word count: 1659
chapter one – prologue
Wendy, who was tucked in her narrow bed, broke from a dream to a boy shaking her awake. It was the young boy who woke her, Michael, that they took in the crew when he was just little, and he grew up on this ship. She couldn't say it was the most glamorous life, but wasn't complaining either. After all, she grew up on the Black Pearl as well.
She had been dreaming of that land again. Wendy called it Never Never Land, because time stood almost still, and rarely ever moved. Days were sometimes weeks, sometimes mere hours. The boys who lived on the island, had been their age for decades and were to be for many more. She also called it Never Never Land because of the Never Bird. You'll learn more about him later.
She got out of bed and gathered her weapons to her belt and buckled it onto her waist. All she had was a pistol and a knife, but it was all she needed. It's not like her father let her fight anyway. Wendy went to the window and could see her reflection from the dirty surface. Her strawberry blonde hair was a mess, but her green eyes were always as beautiful as emeralds in the bottom of the sea. They're your mother's, her father would to tell her when she was little. But not anymore. After his beautiful wife died, he changed radically.
She climbed on deck from below, and saw that the crew was working hard. They were preparing the ship to sail, and the ones on probation got to do the dirty work. Cleaning, scrubbing and sucking up to the captain, Hook, Killian Hook.
»Evenin' Wendy», an old-ish man with a handsome white beard and a strong Scottish accent said, as she was just swiping her father's coins from a table on the deck. »Heard the plan yet, love?»
»No», Wendy responded and looked at her father, observing a map held under his nose.
»I hears he's got a special job for ya», he said and gave a nod. She rolled her eyes and walked down the ramp off the ship toward town. Her father had never let her in on his plans, why would he now? It had to be something he couldn't do himself. She shook the though out of her head and headed for the market on the harbour. She always bough a piece of jewellery before sailing, just to remember Tortuga, her home. Really she was born in England, but she grew up on the Caribbean, that was her real home.
She got to a stand owned by an old woman, a witch she presumed from the jewellery that she sold. Charms and spells. Wendy looked at the things on the table and laid her eyes on a box. She looked at the woman, asking for permission to touch and she looked approving. Wendy took the box in hand, it was made of wood and had small engravings in it. In the middle of the lid a black pearl was embedded in it.
»It show you, your hearts truest desire», she spoke in a Jamaican accent, in a raspy and quiet voice. Wendy needed to lean in to hear the rest. »Open it and see.»
And when she opened it, she realized it was a compass. But no ordinary compass, this didn't point North. It was spinning all around.
»You not know what you want, child», she said and Wendy looked up at her. The pin was still spinning, not stopping until she closed the compass.
»How much?» she asked and the woman named her price. Wendy tucked the compass in her bag and paid for it. She looked pleased and swiped a few dreads behind her ear. She moved her finger as to signal Wendy to move closer. She did, and the woman pulled her by the arm. She was squeezing it tightly and Wendy gasped.
»But careful be, for what ye heart wants may not be good for you.»
Wendy was sitting on the rail of the Black Pearl. The ship was now all ready for the journey to the mysterious new realm. Her black sails were unraveled, the deck was so clean you could eat off it and Hook was behind the wheel, also ready. Smee came toward Wendy and she smiled.
»Ya all ready?» he asked and she nodded. Watching as the waves crashed onshore into the rocks, she sighed. She was going to miss Tortuga. But she had also missed the sea. It was both a happy and a sad place for her. It was where she grew up and had the best adventures of her life, and where she lost her mother. Mrs Darling was on a fishing trip when she suddenly saw a woman in need of aid. Mrs Darling was considerate enough to draw her a line and help her aboard, but when the woman approached Mrs Darling she noticed it was no woman, it was a Siren.
»It's the kraken!» Wendy heard a crew member shout bloody murder and she was alerted. She'd been sitting right on the rail and saw the long tentacles of the kraken swim in the sea.
