Chapter 18: I Do Bad Things When I'm Jealous
Once upon a time, they had left her behind.
Not for the first time and not for the last. She was always left running after their red leather coattails. An after thought in their journeys of recognition.
The Isle was a rough and dangerous place for anyone. Even the young knew that the first few years were all about survival. A test some would even say. How to either be unseen or be quick enough to get out of a tricky spot.
And sometimes the greatest dangers came from the ones that brought you into this world…
For the lucky few (or maybe unlucky) that made it to the double digits and had a backing either through their parent's name or their gang reputation, they could start making a name for themselves. Even then, only a select few - the meanest, cruelest, and most cunning - actually made it out on top of the kiddie pile to even think about playing with the adults who looked down at them like vermin clawing for their scraps...
Keeping all of this in mind, it was strange for six-year-old Calista Jane "CJ" Hook to push through the crowd as confidently as she did, moving down the uneven streets of the market alone, splashing mud on anyone unfortunate to be near her.
Too small and too scrawny and with hair in many matted knots, CJ was still too young to have been given (i.e. steal) one of her father's coats like her siblings, but the quality of the worn but sturdy boots that were stuffed to fit her tiny feet, along with the noticeably less amount of dirt that covered her face meant she was better off than some of the other unfortunate bastard sons and daughters of this Isle. It should have been warning enough for any who even dared to mess with her…
CJ was supposed to be on one of her father's ships, waiting for Harry to come back from whatever he did with Ursula's recently shrimp-smelling daughter and take her to Dr. Facilier's shop to play with Freddie. But even though she had pointed to where the hands on his pocket watch would be when he needed to pick her up multiple times, her idiot brother had still not shown up even after being over an hour late.
He had forgotten her! And it was probably Uma's fault too since CJ knew the older girl could tell time, unlike her brother.
What was so great about Uma, anyway? CJ thought the prank that Mal had played on her was great. She had hoped Harry wouldn't want to play with the shrimp-smelling girl and instead would decide to go on adventures with CJ, his most amazing and cool sister. (He should be honored at how fortunate he is to be related to the CJ Hook!) However, if anything, the incident made his friendship with Uma stronger and tighter, distancing himself further and further from his baby sister.
Tired of waiting for what she wanted, headstrong CJ decided to go see her friend on her own. After all, she had made the trip several times with Harry and a few more times with Harriet when the older girl was still living with them. (CJ didn't know that the empty gnawing pain she felt in her chest was due to the idea that both of her siblings abandoned her). She didn't need them. She could be a big bad pirate all on her own.
CJ held her short frame as tall as she possibly could as she made her way through the crowd. It shouldn't be too hard…
Right?
"Hey, look at her. Pretty li'l runt, ain't she?"
"Aye. Ya lost little one? Need an uncle to walk ya home?"
CJ frowned, staring up at the two grimy looking older men grinning down at her.
"Never go anywhere with a man who ain't Mr. Smee or Harry, ya hear me, Calista Jane?" a memory of Harriet saying this while firmly gripping her chin played in the back of her head.
"Ah, cat got yer tongue, poppet?" one of the men laughed, reaching out to grab her arm.
"And if they try to force ya, run like Barbosa's ghost is after ya!"
CJ kicked the man's shin hard, a howl of pain escaping his lips. The other man tried to grab after her, but the youngest Hook child slipped between his legs and took off.
"Get back here, ya li'l wench!" the first man yelled as both men started going after her.
The little girl ran and ran, turning up and down streets to get the two men off her tail. She finally ducked into an alley, hiding behind some wooden crates. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep quiet and remain hidden like Harriet and Harry always made her do when daddy had too much of his "special juice" and went chasing after Harry until either Harriet or Mr. Smee somehow managed to stop him.
The worn and taped boots of the men paused at the entrance of the alley-way.
"I coulda sworn I saw her turn down here," one man, the man she kicked with a funny looking scar across the bridge of his nose, murmured as he stepped into the alley, kicking and knocking over anything in his search.
"Li'l tramp. Probably ain't worth the effort of catchin'," his companion spat.
"Aw, don't say that, mate," the scarred man growled. "Those pretty little eyes of hers are probably worth a couple of even prettier little coins from the witches. They like to still do rituals and shit to their demon lord despite not having any magic here."
CJ more so heard rather than saw the other man shudder. She herself didn't like the witches that they were talking about. There were many types of witches on the Isle: Ursula, the Evil Queen, and Madam Mim being the ones that instantly came to mind first. However, there were another category of witches on the Isle, witches who were rumored to be the Mistresses of Chernabog. They were old, twisted, and shrivelled women who had willingly given their souls and beauty to the God of the Night in hopes that he would one day rise from his mountain and rain terror down upon their enemies. CJ remembered how even Harriet, her strong and fearless sister, wouldn't even dare to mess with them unless she absolutely had to.
No, CJ thought, reaching for the small pocket knife she had stolen off of Harry earlier that morning when she had jumped on him to wake him up from another dream that made him sigh "Uma" and "fucking pixie" every now and again amongst his snores. She wasn't going to be taken to any witches.
"And if ya can't run…" Harriet's voice reminded her.
Her hand trembled slightly as she waited for the men to step closer to her hiding space.
"Then stick 'em with the pointy end!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, poppet."
