Chapter Two
Rose…
"Now if I let you go do you promise not to bolt?" Peter asked, ducking his head to look into my eyes.
This dude was crazy. When he lets me go I'm running for the nearest baseball bat. Or the neighbours will do just fine as well.
"You know I can catch you if you run. Remember, no running is required." He thumped a fist to his chest, grinning.
Oh, I thought dismally, Peter Pan, that's right.
A flash of an emotion, to quick for me to read, flickered in the depths of his eyes. He took a deliberate step away from me, leaving me room to breathe.
We were motionless for three counts, then I threw myself at him. He was caught off guard, shock flitting across his face as I smashed into him. He swayed, throwing his arms out to catch himself against the wall. I struggled to regain my footing and spun to the door, twisting the knob and throwing it open. Outside was a whirlpool of blackness, of screaming winds and pelting rain. My hair whipped back, my hoodie flapped against the gale. Every instinct shrieked at me to get back inside, but I had to find help. I started to run, head bent against the rain. I was pushed backwards by the force of the wind, the power of it almost lifting me off my feet.
"Rose!" Peter yelled at me, suddenly beside me, "don't be stupid!"
"Get off me!" I screeched at him, trying to pull my wrist free from his iron grip. I dug my nails in, hard, leaving red crescent moons on his brown skin. He flinched, then grabbed at my waist, pulling me against his chest. I tried to elbow him in the stomach, surprised by how hard it was. He ducked down, knocking my legs out from under me and throwingme over his shoulder easily, turning to sprint for the house. I kicked and tried to pull myself upright but it was too late. He had me inside and shoved the bolt home. After he dropped me unceremoniously to the ground I staggered into the living room and sunk into the couch, shuddering from the cold. It's summer, for god's sake! The storm was obviously him.
"Jeez, Rose," he complained, examining his arm. He came and crouched in front of me, slightly wary now, "why did you fight me?"
"B-because," I stammered, teeth chattering, "I know this can't be real, and it's just gonna break my heart when I realise I'm dreaming."
Peter cocked his head to side, eyes shadowed. He brushed a sopping hunk of hair out of my face, tucking it tenderly behind my ear. I stared at him in surprise.
"This is real, Rose," he murmured to me, his tone urgent, "you've been writing a story, about me, haven't you?"
"What?" I blushed. No one knew about that. "N-no."
"Rose, there's no point lying. I already know the answer anyway. Because if you didn't write those stories, I wouldn't be standing here."
"What?" I said again, my mind refusing to comprehend.
He drew out of his dagger sheaf a crumpled, soggy piece of paper. I could just distinguish the scribbles as he held it up to me. It was a drawing, my drawing, I realised with a jolt of astonishment, of Peter and Blackblood fighting to the death on the haunted Jolly Roger. My first inkling of an idea to write a story of it. The beginning.
"Where did you get that?" I asked Peter, taking it.
"Your bedroom," he shrugged, unabashed.
I began to think. Maybe…just maybe, I wasn't going insane. "Wait here," I said distractedly. I rolled off the couch to the study, ransacking through the draws, upturning pencil cases in search of my writing book. I finally found the small brown diary hidden under old magazines in the fourth draw. Opening the dog eared pages, I flipped through to the 'Peter Pan' section.
"Here," I held it out to Peter dubiously, "see if any of this seems familiar."
He rifled eagerly through the pages, tracing my rough sketches, frowning over my scrawny handwriting. "Hey!" he exploded, making me jump. "This is how I met Blackblood!" he was pointing to the page filled with my writing, the left side a dark picture of the gloomy black castle. I leaned closer.
" 'Are you Peter Pan?'" I read aloud, "A dark stranger called out from the shadows of the Black Castle. Peter whirled around, confused. He thought he was alone.'"
"Yes," Peter said, interrupting me, "I am Peter. These parts are not known for their scenic beauty, stranger, what are you doing so far from the mainland?"
I stared at Peter for a moment, marvelling at his word-for-word precision to the pages. He wasn't even looking at the book. I cleared my throat quietly and continued,
" 'I am in search of something. Something that I have been hunting for for eighteen years,' and with that the shadow stepped out of the dimness, where the greenish light of the water illuminated his features. Black, sharp hair swept across his brow, curling into his collar. His tall, athletic stature was familiar. His skin was olive toned, scattered with scars and bruises, each telling a story of hardship and violence. But it was his eyes that chilled Peter to the bone, that brought up the bubbling hatred he had not felt since Hook haunted the seas. His eyes were the piercing periwinkle blue of that of his old enemy, and in them smouldered years of revenge and hate. 'I am known as Blackblood among the waves of the unforgiving sea. But I was born with the title James Hook…junior,' then he smiled a dark grin and…"
"And the bastard pulls out a sword from his belt and plunges it towards my heart," Peter cut in, a faraway look in his eyes. Then his eyes brightened and he grinned, "luckily I'm such a fast, strong fella that he missed by a mile!"
