White Lily - A Peter Pan Fanfiction [2/3]

Chapter 7

Pan was walking around the living room in circles, arms folded and a gaze transfixed on nothing. His eyes looked tired and yet angered at the same time, my own jaw clenched as I sat on the couch once again.

"What game is he playing at?" Pan grumbled and I merely shrugged, holding the notebook in my hands.

"What I want to know is who Jane is and why her bloody name's crossed out," I said and Pan rolled his eyes, pausing his footsteps to glare at me before continuing to anxiously walk about.

"That's not a priority right now. Your safety is."

"How can my life get any worse right now? We're already dead."

"It can, Serena," he suddenly snapped, his green eyes piercing into my soul like it would usually do. "You don't need to know –"

"I do need to know," I snapped back, getting to my feet. "What aren't you telling me?" He huffed, his jaw clenching like mine and his eyes looking at anywhere but me.

"Just trust me."

Feeling infuriated, I slammed the notebook down onto the coffee table.

"You're not the one who's become some sort of Underworld assassin," I sneered and Pan's gaze locked onto mine. I was anticipating an agitated response that would fuel are argument, but he just sighed, his expression becoming exhausted. Walking over to me, he took my hands in his.

"All you need to know is that there is a fate much worse than the one we are living in, and I can't lose you to it. Not again," he said softly and like his anger, mine died down and my arms pulled him into an embrace. My worried eyes looked into the distance as my arms wrapped around his neck, both of us desperate to feel one another's touch...when even in a hug, we couldn't. We longed to be alive again.

When we pulled away, he leaned down and grabbed the notebook, holding it in his hands for a moment.

"You don't have a choice but remember..." he started, placing it in my hands before pecking my cheek with a kiss. "You're smarter than Hades. Don't abide to his rules."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. But my mind was still on the 'Jane' matter. Who was she and what had happened to her? "I need to get back to the shop. If you need anything, come straight to me, alright?" I nodded again and this time, he placed a quick kiss on my lips before leaving my house in silence. Why couldn't I just be a librarian or something? But whatever Hades was planning, it wasn't good. Something didn't seem right amongst everything.

I flicked up notebook to reveal the first page and alas, I had my first task.

OBTAIN THE FORBIDDEN ROSE

What the heck is that? I grumbled to myself, narrowing my eyes in disbelief. I had to do this and my guess was I had, well, eternity to do it. My second guess was if I crossed it out, my existence would be erased, but I wasn't sure how it all worked...and I don't think I wanted to figure it out.

Sighing, I shoved the book into my book, slipped on a leather jacket instead of a trench coat and headed out onto the street.

My first guess would be the florist. I needed a rose, right? Surely the florist knew something about a 'forbidden rose'.

It didn't take me long to find it and when I stepped inside the rusty old shop, a chime went off as the door closed behind me.

"Hello?" I said quietly, the flowers around me looking dead and completely unalive. The Underworld's red hue didn't calm my concerns at all: it only added to the creepiness of this place. Thorns and vines were intertwined around the dead flowers and crawled up the cracking walls, making it seem as if the strange plants were holding up the building.

Finally, a cranky-looking old man appeared behind the counter, black smudges tainting his eyes.

"How can I help?" he coughed, staring at me right in the eye. Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I shoved my hands into my jean pockets and raised my chin just a tad.

"Do you know anything about a 'forbidden rose'?" I questioned and for a couple of seconds, I received nothing but emotionless blinks from the man, until...

He started laughing a raspy chuckle, clearly amused at my inquisition. But I kept a straight face and a tall figure, and eventually, he quietened down and realised how dead serious I was. Literally.

"You have a death wish, girl."

"I'm already dead, so hit me with your best shot." The corner of his lips tilted up as his hands placed on the counter, leaning forward a bit.

"You're not looking for a rose. Well, I guess you could be but he isn't anymore."

"He?" The old man chuckled again but I didn't flinch at the haunting trill of his voice.

"You're looking for a man. He wears a...certain pin to remind him of his death. I'm guessing you're Hades' new pet?"

Pet?

"I am no pet," I sneered in disgust, my lips pursed but the man merely shrugged, standing up straight again. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"The other one failed so let's see what happens to you." The...other one? Is he referring to Jane? I tried not to look too taken aback, but I was genuinely surprised. This keeps getting more and more confusing and...intriguing at the same time. "Gaston."

"Gaston?"

The man nodded, his lips twisting up in disgust like I had done.

"The narcissistic fool who tried to marry my daughter."

My eyes dropped and I nodded, turning on my heels. I would usually thank someone for giving me information, but I didn't feel like thanking this cranky old man: all he had to do was tell me about the rose rather than tease me in a mocking way.

"Oh, and girl," he said, just as my hand took hold of the door handle; I didn't look over my shoulder. "Stay alive."

Stay alive? I was already dead! Deciding to not question him further, I slammed the door open and smashed it shut behind me.

+++

Gaston, Gaston...where in god's name would he be? I don't even know who he is! Angrily complaining to myself, I walked around the town to try and find some sort of sign or signal that could lead me on the right path. Being too oblivious to my surroundings, I walked into someone and became momentarily baffled.

"Serena!"

When my eyes focused, I saw Hercules standing in front of me and I smiled instantly.

"Herc," I said and he chuckled warmly. But the friendly greeting was quickly clouded over when he saw the notebook peaking out from beneath my pocket.

"No..." he mumbled and I blinked, my gaze flickering between him and the book.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" I snapped and Hercules looked around cautiously before taking my wrist and leading me down a quiet alley.

"Who gave you that?"

"Who do you think?"

He knew and was silent, his eyes showing a mix of emotions: worry, confusion, shock...just to name a few. "What do you know?"

"No I...I don't know specifically –"

"Hercules."

He seemed lost for words, unable to explain anything and from the looks of things, I wasn't going to get any answers about it. "Talk to me about this later, but I need to find a man named Gaston." Rolling back his lips, he nodded.

"He's at the pet shelter."

"Thank you," I said, quite tired at the bickering and the constant questions that kept adding to my list of confusion. I started walking but he suddenly grabbed my wrist, turning me back around to face him.

"Whatever you do, don't fail."

I grinned, lifting my chin a bit.

"I never fail."