CJ's Treasure Chase Page 8

  “Freddie!” Audrey echoed with annoyance as she stomped toward the truck. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at school? If you left without Headmistress’s permission, I could seriously get you in trouble.”

  That seemed to do the trick. Freddie unfroze and turned around to see the empty street behind her. Her eyes shot up the road at the disappearing truck, and she started to run.

  The truck was gaining speed, though, and CJ feared her friend wouldn’t make it. “C’mon!” she urged Freddie, who was trying to run as best she could in her floral kimono.

  CJ grabbed on to a strap attached to the wall and reached out her hand. Freddie tried to grab it, but she couldn’t reach, and the truck was quickly moving farther away.

  CJ studied the strap in her hand. It looked just like a ship’s lanyard. That gave her an idea. She wrapped the strap around her wrist twice, backed up, and took a running leap. She swung in a wide arc behind the truck and reached out her hand to Freddie. Freddie caught it just in time and jumped, and they both swung back into the moving truck, crashing into a crate of food, as the driver rounded the corner and headed out of town.

  CJ pulled the giant loading door closed and collapsed against the wall. “What were you thinking?” she asked breathlessly. “Why were you just standing there?”

  Freddie didn’t reply. She sat on the floor, quietly staring down at her hands. She appeared to be deep in thought.

  “Freddie,” CJ said, prompting her.

  Still her friend remained silent. Then, after a few long moments, Freddie whispered, “She’s going to tell on me. She’s going to report me to Headmistress.”

  That’s why she’s so upset?

  CJ snorted. “So what?”

  Freddie continued to stare at her hands.

  CJ huffed. “I don’t understand why you even care. You’re a VK. Like me. You’re not supposed to like it there.”

  “But I do!” Freddie cried in a sudden outburst that made CJ flinch. “I do like it there! Okay? I’m sorry if that doesn’t fit into your big plans for world domination, but I like it at Auradon Prep. I have fun there. People sing there. I get to sing there.”

  CJ sighed.

  “And we get dressed up for things,” Freddie went on, as though she hadn’t even heard her. “And we drink tea. And”—Freddie’s voice became quiet—“I’m seen as more than just Dr. Facilier’s daughter.”

  CJ guffawed. “Oh, wake up and smell the fish oil! Nobody there sees you as anything more than Dr. Facilier’s daughter. Everywhere you go there, that’s all they see. The daughter of a villain. The daughter of their enemy.”

  Freddie shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. Yeah, maybe at first they did, but I don’t know….The last few days, it started to feel like they were coming around, seeing me as a person. My own person.”

  CJ rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’re fooling yourself if you think those people care about you.”

  “They care about me more than anyone on the island ever did. Including my own parents!”

  “This is why we’re here!” CJ thundered, gesturing to the inside of the truck. “That’s why we got off the island. So we could go on our own adventure. So we could leave them all behind.”

  “This was never my adventure,” Freddie reminded her. “I’m only here to help you, remember? After we find the treasure, I’m going back to Auradon Prep.”

  “Fine!” CJ shouted. “If that’s what you want, then go! Why wait until after we find the treasure? Just go now! If you want to give up a life of real fun, of real adventure, for a bunch of singing princesses and chocolate fountains, be my guest. My father was right. Sidekicks are a waste of time. I can do this on my own. I never needed you to begin with. I never needed anyone!”

  “Fine!” Freddie echoed. “Go steal your boat and find your stupid treasure. You’re just like your father! He was so obsessed with finding Peter Pan he nearly lost his entire crew. And now you’ve become so obsessed with this map and that treasure, you’re going to lose the only friend you have left.”

  “You’re not my friend,” CJ spat. “You’re an AK. I’m not friends with AKs.”

  CJ immediately saw hurt flash in Freddie’s eyes. She tamped down the guilt that threatened to bubble up inside her.

  Good, she told herself. She should be upset. She should realize that deserting me for a bunch of prissy princesses is a mistake.

