Warnings;
. Swearing
"Look, I know it seems hard right now, but you have to do this. My future happiness rests solely on your shoulders. Now, are you ready?" Cassie's dark eyes stared deep into the ocean-blue eyes of Gilzean... well, it was more of an attempt on her part, since baby Gil had the attention span of a brain-damaged troll. "I bet your momma that you'd do this within a month, so don't you dare make me lose this. Now," Cassie shuffled back in her squatted position, putting enough distance between herself and the babbling child. "Let's start walking."
It had been around two weeks since Cassie's feud with Harry had been put to rest. After her incident with him on the ship, in which he'd gleefully told her that Mad Maddy would begin a pursuit, everything had simmered down quite quickly. Since Harry had woken and his wounds had healed, Uma had allowed the little cat to finally leave the pirate territory and return to Helena's salon. Unfortunately for Cassie the Queen of Hearts had only been informed of her well-being through Gil, who wasn't entirely the best with words and explanations, and so the little cat earned a long-winded scolding from her friend the moment she stepped foot in the salon. Despite Cassie's frequent apologies, Helena refused to speak to her for at least three days, which only ended because the Heart girl was dying to know exactly what went down with Uma and the pirates.
After a very lengthy discussion involving Harry, Cassie's secret 'talent', and her worry over Mad Maddy's intentions, Helena hadn't exactly helped the little cat ease her mind. If anything she'd made it worse.
"I mean, he isn't wrong," the Heart girl had admitted. "When Maddy sees something she likes, there isn't much you can do about it."
"Well, thanks," the little cat had deadpanned.
"Maddy's bat-shit crazy, but she's smart too, there's a reason she's in charge. She already has everyone she needs for a powerful crew, so there's nowhere for you to be squeezed in. She might hang around you for a while but I don't think you're in any actual danger, just amuse her until she gets bored. It's that easy."
While Cassie knew there was something about Mad Maddy that pulled her in, she'd thankfully realised that - for once - her impulsive nature and rational thought seemed to be running on the same track this time. Both agreed that Maddy would be the worst idea she could ever make, and that thought alone kept her from seeking out the green-haired witch.
However, despite the agreement that Maddy was bad news, Cassie's inner cravings had begun stirring up once more. It was similar to an itch, an irritating tickling wreaking havoc inside her head. It seemed her brain was trying to tell her that there was something she was supposed to be doing, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was.
Thankfully, the little cat happened to be very in tune with her frantic mind, and it didn't take long for her to realise what the problem was. In truth, she felt like the Isle's biggest moron for not clocking it sooner. It was very simple, actually.
She was bored.
It didn't exactly come as a great surprise, though it did have Cassie questioning her sanity once again. Of course, she was bored. For almost two months now she'd been under a lot of stress, only pushed on by an unbearable will to live and the temptation of driving a certain hook-handed individual crazy. She'd had numerous threats to her life and put herself in plenty of stupid situations that she had no business being in. She'd been robbed, beaten more times than she could count, and forced to confront her sexuality. To put it rather simply, she'd had more excitement in those two months than she'd ever experienced in her life before it.
Cassie had hoped that her friendship with Helena, and Gil over the last two weeks, had replaced her former urges to find 'special things'. It had, in some way. She had a safe place to stay, enough food to keep her healthy and content, and her hair had never been more beautiful. Despite having everything she'd ever wanted, something was still missing.
Whatever it was, she'd figure it out later. At the moment, she had a bet to win.
"C'mon kid," she muttered, holding out her arms to the youngster. "I get ear scratches for a week straight if you nail this."
Gilzean's gaze eventually did find Cassie's, and the little cat held her breath. His little arms wobbled out in her direction, his babbling growing louder, and somewhat irritated, once he noticed she wasn't within reach.
"I'm not coming to you this time," she told him. "You're gonna have to come here." His babbling continued, but Cassie noticed his bare feet thumping on the floor and her hope began to grow. "C'mon," she urged.
Little Gilzean's left foot took an unsteady step forward, and Cassie could almost see the cogs turning in his barely-formed brain. 'He's gonna do it,' she thought, struggling to tame down her smile.
Unfortunately, Cassie had been so focused on getting the baby to walk that she'd missed the approaching 'thuds' of booted feet on the chess-piece flooring. At least, not until it was too late.
"Buddy!"
Cassie watched, almost horrified, as Gil swept the baby off his feet and into his strong arms, a grin stretching his lips as the youngster giggled and screamed in delight. "No," she whined.
"Oh! Hey Cassie," the son of Gaston greeted, oblivious to the damage he'd caused with his presence.
"Hey Gil," the little cat grumbled in reply, knowing the moment had been lost. "How's taking over the Isle going?"
Gil frowned. "Not easy. People don't seem to like us pirates much."
Cassie feigned surprise. "Well damn, it's almost like people don't wanna pay to protect themselves from the pirate invasion."
"I know right?!" Gil's astonishment, however, was entirely genuine.
The little cat gasped when a hand smacked the back of her head. "Don't be testy with him because you're losing," warned Helena, wagging a finger in Cassie's direction. "You're being a very sore loser."
Cassie frowned. "I'm not losing, I almost won."
"Sure," sighed Helena. "Whatever you say, pussycat." The Queen of Hearts sat down in one of the salon chairs, a knowing gleam in her eyes when she looked at Cassie. "What's up?"
The little cat blinked. "Hmm?"
Helena gave an amused smile. "Don't mess with me, pussycat. You can't fool me. Something's up with you, what is it?"
