I was shaking. Both from being freezing and from fear. There was a strong scent of alcohol and fish on Hook's breath and his beard tickled my cheek. I wanted so desparately to hold my breath to get away from the smell, but I had to take deep breaths to fill my aching lungs.
"You." Hook grabbed my face with his thumb and pointer finger and jerked my face up so that I was staring right into his eye. "You, will NOT escape me this time."
Hook grabbed my waist and put his hook on my neck and when we faced the surrounding crowd, more cheers arose.
"SILENCE YE IDIOTS!" Hook barked and the ship went dead silent again. "By celebrating, you will draw attention from those on land! We cannot risk her being discovered." Hook said more quietly. "The island believes she has safely left Neverland, and I'd like to keep it that way. Not a word is to be spoken about her unless we are below deck. No chances of being overheard by a mermaid while talking on deck shall be taken. Nobody shall look at her without my permission. GOT IT?!"
"Aye!" Was the only response from the crew before they all went about their business as if I weren't standing right there, as if I hadn't been captured.
"This way, my dear." Hook said too sweetly. He released me, but it's not like I could walk, so I just stood there shaking. But I stared right at him, trying to develop laser vision so I could burn that smirk off of his face. He laughed and held out a finger, pointing at me. Without another word he jabbed at my chest and I promptly fell to the ground. Crew members that were near by chuckled, but nothing more. Hook chuckled too and kicked me in the stomach, hard. I coughed violently but Hook didn't seem to care, though that doesn't surprise me. He simply grabbed the net by my feet and began dragging me across the deck, with me on my stomach.
Every pirate we passed either kicked me or poked me with a mop, some even stuck me with their swords. Beside my wanting to prove they couldn't hurt me, I cried out every time something hit me. Especially when some moron took a dagger and literally dropped it on me. The tip stuck perfectly in my back, digging into my skin a good inch or so. But I cut myself off mid-scream by biting the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.
Hook seemed satisfied with my pain and he gave the net another sharp tug, causing me to turn over, the dagger still in my back. I glanced up at him but he seemed to be shrinking. I understood why, seconds later, I was being pulled down the stairs and into the place I had slept a few days ago. My head slammed on every step, jerking violently. The dagger in my back got pushed in a little further, but after about five steps it had slid out of my back. Every step I hit felt like someone was taking a sludge hammer to my head. I heard someone slam the door behind us and the room went almost completely dark, but Hook's little right hand man, Smee, was carrying a candle in front of us. The room spun as if I were on a tilt-a-whirl and I was starting to get extremely nauseous.
But the dizziness was covering up the pain in the rest of my body a little bit. I could feel bruises forming all over, on my legs, my arms, my butt. But aside from my head, the worse pain was in my back. Not only did it feel like someone was hitting me with a sludge hammer, but it felt as if white hot nails were getting jammed into it. I kept biting my cheek, but little gasps escaped me every couple steps, which only made Hook laugh. Smee remained silent and didn't even look back at me.
By the time we reached the bottom of the steps, I was ready to puke. Hook released the net and walked to the other end of the room with Smee. I turned my head around as far as it could go. One, two, three.. There were only ten freaking stairs! It had felt like so many more.
Why would they bring me down here? From what I remembered, the only things down here were hammocks and the cannons. Oh god, are they going to stuff me in a cannon?!
"Ah! Here it be Captain!" I heard Smee's tiny voice call out. The net didn't allow me a lot of wiggle room, but I used my legs to turn me in their direction. Though I couldn't see much, I could just make out Smee taking something off of his neck and placing it on a nearby wall. I heard a quiet creak and a few seconds later a terrible smell attacked my nose. I gaged a couple times and Hook and Smee did too.
Smee remained, but Hook strode over to me, his boots heavily hitting the floor, increasing my headache. I clutched my head and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the room from spinning. Hook noticed and laughed at me again. That really pissed me off. But I had little time to act on my anger. Hook stood over me and pulled out his dagger. He raised it and I closed my eyes again.
He's going to kill me right here. I just hope it's fast...
But his blade never touched me. I heard his dagger tear through the thick ropes and felt them fall limp around me. Before I knew it I was pulled to my feet again, forced to face Hook. He said nothing as he pulled me over to Smee. I tripped occasionally, but I managed to keep myself pretty composed considering my current situation.
