mr. Delay said you left it on your seat."

That earned a groan. "I was hoping he'd think I didn't know there was homework."

I snorted. "Yeah, right, like that's going to work." I shoved the folder in his chest. "Shame you don't have anyone to do the homework for you."

Chad nodded sadly, but then slightly lit up as he looked at me.

"Don't even think about it. By the way, Tourney practice tomorrow, K?"

"At least that I remember."

I raised an eyebrow, as if saying "You sure?" and gave a mischievous smile as I left the room. Boys. You can never tell what's going on in their heads.

As I walked down the boys' hall to my own room, I suddenly saw a dorm door open. Mal's head poked right out of it. Now, a girl shouldn't be in the boys' dorms, right? It must've been Carlos' and Jay's room. When Mal inspected the hall, she didn't even bother looking towards her right and just made sure the coast was clear on her left. "Come on!" I heard her say.

As she ran out, Jay came out as well, who was then followed by Evie. I froze again, but only before I went to hide behind the door before anyone could know I was in the hall. Mal had realized the fourth member of their group wasn't there and instantly hissed, "Carlos!"

"Coming!" The white-haired boy was struggling to put his jacket back on as he ran after his friends. Once he was out of the hall, I left the shelter of the dorm door and quickly tried running after them. It was hard to do just that and conceal at the same time, though. I later found out that they were now taking their running to the outer areas of the school. It had only come to my realization then that they were sneaking out somewhere.

My only question was where.

I couldn't stop thinking about where the four went last night. I'm guessing they didn't want to try out an Auradon-themed club. My instincts were right, and they were planning something. I seemed to be losing my train of thought that day because I soon found myself bumping into them then.

For a moment, it was scary. I thought it would be a good time to talk. But I started to freeze up again, and couldn't bring myself to speak. My questionable nerves forced me to avoid the action once again.

"Sorry," I mumbled, sliding past.

When the group turned to their left, I was already in front of them and long gone away. This caused the four to be confused at where I was, and that's just how I wanted it to be. I was on my way to my favorite class that day, after all.

Gym was my best subject. Mostly because I could practically choose what I wanted to do for it. And every single time we had Gym, I would accomplish the obstacle course. Most boys and princes would use it more often than the princesses would, but this girl right here is different. I loved the obstacle course, and I completed it every time, always making sure my time today would be better than the last. That day, I was exceptionally taking all my anger and frustration out on every move I made. Luckily, all that antagonism paid off.

"6.89 seconds?" Coach Jenkins gasped. "Pan, you sure you feeling all right? You gotta lay it off a bit there!"

"Got it, Coach," I mumbled, forcing a nod.

One of my many friends, Jane, Fairy Godmother's daughter, walked up to me. "Penelope? Are you sure you're OK?"

When I looked at the girl's innocent little face, I had to soften up and smile a bit. "Is it that obvious?" She nodded briefly. "Ah, well…it's nothing too major, really. You don't have to worry about me." A sudden realization came to my head to avoid the conversation. "Oh, hey, your Mom has to sign that slip about the early dismissal for the coronation, right?"

Jane's blue eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" She then frowned. "She's teaching the Remedial Goodness class, right?"

"Yeah, the one with the villain kids."

"Oh no." What one could've done to see her terrified expression. "You know what? I don't want to remind her. You go do it instead."

I laughed at her nervousness, but I also felt the need to counter. "No way! You're her daughter. Woman up, Jane, face those four with pride!"

"That's what I'm trying not to do."

"Well, I'm definitely not taking your place, so good luck!"

"Penelope—"

Before she could say anything, I gave a little cheer and took off to the girls' showers.

"Here Dude! Come on!"

The campus mutt barked when it saw me and immediately started running. I laughed as I held my arms out, and he instantly jumped into them. I continued to laugh as the pup licked my face, appearing cheerful to see me. The cheerleaders on the field "aww"ed at us, even though me hanging out with the dog was practically a daily routine.

Out of all my friends in Auradon, Dude was my favorite. I grew up loving animals and nature after all, so being with the little puppy really made me just as happy as him. Frankly, I was pretty sure I was the only one in school that bothered to play with him, or even give a dog treat. Dude would always watch the Tourney games with me, and we would just sit in the bleachers quietly, as watching the practice games was the only time I could get away from humans and just be with an animal.

Today was especially a good one, because it seemed that Fairy Godmother offered Tourney to Carlos and Jay. And out of both of them, I proved my theory right when Jay became a literal "bad boy" on the field. He was knocking players out left and right, just to make sure he was the one to score the goal. He even knocked out some of his own teammates, which proved he knew nothing of teamwork. The cheerleaders just continued cheering for him though. I admit, I cheered with them, and Dude barked in the sidelines. What actually made me double over laughing was that even Jay tackled Carlos down as well. In the end, he did score the goal for himself, and Coach Jenkins called him over.

