"𝕺w!" Rilynn yelped in surprise. She barely heard a cry in front of her when she went crashing down.

Rilynn might've run around the corner too fast and didn't see the person in front of her. She'd been so excited to find Mal and Evie that she'd been speeding around campus searching for them. Everyone around them turned their heads, staring at the two girls on the floor.

Not that they bothered to help.

"I'm sorry," Rilynn rubbed her hand, it stung. She glanced at the girl in front of her. "I didn't see you."

Penelope, a new student, and Peter Pan's daughter was rubbing her left elbow. "No, that was my fault," she smiled apologetically. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

They laughed it off as they stood together. Penelope rose two inches higher when her feet lifted from the ground, a hint of glitter shimmering from her body. Even after being knocked down, Penelope flashed a smile, beaming gleefully.

"How's classes been? Hopefully, not too bad," Rilynn hasn't seen Penelope since she gave her a tour, helping her out with her classes.

"Good. I met some friends, so at least I'm not completely alone," Penelope laughed awkwardly.

"I'm glad to hear that," Rilynn looked down; she hated being put in a position like this, but what kind of friend would she be if she didn't look out for her friends? "Don't forget, you can't be flying on campus."

Penelope's eyes widened when she suddenly remembered, and the glitter stopped floating. Her body flew down until she was back on her feet, looking around. Penelope blushed in embarrassment.

"Shoot. I always forget," Penelope almost face-palmed. Sometimes, she does it without even realizing what she is doing. "Back in Neverland, I fly almost all the time. It'll take some time to get used to walking normally."

"One of the downsides, I suppose," Rilynn didn't get the rule, but Fairy Godmother put it in place when she became headmistress. "Don't worry. I'm not a teacher. As long as no one sees you, you'll be fine."

Rilynn winked mischievously.

Penelope gave Rilynn a look of relief. "That's good to know," she stepped away, and a smile played at her lips. "Thanks for that! And sorry for completely running you over."

The princess watched as Penelope skipped away with her books in her arms, and still, the glitter shimmered behind her like a wave. Rilynn shook her head with a little smile, then turned and continued.

Rilynn was on a mission looking for Evie; she'd occasionally ask a few people if they'd seen Evie--some did, some didn't. Luckily, Melody saw Evie returning to her dorms, so Rilynn had to run in the other direction.

"Evie, wait!"

The girl in blue turned around at the sound of her name called by a familiar voice. A smile pulled at her lips automatically. Her hazel eyes fell on the beaming princess who was rushing toward her.

"Whoa, Riles, slow down!" Evie caught Rilynn's hands into her own when the princess reached her. She raised her eyebrows in amusement when Rilynn practically bounced on her toes. "What's got you in a good mood?"

Evie grinned with a subtle glint in her eyes.

"You'll never guess," Rilynn squealed excitedly. Even if she tried to act calm, Rilynn couldn't because she was feeling giddy. "I did it! I finally asked out Jay."

Evie laughed happily. It wasn't the first time Evie had heard the news, but it was comforting to see Rilynn's reaction. It didn't take long before Jay came to her and Mal's dorm, casually dropping the news. And by casual, more like he barged into their room and sighed with a dreamy look in his eyes. Evie had never seen Jay like that before.

It wasn't weird; it was nice. Evie was over the moon about it. Another of her best friends found someone they could trust and find happiness in. They were comfortable and vulnerable enough to find their person, which is so unlike them. On the Isle, they would've never gotten to experience the relationships that they do in Auradon. It's a feeling Evie can't explain.

"It's about time! I've been waiting for one of you to ask," Evie wrapped Rilynn's arm around her own, pulled her alongside her, and continued walking. "Tell me all about it."

And so Rilynn babbled on about the most exhilarating day ever. A day she'd been stressing out over. Rilynn made sure to tell Evie about Lonnie on the mat, sword fighting Jay and winning that fight; then, she told her how she tried hinting to Jane about looking for someone to go to Cotillion with--Evie nodded and agreed. Finally, Rilynn got to the point of the story.

