The following evening, Cassie went back to Uma's shop. Before leaving the evening before, the captain had asked Cassie to come back the next day since they had to discuss 'living spaces' and introduce Cassie to the pirate who'd be teaching her their ways. Meeting whoever it was Uma had ordered to help her settle into their crew made sense; it was 'living spaces' that had the little cat's attention. Uma didn't actually think Cassie was going to move in with the pirates, did she?

With disbelief, the little cat questioned, "You're not serious?"

Uma's devious smile was appalling as she replied, "As a whistle on a ship."

Unfamiliar with pirate terms, Cassie was rather baffled by Uma's reply. Nonetheless, she could tell the captain wasn't messing around with her. "I already have a place," she exclaimed, ignoring the tickle against the back of her neck.

"And what? We don't know where it is," Uma pointed out with a shrug.

"Yeah!" groaned Cassie. "Because your bestie's a psycho!" The irritating sensation that returned to Cassie's nape was rather comedic in its timing. "Would you knock that shit off?!" she yelled at the being standing right behind her, far closer than anything she was comfortable with.

"Sorry," the hook-wielding pirate muttered, though they both knew that was far from the truth. "Am I makin' ya uncomfy?" He lowered his chin to rest on her bare shoulder, raising his hand to drag the point of his hook across her throat.

"If I say yes, will you back off?" snapped Cassie, refusing to look him in the eye. It'd only encourage this behaviour.

"Eh, not really."

Cassie stared pleadingly at Uma. "Can you teach him some of the basics of personal space?"

Thankfully, Uma wasn't in the mood to allow him this. "Give her some room, Harry."

"Thank you," sighed Cassie. "Look, I said I'd join your crew to get Maddie off my back. I didn't say I'd move in, and neither did you!"

Uma 'tsked'. "My terms were in the fine print."

"And so were mine," stated Cassie, resting her right arm on the bar beside them. "How about I tell you where I'm staying, and you don't tell shadow over there?"

The captain's eyes rolled skyward. "Hm, nope. Look, it takes trust to be a part of a crew. We can't trust you if you don't trust us." At least this time, Uma seemed a tad bit more empathetic.

Cassie groaned, "Uma." In some way, she could understand where the captain was coming from. To be part of a group on the Isle meant trusting that group to come to your defence, and in return, you'd do the same. Naturally, the little cat held more than a few uncertainties when it came to Harry and him knowing her living space, so the very notion of allowing him to know exactly where she slept and sought safety set her nerves on fire.

"What's the hang-up, pussycat?" asked Uma, rather impatiently.

The little cat inhaled, releasing a slow breath a second later. "You're asking me to trust you with my life," she laughed, though there was no humour in it. "No, actually, you're asking me to trust Harry, of all people, with my life. That's a big ask."

Uma gave a slow nod, though Cassie could see the gears in her mind turning. "Aren't you already doing that, though?" She said it pointedly, earning a frown of confusion from Cassie.

"How so?"

Uma shrugged. "You joined the crew to get away from Maddie and her goons. Because of the protection we could offer you. What do you think comes with that?" she asked.

Cassie's brows furrowed. "I don't actually know," she admitted. "All I knew was that Maddie wanted me, and I had to join someone else so she couldn't have me."

"Oh, pussycat," chuckled Uma, somewhat patronisingly. "I keep forgetting you're a baby out here. Maddie's not gonna stop gunning for you just because you've joined our crew."

Cassie paused. "Um, what?"

"No one on the Isle likes to lose, Cassie," stressed Uma slowly, as if she were talking to a kid. "Helena should've told you how it works. If one gang wants someone and another gang wants someone, they usually end up fighting to win that person."

"Yeah, she did mention it," said Cassie, gently scratching her fingers across her scalp. "But she said that hasn't happened in a long time."

"True," agreed the captain. "But you're seriously underestimating your value here, pussycat. You're fast—on your feet and in your head. You can turn into a damn cat, to boot, so you can get in and out of trouble in a pinch. No one on the Isle thinks twice about cats, so there's so much info you could get your paws on if you wanted to."

"Huh," the little cat mumbled. She hadn't really thought of it that way before. "Still, starting a war with your crew seems a little... too much."

"It was gonna happen sooner or later," said Uma, rather indifferent to it considering the fact they were discussing a turf war. "We're taking over Mal's old hunting ground; things like that happen in these types of situations. You coming around just moved it up a notch."

