Chapter 48
There was no way to get off the Isle with the barrier up and only a day after Hades 'almost escape' Harry was already getting dangerously on edge and the crew could see it. They only came back to the ship to leave what they'd looted and went off to keep stealing, knowing one wrong word and Harry would debilitate them, or humiliate them, or eliminate them or with even one wrong look he'd hook them on the spot. Gil was the only one who stayed around Harry aside from Camilla and when he came rushing onto the ship one afternoon looking for Harry Camilla got to him first and tried to talk him out of seeking out their current captain for fear of her friend's safety but Gil was adamant.
"Harry! Harry!" he shouted bursting into Harry's quarters and narrowly dodging a glass that was thrown at his head.
"Gil yeh've got three seconds before –"
"They're back!" he shouted, "Mal and the others are back on the Isle!"
"All of them?" Camilla asked thinking of her brother and Gil nodded, "But why?"
"No idea. But I followed them to the Voodoo Arcade, they had that girl, Celia, with them."
Camilla looked to Harry who had an evil glint in his eye and a smirk spreading slowly across his face. She could tell what he was thinking, if they were going to get off the Isle, this was their chance.
"What about the crew?" Camilla asked him.
"Nevermind them." Harry said.
"Harry –"
"No." he said, "Getting yeh somewhere safe means more to me then any of them. If the roles were swapped they'd all do the same. Every villain for themselves, aye?" he looked to Gil, "Let's go."
- -ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
They were on their way to the Broken Bridge to wait for Mal and her gang to reappear on their way off the Isle when they passed four bikes parked along a rail and no one watching them. There was a purple and green one, a red and blue one, a yellow and red one and a black and white one. Camilla's eyes lingered on the black and white one knowing it must belong to Carlos. She felt her heart clench thinking of him and she tapped Harry in the arm. When he turned to her his expression changed seeing the conflict in her eyes, he knew how torn she was about her brother and he remembered the lie he'd told the boy last time they'd seen him.
"Meet us by the Gultch." He told her.
"What are you going to do?" she asked and a wicked smile that almost made her knees buckle appeared on his face.
"What I do best." He replied, "Stir up some trouble."
She smirked back at him before leaving, strutting back through the alleys as she headed for the Gultch. It was a deep chasm in the northern part of the Isle, further north then the swamps and forests. It was where every villain's worst pets were kept. Without their powers the villains had no control over them and when they started to starve on half rotten food like their masters the worry that they'd turn on them arose, so the villains put them all in the Gultch, it was a perfect spot so deep that none of the beasts and monsters had a hope of ever getting out. It housed things like Hades hydra and his dog Cerberus, the Queen of Hearts pet Jabberwocky and the Jub Jub Bird. The Chernabog was even trapped down there. And no villain could go around it because on one side there were the Cobra Caves where Kaa lived and some had said they'd even caught a brief glimpse of Shere Khan before they ran back to their homes knowing how much he hated humans. And on the other side was the Elephant Graveyard where Scar and his hyenas lived. She knew Harry would probably toss the gang's bikes down the Gultch just for laughs and she smiled again remembering the smirk on his face that made her heart flutter.
Third Person POV
"Rookie mistake." Carlos said as they left the Voodoo Arcade and saw other villain kids on their bikes. The closer they got the more they recognized them and hated who they saw.
"Long time neh see." Harry Hook said with glee when he saw them.
"Get off my bike Hook!" Jay shouted running for his bike.
"Catch me if you can Jay." Harry laughed as they all took off and the gang ran after them.
"Over the roofs." Jay instructed, "Cut them off."
"On it." Carlos said as he climbed a metal ladder and got on the nearest roof. From up there he could see the four riders take off down different alleys. He ran and flipped from one roof to another, then he pivoted off a chimney mid-leap and landed on another building. Thankfully years of running through the Isle and keeping those skills thanks to the R.O.A.R. team helped him keep up. He saw his bike with Gil on it as the son of Gaston wove through the streets almost running over several people and knocking over almost all of them. There was one pirate girl he almost hit but dodged in the last second.