Smee's face had no expression, and again, he didn't even look at me. Hook stopped a few feet away from him and waited. The smell was a hundred times worse over here, and I fought the urge to throw up again. I stood there confused, trying to read Smee's face, and suddenly Smee looked down. I followed his gaze and my stomach dropped. The creaking sound had been a trap door opening up. The floor disappeared below us, and I saw nothing but blackness. Smee's necklace with a small brass circle on the end of it, was wedged into a hole in the wall. That's gotta be the key. For the first time since Zeke had thrown me overboard so many weeks ago, I was scared of Hook. Terrified, because I realized that I wasn't going to be stuck in a cannon, I was going to be locked up like an animal.
I tensed up and Hook squeezed my shoulder, turning me to face him again. "Alright, my dear. You have seriously tried my patience. You have refused every one of my generous offers. This entire island think I'm the most evil being to ever live..." Hook paused and smiled at me. "But they haven't seen anything yet."
Without another word Hook pushed me backwards, sending me flying down the hole. I hit the floor butt first, and my head was whipped back. I cried out and my hands flew to the back of my head. I rolled back and forth trying to ease the pain, but it didn't help at all.
"Because I am such a generous man, Mary, I've decided to give you one last chance. Join me." Hook called out from above me. "I will send someone to fetch you tomorrow and we will talk. I highly suggest you take my offer, Mary, because I promise, if you refuse, I will make the rest of your life hell." Hook waited a few seconds and I stopped rocking, trying to take all of this in. "See you tomorrow! Sleep well, dear." Hook sang out and slammed the trap door shut.
The sound of their footsteps faded and I pushed myself up. Shakily, I stood up and reached above me. I couldn't feel the ceiling. I couldn't see it either. I slowly moved to my left, my arms extended in front of me, and searched for the wall. Almost instantly, I found it. I ran my hand over it, searching for anything at all. My left hand hit something bumpy and I froze. I felt the object with my fingers and a little spark of hope ignited in me. It feels like a cork!
Desperately, I pulled as hard as I could at the cork. At first It wouldn't budge, but I wasn't going to give up. I bit down on it hard with my teeth and pulled. My teeth felt as if they were going to rip out but I didn't care. I yanked again and I felt it slide a little. I put my hands against the wall and pushed against it while pulling back with my teeth again. The final pull did the trick and I stumbled backwards, smacking my head on another wall.
One tiny beam of light leaked into the room I was in, but it wasn't very bright. I brought my face to the hole and looked through it. The sun was almost completely set now. I turned around and tried to use the little light I had left to observe my surroundings. The room was tiny, but tall. I put my left hand on the wall with the hole and reached to my right. I touched the other wall before my arm was even fully extended.
I began to panic. I placed my left hand on the next wall and reached for the opposite one. I couldn't reach it, but it only took me about three steps to walk from one end of the room to the other. I laid down on the floor and put my head against one wall and extended my legs out in front of me. My feet touched the other wall while my knees were still bent. I stood up and strained to see the ceiling. I jumped a couple times but I couldn't reach anything. My claustrophobia began kicking in and I started to hyperventilate.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" I repeated over and over again. The pain in my body and my dizziness seemed to disappear as I ran around the small perimeter of the room. I banged on the walls, searching for another way out, but was unsuccessful. Tears began streaming down my face without my permission and my legs shook again. I stared helplessly as the sun set and the light completely disappeared, leaving me alone in the dark. I looked up once more and screamed. That's all I could do.
I ran out of breath and my knees buckled under me. I fell to the floor like a rag doll and loud sobs escaped my throat. Suddenly I could feel every part of my body again. My back continued to bleed, my arms and legs throbbed, and the room began to spin again. I sat there in the fetal position trying to focus on my breathing, but my claustrophobia was winning. I cried harder and I shook uncontrollably. The walls began to close in on me, and it was getting harder to breathe.
"HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" I managed to scream between sobs. But nobody came. I heard no footsteps. Nothing. I tried to sit up, but my arms gave out and I sank back to the floor, hitting my head in the process. "Please, help me."
Boom. Boom. A loud pounding woke me up, and for a second I forgot where I was. The pounding reminded me of the drums back at the camp and I called out for Jaz, Zee and Aanadi. When nobody answered, I sat up and opened my eyes. My entire body was sore, but the pain was bearable. A bright light greeted me and I threw my hands in front of me. When my eyes adjusted, I realized it was morning. The bright light was from the tiny hole in the wall I had found.