Eyes wide and unintentionally dropping her blade, CJ realized that scar man's companion had snuck up behind her and was now holding a knife against her throat with one hand while the other pulled roughly on her tangled mane.
"You hurt me and you're gonna be dead!" the girl yelled, trying to move back as the man with the scar knelt in front of her. "My sister and brother are the meanest kids on the Isle!"
"Oh shut up, ye wee bastard!" the man behind her hissed, annoyed as he tugged harder on her hair, causing tears of pain to form in her eyes. "Like we're afraid of some no-name kids. Now be good," he grinned, revealing a few yellow teeth amongst a mostly toothless mouth. "The witches would want ya alive but they wouldn't be too put off if you were just a few minutes dead."
"NO!" CJ howled, trying to scratch and bite her way away from these men. She didn't want to be some ingredient in some witches séance! She didn't want to be alone with these men! She just wanted to have an adventure with her big sister and her big brother! "LET ME GO!" she began to sob earnestly.
"Ah damn! Ye fuckin' idiots made the li'l monster cry," a familiar voice sighed tiredly.
"Get out of here lad! Ain't nothing for ye here," the man with the scar hissed.
The intruder stepped forward, a boy with a mess of black hair framing bright blue eyes that narrowed when CJ let out another whimper of pain. "Now, that's where yer wrong. I don't think ye understand whose sister yer messin' with," the boy grinned wickedly, holding up a polished hook in his hand, one of Captain Hook's old ones that had been polished and fitted so that he could hold it in his less dominant sword-wielding hand.
That was apparently all the introduction the two men needed to see as they connected the dots, gasping before pushing CJ as far away from them as possible, hoping that that would be enough to appease Captain Hook's insane and cruel son. Despite the Isle's size, rumors spread quickly with nothing else to do but waste away. Even with only being just shy of eleven, the boy was starting to make a name for himself as a fierce and ruthless fighter with his manic laugh and what some could only see as an obsession with Ursula's disgraced daughter. Just the other day he had hung a man twice his size by his toes for daring to call the sea witch's brat "Shrimpy."
"W-we didn't know!" the man with the scar tried to defend himself to this boy not even half his age. "She din' look like yer father!" he continued before his eyes widened, trying to backtrack. "I mean, she didn't have the Hook red coat. The red coat like you be wearing! We thought she was just another runt."
"They said they were gonna give me to the witches for my eyes and then they pulled my hair!" CJ pouted crossly, tears already forgotten as she looked irritatedly up at Harry.
The boy sighed, shrugging, looking at the men with a "what can you do?" look on his face. "Well gentlemen, runt or no, it seems you've woken a sleepin' beast."
The men began to beg at him but all Harry could do was shake his head.
"I'm sorry, but it ain't up to me," he shrugged, raising his hook . . .
Just as sword emerged from the front of one man before pulling back and doing the same with the other. Both men tried to staunch the blood with their hands but it poured freely through their fingers, too quickly for anything to be done as they began to choke on their own blood.
Harry frowned, looking put out. "Ya couldn't save one for me, Ettie?"
Harriet wiped the blood off of her sword on one of the dying men's pants, looking nonchalant.
"Think of it as punishment for not looking after Calista Jane properly."
"'Think of it as punishment,'" Harry mocked. "Davy Jones, what happened to your damn accent, lass? You abandon us for months to go play on the other side of the Isle with all 'em land-loving stuckups and all of a sudden ya think yer hot shit!"
"I like it!" CJ exclaimed, beaming up at her big sister with nothing short of admiration, totally desensitized to the sight of two bodies bleeding out. Harriet smirked at her before a frown quickly replaced it.
"Calista Jane, what were you doing walking the streets alone? You're too young and without any street cred to go walking around the Isle by yourself," the eldest Hook sibling reprimanded.
Crossing her arms and frowning, CJ stomped her foot. "But ya told me you did it when you were younger than me."
Harriet frowned, stepping over the now dead bodies and bending down to grab CJ firmly by the chin. They both had their father's brown eyes despite Harriet's much darker skin tone. "Because I didn't have an older sister or even an idiot older brother ("Hey!") to watch my back," she said gruffly, the accent that she had tried to rid herself of leaking through. "There's a lot of bodies I wouldn't mind seeing sent off to Davy Jones but I refuse to have ye be one of 'em, Calista Jane. Not yet. Not this young. Not ever. Ye understand?"
Sighing, CJ nodded. Though Harriet could be really cool, there were a few times where she was no fun.
"Sowry," she said, fat tears waiting to fall from her eyes.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh come on ya li'l fish bait. If yer gonna try to throw a con over us, the least ya could do is realize no one's gonna believe that baby talk crap at yer age," he paused, thinking. "Though they might think yer a lil' slow between the ears but that's not really you acting then, is it?" he teased.
Harriet straightened up, smacking Harry hard behind the head, causing CJ's fake tears to immediately stop and the younger girl to break into wicked little giggles.
"Damn lass! That's me head! I only got one of 'em!" Harry hissed, rubbing the abused spot.
Harriet ignored him and turned back to CJ. "Let's do a proper scam."
CJ gasped excitedly, dancing a little in her spot with excitement. Harriet hardly ever wanted to run a scam with anyone but her crew. "All of us?"
Harriet turned back to look at Harry and CJ held her breath. Ever since the "Shrimpy" incident, Harry had been sticking even closer to Uma, having no time to run scams with his little sister.
