Roses and Hooks /// Harry Hook

Chapter 8: Welcome to The Isle

Hours pass, and finally curfew has set in place. I wait for another hour, watching the tick of the clock hands in the car. Why did someone put an actual clock in here? Tick, tick, tick.

"I'm only human.

I bleed when I fall down.

I'm only human.

I crash and I break down."

I sing softly to myself as I feel my eyes start to water. What happened to everyone sticking up for each other? Why did Ben forget me? How did they all forget about me? It's been hours and no one has even noticed that I'm gone.

"Happy Birthday to me." I say as the clock hits midnight. I climb through the dividing window and into the front seat. Holding back the sob, I turn the car on and put my bag beside me. Pulling the limo out of the garage, I don't see anyone out walking around. We really need to get better security. Why did this car have to be so long?

Pulling up to the edge of the drive, I look out at the Isle again. I'm really doing this? Leaving everything behind? I look down at the rose ring on my finger and sob. Even my parents forgot about me, so why should I stay? I slam my finger into the button and watch the magic golden bridge spiral and form. I take off driving down it, and closer to the Isle. When I go through the barrier, I park the car in a dark alley.

"Ok, this is the Isle. Not home. Everything is different. I have to really be smart about this, or I'm going to end up in serious trouble. I should have brought my damn sword with me." I tell myself as I get out of the car with my bag, looking around to make sure I don't see anyone. I don't need to bring attention to myself just yet.

I lock the limo and cover it with plastic tarps and ripped blankets to at least make it less noticeable. Putting my bag on, I shove my hands into my jacket pockets, and keep my head down. I use my eyes to look around, not moving my head. This isn't Auradon. Here, I'm not on top. I can't just walk around like I own the place since the royals aren't exactly popular among the villains. Please don't let me run into Gaston.

As I walk, I look at all the trash around the Isle and frown. THIS is what I'm talking about when I try to get people to see my point of view. No one can live healthy in these conditions, and the fact that Ben has forgotten about everyone else on the Isle makes me mad. How could he forget that these are his people too, and not just the people of Auradon?

'Curl Up & Dye' comes into view, and I smile. There's one person on this Isle that I know will be happy to see me. I walk in the door and watch as a small girl sweeps the store. Her hair is red with lots of colorful highlights, and her dress is covered in paint splatters. This must be Dizzy, and I love her style already. I clear my throat to get her attention, and she looks over at me.

"Oh my God!! You're Princess Rose!" She squeals and runs up to me. "Sorry I couldn't say it, but Happy Birthday!!" My eyes water as I almost start crying again. Even a girl on the Isle knew about my birthday and I had never even met her. This girl is a miracle!

"Hi! Thank you. I've been told a lot about you, so I had to come see you in person. It's nice to finally meet you Dizzy." Her face lights up even more if that's possible.

"You know my name!" She hugs me excitedly, and I hug her back. She acts more like an Auradon child than a villain one. She deserves a chance to come over to have a normal life. I'd so be involved in getting her a hair salon.

"Of course. I came because I need help." She looks at me confused and I crouch down to her height. "I'm here alone. I came here by myself. I need your help to look the villain part, so I don't get caught. Can you help me Dizzy?" She nods her head, suddenly serious.

"Get in the chair. We can start on your hair, which I love. While your hair is going, I'll do your nails. Then we can see about clothes. You're going to look like a villain kid in no time." I smile gratefully at her and sit in one of the chairs she pointed to. "How far can I go?"

"You can do whatever you like. I trust you. My signature color is rose red. Do with that whatever you feel is right." I tell her and she nods at me, looking at my hair. She pulls out these large pair of scissors. I didn't even know scissors came in that size! She cuts some of my hair and then puts the dye in it.

I move my hands forward so she can start to work on them as we wait on my hair. She looks at the many colors she has, picking out black and red. I'm glad that they managed to get all these things. It shows just how strong they are, and it shows that they're surviving. I wish I could have done more for them. Once she's done, I look at my nails as she brings me over to the hair washer. An ombre with black going into rose red tips. This girl really knows her stuff. This is a better job than what the nail salon in Auradon does.

"So why did you come alone? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Dizzy asks me as she washes my hair. I shakily sigh.

"It's a long story. First off, you should know that I fully support getting everyone off the Isle." She looks hopeful and surprised. "As you can imagine, that doesn't exactly get me a lot of friends. Second, as you probably know, I'm not exactly your regular pink princess. I like to run around doing whatever I feel like. A few girls at school bully me for that and even named me the Villain Princess."

"I've heard the name. We all have. The fact that you aren't a perfect princess has gained you a good amount of respect on the Isle. You aren't a fake who pretends to be who she isn't. You are your honest, real self. You don't let people change who you are." Dizzy says to me, and my eyes water. The Isle respects me? But I haven't even done anything to help them! I should earn their respect because they don't even know me! How can they respect someone they don't even know?

"Thank you, Dizzy." She puts the towel around my hair and hugs me as I cry into her shoulder. "The final straw was that no one remembered my birthday."

"What?!" She shouts, her face in a frown. "How could your own family forget your birthday?" I shrug.

"I don't know, but they did. Even Mal and the gang forgot. You are actually the first person to wish me Happy Birthday, and it isn't even my birthday anymore." She looks angry, upset, confused.

"That's just wrong. Even on the Isle, we celebrate our birthdays. When our parents don't throw a party, our friends do. We look out for each other without actually doing it. We're all we have." I smile at her and walk over to the hair dryer.

"Not just each other. You guys also have me, even though I don't have much sway in Auradon." Dizzy smiles at me and nods her head. After a while, my hair is dry, and she brushes it out. I walk up to the broken mirror to look at my hair. She layered my hair and did the same ombre to my hair that she did to my nails. I love it!

"Wow! This is the best hair and nail job I've had. You really are the most talented in this profession." Dizzy beams with pride before we both turn to my bag and pull the clothes out. Digging through them, Dizzy settles on a pair of dark red jeans, a black tank top, and my combat boots. She tells me to change behind the curtain while she gets something for my outfit.

Coming back out, Dizzy hands me a leather black and dark red corset top that only covers my stomach and back, leaving the tank top to cover the rest. On the back of the corset, there is a black and red ombre rose. Dizzy helps me get it on, showing me how to use the four straps to tighten it in different places. I walk back over to the mirror and look at myself.

"I look amazing! I'm loving this Isle style on me." I tell her, turning left and right to see every angle. She hands me my leather jacket and I put it on. This makes me look even more like a villain. "Dizzy, you're the best!"

"Thanks! Have a great rest of the night!" Dizzy shouts at me as I leave the salon, heading in the direction of the old hideout Mal told me her and the gang used. I can't wait to see what the Isle has to offer me.