XF → Harry Hook [2]✔

Accusations

She was awake before the doorbell even rang.

Perhaps when she was on the Isle, this nerve-fraying anxiety was understandable, since it was common knowledge that every time you went to sleep, you would wake up to at least one possession vanishing into thin air. The people of the Isle had long since trained themselves to jump to their feet at the mere suggestion of a thief, especially those who lived in shabby accommodations, or those who had no shelter at all.

However, even with her fortress of a house, XJ's brain never failed to whirr to consciousness at the slightest abnormal noise. She knew all the sounds of the Isle, from every inhabitant's footsteps and breathing, to the ragged curtains and moth-bitten sheets that blew in the wind. If there was anything that she didn't recognize, her eyelids would spring open without even a trace of the normal grogginess others associated with waking up.

In fact, the first night XJ had been in Auradon, she almost hadn't been able to sleep. The howls and shouts and shrieks that were commonplace on the Isle had been reduced to the rustling of leaves outside her bedroom window. It was all too new, and the only way she had managed to get a good night's rest was to focus on Harry, who had all but collapsed onto the bed, amazed by how soft the mattress was.

His heartbeat served as her lullaby. It was steady and loud enough to be heard during Auradon's quiet nights. Whenever she woke up, hand outstretched and ready to grab her spear, Harry would hug her tighter, forcing her to remain in his embrace. He wouldn't wake up– Harry could sleep through a fire – but he would remind her that she was safe, and no longer alone.

Even so, the instinctual alertness never left her, which was why XJ knew that trouble had arrived before it actually did.

Moving swiftly, XJ got out of bed, slipping from beneath the covers like a serpent. Her feet landed on the mahogany floor soundlessly as she snatched up the retractable spear that laid on the bedside table. She did all this in the time that it took for Harry to open his eyes.

He peered drowsily through his eyelashes at his girlfriend, who was already at the bedroom door. "You've never been a morning person." He commented, his voice thick with sleep.

"We've got visitors."

Her urgent tone was the equivalent of being hit with icy water, and Harry jumped out of bed himself.

"Who is it?" He asked, pulling on his sleeveless coat. The crimson velvet garment settled smoothly on his back as he got dressed.

"Ben, Mal," XJ said grimly. Harry looked up to see that she was already dressed. "Evie, Carlos and Jay."

"Coming directly towards us?"

XJ nodded. "Thirty seconds out from the front door."

At the mention of the main entrance, any last vestige of the after-effects of slumber had disappeared. It was an unspoken rule that nobody other than XJ and Harry was allowed to even walk down the trail to the cottage, never mind walk straight up to their door. For someone to come this way, they had to be desperate.

Without waiting another second after Harry pulled on his shoes, XJ moved like a phantom towards the door, her spear stowed in the back pocket of her jeans. Harry followed, considerably noisier as his leather coat ruffled and the soles of his boots fell heavily against the floorboards.

They reached the door just in time, as XJ had no doubt meant. Footsteps assembling and murmuring could be heard from the porch. XJ and Harry shared a look just as the doorbell rang, a pleasant melody that did not suit the cottage's owners at all.

XJ grabbed hold of the doorknob, yanking it open and keeping it from closing with her right foot. She kept her spear by her side, making sure that it was visible to the visitors. Sure enough, it was Ben, accompanied by the other villain kids, all looking unnerved at how fast the door had been answered.