*Flash Back in Jacks POV*
"So this fairy Tinkerbelle is supposed to help with this because?"
"She knows all about Lottie's magic or that's what I think. Plus she helped get Lottie’s mother off the island once before which makes me believe she can do it again to Lottie." Jill replied ahead of me as we walked through the forest. She decided that the first step to starting the plan was to inform Tinkerbelle the fairy about my help.
"And you really think she will trust me then huh?" I asked in disbelief. Jill shrugged.
"Oh I doubt it so you better work on your charm before we get there. Otherwise I'd hate to see what she will do to you."
"Ha, obviously you wouldn't want anything to happen to me right Jill?" I replied sarcastically. She chuckled but did not stop her fast pace through the forest.
"So tell me pirate, what made you want to go after this boy Henry? What so special about him to you?" Jill looked back at me slightly, slowing down her pace for a moment as she did so.
"Well he was taken from his family. Doesn't anyone who has a loving family deserve to be with them?" Jill asked, turning around now walking backwards as she spoke. I thought about this for a moment and then shrugged.
"Depends on what you have higher on your list. Family or you wish to live forever young." I replied. Jill shook her head at my response.
"No one should have the wish for youth over their family. That's just not right." Jill replied sadly. For a few moments we walked in silence. Finally I decided to break it.
"I'm guessing that something happened between you and your family?"
"What makes you think that?" She asked slightly defensive. I shrugged.
"Maybe it's just your way of answering just now or how you seem to be speaking from experience about trading family for something like youth." I replied simply. She looked back at me slightly annoyed making me smile.
"Both of my parents died when I was really young leaving me to learn and deal with the sea on my own. When I was 14 I was found by Hook who needed a new ship mate so I joined in and I have been around since then. Would you call that experience lost boy?"
I raised my hands up in surrender and laughed slightly as I did so. Jill looked at me with a confused facial expression.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because I can that's why. Plus you seem to be nailing me with questions. Can't you give me a break, I'm tired of talking." Jill rolled her eyes and I thought I heard her say something around the lines of "Jerk" under her breath.
We walked for about ten minutes longer until we were out of the dark side of the forest and entering the lighter side.
"She should be at her tree house. She told me that's where I could find her if I needed to inform her on anything big." Jill informed me. I nodded as I followed her along the path.
"You remember that charm thing that I had to work on?" I asked her as I ran up to her, catching up to her fast pace. She looked over at me and nodded.
"Yeah well I don't think I have it yet." Jill laughed.
"Well too bad lost boy because we are here." She replied pointing up to a tree that we had just stopped at. At first I could not see anything as I looked up at the tree but then my eyes shifted slightly and I saw the boarded wood where a small little wooden tree house sat.
"How do we get up there then? A rope ladder I hope." I responded hopefully. Jill chuckled.
"Why can't you climb up there on your own lost boy? Isn't that what lost boys are trained to do? Do the impossible." I gave her a strange look.
"No actually, the only one who can do such things is Pan. All we can do is hunt and protect the island."
"Well it seems like you lost boys have lost your strength then." A voice from behind me spoke out. I quickly turned around and saw myself face to face with a fairy in human form. She had bright blond hair that was tied up and her arms were crossed giving her an angry look.
"What is a lost boy doing here Jill? When I said you can come over here to talk to me I said to do so without anyone else here."
Jill walked forward slightly, blocking me between the fairy.
"He is a friend of Lottie’s. And he might be of some use to us. That is of course if he works his ways around Pan."
"Which he won't be able to do Jill, you know that. We don't need another Chuck situation right? And the fact that he is a friend of Lottie’s is just another reason why we should not do such a thing." Tinkerbelle replied hastily.
"I may not know all about this Chuck guy, but I can at least say that the only reason why I am here is for Lottie. Otherwise I would be back at camp helping Pan keep Henry safe. I'm not in to this whole save Henry thing. Only save Lottie."
Jill looked back at me with a death glare. I guess telling the truth is not exactly a way to use charm...
"So you're saying that as long as Lottie is safe you are fine with staying as a lost boy." Tinkerbelle asked in a darker voice, taking a few steps toward me as she spoke. I nodded stepping back as I did so. Jill noticing that the conversation was going south stepped in between us and stared down at the fairy.