The young pirate boy sighed, as if it would be such a chore, but the eager look in his eyes told the truth.
"Oh, why not?"
Later that night, being lulled to sleep by the sound of Mr. Smee singing an old sea shanty above deck and surrounded by toys and sweets that Harriet and Harry had allowed her to keep, CJ decided that today was one of the best days of her life and she would do anything to have another adventure with her siblings.
WLTF
This was one of the worst days of Harry's life.
Not even his worst nightmares had been able to capture the complete and utter off-putting feeling that crept into the bottom of his stomach and died like some foul, odious rat when he came face-to-face with the harbinger of all of his father's failures; the specter that haunted and drove his father mad, like a shadow within reach but untouchable.
With messy dark auburn hair, pointed ears, and deceivingly cherub features, this was the boy.
This was his father's nightmares personified.
This was the ghost Captain Hook always saw when he looked at his own son.
Harry wanted to spit in the boy's face as Pan gave Harry one final look of glee before rushing out of the hut that was their prison, pulling a still bound and struggling Evie with him. Harry wanted to shout and scream until his throat was raw and bloody, to curse to the deepest depths of Davy Jones's locker the boy who had always been a haunting shade in his life.
He also wanted to yell at CJ for the epitome of her brash thinking that not even he, Harry Hook himself, could be proud of. He wanted to bombard her with questions, demanding every detail of how she got off the Isle and landed in this godforsaken dark land that he knew was Neverland just as easily as he knew sea ponies were Uma's favorite animal. He wanted to be free of the ropes that restrained him and tug her forcefully into his arms, crushing her to his side until she was oh so teeny and tiny and could fit nice and safe in his pocket where he could always protect her...even from herself.
"Callie," he looked up at her, making a quick glance at the silent sentries at the door.
The possessed Big Murph had tied him to one of the thick posts that held up the roof of the hut before taking his place once again at the entrance where an equally possessed Sammy Smee stared off into the distance. Carlos and Ben were still knocked out on the dusty floor, bound by only the ropes that Harry himself had initially woken up to.
He didn't want to think about Evie's crown scuffed up and abandoned in the dirt where she had been…
"Don't worry about them," CJ suddenly broke the silence, eyes still not looking at him. "Pan has plans for them."
Harry didn't want to know who she was referring to or what plans had in store. He just wanted to get away from this damned place, his father's warnings of Neverland's Curse becoming all too real.
"What have you done?"
Flicking her eyes briefly up from the map she was studying, CJ proudly replied, "Stole this map from the Chieftess' daughter, who's a right pain in the ass. It has all the ports that Neverland has been trading with!" She excitedly pointed to what Harry could only assume from his position were said ports. "We can start with these two smaller ports here and pillage and plunder to our hearts content! Make names for ourselves outside of Daddy's shadow before we hit some of the bigger ports and-"
"Ye damn done lost yer mind."
CJ scowled, all the excitement from her face quickly snuffing out to something much darker and crueler. (If it was any other situation, Harry would have almost been proud of the fierce look. But it wasn't another situation.)
"Careful, Harry. You ain't in a position to be saying things like that. Show a little respect for your wee baby sister."
"Respect?" Harry laughed cruelly. "Now that's a funny one. Maybe just as funny as ye thinkin' ye actually have any power here! For seven sea's sake. Callie! I thought ye were dead. Harriet, she- We all thought ye were dead!" CJ's hard face broke momentarily at the pain in her brother's voice, but Harry continued on. "A-and now I find ye not only alive and still a nuisance but yer here with the devil himself!"
Building walls tightly around herself, she scoffed and rolled her eyes before getting up to her feet. "You sound like Daddy." She took a moment to roll up the map before giving Harry's cheek a light smack with it. She grinned impishly as he growled. "Ever thought that he was wrong about some things? I mean, we both know that a few knots weren't quite right with dear ol' dad. And I did what I had to do to get off the Isle. Never waste an opportunity is what they taught us in Dragon Hall. What they teach you at Serpent Prep? Mouth Breathing 101?" She chuckled. "Had to with all that rotten shrimp smell your dear Uma forces people to tolerate."
Harry seethed. CJ smiled smugly. She always knew what were exactly the wrong buttons to push.
"Don't." Harry warned seriously, eyes narrowed and trained on CJ just as intensely as her gaze was trained on him. He vaguely noticed the way Beastie Boy Jr.'s eyes fluttered, silently awakening and the way that the pup's shoulders moved minutely, hands slowly pulling out a small switchblade from his pocket that had been overlooked, but it was hard for Harry to focus when his breathing was growing shallow and red began to bleed along the edges of his vision.
"Come on, Harry!" CJ crouched before him, eyes and smile wide in glee as her fingers dug into the material of his jacket's shoulder. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up at her touch. "Forget about that little poser pretending to be captain. Forget about Daddy and his fears. We're actually here. Neverland. Everything we want is at the tip of our fingers. We could be great! We could be feared. It's the adventure you've always promised me," she grinned with such sincerity that Harry wished he could for once give her what she wanted…
But just as his skin had buzzed and tingled with the taste of magic thick on his tongue when he had first walked into that damn school therapist's office, his skin crawled and the overwhelming smell of sickly sweet magic that nearly made Harry want to vomit in Pan's presence tugged relentlessly at the back of his subconsciousness in warning.
