Never Known

◇○ Chapter 8 ○◇

The boy stared at the ground, deep in the thought.

They had seeked refuge outside of the cave. They built a small, hidden camp within the rainforest while they thought of their next move.

Gregory could not take his mind off Cassie and the others. He knew they had to still be in there.

Vanessa and Freddy were both sitting and chatting. His dad was still not taking the news of Bonnie's fate well.

Gregory disassociated from it. It had not truly been processed yet. He was still certain they would find him.

"... I just don't get it. How he found Bonnie again after all those years... how he could find our ship -" Freddy thought out loud.

Vanessa sighed. "I remember one of his brothers sold him out. All of their souls belong to William."

Freddy scowled. "But that still does not explain how he knew about our crew? How did he know we were coming?? It's not like we met any of Bonnie's brothers on this trip..."

Gregory's blood suddenly ran cold as the realization hit him. Freddy must have noticed his nervousness.

"...Gregory? Is everything alright?"

The boy weighed his options. He could try lying, but he already looked nervous, so Freddy would see right through it. But if he was honest, he was going to be in a lot of trouble.

"I... I may have... met one -" he stuttered.

Freddy's eyes narrowed. "What?! When?? Who was it?!" He raised his voice.

That made the boy more nervous. "He... he went by Bon...?"

Freddy's eyes widened for a moment as he realized. As soon as it hit him, he scowled and buried his face in his paws.

Vanessa tsked in frustration. "So that's how he knew."

Gregory stood up in defense. "I-I didn't tell him much! How was I supposed to know he would backstab us?!"

"You should not have told him anything, Gregory! You can't trust anyone if you're a pirate!" Vanessa reprimanded.

"My dad didn't even tell me about him! He didn't even tell me that dad had brothers!" Gregory argued.

"This is exactly why! None of them can be trusted!" Freddy snapped.

The boy's ears dropped. "I-I'm sorry, dad! I didn't know this would happen, I-"

Freddy let out a shaky breath and tried calming himself down.

"...no, you're right... I should have told you. Sorry...." He relented.

Gregory could not believe it. How could family betray each other like this?! How could his own uncle do such a thing??

He had really messed up. If he had not snuck out that night or met Bon, maybe they wouldn't have wrecked at all.

Maybe Foxy would still be alive.

The boy felt like he was going to be sick.

...

It was far less scary with Chica around.

Cassie liked the mysterious woman from the start. She was really outgoing and sweet, which made it easier for the girl to latch on to.

The girl held her hand as they walked. Chica was stumbling and limping ever so slightly, so Cassie tried her best to help her balance her weight out. They were walking past another body of water, with a waterfall above it.

Both of them froze in terror as they heard a loud and vicious roar coming from ahead of them.

"What was that?!" Cassie turned to the woman. Chica glanced around in equal confusion.

"I-I don't know -" She pulled the girl behind her protectively as they heard the noise coming closer.

The perpetrator finally came into view. It took them a second to recognize the figure, considering how feral and sickly they looked.

"Monty??" Cassie called out in disbelief.

The gator cried out again and dived into the water to hide.

"What's wrong with him?!" Cassie asked.

Chica shrugged, still frozen in shock. "I don't know, maybe he's just... confused??"

Cassie hesitantly approached the water with the woman. As intimidating as they were, Monty was family. They had to help him.