Chapter One
Rose…
'The storm howled and screamed through the night, thunder ripped the black sky open, gashes of lightening bleeding against the darkness. Blackblood brandished his sword, his black hair plastered to his head, his handsome features twisted into a feral snarl. Peter grinned, laughing as he dodged the older boy's blows. The ship rocked violently, yet to Peter this was no burden, seeing as his feet were not on the deck.'
After that paragraph was written I sat staring at my laptop for a full five minutes, frustration brewing and rapidly building up, a scowl painting itself across my face. "Why can't I think of anything?" I groaned, bringing my fists down onto the table top.
"Rose," my mother called from the kitchen, "What are you doing? You're going to be late!" I hit SAVE and closed my laptop, having to take extra care to be gentle. I glanced up to the clock, froze, and then swore colourfully. "Holy crap! 8:15?! It's 8:15!" I threw myself away from my desk and began to dart around my room, slipping on my school dress and running my fingers through my tangled curls.
"Bye, Mum," I shouted as I bounded down the stairs, snatching my messenger bag off the banister as I went. I threw open the door, blinking from the blinding glare of the sun off the pavement. I faintly heard my mother call out a goodbye as I half jogged, half walked my way to school.
Prison -oh- I mean school, went by in a blur. A slow, agonisingly painful blur. Several times multiple teachers chided me for day dreaming in class, for not paying interest in the process of cell division. Because who wouldn't find that so vitally interesting?
Lunch time came, a small relief after the hours locked indoors. My two best friends, Sammy and Monique, sat on either side of me in a sunny patch of grass. Sammy slipped her shoes and socks off, stating bluntly that she will not put up with a sock tan ever again. Monique shook her head, amused, and brushed her blunt, black fringed out of her eyes.
"So we still on for the sleepover, yeah?" Sammy asked, absently plaiting her thick blonde hair.
"Yeah, folks are still going out, cocktail party style," I told them, winking conspiratorially, "time to burn the house."
"That's a joke, Sammy," Monique teased, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, ha-ha," Sammy poked out her tongue.
I laughed at the two. "So, come around six?"
"Awesome," Monique nodded, "I'll bring the movie. There's this new release about this girl who gets murdered, then her body becomes a vessel for all dark... "
"Absolutely not!" Sammy and I squealed, remembering the time we let Monique bring the movie. How she was the only one who slept at all that night, and the next few nights after that…
"You guys are babies," she mourned.
"How about I'll get the movies?" I suggested, elbowing them both in the ribs. All of us groaned simultaneously as the bell rung out through the school.
As I ambled up to my front door, feet dragging, I made a mental list of what I needed to do for tonight: Borrow movies, tidy my room (my mother's orders, not mine), and get some junk food from the milk bar. As I reached into my bag for my keys, I stopped, confusion pulling my eyebrows together. The door knob was smeared with gold, glittering dust. There were also skeleton leaves scattered across the welcome mat. I pulled my sleeve over my hand and cautiously wiped at the glitter. My sleeve came away twinkling. I shook my head and pulled out my keys, shoving them into the lock. The door was already unlocked.
Peter…
"Dammit!" I snarled, throwing the heavy gold compass down. Tinkerbell flitted down from the large tree she was perched on to my shoulder. "The stupid compass isn't working," I answered her ringing question. The thing was supposed to be leading me to the one who writes the prophesy of Neverland. But ever since my feet have touched earth it has been pointing to me.
"Hey…maybe I'm the prophet!" I said excitedly. Tinkerbell blinked, then rolled over, laughing silently. Great, golden tears streamed down her face. "Oh, shut up," I scowled. She wiped delicately at her eyes, and then took the compass from me. A great achievement seeing as it was larger than her. She gestured with her chin for me to move out of the way, and I realised that it wasn't pointing to me, but the small house behind me. It was a quaint, double storey structure, with patchy grass and a weathered porch.
"Could this be it?" I murmured, ducking behind a bush as the front door opened. I peeked up just in time to see a girl standing the doorway, blinking in the brightness. She was small, slender, yet curvy. Her hair was waves of rich russet colour, strands caught in the wind brushed across her warm hazel eyes. A splash of pink was painted across her cheeks as she glanced hurriedly to her watch, then set off swiftly down the road. I watched her until she disappeared around the corner.
Tinkerbell and I waited behind that bush until the house was vacated, until the streets were empty. When that time came I flew quickly to the front door, testing the handle. Locked.
"Tink? Will you do the honours?" I gestured to the lock. She grinned mischievously and flitted to the lock, sparks flying as she attacked the obstacle. I glanced over my shoulder, impatient. The door swung open and we slipped inside.
