what you want most \\ harry hook (!discontinued!)

captain.

"Hey, settle down!" A man brandished his gun in the air with territorial arrogance. Any one of these people could take him down if I'm reading the room right, but it wasn't worth whatever would come next. You can't punch a whole country (I mean it seriously, dad has tried).

The blue-haired girl grabbed my shoulder and tugged. "C'mon." I followed her blindly through the pack of people moving back to their seats, what reason did I have not to. We went through the door the tall man came out of into the- kitchen, apparently. It smelled decent in here. Better than out there. Didn't the nurses buy deodorant for these people? 

The Mad Hatter (and my dancing partner) was stirring a pot of the 'mystery meat' stew no be had the energy to ask about. "So, Jackie Sparrow. The isle girl."

 "Thats me. And you are Hatter- "

 He bowed. "At your service, love." 

I turned towards the girl. "And Hatter's sidekick?" 

"Magnolia. Hatter."

"I shall call you Nola."

"Don't."

"Nola, if ya don't mind me asking, why are these people here and not on isle land?"

 Magnolia pushed past me and hopped up on the counter. What is it with this family and climbing eating surfaces? "They were all dubbed villains after the border closed. This is basically a high-tech jail."

 "Why are you two here?"

She grinned. "Poison."

These are my people. "Do tell."

"There's not much to be told. People in our teashop seemed to be missing that we sold tea, not the scum of the earth otherwise known as expressos, so we started poisoning the drinks of anyone who wasn't there for tea."

Hatter joined the conversation. "Turns out poisoning people over tea is not a 'viable cause' in Araudan. Would've been fine in Wonderland. Everyone there understands the importance of tea."

I nodded. "More of a rum person myself."

 Magnolia shook her head. "Wonderland tea is stronger."

 My eyes leaped to hers. "Really?"

 Her lime eyes swirled with something unnatural. "Mhmm. One or two sips is the equivalent of a full glass of regular alcohol."

 "You'll have to prove that."

"If we ever escape this prison."

We sat in a silence of mutual plotting.  "Oh, by the way, how's Cheshire doing?" Hatter said. 

"Delightful. Runs a little flower shop, secretly a brothel. I've never been."

 Hatter chuckles. "Cheshire, I've missed you." 

I smiled fondly. "He hit me with his cane once." A lovely cat- I was too young to kill him when he hit me, but honestly, why would I hurt him back? Better to get on his good side. While the kids fight for power on the streets, he runs the isle's underground. The black market's black market, if you will. 

A loud gonging sound rings through the room, and I grab the nearest weapon and hold it up for protection. "Put the broom down sweetheart, it's just the dinner bell." He turned back to his soup and made the same 'go away' motion my dad does. "Shoo, this clock won't stop itself." 

-time skip-

At some point, I got into the rhythm of prison/'rehab' center life (Still confused on why it was ever called a rehab center on TV). Nola is a lovely girl, albeit a tad possessive and defensive, but aren't we all? And Hatter has become my new idol. Someday I want to flaunt my fabulousness as acutely as he does. Plus, I seem to have gotten in with the cool kids of this social complex, as expected. Especially considering the cool kids are Hatter and his child, they basically run the place. It's sad that such diabolical people will be stuck here, away from all potential lawbreaking for their entire lives.