.
.
.
I sipped on my hot cocoa with cinnamon as I stared up at the two older women in front of me. Emma had invited me over to her house for brunch, but I knew it was really the 'confrontation' David warned me about yesterday. So I wasn't surprised to see the Mayor leaning against the dishwasher in the kitchen.
I scooted my chair forward and folded my hands over the white kitchen table, "The cocoa was really good, Emma, definitely going to get it more often."
Emma pursed her lip and looked over to Regina. She sighed and crossed her arms, "Yeah, I bet hot cocoa isn't much of an Adellian specialty."
"Adellia?" I feigned a confused expression, "What are you talking about?"
"Give it up, Cassandra, we know who you really are," Emma piped up.
I put my arms up in surrender and shrugged, "You caught me."
"Now, why are you really here in Storybrooke?" Regina questioned with steady intimidation in her voice.
My attention shifted to the green mug in front of me as I tried to gather my rehearsed words, "I'm here for my travel blog, that part wasn't a lie."
"And you just happen to stumble upon Storybrooke coincidentally?" Emma scrunched her eyebrows.
I nodded and took another sip of hot cocoa, trying to avoid her skeptical gaze, "But now I'm here to find Adellia."
"The forgotten kingdom," Regina added as she pulled out a chair from across the table, "It must be hard, having to be away from your home for nearly two centuries. I don't have any idea how lonely that must be. I wish I can help you, but I don't know any other way of traveling between the Realms besides the magic beans."
"And we lost the remaining plants awhile ago," Emma exchanged a tender look.
I bit down on my lower lip as I tried to focus on my breathing. I don't remember the last time I had the urge to cry. Nothing ever hurt more than losing Jace. A metallic taste started to overpower the cinnamon on my tongue.
Emma walked over to me and caressed my shoulder, "I'm sorry, Cass."
"The only other person I could think of who could possibly know another way to travel between realms is Gold or Pan," Regina reached over the table and took my hand.
I slightly jumped at Pan's name, "Pan? As in Peter Pan? He's real?"
"As real as the other fairytale characters in this town," Emma answered sourly as she shook her head, "But definitely more cruel and heartless than the Disney cartoon that's for sure."
"He almost turned Storybrooke into a new Neverland," Regina continued, reminiscing over the unpleasant memories, "Thankfully, Gold stopped him before he did."
My leg began to jerk up and down, "What do you mean by 'stopped him'?"
They exchanged glances and Regina shrugged, "Basically we put him six feet under the ground."
"Not literally, he kind of... disintegrated into the air," Emma quickly clarified as my breathing started to speed up.
As soon as those dreaded words came out of her mouth, it seemed as if the world stopped. I couldn't interpret the words that came afterward; I was trapped in that moment with the same thought repeating in my head.
I'm too late.
I failed.
Peter's gone.
Peter's dead.
.
.
.
As I reached the camp, I noticed a new tent set up next to Daniel's. The thought of Daniel rushed into my head; he hasn't talked to me all day, he didn't even glance my way. A part of me wanted to burst into his tent and force him to look at me, to say something to me. I shoved the idea to the back of my head as I walked over to my tent.
I pulled back the flap of the entrance; compared to my treehouse, the inside was so much smaller. There was a cot on one side while a full length mirror and my trunk stood on the other. It was not too bad, I was grateful. Pan could've done much worse. I opened the trunk and grabbed my nightgown and a washcloth.
When I exited the tent, I saw Jonah finishing his dinner alone by the unlit fire pit. Jonah was always the first one done with his food, rather it was dinner, lunch, or breakfast, so I assumed the other boys were still out training. He got up to put his plate away and smiled when he notices me.
"Gonna go wash up?" he asked while pointing to the bundle in my arms.
I nodded, "You wouldn't happen to know where the springs are exactly?"
"The reflection pool is past Pan's treehouse," he motioned with his head.
"The reflection pool?" I laughed out, "What? Does the water, like, reveal your inner most thoughts to give you relief or something?"
"Pretty much, yeah, that's exactly what it does," Jonah answered, taking me aback, "But just prepare yourself, normally, you're not going to like what you see."
I thanked him and headed down the path. Along the way, I kept my eyes and ears open for the boy in green. I had enough of Pan for one day. Not too long after passing his treehouse, I could hear the rush of water pouring down into the spring. I pushed back some branches to reveal the mystical sight. A thin layer of fog had spread across the water. Trees and bushes surrounded the pool to give the uttermost privacy.
I dipped my toe in, its coolness created goosebumps up my skin. I laid my clean clothes by the pool and stripped my body of the dirtied ones. I took small steps into the water and stopped once it hits my shoulders. The water's perfect, not too hot but not too cold to make me shiver. The old sense of serenity was refreshing. I closed my eyes and let the water engulf me.
.
.
.
"Hey! I brought you some... truffles? What are you doing?"
I glanced back to see Evelynne standing by the door with a plate of chocolate truffles. I continued to pack my belongings into my suitcase. "I'm going home," I replied as I struggled to pull the zipper, "Back to Toronto."
She set the plate on the small table next to the T.V and forced me to look at her again, "What do you mean? What about going back to Adellia?"
I threw my hands up in defeat, "It's hopeless! The most possible way to get to Adellia is with magic beans, and they're nearly impossible to find. Then the one person I came to find is also the only other person who could possibly know another way there, but, apparently, Peter is dead!"
I slumped down on my bed and ran my hand down my face. Tears began to build up in my eyes, and I could feel sobs forming in my throat. Evelynne sat next to me and rubbed small circles on my back.
"Peter, as in Peter Pan?" she asked quietly, "Peter Pan is your true love?"
"Was," I corrected objectively, "I thought Peter Pan was my true love but now, I'll never know."
"If Peter's dead, there's one other place he could be."
...
I quickly ran out of my room into the diner. David normally bought lunch from Granny's before picking up his son from school. My pace quickened as I saw him leave the diner.
I called after him and he immediately turned at my voice. "Oh, hey, Cass," he greeted, "How did everything go?"
"It went fine," I quickly dismissed, "Except, you left out an important detail about when Peter was in Storybooke. You forgot to mention that he was killed."
David's eyes widened, "I'm so sorry, Cass. I thought you knew."
"How could I have possibly known!" I said, getting defensive, "I haven't been in contact with Peter for nearly two centuries. Up until a couple years ago, I had no idea that he was even still alive, let alone in Storybrooke!"
I took a deep breath to calm myself down and tame my overwhelming emotions, "But you can make it up to me."
He looked at me inquisitively, "How so?"
"Tell me how to get to the Underworld."