Twenty Days Before The Barrier Breaks
Lian smirked as she wandered into the Chip Shoppe.
"You came back." Charlie noted.
"Why wouldn't I?" Lian asked, dropping down into a chair.
"We tend to scare people off." The other girl stated, perching on the table next to Lian's chair "I'm sure you've heard the rumours about me and Harry."
"That you're both insane?" Lian scoffed "Don't look insane to me." She made a show of moving her head up and down, scanning the girl. Her hair was braided back, her clothes were practical, her hands were gloved and her feet had boots. All perfectly normal.
"Maybe you're mad too. Or maybe we're the sane ones, and it's everyone else that's mad." Charlie mused, smirking as Jaz entered the shoppe, throwing her sword into a bucket beneath a sign reading Sword Check and wandering over.
"Stop with your philosophical bullshit Lottie," Jaz stated, swatting her partner round the back of the head. "That's the last thing anyone needs first thing in the morning."
"Love you too Jazzy." Lian froze, that was the first time she'd heard anyone use that word on the Isle.
Jaz rolled her eyes, a fond smirk on her face "Right back atcha." She joined Charlie on the table. Were any of the Isle kids capable of sitting in a seat like a normal person? The only one she'd seen do it was Uma. "Anyway, you seen Gil anywhere? Ettie's looking for him."
"Can't say I have." Charlie paused, a pensive look on her face "Toni asked me the same thing earlier though. On my way in. Apparently he didn't turn up last night." Jaz frowned.
"But I thought he always goes to see Toni the same time every week."
"So did I. But he skipped it."
"HOOK!" A voice yelled from in the kitchen. Uma. "Jaz! You seen your brother?" She demanded, storming out into the Shoppe.
"Nope. Haven't seen him since last night." Charlie's eyes went wide and her lips started moving as she stared at the floor.
"Asshole left a mess in the kitchen."
"Harry?" Jaz asked incredulously "Not do every single thing ye asked him to perfectly? Ye sure we're talking about the same person?"
"Gil's missing too." Charlie stated, her head shooting up. "What if it's related?"
"Someone decided to take out both Harry Hook and Gil Legume on the same night?" Uma raised an eyebrow. "Angering not only me but Toni and Harriet?"
"Really Lottie? Who'd be dumb enough to do that?"
"Adult thinking we're getting too big for our boots again?"
"Yeah, but Harry and Gil?" Jaz asked "Why them? Gil's the most peaceful teen here and Harry's an ass known for being insane."
"Harry's the little brother of the leader of the biggest kids gang on the Isle. Gil's the little brother of the girl who slaughtered her way through half of Troll Town to avenge her little sister. They're first and second mate respectively to the leader of the second biggest gang on the Isle and oft regarded to be Uma's weak point. By threatening them not only do you take three of the big threats out of the equation, you aren't gonna do anything if Harry's life's at stake Jaz, neither is CJ and that also applies to the Legume siblings. So the Facilier sisters are no longer a threat, the group the Gaston twins lead isn't a threat. That's half the kids backing down and all they had to do was capture two."
"When you put it like that... that is troubling." Jaz stated. "But why now? What's changed?" Charlie jumped to her feet, pacing the room.
"There's the project, but that's been in the works for nearly a year now. There's the new kids, but they've been here over a week. There's gotta be some sort of trigger." She started tugging on her braid—and there had to be something sharp woven into it as blood was turning the white strands red.
"Hey, calm down." Jaz placed her hand on Charlie's shoulder, gently uncurling the other girl's fingers from the dangerous braid. "You're over-thinking things again." Charlie took a deep breath, her head hidden in Jaz's neck.
"You're right." She muttered. Jaz wrapped an arm around her.
"Our first port of call should be to talk to Harriet and Toni." She stated "See if they know what's going on."
"You're right." Uma replied. She didn't sound too happy about it "It might just be that the two idiots wandered off somewhere and fell asleep or something." She scowled "It's unlikely—Harry hasn't not followed an order in years—but it's possible."
