Free Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa de La Cruz Page B

nearby crowd had one. The stands on the Auradon side were full of people holding the white silk streamers, waving them gaily about.
    “To cheer on our knights, duh,” replied Evie, waving hers.
    Mal inspected it closely. “Hankies?”
    “It’s what ladies used to wave at their knights, you know, back when they had real tourneys, with horses. They used to call it ‘waving their colors.’ Don’t you remember? We learned it in class.”
    The Royal History of Auradon, Mal recalled now. She waved her white hankie, though really, this practice probably should have stayed behind in the Middle Ages. The crowd cheered when the Auradon Knights took the field; Mal and Evie hooted loudly when Jay and Carlos were introduced.
    Carlos waved, smiling behind his helmet, and Jay gave them a thumbs-up. Chad was nowhere in the starting lineup and pouted from the bench.
    The game was a close one. Without Ben to help Jay with the tourney plays, the Lost Boys nearly defeated the Knights on their home turf, but in the end Jay set up Carlos for the winning score, and the stands exploded in celebration.
    “I’m glad we decided to stay for the game,” Mal told Evie. “Jay was right, we needed to be here.”
    The girls went back to their rooms to change into their dresses for the dance. “Remember, we’re only staying for a little bit, then we leave and change into Lonnie’s and Audrey’s gowns, and meet the boys in the parking lot,” said Mal as she fluffed up her lavender skirts in the mirror. The dress had just enough volume without being fussy, and the dark leather cap sleeves were embellished with tiny black crystals, which meant they shimmered in the light but didn’t look princessy.
    “Right,” said Evie, sounding doubtful.
    “Evie!” Mal said. “What’s the matter? This is the plan.”
    “But let’s not go so soon, okay? Can’t we have a little fun at least?” she wheedled, until Mal had to agree. “I promised Doug we’d dance the Heigh-Ho Slide.”
    “Does he know about our plan?” Mal asked. She hadn’t forbidden the group to tell anyone, but had assumed they wouldn’t.
    “No, I didn’t tell him. I don’t want him to have to lie for me.” Evie straightened her tiara and took a deep breath. “Plus, I don’t want him to worry. As far as he’ll know, I’ll be leaving the dance with a bad stomachache and then I’ll be in my room with the flu all weekend like we agreed.”
    “I’m sorry we have to go so soon,” said Mal. “I know how much you love dances. You really do look like—”
    “The Fairest?” asked Evie with a cheeky grin.
    “Let’s just say every princess at that dance is definitely safe from a huntsman tonight,” said Mal.
    “Okay, let’s do this,” said Evie. They linked arms and headed out the door.
    The ballroom was festooned with so many balloons that it was hard to see the top of the ceiling. Gold bunting and blue ribbons hung everywhere.
    “It’s perfect.” Evie sighed.
    “That is a whole lot of balloons,” Mal said.
    “You think? I was worried it wouldn’t be enough,” said Evie. “I doubled the order.”
    They waved to Lonnie, who was manning the turntables up at the DJ booth. The Auradon tourney team trooped in, handsome in their formal wear, and Jay and Carlos found them, exuberant and smiling. They were the stars of the evening, surrounded by a group of admiring friends and teammates, while Chad skulked by the punch. Evie left to dance with Doug, and Jay and Carlos headed for the buffet tables. Mal picked at her food and checked the clock. She was impatient to get going and was relieved when it was finally time to gather up her team.
    She elbowed Jay, and he reluctantly put down the plate of desserts he was holding.
    “Let’s go,” she said. “I’ll grab Evie, you get Carlos, and we’ll meet you at the car.”
    Mal felt her stomach flip as they set their plan in motion. Sure, she had faced down Maleficent and won once before. But who knew what kind of