Author's Note of school locations:Serpent Prep to the North, Dragon Hall to the West, and the Witches School to the South.

Chapter 9: Not for the reasons you think

Uma pursed her lips thoughtfully as she walked closer to inspect the SoulMark. She recognized her first mate's handwriting. Her eyes scanned the rest of his torso looking for any other SoulMarks before she circled around to his back. A small breath of air left her as her eyes fell on the nape of his neck.

"Did you know about this one?"

At the juncture of the back of his neck and his shoulder blades, an inch below where his shirt collar would be, was five dark blood red letters written in Harry's hand.

"Well, it seems like your nickname fits."

~...~...~

Cassie looked down at where her SoulMarks Damaged Goods and Broken used to be. It was surprising to her that she had never considered how much not having SoulMarks had affected Harry. Her soulmate had lived his entire life believing that he had no one—and she had caused him that pain. It stung to realize.

Despite scaring her, Cassie could not deny that he had not been exactly as she had originally envisioned him. The imaginary soulmate she had dreaded for years, the sadistic murdering pirate, did not seem to be as one sided as she had thought. In his vulnerability, Cassie had seen an earnest longing and gentleness. That only made the realization that the hurt and self-hatred that had flashed in his eyes was entirely, singularly, her fault all the more unpleasant. Cassie had always suspected why her father had refused to give her a nickname, why he had seemed so thoughtful before every sentence he had said to her. He had been leaving her soulmate as few clues as possible to find her with. She had never even considered that he could have been as successful as to leave no SoulMarks. Likewise she had never thought that she could be leaving her soulmate blank.

In the wake of everything from the night before Cassie was thoroughly mixed up. Had she really been that close to considering his offer? She knew the answer was 'yes.' She had come so close to succumbing to that promise in his pale blue eyes. Everything her father had taught her, all his warnings, had somehow seemed so distant and antiquated, unrelated even when she looked into those pale gemstones. Harry had a way of worming his way into her brain. Ever since meeting him Cassie had thought of Harry in one capacity or another. Whether it was how to meet him, how to avoid him, or both he had occupied an exorbitant amount of her thoughts. Cassie found herself conflicted between her better judgment and her unrelenting draw to him.

It was honestly an unnerving thing for her; to have someone who held such power over her.

Which brought an even more frightening line of thought forward. What he would do now that he knew who she was.

What she was.

Cassie could only imagine. Harry had gone from being a blank-slate to knowing who his soulmate was in a matter of minutes and that sort of sudden shift in reality could bring about the very nightmares her father had warned her about. She imagined the obsession, the maddening fixation that such a realization could spark in someone. He would never call off the search now that he knew. Even if the Queen of Hearts had not heard whisper of her yet, he would make it impossible for it to stay that way. He would hunt her and in turn bring the Queen of Hearts to hunt her. Cassie could imagine the impossible corner she would inevitably be backed into and the choice she would be forced to make. She could either lose her life to the Queen or lose her freedom to her soulmate.

The daughter of the Cheshire Cat could practically cry.

Everything she had endured so far to avoid the Queen's eyes and ears would be ruined and it was her damned curiosity's fault. She was so incredibly stupid!

But even as she mentally cursed at herself, her mind recalled the look of disbelief and shock he had given her when his SoulMark had appeared. It was as though a beggar had been handed a sultan's ransom. Then there had been the unbridled vulnerability that had followed. He had dropped all his guards and allowed her to see every emotion: hurt and self-hatred that was aged, fresh shock and hope, and then the most painful for her to see—the earnest desperation for her to stay. Her core had shaken at the vulnerability. The last look, the unasked 'why' in his pale orbs when he realized she was truly abandoning him had nearly broken her.

It had taken all the strength she had to leave after that look, but once she did start running her guilt carried her home.

And that was the feeling she was left grappling with currently. An unyielding guilt.

~...~...~

Instantly Harry's hand groped at the back of his neck, rubbing over the small SoulMark.

"It says 'Kitty'?" He echoed his captain's words.

The small captain came around to his front again, nodding and answering with an affirmative hum.

Ironically the satisfied grin stretching over Harry's lips was very cat-like. Evidently he found that particular SoulMark very amusing or perhaps he was proud of himself and the evident accuracy in his chosen pet-name.

Uma raised a singular eyebrow at his smile, but allowed him his satisfaction. Harry had been dealt a poor hand so far in life and having SoulMarks suddenly appear was a turn for the better. Still, something about their sudden appearance mystified her.

"Why now?" He was well past puberty when most got their first SoulMarks.

She watched as Harry's smile faded in consideration. His hand absently reached up to cover the SoulMark over his heart. Intuitively she connected that the word had something to do with the answer.

"She's been avoidin' people Uma." he said gravely; his voice was deep and she could hear the frown.

"Yeah but—"

"No," the first mate interrupted her deliberately and his eerily-calm gaze was unwavering, "everyone Uma. She only comes out at night an' even then I get the sense she doesn't talk to people."

That theory was mind-boggling. Even if that was the case, "Then why did she come to the wharf?" If she had been so careful as to avoid everyone then that meant she wasn't stupid. "She had to have known you would be there..."

There was a warmth and softness in Harry's eyes that was unlike what she had ever seen before. The realization came to her.

"She did know."

"Aye."

"And she came anyway." Uma's mind was swirling with thoughts, "Why?"