"Tink. Do you really think that I would put you in danger like this for no apparent reason. We both have the same goal. To save Henry and Lottie. You have to trust me on this one. With his help we can finally have someone inside Pan's camp."
The fairy thought about what Jill said quickly and I saw her take a deep breath before nodding finally in agreement.
"Fine. Let's just get in cover before Pan does something to us before we even start this plan." She replied halfheartedly. Jill smiled and walked over to the rope ladder that was hidden deep in the tree greens growing all over the big oak tree.
When we had reached the top of the tree I took the seat but quickly got up again when Tinkerbelle walked into the room and glared at me.
"So what exactly do you have for me then Jill?" The fairy asked with little interest as she walked over to what used to be my chair and sat down. Jill, who was walking through the room picking up objects as she went, turned to the fairy with a little surprise in her face.
"Well isn't it obvious? I brought the lost boy. I placed my head in my hands and sighed as I did so. If this was Jill's idea of a good plan then we were screwed. Tinkerbelle must have had the same thought as I did because she asked Jill to explain further what she meant.
"Well with Jack we can have a better idea of what Pan is planning with Henry and we will also have someone finally in his hideout. Isn't that what we wanted the whole time?" Jill asked slightly surprised at the lack of enthusiasm coming off the fairies face.
"Jill I need more than that to make a plan. Just because you have this guy here does not mean that all our problems will disappear. And what makes you think we can actually trust him?" She asked eyeing me as she spoke. I gave her a look which was returned with a glare. I cleared my throat and stepped from the wall.
"Listen, if this is what you guys have so far for a stupid plan then I'm just going to leave now so that we all don't get in trouble with Pan. You guys can let me know later what this magical plan is, that is of course when you finally come up with one. But until then I'm leaving."
I turned to leave but Tink stood up and told me to stop. I turned around and saw an expression that I had not seen on her face before.
Fear.
"What would you do then lost boy if you were in our situation?" Jill stopped messing with the same box that she had in her hands and looked up at me with interest. Both girls had gone quiet for an answer.
The answer came to me almost immediately after she asked the question.
"First you keep Jill hidden. Pan thinks she is dead. Keep her with the mermaids. The water that they have makes it easy to mix up how many people or mermaids for that matter are actually alive in the water making it a perfect blind spot for Jill to stay hidden from Pan's spell on counting who is alive on the island. Speaking of the mermaids, you should warn them that once Lottie wakes up Pan is going to bring her down to them to find out if she is a family member of Alex. I don't know how you should do it but make them lie when Pan asks. "
"I can do that. Those fish still owe me a favor. “ Tink replied with a small smile. Jill chuckled, as if getting an inside joke that the two had made up.
"Then what? What's the next step after that?" Tinkerbelle asked turning to me again."
"In order to control Pan or to get him preoccupied, we need to find out what he is most afraid of and use it against him." I replied.
Both girls shook their heads at almost the exact same time.
"Pan is not afraid of anything Jack." Tink stated.
"And he has no weakness if that's what you’re looking for." Jill added. I looked at her questionably.
"You sure?" Jill nodded.
"He is not afraid of anything, nor is he weakened by anything that a normal boy has to worry about." Jill stated a little upset. I frowned.
"What do you mean by "normal boy weaknesses" ? I asked still confused. This time Tinkerbelle answered.
"He is smart, he cares for no one, and well he is pretty much a demon in every way so that cuts a few things off the list." Tink replied, counting on her fingers as she went.
"It's a shame that he does not love. I'm sure we could have charmed him by now otherwise. I mean it's not like the girls on this island are exactly unattractive..." Jill spoke up with a hint of humor in her voice. Tinkerbelle rolled her eyes and laughed. However I started to walk back in forth deep in thought.
"You sure he is not afraid of anything?" I asked again.
"No lost boy, we already told you.."
"But what about people? Is he afraid of anyone?"
"No Jack. For the last time Pan is not afraid-" "Hold on" Tink cut in making me stop walking and Jill to look up from examining the box in her hand. Tink stood up and walked over to Jill and then quickly grabbed the box from the pirate’s hand.
