Here, Kitty, Kitty

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Warnings;
. Swearing.
. Violence.

It took two days, and one long night, for Cassie, Helena, and the Anti-Heroes to create a detailed plan. There'd been many things to discuss, and figuring out a way to get Harry into the centre of the Isle had been the hardest one. Heading into pirate territory was suicidal, and they'd ruled that out without a second thought. After all, the shoreline where Uma's ship - and shoppe - resided was Harry's safe space, so to speak. If they went into pirate territory and attempted to take him down somewhere around that area, the chances of Uma's crew somehow overhearing and turning the tables on them was too high a risk. The son of Hook was clever, but he hadn't ever needed backup to find Cassie before, and he had no reason to do it now. He didn't know that Cassie had made some new 'friends', and the little cat knew with certainty that - when he did meet up with her - he'd definitely come on his own.

Eventually, they'd come up with a believable option that would surely get Harry into the centre of the Isle.

The beginning of the plan involved the Gaston twins, their 'baby' brother, and a little rumour spreading. The twins had reassured a hesitant Cassie that Gil wouldn't be hurt during any of this, and though the little cat was reluctant to trust the word of two V.K.s she hardly knew, Helena had also given her opinion on the matter. The Cheshire Cat's daughter wasn't the only one who was fond of the blonde-haired pirate: He had the Queen of Hearts on his side, as well. So while Cassie was shamefully relying on Gil's loyalty to Harry and Uma for this plan to work, she was at least content to know that he wouldn't be hurt.

There was a small risk that Gil would forget what he'd overheard his brother's discussing, so the twins would make sure to mention the 'rumour' more than once, until they were positive the message was firmly implanted in Gil's brain. The little cat had had her doubts about that one, but the twins had soon put her mind at rest. According to them, Gil was awful at keeping things to himself, and even worse when it came to his excitement. If he realised that the things they were telling him would be of interest to Harry or Uma, a wide-eyed, gleeful expression would cross his face, and he'd come up with the shittiest excuse to leave the house.

If all went well, and Gil did what he was supposed to do, everything after would run smoothly. It was painfully evident by now that Harry was incredibly eager to find her, and no matter how smart he was, desperation always ran the risk of error in any situation. If things went their way, then he wouldn't hold back. The pirate would unknowingly follow the path they'd made for him and finally receive the punishment Cassie was sure he deserved.

However, when Cassie had decided to accept their help, she hadn't quite anticipated how large of a part she'd have to play. She didn't mind throwing her name out into the crowd if it meant getting Harry to the destination they'd settled on, but willingly taking part in it was a whole other thing. During their meetings at Helena's salon, the Anti-Heroes had made sure to include her presence in most of their wicked plan, and since Cassie had been playing a part when around the V.K.s, she hadn't been able to tell them otherwise. There was no way for her to tell them that - while she'd asked for their help with this - she had no desire to get involved with their vicious plan. Truthfully, she'd hoped to be able to stay as far from the ambush as possible, but by now that hope had been tarnished. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to stand witness to this horrible attack.

Not everything so far had been terrible, though. Fortunately for Cassie, during her nightly meetings with the Anti-Heroes and Helena, she'd been able to get to know the bunch a little better. The group were oddly comfortable discussing their home lives, personal preferences, and any enemies they made on the Isle. They didn't hold back, and for someone like Cassie, who was quite reserved and secretive when it came to certain things, the fact they were so quick to tell her anything was quite bewildering. But after she gave it some thought, she realised that they had nothing to fear by telling her about themselves, and why would they? If what Helena said was true, these five were the most feared group on the inner Isle right now, and though Cassie hadn't seen much wickedness from them yet, it didn't mean it wasn't there; It was just sleeping.