Nina Vale: As River Song always says, "Spoilers." I'm not saying anything.
NumberOneVIP: Like I told Nina Vale, I'm not saying anything. The two of you will just have to be patient.
(P.S. Muahahahahahahahaha!)
Disclaimer: I do not own "Huntik."
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Chapter 4: Arriving on Sutos
Zhalia turned off the boat while the team grabbed their luggage. Walking onto the dock, they saw Prince Grier waiting for them, in full royal garb.
"Welcome to Sutos," he said in his warmest voice. "I hope you enjoy your stay."
"You sound like a tour guide," Zhalia joked, and the whole team laughed.
"Zhalia Moon, Lok Lambert, Sophie Casterwill, and Den Fears, and this must be Harrison."
"What's with the costume?" Harrison asked with a smile. Den elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow!"
"Sorry about my brother," Den said. "He has a tendency to insult people without realizing it."
"That's alright," Grier said, wearing a smile of his own. "Even Dante laughed when he first saw me wearing this."
"You two were still enemies then," Lok said. "I'd laugh too if I saw my enemy wearing a silly costume. You should've seen Rassimov's wardrobe change."
"Talk about a drama queen," Cherit added. Everyone laughed.
Grier led them over to two cars, where the same two soldiers they had rescued from the Blood Spirals were waiting to load their luggage and drive them to where they would be staying. It was a small house on the beach, but close enough that it could still be seen from the mansion. As soon as the cars stopped, the kids all raced out and towards the house in hopes of claiming the best room. They all tried to cheat by using their powers, which resulted in a dog pile and Zhalia claiming the best room for herself. Grier watched it all with an amused smile on his face.
The house was very comfortable, consisting of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. Due to the shortage of rooms, Sophie paired up with Zhalia while Den and Harrison shared. Cherit said that he would keep Lok company, but everyone knew that the titan didn't really sleep
"Aside from Sophie's house," Harrison said, "this is the nicest place I've ever stayed in."
"It sure beats living at the orphanage," Den agreed.
"So, who's this expert that's supposed to lead us to the Titan?" Sophie asked Grier. The boys groaned.
"Seriously, Sophie?" Lok asked from where he was lounging on the couch. "Our first day of vacation and already you want to get to work?" Sophie rolled her eyes.
"If we get the mission done now," she began, "then we can relax the rest of the time we're here, rather than procrastinating and having to scramble to get it done before we leave."
"She has a point," Cherit said. Lok responded by throwing a pillow at him.
"It's actually someone you know," Grier said, answering Sophie's question. "You all remember Wilder, right?"
"We were just talking about him on our way here," Den said.
"Don't tell me he's the expert on the Hippocampus," Zhalia said in her usual sarcastic voice.
"Surprising, I know," Grier told her. "But he knows more about the Titan than anyone else on this island. Just keep an eye on him while you're retrieving it. He tried to escape again a few days ago."
"Again?" Sophie repeated. "He's tried to escape before?"
"Several times," Grier answered.
"How many times counts as 'several'?"
"I lost count after 30."
"He's been here barely six months and he's already tried that many escape attempts?" Den asked. "He really doesn't want to be here."
"Is he thinking about swimming?" Cherit asked from his place at the window. "Because he seems pretty interested in the water."
Rather than ask what he meant, the team and Grier joined him at the windows and looked out. Sure enough, Wilder was standing on the beach. His white suit having been disposed of upon his arrival, he now wore a long-sleeved tan shirt and brown pants. He was too far away for them to see, but he had recently gotten a second piercing in his right ear. They could see that he was holding some sort of paper in his hand.
"He's not stupid enough to try swimming to the mainland," Grier said, "but his escape attempts have been getting rather desperate lately. Something's bothering him." Grier's mind flashed back to a conversation he'd had with Wilder after his latest attempt.
Two days ago
Grier stepped into the dungeons, walking past the cells until he reached one near the back. He looked inside and saw Wilder laying on the cot and looking at the ceiling.
"I'd thought you would have given up by now," Grier said. Wilder didn't even look at him.
"Not a chance," he said.
"You're not making this any easier on yourself," Grier told him.
"Bite me."
"Why do you keep trying to escape?"
"Because I hate it here and I want to get back to my life."
"You mean you want to get back to trying to become leader of the Organization." Wilder let out a little laugh.
"Oh, please," he scoffed. "I never wanted to be a leader. It was just a stepping stone on the road to getting me what I really want."
"And what is that?" Grier asked.
"I don't have to tell you anything," was the response he got. Grier sighed.
"I remember you, Wilder," he began. "You didn't used to be like this. I remember hearing about you ditching missions early because you said you had somewhere to be, something more important to do."
"Because I did."
"You spent thousands of dollars on pairs of plane tickets, yet no one ever knew who the other ticket was for," Grier continued, ignoring Wilder's comment. "You never lived on an Organization base. You refused to answer any questions on where you were and what you were doing. I heard rumors that you were going to be eliminated because you were considered a threat.
"And then, two years ago, you changed. You completed a record amount of missions in one month. When you weren't on a mission, you were training. You also spent a lot of time using the Organization's resources, yet no one ever figured out what exactly you were doing with what you learned, or didn't learn. You stepped in to become leader practically the second the Professor was defeated, and yet you say that that's never what you wanted. What happened two years ago, Wilder, that made you the way you are now?"
To Grier's surprise, Wilder sat up and glared at him after he had finished speaking. He thought it might have been a trick of the light, but he could have sworn he saw tears in Wilder's eyes.
"None of your business!" Wilder shouted at him. "Leave me alone!" With that, he flopped back down and refused to say another word. Grier watched him for a minute before walking away.
Present Day
"Just be careful when you're with him," Grier told the team, "and don't forget to enjoy yourselves these next two weeks."
With that, they said their goodbyes to the prince and started unpacking. Sophie looked back at Wilder one last time before going to unpack her own suitcase.
On the beach, Wilder kept looking at the picture of his daughter, fiddling with the second earring in his right ear.
I will find you, Renee he thought. They can't keep me locked up forever.
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How was that? If you're wondering about the earrings, they do have a special significance which will be explained in future chapters.
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