Chapter Text
The day after Mal, King Adam, and Queen Belle decided to go ahead with the idea of wardship over Mal, Carlos caught up with Evie as she was leaving their classes for the day, saying, “Hey, Evie, I have a favor to ask. Well, Mrs. Radcliffe has a favor to ask of you that I’m asking for her, actually.”
Evie ticked up an eyebrow, asking curiously, “Okay, what’s the favor?”
“You know how you asked me to design a website?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I have the base coding set up, just not the design elements, exactly. And you know how the official wardship signing thing for Mal is tomorrow?”
“Yes…” Evie replied, feeling no less confused than when Carlos had first started talking.
“Mrs. Radcliffe asked if it’s possible for the website to be up and running by the time the signing thing airs on TV, and it is. She’s going to meet me in the library where we can work on it in an hour until… whenever it’s done, I guess, but she asked me to ask you if you could join us?”
“Why me?” Evie asked with a little tilt of her head.
“She wants your input on design elements, too.”
“Really?” That surprised Evie. “She does remember she’s a designer in her own rite, doesn’t she?”
Carlos shrugged. “Yeah, of course, but I get the feeling that being from New London, she’s not really as used to the idea of web design as she wants me to think she is. She’s a fashion designer first If that makes sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” she assured him before asking, “You’re meeting in the library in an hour you said?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright.” She grinned at him. “I’ll be there.”
It was well past eleven p.m., and Fairy Godmother’s curfew for students when Evie, Carlos, and Mrs. Radcliffe were done putting the finishing touches on the website. Even so, Carlos ran the mouse cursor over the phone number provided on the website – Mrs. Radcliffe’s personal number – as he asked, “Ben is going to assign you an office in the palace for the ILD, isn’t he?”
“Starting next week, yes,” Mrs. Radcliffe confirmed.
“With its own extension on the phoneline?”
“To my understanding, yes. But I don’t know if I want to put that number on the site yet because I’ll miss calls that happen before I’m able to move my workspace into the office.”
“Actually, I was thinking that there are apps that I could put on your phone that would direct the number to your cell as well as ringing the phone in your office. So, we could put that number here now, and you would still get all the calls forwarded to your cellphone.”
“That sounds marvelous,” Mrs. Radcliffe said.
“I could download it to your phone while I walk you to your car, if you want,” Carlos said, trying to make it sound like a casual offer, but Evie heard the thread of nerves in her oldest friend’s voice.
If Mrs. Radcliffe heard the same thing, she didn’t comment on it, only smiled at him as he picked up his laptop. “That’s kind of you, if you’re sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Carlos waved her and Evie ahead of him as they left the library.
Evie turned to him before they parted ways in the hall, commenting, “I’ll see you tomorrow at the… what did you call it?”
“The wardship signing thing?” Carlos asked with a chuckle.
“Yeah, that.” She quickly hugged him, adding, “Don’t forget to bring your chatty side.”
“Why?” he asked suspiciously.
“Because the cameras will be there, for a purpose, of course, and we want to get the message out about the ILD, right?”
“On live television?” Carlos repeated slowly.
“Oh,” Mrs. Radcliffe put her arm around Carlos’ shoulders as Evie removed hers. “You can do it! Don’t forget that we’ll all be there to bail each other out if needed.”
“Exactly,” Evie replied confidently, giving the duo a parting wave as she turned towards the wing housing her dorm room.
She was happy for Mal, despite her own disagreements with King Adam the previous day, and she was excited for the ILD, and she couldn’t wait to see what the next afternoon would bring.
As it turned out, the next afternoon – though mostly being the half-poignant, half-pointed event that Evie had completely expected it to be – brought a couple calls for Mrs. Radcliffe, thanks to the app Carlos had downloaded, before the press had even wandered away from the gathering.
Mrs. Radcliffe had to turn the call volume up to hear over the crowd, and from beside her, it wasn’t really Evie’s fault, she decided, if she overheard most of the first conversation.
“Is this the Isle of the Lost Division of social services?” a gentle, masculine voice asked.
“Yes. Anita Radcliffe here. To whom am I speaking?”
“My name is David Baker. I’m watching the news piece on Lady Mal’s guardianship signing, and Jay Jafar mentioned you’re doing genetic testing on Isle children.”
“We’re working towards that, yes.”
“Do you know… does Anastasia Baker have a child? They would be a young adult by now.”
Mrs. Radcliffe looked decidedly torn as to how to proceed with the conversation, but finally she said gently, “It is my understanding that Anastasia has more than one child.”
“Are they twins?” he asked immediately, and, standing between Evie and Mrs. Radcliffe, more clearly listening in, Carlos shook his head when Mrs. Radcliffe looked at him for an answer.
“No,” Mrs. Radcliffe relayed cautiously. “They’re not.”
The line went quiet for a long few seconds, and then he said something, polite and quiet, that Evie didn’t catch before he hung up.
“That felt cruel,” Mrs. Radcliffe muttered, rolling her eyes skyward.
“He asked,” Carlos pointed out comfortingly. “What were you supposed to do, lie?”
Mrs. Radcliffe pulled him close with a sad smile. “I know. You’re right, of course.”
“Would it help,” Evie offered, shoving aside her hesitation. “If I called him back and explained why Anastasia has children? It’s not what he thinks it is, I’m sure.”
Mrs. Radcliffe shook her head. “Not now. Maybe another day, but today, go enjoy your friend’s celebration.” Her phone began to ring again, so she shooed Carlos away, too, ordering kindly, “Both of you, go enjoy this.” Carlos looped arms with Evie, and as they wandered away, Mrs. Radcliffe said into the phone, “Anita Radcliffe, ILD. To whom am I speaking?”
Once the party finally wound down, Mrs. Radcliffe approached Evie, Mal, and Ben, and asked hesitantly, “Your majesty?”
Ben turned to her, his expression open and happy. “Yes?”
“Do you think, if it’s possible, if it’s not too much trouble, that I might move into my office space earlier than Monday? I’ve received two phone calls already, and with advertising the ILD’s phone number with the news piece just now, I’m hopeful I might actually need the workspace sooner than Monday.”
Ben smiled thoughtfully. “Well, there’s still going to be cleaning crews in there up until Sunday afternoon, but if you’re willing to work around them, I’m willing to let you.”
Mrs. Radcliffe clasped her hands together, enthusing, “That sounds perfect! Thank you.”
Ben’s smile turned kind as he replied, “Of course. And thank you for being so flexible in starting this and working so hard with us.”
Mrs. Radcliffe nodded in acknowledgement, not sure what else to say as a pretty blush colored her cheeks. “Speaking of working hard, I believe I’ll get started in my office first thing tomorrow morning. Evie,” Mrs. Radcliffe suddenly turned to her. “If you wouldn’t mind joining me there after your school day has ended, I thought I might let you phone that man you asked about.”
Evie put on a brave smile, already hoping that Mal and Ben didn’t try and question her about that “man” as she agreed, “I’ll be there.”
She would do anything she could to get every possible child off the Isle, after all.