I woke up with a pounding in my head. I groaned and sat up, putting a hand to my forehead. I analyzed my surroundings. I was sitting on a cot with scratchy wool blankets. Jail cell bars were the walls of the room, and I jumped to my feet. I went over to the bars and tugged at them, realizing that the door was locked. Why does this feel so familiar?
"I see you're finally awake." A familiar voice said. Peter was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. I narrowed my eyes.
"You put me in a jail cell?" I barked. He stepped up to the bars, looking me up and down.
"You assaulted an officer and ran away." He answered.
"Because you told the officers to not let me leave town. Why is that?" I said accusingly.
"I didn't tell them to do anything." He said. I rolled my eyes. Liar.
"Why were you trying to leave anyway?" He asked suspiciously. I gripped the bars, leaning in to get in his face.
"Listen, Pan. I don't know what you did, but I know it was bad. These memories allow me to see you for what you really are." I snarled. He raised an eyebrow.
"Since when do you call me Pan?" He asked with a amused tone. I stared at him, thinking hard. Why did I call him Pan? He smirked and started to walk slowly in front of my cell.
"I see you've finally caught on. Maleficent would've given you back all of your memories if she hadn't been interrupted. Lucky for me, I have eyes and ears all over this town." He explained.
"Why does Maleficent want to bring back my memories?" I questioned.
"I was hoping you could tell me that." Pan replied. I narrowed my eyes.
"What did you do to her?" I said. The corner of Pan's mouth quirked.
"That's a story for another time." He said. I glared at him fiercely.
"Now, you stay put while I take care of something. Not that you have a choice." He taunted. He smirked, which then turned into a full smile of triumph. He walked out the door with me shouting insults at him. I sank down on the cot, putting my head in my hands. Is this how it's going to be? I'm just going to keep running and he's just going to keep catching me. He's the mighty Peter Pan with magic and resources and I'm a girl with nothing. If only I had magic. I mean, I did have magic. I just didn't know how to use it. I used to want nothing to with it, but it seemed that the only way to stop Pan was for me to learn to control my abilities. Just as I was about to try to get the lock open, a swirl of purple smoke filled my cell. When it cleared, Maleficent was standing there. I backed into the wall.
"You again." I snapped. She smiled.
"I came to finish what I started." She said. Before I could react, she reached forward and touched my forehead. The white light blinded me again. Everything came rushing back. My home in the Enchanted Forest, Sam, all those years trapped on Neverland. Pan making my family forget me. I opened my eyes and looked up at Maleficent, who was smiling triumphantly.
"I remember everything." I muttered. After my moment of realization, I looked up at her.
"You here to kidnap me again?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip.
"Not kidnap, rescue." She said. I narrowed my eyes.
"Rescue?" I asked.
"Ava, think about it." She began. "We both hate Pan. I want revenge, and you want Pan out of your life." I listened intently to her words.
"What are you getting at?" I asked. She smiled again.
"What does Pan have that you don't? Magic. He gets everything he wants through magic." Maleficent explained.
"I can only get revenge if you're on my side. I'm here to offer you a deal. You come with me, I'll teach you all you need to know about magic." She said. I thought for a moment, considering my options. None of them were very good.
"Come on, Ava. Be smart. Would you rather come with me and learn to protect yourself, or stay here in this jail cell and let Pan walk all over you. Together we can bring Pan down once and for all." Maleficent held her hand out. This is exactly what I asked for, I thought. Now I can finally learn to fight back against Pan. After one last glance at the bars of the cell, I took Maleficent's hand. She smiled in triumph and the purple smoke surrounded us. When it cleared, the daylight made me squint. We were standing in a field, the forest surrounding us. A little house was near, by a small lake. The sky was gray and gloomy, threatening rain. I turned to Maleficent.
"This is where you've been this whole time?" I asked, still looking around.
"It's a sad little place, but I work with what I have." She answered, making her way over to the house. I followed her.
"So, what now?" I asked. We entered the small house. It was old and quiet, and a chilly draft was blowing through the halls. Maleficent walked down the halls with me right behind her. She showed me to a simple room with nothing but a bed, a dresser, and a desk. My suitcase from the cab was sitting on the bed. I stepped into the room, looking around.
"I'll be back in five minutes, then we'll start your training." She said, leaving the room. I sat down on the bed. I unpacked my clothes from the suitcase and put them into the dresser and closet. Once I was finished, Maleficent came to stand in the doorway. I followed her out into the yard. There was a tree stump with a small box on it. Maleficent and I stood by the stump. She lifted the box, revealing a rock under it.
"Magic comes from emotion. Simply think of an unhappy memory, and use that anger to focus. Concentration is the key." She explained. I looked back at the rock, and she covered it with the box again.