  Freddie looked like she was about to say something else, but just then the truck lurched, causing both girls to lose their balance. CJ clung to a nearby rack to steady herself while Freddie clung to the door handle. Then they just stood there, glaring at each other, stewing in their mutual anger.

  The truck stopped, and a moment later the loading door popped open, breaking both of them from their trances. The driver startled at the sight of them. “What are you two doing back here?” he asked.

  “I was just leaving,” CJ replied, casting a spiteful look in Freddie’s direction. She grabbed her backpack and hopped off the truck. “I have a boat to catch.”

  Forget Freddie. I never needed a sidekick, anyway.

  #ByeFacilier

  The Bayou d’Orleans was a happening place.

  The streets were alive with activity: jazz clubs bursting with the sounds of soulful grooves, restaurants pumping out delicious scents of boiling seafood, and people dancing in the streets. The sun was already starting to set and the town was lighting up with excitement. The general joyfulness in the air made CJ grit her teeth.

  What do these people have to be so happy about?

  She pulled her red pirate coat tight around her, trying to block out the gleeful energy hitting her from all sides. She’d finally ditched that stupid AK costume, almost immediately after jumping out of the delivery truck. It felt so good to peel off the clothes that represented everything she hated and stuff them into a trash can, where they belonged.

  As CJ neared the docks, she could smell the salty sea air. She breathed it in, relishing it. This was the smell of a pirate’s life. And a pirate’s life was definitely for her.

  She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, waiting for the comforting scent to calm her heart, which was still pounding from her fight with Freddie. But it was another scent in the air that stopped CJ in her tracks.

  She opened her eyes and peered around her, searching for the source.

  What was that?

  It was sweet and it made CJ’s mouth water.

  Her eyes fell on a small club right across from the bayou’s marina. It was lit up like the rest of the stores in town. A neon sign hung just above the entrance.

  BASS NOTES AND BEIGNETS

  CJ’s mind grudgingly flashed back to the conversation she’d had with Freddie on the bridge as they’d traveled to the Enchanted Lake. Freddie was talking about those stupid beignets and the stories her father used to tell her about them.

  Then she remembered what had happened next: how they’d dove into the Enchanted Lake, thinking it would unlock the map; how they’d splashed each other and Freddie had slipped and face-planted right into the water.

  CJ caught herself smiling at the memory and quickly erased the grin from her face.

  Stupid Freddie. Stupid lake. Stupid beignets.

  CJ snorted and kept walking, doing her best to breathe through her mouth. The dock was calling to her. The treasure was calling to her. It had been calling to her since she was a little girl, and now it was so close she could practically feel all that gold and silver.

  She would not veer off course.

  When she reached the marina, she immediately laid eyes on a small rowboat that was tied up to one of the docks, completely unattended. It wasn’t the luxurious pirate ship she’d always dreamed about, but that would come later, once she’d found the treasure and could finally set off on her epic grand adventure.

  Even though the boat reminded her of the kind Mr. Smee used to row her father around in, it would have to do. According to the treasure map, Never Land and
Skull Rock were north of the bayou. All she had to do was sail east out of the harbor, turn north once she spotted the peninsula of Towering Heights, and keep rowing until she reached Never Land. Then Skull Rock was just around the corner.

  But suddenly the thought of navigating the open water in a rowboat without even a compass to guide her made her stomach contract. Once she got out there, how would she know which way was north? What if she got turned around? What if she steered the boat the wrong way and ended up back on the Isle of the Lost?

  No, she assured herself. You’ll be fine. You don’t need a compass. You have pirate’s blood. Never Land is where your father is from. It will call to you. It will guide you home.

  With a deep breath, she untied the boat and used her foot to push back from the dock, feeling a strange anticipation travel through her as she watched the harbor grow fainter and fainter in the distance.

  This was it! She was doing it! She was in a boat. In open water. All those years spent staring at maps and pictures and dreaming of oceans and far-off lands, and now she was finally there.

