Maleficent furious, "How could you have lost her!" She yelled at her underling, the dark fairy had thought the child was too petrified to move let alone run away, "I-I'll find her!" She glares at his quivering from, "You had better," He nods but doesn't move, "What are you waiting for an invitation, go and find her now!" Without further delay, the terrified lackey runs off to do just that, "When I get my hands on that brat-" Her frown turns into a wicked grin, "I'll make sure that she won't ever try and run from me again."
Turning quickly, she points to another minion nearby by, "You. Go find my daughter and bring her to me." The minion doesn't need to be told twice he's gone the second she finishes her demand.
"Umm..." The kidnapper and previous Auradonian starts but stops short of actually saying what is on his mind, "Well, now that you've spoken, continue what is it?" The malicious fairy questions.
"Why are you having Mal brought here?" The new underling asked nervously.
Maleficent didn't seem to notice his nerves and answered in an almost pleasant voice, "For a lesson of course."
"A lesson...?"
"Yes, a lesson. One that my daughter and our little guest will both remember for a long time, after all, what sort of mother would I be if I let the opportunity for such a learning experience to slip past me." The smile that graced her face was nothing short of menacing.
Jane was currently out of breath, she had pulled together all her courage to sneak away as soon as her kidnappers' backs were turned and once she was far enough away she had started to run and hasn't once stopped until now.
The small girl hadn't given much thought to the sights and sounds before as her own breaths and heartbeats sounded so loud in her ears and her eyes were only keeping watch for anyone following behind her but now that she's stopped running she can hear and see more clearly than before and she wishes that she couldn't.
The sounds were a mix of cries, shouts, and what she now knew to be evil laughter all around it was hard to make heads or tails of which way certain sounds were coming from, but Jane knew one thing she didn't want to get close to any of them be they frightened or evil.
The little girl was very much out of her depth and now she could feel eyes on her too, it made her paranoid, was it the kidnapper or was someone else watching her. Did it matter? Everyone here was bad, she was surrounded by nothing but mean people and if they caught her they'd probably yell at her or pull her hair and shove her like the evil fairy did.
Never having been treated so roughly before her childish mind didn't know that the dangers were much worse than that of receiving a few bruises but that was enough for her to know that she needed to keep away from others. So the girl bent down and started to crawl underneath things to avoid the attention of being out in the open, she could use her small body and the surrounding junk littered all around to her advantage so for now, that's what she'd do.
Hopefully, soon her mom would find out what happened and come to rescue her from this awful place, then she'd go home, and her mom would give her hugs and kisses and cookies and then she'd forget all about this awful place.
After finding a good spot with her back against a wall and decent view of the feet the walked by she sat and waited.
And waited and waited and waited and... it was taking a terribly long time for her mom to find her, would she be able to if she kept hiding?
The girl had to keep hidden though or else bad guys would get her, just then she was drawn out of her worries by a big pair of feet that came closer than most, she tensed up. After what felt like a lifetime but was in reality only a few seconds they left, and she relaxed a bit and once again she waited only this time the tears were back, but she sniffed a little and kept them from falling from her eyes.
A while later she startled awake not having even noticed that she'd fallen asleep in her hiding spot, it didn't take long to figure out what woke her. Standing in front of her having knocked away the junk she had crawled up under was a man and he tried to grab her but she scrambled away and under some more scattered odds and ends, they weren't giving up though and were following her and knocking away things as they gave chase and eventually she couldn't find anything else to hide under and had to take off running again.
The little girl was tired of running, in fact, she was just plain tired.
The sun was nearly set at this time, so it made running through the streets more dangerous, but the little brunette had no other option if she wished to flee her pursuer which she did want very much. Being much smaller than the grown villain that was chasing her was to her disadvantage this time because she wasn't hiding but running and he was faster, bigger and knew the area.
Just as he reached for her it appeared that luck, for the time being, was on her side because she tripped and fell making him miss her, but he was now within reaching distance, so she wouldn't get lucky a second time. At least that's what she thought until she heard the bad man scream followed by another voice, "Get up, come on!"
Not needing to be told twice she did as the voice directed and without a backward glance to see what had befallen her hunter she followed after the voice, "This way he'll never find you up here!"
It didn't take long to see a glimpse of the figure she was following, it was a kid! A kid like her, what was another kid doing on the Isle, did someone take them too?
Before when she was so focused on escape and staying hidden the little girl didn't take the time to survey her surroundings and see that the enemies that surrounded her were not all adults like she had assumed they were.
In fact, Jane was just about to learn something that she never knew, that villains had children too.