"Uma, at this point ye could ask him for Pa's head on a platter and he'd probably get it for you." Jaz stated "The chances of him leaving the kitchen in a mess after ye told him to clean it are minuscule."
"Could we make a list of people with motives?" Lian asked, all three Isle girls turned to stare at her, apparently they forgot she was there. Uma let out a harsh laugh.
"Between me, Toni and Harriet? That's half the Isle. And that's without the Gaston twins, these two or CJ and the Facilier sisters taken into account. Never mind Harry and Gil themselves. You'd have better luck with making a list of people that don't have a grudge against one of us."
"There's people that don't hate any of us?" Charlie asked, finally moving away from Jaz. She looked a lot calmer than she had before. "That's news to me."
"Right. Jaz, go get Harriet. Lian, I need you to take a message to Toni. Lottie, you're with me."
"Aye Captain." Jaz saluted, jumping off the table "wrap yer hand before ye do anything dummy" she muttered, giving Charlie a quick hug before grabbing her sword out the bin and walking out the door.
"What's the message?" Lian asked as Jaz left.
"Code Blue. She'll know what it means. But make sure she's the only one that gets the message."
"Come on. Let's get your hand wrapped before you get blood all over the shoppe." Uma stated as Lian left. Lottie pulled her glove off and stared at her hand, the barbed wire in her braid had cut through the leather and into her palm.
"Oh." She stated, poking at the bleeding cuts. "I hadn't noticed."
"Nope." Uma pulled her hand away "Not having anything other than a Lottie day today. You having a mental breakdown is the last thing I need."
"Sorry Uma. I can't exactly control it."
"I know. But, like with Harry and his manic episodes, I know you can push the breakdowns back."
"That isn't particularly healthy." Lottie commented as Uma pulled the bandages tight around her hand.
"Nothing here is healthy Lottie." Uma replied "And today is already a bad day."
"Yeah." Lottie agreed "We should probably check the kitchen for clues."
"We need to clean it up before Ma sees is what we need to do." Lottie paused, for a split second she was six and she was scrambling to get a massive kitchen cleaned before Cruella came home but she couldn't. She was six and she was small, she couldn't even reach the top of the counters and- "Hey. Stay with me." Uma's voice cut through the memory. "I already told you. I'm not dealing with anyone other than Lottie today."
"Lottie wants to crawl into a hole and die." Lottie muttered, scowling at the floor
"No you don't. If you do that Jaz'll be upset." Uma replied. Lottie scowled at the fact that she was right. Jaz would but upset if she just crawled into a hole and died.
"Fuck." She groaned. Uma rolled her eyes, standing up.
"Let's check the kitchen. There has to be something" She knew Uma was only acting nonchalant, that the other girl was probably seething inside and ready to tear the Isle apart to find Harry and Gil—they had to pretend that they didn't have hearts after all—but it was unnerving all the same. Lottie scoffed at her own patheticness. She was Charlie Devil, Cruella's Psycho Daughter, Uma acting like she wasn't bothered by the disappearance of her first and second mates shouldn't be unnerving her. That didn't change the fact that it did.
.
The kitchen was a mess, pots and pans were everywhere and there were trays scattered all over the floor.
"It looks like there was a fight in here."
"Yeah, well, I just registered that he didn't clean it up. Besides, it's always like this back here, though the trays are usually stacked. Cook has a habit of throwing everything everywhere when they try to find a specific pot or pan."
"Beginning to understand why it needs to be cleaned up every night" Lottie muttered, peering under a counter.
"Yeah well, tidy up and keep an eye out while you're at it."
.
"Uma!" Uma froze at the sight of the weapon in Lottie's hands.
"Fuck."
Lian raced down the streets, from what she remembered, Toni could usually be found in the markets.
"Hold it." There was a girl blocking her path. "I don't recognise you. Who are you and why are you here?" She demanded.
