Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan. Own the plot, though. :)
I sometimes wonder why life insists on being so mysterious. Maybe it's a guy…
"Um…what IS this, exactly?" Nicole stared at the white mush on her plate in a mix of awe and disgust. She vaguely wondered if it would come alive and eat her; she immediately regretted the idea. She stared up at the cook as she stood in line and tried not to hurl. A grunt of disapproval left the manly woman's lips. "Food. Now move along, you're holding up the line." She snapped, placing the same goop on the next girls' plate. Gulping, she gripped her tray and walked off, looking for a place to sit. Lucy fell in step next to her and stared at her goop. "Disgusting, isn't it?" She said and Nicole nodded. "Completely." She agreed.
Nicole sat down in an empty seat and picked up her spoon, poking the food cautiously. The smell alone made her want to gag and she couldn't even imagine the taste. However, as she watched everyone else force it down, she figured she could be a big girl and eat it too. Ugh, big girl. She hated it when people called her that; it only made her feel even more like a child. She wondered why everyone was eating it, but all thoughts were solved when she saw Filch roaming the cafeteria. And so, swallowing her pride, she scooped some of the white goop up and ate, trying not to throw it all up in the process. Kill me now. She mused.
As the kids ate their "breakfast" in silence, Filch cleared her throat and leaned forward across the table, hands folded. Automatically, the girls' eyes flicked over to the woman and stopped their eating. A thick, smug air hovered around her and Nicole felt like throwing up then and there. "I trust you all have learned something." She began, catching everyone off-guard, thus earning no reply. "I said, I trust you all have learned something." She repeated, voice darkening. Small murmurs of agreement fluttered through the room; that seemed to be enough for her to continue. "Excellent, because you're all leaving."
Shocked expressions printed themselves on the girls' faces. Nicole swallowed slightly and muttered a shy 'Away?', feeling breathless. Filch heard and nodded once, then turned to face everyone else. "Yes, away. The government came today and said they will pay your toll for the train." She said; she was met with dropped jaws. "Th…The train? Like…THE train?" Nicole squeaked, earning a snotty snort. She didn't even need to look to know who it was; frankly, that girl could go jump off a cliff. "Obviously, dork." Nicole bit her tongue to keep from saying anything; this was a joyous occasion and bitchy Lucy wasn't going to ruin it.
The train had been passing them by for years, claiming that they never had enough space. She was starting to give up hope, really she was, but now with this news, she couldn't help but smile. Filch glanced over at her and grumbled something, but didn't say much of anything. She looked back at everyone else. "Anyway, yes. The train. So hurry up and finish your breakfast; you'll be spending the whole day cleaning and getting ready. You little brats get out of my orphanage at 3 in the morning, sharp. Dismissed…er, well, good day." Filch said, standing up and leaving the room.
Stunned silence filled the room…
Like it was choreographed, the children jumped up and out of their seats, screaming silly little things that made no sense. It didn't matter, though, if it made sense; they were going on the damn train! Everything else could be shot to hell for all they cared, they've suffered enough. The entire day they spent washing the orphanage from head to toe; it was a pretty big orphanage. There were three floors with about ten bedrooms on each and two bathrooms on each. There were three huge windows on the right side and the floors were old and splintering, so it made it difficult to mop. However, with 150 girls in the whole building, it shouldn't be too difficult.
Even as they scrubbed and rubbed, disinfected and dusted, they smiled. They smiled because, no matter what they went through today, it would be over tomorrow. It would finally be over tomorrow, and they just didn't give a damn anymore. By the time they had finished it was around ten at night and they were all dirty and sticky. One by one, two by two for the smaller children, they took showers and put on the best clothing that they could find so that they could start packing. By the time they finished bathroom duty it was one in the morning.
With the girls awake and refreshed, they began to pack their things quickly. A couple of shirts here, some underwear there, stale bread used as a toy. As Nicole packed, she felt an elbow nudge her lightly on her ribcage. She glanced over at the small child beside her. She felt so old compared to everyone else; which is bad considering she's only twelve. Still, early mid-life crisis aside, she offered her a warm smile. "Yea?" The girl smiled back. "What do you think the train'll be like?" She asked, eyes widening and filling with wonder. Nicole was thoughtful for a moment before she spoke. "Well, I think it'll be wonderful. The ride will be smooth and the seats will be fluffed. There'll be a red carpet on the floor, so shoes would be optional. But most important, it'll take us out of London. That's all I want."
Liddy, the little girl's name, paused placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully before she smiled joyously. "Me too me too!" She exclaimed, packing her clothes more vigorously. Nicole fought the smile on her lips, she had smiled too much today, and continued her packing. She finished around 1:45, which was much later compared to the other children, but she didn't mind. She wanted to make sure that she had everything she needed for a safe travel. Glancing around, she noticed that all the beds were taken, much to her dismay. Fluffing her small backpack of belongings, she rested her head on it as she used it as a pillow and fell into a deep sleep.
She was in a forest. Her breath was ragged as she pushed her feet to keep going, to not give out under her. Tears blinded her vision, not that she could see much in the dark, but it was the thought that mattered. She could hear the footsteps, getting closer and closer. They surrounded her, three on each side of her. A sharp pain hit her leg and then the same on her arm. Blood spilling from the wounds she fell to her knees, leaving herself vulnerable to her pursuers. A fist-full of her hair was grabbed and yanked back, exposing her neck. It wasn't exposed for long, however, when a shiny sword was placed on it. She let out a blood-curdling, horror movie type scream and everything faded to black…
Nicole awoke with a gasp as she abruptly sat up in a sitting position. Her breath pushed out painfully from her chest, skipping uncomfortably as it made it to her throat and out her lips. Her body was covered in a thin sheet of sweat, barely visible but still there. She placed her palm on her burning forehead in confusion as she thought about the nightmare she had. Who was she running from, and why? "Are you okay, Nicole?" The sound of another person's voice startled her and her eyes snapped over to the source in fear. However, the feeling went away as she stared at the innocent face of the small child from earlier.
When she didn't get a reply, Liddy's brow furrowed in concern. "Nicole? It's 2:30, are you sure you're alright." She questioned again. Feeling more grateful now than ever, she felt a smile imprint itself on her face as she nodded once. "Yes, yes of course. Just a weird dream. Get some sleep Liddy; we have a big day in, well...half an hour." She said, earning a smile and a nod of agreement. "Okay Nicky. Night." She said, laying down and falling asleep it seemed. Nicole was silent as she looked around the room filled with sleeping girls and sighed. Thirty minutes; no use in going back to sleep, she mused as a yawn slipped past her lips. She stared up at the ceiling intently for a moment or two before she stood up and began getting ready.
A/N:: Chapter 2! :D *hive fives self* Thanks for reading, Ja ne! …
I don't even know why I say 'Ja ne' I'm not Asian, I'm Hispanic. I should be saying something like 'Adios' or 'Hasta luego' :x
Oh well. Ja ne!