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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟔
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐒

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It only took them about fifteen minutes to reach their old hideout and, as Hanna said, they made it there unseen. Skyler and Holly quickly hid all of their scooters under a tarp in the alley around back before leading everyone inside. As soon as they were settled, the Isle natives quickly realized their mistake. Rudy, Sapphire, and Elias never changed into clothes that would help them blend in. Their one mistake would've made them easy to spot by anyone they passed by, making their mission a total failure.

While Holly went to work on a very reluctant Sapphire's hair to make it less "princessy," Skyler went into their old rooms to see if there were any clothes that could work. The daughter of Scar found a few items in Gabby's room that could work for Sapphire, but there were no male clothes anywhere in the building. That didn't surprise Skyler but it did irritate her. Nothing was ever easy on the Isle. When she got back into the living room, she placed the clothes she found for the daughter of Snow White on the table before turning to Hanna.

"How fast can you get your hands on some clothes for them?" the Leeu girl asked while using her thumb to gesture to the two boys sitting on the torn-up couch.

A serious look formed on the Westergaard girl's face as she studied Rudy and Elias. It wasn't long after that when a small smile formed on her face. "It should take maybe twenty minutes...thirty at most. I can borrow some from my cousins. They shouldn't mind too much."

"Thanks, Hanna. We appreciate your help," Skyler said with a smile before watching the younger girl exit the building.

After watching Hanna until she was out of sight, the daughter of Scar turned her attention back to her allies, only to find a look of disdain on Elias' face. His eyes were glued to the door the daughter of Hans just walked through with his arms crossed over his chest. If they were still in Auradon, Skyler knew his clenched fists would be covered in ice. It wasn't long after that when the Frost boy felt her gaze on him, causing him to turn his attention toward Skyler. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before the blonde boy decided to break it.

"We're seriously trusting her?" Elias questioned, earning nothing but silence from those surrounding him before he let out an irritated sigh and continued speaking, "for all we know, she's off to tell someone that we're here!"

"She's not," Holly stated matter-of-factly while keeping her eyes glued to Sapphire's hair.

"How do you know that for sure?" the Frost boy retaliated, making the Hearts girl stop what she was doing and turn her attention toward him.

"Because she has nothing to gain from giving that information away," the raven-haired girl stated before going back to braiding the daughter of Snow White's hair, "Hanna never cared about power or making people scared of her. She just wants to be loved, which is what most of us want. Some, like Hanna, have that. But the majority of us don't and must fill our parents' evil expectations."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," Rudy said while Elias continued to stare at her with an unreadable look on his face.

His words caused Holly to tense, something that didn't go unnoticed by any of them. Sapphire managed to turn around to look at her along with Rudy and Elias, curious as to what the Hearts girl was thinking. Only Skyler knew the truth and how much it pained Holly to think about what happened before she left her family. Without thinking twice, the daughter of Scar walked across the room and placed a comforting hand on Holly's shoulder.

"You don't have to tell them anything," Skyler whispered into the daughter of the Queen of Heart's ear, ignoring all the curious looks they were receiving.

"No, it's fine," Holly responded after placing her hand on top of the daughter of Scar's and turning her attention back to the three sitting in front of her, "my older sister is a carbon copy of our mother, which makes Quinn the favorite. Then there's my younger sister, Red. She's always known that she'll never get our mother's approval, so she finds ways to make trouble. I tried to fake being like Quinn to stay on our mother's good side, but I was terrible at it. It was so hard pretending to be someone I wasn't for so long. Everything came crashing down after Quinn found me helping someone with their chores. I was kicked out not long after that."

As soon as the raven-haired girl finished speaking, everything fell silent. Skyler felt Holly's grip around her hand tighten, causing the former to give her hand a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. Both of them tried to ignore Sapphire and Rudy staring at them with shock in their eyes and Elias' blank gaze. They just sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity before the Frost boy sat forward on the couch and decided it was time to break it.

"I take it your story's similar?" Elias asked, earning a blank stare from Skyler. That was enough of an answer for the blonde boy before he continued speaking. "Look, I understand both of you had hard childhoods. But that doesn't mean we can trust everyone and that especially doesn't mean that Hanna is coming back to help us."

