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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄'𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄

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A ray of sunshine seeped through the small cracks of the rundown shack that stood on one of the Isle's beaches. The blonde girl tightly shut her eyes in an attempt to fend off the blinding light and get a few more minutes of sleep. However, her efforts were futile when the wind from the outside world broke through the holes in the walls. She did her best to protect herself from the cold breeze when the force pushed the piece of fabric she used as a blanket off her body and onto the floor. An almost silent groan passed over her lips before she rubbed her hands down the side of her face and got to her feet.

Crimson had been on her own for as long as she could remember. She had vague memories of the man who raised her until she was eight and he vanished without a trace. Despite her efforts to find him, the Rose girl came up empty. It wasn't long before she gave up altogether and decided she needed to learn how to survive on her own. To this day, Crimson was still trying to decide if she made the right choice.

After brushing out her hair with the brush Dizzy gave her and slipping on her red leather jacket, the blonde girl grabbed her bag that held all her belongings. Crimson just stared at her closed door for a long moment then let out a sigh and pushed it open. The cool air greeted the Rose girl as she walked out of her safe haven and out onto the island's shore. Her eyes scanned over the dark water in front of her for a long moment before she let out a long sigh and began her journey into town to get her supplies for the day.

The girl's feet carried her through the alleyways of the Isle while she continued to avoid making eye contact with everyone she passed. If you were living alone on the dark island, you automatically had a target on your back. People knew you had no one to protect you, which made it easier for them to take from you. But after all these years, Crimson grew used to it. She wouldn't deny how easy of a target she was for passersby and pirate gangs.

The Rose girl was never taught how to use a sword or even how to fight enough to defend herself. All she knew was how to do was fix the damage that others caused her throughout her life. She was vulnerable every time she left her shack, which was why she rarely left her makeshift home. If Crimson knew what was about to happen on her walk through the Isle, she wouldn't have ever left her hideout.

After managing to get a few bags of food that would last her a few weeks, Crimson pulled her hood over her head and began her journey home. She was just about to reach the alley that would take her back to the beach when she heard the distant sound of shouting and swords clashing. The Rose girl instantly paused her movements to listen to the noise before she took a few steps forward and peeked around the corner. What she saw next made her want to turn and take the long way back home.

In the center of the alleyway was a girl standing in front of a boy lying on the ground as she sword fought three boys twice her size. Crimson was surprised by how well the girl was holding her own but the former also knew it wouldn't last much longer. And she was right. As soon as that thought passed through the blonde girl's head, one of the boys lunged forward and knocked the girl off her feet before she fell to the floor. Her three attackers used that opportunity to grab the discarded bags on the floor and run in the opposite direction. Crimson watched the group run in the opposite direction down the alley until they were out of sight then her attention went back to the pair lying on the cold cement.

Despite everything within her telling her to turn around and walk away, the Rose girl let out a long sigh as she took out a first aid kit from her bag. Her feet moved before she told them to and she found herself walking towards the pair on the ground. As soon as she stopped in front of them and saw who they were, Crimson regretted her decision entirely. Sitting on the ground in front of her with cuts and bruises covering their skin were Russell and Rev Gold, the children of Rumplestiltskin.

"What're you looking at?" the daughter of Rumplestiltskin hissed while her brother just stared up at Crimson with a pained look on his face.

The Rose girl stood like a statue for a moment longer before she swallowed the lump in her throat and lifted up her first aid kit to show the brunette girl. "I, uh, I thought you might need some help."

"We're fine," Rev responded without even trying to hide the annoyance in her voice as she got to her feet, only for her to stumble back and slam into the wall behind her.

"You don't look fine," the blonde girl retaliated, earning another glare from the Gold girl that Crimson forced herself to ignore.

After letting out a long sigh, the Rose girl walked forward and squatted down in front of Russell. The Gold siblings watched as the skittish girl pulled out a bottle and some bandages. Without any warning, Crimson opened the bottle and poured a little bit of the liquid on the brunette boy's injuries. Russell let out a hiss at the stinging that emitted from his cuts, causing Rev to unsheath her sword and point it at the blonde girl. Just as the Gold girl was about to speak, her brother held his hand out towards her before she noticed the small smile on his face.