"Um," Cassie's eyes flickered toward Gil. At the moment he was still playing with Gilzean, tossing the baby up in the air and tickling his sides when he came back into his arms. He lacked proper focus during a normal day, so surely he wouldn't overhear her talk with Helena.
"Is someone feeling a little... restless?" asked Helena, though they both knew she'd hit the mark.
Cassie nodded and stood, moving to sit in the chair beside Helena's. "I guess so. It's nothing to do with you guys, I'm just... I dunno."
Helena hummed and turned in Cassie's direction, flicking back her bangs with a swipe of her finger. "I get it, trust me. You're not used to staying still. You're used to going out at random hours of the day, and getting yourself into trouble." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Whatever you have to do, just do it. But stay out of Maddy's way, and for the love of Hades please don't go looking for Harry."
Cassie toyed with the ends of her hair, which had now been cut to her collarbone due to Helena's insistence. "What about you?" she asked, a momentary guilt welling up inside of her. The Heart girl had been kind enough to take her in, help her recover, and still allowed her to stay. She'd fed her, clothed her, and given her someone to rely on; Things Cassie hadn't had the luck to experience since her father left. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going out to look for, but things on the Isle were never certain.
"It'll be nice if you come back in the morning. If not, then that's okay too," reassured Helena. "We were doing fine before you, pussycat, and we'll be fine after. Just don't be a stranger, okay?"
A peculiar sadness began to swarm inside the little cat. This wasn't the last time she'd see Helena, if anything she'd probably see her a lot regardless of where she wound up, so why did she feel like this?
"I'll see you soon," promised Cassie, praying the Queen of Hearts knew just how grateful she was for everything she'd done for her.
Helena winked. "Of course, pussycat."
~...~...~
Cassie's journey to find something new on the Isle didn't stay sombre for long. Gil's visit to Helena's salon had only been momentary, it seemed. The moment he'd noticed her leaving he'd offered to walk with her since he'd actually been sent out on a task before coming to the salon.
"So, where are we going?" the little cat inquired, feeling a little safer now that she was walking with the son of Gaston. Sure, he was more likely to run than to fight, but he had a large build and it wasn't as if any of the other isle residents knew how scatter-brained he was.
"Oh, there's this place I need to get money from. Harry came yesterday to make a deal, he said I could do the collecting today." Gil gave a large smile, clearly pleased to have been given a worthy task.
Cassie nodded. "Where is it?" She'd realised he wasn't cutting through any of the alleyways, which meant it must've been along the main path.
Gil stopped, eyes rolling skyward. "Uh, it's called the Curl Up and something something, I don't remember the rest. But I know where it is," he exclaimed, walking once again.
They spent the remainder of their walk in silence, during which Cassie wracked her brain for an idea of where they were going. She wasn't exactly a frequent shopper on the Isle, if anything she liked to stay far away from the most active places. She'd always relied on familiarity when travelling around the Isle, certain colours or signs reminding her where she was or where she was going. She'd probably know the place when she saw it.
Eventually, Gil's steps slowed to a stop, and he turned to face Cassie. "You coming?"
The little cat looked up at the sign above a set of doors. 'Curl Up and Dye', it'd certainly seen better days. "Lady Tremaine, huh?" she muttered. Fortunately, she hadn't ever met the cranky old woman, but she'd heard some stories from Helena. They were rivals, after all. "Sure," she replied after a moment or two. "Might be fun."
A multitude of scents assaulted Cassie's nose the second she followed Gil through the lilac door. Her nose wrinkled and she fought the tickling in the back of her throat, half tempted to go and wait outside until he was done. Living with Helena for so long should've at least eased her into the bitter taste of hairspray on her tongue, or the eye-watering scent of bleach and dye, but in Lady Tremaine's salon it seemed to be ten times worse.
She trailed behind Gil as he walked down a small hallway and through a set of transparent curtains. On entry, her eyes were subjected to torment as well as her nose. It was so damn colourful, and not even purposefully. Wigs of all lengths, styles, and colours were clipped to a long line of string tacked from one side of the room to the other. On the far side of the room, Cassie could see a bathtub splattered with what she assumed was hair dye, numerous jars or containers filled with bubbling liquid attached to a metal frame above the tub. Stands and chairs were haphazardly positioned in the salon, styling tools scattered across each and every surface. Splashes of dye covered almost the entirety of the salon, so much so that the little cat had to wonder just how in Hades they were conducting business in the place.
After adjusting both her eyes and nose to the state of the salon, Cassie finally noticed it wasn't just her and Gil in the room. Dancing away on the left side of the room was a young girl, who Cassie assumed was twelve or so due to her skinny frame and small height. The youngster's dress was in the same state as the rest of the place, covered in specks and blotches of dye, and Cassie wondered if she was the main man running the salon.
When the orange-haired girl turned in their direction, Cassie saw the flash of fear in her eyes, the way her face paled as her eyes darted nervously between her and Gil. "Please don't break anything else!" she shouted, followed by a wince as a loud banging noise came from the room above. "Grandma's gonna kill me if something else happens."
For a moment, Cassie was a little bewildered. Only when she remembered Gil telling her Harry had visited the salon the day before did it sink in. "What did he do?" she inquired, her dark eyes roaming throughout the room to find a sign of destruction.
"He cracked all the mirrors," the youngster explained, her eyes rolling with annoyance. "Guess he needed some good luck."
'Oh', thought Cassie, sheepishly averting her eyes. In truth, she hadn't thought the smashed mirrors had been caused by Harry, if anything it seemed to match the chaotic state of the place.
"You're new here," the youngster noted, eyeing the little cat with intrigue. "I've never seen you before."
