Sasha didn’t know exactly what she was saying, as she didn’t speak “sparkles,” but it wasn’t polite. She was from Boston—she got the vibe well enough.
“I’m sorry,” Sasha muttered to the fairy. “It’s nothing personal.”
“Speak for yourself. And don’t bother. She’ll cease to exist the moment we move on from here.” Hook was already walking back toward the boats. The pirates were now leading a procession line of kidnapped teenagers, all lashed with rope and gagged, some bleeding from where they’d clearly been punched into submission.
Sasha waited. Held her breath.
Sidney was one of the last to come out, dragged by two men on either side. She wasn’t tied up or gagged, and she was giving them the fight for their lives. “I’m gonna skin yourballsand turn them into hacky sacks, you ugly pieces of shi?—”
That was her sister, all right.
“Sid!”
Sidney gave up fighting the moment she saw Sasha. Instead, her sister’s eyes welled up with tears and her twin let out a heartbroken sob.
Putting on her best “pirate” voice, she looked at the two men hauling her. “I’ll take her from here, men. She’ll behave for me.”
“If’in you say so, Mr. Smee.” One of the men shrugged, and let Sidney go. Sidney ran over to Sasha, half throwing herself into her arms.
Sasha hugged her sister tight. “I’m so glad you’re okay, I was so worried. How’d you get away?”
“A bird’s nest. It makes nofucking sense.”
“I think that happened in the book.”
“It’s stupid.” Sidney sniffled.
“Mr. Smee. Come along.” Hook was losing his patience. And an impatient Hook meant dead people. And while he might not killher,he wouldn’t have a problem killing Sidney.
Taking Sidney’s hand, she started off after the line of pirates and their captives. “Time to end this story and move onto the next one.”
“Good. This place sucks.” Sidney was in full-blown, four-alarm whine mode. Sasha couldn’t say she blamed her.
She also didn’t have the heart to tell her that whatever came next was probably going to be worse.
Way worse.
* Now, if only anyone would actually listen. -V
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Pirates were gross, Sidney decided. Gross, and smelly, and weird. Especially up close and in person. The Lost Boys didn’t exactly smell great either, but the pirates werewayworse.
And the ship was—were thoseskulls?
Oh god, she was going to be sick.
Thosewereskulls on the front of the ship. Stacked up on metal skewers like elephant tusks. Some had flesh still, with seagulls cawing and diving at them, trying to rip chunks off as she watched.
The sun was just coming up as they were all loaded aboard dinghies and rowed back to a ship that Sasha said was called The Jolly Roger. Like Sidney cared. She just wanted to go home.
She just wanted Hook to die and get fed to that horrible crocodilethingso they could go back and try another book. Maybe she could talk them into a nice, charming, peaceful, Regency romance. Something with tea and scones. Where the only drama was if a duke had danced with a lady out of turn.
Notkiller mermaidsandskull skewersandelectro-dileandpiratesand she wanted to be sick and above all, she just. Wanted. To go. Home.
Sasha was just holding her, letting her cry into her shoulder, andshe didn’t bother to offer any fake words of comfort or any other nonsense like that.
Because no matter how badly they both wanted to go home, it wasn’t happening. Not anytime soon, it seemed. They climbed aboard the ship up a rickety ladder—with her going second to last and Sasha going last because she was absolutely notletting a pirate look up her dress, thank-you-very-much.