Harry seemed entirely pleased as he answered, "Said it was 'curiosity.'" The tone Harry said it in left no doubt in Uma's mind that he thought it was something other than curiosity that had brought her there.

If that was the case then...

"Where is she?" She regretted the question as soon as she asked it. She watched as the warmth and softness was locked away behind invisible armor within an instant.

"I don' know." cold bitterness spiked his words, replacing the earlier warmth, "She..." his face crumbled, "she ran away as soon as I realized..."

"Oh."

A heavy silence fell over the two teens.

Uma had no idea of what to say to that and Harry seemed to be thinking deeply.

Finally, when it was clear that the other would not break the silence Uma spoke up, "So we find her."

To her surprise she heard Harry say clearly and firmly, "No."

She opened her mouth to protest or to encourage him, but the first mate spoke first.

"Not for the reasons you think." he assured, guessing her thoughts, "I still want to find her, but there's someone who wants ta harm her. The little kitty made it seem important tha' we stop askin' around about her."

That was a lot to take in.

So there was someone else looking for her.

"Do you know who?" If they knew who was hunting her then they could prepare for it, maybe even plan to go on the offensive. Anyone who was a threat to Harry's soulmate made an enemy of the whole crew of the Lost Revenge.

Uma frowned when she saw her first mate shake his head.

That complicated things.

"So we can't look for her and we don't know who else is looking for her." Uma summarized, "And I thought it was complicated before."

"Aye." Harry smiled through his sigh, the weariness evident on his face.

~...~...~

Cassie stepped silently over the rooftops, trekking her way South towards the Witch School. She had never been to the building before, but she had heard passing comments on her night walks. Evidently there were always strange flashes of light and explosions coming from the basement. Though that news was not encouraging, Cassie continued to close in on the general area of the school. She had seen the crumbling building from a distance in passing before. Upon getting close however she noticed the finer details. The windows were covered in soot and the roof was both inaccessible by foot and dilapidated. One look from the roof across the nearby alley was enough for Cassie to know that she would not be able to go by roof but instead would have to take the direct ground route.

Briefly she second-guessed herself. Maybe he wouldn't return to the Goblin's Wharf during the next shipment...

After indulging that thought for a moment she came to the all too unavoidable conclusion that yes he probably would. And with that thought thoroughly cemented in her mind the little cat hopped down agilely into the connecting alleyway. She had already determined that this alleyway was the most invisible point of entry and found a break in the surrounding stone wall. Upon consideration the small patch of missing stone bricks was probably no coincidence but the culmination of years of students looking for reliable ways to sneak in and out of school. Undoubtedly Cassie was going through some V.K. student's hidden point of entry, because as she squeezed through the narrow and low passage she found that the break in security was entirely hidden behind a bush from the inside.

Well it was convenient to say the least.

Cassie took a moment to pause and listen for any signs of the inner courtyard being occupied. Satisfied that there was nothing but silence, Cassie began her search for the kitchen and food storage.

~...~...~

Aqua green eyes stared out of the potions lab window with interest at the movement near the entrance that only they knew about. Those eyes watched with amusement as a small girl dressed in all black moved towards the main building, hugging the walls of the courtyard.

Their interest grew even more when they noticed the pair of beautifully crafted cat ears atop the small girls head.

Did I just do ANOTHER cliffhanger? This could become a very bad habit...

Review Recognition:

Heaven's Mistake: Nope, her father very pointedly made sure to avoid calling Cassie anything that could possibly become a SoulMark. He did so a little too well in fact since he left NO SoulMarks. Thank you for your continued support. And you definitely should not be kicking yourself for not noticing I intentionally made it very, very subtle.

GreatBigBookofEverything: Awww thank you so much! I try really hard to not have my characters accidentally have a fourth-wall break where they know things they shouldn't. Harry and Uma are thick as thieves and I really wanted that to come across in my writing. And I assure you I am having a lot of fun writing this story!

Alessandra.12: Oops, I did a cliffhanger again.

Opalowl13: Thank you!

Historic Soldier: I think everyone has something they are insecure about, even the most confident people. Considering that Harry has been grappling with this big thing that sets him aside from everyone else and makes him different, it is only understandable that he feel a little insecure about that difference. And even once things have changed, he's used to thinking of himself as not being worthy etc of a soulmate so there are certainly emotional waves that he is navigating for the first time ever.

Lottielue1: I know! Sometimes, in rare moments, I feel bad about the emotional turmoil/angst I always put my characters through-and then I remember I am one sadistic writer and I love the drama lol.

whoviangirl813: Thank you so much! I am glad you are enjoying their chemistry, especially since chemistry is one of those things that are mind-numbing to try and write correctly.

AliceinWonderland13: Another Here, Kitty, Kitty fan! Welcome! I am glad you are enjoying my writing. Fair warning: Lizzie will be different from their version of the Queen of Heart's daughter even though I have incorporated some aspects of the original.

SARITA1998: I am glad to hear that! Harry's POV is the one I have to be more careful with since I don't want him to seem out of character.

I swear I'm going to read that: First of all, can I just say I love the humor of your username. Secondly, I am glad you are enjoying the story and took the time to write a review. I really do love reading them.

rose444100: It is high praise when someone binge-reads one of my stories! Thank you~ I am glad you like how I have written Cassie. I also look forward to future chapters where I dive into the relationship between the Queen of Hearts, Cassie, and her father; though that is a while to come (sorry).

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Thank you for reading and all the kind words!