The Space Between: Beginnings

27. Return To The Isle

"You're it!" Cassandra shouted as she chased Rain through the streets of the Isle of the Lost.

"No darn way!" Rain shouted, sticking her tongue out at Cassandra as she ran down the street.

"Gosh, girl, I'm getting too old for this," Cassandra sighed as she caught up with her. "Didn't we have some work to do?"

"Oz, Cassie, you're such a buzzkill," Rain pouted. "Is it so wrong to enjoy what could potentially be my very last moments of freedom?"

"Oh yeah, right. Because it's just a part of growing up. A little adventure, a little rebellion," Cassandra deadpanned.

"Ugh, now I feel terrible," Rain sighed. "It's like I'm such a despicable human being. What will Mom say? If she knows, this will...break her heart."

"In half," Cassandra stated.

"Crush her soul?" Nessarose asked.

"She doesn't have one, apparently," Rain sighed in reply. "Come on, let's set that wild escape plan into motion."

"Think you can still nail those crazy somersaults?" Cassandra asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

"Let's see. I may be out of practice, but I guess I've still got it," Rain smirked.

"What are you two talking about?" Nessa asked, tilting her head.

"Oh you know. It's like flying. But without brooms. It's sort of a Rain thing," Cassandra answered, winking at Rain.

"Well, definitely beats using cleaning supplies to get around," Nessa remarked, making Rain giggle a bit.

A little while later, Rain straightened up and said casually, "You know, if we need to get into the Forbidden Fortress without being seen and find everyone else, we'll need a bird's eye view."

"I could always call Owl. He's always ready for a little adventure," Cassandra offered.

"I know. And Owl's cute and amazing, but he doesn't know the inside of the Fortress all that well," Rain replied.

"Then who do you have in mind?" Cassandra narrowed her eyes. Rain merely smirked and whistled. A female flying monkey with black feathered wings flew towards her and perched on her shoulder.

"Oh, damn. I forgot about Mags," Cassandra sighed.

"Of course you would. You're in love with Owl," Rain joked as she looked at the monkey and raised her eyebrows.

"Excuse me, young lady. I may be a lot of things, but I am definitely not into ornithophilia," Cassandra huffed, folding her arms.

"Good. Because I'm pretty sure Rain didn't mean it that way," Nessa smirked.

"Oh yeah. Purely platonic," Rain replied, with an innocent look on her face. She turned to her monkey and whispered, "You know what to do."

Mags nodded and flew off. The three of them went after her.

A few minutes later, Mags came back and perched on Rain's shoulder, chattering non-stop. Rain chuckled and whispered, "Okay, girl, calm down. Look, I know the magic's back. Jane broke the barrier. That's what got us into this mess. I suppose that's okay, it's not entirely her fault. Let's go."

"Wait, do you two really understand each other, or is it just the usual 'talking to animals for comfort' thing?" Nessarose asked, confused.

"Oh, you won't believe it, but she was lonely as a kid," Cassandra explained, giving Rain a soft look. "All she had when she was a toddler were her brother and the flying monkeys. Mags was one of the youngest that the time, so the two of them literally grew up together. So yeah, of course they get each other."