By the first rays of dawn, Flinn was already on the first mail boat that would bring him to Monster Island. He knew he could have used the Aurora, but could not bring himself to ask his friends to sail with him, not after they have just returned from Candle Cove. He left a note for both his first mate and his grandfather to let them know where he was heading. On the boat, his heartbeat quickened with every island closer he came to her.

XXXXX

The welcome home was not quite, what she had imagined. As expected, when she knocked on the door to her old, stone, mansion home the live-in housemaid Ellie and her little sister Nana, both half cat and half human monsters, greeted her with a warm and loving embrace. Nana immediately wanting to know where in the world Alisea had traveled and what she did. "Did you engage in any amazing battles?" asked Nana, swinging her hand back and forth, as if she were holding a sword.

"Yes I have, but may I tell you after I have seen my father?"

"What brings you back here anyway? If I were you I would have stayed away." Added the younger cat girl with a smirk and leaned against the dark wood door frame

Alisea smiled at her childhood friend, "A long story that I would rather not go into right now, all I can tell you now is that I discovered that the job of a captain is not for me. Now, may I please speak with my father?"

"Alisea," Ellie placed a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder, "I must warn you; your father has been bitter cold since the day you left."

"Yeah, he has been pretty angry at you. He would not even open any of the letters you have sent. He was mean about it too, he could have given them to Ellie and me, but he burned them instead," added Nana, honest as always.

"I figured he had done something like that after I did not get a letter from here in over a year. I nevertheless, wish to speak with him. After all, I am his only child, how angry can be too with me after such a long time?" Taking a deep breath, Alisea walked past her friends and into the gloomy familiar house she use to share with them and her father. Inside the entry hall, memories overwhelmed her. She remembered being a little girl, a young teen, and the night she left; never had there been laughter within these walls as long as she could remember. Her father never told her stories, never encouraged her to follow her dream, and never said one good thing about her; if it had not been for Ellie and Nana, she thinks she would have never left the island. She did not stop walking until she reached the entry to the living room, the only place she could ever remember seeing her father. Knowing that knocking would not yield a reply, she quietly opened the door to confront her father. As expected, her father sat as his wicker chair in front of the lit fireplace, his eyes cast to an oil painting hanging above the mantelpiece. The painting was of her mother. "Father, I have come home." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Leave, you are not welcomed here." He keeps his eyes on the painting as he has been doing since the day his beloved wife died.

"Father, please, I am your daughter; you cannot still be holding a grudge because I left?" Alisea had hoped for a different outcome that her father would forgive her and accept her back into his home. Now, she could feel her eyes welling with tears.

"I have no daughter." Replied Captain Windjackle, anger growing in his voice and his features growing jagged the longer Alisea stood in his presence.

"Father-"

"I told you what would happen once you stepped one foot off this island. You ignored my warning. Now leave before I have the authorities come here and remove you." He growled. It is then clear to Alisea that her hopes of reconnecting with her father have died. Without anything to hold on to, she rushed out, back to the front door where Ellie catches her. Unable to hold back her tears, she sobs into her friend's shoulder. After a while, Alisea's sobs die down and she is able to stand on her own again. "Where do I go now?" asked Alisea, confronted with the realization that she has no place in the world.

"Nana, get the box under my bed and hurry." Commanded Ellie, still holding on to the girl she helped raise since she was a baby. Within a minute, Nana was back with a suitcase in her hands. Without hesitations, she shoves the case into Alisea's arms. "Here in money and clothes; it is all I can give you. If I were you, I would leave and find a new home and family."

"What, I cannot accept this?" shocked, Alisea was aware of how long Ellie had been saving her money, remembering the young cat monster mentioning about leaving her father with Nana and finding another place to live.

"Ellie and I will always find a way, but you need this more than us." Said Nana, giving her friend a tight hug before giving her a gentle push. "Now go until you can go no further. You are a tough girl, you will make it big in this world."

Feeling numb and incapable of response, Alisea gives the two cat sisters a final hug, before grabbing hold of the suitcase and running back down the path she came from.

XXXXX

By the time the boat reached the island in at noon, Flinn's heart was racing faster than a galloping horse, his knees felt weak, and the injured one burned slightly as he stepped foot on the red sandstone beach of Monster Island. He remembered a general layout of the island from conversations with Alisea and headed in the direction he thought would lead him on the right path. On the way, Flinn asked a passerby, an elderly raven monster if he was on the right path and the monster nodded 'yes'. Now more confident than before, Flinn quickened his pace, following the single footpath to where Alisea came from. He began to wonder what he should say to her. Should he ask her for forgiveness for letting her go, should he scold her for leaving him and breaking his heart, should he just drop to his knee and propose? Flinn pulled out the small, golden ring and looked at it, would he even have the strength to ask her? There was a lingering feeling of fear, fear that she would say 'no' to him. His pace slowed when he saw the building before him. It was a two-story stone manor, complete with stonewall protecting it. At first, he wondered if, he had taken a wrong turn, as he could not remember Alisea mentioning growing up in a manor, but he had followed the path she had told him and it never branched off. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his nerves, walked past the gate, and knocked on the dark wood door. After a minute, the door slightly opened and the face of a young, human cat monster came into view. He cleared his throat, "Hello, does Captain Windjackle live here?" he silently cursed at himself for the tremor in his voice.

"Yes, the captain lives here, but he is not taking in any visitors. He is in a bad mood so come back another time." Her voice was monotone as if she has given that message to everyone who ever showed his or her face here. Just as she was going to close the door, Flinn put his foot in its' way.

"I am not here for the captain. My name is Flinn Triton; I am a schoolmate of his daughter Alisea." He quickly pulled out the small golden ring and held it up in view of the young maid. "I am here to propose to her." He could hardly believe what he was saying to this stranger, but he knew that honesty would bring him far. The reaction of the women caused his heart to flutter. He watched the young maid fully open the door, her fist to her mouth, and sinking to the floor. "What is the matter, she doesn't live here?"

"I am so sorry young man." The maid's voice was close to tears and her hands began to shake.

"Sorry, for what, is she hurt?" Flinn could feel the fear in his chest grow. It was the same fear he felt back on Candle Cove when Willow aimed the knife at his beloved. The women shook her head.

"Not anymore," tears flowed freely from the maid's eyes as if she were guilty of some horrible crime. "You missed her by one hour."