"So, what you're saying is that, at some point, you guys and Maddie's gang are gonna fight it out?" asked Cassie.

Uma nodded. "Pretty much. News travels fast on the Isle, so she's probably already heard you're one of ours now. The first month or so is typically the worst—for you at least."

Cassie's stomach turned. "Why's that?"

"Because your head's not totally sure where it's at right now. You've joined us, but not completely. You haven't even had your initiation yet. She's gonna come looking for you, pussycat. She'll do everything she can to try to turn your head, make you think you've made the wrong choice, and convince you that her gang is where you should be. She might try an' take you too, keep you locked up until you can only choose her. You lucked out being friends with Helena; she's untouchable to Maddie unless she wants to lose another one of her gang."

Something clicked in Cassie's brain. "That's why you're telling me to live out here with you guys."

"Yup. It makes it easier for us to find you too. But if I'm gonna be able to keep you safe, I have to make sure her goons can't get you," explained Uma.

"This really fucking stinks," moaned the little cat, dropping her head to rest on her arm.

"Yeah, well, you made those choices," the captain pointed out. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Cassie rolled her eyes. She'd already known what she was going to have to do when she realised why Uma wanted her in pirate territory. But she really, really didn't like it. "Well, I guess I'm moving again."

"You're kidding?"

Cassie gently shook her head from side to side, her lips forming a pitiful pout. With her chin resting on her folded arms, she was sure she was quite the picture of utter distress. After spending the evening with Uma's crew—her crew, now—an hour of decompressing with Helena was well-deserved.

"Stop looking so happy," grumbled the little cat.

Helena was clearly fighting against a smile, but she failed spectacularly. "I'm sorry, pussycat, really," she assured, though the giggle that escaped when she spoke said otherwise. "But you did bring this on yourself."

"I know," whined Cassie.

Her evening with the pirates hadn't been entirely eventful. After reluctantly confirming with Uma that she'd move onto pirate territory, the captain summoned Gil to show Cassie where the crew stayed. As it happened, Cassie would be staying in one of Uma's rooms on board her ship. According to Gil, there were around three rooms on Uma's ship. One belonged to Harry, though Cassie hadn't needed that reminder; she remembered their first meeting just fine. Uma, of course, had the other. Whenever she got sick and tired of staying in her room above the shoppe, she'd head into the ship for some down time or some Isle-related scheming. This left one room free, though it'd seemed like more of a broom closet than a room. Barely enough space to swing a cat, with a small table next to a squeaky cot pushed up against the wall. But beggars couldn't be choosers, and Cassie wasn't exactly in the place to be picky.

After giving Cassie a quick tour of Uma's ship, Gil took her back to the shoppe to meet her 'teacher'. Cassie's teacher turned out to be another girl, around the same age as Helena. With fluffy light-brown hair held back by an orange bandana, a ripped lilac shirt, and pink jeans torn at the knees, she'd introduced herself as Starla, the daughter of one of Captain Hook's crew. Initially, Cassie worried the girl would hold some sort of resentment towards her. She was undoubtedly loyal to Harry if her father was a member of Hook's crew. After a brief conversation, Cassie found out otherwise. Starla was oddly bubbly for a pirate and incredibly excited for the simple fact that another girl was joining the crew. Apparently, there were more boys on the crew than girls, and while treatment was based solely on skill rather than gender—obviously, since Uma was captain—having another girl on the crew was a good start at evening out the playing field.

Uma had explained to Cassie that Starla was the best teacher for her. The girl was hopped up on coffee most of the time, so pulling an all-nighter was nothing new for her, and she had more energy than she knew what to do with. This was further proven by the way Starla talked—long-winded rants with only a second between to take a breath. And, while she was as close to a ray of sunshine as the Isle was ever going to get, she was shockingly ruthless when it came to fights. For this, Cassie needed no demonstration, she was willing to take Uma's word for it.

Sitting down with Starla, Cassie came to find out that the crew knew almost everything about her. The pirate girl was overjoyed to learn that Cassie would be learning from her, and she gushed about how fascinated she had been by her battle with Harry ever since it had reached the crew. Cassie found out from Starla that oftentimes things grew rather boring around pirate territory. It was fishing, fighting, or duelling all the time. One of their own fighting against an 'outsider' for so long was almost unheard of since Uma's ongoing feud with the Core Four. For whatever reason, Cassie and Harry's dispute had been quite the source of entertainment for the crew.