"Pan is afraid of someone."
Jill looked at Tink surprised.
"Who?"
Tinkerbelle turned toward me and smiled.
"Alex"
A Few Days Later (Present Day)
(Lottie POV)
I ran a little further into the forest but not far enough where I could not hear the lost boys still dancing and playing at camp. I then searched for a climbable tree that went up high enough for me to see the lost boy camp from a distance.
Once I had succeeded in doing that much, all I had to do was wait and watch. Thankfully I did not have that much time to wait.
For one moment it was all lively and normal for lost boy standard at the camp. Then a big gust of wind blew right across the group of lost boys making everyone fall to the ground and blow out the light from all the fires around camp, leaving only Peter alone in the dark. He chuckled like the dork he was and then started to go on about how much he loved guessing games.
I stood up on the branch I had just sat down on and slowly started to walk farther out on the branch to get a better look at the camp.
When I had taken a few steps further from the base of the tree Peter lifted his hand, awakening one of the fires eliminating a figure in the dark.
Rumpelstiltskin.
Peter was right. Rumpelstiltskin was coming after him and Henry. But this did not seem like enough for Peter because he called out in the dark for another person.
"You can come out now Baelfire!" As if on command, another figure came out. This time he held a cross bow aimed right at Peter. I shook my head. It was not going to work and they knew it. Peter knew it. I knew it.
But the arrow still was shot, and Peter still caught it. I put a hand over my eyes and listened.
"I thought you would learn better Baelfire." Peter started.
"Yeah I know. That's why I didn't coat the tip."
I dropped my hand quickly and looked back down shocked. Peter’s whole body had a purple haze over him making him stay frozen at one spot.
I laughed to myself and quickly ran back to the base of the tree and started to climb down. I had to follow them.
By the time I had reached the bottom of the tree I saw the two figures, one carrying a knocked out Henry in his arms, bonding through the forest at full speed.
That's my cue. I thought and smiled as I ran after them, while keeping my distance all the while. The last thing I wanted was to go face to face with those two when I was still dressed up in my lost kid get up but at the same time I really did not want to help out Peter so when they two stopped up ahead I did as well and climbed the closest tree and sat and watched.
They started fighting. I know it is bad of me to think such things but really, I did not have the energy to care about what they were fighting about. All I cared about was getting some sleep. So when the sleepy feeling started to wash over me, I didn't shrug it off but instead fell asleep.
IN LOTTIES DREAM
"Lottie" an aggressive voice called out.
"Lottie wake up!" The voice called out a little louder. It sounded familiar. I opened my eyes and was face to face with a girl of my age.
She looked to be about 16 years old. She was tall and slender and stood with her arms crossed as she looked at me. Her hair was put into two messy braids that made her blond hair look very long. She had a stern look on her face that made her eyes really brighten as they looked down at me.
My god her eyes... They were grey.
This was my mother as a teenager.
I looked around us and saw that we were deep in a forest that was unfamiliar to me. I looked back at her and saw the corner of her lips turn upward slightly in a small smile but then returned to the normal stern look.
"Mom?" I asked questionably. Her eyes sparkled slightly as I spoke.
"Hello there Lottie." She answered me. I looked around me again in a questionable matter and she answered the question from my mind.
"We are not in Neverland. At least not yet. We are in my old backyard from when I was a young girl. This is where I originally trained with your grandfather and uncles." I looked at her slightly shocked. She normally never talked about her family. She never seemed to want too.
"You are not going to train me here in my dreams now are you?" I asked slightly horrified. She laughed but then shook her head.
"No. Unfortunately I have something that actually trumps training. It's a message."
"A message? Isn't this a dream though? I could kill you right now and then when I wake up everything will be the same."
The younger Alex tensed slightly at my words but then nodded in agreement.
"Your right. But that does not mean it would not hurt."
"When were you ever afraid of pain?"
"Never. But I would rather skip it now that we have barely any time before you wake up and continue in Neverland." She finished. I nodded in agreement.
"Fine then mom. Tell me this message.”
