The night air was startlingly chilly—a warning to the Isle residents of what was to come. In a matter of weeks, they'd be subjected to heavy snowfall and biting rain, and the ocean surrounding their prison would turn to ice. Many of those lucky enough to be born into a family who owned a building had already boarded up their windows and any doors they didn't use daily, hoping to keep out the oncoming frost. Anything scattered about the streets that was capable of being burned down was already taken, likely by those unfortunate enough to be stuck out on the streets at this time of year.
Studying the enormous archway made of brick, Cassie shivered, her nose wrinkling as a tickle began in her nostrils. Rubbing her arms in the hopes of bringing some warmth through, the little cat eyed the area just beyond the arch, or, more specifically, right where the road had been broken down.
Despite having been born and raised on the Isle, Cassie hadn't ever felt the need to visit this part. Many years before, her father had brought her here. She'd been around ten years old—the typical age at which the children on the Isle began to question absolutely everything. Why they weren't allowed to travel onto the territory of their parent's enemy, why that other kid on the schoolyard seemed to hate them so much, and, most importantly, why they never swam across the sea to that beautiful kingdom on the other side. The Cheshire Cat had truthfully explained to his daughter exactly why they weren't permitted to leave the Isle, though he had been careful enough to leave out the story behind his imprisonment. He'd told her that all of the grown-ups on the Isle had done something to either irritate or harm those over on the other side, and so they'd been thrown onto the Isle as punishment. Even then, Cassie had been ever so curious and demanded to know what she personally had done to wind up there. Naturally, the simple fact that she hadn't done anything in particular, but that she was stuck there because her parents had done something stupid, hadn't gone down well.
"Daddy, I don't wanna be here." She'd whined, holding tight to her father's pink-striped trousers.
"Yeah, I don't wanna be here either, kiddo," he'd replied, smoothing a hand over her head. "But it won't be long."
With a curious frown, Cassie had peered up at her dad. "Long until what?"
As quick as a flash, he'd joyfully exclaimed, "Have I ever told you about the Mad Hatter?"
To this day, Cassie still didn't know what he'd been talking about. In truth, she hardly cared. Her dad had always been a little strange, probably due to the curse. He'd always been muttering about something or other, usually to himself, and she hadn't paid enough attention to ask.
Cassie dragged her eyes down the length of the structure, taking a hesitant step forward. For ten minutes now, she'd been in front of the arch, eyes squinted in a poor effort to see the translucent cage surrounding the Isle. Caused by either idiocy or her pestering curiosity, Cassie couldn't help but creep closer and closer. Not that anyone could blame her, of course. The barrier prevented even the slightest use of magic, but taunted them with the knowledge that it was very real and very much in use by those lucky enough to be born in Auradon. The barrier itself was the closest thing they had to it.
Taking another step, Cassie checked her surroundings. Thankfully, it seemed no one else had arrived just yet.
Another step. Now, she was right on the edge of the arch, almost directly beneath it. There was an odd kind of pulse drifting along her body, like the wind had decided to focus in on her and prevent her from moving further. Cautiously, Cassie reached out with her right hand, a breath caught in her throat. Her fingers inched closer, until she eventually felt it.
It was quite uncomfortable, yet quite intriguing. Honestly, Cassie had conjured up a few dramatic tales as far as the barrier was concerned. Did it burn those who got too close? Would it send out a shock wave and put them on their ass? Would they get hurt if they touched it? It was disappointing, really, to find none of those theories had been true.
Similar to pressing her hand up against a window in the colder months, it sent an icy cold through her palm but otherwise did no damage. Carefully putting on a little more pressure, Cassie's eyes lit up when a warm yellow glow outlined the shape of her fingers. Simultaneously, the entire lining of the archway illuminated, having been triggered by someone attempting to push through the barrier.
"First time, huh?"
Cassie jolted, bringing back her hand to rest against her side. Looking back over her shoulder, her fright was subdued by disbelief. "Ginny?"
The daughter of Mother Gothel was quite a shock, especially considering what night it was. Cassie had to blink once or twice to make sure she wasn't going insane. She wasn't, but she had to determine whether or not Ginny's presence would cause more harm than good.
Turning her back on the barrier, Cassie studied the girl a few feet ahead. She hadn't seen Ginny in almost two months, but it felt like no time had passed. In the same clothes she'd worn the day they'd first met, and still just as pretty, it was hard to believe Ginny had been through something so brutal. On closer inspection, however, Cassie noticed the bruising around Ginny's left eye.
"What're you-"
"Doing here?" wondered Ginny with amusement. "Someone asked me to come talk to you."
Cassie shuffled on her feet, her eyes darting to the road just ahead. There were plenty of winding alleyways for her to run for if Ginny got too 'comfortable'. "Who?"
Wrapping the purple cloak tighter around her body, Ginny swayed back and forth. "Maddy."
The little cat paused. "Didn't Maddy do this?" she asked, gesturing to Ginny's face.