"I can't do that Callie," Harry looked away.
CJ hand struck out, grip tight on his chin as she forced him to look at her. Her face was twisted with rage. "Why? Because of Uma?" she spat. He could feel her hand tremble despite her bruising grip. "Why always her? What is it about her that you'd leave your own sister, your own blood for!"
"She's my captain!"
"And I'm your sister!" CJ screamed, face red, her entire frame shaking. " Don't you want to be great together? Can't- Aren't ya even happy to see me?"
The desire to tug on one of her knotted braids cooled his anger. "Ye know I am," he murmured softly. "Probably the best news I've had since getting off the damn Isle. Ye know soft words...that's not our way, especially as Hooks but when I thought you were gone," he coughed, clearing his throat. "...I am. So happy, Callie. But nothin' good be coming from Pan! I don't know what he promised you but-"
"But nothing!" CJ shoved a wad of fabric in his mouth, silencing him. "Unlike some people, Pan keeps his promises. I will be the captain of my own ship. I will have my own crew." She roughly grabbed his hair so that he could soak in her cruel grin. "And all of Auradon will fear me for me and not because I'm your kid sister. I will make a name for myself! Watch me!"
WLTF
Harriet gasped suddenly, nearly cutting off a finger on the knife she had been sharpening. A few wary patrons glanced at her strangely before pretending like she wasn't there lounging next to Uma's throne in Ursula's Chip Shoppe.
(Her brother's little Wharf Rats had nearly drawn their knives and shivs and other assorted weapons that they had failed to leave in the weapon check when she had first attempted to sit in their precious Captain's chair. Le Foux Deux, her current first mate with Sammy Smee gone, had almost had an aneurysm at the action, but Harriet had merely rolled her eyes, dragging a plain but sturdy chair over to sit next to the throne before glaring at them all silently until they returned to whatever they were doing before.)
Harriet sucked thoughtfully on the cut she had made on her thumb. What she had just experienced felt like a sharp pull on her belly button before a restless thrum of energy filled her, buzzing beneath her skin with a vague familiarity that caused dread to settle deep within her. She tapped her foot impatiently, her senses on high alert for a threat that she recognized but also didn't. Like an itch she couldn't reach, she almost felt consumed by it.
"You alright there, Harriet?" Jonas frowned, a dirty apron with little seahorses all over it tied to his waist as he haphazardly slid dirty dishes from the table into a bin to take back to the kitchen.
The Chip Shoppe was currently in a rare lull. Harriet could hear Gonzo gruffly grunting something undoubtedly snide under his breath to one of the younger crew members as they did something within the depths of the kitchen. It was obviously something that would get them all a lashing from Ursula's tentacles if they disturbed her from her damn soap opera. Bonnie and Desiree sat in a corner, counting the gold and jewels and other shiny bits and bobs they had collected with the latest food and supply distribution from Auradon. Jonas had somehow gotten the short end of the stick, and had been forced to deal with duties relating to serving and cleaning off the tables, and apparently, keeping an eye on their substitute captain.
Harriet was close to snapping at him, restless energy building beneath her skin like a balloon about to pop. Perhaps Uma allowed her crew the freedom to question her decisions, but Harriet refused to lead with anything other than one-hundred percent complete obedience, whether out of fear or loyalty was their only choice. However, Jonas was an idiot, and had repeatedly dared to question her every command, even to the point of somehow persuading the remaining members of Harriet's own crew sign up for shifts at the Chip Shop.
(Of course her brother's crew would be just as much of a headache as he was.)
Ignoring Harriet's glare, Jonas took a step closer to the fearsome pirate captain, head tilted to the side as he observed her.
"It ain't your…uh…it isn't your newest passenger, is it?" he said lowly, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one else was listening. When he turned back to Harriet, he only got to see her eyes quickly widen before she grabbed him by the back of his neck in a tight grip that caused him to drop the bin he was holding.
Already chipped dishes broke and scattered across the dusty floor, loud in the sudden silence of the room.
"Listen ye yellow bellied sack of shit," Harriet hissed into his ears, her usually well-hidden brogue making an appearance, the only clue that she was losing her cool. "I don't know what the fucking seven seas ye think ye know, but let's make it one-hundred percent fucking clear, okay, pet? Yer captain and first mate, supposedly the strongest and baddest of the Bads that had been on this rotten rock in months, are gone. Ye understand what that means?"
Desiree and Bonnie had already gotten up from their seats, a butter knife in Desiree's hand and a broken bottle in Bonnie's. Gonzo was now leaning against the door frame of the kitchen, drying one of kitchen's butcher knives against his pants legs. Jonas waved them off though. Like hell he was going to start a turf war the one time Uma put him in charge, especially not with Harriet fucking Hook. Harry may be crazy and unpredictable, but Harriet was just plain ruthless. And scarily hot.
(Jonas hoped desperately no one could see how the pain of Harriet digging her nails into the back of his neck was so turning him on right now…The others would never let him live it down. And it didn't really bear thinking about what Harry would do if he found out.)
Jonas nodded, form hunched over as he raised his hands up placatingly. "That the fearsome and cunning Captain Harriet Hook is the only thing keeping a turf war from happening," he grunted out.
Harriet shoved him away, tugging up the collar of her Hook signature jacket, before placing her captain's hat on her head. "And don't ye forget that," she hissed, before stomping out of the shop.