At the huddle, I overheard words of "rule book", "band", and "work". It made absolutely no sense to me, but once they were scattered, Jay was with Coach, while Carlos took his gear off. Luckily, the white-haired boy was far from Ben so I walked over to my friend with Dude trotting behind me.

"What happened?" I had to ask.

"I'll be working with Carlos," Ben explained. "Congratulations. Both boys are one step away from joining the team."

I scoffed. "Why are you congratulating me? I barely know them."

"Yeah, but now you have more people to check out at practice games."

It took me three seconds to realize what he'd meant and punch him in the shoulder. Too bad he was still wearing padding. "Ew! Ben! Gross!" As he laughed at me, I admit I laughed harder.

"Go on and watch us any time," the prince said, smiling. "I won't say anything."

I scoffed slightly, but nodded anyway. Dude was rubbing himself against my leg and I shot to his attention. I smiled down at the dog as I took off into a run, with the little pup running after me.

"Jane!" I called out, running up to my friend. She seemed to be with Lonnie as well, and they were talking about a certain something. That something was the girl's hair. "Whoa, what happened?"

"Mal happened!" Jane squealed. "Isn't it awesome?"

"It's real cool," Lonnie agreed, admiring Jane's new locks.

"Huh…" I mused, fingering the brown curls. "I didn't know Mal could do magic."

"Do you think she could do mine?" Lonnie asked excitedly.

"Sure!" Jane agreed. "She did mine to be nice, I think, but I wonder if she'll do yours for free."

"No," I found myself saying. "Mal doesn't seem like that type of person. She looks like she wants something in return from doing something for Jane."

"Exchange?" Jane had to smile. "Mal didn't ask anything from me, really." I could've sworn I saw in her eyes that she was lying… "The shadow can't define a person, Pen."

I waved a hand. "Potato, potatoh. I think you need to pay her something before you want her to do your hair."

"Pay?" Lonnie frowned, touching her short black strands. "But I don't have any money…and I really want a cool new hairstyle…"

"Lon, everyone wants a cool new hairstyle," I sighed. "Buuut…if you really want it…" I lazily reached into my pocket and handed over a pouch full of coins. Lonnie only stared at me as I practically dumped them in her hand.

"Are you se—"

"Don't mention it." I gave a little smile and wink.

"T-Thanks, Pen! I'll pay you back, I promise."

"Nah, don't worry. I can always 'borrow' more from Ben."

"Dude! Wait! No!"

I was just playing with Dude again that day, which just happened to be a time when Ben was helping Carlos at sprint practice. The second Carlos began to run, Dude barked and started chasing after him. Of course, dogs chase after people that run after them, believing they only want to play. But when Carlos saw the dog, he looked absolutely terrified.

"Carlos? Carlos!" As the boy took off, Ben started to follow, and all of them were slowly led to the forest. I had a private debate with myself on whether I should follow them or not.

'What the heck, Penelope. Woman up!'

I quickly ran after them.

It wasn't long before I found Carlos in a tree and Ben picking up Dude. Carlos seemed to be screaming about something and I only stopped from behind the bushes to listen from afar. "Ben, help me!" Carlos shouted. "This thing is a killer! He's gonna chase me down and rip out my throat! This is a vicious, rabid, pack animal!"

My first instinct was to jump right out of the bushes and slap that boy across his precious face. But I managed to restrain myself. "Hey!" Ben said. "Who told you that?"

"My mother." Figures.

"Cruella?"

"She's a dog expert. A dog yellerer." Both Ben and I unexpectedly scoffed at the same time. "Why are you holding him, he's gonna attack you!"

"Carlos, you've never actually met a dog, have you?"

"…Of course not."

"Dude, meet Carlos. Carlos, this is Dude. He's the campus mutt."

"He doesn't look like a vicious, rabid, pack animal…"

'No kidding, genius!' I mentally shouted.

As Carlos got down, he seemed to finally see the goodness inside of dogs, especially in Dude, and soon Ben handed him over. As he held the dog longer, Carlos began to smile.

"I guess you guys have it pretty rough on the island."

"…Yeah. Let's just say we don't get a lot of belly rubs."

Ben smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good boy. I mean, you're a good runner, you're fast. You know."

The boys chuckled. "Oh. Thank you."

"Listen, I'm gonna give you guys some space. You guys get to know each other, and just come find me when you're done. OK?"

"OK."

I was so into the moment, I didn't realize Ben was about to walk away. When Carlos sat down with Dude, I finally popped out of the bushes. "Ben!"

"Penelope?" So the boy finally got used to it. "Were you spying on us?"

"Hey," I lifted my index finger and pointed it at the prince sternly. "I was with Dude at the moment. I could've had him."

Ben laughed a little as we continued to walk. "Well…he's with Carlos at the moment…and I have a feeling they're going to be spending a lot of time with each other."