"Eh, not exactly," replied Ginny with a light shrug.
Something brushed along Cassie's spine. Nothing physical, of course. More of a ghostly sense of warning, urging her to be careful. "What does that mean?" huffed Cassie. She wasn't in the mood for games. Not tonight.
Skipping forward, Ginny giggled, "It wasn't Maddy, not really."
"Then who?" snapped Cassie.
Ginny smiled. "Me."
"Cassie! C'mon. You can't ignore me forever!"
The little cat's eyes rolled skyward. Clearly, Starla underestimated Cassie's ability to hold a grudge. Surprising, really. Considering the crew had been hearing about Cassie's feud with Harry since it started, she'd assumed they'd learned well before this that she didn't like to let shit die.
It'd been two nights since Cassie's 'meeting' with Harry in the shoppe. After it was done, and they'd gotten most of their grievances out in the open, along with Harry's opinion on how he viewed their relationship now, she'd left the shoppe and headed straight back to her den. Much to her relief, Uma had allowed her this one moment of peace. No one had come looking for her on the first night after, nor had they come during the daytime. Cassie had relented and told Uma exactly where her den was, so it wasn't as if the captain didn't know where she was staying or how to track her down if something came up. So, though Harry's trick on the ship had been entirely unwanted and unexpected, it had granted Cassie a day or two of space from the pirates.
Unfortunately, Cassie had to return to pirate territory at some point and, to her annoyance, her training would continue with Starla. Regardless of what had gone down, Uma insisted that Starla was still the best teacher for Cassie, and demanded for the two to 'sort their own shit out'.
They'd been sitting in Uma's shoppe for almost twenty minutes now, and Cassie still refused to speak a single word to the pirate girl.
"Fine, you're salty; I get it," groaned Starla, her hands tapping rhythmically against the table; Probably a nervous habit. "But what else was I supposed to do?!"
Cassie's brows twitched upward. "Are you kidding? You told me they were training! Then you said I had to accept Harry as my 'fighter', which was obviously bullshit." Sucking in a deep, soothing breath, Cassie did her best to reign in her temper. "I trusted you," she admitted, the anger in her voice softening into betrayal. "And you lied to me."
Starla's expression twisted into one of guilt and shame, but Cassie found it tricky to rely on. "I know it doesn't look great-"
"Look great?" scoffed Cassie, shaking her head. "It fucking sucked!"
"But he's the boss-man!" exclaimed Starla, as if it were enough to make up for what she'd done. "When the first mate gives an order, we listen. He told me to get you there, and he told me to tell you it was something else."
Allowing her head to fall back, a frustrated moan escaped Cassie's mouth. Yes, she was new to the ways of the pirates, and obviously her crewmates had to listen to Harry whether they liked it or not. Even so, Starla could have at least told her what had actually happened the next morning. She'd have been in her feline form and unable to attempt to argue back—a perfect time to tell her she'd been tricked into handing herself over to someone she hated. She'd been sleeping in that damn ship for the entire day, and Starla had had plenty of opportunities to tell her what she'd actually done. But she hadn't. Instead, the pirate girl had allowed the little cat to wander around completely oblivious to the stupid decision she'd made the night before. And to hear the truth from Helena, instead of anyone in pirate territory, had been humiliating.
Then, something else sparked in Cassie's mind.
"How much did you win?" she asked knowingly, bringing her head down to face Starla.
Starla's jaw went slack, and her eyes darted to another part of the room. Somewhat rueful, she ran a hand along the back of her neck. "Ah, well,"
Cassie nodded sharply. "That's what I thought."
"Oh, c'mon! It's not all about the money!" yelled Starla. "I had other reasons."
"There are no other reasons to lie to me!" shouted Cassie.
Starla laughed incredulously, and Cassie almost jumped over the table. "You're kidding, right?" Leaning forward, the pirate laid her forearms down on the table. "Do you have any idea how fucking annoying it is being in the same room as you guys?"
Cassie opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it shut a second later. With furrowed brows, she asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Hades, you guys are gonna kill me," groaned Starla, her eyes drifting shut in exasperation. "No! You know what? I'm gonna say it. I know you're being an idiot right now, and that's not your fault, but you have to face facts, Wildcat." The pirate shuffled closer, a certain determination in her eyes. "I have a nose for this shit. First time we heard about you, I called it. Me! Everyone else was like, 'oh, he's gonna kill her soon', but not me! I smelled it from the start."
Cassie blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
"You and Harry," clarified Starla. "Every single time I'm right but they still call me crazy!" She raised her voice towards the end for her fellow cremates to hear and received grumbles in return. "So, I have this theory." Starla wiggled with excitement, practically glowing from whatever it was she was about to tell Cassie. "You know how over in Auradon they have that 'love at first sight' bullshit?"
Though disoriented by the sudden change in conversation, Cassie gave a nod. "Yeah."