"Anger? Is that the only way?" I asked. I didn't want to use anger. Using anger for magic eventually leads to darkness. Maleficent shrugged.
"Do you want to stop Pan or not?" She said. I narrowed my eyes and looked back at the box. I raised my hand and closed my eyes, focusing. I thought of the time when Pan and I were on Neverland, and he hurt my family to forced me to drink from the spring. I remembered when I found out that Pan had kept Wendy Darling prisoner when he said he would let her go. I remembered the time when he ripped that Lost Boy's heart out and crushed it right in front of him. All the anger boiled inside me, and I pictured the rock appearing in my hand. A few seconds passed. I opened my eyes. Nothing. Maleficent looked at me expectantly.
"What's the matter?" She asked.
"It's not working." I said, annoyed.
"Did you summon your anger?" She asked.
"Yes." I said, looking at the box in confusion. She shrugged.
"It's not going to happen in one day, keep practicing." She instructed, turning to walk away. She walked back into the house, leaving me alone. I sat down on the ground, putting the box in front of me. I crossed my legs and focused. I spent hours out on that field. Thinking of angry memories and getting nowhere. I went inside the house after night had fallen. Resting on my bed was an ancient looking book. I opened it and began to read. It was a book on the magic arts, and I studied it until I fell asleep.
The next morning went the same way. I spent hours in the field, focusing on the stupid box. I had no idea what Maleficent was doing, but I assumed it was about her revenge plot. I was sitting on the tree stump, letting my mind wander. What I would give to see the look on Pan's face when he found out I had disappeared from that jail cell. He tried so hard to keep me in the dark. Soon I'll be able be defend myself. I thought back to the memories of us on Neverland. I remembered us kissing, and the brief moments when he would look at me with vulnerability. What would Maleficent do to him? Kill him? No, if she wanted to kill him she would've done it already. Something worse than death? I cursed at myself. Why do you care? Look at all the things he's done. Remember what he's done to you. I wished he was just Peter, the guy that wasn't a hundred year old demon trapped in a teenager's body. I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't gotten my memories back. Would Peter and I be together? I pushed the the thought away, that doesn't matter now. Was I hoping that we would be together? I liked him when he was just plain Peter. I heard a slight whoosh sound. I looked down at my hand, and saw the rock resting in my palm. My eyes widened. How...? I looked from the box to the rock in my hand, then back to the box. How did I do that? I wasn't thinking of anything angry, I was thinking of...
"Oh my God..." I muttered, staring at my hand in disbelief. I closed my eyes again, concentrating. I thought of Peter and I kissing, the warmth lingering on my lips. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the rock was back under the box. I laughed nervously. I did it. I used magic. My eyes narrowed. But I was thinking about Pan. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I transported the rock back to my hand, an back to the box a few more times. Thinking about Pan during all of them. This is freaking me out. Is this the only way I'll be able to use magic? When I'm thinking about Pan? I plopped down on the stump, my mind racing. Isn't this just great, I thought bitterly. I tried to think about something else. What else could I do? I wonder if I can teleport. I stood up and looked around the valley. My eyes fell on a spot a few feet away. I closed my eyes and focused. I envisioned myself materializing at the spot, then I thought about Pan's green eyes looking at me with tenderness. A cool breeze brushed my skin and I opened my eyes. I gasped in surprise. I did it. I had teleported myself. I laughed in delight, spinning around myself. I spent the day teleporting and using magic. Gradually teleporting greater distances and then to places miles away. I was surprised at how easy using magic was. Magic always comes with a price, a voice whispered in the back of my mind. I guess my price was that I could only use magic if I was thinking of Pan. When Maleficent returned at the end of the day, I showed her what I could do and she was impressed. She said that she had never seen such a quick learner. The next few days were full of lessons. I studied the book Maleficent had given me, and she taught me many things that would definitely come in handy. By the end of the week, I was thoroughly educated. I knew how to throw fire balls, move things with my mind, and cast difficult spells. Maleficent said that she knew I was powerful, but she never thought I was able to learn so quickly. If only I could use magic without thinking about him.
➳➴➵➶➷➸➹
The next morning, Maleficent woke me up. It was early, the sunlight was pale as it leaked through the opening in my curtains. I rubbed my eyes, sitting up.
"It's too early." I groaned. Maleficent smiled.
"Too early to pay a visit to Pan?" She said, raising an eyebrow. I narrowed my eyes.
"What for?" I asked curiously, crossing over to the closet.
"I think it's time he knew what he was up against." Maleficent said. She left me alone to change, and I wondered what she meant. After I was ready, she lead me into the kitchen. On the table was a glass orb. She walked up to it.