Jane could barely keep up, the kid who was a boy from what Jane could tell kept slowing down only long enough to shout things like, 'Keep up.' 'Hurry up.' 'You're such a slowpoke.' And 'No wonder he almost caught you.'
It was annoying her but through all her huffing at trying to keep up with him she couldn't waste air on a comeback, not that she could think of one, the blue-eyed girl was really tired. Just as she thought that she stopped running.
"Come on slowpoke just up this ladder now!" She looked up to where the voice that she now thought to be the most aggravating sound in the world was coming and slowly started to climb it all the while thinking that's what he'd said about the last ladder they went up.
This had to be the third one now, how much further would they need to go to be safe?
Speaking of some of the ladders didn't feel very safe and her mom would ground her if she found out about all the rooftops that Jane had run across today. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad though, being grounded because she was sure to be grounded you'd have to be on the ground first. Never had heights bothered her but looking down from rooftops might have changed that and it didn't help that the sun had set while she followed him.
It didn't really help that she had to jump or crawl across thin boards between a few of them either but after the one time, he called her a 'scaredy cat' she sucked it up.
Getting to the top she finally came face to face with the little boy who was grinning at her, the first thing the girl noticed was his shoulder-length hair was a dark color and that it wasn't sweaty and stuck to him like hers was and that he wasn't breathing as heavily as her, in fact, he didn't seem to be breathing hard at all.
She felt exhausted and knew she looked it too, her hair which was in pigtails before had come lose on the left side and was sticking to her face and neck. "Hey slowpoke you made it, congratulations!" He claps a bit and she feels like he's making fun of her, "I thought you'd get caught for sure."
"J-Jane." She states with what little breath that she's caught.
"What?" The other kid asked puzzled.
"My name's Jane..." She said steadily before she all but whispered the last part, "it's not slowpoke."
"Sure, slowpoke Jane then!" He laughs as she frowns not correcting him again, "I'm Jay."
The boy, Jay then bounces over to a pile of rags on the floor and falls back onto them, "So, what did you do to get the goon after ya," he sits up and suddenly pulls out a necklace from his jacket, "Did you steal something from him?" He grins at the necklace as he says this before checking another pocket and bringing out a small cup.
"No of course not, stealing is bad!"
He looks startled for a second before he begins to laugh, "Wow," he slaps his knee before jumping up, "you had me for a second, I thought you were serious."
"...I am, stealing is wrong."
"Of course it is, all the more reason to do it." He didn't sound like he was joking, Jane didn't know how to respond to that, so she didn't. Her mom would know what to say but she wasn't here... yet.
"..."
"Besides if you really never stolen anything you'd probably have starved by now."
Just then her stomach growls making her blush, Jay just snickers, "Besides it's not like your parents would still feed you at your age."
This shocked Jane and made her forget her embarrassment, "Your parents don't?"
He scoffs, "Of course not, the only ones who are stilled getting babied like that at our age would have to be someone like the Evil Queen's daughter."
"The Evil Queen's... daughter?"
He gives her a funny look, "You don't know about her... that's like not knowing that Maleficent had a daughter," the color drains from Janes' face and she feels light-headed at the evil fairy she'd escaped from being someone's mom; Jay just continues on talking not having noticed, "everybody knows... even the sheltered kids at least I thought so, say who did you say your parents are?"
If she wasn't pale before she would be now because at this very moment she'd realized that if the Evil Queen and the Bad Fairy had daughters then that meant that the boy in front of her wasn't like her at all he was like those two other girls he's mentioned, he was a villain's kid and suddenly being the daughter of a good fairy particularly The Fairy Godmother wasn't such a good thing to be where she was at.
Lying was something that her mom had taught her not to do but she'd already broken so many rules, what was one more? It wasn't like she could tell the truth and not have it be a bad thing for her here either so in a way lying would still be good, right?
"I-I don't have any parents."
"Hmm..." He looked thoughtful and Jane tried not to look frightened as he thought, "They dead... lucky wish mine was. I'm Jafar's son by the way." The smile that graced his face as he'd spoken those words wasn't scary but the fact that he could have such a smile while saying them scared Jane more than any evil smile at this moment would have.
She didn't want to stay here, she needed her mom to come and rescue her.
For the time being though that wasn't possible, so she'd have to blend in and stay hidden until then. How to do that though, she wasn't like this boy and she never wanted to be and that was slowly becoming an even bigger fear than being caught.
What if the Isle of the Lost didn't only keep villains locked away... what if the Isle somehow made villains?
If her mom didn't find her fast enough would that happen to her?
Would she become a villain?
Jay let her stay there that night which was both a relief and a worry as she was terrified that any minute Jafar would show up.
