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It had been about five minutes since Luis and Red had gone through that little rabbit door and stepped out to Wonderland.
Not that Chloe was counting, of course, Red could go out with whoever she wanted; the blue-haired girl didn’t care. She was annoyed with her, she’d just been thrown into a carnivorous plant, and her friend – the very same one who’d thrown her into the plant – had decided to sneak out with her crush to… Chloe decided not to think about what they might be doing.
She remained seated on the stairs, keeping an eye on the door this time, and even though she wouldn’t admit it, she was waiting to see when the red-haired girl would return from her nighttime outing.
She really should give up on that girl.
— All alone, princess?
Almost instantly, Chloe looked up, her gaze moving from the curly hair full of braids and gold accents – which she’d rather not think about where they came from – to the amused expression and sarcastic little smile the pirate was wearing. She didn’t linger long by the railing, made a quick turn and was soon sitting next to her on the stairs.
— Where’s Pink?
— Somewhere eating cake with Squeaky.— She leaned against the wall, continuing to look amused at Chloe, even though she didn’t understand why. — Where’s your friend? And Madrigal? Together, I suppose.
The princess couldn’t help but snort, resting her elbows on her knees and glancing toward the door.
— I thought we could finally have a significant conversation, but then a handsome guy with impeccable hair shows up and ruins everything.
— Let’s take it easy there…I don’t think ‘handsome’ is the best word to describe the prodigy. — Chloe joined her in laughter, finally turning her face to really look at Hazel.
She looked tired, but Chloe figured everyone was like that, so that detail wasn’t very relevant; the smile remained on her face, and it suited her well, just like her whole outfit. Charming realized she’d never thought Hazel was ugly.
— I wonder what they must be doing… having fun, I bet, while we’re rotting away in this rabbit hole.
— It’s not like we’re trapped here.
The pirate’s expression quickly changed at the blue-haired girl’s comment, as if an idea had just popped into her head.
And indeed, that was exactly what had happened.
In one leap, Hazel stood up, brushed off the dust, and headed for the door.
— Where do you think you’re going…?!
— Where do you think? I’ll have a little fun out there. — She let out a little laugh, her back against the door and a very inviting look for the girl in front of her. — Aren’t you coming?
Chloe thought for a moment about all the downsides of following Hook to an unknown place in the middle of the night, and there were plenty, every possible one imaginable.
But, unfortunately, she couldn’t say no while she was smiling like that.
She quickly stood up from where she was sitting and stopped in front of the brunette, which only made her smile widen before she finally opened the little door and stepped out, taking care to hold the door open for the princess who was accompanying her.
— Well… Wonderland really is quite different at night. — Hazel remarked.
And when Charming looked up, she found herself just as enchanted by what she saw as she had been the first time she’d seen the place, in broad daylight. It must have been several minutes before the girl noticed Hazel whistling in her direction, already several meters ahead of her, and Chloe quickened her pace to follow her.
— Where are we going?
— How should I know, princess? I know as much about this place as you do.
Chloe sighed as she heard Hook’s chuckle in the background.
The two walked side by side for a while, passing by glowing trees, giant mushrooms, and fireflies throughout most of the area. Chloe tried to come up with a topic to talk about with the pirate, chatting with VK’s had never been her thing, but now… she was walking with five of them, and had gone out on a “night stroll” with the group’s leader; the least she could do was talk to her.
— So…about last night…
— What do you have to say?
— …Thanks for the advice.
Hazel turned to face her, looking more serious than before, probably waiting for her to continue.
— What happened today on the board…made me realize you were actually right when you told me that.
— Is this all because of Red?
Chloe froze.
— Wh..what do you mean?
— Well, it’s not hard to see. — Hazel looked at her as if she were bored, leaning against the glowing tree behind her, arms crossed and a sigh about to escape her lips. — I mean, you look at her as if…as if…I don’t know? As if she were the only one who matters to you? Something like that.
The princess stood frozen, feeling her face begin to flush as something so explicit was thrown right in her face.
