Flame ▪ Harry Hook

III. 09

Harry had been the first one to run to Hayden once she collapsed onto the ground. He called out to her repeatedly, shaking her shoulders in the hopes that she would simply wake up.

Uma had frozen in her place, watching as her best friend fell unconscious. The girl had wanted to cry earlier when she found out the truth about the Isle but she stopped herself. Now, however, she was unable to control the salty tears that slid silently down her cheeks.

Even Harry could feel the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. However, he blinked them back, refusing to let them fall and refusing to believe that Hayden wouldn't be okay; she had told him that she would be.

When Mal appeared down to them with an unconscious Audrey she almost dropped the girl from her arms. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her, seeing her sister on the floor. Uma looked at her sympathetically but couldn't find any words.

Harry placed his hands under her back and legs, picking her up in his arms. He held her close as he carried her back to Audrey's room where Mal had instructed them to go.

The tall pirate didn't speak at all while they walked, afraid that his voice would crack and betray him. When they found the others a solemn silence fell on the group. Harry didn't know if it was for Hayden or Audrey, or even both but he didn't care; all of his attention was on the girl in his arms who suddenly seemed so small and fragile.

As they pushed open the door to Audrey's dorm room, Mal placed the daughter of Sleeping Beauty on her bed while Harry approached the big bay window, laying Hayden down on the cushions and sitting next to her, resting her head in his lap.

The group sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, trying to think of some solution that might bring their friends back. "Will they ever wake up?" Carlos eventually asked, his voice full of sadness as it broke the heavy silence.

"The ember took something from both of them and I don't have the power to use it and give it back to them" Mal began to state, looking over at her sister longingly. "I really don't know" she whispered.

Silence fell once more as Harry stared down at the girl next to him. She looked peaceful but he still feared that she was in pain, wanting to protect her like he always had.

"There is one thing that always works" Evie spoke up, uncertainty in her voice. It was as if the girl had been thinking about it for a while but was afraid to say it. Harry looked to her with a mixture of confusion and hope on his face.

"True love's kiss" Uma spoke up, sharing a knowing look with Evie. The two girls seemed hopeful but Ben looked at them with doubt. "Unless you count whatever that was with Chad, Audrey hasn't had a boyfriend since I broke up with her. I don't think she has found true love" he stated matter-of-factly.

Evie, Uma and Mal all shared a wary look before glancing at the pirate in the window who barely took his eyes off of the sleeping girl. "No" Uma began, looking awkwardly at Harry. "But Hayden might have" she finished.

Harry's head shot up at this. A wave of pain and confusion came over him as his jaw tightened, wondering who the daughter of Hades could have possibly fallen in love with without him even having realised it. However, his confusion only grew when he saw that everyone else in the room was looking at him.

"What? Me?" he asked in shock, looking to each of them for confirmation. Even Celia had been looking at him with her eyebrows raised.

"We a see how you look at her, Hook. It's obvious" Uma stated, smiling slightly for the first time since Hayden fell unconscious. Harry grimaced slightly at the nickname that the blue-haired girl had always used for him but said nothing of it.