Wicked new look? check.

Up next…taking my old turf back from Uma.

Night fell over the Isle of the Lost as the limo rolled to a stop in an empty warehouse.

Jay, Carlos, Evie, and Ben jumped out of the vehicle and slammed the doors. Around them were splintered wooden shipping crates, old sheets in a stinking pile, walls of corroded corrugated metal, and slimy barrels.

There was also a huge rusty metal pipe turned tunnel going into a rock wall.

“Ben,” said Carlos, running to the pile of sheets. “Help me with the tarp.”

Ben and Carlos carried the tarp to Evie and Jay, and the four of them started to cover up the limo. After all, the car stood out like a shiny new penny in a garbage pile, and the friends didn’t want to rouse any suspicious looks from possible passersby. That was the last thing they needed.

Evie looked around uneasily. “It’s really weird being back,” she told Jay.

“We’ll get in and get out,” he assured her.

“Jay.” Carlos got his attention and tossed half the tarp over the top of the limo to his friend.

Jay, along with Evie, took it, and they finished making sure the limo was completely hidden.

Meanwhile, Ben wandered to the giant rusty pipe tunnel. He peered inside it for a good long moment. “Hey! What’s in here?” Ben called back to the others.

Carlos, Jay, and Evie rushed to Ben’s side.

“You don’t want to know,” said Jay.

Carlos pulled Ben away from the opening.

“Hey, guys.” Carlos turned to the whole group. “Keep it chill. All right? Last thing we need is our parents figuring out we’re here.”

His friends nodded in agreement as they all took off, away from the limo and around a dark bend. They entered a seedy alleyway where tattered sheets hung from rickshaws and covered dirty entryways. Two unkempt children in shabby coats ran up to Evie, and one of them tried to pickpocket her.

“Hey,” said Evie. “Hey! What are you doing?” She gripped an arm of each child.

They struggled against her, wriggling like eels.

“Stop!” said Evie. She released them, then reached into her pocket and held her tiny coin purse out to them. “Here. Just take it,” she said, extending it to one.

The little kid grabbed it and scampered off.

Evie turned to Jay and Carlos, realizing Ben was nowhere in sight. “Ben,” Evie said, sighing. The three marched down the alley to find him.

Ben had wandered ahead of his friends into a covered marketplace: Low Tide Lane, a remote alley where pirates sold their decrepit wares. He looked around at the clutter of barrels, lanterns, and splintered pieces of wood. Signs advertised crabgrass, grit, pond scum, and worms, and a black street sign with a double-sided white arrow pointing in opposite directions read NO WAY. Haggard pirates dozed behind their busted makeshift carts while others carried baskets of trash. Ben was in awe of the Isle, which until then had been a place he had only ever heard about.

It was far worse than he had expected. Yet he also found an odd beauty to it.

Ben’s sights landed on a scrappy pirate, and Ben waved at him and smiled. The pirate glared back at him. Ben extended his arm and welcomed a handshake, but the pirate only lunged at Ben and growled.

Evie appeared with Jay and Carlos, and she gripped Ben’s arm. “Stop it. Just stop.”

Carlos stepped between Ben and the disgruntled pirate, ready to fight, but Jay yanked Carlos back. Now wasn’t the time to be starting something. Luckily, the pirate wasn’t interested in Carlos anyway.

Ben looked at his friends. “What?” he asked with a shrug, unsure of why they were so concerned. After all, he believed there was good in everyone—even there.

“This isn’t a parade. This is the Isle,” said Evie.

“Just keep your hands in your pockets unless you’re stealing,” said Jay.

“Yeah, you either slouch or you strut,” said Carlos.

“And never, ever smile,” said Evie.

Ben nodded. “Okay, thank you, guys—”

“No!” Evie motioned for silence. “Forget the thank-yous! And no please, either! Just…chill.”

Evie, Carlos, and Jay went on to Ben about how he had to work on fitting in more on the Isle to throw off any suspicious looks. They explained the importance of dragging one’s feet, nodding one’s head, and leaning back. They preached to him not to care or stare and taught him how to watch his back, creep around, and chill like a true villain. Ben let it all sink in. Within moments, he began walking the walk and couldn’t help smirking, pleased with himself for being able to fit in perfectly there. Not only did he look the part now, but he also acted it.

Now that Ben had mastered the art of appearing villainous, the crew headed through a sordid alley. It was finally time to find Mal and get her back.

Not far off, Gaston’s oafish son Gil was pilfering eggs from a merchant. He had run out and needed more protein for his muscles. Gil turned and ran into Ben. “Hey, man,” Gil said angrily. He did a double take. “Hey, man…I know you!”

“Nope!” said Ben, shrugging and turning away. “I don’t know you, either, so—”

“No, no, no! Yeah, you definitely know me! C’mon! C’mon, man, you know me. Okay, okay. I’ll give you a hint, all right?” He grinned. “My dad is slick, quick, and his neck is incredibly thick.”

Ben looked at him blankly, then exchanged glances with his friends.

“Nothing?” asked Gil. “Come on, man. You’re—” Gil, in his fingerless yellow gloves, pointed at a poster of King Ben on the alley wall that had RIDE WITH THE TIDE spray-painted over it in black paint. Then Gil pointed to Ben. Then he did that a few more times until it all began to sink in. He was a little slow, to say the least. “Whoa, you’re King Ben!” Gil exclaimed.

“Uh, let’s go,” said Evie, guiding Ben past Gil, with Jay and Carlos flanking them.

“Yeah, no, you totally are King Ben!” cried Gil, watching as they passed. “And you’re Jay, Carlos, Evie—hey, guys!” he said cheerily. Then his expression set into a huge oafish grin. “Uma’s gonna love this!” He could barely contain his excitement. Gil turned and hurried off.

Before long, Jay, Evie, Ben, and Carlos arrived at the foot of the bridge hideout, where they knew they would find Mal. Ben noticed her scooter lying on its side under the stairs, and he inspected its beat-up, graffitied varnish. He had never imagined his gift would take her to the Isle.

Meanwhile, Jay grabbed a rock and lobbed it at the sign. The gate glided up, and Jay steered Ben toward the stairs. Ben peered into the darkness of the staircase that wound its way to the top of the hideout; then he looked back at his friends.

“Wish me luck.” Ben started up the stairs.

Watching him vanish, Jay, Evie, and Carlos leaned and sat, prepared to wait.