— You were clearly disappointed on the board, even if the plan had worked out. And well, you haven’t stopped staring at the door for a single second since they left. There’s no point in lying, I saw it.
Chloe couldn’t have lied at that point even if she’d wanted to.
— So that’s why you’ve been in a bad mood the whole way here, isn’t it? I mean, it wasn’t because of the plan, if any of us had done the same thing, you’d just be mad. But since it was Red… — She knew didn’t need to finish the sentence.
— That was practically a betrayal!
— It was just a plan made on the fly. — The pirate rolled her eyes at the melodrama.
— Yeah, but…
— But you didn’t expect that from her, of all people.
Charming fell silent, as did Hazel. They knew who had won the argument – though they couldn’t really call it an argument. And the pirate began to feel bad for the princess who she considered spoiled standing before her. After all, that whole tantrum seemed like nothing but jealousy, in a way. It was almost cute.
— I thought we had something…
It was almost a whisper that came from the blue-haired girl’s mouth as she leaned down to sit near a flowering bush, her knees clutched to her chest while she avoided looking at Hook out of embarrassment.
— Nothing official, nothing said out loud, just… something, something between us. — She had started playing with a shiny green beetle beside her, Hazel remained silent, just sitting there, letting her go on.
— And it’s awful to find out that I was the only one who felt that way.
— Well, then, just don’t feel that way.
Charming laughed at the absurd suggestion, looking directly at Hazel as if it were the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard.
— What?!
— I’m serious! You need to stop thinking of that redhead as if she were the best thing in your life, come on. It was just a fling; it’ll blow over soon, and there are thousands of other fish out there. — The pirate stood up again, reaching out her hand to the newest crew member, if Chloe would accept it, with a plan for that night in mind.
Chloe readily accepted the help to get up.
— And how do you think I’m going to do that?
— Don’t worry, I’ll help you forget her, Princess.
.
The outing was going better than Chloe could have hoped.
Hazel was, contrary to what she’d imagined, easy to be around, and the conversation flowed much better than she’d expected.
Playing tag in the middle of a forest where only the flowers lit the way was more fun than it seemed, not so much when Hazel started trying to scare her, but it was still a valid point.
The two passed through several breathtaking landscapes in that forest, and while the blue-haired girl worried about how they’d get back to the white rabbit’s house, Hazel failed to reassure her that it wouldn’t be difficult to get back there.
They were easily distracted by a line of dancing ducks that passed in front of them, which made them both burst out laughing.
Not to mention the moment they came across a suspiciously purple mushroom with the best scent they’d ever smelled in their lives.
“— I don’t think it’s safe to eat that. — Chloe argued.
— Well, we’re in Wonderland, and aside from Max’s crazy dad, what else could harm us?
— I don’t think that’s how it works, Hazel…
The princess barely had time to argue before Hazel grabbed the first piece and shoved it into her mouth.
She tried everything she could to pry the pirate’s mouth open before she swallowed it, but before she could do anything, Hazel started laughing.
Not that controlled laugh she had when she was joking around, she started laughing uncontrollably.
— Hazel! I told you not to eat that!
— You should try it, Princess! I’ve never felt this good.
— You’re high, pirate.
And even without having to taste the mushroom, Chloe found herself laughing along and carrying the giggling girl far away from the spot.”
Hazel was lying on the floor at that moment, letting out her last few weak giggles after feeling an overwhelming wave of nausea and vomiting up the mushroom – and probably all the cake she’d eaten that night.
— Do you feel better?
The princess sat down beside her, watching the brunette’s curls spread across the floor around her face, the bluish light from one of the fluorescent mushrooms above them making her look a shade cooler than usual.
— If you consider “throwing up your guts” to be ‘better,’ then I’m great!
Charming started laughing, pulling out a handkerchief she always kept in her pocket – a habit she’d picked up from her mother – and handing it to her friend.
— Don’t laugh! You have no idea what I went through!
— I have every right to laugh, I warned you not to eat that.
— Oh, but it was delicious! You should’ve taken a bite, maybe it would’ve chased away your pessimism.