The four senior members of Uma's crew looked at each other.
"You think Harry knew?" Jonas asked, hissing when he touched one of the small crescent shaped marks on the back of his neck before Bonnie and Gonzo tugged him back onto his feet.
Desiree snorted, running her hand through her long hair. "Ya see a certain pompous bastard hanging from the ceiling, hooked by his toes with his goods cut off in here?"
Jonas glanced up.
Gonzo rolled his eyes before returning back to the kitchen, and Bonnie pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're every bit the idiot Uma says you are, Jonas."
"Hey!"
WLTF
"Cogsworth contacted me. Nobody has been able to get in contact with Neverland. All phone calls just ring on and texts are never able to go through. He even tried messenger pigeons and other less high-tech means and they've all had the same result," Fairy Godmother fiddled with her hands, for the first time in twenty years feeling exposed without the once familiar weight of her wand in them. "I-" she paused before taking a deep breath. "I still don't want to raise the alarm yet, but there is definitely something afoot in Neverland. For the time being though, I've advised King Adam to close the bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Officially, it's under construction and its closing just so happens to also coincide with King Triton's blessing and cleansing of the sea. A sacred ritual that just so happens to be occurring now and requires the water surrounding Neverland to be boat free. Coincidentally, of course."
"Oh darn!" Mickey said with false disappointment. "I had hoped to go fishing with the boys right in the middle of a school lockdown."
Fairy Godmother could only afford to give him a side glare as she discreetly spelled all the windows of dorms from being opened by shadows, or more specifically, a certain shadow. Precaution, she told herself, though it was getting hard to fool even herself when the writing on the wall was all starting to point towards one thing that shouldn't be possible: Pan being awake.
"You know," she cleared her throat in a poor attempt to banish those thoughts. "I really don't understand why you don't allow the royal ship makers to upgrade that old tub that you call a boat."
"It's a classic!" Mickey replied, sounding scandalized at her suggestion. He tugged on the cuffs of his gloves absentmindedly as they continued to walk down the silent halls of Auradon Prep's dorms. "Having someone mess with ol' Willie would ruin the boat's integrity!"
Fairy Godmother stopped them both, rolling her eyes. but deciding not to press that particular matter. Instead she asked, "Have you at least moved it? We're in a lockdown, Mr. Topolino, and we can't risk any of our students getting it into their heads to do anything risky."
"To play hero, you mean?" Mickey chuckled, before sobering up at Fairy Godmother's glare. "Don't worry. I moved Willie near the mermaid's council room entrance and the key is in my pocket," he pulled said key out. "As long as the key stays in my pocket, magical influence or otherwise, the old boat won't move even an inch."
Fairy Godmother gave a curt nod of her head. "If you say so." She tightly turned on her heel and continued on down the hall, making sure that all of her students were respecting proper lockdown etiquette.
Mickey took a step forward to follow her before he paused, looked down at the key he was still holding before sliding it back into his pocket.
If any observer was watching though, they would see the man completely miss the opening of his pants pockets, the key landing soundlessly on the carpet as he walked away in the direction that Fairy Godmother went, whistling a chipper tune under his breath.
When he had turned the corner and his whistling had grown quiet, Claudine Frollo and Hermie Bing stepped out from behind a long woven tapestry, arms filled with various snacks they had snuck from the kitchens after the lockdown had been set in place. (There were some habits that even the Anti-Hero club, with Yen Sid as their mentor, still struggled to get rid of, such as hoarding food in for times when their next meals weren't too certain.)
Claudine and Hermie both looked at each other before they looked simultaneously at the dropped boat key.
"Hurry. Grab it before he comes back!" Claudine ordered softly, heart pounding quickly in her chest. "I think this might be useful."
WLTF
"Spirits of the four winds guide us," Mal chanted. The lit candles around Carlos and Jay's room swelled with life, the flames turning an eerie green, the scent of brimstone thick.
The now familiar tingle of magic building and growing buzzed beneath her skin pleasantly. She didn't realize how tense her shoulders had been until she felt them relax. She felt connected. To what...she didn't know.
She had tried to explain it once to Ben, late one night when she came to force both her boyfriend and Evie to stop working and to go to bed. He had listened intently, in that way that Ben always did, his attention fully on her that made her toes curl and made being good so worth it.
But despite how hard he tried, despite how his father's curse lingered mostly dormant in bones, magic didn't sing through his blood. Mal had tried to ask Evie, but her friend oddly seemed to avoid the topic of her own magic abilities, not completely denying her heritage, but actively choosing to not rely on it. And Jay...Mal had her suspicions but there were some things that even her old friend didn't share with her.
"Unwavering hands of fate, bind us," Uma continued the chant across from her, the salt water in the basin beginning to boil between her and Mal. Ursula's necklace began glowing steadily around her neck and the sounds of crashing waves filtered into the room.
Where her own magic had felt warm and pulsing, Uma's was cool and biting, rushing through Mal with very little forgiveness. She found herself gritting her teeth against the contrasting element threatening to drown her.
"Show us the path that we seek," they chanted together.
Just a little bit longer, she told herself, forcing her and Uma's magic to interweave amongst each other, Mal's the base and general skeletal form of the spellwork and Uma's charging it all, filling out every nook and cranny, like detailing a sketch.
It was simple…
...or at least it was supposed to be.