It all came back to me then, and I threw up just as someone threw the trap door open above me.
"AYE!" I heard someone call out in disgust. "I've never smelled anything worse than that!"
"Neither have I, mate." Another gruff voice gagged out. "Now get down there and get her, and be quick!"
I threw up again just as someone landed right behind me. "Hell! This one's sick!" The man called out in disgust and he backed up as far as he could.
"Don't be such a pansy and grab her!" The other man called from above.
The pirate swore under his breath and rushed over to me. He picked me up as if I weighed less than a feather and threw me over his shoulders. "Alright! I've got her, pull us up!"
We slowly began moving up and then man holding me squeezed my leg hard. "Don't even think about getting sick on me, or I swear I'll kill you." I, actually just about to puke again, swallowed it and took a deep breath. I didn't doubt what he said at all. I saw the dirty boots of another man and knew we had reached the top. The men grabbed hands and we were pulled out of the hole.
I was put on my feet and covered with an old blanket. It was set on top of my head and went just to my feet. "Take that off and you're dead. Keep your head down and don't say anything or--"
"Or I'm dead, right?" I spat back. Now that I wasn't in a tiny room, I was beginning to feel better. Well, I wasn't dizzy anymore, my body still hurt though.
The man pushed me forward. "Yes, wench, or you're dead."
One pirate went in front of me and the other was right behind me as we marched to the stairs. We stepped through the door going to the deck and I covered my eyes with my hand against the bright morning light, but was relived to be able to breathe fresh air again. Instinctively, I lifted my face to the sun to bask in the cool sea breeze, but was instantly smacked across the face.
"Head DOWN!" The man behind me barked.
I looked down but mentally cursed him out and we advanced toward Hook's Cabin. While they never stopped working, I could feel every single crew member's eyes on me. Some snickered as I passed and someone tripped me with a mop. The two men escorting me caught me before I could hit the ground, but I pushed them off and continued to walk forward. The crew's reaction to me ignited extreme anger deep in my heart, along with fierce determination. I was ready to face Hook. They weren't going to break me.
One man death gripped my shoulders as we came to Hook's door while the other knocked. "Easy there, buddy, where the hell am I going to go?" I tried to shake him off, but he squeezed harder.
"You've surprised us before." was all he said. I smiled a little at this. At least that means that they see me as a threat, and not some weak damsel they can take advantage of. But that also means whatever security they'll have set up for me will be tight, which isn't exactly in my favor.
"Enter." Hook commanded from the other side of the door.
Smee appeared as the door flew open and we were quickly ushered inside.
"Ah, Mary. Welcome!" Hook smiled at me. "Smee! Don't close that yet!" Smee froze, the door halfway open. "You two may go." He said to the two other pirates.
"Cap'n" They said in unison and left the room. Smee slammed the door behind them and bolted it.
"Please, my dear. Come sit." Hook walked over to me and took me by the arm, as if escorting me to a fancy dance, my arm was sitting on top of his. He led me to a chair in front of his desk and then walked around to sit in his.
"Refreshments?" Hook snapped and Smee rushed over with a tray, set it on the desk, and poured Hook some red wine and me a glass of water. While I didn't want to accept anything from Hook, I knew I had to drink something. I had a feeling that after this little meeting, I'd need all the nourishment I could gather. So I snatched the cup out of Smee's hand and chugged the entire thing in three gulps. Smee then poured me another glass, which I also chugged. After the third cup, Smee filled my cup once more, but I let the cup rest on my knee.
"I realize that you were wounded yesterday, please, allow Smee to examine it." He meant my back. Never taking my eyes off of Hook, I stood up and let Smee look at my back.
"It's not terrible, but it needs to be cleaned or it'll get infected for sure, Captain." Smee confirmed.
"Wonderful!" Hook clapped making both me and Smee jump.
I decided to speak. "What's so wonderful?"
"Please, sit again, we have much to discuss." I guess I wouldn't be getting an answer. I cautiously sat down again, never looking away from Hook.
"I trust you slept well?" Hook said completely serious.
"Like a baby." I said, also serious and chirpy. Alright, let's play this game Hook.