"…Oh."

When Ben saw my face, I could tell he was wondering about me again. "Penelope…will you tell me what's really wrong?"

I hesitated, for I didn't really know what was wrong in the first place. I wanted to be friends with them…but I was so secretive. I always had this feeling around the four…a feeling I couldn't understand. "I guess I just have this weird sense that they're going to be doing something."

Ben nodded slowly. "Again…because they're children of villains?"

"Again, no. It's a weird feeling…like, I want to protect them."

The king-to-be was staring at me by the time we got back on the field. "Well, aren't you a lost case." I had to laugh. "I'm sure you'll find your answer soon."

When he patted my shoulder, my face softened up and I had to nod.

"Hey, speaking of them, are you enjoying their presence so far?"

I wasn't surprised by Ben's smile. "They're pleasant, you might say. I think they'll adjust to us quite soon."

"You think so?"

I tried not to get annoyed when he ruffled my hair. "I know so."

As he walked away before I could say anything (my signature move), I looked back into the forest (where I could've sworn I heard Carlos laughing), let out a long, deep sigh, and walked back into the school.

The next night, I was checking my mail for letters from my father. It was a thing we promised to do while he was abroad, so you can say most of my allowance was spent on stamps and envelopes. I smiled as I read them all, especially the little nickname he gave me: Little shadow. It made me feel all mysterious and unknown; as you can see, I already fit the description.

Just then, Lonnie came in. She was also my roommate, see, and I looked up to see her in her new brown curls. I smiled politely. "Did you thank Mal yet?"

"Yep," Lonnie said softly. Only then did I realize her face wasn't as happy as I thought it should be.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…their parents."

"Uh, yeah, we all know who they are but—"

"Have you always assumed that even villains love their kids?"

"W-Well…yeah, I mean…their own flesh and blood, I mean, they should be able to…" I slowly faltered, when I saw her expression turn even sadder. Once again, reality had struck me.

"…Oh."

"It's horrible," Lonnie said, collapsing on her bed. "I feel really bad for them…"

"Me too, " I mumbled. The Chinese girl looked at me curiously. I didn't even bother answering. "We shouldn't worry about it too much. It's best if we go to sleep."

"Uh, yeah…what about you?"

"Oh, in a minute, just some last minute reading."

Lonnie knew enough about me to know I was talking about my Dad's letters. "OK. Good night."

With the light from my desk lamp being the only one on, all I could do now was stare at my father's words. He promised he'd be here on Family Day, and I believed him. He was always here anyway. I had to smile, thankful that I was at least able to see him again; thankful I at least I knew he loved me.

'I'll see you soon, my little shadow.'

"Penelope."

I turned around, trying not to be surprised when I saw Ben in the hallways. "Hey yo, Your Highness," I said jokingly. "Big game today, huh? Good luck, and remember not to eat anything before—"

"Too late," he said dreamily. "I just ate one of Mal's cookies. She's so sweet that way." It was only then did I realize how weird his tone was.

"Ben…are you OK?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" When he smiled, it wasn't like his polite, heart-warming smile. It was a smile that signaled love-struck. "Listen, you're a girl. What would be a good way to catch a girl's attention?"

"Why are you asking me?" I sighed. "I'm not good at that stuff. Although, I admit, if you serenade her with a song, I'm sure that's a definite win to her heart. I don't understand why you need to win Audrey, though, she's already your girlfr—"

"I'm not talking about Audrey."

My eyes widened at the words he said. In my heart and mind, I was relieved, surprised, shocked, and confused all at the same time. "…I-If not Audrey, then who?"

Ben only smiled at me. "You'll see. Thanks for the advice!" He then ran off without me saying anything else.

"Wha—Ben!" I tried calling. But he was already out of sight. I groaned, turned around, and continued to walk, a little annoyed I wouldn't know what the surprise was.

My troubles were washed away when I heard a familiar bark. I turned again, and my eyes lit up when I saw Dude trudging through the halls. I didn't even wonder about where Carlos was. The first thing I did was call the pup's name, crouch down, and let him into my arms and lick my face like he always did. Laughing, and knowing Carlos would be in the Tourney game, I was more than overjoyed to know Dude and I would be having our old routine again.

I didn't notice a certain white-haired boy silently smiling at us in the crowd.

Auradon Prep wins! Because of Jay and Carlos! The children of villains helped work together to win something. Big plot twist, right? I'm pretty sure I cheered the loudest for them. I was sitting at the upper bleachers, where I could see the whole game and some of my friends from there. I saw Lonnie beside Mal and Evie, who seemed to be just as excited that their friends won the game. I was smiling, feeling really proud for our team when—

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Can I have your attention please?"

It was like the PO announcement all over again. Everyone just went silent, as they were about to listen to Ben's words. I had a really strong feeling it was going to be about what he was talking about earlier. Ben stood on the Tourney shooter's platform so everyone could see him.