Just as they were both about to speak the final line of the spell that would hopefully manifest the desired outcome, the candles snuffed out and the basin bubbled over.
Mal let out a squawk of disbelief.
"You sure that lizard brain of yours read that spellbook right?" Uma snapped stumping up to her feet, the legs of her pants damp from the spilled water. Mal glared up at her as Uma waved her hand over the darkened fabric, the moisture turning into small orbs in her hand (She's getting too good at that, Mal thought sourly) before flicking them naughtily in Mal's face.
Somewhere off to the side, where he and Gil would be out of the spellwork, Mal heard Jay groan out a warning "Mal…" but she was already up on her feet, face twisting with the intensity of dragon fire and rage.
She wanted to smash Uma's sneer right off her face. To remind Shrimpy who was the head witch in charge. She wanted to roar! To breathe out her anger until all that was left was fire and ash and the twisting feeling in her heart stopped yearning, stopped crying for what was hers but which was now stolen from her.
Carlos. (Mine.)
Evie. (Mine.)
Ben. (Mine. Mine. Mine.)
"At least I have one. Where's yours, huh? Momma Calamari didn't think you were ready for the big witch toys?"
She saw the way that Uma stiffened and the thing - the thing that made her feel more fire than girl - roared in pleasure. The smell of smoke and brimstone hung heavily over the room, sparks of green flames licking the tips of Mal's fingers as eight thin tendrils of water ducked and weaved around Uma, the smell of sea salt and ozone mixing in response.
If Uma wanted to fight, she would get a fight and Mal would end it.
Once and for all…
But it wasn't Mal who made the first move. Neither was it Uma.
"Enough already!" Jay growled, a heavy but muted presence pressing against Mal's consciousness that she had always equated, even back on the Isle, with her oldest friend.
(She had once asked, once they had gotten off the Isle and were free from their parents, if he had ever tried, if he was ever able to do the things his father once did when he was the Royal Vizar. To do the things Jafar once did when he had been tricked into becoming a shackled, wish-granting embodiment of magic. He had only shrugged as he emptied out his pockets that she hadn't even realized were filled with stolen objects.
"Not really," he had said, handing her back the ring that Ben had gifted to her all the way back when being recognized by her mother had been her only dream. He had winked at her as he continued to empty his pocket into the designated return box everyone knew to check when something went missing. "I was never really interested in power," he shrugged. The "like my dad" part had went unsaid…)
Mal's magic thrummed with protectiveness when Jay stepped between her and Uma, and the thing, the creature, the dragon within her roared to snatch him up and hide him away. Safe. (Mine. Mine. Mine.)
"Mal," Jay placed a grounding hand on her shoulder, pushing her back up to the surface of her consciousness, the girl once again, though instinct buzzed in the background, warning her to be weary.
Taking a deep breath, Mal turned her gaze back towards Uma who seemed to be whispering furiously to Gil who was now back at her side, hands scratching absentmindedly behind Dude's ears as he held the dog.
When she looked back at Jay, her heart clenched.
Evie was a whirlwind, a force to be reckoned with. You either stepped aside and let her do what she wanted or get knocked over. Carlos was the reality check, the voice of reason that was always observing, taking in the things that others often overlooked with the familiarity that only came with having been overlooked himself for so long by his mother, by other kids on the Isle...by Mal herself. But Jay had always been a steady presence, attaching himself to her like a limb that she had eventually forgotten she had not been born with, had snuck his way past her defenses and stole her loyalty even when she denied ever having that sort of attachment to him on the Isle, always ready to bear her weight when she felt at her weakest. Evie had always joked, even back on the Isle, that Jay was more knight in patchworked armor than thief.
(She wasn't wrong, Mal thought, not even able to dream of one day being Queen of Auradon and not having Jay with her, watching her back as he had done since that first time he tried to steal from her.)
But when Mal looked up at him, not for the first time she realized that what so many confused for confidence was fear masked behind well practiced sleight of hand and charm.
You're not the only one afraid for them, she thought angrily at herself, wondering not for the first time what her friends, what Ben, saw in a selfish little half-fairy like herself.
"We'll get them back," she promised, taking his other hand that wasn't on her shoulder into hers. "I promise you that on my name," she swore, knowing that he knew it wasn't a statement to be taken lightly. Not from a fae, even a half one.
Nodding, Jay squeezed her shoulder. "I know, but please Mal," he leaned down so that they were eye to eye. "For me. For Carlos and Evie and Ben. Please, get over this stupid feud with Uma. Please. At least until they're back."
She was silent for a moment before nodding. "Fine."
When they both turned back to Uma and Gil, it seemed like the two had finished their own conversation, Uma not looking pleased but the tendrils of water had found their place back in the bowl and Gil had a pleased grin on his face.
Mal wasn't going to apologize and knew that Uma wouldn't either but with synchronization that only the best of friends or the best of enemies could obtain, they both took a step forward towards each other, neither saying a word for several minutes.
"We did the spell right," Mal eventually said. She ran a hand through her hair, deep in thought. "The incantation was said correctly and we had everything set up right. We should have gotten some sort of sign or-"
Mal suddenly cut herself off, mouth open.
"Is she...is she okay?" she could hear Gil ask, though he sounded far away compared to the internal ringing of magic that was going through her.