"Excellent! Well, I'm happy to say that you will never have to go down there again."
I got excited for a second, I really hated being down there. I had never lost it like that before, I mean, my claustrophobia had never gotten that bad. It was an experience I would rather not repeat. "Really?!" But then I thought about it, and I frowned at Hook. "What's the catch..?" I asked slowly.
"My, you are a smart one." Hook complimented me, still too cheery. "It's simple, really. You will pledge yourself to me and this ship. Become a part of the crew. Be a true pirate." Hook walked to the back of my chair and started to stroke my hair. That seriously creeped me out, and I shivered. He then leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Leave everything behind, Mary, join me. Forget about everything else. You'll never have another enemy to fear, because everyone will fear you. Together, we can take Neverland for ourselves." I pushed his face away and jumped out of my chair.
"Never. There will never be "ours", I will never join you. And I will never betray Neverland." I hissed out through clenched teeth.
Hooks face shifted then. His eyes went dark, his smile faded into a straight, firm line, and his breathing slowed.
"This is your last chance. Join me, or suffer greatly." He began inching towards me, as if I were the prey and he was the lion. I desperately looked around, but the man was smart. All of the weapons that had been displayed were no where to be found.
"Over my dead body." I spat at him.
"That can be arranged."
Hook began walking faster and I panicked. I raised my leg to kick him where the sun don't shine, but clearly he saw it coming. He grabbed my leg and twisted it while kicking my other leg out from under me. I fell to the ground and he released my other leg. I went to rub it but he kicked me in the stomach again. Then not even two seconds later he kicked me right on the spot where the dagger had stabbed me in the back. I cried out in pain and he grabbed my hair, yanking me to my feet. I bent over, placing my hands on my knees, and tried to breathe.
I heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath and moved a second too late. Hook swung, slicing my cheek open. I clutched my bleeding face, but Hook took ahold of my hand and held it away from me. Before I could bring my other one up, he slapped the cheek he had cut. I stumbled back and tripped over the chair I was sitting in. Hook bent over me and his gaze shifted to my hand. My heart skipped a beat when I realized he saw my ring, but I couldn't move fast enough. hook slid the ring off of my finger and placed it back on his.
"NO!" I screamed.
"SILENCE!" Hook pulled me to my feet. "Stupid girl. Smee! Grab the blanket!" Hook turned and screamed at Smee. Tears blurred my vision, but I took that moment to scan Hook's desk for anything useful. Nothing was on there except a telescope, a bunch of papers, a feather pen, and a small, pointed rock. I quickly grabbed the rock and stuck it down my shirt just as Hook turned back to me, blanket in hand. He threw the blanket over me and grabbed my waist. Smee opened the door for us and we headed for the lower deck.
"Open that door!" Hook commanded me when we reached the entrance to the lower deck. I did as I was told and as soon as it was wide enough, Hook ripped the blanket off of me and pushed me down the stairs. Above me, I heard the crew laughing again. I pushed the pain aside and stood up after I stopped rolling. Hook gripped my arm again and pulled me to the trap door.
"I hope you enjoyed that little walk, because that is the last time you will ever see sunlight." Hook began to push me toward the opening.
I started to hyperventilate at the thought of being down there again. I turned and gripped Hook's coat. "Please--" I pleaded with him. "Please don't put me down there again. Please!" Hook slapped me again, causing me to release his coat to grab my face. Big mistake. As soon as my hands left him, he pushed me backwards and I fell again. I landed on my back and the wind was knocked out of me.
"You will die down there, Mary." Was the last thing he said before slamming the door shut.
"Damn pirate!" I said to myself. I slowly stood up. I was in one piece, but the pain I had felt when I woke up was intensified by one hundred now. My cheek wouldn't stop bleeding, and I felt something wet on my back. I reached back and something dripped on my hand. Blood. My back was bleeding again.
"Shit. These are going to get bad..." I sat down again and took some deep breaths. My claustrophobia, thankfully, wasn't too bad at the moment, and I could somewhat think clearly. I pulled the rock our from my bra and tossed it in the air a couple times.
"I'm happy I grabbed this."