"There's something I'd like to say!"

His voice echoed out through the field, as everyone just stared at the prince. He made sure everyone – and I mean everyone – was listening before he started spelling.

"Give me an M!"

"M!"

"Give me an A!"

"A!"

"Give me an L!"

"L!"

"What does that spell?"

"Mal!"

"Come on, I can't hear you!"

"MAL!"

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?"

I'm pretty sure my eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

As everyone cheered, all I could think of was how hilarious Audrey's face looked.

From then on, Ben started singing about how ridiculous his love was. Everyone was singing along, the Tourney players dancing with him, the cheerleaders in the background. When I saw Mal's face, she looked like she was scared, amazed, disgusted, amused, and shocked at the same time. Then again, this was all so overwhelming. I wish I could say I totally called it, but I can never tell when love springs.

'Hey. At least he followed my advice.'

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?"

"Chad's my boyfriend now!" The sound of Audrey's voice made me clench my jaw. "And I'm going to the coronation with him. So I don't need your pity date." When she kissed him in front of everyone, I could've sworn both Dude and I growled.

"Mal! Will you go to the coronation with me?"

"…YES!"

"SHE SAID YES!"

Everyone cheered, and I just laughed. Go Ben. Go Mal. Insert whatever ship name they could possibly have here.

My only question was how all this was going to pull off.

"Take her to the Enchanted Lake," I suggested afterwards. Ben had come to me for advice yet again, and I tried to be more honest this time. "She'd love that place we used to have picnics in with your parents."

"Thanks so much, Pen," the prince said happily. You can really see how much in love he was at the moment.

"Hey. No problem, Ben," I smirked at him, and we did a low-five, with me still holding Dude. When he walked away, Doug suddenly came in.

"Pen, I need advice."

"What? Why is everyone coming to me? I'm not a love expert! I've got no experience!"

"Oh, I'll just go ask—"

"No, stay."

The son of Dopey laughed at me. "OK, um, well, I just want to know how to make Evie like me…"

"Evie?" I frowned. "Why Evie?"

"I mean, sure she's pretty, but with being her chemistry partner, I also know she's smart. I managed to bail her out of expulsion, but—"

"That's good!" I blurted out. "You did something for her! That should be enough, right?"

"Yeah, but, Evie wants a handsome prince—"

"Evie will realize soon enough she doesn't need a handsome prince to find love. Just keep being yourself, Doug. And don't stop trying. Love can reach to the extent of doing things for one another. You have to show her that." I don't know where all that came from. I just really wanted the conversation to end.

It took Doug about a second to smile. "Thanks, Penelope."

I smiled back. "Anytime…no, wait, ignore that."

Doug chuckled again and left, leaving me alone with Dude again. I was about to carry him over to my locker when I heard a "Hey, you!"

Instantly, I assumed it was I being called, and I suddenly found myself looking at Carlos. Unlike before, I didn't freeze up again, which was gratifying, but I guess I was a little nervous to talk to him for the first time. When he came up to me, all I did was raise an eyebrow.

The white-haired boy struggled to find the right words to say. "I, um…was wondering if I could have m—I mean, Dude back?"

"Oh, yeah! Right." I handed the puppy over to Carlos, who happily accepted him from me. It made me smile to see Dude so happy in the boy's arms. When I looked at the little eyes, they just made me want to look away.

"Bye." With a fake smile, I turned around and walked away before Carlos could say anything. I could almost hear the disappointment in his faltering voice.

At least I knew my signature move still worked.

When I stepped onto the Tourney field, I heard the sounds of hooting and cheering. It looks like the team was celebrating their victory with pizzas. The boys were laughing, as they told each other jokes, it all seemed so joyful, and I just felt the need to go in and steal a slice. As I sneaked in, they didn't even realize I was there until they looked at their pizza box found a piece gone.

"Hey!" the shooter named Taylor called out playfully. "Tourney players only!"

"Too bad," I shot back just as coltish, my mouth half-full.

The boys all laughed. Coach Jenkins clapped my shoulder. "All right, just this once, now go along and complete that obstacle course."

"Too late, Coach. Already did so." I still smirked and was walking away, while the boys were scoffing at me.

I didn't know Jay was there, wondering about who I was.

I was just in my dorm. I really had nothing else to do that day. Dude was with Carlos, I'd finished supper, Ben was still out with Mal on their date, and who knows where Lonnie was. The only thing I could do at the moment was pick out my dress for the coronation. I didn't have many dresses. I never liked them. How was it possible to fight in a skirt? Most of my outfits had my father's style: ripped at the edges. It was just the way I liked them.

"Are you going to wear that dress?"

I whirled around and was surprised to find Evie at my door. I'd forgotten to close it, so I guess she must've seen me holding one of my favorites: it was a shoulder-bearing dress colored in a pure silky green with the ruffles all ripped up. I frowned at the Evil Queen's daughter, wondering what's wrong with it.

