★ second star to the right ★

That’s totally fine! Bug noises make me think of crickets anyway, and I so don’t need more of those in my life, you’re perfect just making Melanie noises. Yeah, that’s a great example - polka dots are adorable and great and you can feel amazing in it, and still know it isn’t exactly cool. Also, how have I not seen that dress by now? I feel like I’d remember it. The first most evocative instrument? Probably the piano. When a really good piano player plays, it’s like every key they press does something different to your heart. Beast, if you get a growth spurt, I’m quitting.

You don’t like crickets? But -- but Mulan’s cricket, he was a legend, and he looks so cute in the paintings and the statues! You haven’t? I guess maybe I wear it more on weekends for date day with Trevor, but I think I wear it to school sometimes, too! Or I will now, to make sure you see it. Or we could have a tea party and I could wear it then, mom loves it when I have tea parties. Oh! Pianos are really amazing, but there are so many keys, I don’t understand how anybody moves their hand fast enough to reach all of them. I wish I could share my height with you, but you’re cute and tiny and small -- Stella is too, you’re not alone!

Maya: You really think Trevor's a ten? Have you seen the other boys in the kingdom? You got like the scrawniest one.

Maya: Regular glitter is edible too if you aren't a coward.

Maya: Say bitch. Just type it.

Maya: HA. Earl is sooooo not Stella's type but good luck?

Melanie: Yes??? Who on Earth do you think is better than he is???

Melanie: Isn't it made of glass? I thought it would cut my insides up!

Melanie: No! That's even worse than saying it out loud, then the internet would remember I said it forever.

What’s he going to do, send me back to the Isle of the Lost for not liking music by some old famous dead guys? And what do you mean, they were? Why is there so much drama in this place? I thought it was supposed to be all happy and sunshine, that’s what the Beast’s b.s. propaganda said. You don’t need to ask your boyfriend’s permission; if you wanna do it, just try it.

No, no, that’s Will who could do that, Tim doesn’t have that kind of authority! I don’t know, they’re just like growing apart lately I think? Olivia said I might be the coolest person so that means that Tim must not be anymore which must mean something happened! No, we’re still teenagers, we can be happy and sad at the same time! But we haven’t had a lot of time for each other lately, I don’t want him to feel abandoned.

Maya: Your boyfriend is like a 4 and the dome is like a 7.

Maya: I think science should put a cap on it. Maybe if they stop giving people everything it'll force some people to use their brains :-P A new kind of sparkly thing?

Maya: I know Stella. And I know you and your boyfriend or, at least, your types, and if you think you're all gonna live happily ever after after months of him bitching, you're fooling yourself.

Melanie: Nuh uh, the WiFi dome only has 5 bars, how can it be a 7??? And Trevor is a ten!!!

Melanie: Yeah, like if they could make edible sparkles or sparkle juice that's safe to drink or - you know, all the sparkly things! People use their brains to invent new stuff, though.

You might be! I’m still trying this getting-to-know-you thing so I reserve the right to change my mind, but you show promise, young grasshopper. Tim’s still my favorite person, but I dunno, that doesn’t mean he’s the coolest. It’s like how my favorite piece of clothing isn’t the most stylish, technically, or even the one I wear the most, but it’s the one I love the most, if that makes sense. Different categories. Uh…sure! I don’t really listen to Miley but drums are awesome and super evocative, the second most evocative instrument, really. EH, Princessephone is kind of a glamazon and I’m pretty sure her new step-sister is also like the 5′8 to 5′9ish zone so you’ll always be tall, Kid, but not the tallest, no. I HAVE NO CLUE I WAS JUST GUESSING. Clearly I’m not the person to have around in case of emergencies!

It’s okay if my legs don’t make squeaky songs like a grasshopper’s, though, right? Oh, yeah -- my favorite dress is a green polka dot one I have that has a hole in the hem and is definitely not the best, but I love it anyway. So... Tim’s like a green polka dot dress? That makes sense, I think! What’s first most? You’re right, yay! Unless I get a crazy growth spurt this summer before I go up a grade then I’ll always be behind their pace. Oh! We should look it up, even though I’m not good at CPR like you are!

I mean, they just gave me the instrument, and I decided I’d rather play cool music than like… Beethoven or whoever those other old guys are. I mean, they had some cool music but it’s not very good on say, a guitar, which is the most fun if you ask me. I’ve known Stella forever, if she’s into trying the music thing she’s welcome to join in. You sure that you don’t wanna be in the actual band instead of being a groupie, though? I hear tambourines exist for people just like you.

Don’t let Tim Radcliffe hear you say that, he loves those guys! And don’t let Olivia hear you say it, either, they’re best friends, or they were, so she probably won’t like it if you diss them, either. Oooh, a tambourine? I don’t know if Trevor would like it very much if I were in a band, but I can always ask and see.

Yeah, that’s exactly what familiar feels like - being home. But eh, I’m having fun with this getting-to-know-new-people-better thing. I can’t believe I thought Tim was the coolest kid in the kingdom when there’s a girl with a fun remix of Waterfall on her playlists! I always thought music was the more emotional part of songs anyway - lyrics can be cool but, like, it’s the music that makes you feel things. I would love it if you caught up to Ryder, oh my Beast, then it wouldn’t be just me that felt like a munchkin around you, but like, the entire kindgom. Don’t worry, kid, I know how to CPR. Gotta make sure no one breathes in too much sawdust at the house and like, faints. I got you.

