Chapter Text
“You have that nightmare again Lambkins?”, Black Sheep blinked green eyes at Coach Brunt, sniffing then nodding.
“What the heck was that?!” the class was staring at her, she’d just suddenly appeared on the platform they had to get to, she stared back unsure about what had happened herself.
She just innocently smiled while Shadowsan looked at his now blue hair in the mirror, sure weird things happened around her but not like it was her that did this, how could she?
Witch, that’s what she was.
It’d taken her embarrassingly too long to realize that.
Still, it helped her in appearing older, old enough to be left alone in regards to her age.
She doesn’t admit that Zack and Ivy’s teases sometimes confuse her but then, they think her to be like twenty something, when she’s only fourteen.
Currently she’s running from Julia, she fought down the blush at the grin she’d gotten from Ivy some weeks back, okay yes, she found her pretty but well, she was an adult, Carmen was not.
That was when she began to realize that making yourself appear older than you truly are to such a degree could lead to uncomfortable situations.
For everyone involved if it ever got out.
Jumping she grabbed onto the ledge ready to get away, she’s about to use her hook when something attaches itself to her, to her magic and the shock makes her slip, she’s falling, panicking she flailed, magic twisting and herself shrinking.
She lands still panicking in Julia’s hold, her frightened gaze meeting the shocked look from the ACME agent.
“Carmen...?”, it all felt wrong, she’s struggling and crying, this thing wasn’t going away and it was tugging and tugging on her magic.
It hurts!
She wakes up in an ACME room, her disguise gone, true self laid bare.
A scrawny little girl.
It’s Julia who comes to her first, concern, surprise and confusion clear.
Carmen can only look away and try not to cry.
“I can’t believe it.... La Femme Rouge a child?” Devineaux doesn’t know what to do or think anymore.
He’d been chasing a little girl around the world, put said girl in more danger in her attempts to escape him.
He feels angry, angry at this stupid child, this idiot girl who put herself in danger when children should be playing and worrying about school, not this!
He’s angry at ACME for not being able to tell.
And...he’s angry at himself for not seeing it either.
Learning that magic exists and that’s how she was able to do this doesn’t change how he feels in any capacity.
Tamara didn’t know how to feel, watching as Julia ran a hand through Carmen’s hair the child having fallen asleep emotionally exhausted, her breath hitched upon seeing the lightning scar it revealed “no...”.
As Chief, she made it her business to know of anything that they may need to step in on, as such she knew about Britain’s Dark Lord Voldemort.
And the reason for his downfall, who was currently in the bed in their holding facility.
Grimacing she knew she had to follow protocol now and let the ICW know that she had found their missing Girl Who Lived.
Perhaps they’d know what the two magic signatures not her own were and how to remove them?
If she was honest that was the main reason, with one of those making their magical doctor team look ill, it apparently being foul magic.
No doubt left by the man who saw fit to try and murder a baby barely a year old.
As Carmen seemed calmer with Julia around, Tamara made sure she was also present when she had the meeting between the Chief Warlock and themselves.
“Holly...” the old man reached towards her and she flinches away, feeling exposed and vulnerable without the guise of Carmen wrapped around her.
“I understand that Miss Sandiego was born in Britain but as of this moment I don’t see reason to return her, not with her being under ACME custody” crossing her arms over the desk, she stared this Dumbledore down.
“Miss Potter is needed, not to mention the contract now bound to her...” Carmen stiffened, fixing him with a look.
“One, My name is Carmen Sandiego, I have no memory of ever being called Holly Potter and two” expression hardening she frowned “what contract?”.
Julia couldn’t hold her tongue as she listened to the explanation “that is absurd! Not only was Carmen not there to do it herself she’s not even of age, she may be capable but she has likely had no training in magic and you want to throw her into a death tournament”.
“Agent Argent, while I do agree with your point, settle down” Tamara fixed her with a look, with a hint of understanding.
“Miss...Sandiego will lose her magic if she does not compete” Dumbledore looked pained about this, “I wish I could change the situation myself”.
“So?” Carmen shrugged “I don’t need magic, my secret about not being an adult is out now anyway, can’t put that cat back in the bag”
Dumbledore grimaced “you will die without your magic I’m afraid”.
Looking ill Carmen managed a meek “oh...” she then held her head in her hands “can I at least let my companions know I’m okay? And no they don’t know about this either, so don’t think about going after them about child endangerment”.
“I’ll pass the message along” with a tiny smile Julia attempted to reassure this girl who was in a situation she never should’ve been.
Letting Player, Zack and Ivy know her true age had sucked, it hurt to see the look of betrayal on Zack and Ivy’s faces, getting angry at her for doing this at her age, not to mention the other type of danger she put herself in by lying about her age.
They weren’t talking to her anymore, saying that they needed to think, well Zack and Ivy anyway.
“I still can’t believe you’re younger than me Red” Player sighed “but I’m glad I’ve been able to help you stay safe”.
“At least you’re still talking to me” her coat was too big but she felt safe wrapped up in it as she waited in the plane.
“Hey they’ll...they’ll come around they just need to cool off and think, they just found out that they’ve been letting a kid get into some really bad danger” Player grimaced at the flinch he caused her to have “sorry Carmen”.
“No it’s fine...you’re right anyway, I hurt them, hurt you with this lie, I never meant to work with others because of it but you guys just...found your way to me and then stuck around”, she feels like crying again.
“And I don’t ever regret it Red, because of meeting you, I get to know I’ve helped save the world” he chuckles and she finds herself doing the same, if albeit a watery and weak one, they have to log off as the plane gives the notification for it and she hugs her knees.
“I’m with you Carmen” Julia sat next to her and Devinaux sat beside her on the isle seat.
“Because you’re assigned to me” she muttered looking out the window.
“Because I want to, yes learning your age was...is a shock but you’re an ally, a friend Carmen” she smiles at her and Carmen swallowed.
“Aye, not so much a friend but I would be here even if I wasn’t assigned” Deavinaux added and Julia shook her head with an exasperated sigh.
“This will be the first time I’m going to be staying in England for a while...” watching the clouds, Carmen can’t help feel nervous and slightly frightened about all of this “and now I know that’s where I was born”, she’d trembled “now I know my family is gone...”.
She tries not to cry, but for all she acted mature enough to fool those around her alongside magic helping her, she was still just a child.
She’d hoped that one day she’d be able to meet at least one member of her family, now that was destroyed beyond repair.
The one comfort was that they’d loved her enough to willingly die for her, but even that didn’t dull the ache of grief as her one major dream crumbled to dust.
Neither agent say a word, unsure of what to say as Carmen eventually cried herself to sleep.
Looking at her sadly Julia sighed “why did the world have to decide to do this to her?”.
“I...I don’t know” Deavinaux wasn’t sure she wanted an answer but did so anyway, feeling a mixture of emotions as he glanced at the young thief, he’d made his goal to catch.
He’d never pictured it being like this.
He wished it wasn’t like this.