However, that didn't last long because the little villain boy seemed to know what she was thinking and put those worries to rest.
"Dad doesn't come here too much climbing I think." He snorts.
"You don't live with him?" Jane asked perplexed.
"Sure. He's so mad right now though that'd he'd probably kill me if I came home tonight." The young villain stated with a wave of his hand like it was no big deal.
Jane was hoping that he was just exaggerating but she's not so sure... still he was a kid, so it had to be a joke. The blue-eyed girl decided not to think about it anymore and instead asked, "What... what did you do to make him so angry?"
"Nothing too exciting just made him lose some merch."
"Some merch?"
"I forgot you don't know anything. Dad owns a shop, sells odds and ends nothing fancy just whatever I can get my hands on mostly."
"You mean... stuff you steal?" Jane's voice came out just a tad judgmental.
Jay raised an eyebrow her way, "Where else would I get the goods from?"
"... I don't know." She had never given it much thought to how people on the Isle obtain things that they needed.
Just then her stomach makes itself known once more, she hadn't had anything since lunch and it was already way past dinner time for her.
"Is there anything to eat here?" Her blue eyes scan the room, it's mostly empty aside from the few candles, the lamp without a lampshade that gives a very faint glow and the rags on the floor that she's beginning to think are his bed and blankets combined
"Nope, should've tried to snag something on the way here." He says while examining the goods he stole more thoroughly.
"We were running though." It was obvious at least to her that there wasn't any way to do both things at the same time.
He continues on doing his thing and with a shrug declares, "That's the best time to take something... I have no idea how you've survived for so long."
Not answering the second half of his comment she focuses on the important thing, her hunger.
"...So, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to eat?" The young girl hoped that wasn't the case and there was something to eat hidden away around this hideout or maybe somewhere close by had food.
"Unless you wanna chance the streets in the dark which for you I wouldn't suggest it."
Shuddering at the mere thought of wandering around out there at night she decides to go without is her only real option. Looking at the dirty wooden floor beneath her feet she couldn't bring herself to leave, if he had asked her to she probably would have begged and cried until he caved, going back out there alone... she wouldn't do it willingly.
It had occurred to Jane then that she'd never before missed a meal, even if she was in trouble her mom wouldn't send her to bed without something on her tummy, she always said growing girls needed to eat and that missing a meal was bad for you.
The brunette was beginning to think that the whole island was bad for her.
The other kid sighed seeing the downtrodden look on the girl's face, really it was like she never had to go hungry before. There was something most definitely off about this kid to him but for the time being, it didn't really matter so he let it go.
He set his stolen goods down and faced her fully, "Let's get some sleep, if we go to bed early then we can grab something on the way out."
At this, she looks up at him, "...On the way out? I'm coming with you?"
"Of course, I helped you, didn't I? You should return the favor."
"What?" The little girl was perplexed.
"You didn't think I helped you for nothing right?" He asked as if it was obvious that his help would cost her.
He could tell almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth by the look on her face that's exactly what she had thought, really it was like this girl was from another world or something.
He shakes his head at the thought and decides to try a different tactic. She owed him, but he didn't want to hear her whine about it so maybe playing nice will work, he wasn't that well versed in it but no time like the present to get in some practice.
"I helped you out when you needed it." He pauses right here and hopes it gives the effect that he wants it to before finishing, "and now I need some help with something, it wouldn't be very nice to say no."
He was right, if he needed something that she could do then it would be only fair to help him with it.
"Okay, what do I need to do?"
"Don't worry about it, it won't be difficult anyone could do it, just takes two people to get the job done."
Well, that was reassuring, then she shouldn't mess it up but now the girl was curious about it.
Jay though just went around an extinguished the two candles which gave the room the most light before he turned off the lamp making the entire room become enveloped by darkness.
On normal nights she didn't like the dark, this wasn't a normal night. She was scared but she couldn't let him know that.
As he settled back down not only did she come to the conclusion that she'd have to sleep without a night light, but the brunette would have to sleep on the floor and not in a sleeping bag, like a sleepover way but on a hard-wooden floor without even a blanket to use.
"Jay... could I have a blanket?" She hoped there was enough of those rags to make another blanket.
"Only one sorry." He didn't sound very sorry.
"Okay... good night Jay..." She whispered with a slightly quivering voice.
Her mom wasn't there to tuck her in, she thought to herself as she laid down on the hard ground and closed her eyes hoping for sleep, it didn't come for a very long time.
The next morning, she awoke to Jay's poking, sitting up she noticed she felt very stiff and pretty sore as well.
