How to Find the Truth

Chapter 1

Evie looked back at me as we continued to speed walk to her dorm room. "You're welcome."

🐚🐚🐚

"Uh!" Mal yelped in pain as Evie quickly zipped up the back of her dress. "Okay, Evie, I cannot breathe."
"Well, you can breathe after Cotillion."
"Well, I sincerely doubt that," Mal sighed, moving her bangs out of her face. Evie continued to fluff the girl's blue and yellow gown, admiring her own handy work. "I have at least 20 more events directly behind it. And I can't even remember what a single one of them is." Mal sighed. "(Y/N), you feeling me?"
"Totally," I muttered, not bothering to look up from my sketchbook. Evie's bed was too comfortable for that.

"Oh," Evie gave Mal's dress chef's kisses. "Impeccable."
Mal gave me this look saying, she's not even listening is she?  I shook my head.
"Hey Evie, is my dress anywhere on your list?" I asked sarcastically. She chuckled.
"Aren't you funny," she mocked. "Yours is at the very top." She gave me a sweet smile as she looked back at me.

Evie continued to measure Mal's gown, as I went back to sketching Dude. And I bet anyone could guess who was holding him in my drawing.

"Evie?" Mal asked.
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever think about what we'd be doing if we were back on the Isle right now?"
Evie looked up at her and chuckled, obviously thinking that her best friend couldn't be serious right now.
"That's funny."

Well, was it? I mean, I figured Mal was being serious. We were pretty close, but she obviously didn't tell me as much as Evie, which made me feel a little excluded, but I understood why. I just wish I could be closer friends with Mal. But I wasn't from the Isle.

However, I could see where she was coming from. I often wonder what I would be doing if I was on the Isle, and I have never even been there. Her question actually made me smile a little.

Music began to play on Evie's TV, signaling a new broadcast. I looked up to see what it was as Evie smiled with delight. "Ah. Look who's on TV."

As Evie guided her best friend to the floor, I moved my stuff so that Mal could sit next to me on the bed. On the TV, it showed the meal Mal, Ben and I had had in Agrabah.

🖥 As Princess (Y/N) and the royal couple continue their tour of the kingdom, they dinned with Aladdin and Jasmine.

Mal laughed as she saw herself spit out food in front of royalty. That was quite the day.

🖥 Six months ago, no one thought King Ben and his girlfriend from the wrong side of the bridge would last.

"Yeah, no kidding," Mal said to herself. I looked at her as she continued to sadly look at the broadcast.

🖥 Mal and (Y/N) must be counting the days until the royal Cotillion. Everyone is waiting for you-know-who to ask Princess (Y/N) to Cotillion, and Mal is going to officially become a Lady of the Court.

Mal gasped, and suddenly got up from one side of me, and ran to sit on the other, where she could reach her spellbook. As she flipped open the book, I leaned toward her to get a better look. She looked at me nervously as I moved, as though I was going to snatch her book. "What?" I asked.
She looked back at her book with a slight smile and then whispered a spell. "Read it fast at lightning speed. Remember everything I need."

And plop went the spellbook into my lap. I don't think it was intentional, but Mal was too busy with her speed reading to notice. So, I picked it up and began to try and discreetly look through the pages.

How to make your own spells
Invisibility spell
Speed spell
Love spell, I don't even want to read that one.
Ah, yes! Truth spell.

"I know Mal's secret to fitting in," Evie suddenly walked over and I slammed the book shut. Well, not without bookmarking the page with my finger. "and Ben wouldn't like it one bit." I looked up at Evie as she continued. "Haven't you guys had enough secrets between the two of you already?" Mal stopped her speed reading and looked over at the girl beside me.
"Evie, you remember what I was like before I started using my spellbook. I mean, I was a complete disaster."
"Not necessarily. I mean, if your stories are true, you told me you ruled the Isle, and you couldn't have used your spellbook there," I mentioned. The two girls just stared at me. "Sorry."