"How's it going with Harry?" asked Helena, resting her forearm on the table beside her.

Cassie rolled her eyes. Fortunately, Harry had returned to the ship shortly after she had returned to the shop to meet Starla. Like a fly lingering in the room, he was nothing more than an annoyance thus far. When she'd been talking with Uma, though, he'd been relentless, hovering close by and occasionally running his hook along the back of her neck. While he was restrained by Uma's orders, Cassie knew there were plenty of other ways for him to get under her skin. It didn't bother her too much, though. He wasn't allowed to kill her or hurt her, and she could just as easily burn him back when he got too argumentative. So, all things considered, she was quite lucky in that regard.

"It's fine," sighed Cassie. "He can't hurt me, not until my four months are up."

Helena frowned. "That's not great," she pointed out.

"No," agreed Cassie. "But I might be able to hold my own by then."

This was something else she'd learned from Starla. The newcomers would be initiated into the crew as full members after the four months were up. They achieved this by putting the hopeful initiate in a duel with any existing crew member. If the newcomer could last in a fight with the challenging pirate, they were worthy of being a part of Uma's pirates. There was no question about what happened during these battles. Cassie knew with certainty that it was a bloody and messy affair; she'd expect nothing less from the pirates. Starla had tried to reassure her with the fact that no one had been killed during one of Uma's duels and that it was incredibly rare in even the older pirate crews. This, however, didn't ease Cassie's worry. She and Harry had been at each other's throats since the day they met, and even now, their distaste for each other runs higher than the border of the barrier. He was itching for an opportunity to put her down, she could tell. And now he had four months to get ready for it.

"Uma told me they're gonna have to fight Maddie eventually," said Cassie regretfully. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Helena smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, Gaston's a part of Maddie's gang. He might get hurt."

"Yeah, he might," whispered Helena, her brows furrowing for a moment. "But it's a risk we take on the Isle. Making friends here or getting into relationships here—it's not for the weak. Some would say otherwise, though. It takes a lot to trust someone that way. Every time he leaves, I have to think about what I'm gonna do if he doesn't come back."

Cassie stared up at Helena, bewildered. "Then why do it?!" she exclaimed. "Doesn't it drive you crazy?"

"Of course," laughed Helena. "That's what love is here. It's twisted, and it hurts like hell, but it's so worth it." Her brown eyes glazed over, a wistful gleam passing through them.

A faint smile stretched Cassie's lips. It was cute, really, the way Helena talked about Gaston Jr. Somehow, on this brutal Isle they called home, they'd found each other. They'd made themselves a little family, and despite not seeing each other as often as they'd like, they were still so enamoured with each other.

"If it comes to it, I won't let him get hurt," promised Cassie.

Helena's smile turned sympathetic. "You won't have a choice, pussycat. You're one of Uma's now."

"I was yours first," stated Cassie, her head tilting to the side. "I'm yours before I'm hers."

Reaching out her hand, Helena stroked Cassie's cheek with the back of her hand. "Thank you, pussycat."

The next evening, after spending the day at Helena's, Cassie was back on Uma's ship. It was her very first lesson with Starla, and Cassie couldn't deny how anxious she was. Her main skills were running and hiding; fighting was only ever a last resort in a sticky situation. Starla's optimism was the only thing that calmed her down. The pirate girl was good at putting Cassie's worries at ease, guaranteeing the little cat that using a sword wasn't entirely different from eating with a fork. While it would be uncomfortable and strange at first, eventually it would become second nature to her.

"So, I'm not giving you a sword, at least not yet," explained Starla, resting her side against one of the large wooden beans atop Uma's ship. With her left hand twiddling the sharpened tip of her sword, her right hand grasped the silver handle. "First, I wanna see how fast you are."

Cassie hummed, her wide eyes warily eyeing the sword in Starla's hand. "I don't like the sound of that," she admitted.

Starla's cheek rounded and her lips twisted upward on one side, exposing a tiny dimple. "I need to figure out what your skills are. That way, I can teach you properly," she clarified.

"Right," drawled Cassie. She glanced pointedly over her shoulder, her lips pressed together. "And them?"