"Don't call me that." She replied sharply.
"Excuse me?" I replied back. Alex rouse one of her eye brows at me and I shrank back slightly.
"Call me Alex here got it?" I nodded and she turned away from me satisfied.
Then in one brief motion, she grabbed something from inside her coat and threw it right at me. I saw the glint of silver a little too late.
Next thing I knew I felt a hot slash by my ear as the knife left its mark on the tree right next to me. I sighed in relief as I leaned on the tree, feeling the slight pain in my ear as I did so. I put my hand to my ear and felt blood. I looked up at my mother with heat starting to pulse through me.
"What the heck is your problem?! You trying to kill me or something?" Alex did not even flinch as I screamed at her. In fact she smiled slightly.
"No" She replied simply.
"I was just letting you relive what happened to me when I was at Neverland. But this is not the only time you have heard of this now is it Lottie?" She asked me. I looked at her confused.
"Excuse me?" I asked her. She smiled.
"You read a lot don't you? Connect the dots." I looked down at my hand that was now covered in blood from my ear and thought. But it took me only a second.
A knife to my ear.
You have got to be kidding me...
"Divergent." I replied. She smiled.
"Took you long enough." Alex replied. She started to walk again making me clench my hands into fist from my anger that was starting to boil inside me.
"Where are you going?" I yelled at her as she continued to walk. She turned around at me, surprise showing on her face that I was yelling at her instead of a nearby tree.
"And you need to know because?" She asked.
Oh. my. God. I hate my mother. I thought to myself.
She then turned around and continued walking in her slow pace away from me so I rolled my eyes and walked after her. I took one quick look behind me and stopped in my tracks.
The tree I was leaning on had a target drawn on it.
I swear that was not there before I came.
"Are you coming or do you need another second with my precious dart board?" My mother’s voice called out from behind me.
Boy am I glad that she dropped this attitude when she became a mother. I don't know how I would be able to live with her otherwise.
When I walked over to my mother she stared to hum to herself as she walked a little further away from me. I followed and then stopped right next to her.
"Now what is this stupid message?" I asked her. She looked at me and shrugged.
"You know what I feel like doing right now?" She asked completely changing the topic.
"Wait what?" I asked confused.
"I feel like flying--" I looked at her still confused and she looked at me smiling. She then looked down. I followed her gaze and my heart almost dropped. I was no longer standing on solid ground. I was on a tree branch very very high off the ground and I was nowhere near the base of the tree.
"Alex. Get me down. Alex get me down NOW!" I almost shrieked. Alex started to walk closer to the edge of the branch and turned to face me.
"Nah sorry, I don't feel like it. Do it yourself." and then without a single word she fell backward. I swear I saw a smile go on her face as she went back. I ran to the edge of the branch quickly.
It was like time went on a slow button as I saw her fall. Her hair was all around her, framing her face as she smiled looking up at me. Her grey eyes bright with laughter and sneaky thoughts. Her body was bent outward and her arms were out like wings.
When she landed she rolled over and stood up and looked back up at me.
"Well come on already!" She yelled back.
She is insane! I stood up and shook my head over and over again. Nope I am not going to do it. No way in hell!
My blood was pumping though me and I was shaking from fright. Again I heard my mother call from below telling me to come down. She didn't even try to sugar coat it. She just yelled: "Come down already! We have places to be."
It's a dream right? Maybe it's not real.
I walked slowly to edge of the branch and my stomach did another flip. Nope. No no no no NOPE! This may be a dream but no way does this not seem real.
"Hey Lottie! Just get down here or else you will be stuck up there forever and I won’t have anything magic to bring you back down again." She called up. That made something click.
Magic
But I have never done magic before.
Close your eyes
I looked around me and sighed. I closed my eyes and immediately all the noise around me stopped. I couldn't hear the wind or my mother calling me anymore. I didn't feel cold from the wind either. I felt warm, as if the sun was shining down on me like it would in summer.
Relax
I let the tension leave my body and then the action started before the voice in my head could speak.
Jump
I was falling. I felt the wind going through my hair and the gravity bringing me down back to earth, and yet I was not afraid... Shocker.