For the remainder of the day I came up with little games to play with the rock. I timed myself to see how long I could balance it on my nose- twenty five seconds- that took up about two hours. I threw it to myself for about an hour. And I threw it over and over again, counting how many times it would bounce before stopping- six times was the most. By the time I ran out of ideas, the sun was going down. My little beam of sunshine was fading away, and I sat in front of the hole, just staring at the disappearing light. Then the idea hit me. I don't know how long I'll be down here, so I might as well keep track. I laid on my stomach and used the rock to carve a small tally mark in the little patch of sunlight on the floor. My cheek throbbed and my back was burning. I took off my shirt, using it as a pillow, and tried to get comfortable. When I finally found a position suitable enough, I said a little prayer.
"Please, God. Please don't let me die here. Let someone find me. Please, let me go home." Although I wanted to do nothing but cry, I forced my eyes closed.
"Goonight Grams. Goodnight Chip. Goodnight Boys." I whispered to myself. More tears streamed down my face, stinging my cheek.
"Goodnight Peter..." And I fell asleep.
Peter's P.O.V.
It's been a few days since Addie and I fought, and I haven't heard anything from her. The Boys keep pestering me with the same questions: "Where's Addie?" "What'd you guys fight about?" "Is she coming back." And I give them the same answers: "I don't know." "Nothing." "No."
I feel terrible for the way I handled things. I really do. But didn't she understand that it was way to dangerous for her to go after Hook? I couldn't go with her, I'm dead. And I could never live with myself if I had sent her alone. But knowing Addie, she already has gone alone, or is about to. But I was worried. I expected her to fly back this way, or somehow contact me, but I haven't heard one single thing.
The pirates have been going crazy since then which hasn't helped my worrying. While the Boys and I were hunting about two days ago, we saw the pirates attempt to ambush the Tribe, but they had somehow known and were waiting for them. I longed to join them, but I remained hidden with the Boys as the pirates were driven back out to sea. And yesterday, a single cannon shot shook the island. I flew to the beach and watched the crew fish something out of the water. The crew celebrated briefly, but stopped suddenly. I've barely heard a peep out of them since. That was extremely suspicious, and I ached to fins out what was going on.
I've gotta do it. I need to reveal myself.
I sat up in my bed, where I have been spending most of my time lately, and ran my fingers through my hair. I threw my blankets off of me and walked into the living room where the Boys were playing.
"Boys... it's time."
They all froze and stared at me. Ollie spoke first. "Peter... do you mean.... you're going to tell everyone you're alive again?"
I took a deep breath and smiled at them. "Yeah, Ollie, I am."
The Boys cheered and danced around me. Screaming things about how they couldn't wait to fight Hook again and how they have been waiting for this forever. I wanted to celebrate with them, but I had too much on my mind.
"Boy! Boys boys!" I laughed and they finally stopped screaming. "Not tonight though, not for another few days, I need to plan. We need to take Hook by surprise. He has to go. We'll discuss this more tomorrow, it's getting late. Boys, this is almost over."
"It's about time!" They all beamed up at me.
"I know, I'm so sorry I've let you down, Boys." I looked at my feet.
"But Peter, you didn't!" Dill said as he came and hugged my leg.
"Yeah!"
"Yeah Peter, we're proud of you!"
"You did what you had too!" The Boys all said as they gathered around me. They squeezed me in a huge hug, and I almost lost it. These Boys meant the world to me, and they were proud of me.
"Thank you, Boys." I smiled at them. "Now get on to bed, we have a busy day tomorrow."
Ten minutes later, the Boys were settled in bed and I finally got to get back in mine. I lifted the covers over me and sighed. I couldn't shake the feeling that I've been having since I left Addie. Something was missing. And that something was Addie. She should be here with me, safe in my arms. I bit back the tears of frustration and punched my pillow. I was such an idiot! I left her! This is all my fault. She should be safe with me, but she's out there alone. I let my stupidity, stubbornness, and fear get the best of me and I behaved like a kid! Well, I wasn't a kid anymore, as much as I hated to admit it. And if anything happened to her, I'll never forgive myself!
"Oh Addie, please forgive me. I'm so sorry." I buried my face in my pillow. I had to find her. I needed to apologize. And I needed to get her home. As much as I wanted her, needed her, to stay here, I couldn't keep her from her home. It wasn't fair, I know that now.
"I will find you, I promise.... Goodnight Addie." And I drifted into a dreamless sleep.