The little cat had never really enjoyed her painful curse, but it'd come in handy once or twice. Like now, for instance. Since she spent the days in her feline form, Starla's only option was to teach her at night, when all the other crew members had gone home to sleep. It meant the humiliation of having to learn something new wouldn't be as painful, and Cassie wouldn't have to worry about an audience when the pirate girl put her on her ass. Unfortunately for Cassie, though, her first nightly class was being attended by three well-known pirates.

Near the bridge leading onto the ship stood Uma, Gil, and, to Cassie's extreme annoyance, Harry. Twirling one of her many teal braids between her fingers, the captain of the ship rested her back against the wooden railing that encircled most of the ship. The son of Gaston had decided to pull himself up onto the railing itself, balancing a tray of eggs on his lap. And last, but not least, the son of Hook stood directly beside Uma in the centre of the exit space.

"What? I need to know what kind'a fighter you are," said Uma with a shrug. She then nudged Gil's leg, making a demand for him to speak up.

"Oh, uh, yeah," he mumbled through a mouthful of food. "Me too."

Cassie peered at the final pirate, who appeared utterly delighted with the circumstances. "And you?"

"Ah, well," He gestured to the area surrounding him by turning his head. "I'm here ta' make sure ya' don't run off." With his tongue placed between his teeth, the laugh he gave was downright provoking.

Cassie gave a mischievous smile. "Did you forget, Harry? I'm so much faster than you are," she taunted.

"I think I'm ready for another go 'round," he replied, his head twitching to the side. "Shall we see if ya' can outrun me this time?"

There was a peculiar confidence that came with knowing he couldn't hurt her—not entirely, anyway. If given the opportunity, Cassie was positive he would find a way to nick her with his hook or scratch her with a sword. The idea of going up against him without the risk of death shouldn't have sparked as much excitement as it did.

Boredom really had fucked around with her head.

Cassie's head snapped back around when someone giggled in front of her. "Ah, I see it now," Starla said, glancing at Uma with her eyebrows bouncing suggestively. "I'm in."

"Huh?" muttered Cassie. "You're-"

"Time's up!"

The little cat squeaked and took a step back, a swift breeze caressing her face as Starla's sword swiped across. If she hadn't moved fast enough, the pirate would've caught her nose.

"What the-"

Starla struck again before Cassie could even get her words out, forcing the little cat to duck to avoid getting her head taken off.

"You're not gonna ease me in?" exclaimed Cassie, pushing her hair back over her shoulders.

"I like the term 'sink or swim' better," stated Starla. With her left leg tucked behind her, the pirate took a stance that made Cassie's skin crawl. In Starla's blue eyes, the little cat found a flare of anticipation. "Let's see what you'll choose."

And so the duel started. Of course, it was hardly a duel; Cassie had nothing to defend herself with. If anything, this particular lesson was within Cassie's skillset. She just needed to sidestep the pirate's blows. That being said, it was easier said than done. Uma hadn't been lying—Starla really was ruthless in her fighting. The pirate moved as fast as Cassie did, not holding back and putting her weight into every swipe and jab.

"You're not bad," commented Starla, twirling the sword in her hand. Despite the energy she was putting into this, the girl hadn't even built up a sweat. "Quick on your feet, that's good."

Cassie was only partially paying attention to what Starla was saying. Right now, she was more interested in figuring out which way Starla was going to come at her this time. It was challenging to fully anticipate the other girl's next move. Starla moved quickly, launching attack after attack and constantly forcing Cassie into awkward positions. Thankfully, having to run away from almost everyone on the Isle had gifted Cassie with wonderful stamina and the ability to detect harmful intentions. On more than one occasion, Cassie had no trouble using her surroundings to help her out. Uma's ship was unfamiliar and rather small in terms of spaces to run to, but the little cat made do.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" shouted Uma from her spot near the bridge.

Stunned, Cassie turned to face the captain. "I can do that?!" A yelp passed through her lips as a sharp sting erupted across her forearm.

"Pay attention," scolded Starla, rather gently, despite their fight.

Lifting her arm to eye level, Cassie winced. The scratch wouldn't exactly leave a scar or mark, not if her healing tongue had anything to say about it, but right now it was quite a nuisance. "I don't wanna hurt you," she grumbled, swiping a finger along the line to remove the blood.

Starla chuckled. "I'd like to see you try."