"Calm down, Rev. It's feeling better," Russell told his sister, who took her sword away from the wide-eyed Crimson before the latter began to bandage the boy's wounds, "you should let her patch you up once she's finished."

The Gold girl just watched Crimson wrap a piece of cloth around her brother's injuries like it was second nature. Knowing the Red girl's story, she probably had to do this to her own wounds more often than one would think. Rev's mind soon went back to her conversation with Harriet before she and Russell left their hideout. They all knew they needed someone with medical experience to help them get through their many sword fights...and Rev might have found the perfect person for the job. All she needed to do was get Crimson to go with her and Russell.

As soon as she was finished patching up Russell, Crimson got to her feet before turning to face Rev. The two girls just stared at each other for a long moment before the Gold girl did something the Rose girl didn't expect. She held her arm out for Crimson to tend to. The blonde girl hesitated for a moment before she took out a cloth to clean Rev's cuts. Crimson did her best to ignore the girl's squirming as she finished cleaning and wrapping up her arm. Once she was finished, the Rose girl stuffed everything back into her backpack.

A relieved sigh passed over her lips as Crimson began to walk away from the Gold siblings, only for a hand to wrap around her wrist. The blonde girl's entire body froze before she looked back to find the raven-haired girl staring straight back at her. Russell just sat on the floor and watched the two girls have a staredown until something he didn't expect happened. A smile appeared on Rev's face.

"Thank you for helping us," the raven-haired girl said while her brother continued to stare at his sister with confusion in his eyes.

Crimson just stared at Rev in silence for a moment longer before her eyes traveled down to the girl's hand that was still tightly wrapped around the Rose girl's wrist. "No problem."

"I hate to ask, really I do, but do you think you can help me get Russ back?" the Gold girl asked with a somewhat forced smile on her face.

The Rose girl just stared at the girl in front of her for what felt like an eternity before she responded with a simple nod. The smile on Rev's face slightly grew before she and Crimson each grabbed one of Russell's arms and helped him to his feet. After slinging his arms over their shoulders, the group of three slowly walked toward one of the places on the Isle that Crimson always avoided. Havoc Hollow.

It didn't take long before the three of them reached their destination before Crimson continued helping Rev get her brother up the steps. The closer they got to the small wooden building at the top of the hill, the more the Rose girl wanted to turn and run the other way. She had heard stories of who resided and what happened inside those four walls. Whether they were true or not, Crimson didn't know...but she wasn't ready to find out.

After entering the wooden shack, Crimson followed Rev's lead as they brought Russell across the room. The Gold boy immediately plopped down into one of the hammocks in the corner of the open space. The blonde girl didn't hesitate to turn and make her way towards the exit, only for the door to get slammed shut before she made it halfway. Crimson's breathing quickened as she stared at the redheaded boy in front of the door. He just studied her for a long moment before walking towards her and stopping a foot away.

"Why are you here?" the boy hissed as the Rose girl stared up at him with wide eyes and slightly parted lips.

"Relax, Zack," Rev said after placing herself between the boy and Crimson and placing her hand on his arm. The Rose girl was shocked when Zack physically relaxed at her touch before the daughter of Rumplestiltskin continued speaking. "I want Harriet to meet her. I think she'd be a great candidate for our medic."

"Wait, what?" the blonde girl spoke without thinking, drawing Rev and Zack's attention back to her before she forced herself to continue speaking, "you told me that you needed help getting Russell back here. You didn't say anything about becoming your medic."

"Surprise! I'm a pirate. We lie," the Gold girl responded in a sarcastic tone before a sinister smirk formed on her face, "you'll learn how to eventually."

"I don't want to learn how and I'm not staying here," Crimson stated while trying to keep up her false confidence, only for it to fade when she noticed Rev and Zack looking at someone behind her.

"I don't think you're gonna have much of a choice," a new voice said, causing the Rose girl to jump higher than a frog before she turned around to face a girl with raven-colored hair and bright blue eyes sitting next to the son of Rumplestiltskin, "you did a nice job patching up Russell. We could use someone like you."

The blonde girl did her best to suppress the fear that was coursing through her veins as she stared at the girl. Once she managed to bring back a bit of her false confidence, Crimson found it within her to respond. However, to her dismay, her words were barely louder than a whisper. "I can't stay here."