"What in the seven seas are you doing, Mal?" Uma hissed, Mal more so sensing then seeing the other girl reach out and grab her arm. "If this is another-"
When Uma's hand connected with Mal's arm she froze too, their magic folding together, overlapping, weaving together cool fire and burning waves. Mal could feel their magic buzz across her skin and into Uma's, like pumpkins rolling down a hill. If she focused on it, she could feel Auradon Prep breathe around her, feel every student in the dorm. She knew Uma felt it too.
They could feel Jordan and Freddie curled up together in the genie's lamp. They could feel Ally, daughter of Alice snoozing over her History of Magic assignment due at the end of the week. They felt Chad standing at Dizzy's side, holding the unconscious girl's hand gently in his own. Mal felt the Bibbidi-bobbidi and Uma felt the Salagadoola of Fairy Godmother tied together with a stroke of midnight as the headmistress made her way down the halls of Auradon Prep, a presence that felt like falling stars and sweeping brooms behind her. And approaching the room that they currently were in, Mal and Uma felt carnival rides mixed in with stage lights and a cracked bell that chimed deeply, both buzzing with excitement.
And amongst the net of magic, the spell took form, plucked against the web that they casted before snagging against a brief moment of clarity; of the where and how.
Mal and Uma gasped simultaneously, their lungs remembering how to breathe once they pulled away from each other. Their eyes connected and for a second, Mal knew that as she breathed in, Uma breathed out, a fading connection of their magic that was reminiscent of easier times when stealing candy from a baby was good enough and when smelly shrimp wasn't loaded with history.
"What was th-that?" Jay broke their daze, his usual tanned skin looking a bit green under a thin layer of sweat.
"It was the spell," Uma looked back towards Mal contemplatively, before turning back to Jay with his sick looking skin and heavy breathing and magic that was stuck beneath his skin. As if not even thinking consciously of her actions, Uma reached out and gently touched Jay's shoulder. The dragon within Mal bristled at the smell of sea salt mixed with desert sand that returned her oldest friend's skin back to a healthier color.
"Thanks," Jay blinked, giving an amused smile at the pout on Uma's face as she murmured, "Don't mention it."
"So it worked? You know where Harry and the others are?" Gil grinned hopefully, and for a second, as the last strands of their magic untangled, separate once again, Mal wondered if Uma was struggling not to push Jay in a corner, surrounded by soft pillows and warm blankets just as much as Mal was struggling not to fondly roll her eyes and lightly chuck Gil's chin before shoving the freshest food at him.
Catching Uma glare at her from the corner of her eyes was all the answer that Mal needed.
"Neverland," Uma answered, the dread in her voice apparent as she played with the ends of her braids.
Gil's grin slipped off his face and Jay swore, a mix of swears that only an Isle kid could string together. Uma moved towards the desk where a map of the United States of Auradon laid spread out.
Mal knew she was calculating their inevitable journey, doing the mental math with swift efficiency that even Mal couldn't turn her nose up at.
"It's going to take too long if we try to drive there," the pirate captain groaned frustratedly. "The route is surrounded by forests and cuts through in an overly roundabout way that'll take us too far west before it curves back to where the bridge that connects the mainland with Neverland." She looked up, tapping her fingers agitatedly against the map. "Even if we got the fastest car here, it would still take too long. Unless we had a boat. That would drastically cut down our time and would be a straight shot."
"Ask and you shall be answered," Mal smirked, opening the door to the room to reveal Hermie and Claudine. "You have the boat key?" Mal asked before Uma shouldered her out of the way, surprising both girls with her sudden and specific answer. Claudine and Hermie exchanged startled looks before Claudine pulled out the boat key from her pocket.
Grinning, Uma took they key in hand before she remembered the two girls who were waiting expectantly at the door.
"You're gonna," Hermie began softly, fiddling nervously with her hands. "You're gonna bring back Murph and - and Sammy, right?"
No, Mal thought, biting her tongue, thoughts only on Ben, Evie, and Carlos. Bring them back yourself, shorty.
"Right," Uma nodded.
Mal didn't even bother hiding her shock, jaw dropped as she stared at Uma incredulously as both Claudine and Hermie reached out to touch Uma's hands in thanks before they turned away and made their way silently back down the hall and to their room.
Uma turned back to the room, rolling up the map and stuffing it in her jacket pocket.
"You shouldn't have promised them that," Mal hissed, ignoring Jay's sound of warning. "You know that getting four people and dealing with evil- knows-what-CJ-has-up-her-sleeve is going to be hard enough without adding two more. I know you're smart enough to realize Big Murph and Sammy Smee are on their own."
"You don't know anything, Mal!" Uma exploded, her limited patience for the half fae finally snapping. "And you definitely don't know me!" she spat. "Now get your shit together! We're leaving on the boat, with or without you in half an hour." With that she stormed out of the room, Gil following.
Jay opened his mouth to say something before deciding against it and instead muttering that he was going to get swords from the gym before leaving.
Mal let out a scoff. What did she do now?
She looked down when she felt a paw press itself against her leg, Dude looking up at her with far more understanding than she was comfortable with a dog giving her.
"Be. Good," was all he was able to speak before leaping onto the window seal and staring out the window, Mal knowing somehow he would wait there until his boy came back.
"I'm trying," she sighed softly, allowing herself a moment for one lone tear to fall. "I'm trying."