"I don't leave the house much," replied Cassie with a shrug. "Cassie, daughter of the Cheshire Cat. And you are?"
The youngster smiled. "Dizzy, daughter of Drizella, Granddaughter of Lady Tremaine, and stylist-in-training." The little one took small steps toward Cassie, circling the little cat when she was close enough. "I didn't know the Cheshire Cat got stuck on the Isle too."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," mumbled Cassie, turning her head to keep an eye on the younger girl. She didn't seem like much of a threat, but one could never be sure on the Isle.
"Hmm, you don't look like a pirate," the youngster pointed out, coming to stand in front of Cassie.
Cassie's lips twitched downward. "Because I'm not," she stated. "I'm just friends with one."
"Ah," muttered Dizzy, her curiosity for Cassie dwindling once she remembered Gil was also in the room with them. The youngster frowned and moved toward the till. Meanwhile, Cassie took hold of the sweeping brush Dizzy had placed against the wall.
"Is this everything?" Cassie heard Gil ask.
"Yup," the youngster sighed with displeasure. "What are you doing?"
Cassie looked up from the strands she'd been gathering along the floor. "Just keeping myself busy," she explained. She'd done it plenty of times in Helena's salon, and it didn't hurt to give Dizzy a hand while she was there.
Dizzy's brows furrowed. "Why?"
Cassie smiled. "Why not?" she retorted playfully.
The youngster blinked. "Huh."
"Well, well, what do we have here?" Cassie froze, her fingers tightening around the broom handle; There was no mistaking this voice.
"Oh! Hey, Maddy!" greeted Gil, oblivious to the little cat's conundrum.
"Gilly-boy!" the Green-haired witch exclaimed with a startling amount of enthusiasm. Although, his older brothers were a part of her crew, so it wasn't much of a stretch to assume she held some fondness for the youngest son of Gaston. "Hey there, pussycat." Maddy's voice seemed to deepen when she greeted the Cheshire Cat's daughter, in a way that meant nothing but trouble for the little cat.
Cassie - ignoring her usual urges to run for the door - finally looked up to meet Maddy's gaze. "Hi Maddy," she managed to reply, praying to Hades her voice didn't falter.
For a moment, Cassie was painfully taken back to that night in Maleficent's tower. For a second she could practically feel the dagger clutched in her hand, deafened to all except the pounding of her own heartbeat. If she tried hard enough, she could probably recall the warmth of Harry's blood on her fingers, the sweat dripping down his body as she carved into him.
"Cassie?"
It took the little cat a second to realise she'd been staring at Maddy, dark eyes glazed over as her frantic mind pushed memories she'd much rather forget to the centre of her thoughts. "Hmm?" she acknowledged in response to Gil calling her name, attempting to loosen her fingers around the handle of the broom.
"Are you coming?" he asked, still unaware of the battle going on inside Cassie's head. Any normal person would be able to tell she was uncomfortable, but the inattentive pirate was none the wiser.
Cassie had to take a moment. She was sure Gil was now heading back into pirate territory, and if so there was no way she could go with him. However, she had no desire to grant Maddy the knowledge that she now had some free time.
"My, my, what've we got here then?" Another voice Cassie would never forget. Another voice that could have her tensing up just as bad as Maddy's could.
'Oh Hades,' thought Cassie, shifting from foot to foot. She was half tempted to see if Dizzy had another mirror she could smash. After all, she needed the luck more.
There was a sudden and overwhelming tension filling up the salon, caused mainly by Harry and Maddy, though Cassie had to admit her own fault since her anxiety had soared barrier-high the second she realised she was in the presence of two Isle residents she'd been desperate to avoid.
Harry and Maddy were too similar to be able to handle being in the same room for too long. Both carried dominant personalities, unfairly blessed with a level of attractiveness most would kill for and psychotic urges they hid behind a sly smile and confident demeanour. Cassie had an inkling that Maddy held a higher power of self-control than Harry did since she was the leader of her own crew, but the little cat hadn't been around the witch enough to be able to say it with certainty. Either way, Cassie did not want the two near each other, especially when she was also stuck in the same room as them.
"Harry," drawled Maddy, head tilted to the side as her green eyes scanned his body. "I heard you were back on your feet." There wasn't much to go by where Maddy's tone was concerned, but Cassie could see the flicker of questioning in her gaze. It was understandable, of course. The last time Maddy had seen Harry he'd been on his back in Maleficent's tower, unconscious and covered in his own blood and sweat. He shouldn't have been able to move, he should've died in that tower, and clearly, the mad witch wanted to know how.
"Aye, didn' ya know? I'm a hard one to keep down," he gleefully replied, looking down at Maddy. "Had a hand as well though, o' course."
"Oh yeah?" The inquiry was there, despite how hard Maddy tried to keep her voice indifferent.
Cassie paled when Harry's head drooped to the side, the excitement in his eyes a threat to the pleading in hers. Their war was over, but he also held no loyalty toward her. If he wanted he could easily tell Maddy it was Cassie who helped him get back to the ship that night, that she'd been the one to make sure his wounds had healed. There was absolutely no reason for him to withhold her secret, or spare her from Maddy's wrath. If anything Cassie was sure he'd experience great pleasure from starting a battle between her and Maddy, since he himself could no longer hunt her down.
"Surprise, kitty, kitty," was what he sang instead. "Bet ya didn' think I'd be seein' ya again, eh?" Cassie was sure the disbelief written all over her face was amusing to him. He wasn't wrong though, she had hoped to never see him again.