"Wow, so that actually happened?" I asked curiously, passing over the book into his reaching hands.
"Oh, yeah. And here," he flipped the book over to me, showing a small paragraph I wrote when I couldn't sleep. It was of Peter breaking into the captains cabin and finding an old letter written to Blackblood from his father. "Don't you see, Rose? Everything you write, everything your draw, happens in Neverland! That's why I'm here, that's why you need to come with me to Neverland. Because Blackblood knows. He's been searching Earth like me, but he's set on capturing you so he can force you to turn the odds in his favour. And if he takes over Neverland, it will become a place of darkness. I need you, Rose," he reached out to touch my arm.
"Oh, yeah right," I snorted, pushing him away and standing, pacing up and down the hallway. Peter was amusing himself by walking up the walls, "what I write… it's just stories! On my old laptop! What's so magical about that, huh?!"
"Sometimes, when you believe in something, have faith in something so fiercely, they can come true," he shrugged, his feet leaving black smudges on the wall.
"But I can't go, my Mum, Dad. Sammy and Monique- I can't just leave them. What if he comes after them?"
"Listen, Rose, we're kind of in a hurry. Blackblood could be here any minute. You understand how dangerous he is, I mean, you created him," he said, slightly petulant.
"What- I…me go to Neverland? No, I can't…Well- maybe,"
"We can do this the hard way," Peter said, exasperated, advancing on me, "or we can do this the easy way. Because, personally, I don't want to be carrying you all the way to Neverland."
I glared up at him in alarm as he motioned for Tinkerbell to come over, her brilliant light dazzling me as they exchanged mischievous grins.
Blackblood…
"What have I told you," I spoke quietly, anger simmering, "about calling me that," I drew out my sword, stroking the blade as if it were a gentle animal. Scabs backed away hastily, fear eating at him. And so it should, for I have made it crystal clear that if anyone utters the words 'James' or 'Hook' to me they will die.
"Captain Blackblood, my apologies, most sincere apologies!" He stumbled as he spurted words from his filthy mouth. I was not in the mood for forgiveness today, ever again if I do not find the wretched girl. And this whole crew will feel my wrath if we do not.
"So now I'm captain am I?" I demanded, laughing when Scabs' back hit the railings, terror causing his yellowed eyes to bulge. "Blackblood does not forgive," I said quietly, bring the blade forth to kiss his throat. Scabs sucked in a breath. "Let this be a lesson to all of you," I bark to the nearby crew, "of what happens when you vex Captain Blackblood." And with that I plunged the blade into Scabs' throat, watching the blood splatter from the wound and his dirty hands scrabble at his neck. Within seconds the miscreant slumped forward to the ground, a pool of blood oozing out from under him.
"Smee!" I called, pulling out my sword and wiping the blood on the rails.
"Y-yes Captain?" Smee came hurrying to me with his short legs.
"Is there any progress?" I asked the old man, whom my father seemed very fond of. No idea as to why, this man was an embarrassment to pirate kind.
"Well," Smee pushed his grimy glasses further up his nose, "the prisoner is having trouble being cooperative. Poor thing,"
I rolled my eyes to the heavens and pushed Smee roughly aside. The cowardly crew dived out of sight as I barged past them to my cabin.
"Well, Starlight, it seems you no longer want to co operate with us," I leaned down to the lantern, where inside was not trapped light, but a fairy. She had her back turned, her face averted. "Just five words, beautiful, and that will be the end of you."
Her tinkling answer was high pitched, and painful to hear. "Oh," I smiled and her response, "you don't care if you die? You'll never betray Tinkerbell? Well, what's this?" I feigned surprise as I held up the matchstick. "Why, when I light this lamp you will boil to death. And that is not a pleasant death. Wouldn't it be terrible if my hand accidentally slipped," I waved the lit match closer, and the fairy flinched.
"Now tell me," I shook the lantern harshly, laughing as she was knocked against the walls. "Where are they."
Starlight looked up at me with her large silver eyes, and I felt something tug at my chest. Like…guilt? No, I mentally kicked myself, it was merely disgust for the insect. She pressed a hand against the glass, and frost crept up from her fingertips. I watched as the frost made shapes, pictures.
"No murder tonight!" I called gleefully over my shoulder as I bounded out of the cabin, running the pictures in my mind repeatedly as I went in search of Smee.
"Smee!" I boomed, causing the man to jump violent out of his nap.
"C-Captain!" he shrieked in surprise, staggering to his feet and wiping at the saliva dripping from his mouth. "Yes Captain."
"We have a heading."