"I think we have that too," whispered Starla, a grin tugging at her lips. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one could overhear, she turned back once satisfied. "I think it works different here. Like, when two VK's meet for the first time, and they just wanna choke each other out."
Cassie's eyes darted to the side, her tongue pushing against the inside of her cheek. "Wouldn't that be hate at first sight?"
Starla shook her head. "Not exactly. I know this kid who works for Hades, and she's heard a story or two. Did you know humans originally had four arms, four legs, and two faces? They say Hade's big brother, Zeus, split humans in half as a punishment for something. Anyway, the main punishment was that humans would forever walk around looking for their other half." With her head resting on her hands, Starla's gaze turned misty. Apparently, the pirate girl had a fondness for sweet tales.
Cassie's nose wrinkled. "His brother sounds like a dick."
"You don't know the half of it," chuckled Starla. "Point is, it's cute, right?"
"I guess," muttered Cassie, still confused as to where this conversation was going.
"We don't fall in love here," continued Starla. "It's seen as a weakness, something to be ashamed of. So, if you've been raised in a place where you can only hate, what do you think happens when your soul finds its match?"
A flicker of understanding passed through Cassie's eyes. "It would fight it."
Starla squealed. "Uh-huh!"
While the pang of betrayal still lingered in Cassie's chest, she couldn't help but smile. "You think he's mine?" She didn't particularly believe in fairy tales or what Starla was telling her, but there was something about the passion in Starla's eyes when she told Cassie that story. It might not be realistic, but it was incredibly rare to find a dreamer here on the Isle, and Cassie couldn't even entertain the idea of taking it away from Starla.
"I know he's yours," replied Starla. If anything, her confidence was something to admire. "Look over there." The pirate gestured to an area a few feet away, where one of the tables was pushed up against a window. "Those two."
The 'two' mentioned were currently in the midst of a heavy dispute. Sitting at the table was a pirate boy with fluffy blonde hair and a frayed eye patch covering his right eye. His hands waved wildly between the plate in front of him and the pretty, dark-haired waitress who'd served him.
"His name's Kody," mentioned Starla, keeping her voice low. "Her name's Maizie."
Cassie kept her eyes on the two, but spoke to Starla, "They fight every time I see them."
"Hmm, long family feud. His uncle dated her aunt once upon a time, and it ended real bad. Families have hated each other since," divulged Starla. "But my nose picked up on those two when I came here."
The little cat was dubious. Kody went on and on about, from what Cassie could hear over the usual rabble of the pirates, how much of a whore Maizie's aunt was. In return, Maizie screamed obscenities, brutally informing him that his uncle had always been 'punching', and deserved to be walked out on.
"Watch him when she leaves," said Starla.
Cassie did. When Maizie turned on her feet, her tresses swinging gracefully through the air and almost catching Kody in the face, there was a momentary falter in his enraged expression. It was only for a second, but in the same time frame, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"Now watch her, quick," demanded Starla.
As Maizie walked away from his table, her face still scrunched in annoyance, she brought up her right hand to sweep her hair forward over her right shoulder. Unlike Kody, Cassie found no trace of fondness in her eyes.
"She only does that thing with her hair when she's talking to him."
Cassie was still doubtful. "That doesn't mean she likes him," she pointed out.
Starla rolled her eyes. "There are three different waitresses here, not including our dear captain, and Maizie still serves him every damn time. She's never passed it on to someone else."
"Are they together, or?"
"Nah," answered Starla. "There's too much bad blood in the families. They think they hate each other, but obviously that's not true." Starla's gaze flickered to the side, where Kody was sitting. "He's figuring it out faster than she is."
Cassie tilted her head. "Huh."
"Girls don't get it quicker than the boys. Doesn't mean they don't feel it. I think we just don't wanna give in to it." Starla shrugged. "Makes sense. Girls run the Isle. Just look at Maleficent—well, before she went to Auradon. Big boss who didn't back down for anyone. We're supposed to be 'strong' and 'ruthless', but it's crap. We should be allowed to feel that stuff."
To that, Cassie agreed. The older women on the Isle ran alone, usually surrounded by a crew or gang, but never with an equal partner. It was the norm for girls here to mature faster than the boys, strengthening their tactics and attacks from the second they realised what was going on. It was understandable, really, that they couldn't care less about anyone who paid them an ounce of attention, unless it was for gang-related reasons. They were far too busy keeping themselves high on the food chain.
Then Cassie recalled what Starla said earlier. 'Girls don't get it quicker than the boys'.
"The trick on the ship wasn't last minute, was it?"
Starla grinned, almost delighted. "Nope. I didn't think he was gonna make a move so fast, but I guess the fight set his ass on fire. I'm sorry, Wildcat. I didn't think you'd take it so bad."
Cassie sighed. "I felt really shitty. Me and Harry have been fighting for so long, I just thought he was trying to get me under him again." She frowned. "Still feels like that, actually."
"Look, boss-man's great! Really! But he's kind'a," Starla took a second to rummage through her brain for the right word.