"Don't worry, pussycat," assured Maddy, her lips twitching into a smirk. "I'm sure he's learned his lesson now."
Since Cassie was still trapped in Harry's gaze, she noticed the momentary falter in his expression, the stubborn predator who'd chased her through the Isle peeking through for a split second. "Aye," he responded, the mask slipping back into place as soon as he turned to face Maddy. "Ya'll be learnin' too... soon." The rage in Maddy's eyes was instant, but when she took a threatening step forward, Harry turned back to Cassie. "Uma wants ta see ya."
The little cat wasn't entirely sure what the Captain wanted with her, but she needed to get out of this situation with Maddy, and she'd be an idiot to not get out as soon as a door opened up.
"She's not part of your shit show, she doesn't have to go with you," spat Maddy, crossing her arms. Cassie would've appreciated the defence in any other situation, but she could tell that Maddy wasn't doing this just to get her out of a sticky situation. There was a motive there, one Cassie wasn't sure she wanted to know about.
"True, but she isn' part of your crew either, is she?" retorted the pirate, standing toe to toe with the mad witch.
The two descended into a stand-off, aqua-green battling ocean-blue as the pair stared each other down. Meanwhile, as Dizzy and Gil watched the altercation, Cassie took this moment to set aside the broom she'd been holding. "So... I'm gonna head out," she eventually told the group, stepping around Harry and Maddy so she could finally make an exit.
Cassie moved fast and didn't attempt to stop even when she was outside. She might've been the cause of the animosity between Maddy and Harry, but that didn't mean she had to stick around for the aftermath. All she wanted was to put as much space between herself and Lady Tremaine's salon.
A ruckus echoing from one of the alleyways had the little cat turning, deciding to walk up along the main path in the hopes of staying away from even more trouble. The Isle could be incredibly peaceful when the sun went down, but she didn't want to tempt fate further.
"Stupid pirates," she mumbled to herself, strolling through the closed marketplace. She weaved between boxes and avoided strips of cloth dangling from the ceiling, doing her best to remain quiet despite her audible displeasure. "This is what happens when you get bored, dumbass." She slowed to a stop when she eventually came out of the marketplace, leaning back against the wall.
Cassie hadn't been too sure what she was looking for when she left Helena's place, but it certainly hadn't been stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her eyes scanned her surroundings as her fingers began to twitch, the tickling in the back of her mind making an appearance now that she was no longer in immediate danger. Her gaze eventually zeroed in on a yellow sign attached to the wall, reading 'Danger, Flying Rocks'. It'd been dented beyond belief, and she fleetingly wondered if this was how other villain kids released their pent-up anger.
The Cheshire Cat's daughter had never been one for violence, at least not until Harry crept out of the woodwork. She'd always relied more on flight than fight, and before the back and forth with Harry she hadn't ever had to hurt someone else. If there was a moment she was feeling particularly agitated or angry, she usually slept on it and waited for it to disappear, rather than destroy meaningless objects. She'd never really seen the appeal in it anyway.
'Maybe,' the little cat thought, 'Just this once'. She could see a few rocks placed on a table right next to her, evidence that the beaten sign was in frequent use. Sure, causing so much noise at such a late hour would probably draw anger from any residents living in the area, but she could run whenever she wanted.
Cassie hesitantly picked up one of the rocks, lightly tossing it up in the air and catching it when it came back down. Without giving it too much thought, Cassie drew back her arm and launched the rock. It collided with the sign with an echoing 'clang', causing the little cat to flinch as she swiftly inspected her surroundings. Thankfully, it seemed no one was around this area at this time of night.
A startling screeching sound had Cassie jumping away from the wall, her nervous gaze focussing on the rusty gate attached to the same building as the sign. The clattering as the gate ascended was deafening at the late hour. If someone hadn't heard her throwing the rock at the sign, then they'd have surely heard the gate lifting.
Cassie inspected the stairway on the other side of the gate, her curious nature urging her to go further. There was a moment of hesitation, of course; She wasn't a complete idiot. A secret entrance to a dark stairway couldn't possibly be anything good, and yet her mind still pushed. "Fine," she relented, though not without a pinch of unease. "Just a quick peak."
~...~...~
Uma slouched lower on her throne, legs comfortably thrown over one of the arms. She had hoped to gain a moment of relaxation during her 10-minute break from serving, and yet it didn't seem to matter how hard she tried, her mind wouldn't let her rest. Though her crew tried their best to ease her worries and distract her - something she was extremely grateful for - nothing seemed to work.
For two weeks her first mate had hardly left her side... though not entirely by his own choice. After he'd woken from sleep, and the finicky little cat had ensured his wounds had healed, Uma had insisted - more so demanded - he remain either inside the ship or inside the shoppe. This of course spurred an argument between the two, in which Uma spat that he was a stubborn idiot and he remarked that she was an unnecessarily concerned ass. Thankfully, their spat didn't last long. It ended the moment Uma pointed out he'd be acting the exact same way had their situations been switched, and he'd soon relented.
During his first week on 'lockdown', Harry had managed to keep himself occupied. He'd been helping Uma in her mother's shoppe, cooking and serving, generally helping wherever he was needed. This was mainly his way of proving to his Captain that he could move around without causing himself pain, and though it'd annoyed her greatly she was partly relieved. Then, after Uma had been finally swayed to allow him more freedom, he began training with the rest of the crew. Of course, seeing him overexert himself stressed out the Captain. By this point, his wounds had healed to scars, but Uma had no way of knowing if Cassie's magic healed the inside as well as it did the outside, and for a few days she worried he'd somehow damage something important during his fights with the crew. Thankfully, no such thing happened.
