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As I stared out at the vast ocean in front of me, Daniel came up from behind and draped a cloak over my bare shoulders. The weather was surprisingly colder than normal. Instead of beads of sticky sweat, there was a trail of goosebumps on my skin.
"You were awfully quiet at breakfast this morning," Daniel mentioned as he sat down next to me on the sand.
I pulled the cloak tighter around my body, "I just have a lot on mind. Plus I didn't get much sleep last night either."
Even after I left the pool, Brandon's screams continued to echo through my ears. It was as if I could feel every bit of his agonizing physical and emotional pain. It took awhile for the pain to numb out into nothingness, but I still had a fitful rest. Did Pan experience the same?
"Do you know what happened to Pan this morning?" I asked Daniel.
He takes sudden interest in the sand. "He probably had his own business to attend to," he shrugged. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering, that's all,"
Daniel looked at me inquisitively but shakes it off. "Pan's a big boy, he can take care of himself. You don't have to worry about him."
I bit down on my lip. But I am worried about him. I watched him relive a traumatic experience that no one should ever go through. I saw one of his deepest regrets, I know his secret. If it were even possible, I have a feeling that he'd surely take it to the grave. I afraid afraid if he doesn't open up, he'll destroy himself.
"Are you sure you're okay, Cass," he questioned again as he noticed my blank expression.
I nodded and feigned a reassuring smile, "Daniel, I promise you, I'm fine. I think I'm just going to work on my crossbow now."
I picked myself up and dusted the sand of my trousers. I would've invited Daniel to join me, but I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts. Who was I kidding, I needed a distraction from my thoughts. How long will it be until Pan's secret destroys me too?
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"Hey, Peter, it's me, you're probably still trying to figure out this whole cell phone stuff, but when you get this, give me a call or text me. Or I'll be at the library, so you can just meet me here. Ok? Bye."
I ended the voicemail and shoved my phone back into the pocket of my jacket. The smell of paper and worn leather filled my noise as I opened the door to the old library. It was practically a ghost town, there wasn't even anyone at the circulation desk. With no one to guide me in the right direction, I didn't exactly know where to begin, so I wondered into the history and reference section. Someone once told me, when in doubt, look to history for the answers.
My fingers traced along the ancient bindings. The history of Oz, the werewolf curse, ambrosia; the books weren't in any particular order whatsoever. I needed something relating to traveling between the realms, like magic beans, fairy dust, or shadows. Finally, a book with glittering gold lettering on its spine caught my eye: Creatures of the Realms.
It was more of an encyclopedia or guide than a history book, but I would take what I could get. I found a seat at a nearby table and flipped through the aging pages. There was information about furies, griffons, Medusa, but nothing on giants or fairies. Just as I was giving up, I landed on a page titled The Shadow.
However, there was limited amount of information, it barely took up a whole page. As my eyes skimmed through, I realize it was basic knowledge I already knew. The Shadow was one of the first inhabitants of Neverland, but its origin and purpose remained unknown and unclear. It has the ability to shape-shift and world-cross. But how does it world-cross?
I peered at the illustration at the bottom of the page. I've never encountered the Shadow face-to-face, but it seemed so familiar to me. I swore I've seen those hauntingly white eyes before. As I examine it more closely, I was taken aback when the eyes flickered green. I shut the book and shook my head dismissively; I was probably tired. On cue, a small yawn escaped my mouth. An afternoon nap didn't sound half bad right about now.
"Creatures of the Realms?"
Snapped out of my blank gaze, I noticed a young girl hunched over the table as she inspected the book in my hand. The small amount of sunlight shining through the windows brought her flowing silver locks to life.
When I walked into the library, there wasn't a soul insight. I thought I was the only one here. "Do you work here?"
"Technically, volunteer, but I guess you can say I work here," she quietly laughed to herself as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were dark, almost black. You could hardly tell if there was even a soul behind them.
I throw out the absurd thought. "Do you have any books on fairy dust, pixie dust... or any kind of dust?" I pleaded desperately.
She shook her head, "Unfortunately, that is sensitive information, and you need special clearance in order to access it. I'm really sorry, is there anything else I can help with?"
I sighed, "Ok, how about anything on giants? Specifically, the agriculture of giants?" I tried not to be obvious about my intentions.
She pursed her lips, "You can try the 'G' section." She pointed at the shelves across from us, "Or you can try the 'A's, further down to your left. I just organized down there, so you should have better luck finding what you want."
I thanked her for the help and followed her directions. I felt her gaze still on me but when I turned back around, she was gone. I shouldn't overthink this, she was just a volunteer; there was nothing out of the ordinary about that.
I really needed that nap.
After much circling, I found the 'A's. My tongue poked at the inside of my cheek as my eyes searched for a possible answer to my question. They landed on a worn burgundy cover with silver engraving: Adellia Royal History, Volume Two.
For a moment, I forgot about magic beans or fairy dust. This book may not have the answer to my problem, but it can contain the answer to the mystery that started it all.
I opened it to the first page and found my sister's piercing blue eyes staring back at me. My heart skipped a beat as I slowly slipped to the ground. Her beaming smile was absent and replaced by a serious expression. The portrait dated back to when she was nineteen years old, merely a year after the attack.
Queen Dahlia took over the throne at age eighteen, immediately after her sister, Queen Cassandra II, disappeared along with her two sons. The late King Brandon's nephew would've been next in line, but a loophole was found in an unpublicized statue by the late King himself. The last known request of Queen Cassandra II was for the statue to immediately go into effect.
I never knew Brandon wrote a new law before his death, let alone ask for it 'to immediately go into effect'. I flipped back to the cover of the book to find the name of the author, but it was anonymously written. This was the closest thing to my answer that I've found so far, so I figured I might as well continue reading.
By age twenty, her Majesty had already deployed five new major safety protocols. The precautions ultimately lead to Adellia cutting nearly all relations with other kingdoms. Though most of the people were against her actions, Adellia's economy became a more independent body. Due to the elimination of exports, the kingdom's total gross relied heavily on internal affairs. This allowed smaller, family owned business to flourish thus the poverty rate to diminish.
Another yawn escaped my mouth. The words on the page begun to blur into each other. I felt my eyelids getting heavier. I brought my knees to my chest and leaned my head against the hard, steel shelf. I yawned once more and my mind finally drifted off into darkness.