Uma stood on the ship's edge and watched the battle unfold in front of her. Her first mate had told her just how quick and sneaky the Cheshire Cat's daughter was, but seeing it with her own eyes was quite fascinating. Cassie relied solely on instinct and fast thinking to avoid getting struck by Starla, leaving most of her dodges until the very last moment. Cassie was clearly more of a flight than a fighter; her every move indicated as much. It was why, despite the fact that tonight had really only been for them to see Cassie's reflexes, Uma had asked her to start fighting back in the first place. Uma was curious to see what kind of fighter Cassie was now.

The way Cassie would try to defend herself without a weapon was intriguing to watch. The cat's intent wasn't to hurt Starla, that was evident enough. Cassie wouldn't make a move to attack, but rather sneak slight jabs into an opening when she found one. But Uma saw that Cassie was losing sight of the fact that this was not a life-threatening situation as the fight went on. Cassie's strikes to Starla's sides and legs became more forceful with each passing moment, relying only on muscle memory. Occasionally, Cassie's panicked gaze would dart to the bridge that led off the ship, hoping to steer Starla in a different direction until she managed to escape. It was clever, really, of her first mate. He'd put himself in the middle of the way out to avoid her running off, and it was working very well.

"So," whispered Uma, leaning towards her first mate. "What're you thinking?"

Scratching the edge of his jaw with his hook, he replied, "I'm thinkin' about what I'm gonna eat."

Uma frowned and dug her elbow into his side, earning a grunt from the hook-wielding pirate. "I'm serious."

"Ah, fine," he grouched. Bringing his eyes back to the fight ahead, he analysed Cassie's movements. His brows would twitch, his bottom lip tugged between his teeth as he pondered the cat's abilities. "She's fast," he finally mumbled.

"Obviously," deadpanned Uma.

"I think she'll be a good fighter, Uma," he admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "She's good on 'er feet an' good at avoidin'." Then he tutted. "But she's small, an' not that strong. I think fightin' back with a sword is gonna be tricky for 'er. 'Specially if she's goin' against someone bigger."

The captain clucked her tongue. "Yeah, I see it." She picked up on something else, then, a subtle action of Cassie's grabbing her attention.

Uma could see it from here—how wound up the Cheshire Cat's daughter was getting. Before, she hadn't thought much of it. It was only natural, of course, that during the heat of a fight, the pirates would sometimes block out everything else to avoid being hurt. Sometimes it meant they'd be caught off guard by another fighter, but the adrenaline would encourage them to continue, no matter how difficult it got. Cassie's eyes were wild and misty, her mind clearly having taken her elsewhere. When there was a slight gap in between attacks, however, Uma realised Cassie's eyes would always sway to the bridge, or more specifically, to her first mate.

"Harry," mumbled Uma, warningly.

"Aye," he sighed in reply, "I see it."

As Cassie fought against Starla, the cat's strikes became a little more vicious. Now, she aimed for Starla's head and neck. Something would lessen the fear in Cassie's eyes when her gaze did shift to Harry, and a moment of regret would contort her expression when she turned back to Starla. It appeared Cassie was doing everything she could to remember exactly where she was and what she was doing.

Uma couldn't help but grimace. It made sense, of course. While the captain adored her first mate, she couldn't deny that he'd been incredibly cruel in his dealings with Cassie. She hadn't witnessed it all first hand, but he told her everything, and that gave her enough of an idea. Cassie was fairly new to the Isle, so she hadn't had to fight anyone else before meeting Harry. If the stories she'd heard from her best friend were close to what'd actually happened, it made sense that, while fighting at least, Cassie's head would replay a more traumatic event. When she was fighting Starla, she wasn't seeing Starla; she was seeing Harry.

The already tense atmosphere kicked up a notch when Cassie twisted around to avoid being caught. Sensing a gap, Starla grabbed Cassie's hair and pulled her back, pressing her up against a beam. It was all a blur from there on. By putting her sword close to Cassie's throat, Starla made it abundantly clear that the fight was over and the little cat had been captured. At least, it was obvious to everyone except Cassie. With one hand clutching the sword's sharpened edge, Cassie raised her knees and applied pressure to the beam, causing herself and Starla to fall onto the deck. With the wind knocked out of her, Starla's hold on Cassie's hair faltered, allowing an exit for the little cat.

The three leaped to intervene when Cassie jumped to her feet and planted her knee on Starla's neck.