"Crazy," declared Cassie. "Like, chase-you-across-the-Isle-and-beat-the-shit-outta-you crazy."
Starla laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's one word for it. But some messed-up part of you wants it too." She eyed Cassie playfully. "Right?"
Cassie shook her head. "I don't know. We've been trying to kill each other for a long time. Is there a way to come back from that? Does he even wanna come back from that?" Sure, he'd expressed an interest, if only a little. There was still something inside of him that wanted to kick her ass, she could tell. It was the exact same urge that drove her to him.
"You never wanted to know why he killed all those cats?" wondered Starla, surprising the little cat.
"You knew?"
"Of course I did. He came in here all huffy and puffy, asking me about cats and karma," disclosed Starla, frighteningly amused despite knowing exactly what he'd done to the poor things. "I told him it'd come back and bite him in the ass. And now look! He's got a big fight coming up to keep you with us."
A laugh escaped Cassie's mouth. "You're right about that. But I know why he killed them. It was to get me out of hiding."
"Nope," objected Starla. Then her eyes rolled. "Well, maybe a bit. But I know why he did it—why he really did it."
Curious, Cassie stared at Starla. "Why?"
"You said it yourself: boss-man's crazy. A lot of us are. When we feel something we're not used to, it makes us do very, very bad things."
Oh, she'd fucking known it. Harry had been entirely too composed when he admitted he wanted to do something other than kill her. There was no way in Hades he'd taken the news lightly.
"You weren't around for him to take it out on. So he had to find the closest thing."
Cassie winced. All those poor cats were viciously dumped across the Isle because a fucked-up pirate didn't like dealing with anything that wasn't resentment.
"You realise how insane that is, right?" pleaded Cassie.
"Oh yeah," agreed Starla. "Golden Rule of the Isle: You gotta go a bit insane to stay sane."
A shiver of discomfort passed through Cassie. For a moment, she stayed quiet. But what Ginny had just admitted would've shocked even the toughest VK.
"How was it you?" she asked.
Ginny clasped her hands behind her back. "Maddy needed a push. We couldn't find you anywhere, so we had to get you out somehow." She scowled. "We didn't think you'd be stupid enough to go running to Uma, but you've never been the brightest, huh?" She scrutinised Cassie with a judgmental glare.
Cassie's nose scrunched. "You got your jaw rocked to get me out of hiding, and I'm not the brightest?" Her eyes rolled skyward. "Please."
Ginny took a threatening step forward, but Cassie stood firm. "Look who's all grown up now," the daughter of Gothel spat. "You think you can take me, kitty?"
The little cat gave a taunting smirk. "Aren't you supposed to be telling me something?"
"Harry got you out by killing the cats. Maddy thought making room for you in our gang would impress you and make you want her," admitted Ginny, slowly pacing back and forth. "She wanted you to know how much she liked you."
A curse passed through Cassie's lips. She really knew how to pick the craziest VK's. "I don't want Maddy! I never did!"
"Maddy likes what she can't have!" yelled Ginny, startling Cassie. "Always the ones she can't have."
Cassie paused. There was something there, hidden behind Ginny's frustration and confidence. It was very faint, but it'd snuck into the last half of Ginny's sentence.
"Ginny," she began, careful at the risk of Ginny losing her mind. "Do you like Maddy?"
There was silence, at least until Ginny's chilling laughter broke it. "What the fuck do you know?" challenged the VK, eyes alight with overbearing anger. "I wanted her; for so damn long I wanted her. You've seen her yourself; she's smart, beautiful, and so damn great," she gushed. "But she didn't want me back. Not until Hook came around, anyway." Ginny's smile was worryingly unhinged. "And she was so mad! We'd fight every time I went to meet him. It was the best time."
Cassie could hardly believe what was coming from Ginny's mouth. The girl was batshit; that much was obvious. Glaringly clear, though, was the simple fact that, at one time, Ginny had wanted Maddy back. Back in the shoppe, when Maddy and the others had come for Cassie, the witch had been consumed by jealousy over what had gone down between Harry and Ginny. It'd made her crazy that night. To now find out their desires hadn't been one-sided was rather, well, crappy. A little communication between them would've spared Cassie a lot of hassle.
"And then he ended it," said Ginny, almost accusingly. "I came down here, like normal, and he was in the worst fucking mood. Said some crazy little bitch took something from him."
Cassie gaped, a wave of incredulity passing through her. She'd heard people over in Auradon thought black cats were tied to bad luck, and she'd never truly believed it, but now it'd become a painful truth. Whichever god had decided to fuck around with her, they were screwed the second she got up there.
"When I got back, I told the guys what happened. You know what Maddy said?" It wasn't a question. "She said it was my own fault for screwing a pirate. She looked at me different after that. Like I wasn't worth fighting for anymore just because Harry didn't want me." Ginny shook her head, and her bottom lip quivered. "You have no idea how fucking humiliating it was."
