Reckless Paradise [a descendants story]

Chapter Four | The Isle

Quinn woke to the sound of fighting and opened her eyes to see that it was light. Staying as quiet as she could, she peeked around the trash cans.

Two boys, ten or eleven years old, were in the middle of a fistfight, egged on by a group of kids about their age. Once one was thrown to the ground and held down for a certain amount of time, the group split in two and parted ways.

The streets were bustling, a strange type of colourful. It wasn't like the markets in Auradon Central, with their brightly coloured booths and flower decorations, but had its own charm. The colours ranged farther – darker – like the Underground, and Quinn marvelled at all the unique clothing and hairstyles. There was leather and denim and studs, and dreadlocks and mohawks and hair in all the colours of the rainbow.

Vendors aggressively called out their wares and haggled with customers. Everything had an air of tension to it. Clenched fists, holding bags tight, ready for a fight.

They did seem to be exchanging Auradanian money, so Quinn went up to a man selling bread. "How much for a loaf?" she asked.

"Eight bucks," said the man.

"Eight bucks?" she exclaimed. The woman ahead of her had gotten it for four bucks. "That's double the regular price!"

"Six then," he said.

She was about to protest, but then she saw a little boy, probably about seven or eight, run up to the man. "Papa?" he said, tugging at his sleeve.

"Good enough," Quinn muttered, pressing the money into his hand and leaving quickly with the bread.

Eating her way through the entire loaf, Quinn wandered around the market. She listened to people's conversations as she passed, trying to figure out who the major players on the Isle were.

She knew that Maleficent was the self-proclaimed and undisputed leader, but there seemed to be specific groups under her. They had varying amounts of power and were in constant conflict with each other. Various names were thrown about: the Queens, the Defiant Doom, the Innocents, etc.

Quinn knew she had to make an alliance if she was to survive, so she tried to figure out which gang seemed to be the most appealing. The Defiant Doom sounded powerful, so she listened carefully to any mention of it.

"... Tukafotana and his Defiant Doom were in action tonight."

Her ears perked up and she casually sidled closer to the voices.

"Yeah, well, what do you expect? Genevieve, Georgitte and their girls have been pushing the border for weeks."

"Their victory was surprising, though."

"Yeah, well, I guess we'll see how long that lasts."

"Ha, yeah. Better avoid Tuka's shop anyway though, he'll be celebrating."

Slipping away before they saw her, she smiled a little. This Tukafotana seemed to be a good idea for an ally. He and his gang seemed to be fairly prominent and successful. And if he was in a good mood today, perhaps he would be more open to a new ally.

•••

Quinn stood in the alley beside the Defiant Doom's hideout. She took a few deep breaths, psyching herself up. "Come on," she muttered to herself. "You've got this." She opened her eyes and said to the empty air in front of her. "I would like to see Tukafotana about an alliance. Or, maybe, about joining the Defiant Doom." She took a breath. "I could be beneficial to your gang: I am stealthy, good at climbing and have experience in hand-to-hand combat as well as combat with weapons." She sighed. "It's just like a job interview, and at least they taught us how to do those."