Chloe decided to change the subject. — Are you still feeling nauseous?
— A little, just like I’m still feeling cheerful. — Hook smiled, while her partner stood up, rolling her eyes at her, clearly moving away from where she’d been lying — Hey! Are you just going to leave me like this?
— No, Captain, I won’t. I saw some mint nearby; it helps with nausea. I’ll get some for you.
— You’re such a perfect girl!
The blue-haired girl just chuckled to herself and continued walking.
Due to the dim lighting along the path, her search was more complicated than it would normally be; it took nearly ten minutes before she returned with the leaf and practically shoved it into Hook’s mouth, who refused to eat something as “strong” as that.
A few stern threats later, and she was chewing away, glaring at the princess, but Chloe still considered it a victory.
Hazel was now free of nausea and had a really good minty fresh breath!
— So, where are we going now?
— Any suggestions, Princess?
— We should start looking for your house, or else we’ll be…
Music.
Music was playing somewhere.
— Can you hear that…?
No.
She recognized that voice.
She knew that voice very well.
And it was getting closer.
Before Hazel could say whatever answer was on her mind, two shadows appeared out of the corner of her eye beside her.
Her instincts kicked in, and the first thing she did was grab Chloe by the arm and hide behind one of the trees that surrounded them.
She tilted her head just enough to see past her makeshift hiding spot, and there they were.
Red and Luis.
Singing and dancing together like a pair of lovebirds, gazing at each other as if they were the only ones in the world. Hazel found it funny, since, well, Red’s mother was the one they were trying to rescue.
Shaking off her thoughts, the pirate looked away from them and focused on her companion; Chloe was also looking at them.
Her shoulders tensed as the joy that had built up over the night was slowly fading from the blue-haired girl’s face, she would be worried about landing her beloved hook on the perfect couple’s jaw if her priority weren’t nearly crumbling right before her eyes.
She pulled Chloe close, turned her so she had her back to that deplorable scene that would only make her suffer, and flashed her best smile
— I sing better than him, don’t I?
— What? — And she let out the first of many laughs.
— You can be honest, he won’t hear you. I’m better than him, aren’t I? He’s way off-key!
— I think he sings well…
— But better than me, princess?
Hazel hoped her girl wouldn’t notice that they were gradually drifting away from the romantic singing, venturing even deeper into the dark trees surrounding Wonderland; the pirate almost gave up on the idea when she thought they might actually get lost on their way to the Rabbit’s house.
Before looking into Charming’s eyes and forgetting that mere detail.
— No…not better than you.
— Thanks for the compliment.
Before she knew it, the trees had vanished, meters behind the path they were now on. Hook would admit it took her a while to even want to look away from what was in front of her and glance back, where Chloe’s full attention was fixed, her eyes wide with wonder.
And it was beautiful, she’d have to admit that.
A lake that, were it not for the bluish glow of the moon, she’d say had a deep purple hue, vast enough that her eye couldn’t reach the other side, the same dark trees surrounding the place as if it were some kind of secret, one that, somehow, they’d both just discovered.
— It’s… amazing.
— And you said we should’ve been back at the cabin twenty minutes ago.
— Don’t make me say I’m wrong…
— I won’t. — Hazel held out her hand to her.
— What do you have in mind? — Chloe took it.
— I’m going to show you what a real romantic song is, princess.
The pirate had never been to a ball in her life, she wasn’t romantic, there were no dances like that on the island, and even if there were, Hazel highly doubted she’d be involved in something she found so stupid.
But she had a sister-in-law who dragged her brother into something like this all the time, so if there was anyone who could know anything about slow dancing just by observation, it would be her.
First, she pulled Chloe toward her, one hand on her waist, the other holding her hand just as Audrey had explained to her brother more than ten times.
Charming seemed to get the hint, placing her hand on Hook’s shoulder as she normally would, even though she’d been laughing the whole time at Hazel’s confused attempts to figure out their positions.
— Can I take a peek?
— Don’t hold your breath…my sister-in-law sings that song every time she dances with my brother.