Cassie couldn't help but feel for Ginny. Her methods in capturing Maddy's attention hadn't exactly been the best, but she wasn't entirely at fault. After all, Cassie was starting to learn just how far people would go to catch the eyes of the person they wanted most. And Cassie couldn't even begin to comprehend just how excruciating it was to want someone who didn't want you back, so who was she to judge Ginny's actions? Looking back on how Maddy acted in the shoppe, Cassie had been certain the mad witch truly felt something for Ginny. Now, it'd been proven otherwise. Maddy had only wanted Ginny because Harry had gotten his hands on her. Maddy had thrown Ginny aside like a shattered toy the moment he was finished. It was extremely unfair.
"But now she wants you," said Ginny. "They both want you." Even though Ginny had toned down her earlier outburst of anger, Cassie could still feel the underlying animosity. "Don't make the same mistake I did, Cassie. Harry's gonna get bored as soon as you give in."
A disbelieving giggle broke through Cassie's lips. Had Maddy honestly sent Ginny down here to convince her that Harry was the worst option? Only because the one person she really felt something for had asked her to, Ginny, who had been abandoned by the pirate and was no more than a throwaway to her own leader, had hauled herself all the way here to bring back someone she couldn't stand. While Cassie knew with certainty that choosing Harry wasn't the best option for her, going with Maddy would doom her entirely.
"I'm not picking Harry," assured Cassie. "I'm picking Uma." Not entirely the truth, but she didn't want to stir the pot further.
Ginny's lips pursed. "I saw how he looked at you that night—when we were cutting him up. Wouldn't take his eyes off you for a second."
The little cat didn't know for sure if Ginny was lying. That night was a blur, but she knew with certainty that she hadn't looked him in the eye once when they were hurting him. So maybe Ginny was telling the truth.
"What did you do to make them want you?" She was genuinely asking, but it wasn't something Cassie could answer.
"I don't fucking know!" exclaimed Cassie, throwing her arms to the side. "She likes cats. He likes a fight. But I don't want either of them." It didn't seem to matter how much she insisted on it; people were going to see what they wanted to see.
Ginny sighed. "I don't believe you."
Resting her chin on her folded arms, Cassie's dark eyes followed the captain as she moved around the shoppe. The place had closed over half an hour ago, so it was now time to clean the place up and ready it for tomorrow. The only pirates remaining were those on Uma's crew, who were permitted to hang around until midnight at the latest. For Cassie, the night was still young, and she was ever so bored.
It had been a few days since her talk with Uma and Harry. The monotony had been a relief at first, but eventually it'd gotten to the little cat. She'd decided a night or two ago to give Helena some time to herself, mainly due to the fact that the Queen of Hearts couldn't lift her head for more than five minutes without reaching for the closest bucket-shaped object. Gaston Jr. had been appearing around the salon more often, probably because Helena had finally told him she had another kid coming, so Cassie didn't worry too much about her friend's wellbeing. Unfortunately, this removed one of Cassie's only options, and so she was left with only the shoppe, the ship, or her hideout.
The ship had been crossed off the list almost immediately. There was hardly anyone there, unless Harry was 'training' with the crew, and the gentle rocking drove her to insanity when she was feeling particularly fidgety. The hideout wasn't too bad of a choice; at least she had a TV there that the captain couldn't shut off.
Cassie still wasn't fully informed about the battle between Uma's pirates and the Core Four. According to Starla, even mentioning the purple-haired former VK was all but outlawed here, primarily since no one knew if Uma was in a sour mood that day. All Cassie knew for sure was that Uma and Mal had been besties as kids, at least until Maleficent's daughter began running around with the other three. There was something about a gooey substance being dumped on Uma back in the sandbox and forever being associated with a horrid nickname because of it. Whatever the truth was, there had been an ongoing feud between the pirates and Mal's gang until, obviously, they were sent away to Auradon. Now, they were just pixels on a screen, at least for Cassie. For the remainder of the VK's, the sight of the four over in Auradon was a cruel teasing. Cassie had seen a glimpse here and there of their lives on the other side, full of wonderful castles and lavish meals. It'd been almost four months since the group had been taken off of the Isle, and no word had come from Auradon since. The little cat had no idea what the king was attempting to accomplish by bringing them over, but she knew many of the others on the Isle had been hoping for the chance to also attend. So far, though, it appeared that wasn't the case.
The doors to the shoppe swung open, and Cassie looked over. At the sight of the hook-wielding pirate, something stirred in her lower stomach. Insanity or a suicidal tendency? She wasn't sure just yet. But something gnawed away at the corner of her brain, shoving at her to do something.
Like it was second nature, Uma headed back into the kitchen as soon as he was perched on one of the stools. A second later, she returned, setting down a tray in front of him.
Doing her best to ignore him, along with the nagging voice in her brain, Cassie looked ahead. She was desperate to find someone else—Hades, anyone else—to occupy her time. In a minute or two, she was disgruntled to find no one she knew inside the shoppe.