I opened my eyes and saw that I was only about ten feet off the ground now. Yeah ok scrap what I just said I was horrified again.
But I had no time to react. When my feet touched the ground, I let my body bend forward so that all the energy flew though my body and into the ground. Then it was quiet.
I looked up and saw my mother standing a few feet from me... clapping. I stood up from the huddled mess I was in and looked down.
The dirt around me was in circled patterns from where all that energy must have been left off.
I looked back at my mother and smiled.
"How did I do that?" She walked over to me, still smiling.
"Magic. Now come on. I have one more place to take you before we leave." She turned away from me and started on a quick pace.
It took me a few more seconds to actually move again since I was in slight shock over what I had just done, but then I ran to catch up to my mother.
This time when we stopped, we were by a deep river that had rushing waters that would easily drag me under if I tried to walk across.
I looked across the river and my heart leaped in surprise. Two figures stood on the other side of the river.
The first one was a boy with dark hair and bright grey eyes. He was smiling with a toothy grin. He seemed like one of those good guys who could make anyone smile. The boy next to him I knew. It was Jack. He was smiling also. He had his hands in his pockets and he was acting like he used too back in Maryland. Back when he was normal.
"Jack!" I called out. He didn't answer.
"They can't hear us. We have to get to them. That's the lesson here." Alex commented. I looked at her and saw her looking longingly back at the boy across the river. I looked at the boy and then back to my mother.
"Who is he?" I asked. She looked down at me and chuckled.
"I forgot how little you know about them. That's my brother James." I looked back at the boy and saw the resemblance almost immediately. I mean come on. Those grey eyes are the family trait.
"So how do we do this?" I asked. Alex shrugged.
"This is your dream. You are supposed to learn these lessons yourself. I'm only here as a voice of comfort."
The last sentence was said with sarcasm which it rightfully should have been. She was no comfort to me and she knew it.
"Why are James and Jack here?" I asked.
"This lesson is supposed to trap the one you love most. In this case you love Jack the most, so he is the one on the other side. At sixteen, the one I loved and cared for the most was my brother, James."
The news came as a surprise to me. I looked up at Alex surprised.
"I didn't think I cared for Jack like that." Alex smiled.
"Oh you do. Trust me his mother and I had seen it coming a mile wide." Alex then leaned over next to me in an almost whispering manner and spoke.
"I was never supposed to tell you this but Jack's mother Emmy had both of your weddings planned by the time you two started holding hands in kindergarten. Emmy was always the big fan who I guess in your teen time says things like "I so ship it" and "DYING WITH FEELS".... Whatever that means. I think it's weird whenever she does it."
If I was not so confused right then, I would have burst out laughing. Seeing Jacks mother doing something like that was no surprise. She so would do something like that and then bug Jack about it every day most likely. Poor Jack.
"So what's the plan Lottie?" Alex asked. I looked back at the river and started to walk forward. I stopped when I got to the water’s edge and thought.
What had I done in the past two cases that were the same?
Well for one thing they were both out of the ordinary and something I was not expecting...
That was not going to help.
I looked around me and saw Alex looking at James sadly. That was when it clicked.
"Hey Alex come here." She did as she was told.
"You’re going to hate me for this but I do know how to get over this." I replied. Her eyes narrowed.
"Go on"
"Well in one of the books I read last year in English, the main character Emilie had a similar challenge. She had to walk from one ledge to the other and she could only take a step every time she said something about herself that people would say that were horrible things all about her." Alex looked at me and then at the river and sighed.
"Fine then" She replied. She walked right to the edge of the water and in a loud voice called out:
"I'm a girl who can attack anyone and acts nothing like a stupid lady!"
Nothing happened.
She turned around and shrugged.
"Nothing" I sighed and walked over to the edge of land and looked at Jack. He was still smiling at me.
"Let me try" I stated, not breaking eye contact with Jack.
"I hate you. I wish I never see you again." I said directly to Jack. His smile disappeared and at the same time a stepping stone came up from the water just high enough for no water to spill on it.
I turned to Alex whose face had gotten pale.