By the time his second week came around Uma was just about ready to throw him to the sharks. It was no surprise to anyone that Harry was easily agitated, and being stuck in one place only made him more unbearable. Customers began to dwindle due to Harry's bad temper, to the point where even their own crew had decided to steer clear of the Chip Shoppe. Any customers brave enough to enter the establishment were forced to tread carefully, lest they further tempt the high-strung pirate. He never took it out on Uma, of course, despite the fact she was the main cause of his torment. Instead, his treatment of her was - in her mind at least - worse than how he acted with the others. He'd followed her around for days, like a stray cat she'd made the mistake of feeding one time. He'd whinge and rant and go on and on about his health having fully returned and that he was ready to begin walking the Isle streets once more. And so, after a week of his incessant nagging, Uma had finally relinquished his freedom.
The idea of Harry wandering about the Isle during the day didn't bother her that much. Sure, she worried about him, but as his Captain that was her duty. Unfortunately, his decision to go and find Gil while the rest of the Isle slept caused the Captain an irritating amount of alarm. This was only natural, though, since the last time he'd disappeared at this time of night he'd returned beaten and on the brink of death. The only thing Uma could do to avoid leaving her territory and finding him herself was reassure herself that things were different now. His ongoing feud with Cassie was over, and he was more than capable of saving himself from a sticky situation. Plus, Uma hoped that his last battle had humbled him slightly, and had reminded him that while he was strong and incredibly skilled with a sword, he could still be overpowered if he didn't think things through.
The Captain fiddled with her pendant, her eyes flickering to the entrance once more with the hope he'd return soon.
"Are ya waitin' for me, Cap'n?"
Uma tensed only for a moment before the voice finally registered in her mind, and soon her entire body began to relax. "Of course not," she mumbled in reply, though they both knew it was a lie. "How'd it go?" Her tone was clearer this time, her concerns pushed to the back of her mind now that he was within her reach again.
"Fine," the first mate replied, pulling up a stool so that he could sit next to her. "Nothin' I couldn' handle." Harry appeared to be his normal self, but on closer inspection, Uma could see something was on his mind.
"Something happened," noted the Captain, her thoughts running in circles. "Tell me."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I tol' ya, nothin'-"
"Gil!" shouted Uma, putting a stop to her best friend's lie before it could even begin. When the son of Gaston jogged over to where she sat, his mouth stuffed with what she assumed were eggs, she demanded the truth from him. "What did you do tonight?"
Gil's eyes clenched shut as he attempted to swallow down what was left in his mouth, bringing up a hand to thump his chest. "Well," he began with a strain, raising a hand to count off the night's events on his fingers. "First, I left the shoppe. Then I went to Helena's place to see Gilzean - oh! He's gotten so big now, seriously, I think he's gonna start walking soon-" Uma frowned and cleared her throat, her usual reminder for him when he began to trail off. "Oh! Right! Uh, then I went to Lady Tremaine's place. Then that kid gave me the money you wanted, and Cassie started sweeping-"
"Cassie," the Captain repeated, earning a nod from Gil. A dark smile slithered onto her face, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Harry fidgeting in his seat. "Keep going," she urged Gil.
"Um, sure. Then Maddy came into the place-"
"The same Maddy who attacked Harry a few weeks ago?" Her feigned curiosity was for Gil alone, though she was sure Harry could sense the underlying fury.
"Yup!" Poor Gil seemed to have no idea what he was sparking between Harry and Uma, and he was so deep in his recount of the night's events that he didn't notice the wide-eyed stare of his hook-wielding friend. "Then Harry and Maddy did that staring thing, you know the one? When you wanna fight but you can't fight, that one! And then Cassie left. Then Maddy left. Then me and Harry came here."
Uma chuckled mirthlessly. "Right, that's a hell of a night, huh?" She spared her first mate a glance and found him staring down at his boots. "Everyone out!" she yelled, standing from her throne. It was already so late that only her crew remained, and after years of having her as Captain they learned to scamper when she was in one of her 'moods'.
"Uma-"
The Captain hardly gave him the time to speak or defend himself. The very second the doors closed behind her last crew member she turned on her friend, her small fists pummelling his chest with a strength she only saved for the rarest of occasions. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" she screamed, ignoring the voice in the back of her head that warned her against hurting him further. "You swore to me that this was over!" Gil knew better than to get between Uma and Harry, and he'd put some distance between himself and Uma's flailing fists the moment she began.
Harry did nothing, at least not at first. He was more than aware he'd fucked up by going anywhere near Cassie again, and so he allowed his Captain her moment to release some pent-up aggression. When her thumps began to cause him pain, however, he swiftly gripped her wrists, gentle enough as to not cause her any harm, but tight enough to stop her from hitting him. "I'm sorry, Cap'n. I swear ta ya, I didn' plan on findin' Cassie." He bent down to meet Uma's gaze, hoping she knew he'd never break an oath he'd made to her.
"You did," stated Uma, tugging her wrists from his grasp. Her anger faded and gave way to exhaustion. "Even if you didn't mean to, you were hoping. Weren't you?" His eyes flickered to the corner of the room, the sigh he allowed to pass through his lips giving her the answer. "What is it about Cassie? I need to understand, Harry."
The first mate groaned, lowering to perch on the stool. "I've got no idea," he admitted, his expression twisting into a grimace. "Can' seem ta get her out of my head."
"Aww," cooed Gil. "He's got a crush." His smile disappeared when he earned warning glares from his Captain and Harry.
"Not a crush," seethed Harry, rolling his eyes. "I dunno what it is."