— Sister-in-law?
— Audrey.
The two locked eyes for the first time since finding themselves in this somewhat awkward position, the brunette gave a nervous smile while her waltz partner maintained the same amused smile.
— I think I know which song you’re talking about.
— Then if you’ll allow me…
And with the first step, Hazel began the softest rendition of “Once Upon a Dream” the princess had ever heard.
She hadn’t lied about whether VK sang better than Luis or not, but the delicacy with which the lyrics flowed from her mouth certainly mesmerized her in a way that made it seem as though the world had fallen into complete silence.
Hazel, however, wasn’t looking at her, perhaps out of shyness, since her cheeks were clearly flushed a beautiful shade of red, or perhaps to make sure she didn’t step on her partner’s foot, as her brother usually did.
Chloe didn’t press her; she continued listening to that almost angelic melody without taking her eyes off the pirate’s fluttering eyelashes.
It was certainly better than the song Red and Luis were singing in her ears.
The lack of eye contact, however, began to wear on her after a while.
Chloe was sure Hazel had already memorized the steps, since she didn’t seem focused on “not messing everything up.” Charming decided that lifting her face quickly with her hand would solve the problem.
The two finally locked eyes; Chloe couldn’t tell if it had been a good idea.
Now she had Hazel’s entire face to look at, and she wasn’t sure if she could do so without having a full-blown gay moment. Hazel was watching her with those huge brown eyes, so deep that Chloe felt Hazel could convince her of anything if she kept looking at her like that. And Chloe chose to keep her focus entirely on them because she didn’t know what she’d do if her gaze drifted downward.
Charming only realized that the brunette had kept singing – Quieter, clearly – when, in one swift motion, Hazel spun her around, holding her firmly by the waist. It was brief, it was fast, but she felt her face start to flush from it.
Hook continued, singing, dancing, and spinning her princess as she began to laugh in her arms; with the soundtrack and the dance coming to an end and Chloe’s head resting on her shoulder, Hazel felt satisfied just from feeling her smile against her skin.
— So?
— What do you want from me? A prize? You already know you did well.
— Yeah, I really do. — Hazel sat down with Chloe, leaning against one of the rocks near the lake. Hazel didn’t need much more; she knew she’d achieved her goal, and Chloe no longer had as many distracting thoughts as she’d had earlier at the cabin.
They spent several minutes just gazing at the lake, enjoying each other’s company and laughing at silly stories that popped into their heads, and they decided to share until the first yawn escaped the blue-eyed girl’s lips.
— Shall we head back, princess?
— If you know how to do that.
— You doubt my navigational skills way too much.
She laughed, pulling Chloe up with her and locking eyes with her one last time that night.
— Lead the way, then, Captain.
Hazel wouldn’t forget that for months.
Finding the way was difficult, really, but nothing that good ears and an enviable photographic memory couldn’t handle.
Hazel opened the door for Chloe, who went in first and was met by a pair of eyes staring at her, just as the pirate followed behind her.
— Where did you two go?! — The pinkish one began, clearly anxious.
— I wanted to show the princess here a place.
Pink chose to ignore the wink VK gave her friend for now.
— Why didn’t you let us know?
— We left on a whim, I thought it would be quick. I’m sorry, Pink.
— It’s okay, Chloe… just let me know next time. — She got up from the armchair, yawning and stretching before walking down the hallway. — I need to go to sleep now… I’ll be in the room at the end of the hall if you need me.
Both nodded, the princess stayed where she was, while Hazel headed toward the stairs.
— Going to bed already?
— It’s been a long night…you should too, Charming.
— Not Charming…I like it when you call me princess. — Hazel smiled at that.
— If you need me, I’ll be alone, and the door will be unlocked for you, princess.
Chloe ignored the shiver that last word sent down her spine, listened to Hazel’s door close, and sighed, sitting down in the chair by the fireplace, ready to warm up a bit and finally go to sleep.
Maybe she’d stop by Hazel’s room if she felt like it.
And then the door opened again.
Red and Luis slipped into the cabin, whispering and giggling.