The house was warm, cosy. Yellow light filtered in through the gauzy curtains. I glided through each room, looking for hers. "Must be in the second storey," I hissed to Tink, tugging her away from the foul, bitter odour coming from a chipped mug. We gazed curiously at every object, trailing a hand up the rails as we ascended the stairs. Hers was the last door to the left. Her room was chaos, clothes were strewn about, her bedspread was crumpled, and pictures were stuck to her purple walls. I leaned in to inspect one of a much younger version of herself, all dimples and smiles as she clutched a small, glassy eyed bear cub to her chest. I frowned, noting its beady eyes and stiff structure. "It can't be real," I mused. I tore my eyes away from the pictures to Tink, who was standing on top of a small table top, admiring her reflection in the oval mirror. I grinned and shook my head.
"Tink? Please," I threw my hands up, "We need proof it's her." Tinkerbell blushed a deeper gold and turned away from her reflection. We both began ransacking her bedroom.
Finally, after ages of silence searching, I exclaimed in exhilaration, "Tink, I found something!" Wedged between the pages of an old book was a crumpled piece of paper. In black and white, she had skillfully drawn a picture of two men fighting on a ship's deck. One boy was suspended in the air. "That's me!" I pointed, scrutinizing it carefully. "Jeez, I'm not that lanky, am I?" I appealed to Tinkerbell, who shook her head solemnly, lips twitching. "And that," I leaned closer to the dark figure on the page, "that's Blackblood! Oh Tink we've found her! Finally!" Tinkerbell whizzed in the air, relief lifting us both up to the ceiling.
"Tonight we'll take her. Before he discovers where she is. And he won't be far behind." Tinkerbell shook her head angrily.
"Blackblood will soon join his father where he belongs. In hell."
Rose…
"Now, girls, behave yourselves," my father told us sternly, the act believable if it weren't for the twinkle in his eyes.
"Yes, Mr. Daemon," the three of us chorused.
"No parties," my mother teased.
"Hey, that's a good idea…" Sammy grinned
"Nah," Monique chuckled, "contrary to popular belief, I actually do want to live."
I smiled. With Monique's heavily charcoaled eyes, black clothes, pale skin and unique taste in music, many were ready to assume that she was suicidal. Or possibly a vampire. But none of this bothered her much. She just waved off the prejudices with an airy laugh and a witty comeback.
"Ok then," my Mum gathered up her bag and tugged at her clingy dress. Usually she wore jeans and over sized t-shirts. "Any problems ring me. Otherwise leave me in peace."
Sammy and Monique laughed, while I raised one eyebrow. Mum smiled and kissed me on the cheek, flinging goodbyes over her shoulder. Dad grabbed the car keys from the kitchen bench and, after a hasty, "Be in bed at a decent hour, please," he followed Mum out.
As soon as the spluttering sounds of their car faded into silence, we exchanged evil grins.
"In precisely two minutes we'll meet up on the couch," I announced, "ready…go!" I raced to the fridge and hauled out two large bottles of lemonade. I heard the stereo being switched on, loud rock music blaring from the speakers. With a bag of chips wedged under my arm and the soft drink in either hand, I hurried to the living room. The others plonked down next to me as we got comfortable, remote control clasped in my hand. "Here we go…" I said, curling my legs under me.
Two hours, a face mask, and a packet of jelly snakes later, we were sprawled across my purple bedspread in our pyjamas, giggling.
"Oh my god," Sammy breathed, clutching at a glossy magazine with both hands, "I am in love with those shoes!"
"Ew, pink," Monique pulled a face.
"Whoa," I exclaimed, rolling off my bed to go stand at my window, one hand holding the curtain aside, "have a look at this."
"Mmm, it's nice, Rose," Monique murmured, closing her eyes.
"Idiot," I grumbled, moving aside as Sammy peeked out.
"Jeez!" Sammy said, eyes wide, "Storm's heading our way."
On the other side of the fragile sheet of glass the sky was darkening. Clouds of purple and black were bunching together, forming as one solid wall. It seemed as though it was heading straight for my little house. Trees below were bending under the force of the wind, Sammy and I squealed in shock as a loose branch whirled up in the wind as smacked against the glass.
I heard Monique heave herself off the bed, throwing her IPod down as she went. "Holy crap, now that's a storm," Monique said, impressed.
"Feels like we're the target," Sammy said nervously, gaze flickering to me. She flinched as the sky growled, the sound reverberating through the house. She began to reach into her bag for her toothbrush. "I'm just going to go, er, brush my teeth," she gestured, disappearing out the door to the bathroom.
"You don't think she's scared, do you?" I muttered to Monique.
"Sammy?" she grinned, "Whatever gave you that idea?"
I rolled my eyes at her. "Oh crap!" I exclaimed, clapping a hand to my forehead, "The computer, I have to turn it off."
