Here by the Ocean Just Waiting for Proof || Hookella
It was a nerve-wracking drive to Atlantica's south shore. Adella was irritable as she tried to keep both her excitement and her anxiousness in check. Though she refused to let either show she knew that Jane probably knew what was going on in her mind and she kept quiet in the passenger seat, watching the scenery or talking in a hushed, level voice with-
"Alex! Where the fuck are you going?!" Adella shouted as Jane's new boy took a left where they should have continued going on straight. "And can't you go any faster?! Do you want my friend to die!?"
"No, Miss Bennett," he answered calmly before attempting to assure her that as the only driver in the car he grasped directions better than she and he had, indeed, just cut a good ten minutes of their drive by taking this shortcut. Adella harrumphed and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms across her chest moodily as she caught Jane's eyes staring at her from one of the beat up Jeep's mirrors. Despite her hurricane of feelings she could tell that Jane was worried about her out-of-character behavior so she tried for the tiniest smile she could and hoped that Jane was reassured as she drifted off into her thoughts.
If she was honest with herself, Adella still hadn't sorted out her feelings. There was a trace of bitterness when she thought of James, who had left her again after he had swore that he wouldn't. Not that she could fault him for that if she were in her rational mind- she had, of course, been forced home before James left Walt. And even though she had no idea why he had, she had the tiniest seed of an idea that it was partially an effort to not cause any more problems between her and her father. Adella didn't want to cause any more of a rift between her and King Triton either, and she was scared to death of what he would do if he found out that she was harboring an enemy of the state within their own palace, especially an enemy that the Bennett family had spent the past three months clearing their names of. When Adella had returned to Walt, before being told that Hook had left, she had done everything she could to avoid places that he would be, knowing full well that talking to him would break her trust with her family and make her allegiances shift again. And now here she was, having done just that, and welcoming him into a country that he should never step foot on with open arms.
James Hook had a hold on her, almost like the moon's hold on the beautiful ocean. He, her pirate captain and she, his dangerous siren. Each having played a part in impacting and saving each other's lives. Would things have changed? Adella still felt his pull, so she doubted it.
She was startled by pressure being placed upon her knee. Ripped from her musings, glazed eyes returning to normal, she turned to glare, a sharp hiss of a "what" situated on the tip of her serpent's tongue but she forced herself to bite it back when she realized it was just Jane. "What?" she asked, still sharp, but less defensive.
"Alex says we have to walk the rest of the way," Jane said, not even appearing to be phased by her best friend's attitude. Adella hadn't even realized that the car was parked. It was just off the road on the dusty path that they had been driving down.
"...okay," she murmured, opening her door and sliding out of the vehicle, her heart racing faster out in the open air. They were close. She had to keep herself from running. The mismatched trio began making their way to the inlet- a sandy white beach hidden from view by giant hills to each side and a tropical forest in front. Adella took to counting trees to keep calm as they walked, trying to block out the buzz of the lovebirds' conversation only feet behind her. She knew where she was going. And they made it there quickly enough, she figured it had took them no more than fifteen minutes to find the hidden stretch of shore.
Hook had made it. She saw a boat, anchored out far enough in the water that it wouldn't have run aground, obviously manned by an expert boatman. But she didn't see him. The princess exchanged a look with Jane, one of almost worry, willing her blood not to run cold.
"James...?" she called, a little more meekly than she would have liked her voice to sound, and not daring to call him by his last name as she usually did. Covertly crossing her fingers by her side she looked around and hoped for a reply.