"I'm Hu Lian. I'm looking for Toni Legume, I have a message for her from Captain Uma Strand."
"Claudine Frollo. What's the message?" Claudine asked "I'll make sure she gets it."
"I can't tell you that. It's for Toni's ears only. Do you know where she is?"
"I can take you to her, but you have to do something for me in return."
"What?"
"Don't know yet, let's call it a favour to be repaid at a later date." Lian paused to consider the offer. On the one hand, she needed to know where Toni was. On the other hand, she had no idea what Claudine would ask for.
"This favour can only apply to me and cannot go against anything my captain and her allies have already ordered me to do."
"Smart girl." Claudine smiled. "I agree to your terms." She held out her hand and Lian shook it.
"It's a deal then. Take me to Toni."
"Harriet!" Harriet looked up as her younger sister burst into the cabin.
"Jasmine. What is it?"
"Uma- Uma wants you. Harry's missing."
"How do you know that?"
"He left the kitchen in the shoppe a mess after Uma told him to clean it."
"Jasmine, that doesn't mean-"
"Are you forgetting that this is Harry we're talking about?" Jasmine interrupted "Plus, Gil never turned up to meet Toni last night."
"I assume Toni is also being asked to come then."
"Yeah. Should I go get CJ?"
"Not yet. If this turns out to be serious you can go and get her. No point in worrying her if it isn't serious."
"Toni! You've got a visitor!" Toni looked up as Claudine walked into the shop, followed by one of the new girls.
"Hu Lian." The new girl introduced herself. "I have a message from Captain Uma Strand that's for your ears only." Toni frowned.
"No need to stick around 'Dine." She stated "I can handle anything the newbie throws at me."
"Sure thing Toni." Claudine sauntered back out, leaving Toni alone with Hu Lian.
"What's Gil done this time?" Toni asked as the door shut behind her. It nearly always had something to do with Gil when Uma contacted her.
"Uh- the message I have is Code Blue." Toni froze "Uma said you'd understand what it means."
"Code Blue means there's a very good chance someone's about to die." Code Blue meant something had happened to Gil. "What happened to my brother?"
"I don't know. I'm just the messenger." Lian took a step back. "Uma's waiting at the Chip Shoppe."
"You said we've got a Code Blue?" Uma looked up to see Toni and Harriet in the doorway, Jaz and Lian just behind them.
"Some asshole decided it was a good idea to take our boys."
"You got proof?" Harriet asked.
"Well, seeing as we found this." Uma dropped the weapon on the table, not finishing the sentence. She didn't have to. Both of the older girls knew exactly what it meant.
"Where?" Harriet demanded, grabbing her brother's hook.
"The kitchen. Under some cabinets."
"We don't have any proof that someone's taken Gil," Lottie stated "but both of them going missing on the same night? That can't be a coincidence." Toni was quiet, staring at the table. That was never good.
"Who the fuck would be willing to piss off all three of us?" She eventually asked.
"Big name villain?" Lottie suggested, "Not even me and Harry being absolute psychos together scares some of them off."
"That's the other question. Who'd be stupid enough to go after someone most of the Isle considers to be insane?" Harriet asked.
"Someone that knows he isn't." Lottie muttered, her eyes wide as she turned to face the other three. "Most of the people willing to cross me are the ones that know I'm not as crazy as I pretend to be."
"So we're looking for someone that knows enough about the schedules of my crew to know when both of them would be alone, knows that Harry's madness is mostly an act and willing to piss off all three of us, knowing full well that it'll probably end with us sending Charlie fucking Devil after them."
"Who says it's one person?" Toni asked. "A group would account for all of those things."
"A group full of idiots then." Harriet scoffed.
"Or people so smart they're stupid." Lottie offered "I know I can get like that sometimes. I get so caught up in what I could do with something that I forget to think about the consequences."
"Yeah, but you're a kid."
"Also a genius."
Gil groaned as he woke up. His head hurt. He was sprawled on cold concrete and the last thing he remembered was his dad. Wierd.