"Watch through this. Wait for my signal." She said. Before I could ask any questions, she disappeared from the room. The crystal ball sparkled and I watched I intently. The scene of an apartment appeared. Peter was walking around the living room, and I guessed it was his apartment that I was looking at. Suddenly, a cloud of purple smoke unfurled and Maleficent appeared in the room. She clasped her hands in front of her while Peter jumped back. He narrowed his eyes.
"Hello Maleficent." He said, his voice laced with poison. She smiled.
"Hello Pan." She snapped back. Peter tilted his head, his face stretching into its familiar smirk.
"What brings you here?" He asked.
"Just came for a friendly chat." She said, taking a step forward. Pan narrowed his eyes.
"How's Ava doing? Oh right, I forgot. She's not with you." Maleficent taunted. Pan's face morphed into a furious expression.
"What have you done with her?" He snarled.
"I didn't do anything. She came with me willingly, we're allies now." She said. I saw Pan's jaw clench.
"And now, I want to show you what you're up against." Maleficent said, stepping forward. She raised her hand, and Pan was flung back by a force of magic. Maleficent placed her hands on his forehead, and Pan's eyes reluctantly closed. His body went limp, his head colliding with the wooden floor with a thud. I gripped the table, my eyes narrowed with interest. Purple smoke clouded the image in the crystal ball, and a new picture formed. It was Peter, and he was standing in a forest. His eyes darted around, looking confused and panicked. I realized that I was watching his dream. He started to take cautious steps forward, looking around the forest. A sound echoed throughout the forest, and Peter whipped his head around. It was the sound of running footsteps. The flowing end of a white dress flashed at the corner of the image. Peter started to follow the sound, running to catch up. There was a figure running in front of him, wearing a long white dress. A closer look revealed that this person was...me. I saw myself running in the crystal ball. I was in his dream?
"Ava?" Peter called. I-she turned around and looked at him with tear filled eyes.
"I need to be free." She said, turning to run away again. Peter followed me-her.
"Ava, what are you talking about?" Peter asked, a little fear creeping into his tone. The dress flowed behind me as I started to run up a hill, Peter right behind me.
"I can't live like this anymore! I'm lost. I don't have a family. There's nobody in the world that cares for me!" She said, racing up the hill.
"That's not true!" Peter called. She ignored him, running up the hill to meet a cliff that looked over the ocean. Sharp rocks were at the bottom, over the dark swirling water.
"Ava, come back!" Peter shouted, his eyes moist. She looked over the edge of the cliff, turning to face him. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. The wind flapped the white dress as she fell backwards, plummeting to the water below. Peter sunk to his knees at the edge of the cliff, watching as she collided with the water.
"No!!" He screamed. He stared at the spot where my body had hit the rocks.
"Don't leave me like everyone else." He whispered, tears pooling in his green eyes. He ran his hands through his hair, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. My hands clenched on the table, my eyes becoming moist. I had never seen Peter cry before. It was such a sad thing to see. He always made himself look so powerful, so invincible. I didn't think it was possible for him to cry like a normal person. Let alone to cry about me. I watched the pathetic display, my lip trembling. He looked so...broken. So utterly broken. The smoke appeared in the crystal ball again, and when it cleared it showed Peter's apartment again. Maleficent was standing over him as he opened his eyes. He sat up, looking around with confusion. His cheeks were wet with tears. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes locking onto Maleficent with rage.
"That was just a little glimpse of what I am capable of." Maleficent said calmly but with plenty of venom in her tone. Peter's chest was rising and falling quickly, taking rushed shallow breaths.
"Ava, dear, won't you join us?" Maleficent called. I wiped my eyes and teleported myself there. Peter's face changed when he saw me. I heard him whisper my name in relief. I tried to keep my face blank as his eyes ran over me.
"You will pay for what you did to me, Peter Pan." Maleficent spat. "You made me lose my love, so you will lose your's a thousand times." She grabbed my hand.
"Watch yourself." She snapped before blinking us out of the room. We appeared back in the kitchen of the house. I turned to her, breathing hard.
"What did you do that for?" I asked, my voice rising with anger that I couldn't find the reason for.
"Do what?" She asked.
"You just went in there to torture him! You made him cry for God's sake!" I said. She looked unfazed.
"That's nothing compared to what I have planned for him." She said. I narrowed my eyes, looking over her. She inspected me.
"Why do you care anyway?" She asked. "I thought you wanted revenge for all that he's done to you." I scoffed.
"I never said I wanted him to suffer." I snapped, storming off to my room. I collapsed on my bed. What could Pan have possibly done to her? I wondered.
Oooh things got a little intense just now. What will happen next? Vote and comment!