"See? I told you everything would turn out fine, and making the first move would be brave," Evie squeezed Rilynn's arm. She sighed dreamily, and her eyes fluttered. "Finally, my two best friends are dating. I would've been a matchmaker if I didn't have my fashion line."

They laughed so loud they nearly toppled over.

Looking back on it, Rilynn realized how ridiculous she must've looked. At the time, Rilynn thought asking out Jay would be embarrassing because, usually, the guys would make a move, but now that Rilynn did it, she feels amazing. Rilynn knew what she wanted, so she took it. It was exactly what Mal would tell her.

Rilynn and Evie walked into the VK's dorm, and Evie darted to her side of the room while Rilynn wandered about. The princess kept smiling to herself when the thought crossed her mind, creating an explosion of butterflies to erupt in her belly. Her heart swooned, and her head was dizzy. It felt like a dream, and she was afraid to wake up.

"I can't wait to tell Mal and Ben," Rilynn jumped on Mal's bed like a starfish, staring at the ceiling with a dreamy smile.

"She would be proud of you, Riles."

That's true; Mal would've been proud of Rilynn for stepping up and doing what she wanted to do, but Mal would've also made some sarcastic remarks. Rilynn would expect nothing less from Mal. She'd grown used to her witty comments, which she'd found quite endearing. It wouldn't be Mal if she didn't have something to say about it.

Rilynn pushed herself upright and glanced to her side; she frowned at the note on the nightstand with Evie's name on it.

"Hey, I think this is yours," Rilynn reached and passed the note to a puzzled Evie. "What does it say?"

Evie looked heartbroken from whatever was written on the paper, and it was starting to worry Rilynn. The princess hadn't seen Evie look so distraught. What was Rilynn supposed to do at this moment? She didn't know what was written on the paper or why Mal had it.

Her silence wasn't comforting, and Rilynn was getting antsy. "Evie?"

"It's Mal," Evie's hazel eyes were swimming in tears, and her trembling hands dropped the paper.

Rilynn frowned, puzzled; she took the paper. She never read something as fast as she did now. Rilynn understood now.

"She left?" Rilynn said aloud. Her heart was beating so loud, she was worried Evie could hear it. "How . . . When . . .?"

"She might've left not too long ago. I just saw her this morning," Evie dropped her head into her hands, shielding her face when the tears poured down her face. Evie's voice weakened. "I can't believe I didn't notice that she'd been struggling. I feel horrible."

Rilynn sat with Evie, rubbing her arm to console her. "Nobody could've known," she tried to reassure, but she knew it was fruitless. "You know how Mal gets; she doesn't exactly wear her emotions on her sleeve. You can't blame yourself."

"But I'm her best friend. I share the same room as her. I was so caught up in Evie Four Hearts that I overlooked Mal's feelings."

"It's okay to miss the signs. Mal said it herself; she didn't want to ruin what you built here. She didn't tell you because she was looking out for you, too," Rilynn helped wipe Evie's tears.

Evie smiled through her tears, feeling horrible. "Right. You're right," she nodded, rushed. But then she froze.

"What?" Rilynn leaned back worriedly.

"What about Ben?" Rilynn and Evie shared worried looks. "We have to tell him. He needs to know Mal went back to the Isle."

Rilynn frowned. "That's . . . gonna be hard."

Evie wrinkled her brows with a pondering frown.

☼☼☼

After knocking, Rilynn was the first to open Ben's office door, but she silently freaked out. Rilynn and Evie argued about who would walk in first and who would be the one to break the news to Ben. They went back and forth until Evie mentioned Rilynn being best friends with Ben, which Rilynn doesn't think matters.

She didn't want to have to be the one to give Ben bad news. But Evie persisted. She had turned Rilynn and led her to the door, not giving the princess another moment to argue again.

Rilynn stuck her head in first, making sure Ben wasn't in a meeting--she didn't need that happening again. Luckily, Ben was sitting alone in his office, skimming through the paperwork, unaware of Rilynn and Evie's presence. He wasn't aware of the situation they were in.

"Ben?" Rilynn squeaked uncomfortably. She attempted to smile to reassure Ben, but she was certain it looked strained. "You busy?"