  With a contended sigh, CJ sat down on her little wooden bench and began to row out to sea.

  Boat.

  Party of one.

  With every stroke of the oars, the city of Bayou d’Orleans became smaller and smaller.

  Soon the lights of the cafés and clubs and stores looked like twinkling stars on the horizon. CJ’s arms were already sore and she was starting to feel winded, but she pressed on, keeping a clear picture of the treasure in her mind as she rowed. Gold and silver and precious gems. Enough for her to buy a fleet of ships if she wanted.

  But every time CJ tried to visualize herself unearthing the heavy wooden box and creaking open the lid, she couldn’t help imagining Freddie sitting next to her. She couldn’t help hearing Freddie’s silky laugh as riches beyond their wildest dreams spilled out around them. She couldn’t help seeing Freddie’s mischievous smile at knowing they had succeeded. Together.

  Freddie was probably halfway back to her precious Auradon Prep by then.

  CJ tried to shake the imagery from her head. It was ridiculous to think like that. After all, in every dream she’d had of that day, there had never been anyone with her. In her fantasies, she was always by herself, a lone pirate finally uncovering her treasure.

  Freddie had just been…

  What?

  A helper?

  A sidekick?

  A first mate?

  No, CJ thought with a sudden overwhelming sadness.

  Freddie had been her partner—a true partner. She was helpful and innovative and smart. She was cunning and devious and shrewd. She kept CJ in line and made sure they didn’t get caught. She had been a true friend.

  But mostly, CJ realized as a single tear sprung to her eye, Freddie had been fun. She’d made the whole journey worthwhile. She’d turned it into…

  An adventure.

  The thought struck CJ like a lightning bolt.

  All her life, CJ had thought she needed a ship and a pile of gold to have a proper adventure. Yet wasn’t that what she and Freddie had been doing the whole time? Swimming in enchanted lakes, dressing up in silly disguises, infiltrating villages, tricking locals, getting shrunk by fairy magic, stowing away in delivery vans…

  What were all those things if not adventures in and of themselves?

  With a huff, CJ dug her left oar into the water and spun the boat around. She might have started this thing alone, but she wasn’t going to finish it alone. This victory was for both of them.

  It was time to get her friend back.

  I miss Freddie.

  Who would’ve thunk?

  The whole way back to the bayou, CJ thought about where Freddie might be.

  Is she already back at the school?

  Will I have to find another delivery truck or tour bus heading to Auradon Prep?

  But when CJ pulled her tiny rowboat up to the dock and spotted the Bass Notes and Beignets jazz club in the distance, she knew exactly where her friend would be.

  As soon as she set foot inside the club, she was overwhelmed by the delicious scents wafting from the kitchen. The sweetness in the air practically danced on her tongue.

  CJ scanned the room, holding her breath. She spotted a small table in the corner, but she couldn’t see the person sitting at it, because there was a plate piled so high with sugar-coated beignets they completely blocked her view. But then CJ caught sight of a tiny purple top hat poking above the stack of pastries, and she let out a deep sigh of relief.

  As CJ approached, she saw that Freddie was sitting alone, absentmindedly stuffing fried dough into her mouth as she watched a sultry lounge singer perform on a small stage. The singer was dressed in a long sequined red gown and a matching feathered headband. She was accompanied by a trio of musicians, but no one except Freddie was listening to them. The woman’s voice was simply mesmerizing—silky and smooth—and for a moment, CJ forgot why she’d gone into the club; she was so entranced by the sound. At least, she did until Freddie called her name.

  CJ blinked and turned to her friend, giving an awkward little wave. “Hi, Freddsie,” she said, her usual pirate flair gone from her voice. She was quiet and vulnerable now. And she hated it. She cleared her throat and motioned toward the front door. “Can we talk?”

  Freddie was reluctant to leave. It was obvious she was really enjoying the singer, but she finally stood up and followed CJ toward the door, stopping at the last minute to run back and grab her plate of beignets.

