Vuela

Chapter 18

On the way back to Copper's hideout, it's best that the teens discuss their accomplishments and upcoming plots while still in the sub and save the rest of the stories for when they return to the Captain and Celia. They plan on going back to the others and getting them into the backwoods before opening that map again in case it causes an alarm for the enemy party. According to Vuela, the closer they are to the center of the island, the better the results, especially when it comes to self defense against Savage's crew.

Sora only warns Vuela that with the Captain still out of commission, they have to be prepared for a big fight that might be ahead of them. That's easier said than done in the girl's mind; however, that can't float as a worry in anyone's mind for that matter. Now that they have the map, they can escape with the treasure as first planned.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Sora presses.

"We're gonna get Celia and the Captain and take them through the tunnel," replies Vuela, slightly unsure if that's wise to do, especially if the Captain is still in pain.

"Smart thinking. Let's just hope we'll get there in time."

"We're young. We can still run before sunrise."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Questioning much?"

"You're taking action now. I just want to make sure you know what you're doing. It's a race against the clock."

And race they do soon as they raise the submarine back to the lake at the far end of the island. What weakness, Vuela thinks as she leads Sora back to Copper's tree through the same tunnels they have discovered earlier that evening. Though their footsteps echo the closer they get to the secret entrance, Vuela can sense something abnormal in the atmosphere of the quiet hideout. She expects to hear someone talking, especially Celia, but she hears nothing as she approaches the closed tunnel door.

She can't hesitate, but the suspicion is overwhelming.

"Captain...Celia...Copper...We're back. And we got the map."

Sora suddenly whisper-shouts, "Vuela, we need to get out now."

No more questioning Sora's outbursts, but before they can run back towards the tunnels, the door swings right open, and an ambush latches onto the kids like a net snatching large schools of fish for food selling.

The grabs are more painful than any injury Vuela's had before. The dirty nails that belonged to the pirates are claws as sharp as kingfisher talons. They dig into Vuela's skin as they pin her down to the musty floor. Every time she's able to move a limb, another lackey lands on top of her. Every time Sora attempts to attack, a larger pirate thrusts him into the wall, trying to knock him unconscious. He falls right near Kujo, Celia, and Copper, who are all binded by their legs and arms, very unable to move anywhere from their spots. Their mouths are gaffed with old fabric, probably from old clothes that the pirates have stolen from the ship. Kujo, with the operated ankle, is in more pain because of the bondage now than she has with the first injury.

The thing that makes Vuela the angriest is Savage's conniving snot rat laugh. If looks can kill, Vuela's glare towards Savage would've been the greatest murder known to mankind. "You planned this, didn't you?" She asks herself what kind of question she just let out of her mouth, but now is not the time to punish herself.

The pirate captain snatches the map from Vuela's possession and spins the plate on her mechanical finger, licking her teeth, satisfied with her trap's results. "We didn't know how you're going to do it, but we knew that you were gonna have to retrieve that map somehow. Clever girl you are, Vuela Hawkins, but not clever enough to get away from even the whitest of lies."