"Well, it's not a crush," said Uma, settling back onto her throne. "It's an obsession. I mean, let's look at the facts here. She humiliated you, stole from you, and bested you." She counted down the events on her fingers.
"Ya're a delight sometimes," grumbled Harry. "Are ya goin' somewhere with this?"
"You can't get her out of your head because a part of you still wants to win, Harry. You can't accept that Cassie won," the Captain explained. "You're taking it personally this time." She was right. Harry had been in numerous fights and fumbles with plenty of other V.K's on the Isle, and they usually went about the same way. Someone would start a fight, then the other would retaliate somehow, and on and on it went. If there was an opportunity to get back at the other they'd take it in an instant, but Harry had never gotten this involved before. Never before had he sought out his rival in the way he'd hunted down Cassie.
"What's happenin' ta me, Uma?" There was a plead to his voice that he hadn't used in a very, very long time.
"Aww, Harry." Her amusement was plain as day. "You've found yourself a worthy rival. Congrats!"
Harry stared back at Uma, a brow raised. "Ya what now?"
The Captain smiled, genuinely this time. "Cassie's the perfect rival, at least in your head. She's clever, she's fast, and ruthless when she needs to be. People usually don't come back and shove you twice but she just kept coming and coming. Do you think she's not obsessed with you too?" Uma shook her head. "Cassie's not stupid, she knows how to hide on the Isle. If she didn't care then she would've kept hiding after you raided her stash, but she didn't. She sneaked into the ship and took back her treasure, even when she knew what would happen if she did. Hell, she'd make a pretty good pirate."
Whether she'd meant it to or not, Uma's ending words sparked an idea in Harry's head. In fact, he felt pretty stupid for never having thought of it before. A way for him to get back at Cassie for having the audacity to take him on, without killing her, of course. "Hmm, ya're right."
Uma nodded. "I know."
"No, not that... well, ya were onto somethin' with what ya said, but the last bit." A manic grin took over once more, his eyes alight with a twisted kind of joy. One Uma did not like the look of.
"Please tell me you're kidding," the Captain whined. When Harry shook his head, and she saw his eyes glaze over, she realised he was deadly serious this time. "You're crazy."
"Oh, c'mon Cap'n," he implored, dropping to his knees in front of her. "Ya said it yarself. She's clever, fast, ruthless, an' ya gotta admit she's got some nifty tricks up her sleeve. Imagine the things we could do with her on our side!"
Harry made some good points. With proper training, Cassie had the potential to become a valuable member of Uma's crew. If she hadn't tried to kill her best friend Uma was sure she'd have scouted the little cat at some point. If Uma was sure her first mate had settled his battle with Cassie then she couldn't ignore the temptation of having her on the crew; Numbers were short, after all. However, since Harry wouldn't be able to kill or hurt Cassie if she was on the crew - since she'd technically be one of them - Uma had only one question fluttering around her brain.
"And what would you get out of this?" she inquired.
Harry's dangerous smile grew wider, if that were even possible. "I'd have her under my control, Cap'n. She'd be part o' your crew, o' course, but I'll be tha one to tame her." He chuckled. "I'll be tha one to put out Cassie's fire."
Uma could see he'd thought this plan through, even in such a short time frame, and when Harry was this fired up about something it was almost impossible to get him to drop it. She could also see exactly where his devious mind was coming from. If Cassie joined the crew then she'd have to bow down to Harry since he was first mate, and he'd finally win this stupid 'game' the two had been playing. "There's no way she'll join," she pointed out. "Cassie doesn't seem like the type to be tied down."
"Ya're right about that one. But what if she didn' have a choice? What if she had nowhere else ta turn?"
Uma's brows furrowed in confusion. "How would we do that?"
Harry took Uma's hand in his own, thankful he'd gotten her blessing to continue with his plan, and placed a gentle kiss against her knuckles. "Jus' leave it ta me, Uma. She'll come runnin' soon enough."
~...~...~
Cassie had no idea what could be hiding at the top of the staircase. She hadn't seen any gang tags along the walls during her ascent, so for the time being she stayed hopeful. Her footsteps remained light as she climbed, praying she didn't alert anyone who might be waiting around at the top.
At this point in her life, Cassie would've assumed she'd know better than to go snooping around new - and potentially dangerous - places. The entrance to the stairway had been very well hidden, so naturally one would presume it belonged to someone who didn't want it to be found. The little cat also had no idea if whoever it was still resided somewhere along the stairwell. Investigating this place hadn't been her stupidest idea, but it was definitely somewhere along the list.
After Cassie passed many empty platforms on her way to the top, with nothing interesting contained in the numerous boxes she had to sidestep, her curiosity began to wane. Just as she was about to give up and return to Helena's place, she came to a faded door on the last platform. There had been a few entrances along the other floors but they were all boarded shut, and when she peeked through the gaps she could see that there was nothing but trash and unsteady flooring, which she knew she'd fall through the moment she climbed in and stepped on it. The paint on the door in front of her was well past chipping, and the doorknob was rusty and stiff, but Cassie could see the streaks across the floor where it would open, a confirmation that this place was - or at least had been - used rather frequently.
The Cheshire Cat's daughter hesitated, peering back over her shoulder to assess the drop. If there was someone inside, and they decided to hurt her, she couldn't possibly jump down from this height. Her best bet would be to climb down using the outer railings and release when she was close enough to fall without being hurt, or she could haul ass down the stairs and hope she didn't trip over her own feet. She frowned at the thought, knowing both options couldn't guarantee success, and there was still a possibility she'd be caught or killed.
