Having swiped the keys to solitary confinement, Vinnie along with his new ally, Barney, made their way out of the iron gates prison. Vinnie had been wracking his brain all month for this plan and now it was finally time to put it to the test.

He whipped out a piece of parchment he had tucked into his back pocket. Barney brushed the dark locks of hair out of his almond shaped eyes at what was written on it. Scrawled at the top in a twelve year olds sketchy handwriting were the words: Operation: Jailbreak.

"You're really gonna break out of this shellhole!" Barney exclaimed.

"Tonight... " Vinnie said boldly. "There's gonna be trouble!"

"Don't you mean today?" Barney asked in his quiet voice.

Vinnie gave a deep but not unintelligent chuckle. "Heh...of course. We ain't waiting dat long!"

"Time of day notwitstanding," Barney said in his cold and clinical voice. "How exactly are we gonna bust out of here? You do know why I'm in here right?"

Vinnie looked over the tall, thin, sullen and weedy boy dressed in navy garb. The shiny jet black hair over one of his eyes made Vinnie chuckle. "Er...having such a gloomy face and a questionable haircut?"

Barney rolled his one visible eye. "I'm a swordsman from a country where bad things rain down like the darkened heavens on a balmy day."

Vinnie shook his head. "Do you write mopey poetry too, Swordboy?"

Barney's right eye opened wide. "Wait...how did you know?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind. The reason they confined me. I tried to escape and even stole a sword. But..."

"But wut?" Vinnie asked.

Barney brushed his bangs over his eye. "I was bested...by that woman. It is dishonorable on my island to suffer such a loss."

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"Who?" Vinnie asked. "O'Lini?"

Barney nodded. "Aye."

"I hate to burst your bubble pal," Vinnie said as he placed his hands on his taller allies shoulder. "All is fair in da battle of the sexes!"

Barney was silent. Vinnie added. "But between you and me. I dunno if I'd even count O'Lini as a goil."

The pale tall boy nodded in slight agreement. "Now speaking of dat toad, we should skedaddle and finally escape her tyranny!"

Vinnie shuffled as fast as he could down the hallway. The lanky Barney followed behind him. Vinnie had memorized the iron corridors like the back of his mind. But first, he had a place in his mind to stop.

"Where are you going?" Barney said as they passed the iron gates. "You just passed the only way out of this joint."

"I can't forget one thing!" Vinnie shouted

"And what's that?"

"My lucky starfish!"

They ran into the living corridors into the girl's quarters. Reaching the door at the end of the wing, Vinnie and Barney entered. "Where are you, my darling minnow!"

Barney's eyes widened as a girl with skin as dark as coco crawled out from beneath the first bunk. She too wore a pink and white naval uniform. Her was long and curly, fastened with a large clip that resembled a pink starfish. Vinnie's face brightened with a crimson blush when he saw her auburn eyes look up at him. "Dere you are my tiny little fin! We've come to liberate you gorgeous."

The girl wrinkled her nose. "Will you stop with those cutesy nautical names, Vinnie. Would you like me to call you an eel? You certainly are as slippery as one!"

Vinnie's lips trembled, but the girl eased into a kindly smile. "It's a good thing I like you."

Barney gave a bewildered look at Vinnie. "Who is this...female?"

"Ey," Vinnie said, pulling the girl close to him. "Don't need to be so frosty, swordboy. Dis is Koko. I met her recently and she..."

"I drew this map!" Koko said proudly.

"You did?" Barney asked astounded.

"My father was a navigator and he was teaching me until we shipwrecked. And I ended up here."

Koko looked sorrowful until Vinnie squeezed her tight. "Don't worry. We'll find your daddy, my colorful coral. But right now we gotta escape dis bad place. We are so close...I can almost taste freedom."

Vinnie licked his lips. "It's rather salty and tastes like fish."

Vinnie headed to the door. "Now Koko, let's see if we can get to dis secret exit you've found!"

"A secret exit?!" Barney exclaimed. "But...where?!"

"Shhh!" Vinnie and Koko shushed him.

"Not so loud boss," Vinnie exclaimed. "We don't want anyone to..."

The door creaked open. A naval guard in customary pink and white entered. He clutched a sabre in his hand. "Girls, there's been an escape from our solitary confinement! Two of our most dangerous prisoners...I mean orphans are..."

The soldiers eyes bulged when he saw Barney and Vinnie standing with Koko. He drew his sword. "And there they are! Time for a raise and a half!" the solider sang.