A Fool's Guide to the In-Between [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 22

Y/N giggled as she lay on the domed roof of the museum, the bare skin of her stomach pressed against the polished stone. She had been instructed to hang around the museum for the day to make sure that Yuu didn't get his hands on the photo. 

"CLOSED?!"

 Y/N covered her mouth to stifle the cackle that bubbled in her throat as the boys realised their misfortune.

"This is too unlucky," Jack muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"We weren't attacked at all today," Deuced hummed in thought, staring at the long ruby chord blocking off the main entrance. "Did the twins know about this?"

"Probably," Ace huffed.

"Are you saying we should run away with our tails between our legs after coming all the way here," Jack asked, stepping up to the chord. For a moment it looked like he was going to contemplate entering the museum whether it was closed or not, and Y/N pushed herself up into a kneeling position. If that were the case, she would have to go and fetch the twins. 

"Wait a second," Ace suddenly exclaimed. "I've got an idea!"

Ace swam up to the security guard who was hovering in front of the entrance, a spear clutched in one hand, the other hanging at his side as he stared out at the bustling underwater city. "Excuse me, sir?"

The merman glanced down towards the sea floor, smiling when he saw Ace swimming towards him. "Yes. What can I help you with young man?"

"Is the museum closed today?"

"I'm afraid so, lad," the guard said, shrugging his shoulders.

Ace let out a shout of pretend shock and his shoulders sagged. "I can't believe this. I was looking forward to today for so long..."

The merman frowned and looked up and down Ace's human body, from the two feet currently working to tread water to the very human clothes adorning his body. "You look strange," the man muttered. "Are you perhaps a human from the surface?" He looked to the ground beneath them, and upon seeing no one, he asked, "Did you come here alone?"

Y/N shot up from her spot when she realised that the rest of the group had disappeared. She growled at Ace, knowing that this was his plan all along. She pulled out her pen, which had been hanging from a silver chain around her hips, and waved it through the water, creating a small bubble. She whispered to it as it formed before sending shooting through the water and back to the mirror. Hopefully Jade and Floyd would get her message in time, but she couldn't disappear now to get them. She had to make sure that the boys didn't get their grubby little hands on the photo.

With her message sent, she turned away from Ace and the merman and swam slowly over the roof of the museum. Soon, she came to the roof overlooking the main photo gallery, and she quickly ducked out of sight as she noticed the guard floating over the roof. Honestly, it wasn't much of a roof. Eight or so prongs extended from the walls of the room below and met in the centre of the circle, forming a sort of spider web. Normally there would have been glass between the prongs to complete the roof, but beneath the waves of the sea, where they didn't need to worry about rain and snow, the roof remained open.

"Purr-fect," Y/N hummed. She slowly approached the edge of the roof that was closest to her and slipped over the edge, slithering like a snake into the interior of the museum. Thank goodness the merfolk were trusting and didn't see the point in any form of underwater security. It wasn't like this was a high-traffic area for the museum anyways. 

Y/N watched from above as the boys searched through the museum for the photo. Of course, they were drawn immediately to the large portrait of the royal family on the wall, but they soon realised that it wasn't the one that Azul wanted. No, the one that Azul had requested was a tiny little one hanging on the opposite end of the gallery. Y/N watched as the boys searched the room.