»Stay away from the rail!» she screamed and the crew backed away, toward the middle of the ship deck. Wendy herself moved near the main mast, and took the pistol from her belt. It wouldn't help much with the kraken, but it was better than nothing.
The crew began to panic as they saw the first tentacle snake onto the rail. »Ready the canons», Wendy commanded and the men moved below deck. She followed and saw the crew handle only half a dozen barrels of gunpowder. That was not going to be enough.
»Wendy, get on deck», Hook had appeared from below and was looking at her scoldingly. She wanted to believe he was concerned about her safety, and not her ability to lead.
»Wait», she said, before the crew could fire. She saw the tentacles move again, hugging the ship in its grip.
»Hold your fire», she said. Hook looked at her with worry and she held up her hand. »Hold.»
»Wendy?» Michael said, ready to fire, unsure. She waited until the kraken was right next to one of the canons. She could see the black hole that was its mouth, move about. Its razor sharp white teeth were dripping of water and its tongue ready to snatch. »Fire!» she shouted and Michael fired the first canon, penetrating the beast's tentacle. The kraken reeled back and she could hear its scream.
The creature let go of its grip on the Black Pearl and disappeared. Wendy ran on deck and Michael followed. They were best of friends, like siblings, they'd known each other all their lives.
»Is it dead?» he asked her, observing the sea.
»No», she said. »We just made it angry.»
»Wendy!» she heard her fathers furious voice. He took her by the arm and began dragging her into one of the huts in the ship. He closed the door and let go of her.
»What was that?» he asked, exclamating with his hands. Wendy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Her plan worked, didn't it?
»You're staying in here until we arrive in Neverland», Hook said and Wendy looked up. Never Never Land?
»Never – what?» she asked to clarify. Hook spun around and just started at her for a second. It couldn't be the same place. It was all in her imagination, a dream.
»Aye, Never Never Land.»
Wendy gasped, and saw the Hook shut the door. She ran to it and punched her fist into it. »You can't keep me here!»
»It's for your own good, darling!» she heard and let out her breath.
The hut she'd put her in was Hook's office, or what he called it. It had a desk and a sofa in it – both stolen – and some curtains at the windows. She sat on the sofa and looked around. There was nothing interesting in the room, and all of Wendy's books were in her own hut below deck.
She awoke, once she felt the ship dive onto the surface of the sea. She looked out the hut window and saw nothing but the ocean, until in the far distance she laid her eyes on an island. It didn't look like much, just like her Never Never Land didn't. She still couldn't believe it was the same place, because it just – couldn't be. Never Never Land was just something Wendy came up with as a child to pass time and get away from the life of a pirate. She'd pretend to be a regular girl and play with her friends and have her mother read a bedtime story before bed. She did read her stories, just not bedtime stories. But no, that was never going to be the case. Wendy Darling was a pirate.
She stood up from the sofa, running to the door and trying it. Locked, of course. »Father!» she yelled, and soon enough Hook was at the door, opening it.
It was beginning to get dark as Wendy stepped on deck. She now saw the island clearer from the distance. It was dark green, with white sand surrounding it. As they got closer, she saw the only life in the entire ocean on that very island and she gasped. Colourful birds and something glowing on the top of the trees, something familiar. Pixie dust?
»It's beautiful», she said and Hook agreed. He took his map and pointed at a spot on it.
»That's where it is», he said. »El aqua de Vida.»
»Wait, the Aqua del Vida?» she asked and Hook gave a smirk.
»That very one, love», he said and Wendy got excited. They'd been after that water for years, before Wendy was even born. Hook's one true dream, was to become immortal and with this water, the whole crew could have that.
Eagerly she got off the ship, by the rope that had been cast down. She looked at the forest and gasped once again. The rest of the crew followed her onto the shore and they too were mesmerized by the beauty of their surroundings.
A/N: don't forget to give me feedback below!