Flame ▪ Harry Hook

II. 03

As soon as Hayden discovered that Harry had taken King Ben, she knew that she had to find Mal. The two may never have been close but she was still her sister. Even if Mal didn't feel the same, Hayden felt a duty to her family.

She found herself outside of the VK hangout. However, she found that the gate was locked and she didn't know how to get it to open. The blue-haired girl sighed in frustration as she looked around for a solution.

Her eyes scanned the area, looking for a way up before landing on the stairs above the gate. She smirked to herself before running up to it. She jumped upwards, gripping the bottom of the railing and pulling herself upwards with all of her strength.

Once she was up high enough, Hayden reached her leg up, placing her foot on the ledge and using it to push herself up onto the ledge. Letting out a sigh of relief at her success, she climbed over the railing and continued to run up the stairs to the top of the building.

As she reached the top, Hayden could hear the voices of the VKs from the room in the back. Her nerves began to grow, knowing that the group wasn't her biggest fan; they knew she was Uma's friend.

Years ago, when Hayden had been let out to find Mal only to spend her time with Uma, the group of young VKs had seen the girls together. From then on, they viewed her as somewhat of an enemy.

Slowly, she walked into the room, her boots clicking with each step. Once the VKs noticed her presence, they fell into silence. A wave of uneasiness passed over Hayden but she refused to show it. Instead, she held her hard and confident demeanor.

"What is she doing here?" Jay asked, glaring over at the blue-haired girl. Hayden raised her eyebrows at him and crossed her arms. "Relax, I'm here to help" she retorted with a roll of her eyes.

"Why would we trust you?" Carlos asked. He didn't seem as aggressive as Jay but he was equally as distrustful. Hayden glanced around before her eyes landed on her sister who was looking back at her as if she was trying to figure her out.

"Ask Mal" she stated, not wanting to reveal more than what was already known. The other VKs looked to Mal, partially in confusion and partially expectantly, awaiting her explanation. "It's cool guys. She'll help us" Mal stated after a long pause.

"Look, I want the barrier down as much as Uma does but hurting Ben isn't going to help any of us" she stated, hoping to win them over. The others looked at her warily at first but, eventually, they exchanged glances with each other and nodded.

"I know Uma's ship like the back of my hand. I can slip on and find where she's keeping Ben" Hayden stated, feeling slightly more relaxed now. However, Jay scoffed at her and rolled his eyes. "She'll have pirates guarding him. You're gonna get caught" he stated.

Hayden rolled her eyes back at him but refrained from making a snarky comment. "That's the plan" she stated as if it was obvious. Jay scoffed at her once again and leaned back in his seat. "Oh yeah, seems like a great plan" he said sarcastically.

"Just let her talk" Evie ordered, looking from Jay to Hayden and then over at Mal. Hayden smiled slightly at the girl, not missing the look she gave her sister; it was as if she knew their secret.

"Thank you" Hayden said, ignoring the look. "Uma will tie me up with Ben so I'll be there at the docks tomorrow. I'll be able to break free whenever I want so, if it comes to fighting, we'll somewhat have the element of surprise. That always helps, right?"

Jay looked at her, not saying anything. However, he eventually sighed and nodded, admitting defeat. Hayden smirked back at him, knowing she had won. "It's the best chance we've got" Mal admitted.