Later that evening, our golden group was lounging in the back room as we helped Umsy with the ever-heightening stack of chores. Said bluette was washing the dishes while I dried and put them away. Harry was wiping down the cooking stations and Gil was sweeping the floor (there wasn't much else we trusted him to do).
"I hate dishes..." I groaned, drying off a barely rinsed plate.
"Yeah this is gross," Gil chimed in.
I made a face. "Remind me why I 'ave to do this again?"
Uma gave an exasperated sigh at the question we had asked a million times. "Because my mom said so."
"Why is your mum so mean?"
"Why is your mom so dead?"
I scowled. "You can ask 'er if you ever meet the whore." Unlike most people, I was not a big fan of my mother. Nor did I particularly care she was dead. Any woman who willingly abandons her daughter to a half-drunk pirate (no matter what a great dad he turned out to be) deserves to die in my book.
"Join tha club," Harry said from his place across the room.
Gil looked up. "What club?"
"The our-mums-abandoned-us-because-they're-worthless-pieces-of-shit club."
"Oh... my mom was always nice to me."
"Shame you're the only one."
"I don't think it's a shame. She makes me cookies, watched movies with me, taught me to read, tucked me in at night..."
"That's enough, Gil." Uma said.
He continued, oblivious. "Told me stories, drew pictures with me, taught me to sa-"
"I said that's ENOUGH." She slammed her hands on the lip of the sink. The entire countertop shook.
I quietly put down a plate and glanced at Harry, who made eye contact with me before turning back to face Uma.
Uma turned to Gil. "God, don't you know how to take a hint? Didn't your perfect mother ever teach you that?"
Our mums were never around because they couldn't be. Uma's was across the hall- yet she acted as though she lived halfway around the world. At least the boys and I had one semi-active parent.
Gil stood gaping at her, before he slowly lowered his head like a kicked puppy. She seemed to realize he wasn't going to reply and turned, stomping out of the room. She muttered something about clearing tables before she left.
"Well now ya've done it."
"Seriously, Gil?"
He looked up at us. "What did I do wrong?"
I sighed. "Gil, darling, we've talked about this. It's never a good idea to bring up family issues."
"Especially when it's Uma's. You know she's touchy."
"Exactly."
"Oh. He raised his head to look at me, tears rimming his eyes.
I shook my head. "For Hades sake, Gil."
What are the right words here? How do I explain the nuances of dysfunctional family life to a person with the education level of a toddler?
"We- the rest of us- we didn't get, we didn't get what you had." I felt the red-coated pirate get closer to me behind. "I know it's hard for you ta understand, but this is the reality, love. Most people don't love their kids."
Harry put his hand on my shoulder and I bent my arm to clasp his fingers with mine. "It's hard ta hear about wha' you had, when we didn't get that."
"Right..." He looked downcast again. "I didn't hurt her feelings, did I?"
Harry sighed. "Ya probly nicked her heart of stone a bit."
He nodded.
"And Uma's our captain- or she will be, anyway. It's litrally our job ta make sure she's stable or at least operating right, and bringing up mommy issues is like holdin' her over an open flame."
He nodded again. "Okay. I'm sorry."
I gave an exasperated sigh. "Don't be sor-"
BOOM
I whipped my head to the wall. "Was that the door?"
Harry held my hand and we moved to the serving window, where we had a perfect view of the majority of the restaurant.
"It's dragon girl," he said in hushed tone.
Indeed, the leather-clad wonder squad was in the front. Uma was standing in front of them with her hands in her hips and pursed lips, without a hint of abandonment issues on her face. Good for her.
Mal tilted her head up. "Give us our stuff back."
Uma gave them her signature smirk. "What stuff?"
Harry gave me a little smile and ruffled his hair. I made a little flourish with my shoulder and let go of his hand, and we walked out of kitchen with Gil teetering behind.
"Play the part, play the part, play the part... " he whispered to himself.
I ran my hands over my corset and put my head up, tapping into that relaxed, confident, fear-invoking part of myself. Time to put on a show.
We opened the door just in time to see Evie step forward. "Look, we're not looking for any trouble. Just give us back our vegetables and we'll go."
"They're mine."
We held back near the door, partially behind the VK's, and watched Mal and Uma duke it out.
"No, they're not. They belong to me and my mother."
Uma used one hand to gesture to the shop. "My building, my food."
Mal crossed her arms. "It was ours first."
"And it's mine now." She stared her down.
Mal glared back, the faintest tint of green ringing her irises. Evie glowered at all of us. After a long, tension-filled pause, Mal cocked her head at Jay and Carlos. "Find it."
I hit Harry's shoulder with a careless hand and watched as he jumped forward out of the shadows, Gil not far behind.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Harry sang, stopping Jay. Gil grabbed dog boy's arm.
I walked forward slowly, savoring every second. "I'd be careful if I were you, Mal," I said slowly, brushing some dirt off her purple shoulder. She growled at me. I patted her hand, giving her a mock pouty face. Evie scoffed. I turned my head to her. "And you, Evie!"
I gave her a big psychotic smile and ran my fingers through her blue locks, wandering my eyes to and from her face. "I'd watch my back if I were you, too. Wouldn't want anything to happen to something so..." I widened my eyes and let my mouth hang open slightly, my eyelashes nearly brushing hers... "pretty." I smirked when I saw her face heat up. The straight-haired, straight-A's daughter of the evil queen- not as perfectly straight as her mother thought. Not that I was any saint in that department.
She blinked her eyes away from mine to Uma's, her blush not fading. "Call off your dogs."
Uma said nothing. I glanced at Gil, who was holding Carlos's arm so tight it had turned white, and then Harry.
His eyes were already on me. I could see the facade of a dangerous, threatening boy, ready to do his master's bloodletting. But beneath that, swirling somewhere under the base violence and wild mannerisms, was a vicious crazy I knew we had not seen the face of yet.
I know that I look the same.
I broke the eye contact and switched back to the blue-haired lady in front of me. "Oh, Evie..." I sighed as I backed away from her. I jerked my head and the boys let go of Jay and Carlos and followed me. "We're not dogs." I reached into my back pocket. Uma gave me a small smile as we passed her. I winked at her.
"We're wolves." I held up Evie's phone.
"What?" Gil showed Carlos's wallet, Harry held up Jay's wallet and phone.
"Give that back!" Evie and Carlos yelled in unison. Jay cursed under his breath and looked straight at Harry. The three of them took off after us.
I spun back around and ran out of the shop. Harry and Gil laughed at my sides as we sprinted from the VKs for the second time that day.
Leaving Mal and Uma to face off alone.