Decadent Rose (ON HOLD)

Speechless - Chapter 11

SHORT BUT SWEET

Peter

His eyes remained trained to the golden coloured hardwood door of the guest room, unmoving. He'd been stood there, leaning thoughtlessly against the hallway wall opposite the door, watching it for what had felt like hours as thoughts swirled much too violently around his head.

Dillon's outburst had put him on edge to say the least; his legs ached with the need to pace whilst his hands itched to knock against the door his eyes had been so perceptibly glaring at for the past half an hour. Mainly because a part of him figured Dillon was right. Emily wasn't like him. She was weak and scared, where he was brave and stronger than anyone would ever know. She was human – pathetic and feeble – and he was Peter Pan, the mythical legend so many feared.

His eyes flicked to the door once again, wondering why for the millionth time it was closed. In all the years Peter had been stuck on the devastatingly dull Human plane and lived within that apartment, he had never once shut the door – even when it was not in use. The sight itself made a deeply etched frown paint itself on his face as he warily approached the door so he stood – hand raised to knock – less than foot away. Then he realised his mistake. It was his house. His room. Everything that girl walked, touched, and breathed in was his. He owned her. There was no need to knock.

He'd never even entertained the thought of knocking before, let alone raised his hand in the mere motion.

Slamming his fist down in rage, he flung open the door and watched as Emily – who sat crossed-legged on the bed – jumped away in fright and pressed herself against the opposing wall. A smirk rose to his face.

"Finished resting, love?" His voice was coated in bitterness as he approached slowly – like a lion might approach his unworthy prey.

She didn't move, but her eyes were hard and unfeeling. "What is it that you want, Pan?"

"Just came to see how you're fairing" He shrugged, "I've often been told a Human might go crazy if without Human contact for a time, and no one wants that, do we?"

"I've had enough of your games, Pan" she growled as she pushed herself away from the wall to approach him – the gazelle facing death's lion form. "You're not Human. You're a story, leaked into the Human World. A lie unable to face itself. You told me not feel. Well, this is it. This is me not feeling, but that's just it. I can't feel. I can't feel anything but...hate and anger and rage. Everything I see is dark and...and plain. It's like someone has turned off the light and I can't find the switch." Her eyes were alight with fury, but dull with the knowledge that she wasn't truly embracing the feeling and Peter couldn't help but feel a mix of poisonous emotions. Proud, that she might finally be freed from her Human chains and disgusted, that she might think herself worthy enough to say such words to her superior.

His smirk dropped into a scowl in one swift movement. "You know nothing of me, love"

"I know more than you think" Emily stood, less than a few feet away and in one swift movement placed her petite hand on Peter's chest, just over where his beating heart was. He fought hard not to move away and forced his eyes to meet hers – his head tilting slightly. "You're heart" She breathed, "it should be beating. It should be pumping blood around your body, keeping it warm. I should be able to feel your heartbeat through your chest" Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "But I can't. You're cold, Pan. So very cold, both inside and out. Pan, I can't feel your heart but I can feel your hatred and it is obscuring." She stepped away and dropped her hand from his chest. Peter couldn't help but shiver as she turned away from him, and he'd – subconsciously – taken a step back.

His eyes gained a dark look. "I will make you pay for your words and – "

"Just leave, Pan" Her words were quiet – exhausted even – and managed to shock him to a stop.

She'd surprised him; her outburst had not been what he'd imagined when he'd stood and stared at the door for so long. Not that he'd been envisioning different scenarios – only that what he'd expected was a quiet muted version of Emily who would succumb to his every want and need. Instead, he'd been met with primal Emily whose default settings were made of pure ire.

When her small baby-ish hand had rested on his still chest, he found himself focusing on his heart – on his pulse – but he felt nothing. She was right – he was cold. But it didn't bother him. It never had – at least, it hadn't. It hadn't bothered him.

For the first time in a long while, he was speechless.

Charlie

"You don't have to come with us, Sera?" Charlie's voice was feeble – he didn't want to leave her behind, but the idea of dragging her along on his little road trip and making her leave everything she'd known behind was almost worse.

He stood in their small shack like room, his belongings packed in a small bag as a gentle light began to filter into the room from the small murky window beside his bed. Jake was sat on his pathetic bed, bouncing up and down impatiently with his own smaller bag of belongings resting next to him. Sera was finishing her packing and had stuffed almost every single thing they owned in her small bag. Charlie was surprised it hadn't burst yet.

"I'm fine, Charlie" She flashed him a forced smile before glancing away again. "Anyway, I couldn't leave you by yourself. God knows how you would survive."

Jake coughed to cover his quiet laugh and Charlie shot him a glare. "What?!" he shrieked, "It's true. You had the worst survival techniques in all of Neverland. Including, Junie"

"Come on, Junie was way worse"

"No, Jake's right" Sera said, "At least, Junie could shoot a bow and light a fire. You couldn't even keep a fire going, let alone start one"

"You're supposed to support me, Sera" Charlie glared in mock anger as he swung his bag over his shoulder and twisted it's straps so it didn't feel like a thin knife across his shoulder. Jake copied his movements and stood, bouncing on the pads of his feet in excitement.

It had been Jake's idea for them to go on their little road trip – to follow the feeling of magic wherever it took them in hopes of finding Pan, or maybe just another Lost Boy. Either way, Charlie and Jake had both agreed that they couldn't continue living their measly lives with the knowledge that there was magic on the Earth. Sera – however – had taken some convincing. She was all for helping Charlie, but chasing a simple feeling down dark alleys and rocky paths wasn't part of the deal. Eventually though, she had decided that for Charlie, she would do it.

"You guys ready?" Jake asked, though he was already opening the door and staring out onto the street.

Charlie glanced hopefully at Sera to see her already smiling at him encouragingly .

"We can do this, Char" She smiled, her fingers entrapping his. "We can find Pan"