"Trust me, dear, those wouldn't match your eyes. You probably want to pick a better one."

"But I—"

"I'd help you, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. If you ever need advice, just call me." She gave me a sweet smile, despite not even knowing me, and left, leaving me slightly speechless.

Well, that was the longest time I ever talked to one of the new kids. I didn't even get a chance to talk. I bet she didn't even know my name. But now, I just wondered what Evie could be "busy" about…

It was just an ordinary day yesterday. The only thing I wondered about was why the four new kids looked all sad. My suspicions practically dried away and were replaced with worry. I didn't know them much, but I really wanted to talk to them now. That night, I had wanted to go to the kitchen for a quick snack, but then I stopped myself when I saw Mal there, looking like she was making cupcakes. But she was still looking sad again, as she closed her book. I almost saw her cry, which made me even more concerned.

"Mal? You OK?"

Maleficent's daughter was surprised as she saw me, probably wondering who I was and how I knew her name, but she quickly wiped her face and gave me a fake smile. "Yeah. I'm good."

It was very obvious she was lying. But I didn't want to push her, really. I gave a slow nod, small smile, and left the kitchen without another word. Something was on Mal's mind, and I wanted to find out. But I also knew I couldn't force the truth out of her…Ben wouldn't like that.

Oh, well. Best to find out tomorrow.

"Dad!"

The moment my father came out of his car, I ran out of the school and tackled him into a hug. He looked just as he did in his pictures as a boy, but with older features. I once tried to dye my hair to match his red hair but the dye was cheap and didn't last long (I still kept some bottles around). He was laughing as he embraced me back. For Family Day, I wore clothes similar to my father's when he was a kid. He loved when I dressed like him. When we finally pulled away, his brown eyes shone as he grinned at me.

"Penelope! How's my little shadow?"

I laughed as he ruffled my hair. "I'm fine, Dad! I'm so glad to see you."

"Missed you too, Pen," He kissed my forehead as his arm was around my shoulders. The car driver handed over his luggage and we walked into the building. "How's school?"

"Good, I guess. Did you hear Ben's new proclamation?"

"Ah, yes, the children of villains to come live in Auradon. I'm just glad he didn't bring over Hook's son." I scoffed, having to nod. "So, I'm not late for anything, am I?"

"Well, Ben and some others are finished singing Be Our Guest."

"Yep, didn't miss anything! Let's go see the royals, shall we?"

I smiled as I gestured him inside.

The singing ended just a while ago, and now, Ben was introducing Mal to his parents. When finished, I could've sworn I saw Queen Belle about to faint. My father and I both saw and try to resist laughing at that as he went to greet them. Meanwhile, I saw Carlos and Jay hogging the chocolate fountain, dipping whatever food they could find in the liquid. I could've sworn they even started drinking from it.

Just to make things fun, I walked up to them. Carlos dipped a strawberry into the chocolate and was ready to eat it whole. But I snatched it from his fingers and bit into it. He whirled around, raising an eyebrow at me in an annoyed manner, but he was also smiling amusingly. I only smirked back as I walked back to my father.

He seemed to have noticed my little snitch action. "Now, Penelope, stealing isn't nice." Although I could've sworn he was grinning.

"So, Peter, would you two like to join us for a game of croquet?" King Adam offered.

"No thanks." My Dad and I looked at each other when we both said it at the same time and smiled. "We're gonna be spending some father-daughter time," Dad excused. "I'm sure Penelope would want to hear about all my adventures, right, Pen?"

He had me at "adventures".

"Oh, well, come join us any time." When Queen Belle smiled sweetly, I had to smile back.

"Of course!"

"I've traveled far and wide…through jungles and forests…over seas and under seas…I've even passed by the Isle of the Lost."

"Meanwhile, I've met some people from there," I smiled mischievously at him. Dad always started his stories like this. You'd think I'd have gotten used to them already.

Dad laughed and put an arm over my shoulders again. "One day, you will travel with me as well."

I tried for a laugh. "That'd be nice for once. You're going to stay for the coronation, right?"

"Yep! I wouldn't miss the crowning of the one who took care of my daughter." That earned a scoff from me.

He smiled back, his smile suddenly slowly turning smaller. "I hope you've been all right here."

"Of course Dad! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just…I keep feeling like I just abandoned you here."

I wasn't going to just blurt out I felt the same. I knew there were a few certain people that had it more rough in life than me. I hesitated, only pausing to find the right words as my father just stared. "No. I really like it here." When I smiled, I only hoped he assumed it was genuine.

"Come on, Dude!"

Our conversation was interrupted when I heard Carlos with the little dog again. He was laughing, as Dude seemed to be chasing something. "Get 'em, get 'em!"

"One of the new kids?" Dad asked.