A wicked grin instantly appeared on the raven-haired girl's lips as she stared at the Rose girl. The fear within Crimson did nothing but grow as the girl got to her feet and made her way across the room toward her. The nameless girl just stared at the blonde girl for what felt like an eternity before she finally opened her mouth to break the uncomfortable silence that began to surround them.

"Like I said, you're not gonna have much of a choice," the raven-haired girl declared before her eyes moved to meet the redheaded boy standing behind Crimson, "take her to one of the spare rooms and keep her there until I get back. I need to go find Sammy and Scott."

The only response Zack gave the girl was a small nod before he stepped forward and roughly grabbed one of Crimson's arms. Despite wanting nothing more than to fight against the boy's grasp and escape Havoc Hollow, the Rose girl let herself be dragged through the wooden building by the redheaded boy. Even if she did manage to break free from his grip around her arm, there were three of them and only one of her. She knew she wouldn't make it very far.

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About an hour passed since Crimson was forced into a practically empty room with a very annoyed-looking Zack. Ever since they entered the room, the Rose girl sat in a chair, which was one of the only pieces of furniture in there, while the redheaded boy guarded the door. Zack simply glared at her the entire time with his arms crossed over his chest. Crimson would give anything to have Rev in there to calm the boy down like she did when they first arrived.

The Rose girl jumped and almost tipped over in her chair when Zack began walking toward her. His eyes stayed glued to Crimson as he grabbed the only other chair in the room and sat down right in front of her. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before the redheaded boy decided to break the uncomfortable silence that surrounded them.

"I don't see what's so special about you," Zack sneered while his eyes continued to scan over the girl in front of them before they moved back up to meet hers, "you're just another kid who's scared of her own shadow. I'm surprised you've lasted this long all on your own."

"That's for Harriet to decide, Wolf. Not you," a new voice said, causing Crimson to jump again while Zack got an annoyed look on his face before they both turned to face the newcomer.

To Crimson's surprise, the boy in the doorway wasn't as intimidating as the others she'd met so far. The newcomer had to be around the Rose girl's age with dirty blonde hair and a round face. He had a kind look in his eyes that seemed to want to make Crimson feel welcomed...but it only increased the nerves she was feeling. After all the time she spent walking the streets of the Isle, Crimson knew there were very few friendly faces that she should trust...and none of them lived at Havoc Hollow.

The two boys just glared at each other for a long moment while Crimson kept her lips sealed. It wasn't long after that when the blonde boy's eyes fell on the Rose girl. He just studied her squirming figure for what felt like an eternity before a small smile appeared on his face.

"I think there's more to her than meets the eye," the blonde boy said, earning an irritated grunt from Zack before turning his attention back to Crimson.

"I think you're wrong there, Smee."

"Like Sammy said, that's for me to decide," the raven-haired girl declared as she entered the room followed by the only person she'd recognized since the Gold siblings...only she wished she didn't. The last time she saw Scott Leeu he had been questioning her about where his sister had gone. At the time, Crimson had no idea who his sister was but he didn't care...and the Rose girl still had the scar to prove it.

"This is who Rev found?" the son of Scar said as he scanned over the wide-eyed girl before he looked over at Harriet, "I think I'd have to agree with Zack on this one."

The girl from earlier, who Crimson now knew was their captain, Harriet Hook, just stared at the Rose girl. The blonde girl tried not to squirm under her gaze before Zack stood up so his leader could take his place. It wasn't long after that when a smile that sent chills throughout Crimson's entire body appeared on Harriet's face. "I think she'd be a great addition to our crew."

"Seriously? You want her?" the Wolf boy questioned while pointing straight at Crimson before letting out a scoff, "I knew you were crazy but not this crazy."

"Go find your girl, Zack. You need to calm down a bit," the raven-haired girl ordered, only for the redheaded boy to let out a scoff before he stormed out of the room. No one spoke until the sound of Zack's feet stomping against the floorboards vanished. It was only then that the three remaining pirates turned their attention back to Crimson.

"That boy worries me sometimes," Sammy muttered under his breath, earning small chuckles from his crewmates while keeping their eyes glued to the blonde girl in front of them.

"You really think this is the right move, Har?" the Leeu boy asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall behind him.

"Of course, this is the right move, Scotty," the Hook girl announced before Crimson watched the wicked grin on her face grow, "we just need to make a pirate out of her."

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