"About damn time ye woke up." A familiar voice scolded as he opened his eyes. There were bars opposite him, set into the floor and going right up to the ceiling. That probably wasn't good.
"Harry?" He asked, half-hoping he was right because then he wasn't alone, but half-hoping he was wrong because being right meant Harry was also trapped.
"Who else?" Harry shot back and Gil saw the other boy's boots pass in front of his face as Harry paced up and down the cell they were trapped in.
"Where are we?" He wondered, more to himself than Harry, as he slowly sat up. His head really hurt. He lifted his hand, feeling the dried blood on the back of his head. Oh, that was why it hurt.
"No clue." Harry answered anyway "But someone's clearly tryna anger Uma." His hook was missing, Gil noted. They'd probably had all their other weapons taken too.
"Who'd be stupid enough to do that?"
"Dinnae ken." The only sound for a long moment were Harry's boots as he paced their prison.
"They'll come for us, won't they?" Gil asked, and while he knew they probably would—Toni always came looking when one of them got into trouble. He could still remember the look in her eye after Ella had been killed. The water had been contaminated by blood for weeks. She had to be looking for him—there was still the nagging fear that he was finally too much trouble to be worth it.
"Course they will Gilly." Harry replied, probably trying to sound reassuring. "Harriet and Toni are probably already searching, and even if they aren't, Uma won't leave us here." No, she wouldn't. Uma was possessive, always calling the two of them her boys—Gil didn't mind, it was nice to be wanted—but He'd seen her when people took her things before, it never ended well for the thief. Add Uma's possessiveness to Toni's protectiveness and whoever took them was probably dead when the girls caught up—and that was without Harriet adding anything.
Harriet Hook, Lian was quickly coming to realise, was every bit as dangerous as Yen Sid had said she was. The moment she'd appeared, it was clear that she was the one in charge rather than Uma. The operation had quickly been moved from the Chip Shoppe to Harriet ship and the deck was bustling with more kids than Lian had ever seen in one place before, some with a hook patch on their sleeves, others with an octopus and some with no patch at all. Jaz had been sent off to get someone called CJ and Charlie to get someone called Ettie. They'd both come back with girls trailing after them and there were even more Isle kids on the boat.
Lian had grown up being told they were evil. But if they were willing to go this far for two boys, how evil were they really?
"Lonnie, anything to report for today?"
"Yeah. I met Harriet Hook and she, Uma and Toni Legume are all on the warpath because Harry Hook and Gil Legume are missing."
"This cannot be good."
"Also, Harriet is every bit the dangerous force Yen Sid made her out to be." Harriet Hook was everything Lian wanted to be. The moment she walked into the room, everyone knew she was the leader and respected her for that. Lian knew Harriet had had to fight for that respect, but it was something she desperately wanted. To be seen as something dangerous rather than a pretty face.
She wonders, distantly, what it would have been like to grow up here. To grow up knowing magic flows under her skin but never being able to access it. To grow up having to run and hide and fight for every tiny scrap of food. To have to count in her friends and family at the end of every day, praying that her count never drops. To come to the conclusion that the streets were safer than the house she grew up in. What it would be like to grow up in a world where women were the ruling power, to have girls as leaders and role models, to grow up screaming and shouting and taking up space without ever having someone tell her that ladies are quiet, and that girls should be seen and not heard. What it would be like to stand in the middle of the Chip Shoppe with the best the Isle girls have to offer and not feel out of place. To stand next to Harriet or Uma as her right or left hand, hell, to lead her own ship, to have people run at the sound of her name, for her name to actually be Hu Lian rather than Fa Lian. To have all the reckless bravery her new surname implied rather than the gentleness of her old one.
"Lonnie?"
"Oh, sorry. I got lost in thought. What were you saying Ben?"
"I was suggesting that Audrey goes with you tomorrow."
"Er, sure, I guess. I mean, there's no guarantee that she'll actually be let in, but she can come."
Any guesses for who took the boys?