"Well, go on," Monique nudged me.
The floorboards creaked under me as I jogged downstairs to the study. The computer was humming, the screen coming to life. I quickly shut it down, fingers drumming as I waited to be able to turn the screen off.
Every light suddenly died out. The tea light candles lit earlier were snuffed out in one go. The house was in total darkness. "Dammit," I muttered, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart as I scolded myself for being so easily frightened. My hand groped along the desk, skimming over pencils, knowing there was my yellow torch close by. I finally found it, hand closing around the smooth plastic. Just as I flicked the switched, the narrow beacon sweeping over the room, I heard her scream.
Monique's scream was one of shock, terror. I stood frozen for three heartbeats before sprinting to the stairs. My feet slipped on the edges in the dark and I blindly reached for the banister. I tiptoed toward my bedroom, only darkness seeping out of the slightly ajar door. Taking a deep, shaky breath I reach out with one hand and slowly nudged the door open. The door creaked, the sound loud in the stillness, and I mentally cursed those hinges to hell. Holding the torch in front of my body, ready to use it as a weapon if necessary, I found Monique. She lay crumpled on the ground, her face closed, peaceful. It was as if she were sleeping. I hurried over to her, as I shone my torch on her face her lips and cheeks glittered. With one finger I gently brushed her cheek, inspecting the dust. It was gold... like the doorknob!
"Mon!" I whispered, "Very funny. Seriously get up."
No response.
"Monique?" I leaned closer, uneasy. The feeling I was being watched increased, a cold prickling sensation at the back of my neck.
"Rose," hot breath stirred my hair. I screamed, louder than I ever thought possible. I twisted my arm, trying to wrench it free from the grasp it was in.
"Rose, ow! Stop, it's me, Sammy!"
"Sammy?! Omigod you...! "
"I'm sorry!" her voice was shaken, her grip cold, clammy, "Rose, I'm scared. What happened to Monique?"
"I don't know." I leaned down closer to Monique, Sammy breathing unsteadily over my shoulder. "Monique?" I put my fingers to her neck, finding her pulse steady. I gently slapped her cheeks, but nothing happened. "It's like she's…sleeping," I whispered hoarsely. Sammy whimpered, then moved away from me. I still was bent over Monique frowning. "I should call my Mum," I said, expecting a hasty agreement from Sammy. When all that answered me was silence I turned around, a shot of cold freezing me when I saw that Sammy had vanished. "Sammy?" I called, scrambling to my feet, "Sammy, what the hell?"
Terror seized me so suddenly, rising up to my throat like bile, choking me. The torch shook in my hands, guiding me to my dressing table where my phone lay. Just before I reached it the windows blew inwards, glass scattering everywhere.
Peter...
Storm.
As soon as that command entered my mind the sky began to darken. I gathered all my anger, all my vehemence into one pulsing globe and threw it as hard as I could towards the small white house. The whirling sky was sluggish in response, the clouds bunching into one solid wall, an ugly bruise of purplish-black against the sky. These skies were much harder to control than at Neverland, but that made sense in a way. Seeing as I don't belong.
I flew just ahead of the racing storm, guiding it towards the isolated house. It swarmed around it, wrapping it up in a smoky cocoon. I heard murmurs inside the house, of astonishment, of uneasiness. This is going to be fun, I thought, practically rubbing my hands together in glee. Thunder clapped, lightning cracked. I threw one bolt towards the box of electricity, one gust of wind to seep into the cracks of the house. People here seem awfully dependent on light. With one strike the house was submerged into darkness. Now for stage two.
Slipping to the upstairs window overlooking the front garden, I silently pushed it up as far as it would go. I swung in fluidly, my bare feet touching the soft floor. The darkness wasn't so obscuring to me, my eyes had already adjusted. I had to act fast before the same happened to the others. I stood motionless, letting my other senses range wide. My ears pricked, hearing the rustle of the bed spread, the sigh of a slightly bored party. I hastily stepped into the corner of the room, to make way as the person moved to the window. I saw her freeze as her short, black hair lifted from the wind of the open window, her arms half extended. "Now you were definitely closed," she murmured, mystified.
Tink, I whispered silently, your time to shine. I felt the faint shiver of her presence in my mind, the warmth of her light coming closer. I leaned in, watching as the girl placed her hands up on the window, attempting to close it. She gasped as the golden spark of light that is Tinkerbell flew right in front of her eyes, stunning her. I crept up behind her and ducked my head to whisper in her ear, "Nighty night, little girl," she uttered one single, shocked scream before golden dust exploded from Tink's body, hitting the girl full in the face. I watched as her eyes rolled back and her body went limp, crashing back into me. I caught her and quickly lowered her to the floor, hearing the light footsteps of somebody running upstairs. These humans were so predictable.
