THE ONLY EXCEPTION, ben beast

III. The arrival

The concept of time was lost on them. Growing up on the Isle, they were taught the bare minimum—reading, writing, and just enough math to count coins or gamble. Anything beyond that? Useless. None of them truly understood how long this ride was taking, only that it felt like forever.

After what must have been an hour or two, the limo finally slowed. Tatiana straightened, eyes narrowing as she caught sight of something through the windshield.

The large beige building in front of them was... breathtaking.

Grand, elegant, polished—nothing like the Isle. The architecture had intricate designs carved into smooth stone walls, tall windows reflecting the golden sunlight. The campus stretched far, students dressed in bright, expensive-looking clothes gathered in large groups, chatting and laughing as they waited for their arrival.

It was overwhelming. Too clean. Too perfect.

The limo pulled to a stop, and for the first time, the group was silent.

They had never seen anything like this before.

Mal was the first to step out, greeted immediately by the thunderous cheers of Auradon Prep's students. The noise filled the limo, making Tatiana sigh. This is ridiculous.

She shifted forward, sleekly stepping out with one long leg, her knee-high boots hitting the pavement first. The rest of her followed, revealing a flowing skirt and a vintage flower tank top that hugged her frame just right. A small vintage leather purse hung off her shoulder, completing the look.

Tatiana exhaled slowly, arms crossing as she examined the crowd. She could feel the stares—curious, judging, analyzing. She ignored them, choosing instead to focus on the students in front, the ones with the best seats to the freak show.

And that's when she saw him.

Those eyes.

Bright, piercing green—locked onto hers like they were searching for something.

Tatiana felt herself pause, just for a moment.

She had seen his face before on the Isle's barely-functioning TVs, but seeing him now, up close, was... different.

He didn't look at her with disgust, nor with pity.

Just curiosity.

Tatiana arched a brow.

If he thought she'd be easy to figure out, he had another thing coming.

As Jay and Carlos finished their playful scuffle, a plump woman in a horrendous blue dress with dark pink accents approached them. Her wide smile and overly cheerful demeanor immediately put Tatiana on edge. She looked the woman up and down, silently judging the outfit choice. Auradon fashion really was as tragic as they'd heard.

"Welcome, welcome!" the woman chirped, clasping her hands together. "I am Fairy Godmother, headmistress of Auradon Prep!"

The group blinked at her in shock. Fairy Godmother? None of them had expected to meet the woman responsible for keeping their parents locked away—let alone be greeted so warmly by her.

Mal raised an eyebrow, recovering quickly. "Fairy Godmother? The Fairy Godmother?"

"The one and only," she beamed.

Tatiana crossed her arms, her expression unimpressed as she stole a glance at Mal, who was already shifting into plotting mode. The dragon girl leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as she began to discreetly (or so she thought) ask about the wand.

Tatiana sighed, rolling her eyes. Subtlety was not Mal's strong suit. Before Mal could dig their graves any deeper, Tatiana subtly kicked her leg, just enough to get her attention. As Mal turned to glare, Tatiana met her gaze with her own golden-glowing eyes, a silent warning that screamed: Shut. Up.

Before Mal could snap at her, another voice cut through the moment.

"Hey! You guys made it."

The group turned to see a tall, handsome boy approaching with an easy smile. His brown hair was neatly styled, his golden-brown eyes warm and welcoming. He carried himself with a relaxed confidence, though there was a hint of something else in his expression—curiosity, maybe.

"I'm Ben," he introduced himself, his smile widening. "Prince Ben."

Before anyone could respond, a perky voice with a biting undertone chimed in.

"Soon to be King," a girl corrected, latching onto his arm possessively. She had long, sleek brown hair and wore an obnoxiously pink outfit that looked too perfect to be natural. Her smile was bright, but her eyes were sharp as they scanned the newcomers, already making silent judgments.

Evie perked up instantly, stepping forward with a dazzling smile. "You had me at 'prince!'" she cooed, batting her lashes. "My mother's a queen, which makes me a princess."

Ben chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Tatiana tilted her head, studying him. He chuckles a lot.

The girl at his side, however, was far from amused. She narrowed her eyes at Evie before scoffing, "The Evil Queen has no royal status here, and neither do you."

Evie's smile faltered, her confidence deflating for a brief moment. She pouted slightly, looking away.

Tatiana, who had been silently observing, suddenly stepped forward. She didn't say a word, just fixed the girl—Princess Audrey, she assumed—with a cold, piercing stare.

Her golden eyes gleamed dangerously, the same way her father's did before pouncing on prey. It was subtle, but effective.

Audrey visibly stiffened. Her smugness wavered, and she instinctively shrank back, her grip on Ben's arm loosening.

Ben chuckled again, but this time it was more out of nerves than amusement.

Tatiana smirked slightly, satisfied. That's what I thought.

Audrey recovered quickly, flipping her hair over her shoulder and clinging onto Ben once more, but the damage had been done.

Tatiana shifted her weight, crossing her arms as she side-eyed the prince.

This place was already proving to be very interesting.