saudade

fourteen and twelve

boys will be bugs - cavetown
"i just turned 14 and i think i know everything."

Gwendolyn was a good kid.

She grew up connected at the hip of her mother. She would spend the majority of her days inside and she hardly complained about the way her life was. Growing up on the Isle of the Lost wasn't ideal, but Dorene made the best of it. In the winter, Dorene would scrounge through the trash for any piece of fabric she could find. It was lucky that the majority of the stuff that Auradon threw out was last season's clothes, so she would grab the leftover coats and baggy pants and bring them home for herself and her daughter. Once the sun rose over the glittery white snow, the two would go outside, take the lids off of a trashcan, and find themselves at the top of a hill.

In the summer, when it was too hot to do anything, they sat with their backs to their shared bed and a deck of cards displayed in front of them. Sometimes they would play Slapjack and others they would choose a simple game of Go Fish.

It was what they had always done, but Gwendolyn was growing bored.

The games were overplayed, the time was overspent, and in moments where she should have wanted to be with her mother, Gwendolyn found herself escaping for something better. At fourteen she told her mother she got a job. Dorene wasn't very happy about it, but she agreed nonetheless. If only Dorene knew what her daughter was actually doing.

"Shh, don't rush me."

"Well, you're taking forever."

Gwendolyn turned around, her eyes catching the look that Harry Hook sent her. Harry had dark hair that fell into his eyes most of the time. He wore a matching pirate outfit, similar to his father's and occasionally when he was feeling daring, black eyeliner would circle his eyes, darkening the lower eyebags he already had.

Gwendolyn curled her body around the side of the wall, her eyes making contact with the open cash register of Jafar's Junk shop. The man stood facing away from them, his attention fully on his son, Jay, who had brought the latest items from random areas on the island. Things he stole.

She creeped out slowly, keeping her body as low to the ground as possible while still being able to walk. She looked back once to see Harry smirk and nod his head. She moved closer, reaching out and flying into the register. She collected the beat-up ones and fives, counting about twenty dollars in total, and moved back slowly, keeping her eyes on the genie-obsessed man and his son. As she was nearing the wall her back hit a trash can on the corner.

Jafar looked away from Jay, his eyes meeting Gwendolyn's and then darting to his opened register. He knew better, but once he saw the lamp his son brought, he couldn't resist trying to rub it.

"Hey!" He called, but it was too late. Gwendolyn stood up straight and ran behind the wall, grabbing onto Harry's collar as they booked it to the furthest alley to hide away from Jafar and his son.

Harry laughed wickedly, mimicking his father's laugh like an obsessed fan. He pulled at Gwendolyn's hand where the money sat crumpled and he counted it.

"Twenty dollars," He drew on, disappointed by the amount.

"It's something isn't it?" Gwendolyn asked, shrugging her shoulders, "Enough to feed you, my mom, and me."

"You're right," Harry split the cash up evenly, taking ten for himself and handing ten over to the girl.

"Well, nice doing business with you cuz. See you tomorrow," He turned the opposite way, heading out through the end that led to a busy street where he could blend in with the people. Harry shot her a two-finger salute and disappeared.