Algernon Black

(Chapter 69) Bittersweet Scorn

Lucy woke up as early as the sun rose and washed her face in the ocean. She smiled when looking back to a pair of playing white snow hares scampering out of the woods but puzzled to see them fleeing as a penguin wandered to close. Lucy thought them odd cohabitants and searched her mind for any of the environments she'd explored with Jared that could explain where they had landed.

The others were still asleep or just getting up with groans or snores orchestrating along with the minimal noise of the awakening island. The scene reminded Lucy of the campsites she shared with her brother, except Jared always woke before her with a ready breakfast and smile.

Lucy forced the nostalgics away and located the lump of supplies Brickwood left them. One sack had her name pinned to it and she opened the folded paper to read,

                           Good luck on proving them wrong.

                            ~Brickwood

                             P.S. Sorry in advance for any of Algernon's brooding unpleasantries.

That had made her laugh on her way into the cover of the forest to change.

As she was just getting done taking off her clothes Lucy heard a rustle through the surrounding thickets. She grabbed for her opal dagger as her adrenaline slowed time. After years spent in amazons and forests Lucy encountered every type of wild animal lurking after her, except this one.

"Lucy, where di-" Jasper halted his speaking and walking as soon as he spotted Lucy, who was barely able to cover some of herself with the shirt and pants she was preparing to change into. It was a full thirty seconds of stunned silence before Jasper was able to register what he was seeing.

Lucy was too shocked and her experiences too limited to do anything but blush. Animals didn't react this way and all she knew was how to scare away wild animals away, not boys.

Before either of them had recovered enough to act, a hand covered Jasper's eyes and pulled him backward.

Jasper barely had time to yell out an apology before he was dragged away by his face. Algernon now stood there instead, with his hair a disordered mess of curls, looking tired and annoyed, except for when he glanced over Lucy and his mug softened.

Lucy swallowed and prayed the reason Algernon's half-lidded eye moved slowly over her was only due to his tiredness.

Algernon turned away but smiled to himself.

"Any more lecherous perverts I'm going to need to save you from?" he asked, glancing behind him but not enough to see any more of what he still imagined.

"Yourself!" Lucy yelled, straining to cover herself as much as possible.

Algernon continued smiling as he walked away. He hadn't expected such a welcoming surprise in the morning, and it helped tremendously with shaking off his grogginess.

Lucy changed quickly after that and the rest of them got ready just as fast. Jasper profusely apologized again and promised he had seen nothing. Lucy instantly forgave her friend, but not Algernon as his purposeful silence on the matter made it clear he had seen something, and that he wasn't going to apologize for it.

Pecilia was the last to fully wake but could grasp something was very wrong when Lucy was subtly pouting, and Algernon was not-so-subtly grinning.

Lucy avoided Algernon for the better part of the morning after that, striding ahead of him as the group descended deep into the island. Although she couldn't see Algernon, Lucy felt his eyes on her back and every time she turned around Algernon didn't even try to pretend he wasn't staring at her or thoroughly enjoying her embarrassment.