"Wow. You're a lot like how my father describes your mother. Very blunt and not very positive," a new voice said, causing everyone to turn around to find Hanna standing in the doorway with two bags in her hands. Her eyes were glued to Elias and held a hint of darkness in them, something that was only noticed by Skyler and Holly. It wasn't long before the darkness disappeared and a smile returned to her face as she walked into the room. "Lucky for you, I'm a lot more forgiving than my father."

"These are for you. I had to guess on the sizes but I think they'll fit," the redheaded girl announced after placing the two bags on the table and facing the boys before she turned to face Holly and Skyler, "you guys better hurry. I arranged for a meeting with the Hook twins in twenty minutes and they hate it when people are late."

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As soon as the boys finished changing, they headed out of the hideout and followed Hanna through the alleyways of the Isle. It only took them about fifteen minutes to get to the beach on the other side of the island, which is where they were told CJ and Caleb would meet them. Skyler and Holly were just as surprised as Rudy, Sapphire, and Elias when they found the beach clean and free of litter, something that wasn't common on the Isle's beaches.

Their senses were on high as they walked along the sand toward a rock formation in the distance. Once they got closer to their destination, they spotted a small rundown shack sitting in the shadow of the stone. If Hanna hadn't previously told them that the Hook twins' headquarters wasn't what people expected it to be, no one would've believed they lived in a shack. But here they were making their way toward a building that looked as if it would blow away with one gust of wind.

It wasn't long before Skyler sensed something was off. She immediately stopped in her tracks and looked around at their surroundings. As soon as they noticed the daughter of Scar was no longer with them, everyone stopped and turned around to face her. Everyone watched the Leeu girl with confusion in their eyes. Everyone except for Holly. Despite knowing Skyler usually had her head in the clouds and marched to the beat of her own drum, the Hearts girl could tell when something was bothering her friend. And right now, Skyler's senses were on overdrive. But the raven-haired girl never had a chance to ask what it was.

The next thing they knew two cloaked figures jumped out from the shadows. Skyler and Holly had no time to prepare before the strangers began circling the group with their swords drawn. It wasn't long after that when Elias' hands balled into fits while a determined look appeared on his face. Hanna was the first to notice what the son of Elsa and Jack Frost was trying to do, causing a small scoff to pass over her lips.

"Don't even try it, Frosty," the redheaded girl muttered under her breath, drawing the blonde boy's attention to her followed by a sharp glare, "there's no magic on the Isle."

"Wait, that's actually a thing? I regret coming now," Elias responded before turning his attention back to their attackers, "got any bright ideas, Westergaard?"

"Just one," Hanna told him as she took a step forward to stand in front of one of the cloaked figures, "alright, Caleb, I think you scared them enough."

Laughter instantly cut through the air before the hooded stranger reached up and pulled off his cloak, revealing a boy who looked to be around their age. He just stared at them until his attention fell on his comrade standing on the other side of the group. "What do you think, CJ? Think they had enough?"

"I don't know, Caleb, I was just starting to have some fun!" CJ responded after removing the hood from her head. The blonde girl studied the group in front of her for a long moment before her gaze fell upon the daughter of Hans. "Are these the people you were telling us about, Hanna?"

"Yes. They're in need of some information and I believe you may be able to help them," the redheaded girl explained, only to receive a blank stare from Caleb before he turned to look at his sister.

The siblings had what seemed to be an inaudible conversation between themselves. Every now and then they would glance over at the group before meeting each other's gazes once again. It wasn't long after that when the Hook twin's attention landed back on the group in front of them. While Skyler, Holly, and Elias kept straight faces, Rudy and Sapphire began to squirm under their gaze. It wasn't until Hanna cleared her throat that Caleb and CJ turned their attention back to her.

"So, will you help them? Or do we need to take our business elsewhere?" the Westergaard girl questioned, earning smirks in response from the Hook twins.

"I like the confidence, Hanna. It looks great on you!" CJ responded before letting out a loud laugh. Not even a second passed when the amusement in her eyes faded and her gaze returned to the group standing behind the redheaded girl. "What do you want?"