"Sorry!" Gil shouted slowing down just a bit and Carlos took his opportunity and leapt off the roof, rolled off an awning and landed in a crouch only to stand and realize Gil had sped up again and turned the corner at the end of the alley and he'd lost his chance. He sighed and shook his head, then he noticed the pirate girl Gil had passed. "Camilla?"
His sisters arms were crossed as she leaned against the wall behind her and tilted her head making her bangs fall into her face keeping him from seeing her eyes – and her emotions – clearly.
"It's been a while little brother." She said casually but his eyes were still wide as he was frozen with shock.
"But, how – I thought. . . I thought you were dead." He whispered.
She looked up and he could see the confusion on her face, "Why on earth would you think that?"
"Because the last time I saw you you were bleeding out on a dock." He said his voice returning to normal as he took a step closer to her.
"I was. Guess it was too much trouble to expect you to come back and help me. Auradon's safety seems to be more important to you." She scoffed before her voice dropped to a whisper as she turned her head not looking at him, "And I thought you'd changed." She said referring to their discussion in the brig of the ship when he'd been a prisoner.
"Camilla, I wanted to go back but Mal pulled me along –"
She groaned and pushed off the wall, "Why does everything always come back to that dragon bitch?" she sneered.
"Cami. . . " Carlos scolded.
"Really?" she scoffed again turning back to him bewildered, "We're villains and you're going to reprimand me for cursing?"
Now he chuckled, "Looks like Hook is rubbing off on you. You're cursing like a sailor."
Camilla leaned against the alley wall again, "He's not as bad as you think he is, not to me."
"Oh yeah, lying and telling me you were dead is such a romantic thing to do." Carlos replied sarcastically.
"He told you what?" Camilla asked her head whipping in his direction again.
"When we were here collecting applications." Carlos explained, "We ran into him and Gil, Hook told me you were dead when I asked about you. Cami I – it broke my heart, made me wish I hadn't let Mal pull me away, that I'd gone back and helped you. It took Evie hours consoling me, telling me I couldn't have done anything even if I did go back. I barely slept that night, I still wouldn't be if Mal hadn't made me that potion to help."
She was silent as she stared at him and for a moment it looked like she might cry then she shook her head and regained her composure.
"You need to go." She said backing away down the alley in the direction Gil had gone.
"Camilla –" he tried, stepping forward but she turned and held up her palm stopping him mid step.
"I have to go meet Harry, if I don't show he'll come looking for me to make sure I'm alright and if he sees you. . . I don't know what he'll do to you. The safest place for you is back with your friends. It's not safe for you to be around me anymore."
Carlos hesitated realizing his sister still cared, that she was trying to protect him, "It's not always going to be like that." He said, "We'll be a family again, with Ben bringing kids over from the Isle. . . there's gotta be a way. I'll find one."
Then, reluctantly, he took her advice and he left going back to the others knowing they'd need his help. Camilla took a deep breath when he left before she pulled herself together and headed to the Gultch. On her way there she couldn't stop thinking about what she was feeling, and her feelings were so conflicted. She knew she'd done the right thing, the logical thing, making her brother stay away but in her heart deep in her core something inside was screaming to go back, longing for a piece of her family she thought she'd lost long ago. After the fallout with her mother Carlos' promise meant even more to her then he could ever know.
- -ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
Camilla met Harry and Gil with some of the others who were sending the bikes into the depths of the Gultch like she'd suspected. They were laughing and having a good wicked time as Harry turned and saw her arriving. His smile fell when he saw the look on her face and she pulled him aside.
"We need to talk." She said in a hushed whisper but her tone was serious. Harry looked at her for a long moment before one of the crew called to him.
"Captain?" Jukes asked timidly, "Shouldn't we be getting back to the barrier? For when Mal's crew try to leave?"
Harry gave a deep sigh. "I want ye back at the ship. We'll go to the Broken Bridge and if we can get out we'll be coming back fer ye."
