Chapter 13 (still flashbacks)
It had been weeks since the gang's encounter with Harry Hook and while that should have made Camilla happy she actually found herself missing the pirate – or rather she missed the challenge. Every act of villainy they'd pulled off since seemed too easy to her, there was no thrill, people knew their reputations and just handed things over. As a result Camilla had taken some 'me time' away from the others. She walked down the streets with her usual confident strut as people hid and avoided eye contact. Though eye contact was hard since today Camilla was hiding her eyes under the brim of her hat. She had a lot of thinking to do and it wouldn't be good if someone saw the far off look in her eyes and took advantage of her distraction.
Eventually, she found herself just outside Troll Town, which sat on the line between Mal and Uma's respective territories. She contemplated crossing over, maybe causing some trouble on Uma's land would bring back the thrill for her. However, she never got the chance to decide because in true villain fashion –trouble found her.
As she was about to turn the next corner a figure came dashing around it and nearly ran her over. He skidded to a halt just before their bodies could collide and Camilla saw a flash of surprise on his face before he contained it and returned to his normal cheeky smirk.
"Lady De Vil." He greeted seeming out of breath but still happy to see her.
"Hook." She nearly growled remembering the last time she saw him and he'd put a sword to her neck. What she'd said about missing him? Yeah, that feeling evaporated. She roughly shoved him back but it only seemed to stir up his amusement as he gave a slightly high-pitched laugh.
"Oh, come now, don't be like that."
"You tried to kill me!" she accused him and his cheeky grin faltered but she sensed it wasn't from her words. Something was off about him, it was like he had to remember to smirk, his eyes kept shifting down the alley from where he'd come.
"Actually, I only held ye hostage."
"With a sword to my throat!"
"Well I –" his excuse was interrupted by shouting coming from behind him. Several guards were crashing their way through the street, each had a heart on the chest plate of their black and red armor –the Queen of Hearts minions. Hook then grabbed her hand and dragged her into the nearest alley were they hid among the shadows. The space between buildings was thin and their bodies pressed against each other in the tight space.
"Friends of yours?" she spat hating that now she'd been -literally – dragged into his mess.
"I may have disgruntled the wrong villain recently."
"How recent is recently?"
"Oh, about five minutes ago."
"Hook!" she scolded as quietly as she could, given her current rage. Then they heard the queen's knights getting closer and he shimmied them along until they popped out in another alley, this one much wider between two rows of villainous establishments built back to back. He led her through a few more alleys and past a couple buildings before he found one he seemed to be familiar with.
"Will you let go!" she said struggling to pull her hand free of his strong grip. "Whatever mess you've gotten yourself into, I refuse to get involved in it!"
"Have ye happened to notice where yeh are De Vil?" his words made her pause and look around. All the back doors to the buildings were marked so it was easy to get her bearings.
"This is Pain Lane!" she said slapping Hook in the shoulder. Pain Lane was on Uma's turf, he'd dragged her deeper into the hornet's nest!
"Exactly, so if yeh want to go runnin' around without me, go right ahead, I hope it all works out for ye! Or yeh can stick with me –"
"And lose my head next to you when the Queen of Hearts minions catch you?"
"Oh yeh, wound me, Lady De Vil." He said holding his hand to his heart in fake pain, "Have yeh not heard stories about how good I am at surviving?"
"I have. You're great in the stories. In reality though I haven't seen it yet." He brushed off her insult and gave her another cheeky grin.
"Just stick with me De Vil." He said taking off his red leather coat and throwing it over her shoulders, then he took her hat and replaced it with his own, his dark hair now falling into his black-lined eyes.
- - ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
Camilla was frozen in shock when Hook pulled her into the back door of the building he'd chosen.
"Never been in a pirate pub I take it?" he chuckled. Before she could answer the front door opposite them burst open and the queen's knights started searching the place -no doubt for Hook. But the teenage captain apparently had planned for this, he casually reached over and took a bottle off a table and hit another pirate in the head with it. When the man looked over to him Hook pointed innocently at another man seated nearby. Immediately the first pirate tackled the other man and in seconds the whole pub was brawling.
Camilla's mouth fell open in shock at the chaos, though Hook's plan seemed to be working. The knights were having trouble moving as they were swallowed in the sea of fist-fighting pirates. Then he took her hand and pulled her through the chaos with surprising ease. He stopped them right as a pair of drunken men passed them, he rushed her along before an air-born bottle could hit her in the head. They ducked and dodged as they made their way toward the second floor, when they did they ran into Starkey and at least four others of Hook's crew preparing to throw another pirate over the rail. They paused when they saw Hook and Camilla looked to the floor so his hat would hide her identity.
"Cap'in." one said in shock, as Hook looked at the pirate they were about to toss. Then he gestured to the rail with his hand.
"Carry on."
They roared in delight as they threw the man down where he landed on another group that was fighting. As they looked over the railing and cheered with their swords held high Hook took her hand and led her to a second floor window. Outside was an old rusted fire escape. He stepped out first before offering his hand to help her before they both descended it. When their feet touched the ground Camilla was surprised that their were other villains just walking by the pub. None were deterred by the shouting and sounds of fists hitting flesh, glass breaking and chairs being thrown. Then she turned to Hook.
"After you." He said giving a slight bow and holding his arm out in the direction of her home territory.
- - ROTTEN TO THE CORE - -
Hook ended up walking Camilla all the way to Hell Hall, claiming it would be bad form to leave her to walk alone at such a late hour. He had a point, though she'd never tell him that, whether you lived on Mal or Uma's side of the Isle it was still plenty dangerous –especially after night fell. When they reached Woeful Way Camilla began recognizing her surroundings again and was surprised by how disappointed she was, she never thought she'd say it, or even think it, but she'd had fun with Hook.
Reluctantly, she took off his jacket and hat. When she did he placed her red fedora on her head giving her a long look. Camilla wasn't sure how to describe the look in his bright eyes, it was something she'd never seen before.
"Yeh know, I didn't mean to hold ye captive the last time we crossed." He said coming as close to an apology as any villain ever had. It took Camilla a second to regain her usual carefree and confident attitude which made her question –if she wasn't doing it naturally did that mean it was an act? Not the real her? If so then what was the real her? She hated how she couldn't even answer that question.
"Oh, please." She scoffed already feeling fake.
"I mean it, sometimes ye just have to do what ye have to do in order to survive."
"I know."
It was silent as they continued walking and it wasn't long until Hell Hall came into view. An old Victorian mansion that had fallen into disrepair like much of the Isle. It's high walls covered in vines more twisted than her mother's mind and thick iron gates meant to not only keep people out, but to keep Carlos and Camilla in. Hook had put on his jacket and hat once more as he scowled at the building.
"How do ye stand living in that thing?"
"The same way I deal with living on the Isle." She shrugged, "Take it a day at a time."
"We'll get off this rock one day." He said crossing his arms and leaning against the corner of the alley wall. When she looked at him he didn't need words to know what she was thinking. Every villain said the same thing, but here they were twenty years later still trapped. But Hook looked cool and confident as he smirked at her.
"Trust me."
Trust. She thought, it was the one thing a good villain was never supposed to do. A good villain looked out for themselves and, if they had to, use and manipulate others, but they never trusted. The funny thing though was after everything that had happened today Camilla did trust the pirate in front of her. He'd helped keep her safe even when she was supposed to be his enemy.
"Goodnight Lady De Vil." He bid her with a small bow before disappearing into the shadows again, leaving Camilla with more thinking to do than she had already started that day with.