The little cat leaned forward against the door, pressing her ear to the surface. She closed her eyes and inhaled a soothing breath, straining to hear any inclination that there was someone on the inside. She stayed like this for at least two minutes and eventually determined that no one was inside. There was no guarantee, of course, it was quite late and there was a chance whoever it was was sleeping. So, she knocked, loud enough to get the attention of the resident but not so loud it would draw attention to the fact someone was up there. If she heard even the faintest sound from inside then she'd run.
Not even a ruckus of some sort could be heard, so she knocked once more just to be sure. Again, nothing. Cassie's fingers twitched as she reached for the doorknob, goosebumps raising along her arms. Her stomach wound in knots, though she couldn't tell if it was from excitement or fear. Maybe both? The handle gave an uncomfortable screech-like noise as she turned it, and it took a few hard yanks for her to open the door enough to make room to slip through, but eventually, she was inside.
Cassie left the door slightly ajar on the off-chance she'd have to book it out of there, and she carefully stepped inside. It was incredibly dark, and since she was so high up in the building none of the lights from outside managed to shine through and illuminate the room. Her hands trembled as she felt along the wall for a switch, but she didn't have to look for long.
When the light flickered on, Cassie found herself in a simple entrance, an archway to her right leading into yet another room. The wall directly in front of her was a faded grey, as were the others, though it held a rather large detail that gave the little cat an idea of whose domain she'd stepped into.
A sentence had been spray-painted onto the wall in swamp-like green, though incredibly artistically. 'Rotten to the Core', it read. Cassie hadn't heard those words in a few months, but she could vividly remember it being proudly shouted from the room below hers back in Maleficent's tower.
Before leaving Maleficent's castle, Cassie hadn't known anything that was going on on the Isle. Only when she began spending time with Helena did she come to find out why there'd been such a beautiful display over in Auradon. The daughter of Maleficent, daughter of the Evil Queen, son of Jafar, and son of Cruella had become full-time students at a school on the other side of the barrier. It'd been a shock to many of the Isle residents, mainly due to the fact their gang had been the ruling one back when they were on the Isle. They'd been ruthless, cunning, and any other trait a poster-perfect child of the Isle required. For whatever reason, a mere week on the other side had been enough for the group to realise they didn't want to be 'evil' anymore, and so they'd publicly announced their decision to remain in Auradon and abandon the Isle. Cassie, however, could see why. The Isle was dirty, poverty-ridden, and incredibly dangerous. Auradon - from what she'd been fortunate enough to see on Helena's salon T.V. - was beautiful, safe, and welcoming.
Cassie came further into the building, walking through the archway into a much larger room. Again, she located the light switch. The artwork from the front entrance was nothing compared to that covering the walls further in. Incredible portraits of Mal and her gang decorated each and every wall, and Cassie could see their infamous words and long thorny vines scattered here and there. The entire place had been designed and decorated specifically for them, with streaks of purple, blue, green, and red covering the majority of objects inside the room.
"Holy shit," giggled Cassie, intrigue and excitement completely overwhelming the little cat. She'd found herself quite the treasure trove.
~...~...~
"Hi sweetie," cooed Helena, reaching down to lift Gilzean from his crib. "Is someone hungry?" Her voice was light and soothing, something reserved only for her favourite little human. The baby smiled and gurgled, patting his mother's cheeks gently. "Yes, you are. C'mon, let's have some breakfast." She carried the youngster into the dinner room and settled him down into the baby chair, where he immediately dug into the food she'd prepared earlier for him. Now that he was occupied with his food, however, the Queen of Hearts was left to her own troubling thoughts.
The Cheshire Cat's daughter hadn't returned to the salon. Helena hoped Cassie had found whatever it was she was so eager to go looking for, but she couldn't ignore the taunting 'what-ifs'. Harry was on the no-go list, of course, but there was always someone else on the Isle just waiting to prove themselves by taking out the nearest V.K., and Cassie would be an enticing target. Helena could do nothing but reassure herself that Cassie had spent many years alone on the Isle without her, and she was capable of getting herself out of a sticky spot if she needed to. As a mother, though, Helena couldn't help but let her mind run wild. She'd been looking after Cassie for a while and had started to see the little cat as an adopted member of the family. On this morning, with nothing but Gilzean's happy babbling to fill the silence, Helena felt Cassie's departure now more than the night before.
A startling 'thud' from the front door caused the Queen of Hearts to jump in her chair. At first, she hoped it'd been a mistake, a drunk falling against her door as he made his way home. When the noise continued Helena realised there was someone knocking - no, pounding on her front door, rather frantically from the sounds of things.
Helena's heart began to race. She was quick to pull a dagger from beneath the dinner table before making her way toward the front door, pulling down the curtains behind her to hide Gilzean from whoever it was at this time of the morning.
"Helena!"
The Queen of Hearts paused. She knew that voice. "Gaston?" she yelled back in question, slowly lowering her dagger.
"Who else?!"
Helena's forehead creased, her lips pursing in utter annoyance. "Are you out of your mind?" she exclaimed, rushing to remove the bolts and locks on the front door. "You scared the shit out of me!" As soon as she opened the door her boyfriend shoved his way in, slamming the door behind him.
"You're okay?" he wheezed, clearly having run from wherever he'd been. The concern in his gaze was unmistakable, along with his gentle touch when he placed his hands on either side of her face. "Gil... is he okay?"
Helena frowned. "He's fine. What's going on?" she inquired, her former anxiety returning with a vengeance. "Is it Cassie?"