"We just need some information," Holly stated while glancing back at Skyler, who sent her a small nod before the daughter of the Queen of Hearts turned back towards the Hook twins and continued speaking, "information on Rose Red's lost daughter."

No one failed to notice the shocked looks appearing on CJ and Caleb's faces. While the Auradon natives didn't know what to make of the twins' expressions, Skyler and Holly knew exactly what they meant. They knew something, it was just a matter of what they needed to give in return for the information. And knowing the Hook twins, it was going to take a lot more than "please" to get them to help them.

"Say we do know about this princess, what do we get for helping you with your little mission?" the Hook boy asked without even attempting to hide the mischief in his eyes.

Before Skyler or Holly had a chance to respond, Rudy pushed past them and took a few steps forward until he was standing right in front of the sibling duo. The three of them just stared at each other for a long moment before the Red boy opened his mouth to speak.

"We have nothing to give you right now but I promise we will repay you for your help," the blonde boy told them, only for the twins to continue to blankly stare at him, "please. I mean, can you imagine living your life without your sister?"

Those standing behind the blonde prince cringed while the Hook twins stared at him with shock in their eyes. Skyler and Holly couldn't believe that Rudy actually revealed who he really was to two of the most notorious teens on the Isle. Then again, none of the Auradon natives really knew how it worked in the land of the villains, so the couple couldn't exactly blame them. It just drove them crazy that they were skeptical of everyone one minute and then trusting everyone the next. They needed to make up their minds on how they felt about the Isle before Holly and Skyler decided to send them back to Auradon.

"Now, that's interesting!" Caleb exclaimed, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention back to him. The group of six just watched as the Hook boy studied the three he wasn't familiar with an unreadable look on his face. It wasn't long after that when a large smirk appeared. "Two princes and a princess decided to grace us with their presence, Cali! We should be honored!"

"Definitely something valuable! It's gonna take a lot in exchange for us to give you our information and keep your beautiful little secret," CJ responded after an equally sinister grin graced her lips before letting out a loud laugh, "oh, don't look so surprised. It's the Isle! We don't give our knowledge and silence away for free."

Skyler and Holly exchanged another look before both of them reached into their pockets and pulled out matching keys. The Hook twins' smiles fell as they stared at the two girls with confusion in their eyes. It wasn't long after that when they tossed the keys over to Caleb and CJ, who looked at the small objects in their hands before their attention went back to Holly and Skyler.

"Those are the keys to the old hideout we shared with Rylee, Morgan, and Gabby," Skyler explained with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows furrowed, "the place and what's inside is all yours in exchange for your 'knowledge and silence.'"

"And what makes you think your old hangout is useful to us?" CJ questioned while she and Caleb stared at the girls with unreadable looks on their faces.

"Well, it would definitely be an upgrade considering your current place of business looks like it'll blow over in the wind," Holly responded, not even bothering to hide the anger in her voice, "plus, our extra swords, safe of cash, and all the items we took are still inside. Like Skyler said, that's all yours."

The Hook twins kept their eyes glued to the lion and the card princess for a moment longer before turning their backs to them. Everyone watched as the sibling duo had an inaudible private conversation for what felt like an eternity. Once they concluded their discussion, Caleb and CJ turned back around with matching smiles on their faces.

"We accept your offer," Caleb announced as he and his sister placed the keys into their coat pockets, "we were told by a very reliable source that the girl you're looking for goes by the name Crimson Rose."

"We were just as confused as you are at first," CJ told them after seeing the expressions on Holly and Skyler's faces before the daughter of Captain Hook let out a laugh and continued speaking, "no one knew much about her up until our sister forced her to join her crew."

"Wait, Harriet has her?" Skyler questioned with a hint of fear in her voice, something that didn't go unnoticed by Rudy, Sapphire, and Elias.

"Of course, she does! Our sister has all the valuables on the Isle!" the Hook boy exclaimed before the sinister smirk returned to his face as he continued to study the terrified look on the Leeu girl's face, "Scott's gonna be excited to see you! You're all he ever talks about!"

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