I retreated back into the corner when I heard someone hesitate outside the slightly open door. The door creaked as it opened, but the girl, my girl, just kept walking through. Holding a beam of light. My brow creased, and I lithely danced out of the way of the light, ducking behind a wooden cabinet. The light shook as it rested on her companion, she rushed over to her. I heard her voice for the first time.
"Mon?" she whispered, "Very funny. Seriously, get up." She grew even tenser when there was no reply. She was so anxious she didn't even notice the next figure creeping in through the door after her. "Monique?" She leaned a tiny bit closer, oblivious to the shadowed figure right behind her.
"Rose,"it breathed in her ear. Rose (finally a name to go with the face!) cried out, causing me to flinch at the hair raising sound, and tried to free herself from the pursuer. The torch flew in all directions, once flashing across the other's face. A girl with blonde hair and wide, fearful eyes. Dammit, another one. I would have to wait until Rose turned around again.
The blonde was clutching onto Rose, I could see she was using all her strength. Rose turned back to her unconscious friend, concern apparent in the line of her shoulders. "It's like she's...sleeping," she said. I kicked off the wall as soon as the blonde released Rose to peer around her. I tackled her around the middle and clamped a hand down over her mouth. She was smuggled out through the open door, not a sound escaping but a tiny whimper. As soon as I had her out the door Tink coughed pixie dust in her face. The blonde inhaled the glitter in a shocked gasp before slumping in my arms. I dropped her gently to the ground, careful not to make a noise. Inside the room I heard Rose jump to her feet, her breathing short. Peeking one eye around the door I saw Rose reach blindly for the dresser, where atop lay her phone. I have learned these devices allow you to communicate with people who are even on the other side of town. Once she got hold of it my plan would be a lot messier than necessary. With a flick of my finger I pulled the wind in through the window, causing shards to fly inwards. The screaming of the storm filled the small room, causing Rose to stop short and cover her ears. And now for the final stage of the plan.
Rose...
After I lowered my hands from my aching ears I turned around again for my phone, seriously freaking out by this stage. My eyes zeroed in on the dressing table. Where my phone was no longer on top of.
A chuckle from the dark doorway caused me to whirl around in horror. "S-Sammy?" I stammered, taking a step back, "Is that you?" But I knew is wasn't her before the question even escaped my lips. The silhouette was much too tall, a head taller than me, maybe. The shoulders were broad, the stance lazy, casual with one shoulder leaning against the door frame. My breathing hitched and I stumbled backwards, the backs of my knees hitting my mattress. He began to take slow, deliberate steps towards me.
"Stay away from me," I warned, my heart hammering away in my chest. He held his hand up slowly, in one glowed my mobile. His teeth shone white in the light.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, still closing in on me.
"I said stay away from me!" I kicked out at him, catching him where it would hurt most. He gasped and keeled over. I jumped up and skirted around him, using the doorframe to swing myself out. My foot caught on something and I went down hard. On my knees I leaned over to see what I tripped on, and almost cried out loud. Sammy. Her face was covered in golden dust, eyes closed peacefully. What have you done?! I wanted to scream. I heard him groan and heave himself upright, so I left Sammy and ran for the stairs. I just need to get help, any help.
"Rose!" he shouted, "Stop, you know me!" I ignored him, taking the stairs two at a time. I crashed into the front door, fumbling with the lock. I finally got the door open a crack before it slammed closed again. I whimpered as I felt him pant behind me, one arm braced against the door. I shuddered as he urged me to turn around. I slowly turned to face him, and my heart almost stopped.
Luminous green eyes glittered down at me, golden brown curls hung loose around his face. The arm braced against the door was long, the muscles of his forearm hard, the tendons standing out against the brown skin. I had to cran my neck to look at him, trying hard to ignore his bare chest, the leather sash tied around him, holding a wicked dagger at his side. He looked so insanely familiar…
"You know me," he repeated, eyes widening beseechingly.
"No," I breathed, shaking my head incredulously, "no, it's not possible."
"You've seen me, in your dreams, in your stories haven't you?" he brought his other arm up to the other side of me, making a prison with his arms.
"I-I no, what- get out of my house! I've called the police-"
"No, you haven't."
"Monique, Sammy. What did you do?"
"They will be fine, Tinkerbell just put them to sleep."
"T-Tinkerbell?" I uttered, leaning back against the door. He nodded, then gestured towards the stairs. I reluctantly tore my eyes from him to the stair case where a bright spark of light floated. I felt my eyes widen.
"Say my name," he demanded, putting himself in my line of vision.
"This isn't possible, did I hit my head? Is this a practical joke?"
"Rose Daemon," he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes, "who am I."
I took in a breath and squared my shoulders, "Peter Pan."