I nodded. "Yep. Carlos, Cruella de Vil's son."

"With a dog? And not turning it into a fur coat?" he scoffed. "That's a first."

I chuckled. "You'd be surprised at what we've been encountering the last few days."

Dad grinned. "You friends with him?"

"Well…no—"

"Then go have fun. It's all right, we can talk later."

I looked at my father in disbelief, but he wasn't kidding. His infamous, childlike grin told explained enough. When he punched my shoulder playfully and urged me forward, I resisted the urge to laugh as I went after the boy and dog.

"Dude! Over here!"

Once the little pup saw me, it barked and started bolting for me again. I had my arms out, and Dude jumped right into them, licking my face in the process. "Hey, boy! How are you?"

As I held the dog, Carlos ran up to me, a surprised look on his face. Either he was surprised to see me again, or he was pretending he never did. He quickly smiled when he saw I had Dude with me. When he started coming up, I smiled, thinking maybe I could finally talk to them properly.

"You!"

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a familiar voice. It was Queen Leah, Audrey's grandmother. So, yeah, Sleeping Beauty's mother. Everyone heard her, and their direction was now turned to her and…Mal? A hunch told me the old lady found out she was her enemy's daughter. I was frozen in place, and my father just came up to me, wondering what the hustle was about.

"H-How are you here?" Queen Leah breathed. "And how have you stayed so young?"

Benny to the rescue. He quickly came up to the two and held onto Mal. "Queen Leah! It's OK. Maleficent is still on the island. This is her daughter, Mal. Don't you remember my proclamation to give the new generation a chance?"

"A chance to what, Ben? Destroy us?" Ouch. That has got to hurt. Queen Leah turned to everyone, shaking with anger. "Come on, you remember, don't you? The poison apples…and the spells!" Everyone was staring at her solemnly. Even my dad. The villain kids neared their friend, and Dude whimpered in my arms. "The spells… My daughter was raised by fairies, because of your mother's curse. Her first words…her first steps…I missed it all!"

By now, Queen Leah was ready to cry. Mal tried to comfort her. "I'm so sorry—"

Chad jumped in between them. "Go away! Step away from her!"

I was ready to pounce on the prince or something, but my dad held me firm. "Don't do this, Chad," Ben warned.

"What? They were raised by their parents, Ben. What do you think villains teach their kids, huh? Kindness? Fair play? No way, OK? Uh-uh."

"Dad, lemme at 'em," I mumbled.

"Not our fight, kid," Dad whispered back.

Chad turned to face Mal. "You stole another girl's boyfriend!"

"Hey! Hey!"

The prince just continued and turned to Jay. "You enjoy hurting people." The boy tried not to look too hurt.

Finally, he turned to Evie. "And you. You're nothing but a gold-digger and a cheater."

That seemed to cross the line. Evie picked her mirror up. "Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who's the biggest jerk in the land?" She faced the mirror towards Chad, and it showed his reflection.

"What?! Come on!"

Jay went over to tackle Chad. There was shouting, and some pulling away, but it all stopped when Evie brought some perfume out and sprayed Chad with it. He was knocked out immediately. The garden broke into a pandemonium. Mal and her friends decided to run out.

"Guys!" Ben called after them. But they were gone. I figured they were just sitting around somewhere, but I knew they were going to need help.

"What's going on?" Dad asked, still pretty confused. I watched as Ben was talking to his parents.

"Dad, please talk to them," I begged, as the King and Queen started to walk away from their son.

"Don't worry, I will." My father quickly trailed after King Adam and Queen Belle, while I ran over to a depressed-looking prince.

"Penelope," he said quietly. "What do I do?"

I bit my lip, honestly not so sure. "You have to fix it. Go after them."

Ben didn't respond. He probably heard the uneasiness in my tone. Either way, he nodded, and quickly followed pursuit the direction of where the villain kids went.

I now stood alone again, with Dude sitting by my legs. He had a sad puppy dog look on, and I could've sworn I had one myself.

Family Day was definitely not going as well as I'd expected.

"Jane, what happened to you?"

The daughter of our Headmistress was weeping in my arms that morning, for she just came barging into my and Lonnie's room that day of the coronation. Jane's hair had returned to normal, and though I already assumed what happened, I still tried to be a good friend and comfort.

"I've been horrible lately!" she sobbed. "Now look at me! I'm back to square one!"

"Jane, it's OK," Lonnie said soothingly.

"OK?!" Jane bolted upright in my arms and glared at the Chinese girl, clearly the opposite of what she said. "It's easy for you to say! You haven't been un-spelled on!"

"Jane, you've changed ever since Mal spelled you," I said. "You're not yourself. Please, take it easy."

"No! I won't! I'll make myself prettier again! You'll see!"

"And just how will you do that?! It's not like you can steal her spell book!"

