Chapter 4

Months passed by with no one suspecting anything, though that really surprised the pregnant fairy. After all, Mal's belly grew with every passing day, forcing her to wear bigger and bulkier coats to hide the pregnancy. Luckily, the students at Dragon Hall never spared her a second glance since they feared doing the wrong thing would give them bad repercussions.

Speaking of time passing, the winter weather changed later than expected, giving the main trio more time to plan out Mal's 'disappearance' so no one becomes doubtful. Like Jay had suggested the months prior, Mal agreed to cause a dramatic scene at school to display her illness. In Lady Tremaine's or Dr. Facilier's class, either teacher will expose a smell that is delightful to the classmates yet pungent to the pregnant teenager, which will cause her to 'unexpectedly' flee the classroom. Jay will check on her, come back into the classroom, say Mal has come down with a 'strange' illness, and then leave to carry her home.

During the first week of March, the 'group' decided that was the best opportunity since warm weather was predicted for the rest of the month. So, on that Wednesday morning, Mal dressed for her last day of school in her father's bedroom—careful to hide her baby bump once again—before walking into the main room of the cave.

Mal sighed in slight remorse at a seeing a certain sight. "Dad, you shouldn't have to do this," she commented glumly. "We need to take turns or something. I know sleeping there must be uncomfortable."

Groaning at his awkward sleeping position, Hades straightened to a sitting position as he stretched out his sore muscles. "You are not sleeping on the couch," he sternly scolded lovingly. "In case you somehow forgot, you are four months pregnant with my grand-child. You need to be as comfortable as possible so nothing happens to your baby, so you sleeping on my bed is the best option."

"That doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable!" Mal insisted stubbornly. "At least get a cot or something. You can't sleep on a couch forever."

"I'll think about it," Hades reassured with a yawn. "By the way, Lady Tremaine has an old crib in her mansion used for her grand-daughters that she's giving to us. It will need some repairs since it's so old. I thought I could fix whatever I needed to and you can paint it however you like. Since you are such a fantastic artist, I thought you would enjoy it to pass some time."

"I really would like that," Mal agreed with a small smile. "I already have the perfect design in mind for the headboard; two dragons, one green and one purple, with their heads pressed together to create a heart. The purple dragon will be bigger and sort of towering over the smaller green dragon."

Hades raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Let me guess: the purple dragon is you being protective of Mallory, who is the green dragon?" When his daughter nodded eagerly, he couldn't help chuckling. "Sounds wonderful, Mali. I'll be sure to get you the appropriate and safest paint for you to use in your condition. For now, enjoy your last day of school as best as you can."

The day dragged on longer than Mal thought it would, as she was waiting for the perfect opportunity to play out the scheme. Her morning class with Dr. Facilier would be slightly too early and may seem as too obvious, as her classmates would naturally assume she was trying to get out of school for the day. Lady Tremaine's class was the better option since it was a couple hours before the school day would end. Besides, the classmates would genuinely believe something was wrong since Mal enjoys the wicked step-mother's classes and wouldn't do anything to get out of it.

It was just a few moments after the rest of the tardy students arrived for that particular class when Mal felt something unusual happening with her hidden baby bump. It was such a faint tickle that the fairy believed she was imagining it.

However, as soon as Mal subtly ran her hand over her baby bump, the feeling morphed into a gentle tap.

Mal inaudible gasped in revelation, realizing what exactly was causing the unfamiliar sensation. Since she had such wide eyes and her mouth was hanging slightly agape, the fairy attracted some of her peers' attention quicker than she had wanted. Locking eyes with a confused and somewhat curious Jay, who was seated across the way, Mal made a split decision—

She bolted out of the classroom.

I know, I know. That seems a little dramatic, but to be perfectly fair that is what she and her friend had planned a few days before. Since she had a better reason to leave, Mal's action appeared more authentic than if she faked having an illness.

Of course, Jay followed the fairy as originally intended, though he didn't realize that a new development had occurred.

With everyone being in their respective classrooms, the hallways were completely void of student and staff. By the staircase—which only lead to below ground levels—Mal eagerly awaited with a wide excited smile gracing her lips.

"What happened?" Jay interrogated concerningly. "Why did you leave earlier than we discussed?"

"It's not my fault," Mal whispered stubbornly, though her smile never faltered. "Blame Mallory."

The infamous thief furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Mallory?" He repeated with a slightly snarled nose of uncertainty. "What does she have to do with this?"

"She kicked!" Mal squealed energetically while jumping up and down just as enthusiastically. "My baby girl kicked!"