  “I thought you’d be halfway to Skull Rock by now,” Freddie said bitterly as they stood outside on the street.

  “I was.” CJ paused and looked at the ground. “I came back.”

  Freddie’s surprise was written all over her face. “Why?”

  “Because…” CJ began hesitantly as a hundred lies flooded her mind at once.

  Because I need your help with directions.

  Because my arms got tired and I need someone else to row the boat.

  Because the treasure is bound to be too heavy for just one person to carry.

  But she couldn’t say any of those things. She couldn’t lie to her friend. It was time to tell Freddie the truth. It had been there all along; CJ had just been too blind and stubborn and Hookish to see it.

  “Because I missed you!” She let the words tumble out of her mouth.

  Freddie looked skeptical. “What? You missed having someone to order around?”

  “No,” CJ said, and then stopped to think. “Well, yeah, a little, but that’s not it. I missed you just being there. It didn’t feel right without you. It felt empty. Like something was missing.”

  Freddie’s fingers fidgeted against the edge of the plate. She looked anxious and doubtful, like she was trying to figure out whether to believe CJ.

  “It’s not fun without you,” CJ went on. “It’s not a real adventure without you.”

  Freddie was silent for a long time, and CJ was starting to get nervous. What if her friend wouldn’t forgive her? What if she’d messed up too badly to make it right this time? What if—

  “I had fun, too,” Freddie admitted softly. “Even though you can be difficult and stubborn and obsessive.”

  CJ felt her emotions get riled up again, but she pushed them down and instead cocked an eyebrow and flashed her signature pirate grin. “What can I say? Obsessiveness runs in the family.”

  Freddie laughed. “I guess I shouldn’t be too quick to judge. It’s not like my father passed down a bunch of admirable traits to me, either.” She peered down at her plate. “Apart from our impeccable taste in food.”

  CJ laughed, too, and grabbed a beignet from the plate. The smell had been driving her bonkers. She stuffed the whole thing into her mouth, not quite sure what to expect.

  It was positively sinful. The flavor of the sweet sugar mixed with the slightly salty dough was the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body slumped a little. “Mmm. T
his is amazing.”

  CJ immediately reached for another, but Freddie moved the plate away. “Hey! Get your own.”

  CJ chuckled and sprayed powdered sugar all over her friend’s face.

  Freddie gasped, stuffed a beignet into her own mouth, and huffed a sugary white cloud at CJ. This went on, back and forth, until the plate was empty and they were both laughing uncontrollably, their faces covered in sugar.

  “C’mon,” CJ said, linking her arm through Freddie’s and guiding her toward the marina, where her stolen boat was docked. “We have a buried treasure to dig up.”

  Land ho!

  Or skull ho?

  CJ and Freddie took turns rowing, but they seemed to have been traveling forever and there was still no land in sight. Never Land and Skull Rock were a lot farther away than they’d looked on CJ’s treasure map.

  After what felt like days at sea, CJ dropped her oar and pointed into the distance.

  Towering above their little boat, like a mighty shark emerging from the water, was Skull Rock, her father’s home away from home.

  CJ could have sworn she heard it whispering to her, “Welcome back, Hook.”

  It was just as her father had always described in his stories. An island made entirely out of stone, in the shape of a giant human skull that seemed to be floating in the middle of the sea, water lapping between its teeth, birds circling its cheekbones.

  It was a terrifying sight to behold. Even for two villain kids.

  They had grown up on an island marred by evil and corruption and sin. Yet with the empty darkness that loomed in the skull’s eyes, the deep black water that surrounded them, and the birds cawing ominously overhead like a warning signal, this might have been the scariest thing CJ had ever seen.

  There was no shore to anchor the boat. No sand. No dock. The only entrance was through the cavernous hollow of the skull’s mouth. But the tide was rising quickly. CJ could feel it lifting the boat with every gentle sway of the water. Soon the mouth of the skull would be completely buried under the water and there would be no way in.