That caused Jane to pause. I felt slightly confident, as if I'd brought her idea down. But she only managed to stand back up again. "You'll see. You'll see…" She stood up, and with a last huff, left the room.

"I feel bad for Jane," Lonnie said quietly. "But I also feel bad for Mal…she didn't deserve yesterday."

I nodded. "None of those kids did. I really wish I did something about it…"

Mulan's daughter sighed. "Well. We can't do anything about it now, can we?" I didn't respond. "Come on. Let's get ready for the coronation."

"…OK."

"Good luck, Ben."

I gave the king-to-be a giant bear hug before he was about to climb onto his carriage. We were both already dressed up and outside the school, and I just wanted one last hug from him as prince. He smiled as he hugged me back, as if he wasn't being crowned and was actually leaving the country.

"Thanks, Pen. I'll see you in the after-party, OK?"

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it." I managed a small smile at him, and he smiled back.

Suddenly, I felt Mal's presence nearing. Time to leave. "Bye," I whispered, and hurried away.

Once they were united, I dazedly watched as they boarded their carriage together, looking totally in love with each other. I smiled, silently praying to Neverland that they'd be happy with each other in the end. Gods, wait, I sounded like they were getting married. Shaking the thought off, I suddenly felt a hand being placed on my shoulder.

"Ready to go?" my father asked with a smile. He was wearing a green tux that matched my spiky-edged dress, and I have to say he looked stunning. I smiled back at him as I gave him a quick hug.

"Yeah, c'mon, Dad."

It was now time for Ben to get crowned. Everyone stood in silence as we watched him make his way to the stage, where his parents and the Fairy Godmother were waiting. I stood beside my father as we smiled at the prince. He looked so ready. And for some reason, I could feel tension and anxiety in the air. Which was weird…

Yet, we still paid attention to Ben. The Fairy Godmother was now holding her wand.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the peoples of Auradon with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?"

"I do solemnly swear."

"Then it is my honor and my joy to bless our new king—"

She didn't get to finish. Jane snatched the wand right out of her hands.

Wait, what?

Everyone ducked from the sparks flying from the wand. 'Jane you idiot!' I wanted to scream. But everyone was too busy shrieking louder than me. "Child, what are you doing?!" the Fairy Godmother shouted.

Jane only held onto the wand for dear life. "If you won't make me beautiful, I'll do it myself!" Is she crazy?! When I was talking about stealing, it didn't mean she had to do it! "Bibbidi! Bobbidi! Boo!"

"She's opening the barrier!" I shouted out.

"What?!" my dad demanded.

I grabbed my father's hand and we exited through the nearest emergency fire escape. I saw where the wand's spark led. It was right for the Isle of the Lost. I could clearly see from outside the cathedral that she was setting the villains free.

"Dad, what do we do?!" I asked frantically.

"I don't think we can do anything!" I've never seen my father so scared. A large green cloud was coming out of the island, and heading for the church. "Maleficent is coming. There is no doubt about that."

I had to think. What could I do? What was stronger than Maleficent? The wand, obviously. But what could be much more powerful than Maleficent that she could—

"Mal's spell book!" I blurted out. "Mal's been carrying this book around and doing over people's hair! She must've gotten it from her mother. We have to find it and find a spell to bring Maleficent down!"

"Wow. That's some thinking, Penelope. Where could the book be?"

"Maybe she left it at school, in her dorm. But how will we run all the way there in time?"

"Who said anything about running?"

Before I could question anything, Dad brought a small pouch out of his pocket and placed it in my hand. "Just a pinch will do. Now, hurry child!"

I had no idea what he meant, but when I opened the pouch, my eyes widened. Pixie dust. Straight imported from Neverland. I looked at my father and he just smiled at me. With a final pat on the shoulder, he charged back into the church.

I really had no time. As much as I wanted to cherish the moment, I took a pinch of the dust, sprinkled it over myself, and slowly lifted into the air. There wasn't time to savor the feeling. I just took off and flew.

At Auradon Prep, the school was practically empty. What an opportunity. Unfortunately, the first thing I did was get to Mal and Evie's room. Why was it open? I had no idea. By my luck, I first checked Mal's desk drawer and the book was right there. "Yes!" I said to myself, ready to leave and search its pages.

But something stopped me. There was something else on Mal's desk that was quite interesting. It was a drawing of the Fairy Godmother's wand. I looked back to the day I first met them and instantly thought they were up to something. Were they planning on stealing the wand since the beginning? My eyes couldn't help softening up at that. What were they thinking now?

I had to get back.

By the time I got back to the church and entered through the fire escape, I almost gasped to myself when I saw Maleficent in dragon form, everyone else completely frozen, and Mal and her friends going up against her mother. I could almost feel their intense staring contest, as their eyes turned green and Mal started incanting something.

"The strength of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one!"