They hadn't spoken since the night she'd busted his nose with the dinner tray. Not purposefully, though; it wasn't as if she was trying to avoid him. Then again, pondering it further, Cassie felt that maybe she had been. It was sensible, in her defence, to steer clear of him. Their little chat had sent her mind reeling, and she'd needed a day or two to recover from it. It wasn't often that she had someone try to kill her and then admit an interest a while later. Her feline senses, it seemed, still didn't fully accept what he'd told her. Even now, a familiar tingle erupted in her palms, and her feet tapped against the foothold of the stool she sat on. He'd tied himself to her flight system, and his presence sparked apprehension.
The hairs along Cassie's arms raised, and she was quick to straighten up, pulling her arms back against her chest. At the same time, a disgusting 'squelch' came from the area where her head had just been resting.
"Just makin' sure ye're payin' attention."
Cassie grimaced and hopped down from her stool, moving away from the oddly-textured form of potato. "You're still an asshole," she remarked.
He chuckled. "Would ye' want me any other way?"
Standing directly on the other side of where he sat was a risk, but one she was willing to take. "I don't remember saying I wanted you," she retorted.
"Hmm," he agreed through a mouthful of something or other. "But somethin' in this funny little head-" He raised his hook to tap against her forehead, enough to make it ache just a little. "-wants me back."
Curling her index finger around the hook, Cassie moved it away from her head. "Maybe it just wants you gone," she suggested.
The clatter of his fork dropping onto the tray was almost deafening to Cassie. Wary now that there was a chance she'd offended him somehow, Cassie's eyes flickered down to the hook in his hand.
"Let's play a game." Shoving his tray aside, Harry removed the hat from his head and set it down beside them.
"Game?" wondered Cassie, hesitant.
"Yup, game. Did I stutter? I can say it in French if ye' like."
Cassie glared. "I'm good." Then her head tilted. "You know French?"
"Aye, learned it from Gilly's mam. Don' know which one, though," he replied.
The little cat blinked. "How many does he have?"
Harry shrugged. "Three." The fingers of his un-hooked hand wrapped around her wrist and lowered it to the table. "Ye' wanna play or no?"
Still taken aback by the knowledge Gil had more than one mother, it took Cassie a second to process. Peering down at her arm laid out flat, her palm facing upward, she was rather reluctant—understandably so. "You remember the last game we played, yeah?"
His eyes met hers. "Aye, what's ye'r point?"
"You choked me out," she recalled pointedly.
The pirate huffed. "Hmm, I did. But then ye' walked out with my hook and put me to sleep with it, so I reckon it's all evened out, yeah?" His indifference was astounding.
Cassie's eyes went wide. "You can let it go that easy?" Her scepticism had to have been expected.
"Just play the fuckin' game," he moaned, exasperated.
"Fine," relented Cassie. Unsure of which game he'd decided to play, a spark of panic flared when he raised his hook. "The hell are you doing?"
It made sense now why he'd been quite chatty when laying her hand down. A successful attempt to keep her distracted while he brought the point down on the area where her forearm and upper arm connected.
"Truth or die," he announced, with an infuriating amount of delight. "I ask a question, ye' answer honest. If ye' don't," A subtle sting moved through her arm as a demonstration, and Cassie flinched.
"I can't ask questions?" she asked frustratedly.
"Ye' can."
"Then why don't I get something?" she whinged, pointing to his arm with her free hand.
He replied patronisingly, "I'm as open as the seven seas. But you are shut tighter than the bloody barrier."
Cassie was sure he meant offence with that one. "How are you gonna know if I'm lying?"
"Oh, I'll know." Where he got the confidence from, she had no idea.
"Then why this?" she begged, gesturing to the hook.
"Jus' 'cause I can see through the barrier, don' mean I'm not dyin' to smash it down." Ah, he was as quick as always.
Cassie pouted. "Fine. But if you hurt me, I'll kill you."
He laughed. "Oh, I don' doubt it."
Resting her cheek on the palm of her other hand, Cassie frowned. The point of the hook hadn't pierced her skin just yet, but she had no doubts in her mind that it would if she tried to move. Not that she could if she wanted to. If she tried to pull back, he'd catch on just as fast and cut a deep line through her forearm and wrist. If she tugged it to the side, it would still cut her skin.
"Ladies first."
Cassie stared. "Where was that gentleman when we first met?"
Harry clicked his tongue. "He got clawed in the face, so he took a day off." He had her with that one. "My turn."
"Hey, that didn't count," she protested.
"Was a question, wasn' it?"
Cassie's lips snapped shut.
"Exactly." Pulling back slightly, he studied Cassie's face, and she could almost see the cogs of his brain turning. "When ye' thought I was dead in dragon-lady's tower, how did it feel?"
