Reckless Paradise [a descendants story]

Chapter Three | The Underground

Walking down the streets of Auradon Central, Quinn asked Mark, "Alright, seriously, where are we going?"

"Just a little place where you can get the stuff you need over there," said Mark.

"Right."

"So, how were you planning on getting there?"

"Uh..." Quinn had not yet thought about that. The only way to get onto the Isle was a bridge that was only accessible through a Crown-sanctioned vehicle. They were well-guarded and hardly ever went to the Isle. There was no other way to get to the Isle, except for. "By boat," she said, suddenly. "Shipments go to the Isle periodically, with food and other supplies. I'll stow away on one of them."

They turned into an alleyway that was so small that it was easily overlooked. It was much different than the street they had just been on; it was dark and quite dirty, a severe contrast to the clean, white cobblestones they had just been walking on.

It seemed to end at a dead end, but Mark pushed on the back wall, which turned out to be a door. Behind this door, there was a dark staircase followed by a passageway and Mark took out his phone to light the way. The temperature plummeted as soon as he closed the door. As hey walked, their footsteps echoing ahead of them, Quinn could hear scurrying and dripping sounds.

"Mark," she whispered, staying close to him. "Where are we going?"

The part of his face that she could see in the dim light of his phone light was cautious. "You'll see."

Soon they reached the end of the tunnel and went up another flight of steps. Mark pushed on a battered wooden door and it opened onto an alleyway that looked a lot like the one they had come from. As Mark closed the door behind them, Quinn walked ahead to where the alley met the main street.

Quinn looked around in wonder. Auradon had always been colourful, but now she saw how limited its palette was. Instead of only the brightest or most pastel colours, the buildings and clothing here used deeper shades in addition to those of the rest of Auradon. There were much more uses of black, as well as the purples and greens most associated with villains. Some of the people walking past had grey armbands.

"What do those bands mean?" Quinn asked quietly as they walked down the cobbled street.

"Those are members of the Underground Council," Mark said, and Quinn looked over to see him putting one around his arm. She looked at him in surprise.

"What?" he asked with a grin. "You didn't think you were the only rebellious one, did you?"

Quinn tried not to stare at the outfits of those they passed. Some of the women wore pants here, and some of the men wore dresses and skirts. There were fabrics no other hero would wear: leather and denim, which was sometimes ripped and frayed. Some had colourfully dyed hair, or multiple piercings or tattoos.

Quinn could almost hear what Fairy Godmother, or her other teachers, might say, but she pushed them aside, instead finding the beauty in everything she saw. There was so much more variety here!

"Here we are," Mark said stopping in front of a shop called The Princess' Wardrobe.

Quinn raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"The name is tongue-in-cheek," he said with a smile. "I promise."

They stepped inside, the bell over the door tinkling as they did so. As Quinn looked around, she knew that Mark was right. This was definitely not your typical Auradonian clothing store. There were combat boots and ripped denim and studs and leather, so much leather. She smiled widely; from what she had seen of news broadcasts about the Isle, this would be the perfect place to find something to wear to fit in.