Were You Expecting Flowers? ✔️

38

You draw attention when you act like that
Let us teach you how to disappear
You look like you would lose a fight to an alley cat
You gotta be wrong to get it right 'round here
__________________

"OKAY, RULE number one: don't look at anyone in the eye and don't talk to anyone." Evie instructed Ben as the others covered the car with a large piece of cloth.

Ben looked genuinely confused as he pocketed the device. "Why?"

"Because no one on the Isle are social butterflies." I explained, dusting off my pants.

"Frown." Mal told him, pinching his face as if it would magically shape his smile, "Don't act like anyone important."

Ben frowned, but for a different reason. "The lifestyle here is so tough. I don't understand how you guys managed to survive it."

Carlos patted him on the back, and Ben looked at him. "We're just lucky." Carlos said in all seriousness.

"Let's get a move on." Jay said.

"Okay. I say we go to the lockdown first. If Audrey isn't there yet, we split up to find her." Ben started walking, looking overwhelmed by his surroundings as he ducked under a string of laundry. "This way."

We strolled down an alleyway, doing our best to keep our faces at least half covered. Dude weaved himself between our feet. A small group of guys who sat around a poorly built table eyed us suspiciously. I guess we were more entertaining than their game of poker. Suddenly, Jay leaped onto a bunch of stacked boxes and started kicking them down to the ground as he walked. One of the cargo boxes broke and out rolled some apples. Carlos deliberately reached down and grabbed one. Taking a bite out of it, he nudged Evie, smirking wickedly. She laughed in response, but in a mischievous manner. Ben hid his bafflement well, not questioning our behavior out loud because he trusted that the VKs knew what they were doing.

The group of guys looked away, just as we had hoped. It was funny: you gotta put up a nasty show to blend in, but you can't draw too much attention.

There was a woman up ahead on her tiptoes, trying to reach for an empty vase at the top of a crooked shelf. I was walking right next to Ben, and I could see his first instinct kick in: help her. I gave him a shove and glared at him, hoping he'd get the memo and stay in place. He obeyed.

The woman tripped over her rags and Carlos, true to his goodness, caught her. But he bounced back quickly- giving her a push and sneering at her. "Watch it, old bag."

Mal even reached over to give him a fist bump. In all honesty, this was very refreshing. Just a bunch of lousy teenagers making a scene as they toured the streets of the Isle of the Lost. No curfews, no formal wear, just mates.

But no knife.

Not being able to feel it strapped against my thigh was... new. But I didn't have the time to go back to my dorm to retrieve it.

Or maybe that was just an excuse.

Did I really need it?

We were going deeper into the Isle. I could tell because the sunlight couldn't quite find its way into the alleyways, and the number of people decreased. After a couple more twists and turns, Ben stood still in front of a tunnel with a gate. The metal was molded into the shape of a skull, I'm guessing to scare people away and to appear Isle-like.

Ben raised the device to his lips. "At the gate." He muttered.

"You're quick." was the faint response from the other end of the line.

"It's locked." Ben continued as the rest of us dispersed to get a quick look around, "That means Audrey hasn't reached it yet- thank merryweather."

"That's a huge relief. Now start looking for her."

"This is it?" Mal questioned when Ben put the device down.

I had to agree with her. The surrounding area was empty and boring.

"Yeah- what did you expect?" Ben replied, holding her by the shoulders.

"I don't know." Mal shrugged, "Guards?"

"It is supposed to be secret." Ben chuckled as I began inspecting the area.

A pink piece of torn up cloth lay near the gate. I didn't think much of it until Dude made his way over to me and started barking furiously.

"Do you think it's Audrey's?" Evie said, wide eyed.

Dude barked again.

"I think the heck yes." Carlos knelt down beside the mutt and picked it up. You could tell he put a lot of trust into the dog.

"So Audrey's been here?" Jay said, crossing his arms.

"Apparently." I said, "But the gate's locked."

"My guess is she was too shallow to realize this was the gate to the lockdown." Mal said in a snicker.

"That still doesn't explain the random piece of ripped up cloth." Evie noted.

"If I was who I was two months ago, I would've told you she was eaten by a vicious dog." Carlos said, raising the cloth for everyone to see.

Dude huffed at the statement.

Carlos looked down at him. "You can't blame me." He reminded the mutt.

Mal took it out of Carlos' hands, then held it under her nose. Her eyes widened.

"Shrimpy." She tutted.

"Shrimp what now?" I said.

"Ever heard of Ursula's Fish and Chips?" Mal asked, turning towards me, "This smells just like it."

"Fishy." Jay joked.

I nodded. "Been to that place before. The back door's always open. I steal evening snacks from there every once in a while. I don't know the owner well, though."

Ben raised an eyebrow like he couldn't imagine someone like me stealing. "What're you implying?" He asked Mal.

"Uma, daughter of Ursula." She sounded like she swallowed a textbook, a strange smile on her lips. "Runs a pirate ship and crew. Likes taking random people hostage for fun. Gives zero damns about other people. Loves to be a pain in the rear. The perfect candidate to kidnap Audrey."

"You think Uma kidnapped Audrey?" Evie said, "Why would she though?"

Mal shrugged like the answer was obvious.
"Cause she's Uma."

Ben wrapped both hands around the railing of the gate and pulled to make sure it was actually locked. "So you think this Uma girl took Audrey just as she got to the gate?"

"With the help of her crew, yeah." Mal replied confidently, "Next stop: Ursula's Fish and Chips."

"Or." Carlos intercepted, taking the piece of cloth from her, "we could let Dude lead us straight to Audrey without having to visit the sea witch."

I turned to him. "Not a fan?"

"She pushed my five year old self into the water for the hell of it. And no- I didn't know how to swim."

"You were just easy to bully." Jay laughed.

Carlos narrowed his eyes at him. "You sure are funny today."

"Come on." Mal whined, "It's got to be Uma."

Carlos bent down and let Dude sniff the cloth. The mutt gave a half-snort, half-sneeze and recoiled.

"Reeks, huh?" Mal remarked.

Dude yelped, then started carrying his tiny legs in another direction.

"Follow him." I said.