Cassie stiffened and didn't answer for a short moment. "Not gonna ease me in?" she joked. Soon after, the stinging returned to her arm. "Okay, okay!" He eased off, and Cassie sighed. "It felt like... hm, like the Isle was caving in. I knew you weren't dead, but I didn't know I was going back straight away either, so you were as good as." Her eyes lowered to the torn shirt he wore. "I don't really know how to say it. But I don't ever wanna feel it again." The sting, thankfully, didn't return.
"Good, it wasn' exactly a picnic for me, ye' know?"
Her gaze lifted, and her brows furrowed in annoyance. "When I took my treasure back from you, why did you kill that kid? He was one of the crew, wasn't he?"
"Run that by me again?"
Bewildered, Cassie's expression faltered. "The night you found out I was still kicking, you stabbed the kid who was watching the ship." She'd seen it with her own eyes, so there was no way for him to deny it.
Understanding crossed Harry's face. "Ah, him." The recollection faded into amusement, and his lips twitched upward. Glancing back over his shoulder, Harry searched the shoppe. "Eh! Kody!"
The young pirate came running over, barely interested in whatever was going on between Cassie and Harry. "What's up?" he greeted.
Harry nodded in Cassie's direction. "She thought I killed ye', mate."
Kody's lips stretched wide. "You're kidding?"
"I saw him run you through," mumbled Cassie, torn between disbelief and elation. Now that Kody was closer, she did find a glint of recognition in the corner of her mind. "How're you still here?!"
"Oh, well." Reaching down, Kody tugged up the bottom of his shirt. "I heal great, I guess?" Just above his hip on the left side was a small piece of stained cloth taped to his skin.
Lightly scratching the side of her head, Cassie could only stare at the bandaged wound. She was grateful to see him alive, really, but at the same time, the confusion was bordering on painful. "I'm so fucking confused."
"You're confused?" snapped a voice from somewhere behind Cassie. Turning her head, the little cat found Maizie had come through from the kitchen. "How d'you think I felt when he came back?" Her stunning blue eyes zeroed in on the bandage. "Harry should've caught him a bit higher; such a shame." Shaking her head back and forth, Maizie waltzed back out onto the shoppe floor.
"You know what's actually a shame?" said Kody, the friendliness Cassie had heard from him earlier overtaken by antagonism. "How fast your Aunt got on her back." This sparked a furious argument between the two, in which Maizie went about her duties and Kody followed her through the shoppe, determined to keep it going.
Having seen what Starla had just a day or two ago, Cassie couldn't help but find it endearing. They read each other for absolute filth, degrading each other's families and tearing apart each other's appearance, but Cassie could sense there was no true heat behind it. At least, not the kind of heat caused by hatred.
"How is he still alive?" wondered Cassie, turning back to Harry. There were no doctors here on the Isle—no true doctors, anyway. The closest they had to an experienced healer was Yen Sid, or maybe Sophie.
"There's an art to it," explained Harry, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. "All the important bits are on the other side."
Cassie couldn't help but laugh. "You're kidding, right?" Harry shook his head. "I don't think it works like that."
"He's still kickin', isn' he?"
To that, Cassie had to admit defeat. It also made sense now why she constantly found him sitting in the shoppe. It must've been because he was still healing.
"Ye' really thought I killed him?" asked Harry, seeming offended.
Somewhat sheepish, Cassie nodded, her bottom lip tugged between her teeth. "I mean... it was dark! I saw your sword go through his stomach, and then he fell on the floor, scared shitless!"
"I'd like to see you get shanked and not react," he jested.
"It scared me," she giggled. "I thought he got killed because of me."
"Aye, well, ye' can see he's fine an' dandy. Back to chasin' Maize' around the place."
Looking around Harry, Cassie watched as the two continued to bicker. "How long has he been doing it?"
"Eh, it's been goin' on a while now. Kicked up a notch after I nicked him, though." Harry chuckled. "I think I lit a fire under his arse."
Cassie hummed. "How long do you think it'll take?"
The pirate needed no clarification. "I reckon around two months," he answered. His attention came back to Cassie then. "Ye' wanna make a wager?"
"Nah," muttered Cassie. "I've got nothing to wager with."
Harry's eyes lowered. "I wouldn' say that."
Pushing past the odd tickle in her stomach, Cassie leaned forward. "What do you want if you win?"
There was a minute of quiet. Harry's gaze flickered about Cassie's face, as if searching for something, before they eventually came back to her eyes. "When I win, I'll tell ye'."
"I give them four months," stated Cassie, determined. "She's got a lot of fight left." Was she alluding to herself? Perhaps. Even so, the pirate was quick to reply.
"Ye' seem to underestimate his determination, kitty. We pirates don't back down easy." The implication was clear, and Cassie shuffled slightly. "What do ye' want if ye' win?"
Cassie smiled. "When I win, I'll tell you."
"There's nothing I can do to make you believe me." Cassie shrugged. "But I don't wanna be with Maddy."
Ginny giggled. "It doesn't matter what you want," she spat, crossing her arms beneath her chest.