"Well," Evie continued as she looked at the spellbook in my hands. She wanted me to give it to her, didn't she? Man. "..personally, as your best friend, I strongly believe that this spell book..." I handed Evie the book with a pouty face as Mal yelped at the two of us because she wanted her book back. "It belongs in the museum along with my mirror," she finished.

I sighed. I mean she was right. But...I wasn't quite done with the book.

Why did I need the spellbook you might ask? Well, I wanted a truth spell. It would be so much easier if I knew what everyone was thinking these days. I mean, everyone wanted their way for Cotillion, so it would be good to know what the popular vote was.

Ok, so maybe I just wanted to know if Carlos was going to ask me to Cotillion....

I was sucked out of my daydream as Mal dropped her arms and the book she was reading down on the bed.
"Don't give me the face," Evie commanded. "Put the pout away." Mal looked to the side, getting annoyed. "Mmm-hmm. You know I'm right."
"You don't ever miss running wild and just breaking all the rules?"
"Like stealing, and lying and fighting?"
"Yeah."
"No!"
"Wait, really?" I interrupted. Evie sort of glared at me. "Sorry, wasn't meaning to be rude, but I kind of get what Mal's saying."

Evie gave me a confused look as Mal smirked at her. "(Y/N) I knew you were different the day I met you," Evie said, smiling a little. "But what do you mean?"
"Well, I mean, here in Auradon, if you do the slightest thing wrong, everyone gets mad at you. It would be nice to be able to break the rules for a bit without anyone yelling at you, but maybe that's just my stress talking," I sighed and rubbed my head. But Evie just smiled.
"Well, the day you and Ben brought us here, my life changed. I couldn't be happier, and it's because I'm in Auradon! Because Mal and I became like you, we can do so much more now!"

The Evil Queen's daughter came over to our side of the bed and reached for our hands so that she could drag us back over to look at the TV. "I mean, why would we want to be bad again? M, look at where we are! We're in Auradon," she wrapped her arms around our shoulders, bringing us closer. "And we're Auradon girls now."

The TV continued to play the broadcast in front of us, where the attention was now focused on Ben feeding Mal a strawberry.

🖥 Since Mal revealed her love of strawberries, she has received hundreds of cartons from her admirers.

Evie squealed and squeezed our shoulders. She smiled to herself and tried to persuade Mal. "See, this is the land of opportunity. We can be whatever we want to be here."
Mal looked down at her hands, and I knew how she was feeling. Well, at least I assumed so. She felt like she couldn't tell anybody how she was feeling. I had often not told my brother things, like how much I really really wanted to visit the Isle, because I thought he would think I'm crazy, or that I was turning evil or something. But I wasn't.

"So, please," Evie pleaded calmly, "let's just leave the past in the past, okay?"
Mal looked up at her best friend with a sad look. I gave her a small smile, trying to cheer her up. Evie continued by trying to change the subject.
"Besides..." She let go of us and grabbed one of the shoes she was working on to go with Mal's gown. "I mean, look at these shoes. Look at them."

Mal and I chuckled at Evie's enthusiasm. "Severe," Mal replied. Evie smiled at the two of us as she placed the shoe back on the table, assuming she had resolved her best friend's issue. I sighed and checked my phone.
"Oh! I have got to go!" I said as I gathered my things. "I have to talk with Jane about Cotillion and then I promised Lonnie I would practice fencing with her right after so that she would be ready for her surprise tryout."

As I grabbed my backpack, Evie turned me to face her. "When do you want to schedule another fitting for your Cotillion dress?"
I bit my lip as Evie tapped her fingers on her desk. Finally, I guess figuring that I would never be able to answer without being late, she spoke up again.
"I can do you tomorrow at 3."
"Perfect."

I smiled at both girls as I headed for the door. "Bye guys! Thanks for pulling me away for awhile."
"Bye, bye!" Evie sang.
Mal gave me a sad smile. "Bye (Y/N)."