WLTF
Uma was a sea witch, pirate captain of the Lost Revenge, and self-proclaimed Queen of the Isle. Even back on the Isle, she could tell you when the waters would be calm enough to swim in and when the winds would cooperate with the sails. Now, no longer being restrained by the Isle's barrier, Uma could feel each crash of the waves like her own heartbeat, felt the life of all the creations beneath the water's surface like a soft caress at the back of her mind.
The sea and ocean and any other bodies of water felt like old friends. It was instinctual.
However, now staring down at the mechanics and knobs and bobs of the old and less-than-impressive-looking steamboat, named Steamboat Willie, that she was trying to commandeer, she was reminded of one woefully overlooked fact that having a first mate who had grown up on ships had always simplified for her: Uma knew very little about boats.
"What?" Mal eyes flashed dangerously at the news.
"Oh shut up, Dragon Breath!" Uma snapped before turning to look at the deceptively simple helm of the ship. "It's not like you have any ideas either."
Mal shoved her hands in her hair, tugging to keep them from reaching out and strangling the girl in front of her. "Well I'm not a freaking pirate captain, am I?"
Jay and Gil who had been sent off to explore the boat and make sure it was suitable for their needs entered the room, both instantly feeling the thinly frayed nerves of the wheelhouse.
"We uh, we found the engine room," Gil announced.
"We also found some stowaways," Jay frowned, stepping aside to reveal an impassive heir of the Underworld and a nervous mermaid princess.
Uma didn't care if Hadie came or not. After all, she didn't think it was such a bad idea to have death, or at least a personification of Death on your side. It was Melody that caused Uma to tense and hiss out a strong "NO!" that made said mermaid flinch as if the sea witch had physically hit her.
"As I said before, cousin," Hadie rasped with his usual aloofness, his pulled up hood making his flame blue hair and one visible amber eye glow eerily against his pale skin, "you may not need us, but you'll want us."
Mal crossed her arms, brow arched as she gave Uma a questioning look at the mention of "cousin" but she held her tongue. She didn't really want to mess with Hadie. The kid, despite being about Dizzy's age had always given her the creeps. It didn't help that the son of Hades was the one person on the Isle her mother had told her to never mess with. Even a fae as old and dark as Maleficent had a healthy fear of Death.
Uma glared at Hadie, pushing down the instinctual creeping feeling that ran down her back whenever his attention was fully on her that this was a full god she was staring down and she should bow her head down in deference to him.
"Iknowhowtoworkasteamboat!"
All attention snapped to Melody. She gulped at the sudden shift of attention before taking a deep breath, back straightening and determination filling her expression.
"I know how to work a steamboat," she said again, only the barest traces of nervousness in her voice. "My father, he taught me about different boats growing up. Steamboats nowadays are used more for cruises in the Bayou d'Orleans so they're not as common as sailboats but I still know enough to get it started. To get us to Neverland."
"Why would you think we were heading to Neverland, princess?" Jay grinned, expression all disarming charm and flirtiness that hid how his eyes were looking for any tells of deceit.
Melody looked at Hadie who merely turned to a corner and, as if he was merely moving a piece of fabric, pulled back a shadow, Freddie and Diego tumbling out.
"Oh. Uh uh, nope," Freddie shook her head, looking nauseous as she stayed unmoving from her place on her back. "Traveling by shadows: do not recommend."
"Hey Queenie," Diego waved weakly beside her. "Herms and Claud heard you all before knocking on the door. Couldn't let you guys have all the fun."
Uma glared down at them. Diego had the nerve to wink up at her despite the shadow-induced nausea he was going through. It was Freddie though that struggled for the first time since they've known each other in making eye contact with the sea witch.
"CJ, she- I-I didn't know she was going to do this," was all Freddie said before sighing.
Uma closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm the roaring waves inside her crashing against each other and demanding vengeance for what had been taken. When she opened her eyes, all eyes were on hers, waiting expectantly. Even Mal's.
Turning towards Melody, Uma gave the mermaid her worst scowl. "You mess things up for me, sharkbait, and I'll rip something more than just your little voice from you."
If this was someone else, Uma would have been impressed by the unwavering determination held in the other girl's eyes. However, Melody was everything Uma was not. A princess. A mermaid...Surrounded by love even before she had been born. And all Triton's granddaughter had to do to have earned that was being born into the right side of the family.
Uma's anger had always been bubbling, boiling when Mal and her gang had been taken off the Isle. But it had always been a general anger, save for the bad blood between her and Mal. This however, this feeling she realized had been buried beneath that other anger once she saw Melody was different. Personal. Jealous. Longing…
"I won't let you down," Melody said, extending her hand out with the heaviness of an oath. Uma rolled her eyes, shoving past her and out of the wheelhouse.
"Well this is going to be a fun trip," Freddie sarcastically murmured.
Wow. It took me 7 months to get this chapter out. Sorry for the delay. Life happened is all I can say. Thank you as always for all of your reviews, favorites, alerts, etc!
As always, thanks to my wonderful and amazing beta, elphaba_swan for always working their magic. Also, special thanks to cartoonfangirl1218 on Tumblr and feoplepeel (on AO3 and Tumblr, though her Descendants blog is seathree) for letting me bounce ideas off of them and reading a scene or two after I had been staring at it for too long.
Let me know what you think of this chapter in the reviews and feel free to follow me on Tumblr at edream93.
Until next time!