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Soul marks were real.
It was an undeniable fact that Hannah Hook had grown up knowing despite many adults on the isle’s best efforts—soul marks were real, which meant that soulmates were also real. But… she also knew that not everyone gets a soul mark—which, by extension, meant that not everybody got a soul mate.
And that people tended to think that those without soul marks were either holy as holy could be or abominations.
And that knowledge and the idea that she may never get a soul mark or soul mate terrified her even though she wasn’t usually one to seek the approval of others.
Because she didn’t want to end up like her dad and uncle— angry and alone and always drunk —or like her grandma— always sad and alone, alone, alone and always the one left to clean up others’ messes because she had no one to lean on —or, worst of all, like her mother— sad and angry and regretful and always settling for second best because people thought something was wrong with her up until she died.
Hannah didn’t want to be even more different than she already was and she didn’t want for the ones who she actually gave a damn about to hate her for something she couldn’t control.
So, as soon as she was old enough to realize these things, Hannah did the only thing she could do—take control. And she did that by covering every inch of skin she could without wearing a mask.
Long sleeves, long pants legs, hats, shoes, gloves, hearing aids and goggles—she wore it all and never took them off even though she hated them.
All so she could say that she didn’t have a mark—not because something was wrong with her, but because she actively made the decision to not risk getting one.
Something she received a lot of praise for amongst a lot of isle residents.
(She just smiled along and tried to pretend that the words didn’t feel like ash in her mouth).
Hannah was seven when Harriet broke Anthony Tremaine’s nose after something ‘uncouth’ he said.
The bruise on his nose and the bruises on her sister’s knuckles didn’t go away even when Anthony’s nose was no longer broken and Hannah was no longer seven.
Both denied that the ‘bruises’ were soul marks but Hannah wasn’t so sure that they were right.
(And later, when she was old enough to know how soulmarks were viewed on the isle and old enough to know how Harriet viewed them, she couldn’t help but think that the world was unfair).
She was eight when her secret-not-secret sister Ginny showed up with what was clearly a soul mark on both her hands at the same time Clay Clayton showed up with hand shaped bruises on his neck that never went away after a party.
When Hannah asked them why Ginny had tried to kill him, they both turned bright red and muttered something about a dare gone wrong. And well, when she asked if she could get a soul mark from doing a dare, they both immediately shot the idea down.
(When she was older, Hannah wondered if that was actually how they got their marks before promptly deciding that she didn’t want to know).
Hannah was nine when Harry came back home with not one but two soul marks.
Bleach stains on his fingers from trying to bleach the stink of Shrimp from Uma’s hair and a mark on the side of his hand from where his hand brushed against Gil’s in the process.
Harry made it everyone’s problem and wouldn’t stop showing it off.
(All while Hannah retreated into her hoodie, trying not to scream at what she feared her future would be).
Hannah was eleven when her friends, Moxie Frankenstein-Van Helsing (fourteen years old) and Hope Sid (sixteen years old) got their marks.
No one was quite sure how they got them.
All anyone really knew for sure was that sometime after Moxie and his brother, Rian (who was also in Hannah’s crew), were resurrected by their father there was a matching mark on both Moxie and Hope’s lips.
And one on Misty Silver’s lips that matched the one on Rian’s cheek not long after.
(She was happy for them…at first).
When Hannah was twelve, Cj came home with two soul marks—a hoove mark on her forehead that was apparently from Zevon and a hand mark around her wrist from Fredie.
Marks that Cj was ridiculously proud of and couldn’t stop rubbing in her face.
For the next month.
(Was it really any wonder Hannah drew on her face and swapped her shampoo for a hair straightening potion afterwards?)
Then suddenly, it seemed like everyone was getting a soul mark.
Treycor, Maleficent and Hades’ son, got them in the form of knuckle marks on his left cheek that matched the mark on Shan Bri’s fist after a sparring match.
Anna Bog and Howiee Wolf got them in the form of claw marks (on her shoulder and his wrist) after a full moon gone wrong that caused both of them to cry (from guilt) for days.
Anna’s twin, Aaron, got feather marks on his hands and fingers from grooming Gunner’s wings (which left hand marks on them).
Liberty had fang and lip marks on her arm and Herlando got a mark on his lips after he went a practically long period of time without feeding.
And, unbeknownst to Hannah, Luke had been hiding the fact that he had a mark in the form of purple dye stains on his fingers that matched the new streaks in Darcy’s hair in color shortly before She snuck him, River, and Skia to Auradon.
(Hannah hated herself for how bitter it all made her feel and for not being able to shield her emotions and thoughts from her friends. Luke never should have felt like he had to hide his mark from her. They were best friends for God’s sake).
Hannah stayed covered up, even in Auradon, even after she fell for Haul Bjorgman and watched in dismay as more and more people she knew got soul marks.
Jay and Lonnie.
Carlos and Jane.
Evie and Doug.
Mal and ben.
Ally ( her long lost sister) and Jordan.
Her roommate, Joy Foxworth, and Fuega Madrigal.
More of her crewmates.
Crewmates like Isaac Cipher and a girl Hannah had never met.
Crewmates like fucking Noah and Fiona , and Tommy and some random girl (what a joke on her that was. They weren’t even thirteen yet!).
All while Haul, River, Skia, Tiger, and her stayed markless.
River bitched about how unfair it was constantly and Hannah couldn't help but agree with him. Even when Skia and Tiger told them they didn’t understand why being markless bothered them so much because they sounded gross to the two of them.
Haul didn’t comment when they asked how he felt about the matter.
(And for some reason Hannah couldn’t explain, she felt as if that was somehow her fault).
Hannah was a month away from twenty when she and Haul went ice skating in Arendelle for the first time.
She hated it.
It was cold and wet and she kept falling over and had to practically cling to Haul in a way that made her skin itch (when was the last time she let someone that wasn’t in her family, Luke, River, Skia, or a kid hold her like this?... She couldn’t remember.Maybe when she was seven).
But Haul was smiling so wide and having so much fun and Hannah didn’t dare to ruin that for him. Not when his smiles were so rare these days.
Not when he was laughing like that.
Not when he was happy.
Haul may not have been hers but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t give him the world if she could…
So, she said nothing and just let him lead her around on the ice—rolling her eyes as he sang ‘for the first time in forever’, trying not to smile.
And then…the unthinkable happened.
The ice cracked.
And Haul?
He fell in. Hitting his head on the way down.
Hannah didn’t think twice before jumping in after him even though she was the weakest swimmer out of all her siblings. All she was thinking about was how Haul needed help and she was all he had at the moment.
Everything after that was a blur.
She didn’t remember walking to the spot they were supposed to meet Haul’s dad.
She didn’t remember the frantic sleigh ride back to the castle.
She didn’t remember giving Haul CPR or crying when he didn’t wake up.
She didn’t remember anything after jumping after Haul.
And she wouldn’t remember. Not until after she looked in the mirror to see the mark on her face after a week of being in a coma—a mark that matched the one on Haul’s face that she saw when she visited him in his room only to find that he wasn’t awake yet.
Hannah couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of it all.
And laugh.
And laugh.
Until she cried.
Because it was kinda funny that she had known her soulmate for nearly 8 years without knowing it and that he may never know. That he may die without knowing because of her fear.
It was so funny that it hurt.
What a joke her stupid life was.