"Cassie!" yelled Uma, rushing to pull the little cat off of Starla. Luckily, Cassie was not particularly heavy, and she was too preoccupied with killing Starla to give the pirates behind her any thought.

The second Uma managed to drag Cassie away from Starla, the little cat turned rigid in her hold. Coming around to squat directly in front of Cassie, blocking her from the boys behind, Uma assessed her state. To put it simply, Cassie was scared. Her face was unusually pale, her eyes round as they darted about the ship fearfully, and she trembled, either from fear or from the aftereffects of an adrenaline rush.

"Woah, calm down," urged Uma. Her sight drifted down to her wrist, where Cassie's fingers had firmly latched, and she noticed a red stain spreading across her sleeve.

"He's gonna kill me," muttered the little cat, her quiet words repeating.

"Gil!" called Uma.

"Yeah?" the son of Gaston asked, coming to kneel down beside them.

Uma gestured to Cassie with a nod of her head. "Calm her down."

Gil moved quickly to replace Uma, freeing Cassie's hand from her hold on his captain. Holding Cassie's other hand, he pressed it to his chest while swaying his head back and forth until her gaze fixed on him. "Hey Cassie," he greeted gently. "Can you hear me?"

Blinking once, and then twice, the little cat nodded.

"Good, good! Can you feel this?" He moved forward gingerly, his larger hand clutching hers tightly against his bare chest. "Great! Can you breathe with me?" he asked.

Cassie gave a sharp nod. "Uh-huh."

The quick rise and fall of her chest was slow to return to its normal state. Her fingers whitened from their grip on Gil's other hand, his familiarity soothing her frayed nerves. Shortly after, the air that had been difficult for her to breathe was now flowing freely through her airways. Gil remained near her even then, breathing in and out with her.

With Cassie beginning to calm down, Uma turned to check on Starla. The pirate smoothed a hand over her throat, sitting straight and supporting herself with one hand on the ground behind her. Harry crouched down next to her, checking over any other areas to see if she was wounded. Everything seemed fine, save for a few scratches.

"Kitty my ass," groaned Starla, but there was humour in her voice. "She's crazy."

"I warned ya'," laughed Harry.

"You okay?" asked Uma, carefully patting Starla's shoulder.

"I'm great," assured Starla, leaning back on both hands now. "Oh, she's gonna be so cool." The pirate was insanely thrilled for someone who'd had their neck stepped on. But this was standard Starla behaviour; she enjoyed a good fight.

Crawling over from her spot, Cassie sat next to Starla, shivering still, likely because of the cold air. After examining the pirate's throat with her eyes, Cassie lifted her head. "I'm so sorry," she whimpered, lightly shaking her head. "I didn't mean to." The pain in the little cat's eyes was clear as day, and it was a stark reminder to the others that Cassie wasn't as adjusted to committing harm as the rest of them.

Starla gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay; we wanted you to fight back." Her eyes travelled to Cassie's hand. "Besides, I got you first."

Cassie's lips twitched upward. "You did." She paused for a moment. "Maybe next time, don't grab my hair."

"You got it, wildcat."

As the two girls talked amongst themselves, checking in on each other's wounds and making sure they knew there was no bad blood between them, Uma looked down at her first mate. Tapping his cheek with the back of her hand, the look she gave him when he faced her left little question. They were definitely going to have a talk later.

A sound of heavy, rapid footsteps broke the silence. Peering up at the bridge, Uma found one of her pirates standing near the edge.

Placing a hand to his chest, he gasped, "Captain." He must have run all the way to the ship.

Uma straightened up. "What's up?"

Her pirate reached back and grabbed the railing. "Mad Maddie's here."

AN:

Hi guys! I'm very sorry for the large gaps between updates. Between real-life, writer's block, and other hyperfixations, I haven't been posting on this story as much, and for that I apologise.

This chapter's a little short, but I really hope you enjoyed it!

Much love to everyone who've reviewed, commented, and favourited or followed. It means a lot that you're still reading this.

Thanks!

22; Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story :)

CallMeDella; I hope the neighbours have forgiven you! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story, and the courtship rituals from the last chapter. I really enjoy writing scenes with Helena, since her relationship with Cassie is so wholesome. I hope you liked this chapter.

LottieLue1; Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoyed today's chapter :)

Heaven's Mistake; A lot can change in four months! Thank you for the review :)