Cassie couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Look, the fight's gonna go down in, like, less than an hour. We're just gonna have to wait and see who wins." Another breeze moved through the air, and Cassie shivered. "What does Maddy think will happen if she wins? I didn't choose her. I'm not gonna follow along like a pretty little kitty, waiting for her to tell me what to do."
"You're right about that," admitted Ginny, albeit disapprovingly. "Maddy likes a challenge, but I don't think that fighting back shit is gonna be funny for long."
Cassie sighed. "Exactly." She took a step closer to Ginny. "Why won't she understand it?"
"Who knows?" mumbled Ginny, pushing her thick curls back over her shoulder. "I stopped figuring it out a long time ago."
It went quiet, and Cassie gnawed her lip in contemplation. She and Ginny couldn't stand each other—that much they could both agree on. But the simple fact that Ginny had gone as far as to allow herself to get hurt purely so the girl she wanted to be with could catch the attention of another, well, it certainly brought forth some compassion from the little cat.
"Are you happy?" she asked. "With Maddy, I mean."
Ginny's expression gave very little, but Cassie noticed a momentary sadness. "Happier than I was at home," confessed the daughter of the Gothel. "My mom, well, she's not great. When they brought her back, they cursed her to stay old. Makes sense, right? She was so fucking scared of ageing, and it made her greedy." She laughed, but there was no humour in it. "Even when she knew my hair wouldn't help, I'd wake up in the middle of the night and she'd be hanging over my bed, brushing my hair and singing that sick fucking chant." A bout of rage made its way through, and Ginny tugged at her strands. "It used to be a lot longer."
Cassie grimaced. Ginny's hair was at waist length now, so she dreaded thinking about how long Mother Gothel had forced her to keep it. "But you got away," offered Cassie.
"Yeah," agreed Ginny, staring at the ocean on the other side of the barrier. "Mom always dragged me to the witches; she thought they could help. That's where I met Maddy." Her lips tugged up, if only slightly. "She had a hideout in the school and said I could go there anytime."
"You know, she was real jealous when they came to Uma's shoppe, and it wasn't about me," the little cat disclosed. It wouldn't undo everything that had happened, but it might at least help mend whatever remained. "I know you think she doesn't think much of you, but no one rallies that hard for someone they don't like."
"Really?" gasped Ginny, hopeful, and Cassie nodded. "Huh. I think I just need to prove myself again, you know?"
On the inside, Cassie was screaming. She wanted nothing more than to shake some sense into her fellow VK and let her know that she didn't have to do anything to earn Maddy's approval. If the crazy witch didn't see just how great Ginny was, then the curly-haired girl just had to find someone who'd see it. Hades, it wouldn't even be a struggle. With big brown eyes, flawless skin, and curves for days, Ginny only had to walk around the Isle to catch someone's eye. And considering she was still taking orders from Maddy, despite everything, she was insanely loyal. People on the Isle were desperate for something even close to that.
It was truly foolish of Cassie, really, to take her eyes off Ginny. It'd only been a split second, in which the wind had swept Cassie's hair into her face, and she'd lifted her arms to push it back. It'd been enough time, however, for Ginny to rush forward.
While Cassie's senses had alerted her to the oncoming attack, she'd stupidly dropped her guard around Ginny, somehow comforted by the fact that everyone would arrive soon. Her body had twisted to face the wind, so she had to wonder if Ginny had missed her true mark. Either way, Ginny had caught her.
Initially, Cassie hadn't realised just what had happened. First, she acknowledged the abrupt ache in her stomach and the air being forced through her lungs. It was oddly similar to that time Harry had kicked her in the exact same place, but already she could tell this was entirely different.
"Sorry, Cassie," mumbled Ginny, and for whatever reason, she seemed to mean it. "But if I didn't bring you back, I couldn't let you go to Uma either."
With one hand grasping at Ginny's cloaked shoulder, the other travelled down her stomach. Her heart almost stopped completely.
Ginny took a step back, and Cassie's hand dropped from her shoulder. She couldn't have fought against her, even if she had the energy to.
Staggered, Cassie refused to look down. Her left hand trembled along the handle, and her right soon joined it. Every emotion she could fully comprehend was dulled, overcome by unwavering fear. She couldn't stop shaking—that much, she could tell. But it was cold, wasn't it? It'd been quite chilly, but the wind had picked up rapidly.
Stumbling backwards, Cassie soon came to a stop. There was a faint vibration behind her, which she blearily recognised as the barrier. Her knees buckled, and Cassie slid down onto the concrete floor.
"Bye bye, kitty."
AN;
Hello readers!
First, I apologise for the short chapter. And I also apologise for the rest.
Reviews;
Danidollxx; Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter :)
Heaven's Mistake; Thank you for the review! Yeah, Starla is the biggest shipper on the crew, as seen by this chapter :) I'm glad you're enjoying Helena and Cassie's friendship, this girl deserves a healthy friend :) I hope you liked this chapter.
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Thanks!