"You bruise easily huh?" Jay points to the bruises on her right arm and leg that she'd been tossed on the day before, not only that, but there were several cuts and scrapes that she's unsure of the origin.
It left her feeling achy and dirty, she wanted to be clean, she wanted a nice warm, soft bed, her bed. Mostly she wanted her mom and wondered why she hadn't come for her yet? She had to know she was missing by now, she was looking for her right?
Tears start to well up in her eyes and the little villain boy's eyes widen in response to this, "Geez don't be so sensitive I didn't mean anything by it."
They started to fall in streams down her face, and Jay was about to panic until he remembered, "Hey you're hungry right? Let's go get something to eat, what do you say."
Wiping away her tears with her arms she nods, and slowly stands up.
They move slower than the previous day and Jane's very grateful for that since she's tired and sore.
As he leads her back the way the little girl thinks they came last night she starts to see unfamiliar surroundings, he's brought her to some sort of market she hadn't yet seen.
"Okay here's the plan see that vendor right there?" He points at one that looks like it has loaves of bread for sale, "Yes...," she had an idea of where this was going, her mom would be so disappointed in her if she stole something but just the sight of the bread alone makes her stomach come alive.
She was hungry, and it was only one thing and her mom said eating was important... and she wouldn't do it again, besides was stealing still bad if it was a villain you were stealing from? She didn't know but it couldn't be as bad at least that was the blue-eyed girl's reasoning.
Not ten minutes later she and her fellow partner in crime were sitting in the alleyway with a loaf of bread, she was breathing hard and looking around warily but Jay just sat down and broke off a piece of the bread and handed it to her.
She took it while still keeping an eye out for danger, "Relax, eat, he's not chasing us."
"Are you sure?" The half-fairy asked since she thought she'd heard him say something about hanging them by their in-something or other when he caught them and while she didn't know what that was it probably wasn't a good thing.
"Look if he followed us this far he'd have lost more than just one loaf of bread," the young villain took a big bite out of his bread before continuing with his mouth full, "leaving the rest of his merch unattended means he'll not have a single loaf left by the time he came back to it, so." He swallows, "he'll not leave it if he's got any sort of brain."
"That makes sense."
Finally, she relaxed and took a bite of the bread well she tried to anyway. "It's hard like a rock!" She exclaimed in surprise and with slight frustration.
"You're kidding, right? This is some of the softest bread I've had in ages!" As if to prove the point he takes another big bite and chews.
"It's stale." Not that she's ever had old bread that's gone stale before, but she knew that's what it must be from the hardness of it.
"Stale or rotten take your pick princess that's all there is. Well occasionally there's soggy but that's mostly at Ursula's place."
"Ursula's?" Jane barely contains a gasp, she's heard about her she's a witch of some kind.
"Ya she has a restaurant, but you have to deal with pirates if you wanna eat there."
"Pirates!" Like the walk the plank kind, she worries. Her mom had only just signed her up for swimming lesson recently she hadn't even taken one class yet!
Jay stuffed the last part of his bread into his mouth then spoken through his bread, "Ya, hey you gonna eat that?"
Jane hugged the bread to her nodding, "Then hurry up we have things to do."
"Like what?" She muttered while thinking about the bread in her hands, the small girl wanted to eat but the bread wasn't warm or soft, it wasn't fair... she was so hungry.
"That thing you were gonna help me with remember?" The villain kid rolls his eyes.
"Are we stealing something again?" She didn't want to... but she'd promised.
Jay grinned, "You bet!"
Jane frowns and finally tears into her bread chewing down hard, silently she apologizes to her mom for what she's about to do. The brunette continues until her jaw is sore then she takes off her dresses' jacket to wrap up the rest for later.
"Good idea!" Jay watches her for a minute before grabbing it from the girl, she starts to protest but he warps it in a way that she can wear it as a sling with the bread in it, once he does that the boy helps her secure it, so she'll be able to run with it. They take their leave after that with her giving him a smile and a quick thanks.
He frowns and for a second Jane sees a look in his eyes that she doesn't recognize but it disappears so fast it was almost like it hadn't been there at all, he smiles back, "No problem, we're pals right?"
Jane forgets about the look and smiles widely, she didn't have any friends unless you count Chad and she didn't so was Jay her first friend maybe?
"Let's go."
With that said Jane followed after Jay to steal something for a second time that day but that didn't mean she was planning to become a villain or anything.
A/N: How much longer will little Jane be able to avoid Maleficent and her thugs? Sadly, kiddie Carlos hasn't appeared yet, but you know Cruella she probably has him taking care of her furs or doing some other servant-like tasks.