You think I’m cooler than Tim? Oh my gosh, I’m super super flattered, but I don’t know, isn’t that kind of sad? I thought he was your favorite person -- I mean, I’d never forget that Trevor’s my favorite person already just because I love Stella a lot now, too. I love the music, too, like the part in See You Again by Miley Cyrus where she taps the drum twice as fast for emphasis, that part always makes me more hyper than I am during the rest of the song. Would I be the tallest girl around? There must be someone taller than me, I just don’t know them, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. CPR WORKS ON SAWDUST? So could you use it if a person swallowed sand at mermaid lagoon too or something?

Maya: The cute WiFi dome? I should've known by looking at your boyfriend but damn you have a weird idea of what cute is.

Maya: Ugh what's evne the point of trying to keep up? Why can't they just make it the best and just cut it off so you don't have to keep updating? It's tiring.

Maya: Dude you're so naive.

Melanie: What's that supposed to mean? My boyfriend is way, way cuter than the WiFi dome is!

Melanie: Because science is always developing and growing just like people are! It's super interesting, maybe? I know I'd be excited if they invented a new kind of sparkly thing, and technology is sort of the same.

So after three months, I finally discovered something about Auradon that’s pretty chill aside from the pretty girls and the awesome food… and it’s the whole music thing. I got forced into band because they didn’t want villain kids having ‘too much free time’, and I kinda don’t hate it. The music we play in there’s lame, though, so if anyone wants to start a real band, or be my groupie, lemme know.

A band? That’s so cool, how did you decide you wanted to start a band? And I don’t know if I’m the girl to be in it, but Stella’s a really awesome singer, so if you’re still looking, maybe she could be? And if she is, I’ll definitely be a groupie! Mom looked at me funny when I asked what one was, but it doesn’t sound like it would be bad.

Maya: How the fuck would I know that???

Maya: You guys make zero sense, why does 4Genie even exist if it's slower? Just invent more of the fast stuff.

Maya: Why? Something going bad for you? Not that I care, you know, but like, hearing other people's bad days makes my days better.

Melanie: Um it’s in the top corner of your phone! Search for the bars and see how many of them are colorful and how many are just a shadow! Or if it has the cute WiFi dome filled in!

Melanie: It’s only slower during big events or when you’re in certain areas that are like underground! Most of the time it’s super good, but I bet they’ll release like, 5Genie soon and it’ll be even more super duper.

It’s not an adventure when you’re also hanging out with Tim. Then it’s just…familiar. Or at least, it is to me since, you know, I do that a lot. Or used to, I mean. The dogs are predictable enough when you get to know them all one on one, but that takes time. There are waterfalls, yes! Make sure to put Waterfalls on your Melanie Mix because it so doesn’t fit on my playlist but I love it. Sorry, sorry! It’s hard to shake the babysitter vibe sometime, but you’re taller than me, so that at least makes it easy to remember. Um, because gummies are amazing? I love the bears, honestly - once I found gummy crickets at some weird market and Dad flipped out, so since then bears have just been safer. You can choke back all the bears you want, Mel, just make sure not to, you know, actually choke! Sweet! Looking forward to hearing and not judging your musical taste.

Oh — but familiar can be nice, sometimes, too! I know I’ve been super into new and exciting lately since Stella got here but I still love when I get to have time with just me and Trevor, too; it’s my favorite kind of familiar, it’s like being at home. Waterfalls is definitely on there! It’s a little sadder than a lot of the songs but I found a remix so I can forget that the words make me want to cry a little bit, and it’s totally fine! I am, mom said I had a crazy growth spurt and that if I wasn’t careful I’d catch Ryder soon, how weird would that be? Oh, so your dad understands! He doesn’t want to eat friends, too, but hopefully he knows that you can’t deny the delicious! I won’t actually choke, but um, just in case do you know CPR? Mom tried to teach me once since I hang out with the Lost Boys a lot and they’re a little dangerous but I can’t do it on myself!

Hikes are adventures depending on how you do them, yeah! In the past I’ve pretty much used them just to walk dogs and stuff, but there’s also something real nice about out in the middle of the wilderness. You never know what else could be out there. Stella would like it, I think, so long as you two don’t start racing off and I’m responsible for losing you lot, I’d be good with it. You can bring whatever food you want, but if you bring gummy snacks I’ll love you forever and always, and I’m actually pretty picky about my music? You can make your own Spotify list, though. We could trade off, too, so neither one of us loses full battery.

Is hanging out with a dog not an adventure? They seem like they’d be really unpredictable in a cute way, of course. Does the wilderness have waterfalls? Did I ask that already? I can’t remember. You’re our friend, not our babysitter, if we get lost its our fault and not yours, I promise. I always bring gummy bears everywhere I go, how did you know? Do you want a different animal shape? Or are bears okay? I get kind of sad when I have to bite their heads off so I make everyone eat them all in one bite, though, I hope that’s okay. Sure! I have a fun Melanie Mix ready at all times anyway, I play it every morning when I’m getting ready for school.

Maya: My phone is slow when it comes to videos and I DON'T KNOW WHY IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE ISN'T THE INTERNET THE SAME EVERYWHERE?

Maya: Yikes.

Maya: Bleh. Pass. They're even more boring to talk to than, well, you.

Melanie: Is it hooked up to the Wifi? Or are you just using 4Genie? Sometimes the network gets really busy and slows down.