"Keep talking, sister," I mumbled, quickly leafing through the book. "I sure hope this works on me…" I suddenly found an interesting spell and muttered it:

"Your glory days are over, your doom come to a start
Shrink to the size of the love in your heart"

I didn't think it worked. But with Mal's power, it made things easier, and the dragon disappeared. In my mind, I was doing air flips in victory while the four villain kids were wondering what Mal had done. That's right. I was never here, children.

So many questions were in their heads.

"What just happened?"

"I have no idea!"

"Did you do it?"

"I don't know!"

"No, no, no, no," the Fairy Godmother said. "Your mother did. She shrank to the size of the love in her heart, that's why it's so itty bitty."

"Keep saying that, Grandma," I mumbled, glancing over at lizard Maleficent.

Basically, long story short: everyone got unfrozen, I reunited with Dad, I'm the only who knows what really happened, and I'm surprisingly cool with that. Jane was forgiven (I'm going to have a little talk with her later about metaphors), Audrey and Mal seemed to have made up and Maleficent was trapped in a bell jar. The quartet also made up with everyone, proved their goodness, and invited to the after-party, yay.

Everyone's happy.

"I'll see you soon, Dad," I hugged my father, as we stood before his car, ready to go off for another business trip.

"I'll miss you, my shadow," Dad laughed, hugging me tight. "You have no idea how proud I am of you."

"Aw, thanks…but really. There are other people that deserve that pride."

"One day, I will take you—"

"—on your adventures," I finished. "I'll be sure to remember those words, Dad. You'll never make me forget."

My father laughed and patted my shoulder. "I promise to be back for next year's Family Day."

"I know." I smiled at him one last time before he boarded his car. Through the window, I could see him waving with a playfully sad expression. I couldn't help chuckling as the car drove away.

Now to visit the new king.

Once I found Ben, I didn't plan on scaring him again. It was at the party area, and he was surrounded by so many of his friends, I had to push my way through. When there were at least five feet of space around him, I made it inside.

"Penelope!" Ben cried out, giving me a quick hug.

"Hey, Benjamin," I wheezed, catching some air. "Or should I really call you Your Highness now?"

The boy shook his head. "No. Did your Dad leave yet?"

"Yep! I'm stuck here for another year!"

"That's fine with me! At least by then I can force you to talk to the new kids!"

"It's all right! I trust that they're good now!"

"So you did think they were evil!"

"Whatever puts candy in your limos! Go have fun, Kingsy!"

Ben laughed, and tried to make a snarky remark, but was interrupted by his friends picking him up and carrying him to the stage. I waved playfully, watching everyone else break into song. I sighed, almost ready to sit down, when I saw Lonnie come up to me.

"Hey, Pen! Come on! Don't you want to dance?"

"Is that a trick question?"

Lonnie rolled her eyes. "Seriously. Stop being such a shadow and join us!"

"Being a shadow is my thang."

"Get up."

Before I knew it, she pulled me off my seat and brought me onto the dance floor. As we danced, I saw Ben give a laugh at my direction. I had to wave back. Later, Lonnie ended up dancing with Chad. Doug looked pretty surprised to see me dancing and gave a little wave. I only smiled when I saw him with Evie. I also saw Jay dancing with Audrey and Carlos with Jane. Well. I just lost my chance, didn't I? Oh well. The music is really catchy though.

We all danced the night away. By the end of the song, we enjoyed all the fireworks, and just continued having fun. I tried "interacting" and talking with some of my schoolmates. But aside from that, I was just happy. I was able to prove some worth, even if no one knew about it. The day was saved, and that's what mattered. Everyone got what they deserved.

This shadow is satisfied.

~The End~

~Extended Ending~

Through one of the songs, my eyes lit up when I saw a certain dog come up to me. "Dude!" I exclaimed, scooping the puppy up in my arms. "Aw, you're here~" He barked happily and licked my face, and I laughed. "Good to see you too~"

"Oh! Hey." I looked up and was surprised to see Carlos. A surge of déjà vu came up and I stared at him. "It's you."

"Hi," I managed to say. When he smiled, I had to smile back. "Yeah. It's me…"

"Funny, you always seem to be with Dude when I see you…he must really like you."

I chuckled. "Dude and I go way back. Funny how he always seems to lead you to me…"

Carlos chuckled nervously. "Ahaha, yeah…Penelope, right?"

I tilted my head at him, rather confused. "How do you know my name?"

The white-haired boy smiled sheepishly. "I might've asked Ben once…that's not the point." I resisted the urge to smirk. "Want to dance?"

"You asking me or the dog?" When he hesitated, I started laughing again. "Yeah, sure."

He smiled and held a hand out. I used my free hand to take it and we headed for the dance floor.

I'm sorry if it was longer than expected. I just really had fun writing it :) I understand if not many people would like it. I just really wanted something to do, and I really loved this movie. Forgive me uwu

Hope some of you enjoyed at least~ Thanks for reading!