Jukes nodded and took off with the rest of the crew as Harry turned to her.
"We can talk on the way there." He said as they headed to the bridge, Gil wasn't paying attention as usual as he followed behind them and Camilla started her questioning.
"Why did you tell my brother I had died?" she began and noticed the look in Harry's eyes turn to steel even though he refused to look at her as his gaze stayed straight ahead.
"Because ye did." Harry said.
Camilla's confusion disappeared as her expression changed and became more neutral.
"That's not being clever Hook."
Her tone was bland but Harry still smirked, "Yeh haven't called me Hook in a long time. . . lady De Vil."
She rolled her eyes and looked forward, they were both quiet as they left the forest and returned to the usual buildings in the center of the Isle.
"You should have told me." She finally said quietly though she didn't lose her confident mask or strut.
Harry took a deep sigh, "Yeh seem ta have been. . . sensitive, ta things involving yer brother since they first announced this VK Day nonsense."
Now it was her turn to sigh, "It's complicated." She began. "I'm not sure how I feel, but I do know something in me is being pulled in two different directions."
"Yeh don't have ta explain yerself ta me Camilla." Harry said finally turning his head to look at her. "I'd follow ye ta the ends of the earth, unless ya tell me not to, I'd be by yer side through thick and thin."
She smiled at him, "Thick as thieves, huh?"
"Well it is a pirates life love." He said smiling too.
They got quiet again as they walked getting closer to the Broken Bridge and Harry finally put his arm around her.
"So do yeh forgive me?" he asked still smirking.
"No." she replied and his smirk dropped, a worried look entering his charcoal lined eyes. She turned to him and smiled, "A villain never forgives."
The worry on his face vanished and the smirk returned. He leaned in and kissed her temple before they walked out to the Broken Bridge and climbed down the steps she'd been on with Uma only a week ago and waited for their moment.
Camilla couldn't help but glance over her shoulder at the ocean wondering where Uma was right now. Had she made it to Auradon's shores? Was she still swimming among the waves? Was she any closer to finding a way to get everyone off this rock?
"Get in, get out." They heard a voice above them and they all knew it was Mal. "Jay you good?"
"Yeah."
They looked to each other and knew they had to make their move. Harry peered over the cobblestones first then helped Camilla up before climbing up himself. They could see the golden barrier with a large hole in it but they could also see Mal's gang and Celia Facilier with their backs to them. Mal was holding some glowing blue gem, the ember they'd seen in Hades hands when he'd tried to escape. How did Mal get it? Evie was running her fingers through Mal's hair which now had more of an indigo look to it.
"Whoa, you got a little Hades thing going." Evie was saying.
"Thing packs a punch huh?" Carlos joked as Camilla, Harry and Gil looked for their chance. The barrier was closing but the gang was still too close – they'd be caught. But they'd risk it. Harry and Gil did a tuck and roll through the barrier while Camilla leapt and brought her legs wide like in a split since the barrier was closing so fast. She landed fine on her feet only stumbling slightly while Harry and Gil both landed on their knees. They looked back at the barrier before smiling at each other and Camilla remembered this was their first time outside the Isle.
"We made it bro. We made it!" Gil said as they hugged which made her smile, then they all turned to the gang who was all looking at them with various expressions of shock, surprise and horror.
"Hey guys. . . "Harry began, "We're uh, we're just coming for a wee, visit." He said making up an excuse on the spot as they walked forward. Carlos pushed Harry back clearly still upset the pirate had lied to him about his sister. Harry, never turning down a challenge from anyone, shoved him back right into Mal as she dropped the ember in her hand and it bounced along the ground. She went to reach for it but so did Harry and with his hook he flicked it off the ground and over the edge of the bridge sending it into the water.
"No!" Mal shouted as Harry laughed and the gem fell right into a teal tentacle. Then more tentacles appeared before Uma broke through the surface of the water, her necklace glowing with gold light. She smirked up at them and gestured to the gem.
"Drop something?" she asked.