Gaston Jr shook his head. "No, it's Ginny." He swallowed and tucked a strand of her behind Helena's ear. "It's bad, baby. The pirates... I think they're retaliating for what we did to Harry. I had to make sure you guys were okay."
"Is Ginny okay?" asked Helena, leading her boyfriend over to one of the salon chairs. He was clearly exhausted and needed to calm down for a minute.
Gaston shook his head and carefully tugged Helena forward, his arms wrapping around her the second she was perched on his lap. "She's gonna be out for a long time. Maddy found her in Maleficent's tower, where we had Harry. She was in the same state we left him in... baby, she looks so bad." He nuzzled his head into the space between her neck and shoulder, holding her tight. Outside of the salon, an act like this would be unbearably humiliating, but while indoors Helena was more than happy to comfort him in any way she could.
"Hold on." The Queen of Hearts paled, her fingers pausing as they ran through his short hair. "You've lost one of the crew?"
"Do you have to say it like that?" the son of Gaston snapped.
Helena glared. "I'm looking at it through someone else's eyes, humour me," she scolded, earning a mumble of displeasure from her boyfriend. "You've lost one of your crew. Your lure, some would say the attractive one of the group."
"Hey!"
Helena continued. "Maddy has to be foaming at the mouth."
"Yeah, she wants to get back at them somehow. Ginny doesn't seem like she'll be waking up any time soon. Sophie's doing her best but there's only so much she can do," he replied.
"I hate to say it, but what if she doesn't wake up?" Helena hadn't ever truly liked Ginny, but that didn't mean she was completely unaffected by this entire situation.
"Knowing Maddy? She'll be looking for someone new before Ginny's even cold."
'Someone new,' thought Helena, allowing his words to sit in her mind for a moment. Then, her eyes widened fearfully, and she jumped up from Gaston's lap. "We have to find Cassie!"
AN;
Hello wonderful readers! It's been a while!
First things first, I want to apologise for letting almost four years go by without an update. I got sucked into the BTS fandom, and once a hyper fixation kicks in I just have to ride it out. Plus, there were a few real-life problems I had to deal with. The writer's block was also horrendous! (SideNote: I got into One Piece recently and that yanked me back into the pirate world, so thank the gods for that!)
I downloaded Grammarly recently so I could keep a closer eye on any errors and whatnot, so if anything in the story seems out of place just let me know and I'll do my best to fix it.
Review Acknowledgement Time:
CallMeDelia; I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!
ShipperandFanficer15; Thank you for your review! I love writing about the dynamic between Harry and Cassie, so it's great to see you also enjoy it.
Guest; Hi there! As you can see in this chapter, Cassie tells Helena the truth right away. Their friendship is pretty healthy, and since Cassie doesn't have anyone else to rely on she'll always turn to Helena for advice. As for the others, they didn't care what happened to Harry's body after what they did.
TwinsConspiracy; Hi! Cassie's relationship with Uma and the crew will definitely be developing more throughout the story, but it won't all be smooth sailing.
edrch; I'm so glad you like the story! Yes, the story's quite dark compared to the movies. I always think about what the films could've been like had they been aimed at an older audience.
Min234; Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thankfully, Harry and Cassie have stopped trying to hurt each other, but their rivalry isn't over just yet.
Guest; Thank you for the review!
AliceinWonderland13; I'm so happy you're enjoying the story! Slowburns are a killer (I read a lot so I understand the frustration). I hope you like this chapter.
Guest; I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!
TheWorldInaDay; Thank you for your review! I also agree. When I first heard about the movie I was so excited to see the children of characters I'd grown up watching, and I couldn't help but wonder what would've happened with the movies had they been for an older audience. I feel like there's so much more they could've gone into, especially for the kids on the Isle growing up.
OceanWaves22; I'm glad you enjoy the story! Maddy is out of her mind, and I really love writing out her character. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
lovly39; Hi there! I never had any intention to drop this story. Unfortunately, things got in the way, but I'm hoping to keep the chapters coming for a while.
LottieLue1; Thank you for your review! I did add a little Gaston/Helena to the end of this chapter so I hope you liked it.
Alessandra.12; I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Guest; Hi! Thank you for the lovely review. I apologise for taking so long with the next chapter, but I really hope you enjoyed this one.
Kim; Thank you for the review! I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far.
Heaven's Mistake; Hi there! I'm happy you're enjoying the story. I was worried about how people would respond given how dark things are in the story, so I'm relieved you're enjoying it.
Dear Chaos; First, your review was wonderful, it was perfect. Cassie and Harry have stopped trying to kill each other, but they've both still got some tricks left. I can't say too much about the Maddy and Cassie interaction, but there will be more. Uma has the patience of a saint, to be honest, I don't think I'd put up with any of Harry's crap.
GrimPure; Thank you for the review! The majority of characters you see in this fic are 16 going on 17, aside from Helena and the Gaston twins, who are 18 years old.
Guest; Hi! 'Soul Marked' is such a good fanfic, and thank you for taking the time to check out this one. Thank you also for the wonderful review!
Nina3Kpop; I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
LittleAngel2292; Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.
Anastasiapoly; I'm so happy you're enjoying the story! The tension between Cassie and Harry will come back around eventually, they just need to go through some things first :)
brynnrose98; Hi! Thank you so much for your lovely review! I hope you liked this chapter.
Anyway, please leave me a PM or review to let me know what you think of this chapter. Let me know if there's anything else you guys would like to see from this story, I'm always open to different ideas. Much love to everyone who's favourited, followed, or reviewed this story, you guys are amazing!
(If you spot any typos or misspells feel free to let me know so I can correct it. Thanks)