42

When Margot went to find Evie, she found instead that Mal was the only one in the room, hunched over a note she was writing.

"What are you writing?" Margot wondered.

"Oh! Gogo! Uhh, I'm just..." Mal trailed off, her eyes desperate.

Eyebrows furrowing in curiosity, Margot took the piece of paper from her and read it, her heart sinking in her chest.

"You're going back to the Isle? What about Oliver?" Margot wondered.

"I just... I don't belong here, Gogo. I can't do all of this royal stuff. I can't keep acting like something I'm not. You wouldn't understand." Mal explained, near tears.

Margot paused for a moment. "I think I understand more than you think I do. I still can't feel like I belong here, and I'm more selfish than people give me credit for."

Mal scoffed. "Please. Don't pretend you're not a good person."

"It's not that I'm saying I'm a bad person, I just don't know." Margot explained in a quiet voice. "You're really gonna go? Nothing I can say could stop you?"

Mal shook her head. "I'm not staying."

"Ok, then..." Margot hesitated for a moment, before blurting out. "I'm coming with you."

"What? No way! You can't leave your whole life here!" Mal argued immediately.

"Just for a couple days. We'll leave a note telling them to pick me up in two days, and if you still don't wanna return home then, I won't stop you. This way, you can have time to think about what you really want, and I get some time to figure out who I've become now." Margot said, with no room for argument in her voice. "I will only let you leave if you agree to these terms."

Mal snorted. "So much business talk. 'If you agree to these terms'." Mal smiled at the curly-haired girl. "I think you'll be surprised about how much you've changed when we get there."

"That's kind of what I'm hoping for." Margot smiled. After changing into more Isle-friendly clothes, Margot added to Mal's note, writing, I'm accompanying Mal to the Isle. Will pick up notes for the program while I'm there. Please pick me up in 2 days. Mal may or may not come back with me. Love, Gogo.

Margot jumped on Mal's bike, sitting behind the blonde-haired girl, and the half-fairy revved the engine, casting a spell so the bike would float above the water.

It wasn't long before they passed through the barrier, and all of a sudden, all of the colours of the world seemed muted.

"This place looks even more desolate than I remember." Margot commented under her breath.

Mal, on the other hand, breathed out a sigh of relief. "Ah, home sweet home."

"I already miss chocolate."

Mal rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Why did you even come then?"

Margot faced her friend seriously, her eyes more vulnerable than Mal had expected. "I think what the two of us are going through right now is more similar than you think. We may be very, very different people, but, maybe the same solution will help us."

"You're not staying here, though, so it's not the same solution." Mal argued.

Margot smiled weakly. "I'm hoping that by being here, I can somehow prove who I am to myself, now that I'm not the Isle tramp anymore. If I can figure out who I am here, maybe that will clarify things for me."

"How does any of that have to do with me?" Mal asked, unimpressed.

"Well, you're dealing with Imposter Syndrome too, because of your past here. You'll probably figure out whether the Isle is enough for you anymore, and whether you belong more here or in Auradon now." Margot explained.

"I can promise you, I belong here more." Mal said, assuredly and almost sarcastically.

Margot just nodded, following after the girl with slow steps as the atmosphere of the Isle fell upon her. The air felt heavy, and the sounds of yells could be heard from around the corner, the clang of metalware. Most likely, there was a robbery happening and some kid got caught. Though Margot felt uneasy, she found that her stride didn't change, and her shoulders didn't hunch in an attempt to hide. Over her ratty red tank top, she had put on a loose, long-sleeved black crop top which she had found among the donated clothes she'd been given at the beginning of the school year to hide her bust. For pants, she just wore a basic pair of black jeans.

"I don't remember it being this cold." Margot said quietly, looking around to take in all the sights.

"You should've worn a jacket then." Mal retorted.

"Probably."

The two girls walked mostly in silence as Margot analyzed her surroundings, slapping away unwanted hands before they could reach her.

"Do not touch me." She would say calmly, her eyes flashing like steel, when one tried again.

"Guess none of us have to worry about protecting you anymore." Mal commented.

A small smile made its way onto Margot's face as she realized it was true. "I guess not."

As Mal went to get her haircut, Margot decided to take advantage of her location to scout out all the children on the Isle, particularly those they had narrowed down for the first group of kids to come over. They were mostly "sidekick" types rather than "villain" types, with the exception of Celia Facilier, who was the most mischievous of the bunch, and Ruby Hearts, who jumped back and forth between "villain" and "sidekick" mode depending on who she was with. The Smee twins, and Dizzy Tremaine were definitely the meeker ones of the group.

"Gogo! You're here!" Ruby exclaimed upon seeing her, eyeing her up and down. "Finally choosing your own outfits, I see?"

The 14-year-old girl had bright red and black striped hair, and a wide dress in the same colour scheme cobbled together with various fabrics. Her red lips were pulled into a wide, almost crazy, smile. She had never been close with Margot, but the two of them had exchanged goods a few times (often skincare for Gothel in exchange for food for Ruby). Back then, the power dynamic had been in favour of Ruby, despite her being a few years younger that Margot, but now, it was as if it had completely disappeared.

"Luckily, yes." Margot agreed. "Have you been alright here? Still close with Celia and Dizzy?"

"Of course, who else is gonna take care of those runts now that Mal's gone?" Ruby grinned. "Ooh, have you met Alice? Is her neck as pretty as my Mom says it is?"

Margot almost frowned reflexively, before chuckling, shaking her head. "I forgot how this place was. No, I have not met Alice. I'm pretty sure her daughter is in my history class, but I haven't spoken to her before."

"Aww, bummer. Oh my god, I just had the best idea." Ruby cackled with laughter. "I wanna go up to her and yell 'Off with your head!' just to mess with her. I wouldn't actually, though. As long as she bakes me a pie, I'm happy."

Margot chuckled. "Of course, it's all about sweets with you."

"Uhh, did you forget how little sugar there is here over in the land of milk and cookies?" Ruby asked with a raised brow.

"No, I'm grateful every day. Just wait until you try chocolate, you'll love it." Margot said.

Ruby's manic grin faded a bit. "I'm guessing you didn't bring any with you, did you?" At Margot's silence, the girl nodded disappointedly. "It'll be a while then. You don't suppose you could get me through the barrier, could you? I'll give you some free skincare for your mom."

Margot frowned apologetically, remembering that while she had been planning every last detail, her 'friends' from the Isle were still suffering here. "I'll do my best."

"If you can't, then bring me some of that chocolate next time! If I have to watch Mal eat chocolate-covered strawberries one more time without having tasted it myself, it'll be off with your head!" Ruby threatened semi-jokingly.

"I'll keep that in mind, Ruby."