Ben beamed. "Nah, not really. My eyes are hurting from reading so many papers, anyway," he chuckles airily. He stood up and met the girls halfway. "Hey. Uh, what's up? You guys look a little spooked."

Rilynn and Evie shared an uneasy look. Evie nudged her forward, urging her to go on. Rilynn stared back at her, silently pleading with Evie to do it instead, but the girl was just as hesitant.

Their silence worried Ben. He was becoming a little anxious by the silent looks passing between Rilynn and Evie, seemingly tense about something.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm missing something?" Ben wrinkled his brows, smiling nervously. He glanced at Rilynn. "Riley? You're fiddling with your hair."

The princess lowered her hands. She hadn't realized she was messing with her hair; it was a nervous tick that Rilynn does as a habit. Rilynn's eyes barely met Ben's because she was afraid that he would read her better than anyone.

"Ben . . . There's something we have to tell you," Rilynn nearly picked at her hair but forced her hands to close.

"You're starting to freak me out. What's wrong?"

Rilynn didn't want to be the one to tell him, but she knew Ben needed to know. She just needs to come clean. It would benefit everyone.

"Benny, Mal's gone back to the Isle."

No one dared to speak when they let Ben swallow the news about Mal. It was silent. Rilynn didn't know what to say or do. She knew something like this would happen, but Rilynn wished they weren't delivering bad news.

It sucked because everyone cared about Mal, but nobody knew about what she was going through. No one saw that Mal was stressing over life in Auradon, and the expectations rested on her shoulders. They were blinded to the fact that Mal struggled so badly that she ran back to the Isle to escape the reality of her new life.

With a shaky sigh, Evie stepped forward. "She left this on her nightstand," she held the note.

Ben quickly snatched the paper and flipped it open, reading it as fast as he could. His heart thumped loudly in his ears, and his adrenaline was running wild. Ben couldn't believe was he was reading.

"This is my fault. This is my fault," he repeated, growing angrier each time. "I blew it. She's been under so much pressure lately, and instead of being understanding, I just went all Beast on her."

"You couldn't have known, Ben," Rilynn's heart clenched from how Ben blamed himself.

"But I should've. I have to go there and apologize," Ben surprised the girls. "I have to go there and beg her to come back."

Evie was equally as guilty. "Ben, you'll never find her. You need to know how it works and . . ." But Ben shook his head as if he didn't want anyone to try to stop him. He wouldn't back down. "You have to take me with you."

Rilynn turned to Evie, baffled. "What?"

"Yes," Ben replied too quickly. Embarrassed, Ben cleared his throat and tried to collect himself but stammered a bit. "Uh. Are you sure?"

She hadn't expected Evie and Ben to agree to go to the Isle on such short notice. They hadn't discussed it when walking to Ben's office.

But Evie put on a brave face and nodded without hesitation. "Yeah," Evie couldn't describe the feeling that rushed through her chest. It was strange to think about going back to the Isle. "She's my best friend."

Rilynn chewed her lip, but she nodded with a look of determination. "I'm going, too."

"No, no, no," Ben immediately shook his head. "The Isle isn't safe. We'll get Mal and come back, okay? We'll be fine."

"Mal's my friend, too, so I'm going," Rilynn defied. "Besides, I can handle myself."

"No, I'm not saying that you can't, but--"

"Good, because I'm going."

"It's okay," Evie reassured. "We can also bring the boys, too, because there's safety in numbers, and none of us are really popular over there right now."

"But let's get two things straight," Evie turned to the two royals, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. She looked worried about something. "You have to promise me that I won't get stuck there again."

Ben stared at Evie carefully before nodding. "I promise."

Rilynn grabbed Evie's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We got your back, E."

Evie smiled gratefully. She loved the Isle at some point, but she also loves Auradon. While the Isle was her first home, Evie was scared that if she saw what she left behind, she wouldn't return to Auradon.

Just when they were finished, Evie clicked her tongue.

"And there's no way you're both going looking like that."

Well, that wasn't insulting.