"We have to say things that we have wanted to say to them at one point don't we?" Alex asked. I nodded. Together both of us jumped on the first stone which was just enough room for us both.
This time it was Alex who looked directly at James.
"I don't want to ever see you come home for the war. It's not fair that you get to fight and I don't!" She said in a soft voice. But he still heard it and his smile left his face. Another stone showed up and together we stepped on it. We were half way through the river.
My turn. I looked at Jack and saw him looking at me with a sad expression on his face.
The words were caught in my throat but I knew what they were. Alex nudged me in the side and I spoke..
"Go to hell you Jerk. You Lost boy. You brought me to this island you selfish idiot and now I'm stuck here most likely dead. If I die I swear to god I hope you go down just like I do."
It was done. The stepping stone appeared and Jack's face fell. He wouldn't look at me. I was shaking. I did not want to get to the other side of that river anymore. I wanted to run far from it.
"When did you say that to him?" Alex asked softly.
"I never did. I was about to after Peter found out I was a girl and made me his servant but I held back. But I screamed it in my head. And the worst part was I meant it.." I replied quietly. I was crying now but quickly stopped.
I had to pull myself together. Alex must have thought the same thing because when she spoke next to James, she did not shed one tear nor did she blink.
"Thanks a lot for leaving me here alone on this earth with only a stupid fairytale book that you somehow think will solve all my problems."
James looked down and the last stepping stone appeared. Together we ran until we reached solid ground. But when we got there no one was there to greet us. I sighed with relief and sat down on the ground. Alex looked slightly whipped out as well but she did not sit down.
"We have to go now." Alex spoke out. I looked up at her shocked.
"Hey I have just been through the mill here. Sorry if I am the only one here with a heart but can I please take a moment to breathe at least?" Alex walked over to me and kneeled down next to me and looked right at me.
"I have to bring you back to Neverland now. I have to bring you back to the dreams of Neverland and I... can't come with you." I looked down and started to shake.
"Lottie listen to me!" I looked back up at her and saw her eyes staring deep down at me.
"The three cases we just completed were each a message that will help you in your journey in Neverland. You have to listen to what you learned from each one. That's the message I have for you. Do you understand Lottie?" She asked. I nodded.
She smiled and that was when I was hit with the resemblance we both have. It was so random a time I didn't have any time to say anything else before my eyes started to go hazy and I lost focus of Alex.
Dark. I was in the dark. And I heard voices of boys everywhere calling my name. They were the lost boys.
"Lottie!"
"Hey pretty girl!"
"Lottie!"
I heard a familiar voice in the group. It was Jack.
"Lottie!" He called out.
I ran to him.
Even in the dark I can see the shapes of figures in the tree line. I ran to his voice. But every time I came close to him his voice would change to another creepy lost boy. I ran back and further away from them until I finally cornered him. He turned his back to me but continued to call out my name.
I ran to him.
"Jack!"
He turned around. It was not Jack.
It was Pan.
Normal Day (Waking up from her dream)
I jumped and opened my eyes. I was back in Neverland. I was awake. I made sure by pinching myself in the arm. I seemed like it had been only a few minutes since I fell asleep because Rumpelstiltskin and Baelfire were still yelling at each other and Henry was still passed out on the ground.
What the hell just happened? I thought to myself.
But then I saw a flash of purple. I turned to Rumpelstiltskin and saw his body be covered in a haze of purple.
Baelfire walked over to Henry and picked him up and turned to his father one last time and walked off.
I quickly jumped from the tree and ran after him. I had to stay with Henry. I had no time to think about my dream now. Only about getting off the island and Henry was my ticket out.
----
Hey there guys its me,
Um well where can I begin. It has been exactly a month since I last updated and my reason for why I have done nothing since then is simple. I have gotten lazy. Bad me! Very Bad Me!
So I could make this message all sorry related but I am sure that would get boring quick so I will say it once. I am sorry . I am going to try and get out of this lazy haze and you know, finish the book haha :)
So since I have done nothing for a month I decided to give you a very long chapter! so Enjoy
:p
Vote and Comment
Lots of Love
Wintergirl08
(OH Btw: Who wants more Alex? I am tempted to bring her back :) )