Chapter 9: Red, Like an Apple
Talia here! OMG! Flav and I are totally freaking out becuz we have over 1000 views for Found in Neverland! Thank-you all so much for reading our story! So I have a great feeling that I'm gonna absolutely love, love, LOVE writing this chapter, becuz Flav and I came up with some of the best ideas in the world! Hopefully I will get to insert most of them! If not, then in the chapters to come! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: We do not own OUAT only Mackenzie and any other OCs we may create.
Mackenzie's POV
I sprinted through the forest. I wasn't exactly running from anyone or looking for anything in specific, I guess I just needed to run. Peter was probably gonna totally rage at me when he finds me, but I mean I'm a rebel so boo-ya! I knew he would, but I didn't care. What can I say? It's in my nature to get into trouble! I wasn't gonna just stay in that tree house for hours with nothing to do! Speaking of tree houses, when I stopped to take a break I glanced up to see one hanging in the branches. At first, I thought it was the same one and that Peter must have put that dumb spell around me to keep me from running away until I looked closer. This one was shabbier, older. I probably should have gone back now before anyone realized I went AWOL, but then on second thought… No. I went to the ladder and climbed up. At the top, I was greeted by a tiny hovel containing a hammock, a closet and a few shelves and cupboards. There were some small vials of bright green dust on one of the shelves. Maybe pixie dust or… Fairy dust? What if this is where Felix stored his drugs?! Seriously, he creeps me out! I took a vial in my hand and observed the contents. I heard a creak. Someone was coming up the ladder! I scanned the place for a hiding spot. The closet! I slipped inside. The closet was filled with various foods, which smelled fresh, but they made the already small space even more crammed! Great! My claustrophobia was starting to kick in! Maybe this wasn't such a good idea! I took a deep breath and peered through the crack in the door to see a young woman enter. Another female! I wasn't the only one! Her blond hair was tied in a bun and she was wearing a dark green dress.
She walked out of my sight and a few moments later, I heard her say to herself, in a soft, pretty accent, "Hmm, I'm missing one," Missing one? Realization struck. I looked down at my hands, which were still holding the vial! "Maybe I put it in here!" I saw the woman walk over to the closet that was concealing me. My breath quickened and the confined space was not helping! She put her hand on the doorknob. Act normal!
"Hey, whatsup!" I said casually when she pulled the door open. I did my act natural pose even though when someone says to act natural they do the most unnatural pose ever. She screamed and stumbled back. I walked out of the closet and placed the vial I was holding back on the shelf, "I'm sorry if I scared you! I'm Mackenzie!" I held out my hand to the still shaken woman. Slowly, she lifted her own and shook it.
"I'm Tinkerbell, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I was bored out of my mind, so I went exploring and then I came across…"
Tinkerbell interrupted me, "Not HERE! I mean in Neverland! There aren't many girls around here!"
"Oh, that's a long story! Basically, Peter Pan's shadow kidnapped me and now Peter won't let me go for some reason!"
"So you're like his… Lost Girl?" She raised her eyebrows, trying to hold in her smile.
"Don't even get me started! I am not "HIS" anything!" I shook my finger rapidly in front of my face.
"You know, Pan always gets what he wants! If he wants you, he's gonna get you!"
"We'll see about that!" I scoffed, "What are YOU doing in Neverland, anyway?"
"That's also a long story!" she let out an exasperated sigh, "Let's just say when I had nowhere else to go, Pan let me stick around as long as I stayed out of his way."
"Fair enough! Oh yeh! Before I leave, I need to ask you a very important question!"
"Anything!" Tinkerbell replied enthusiastically.
"I have been dying to know, will I still get my period on Neverland?" I asked.
She laughed, "Thankfully, no! Time stands still on Neverland, so that time of the month won't arrive!" she paused, seeming deep in thought, "It would be unfortunate if you came here before it ended."
I cringed at the thought of being on your period for eternity, "I can't even think about that! Well, I guess I should be going before Peter finds out I'm missing!"
"He already knows you're gone, hon, and he knows you're here." Tinkerbell stated as if it were a fact.
"Nonsense!" I started climbing down the ladder, "Nice meeting you, Tinkerbell!"
"Bye, Mackenzie!"
I had only walked a few feet through the trees when I realized Tinkerbell had been correct, "Kenzie, Kenzie, Kenzie." Peter tsked.
"I can explain! So Bernard stole my necklace and you know I just can't let that thing out of my sight, so I chased him up into the tree house and got it back and then…"
I wasn't able to finish my excuse when Peter's hand covered my mouth, "You should really stop blaming everything on the squirrel!" I stuck out my tongue and licked his hand. He retracted it instantly and wiped it on his pants, "That's nasty, Kenzie!"
"Next time, you'll think twice before going near my mouth!" At this, he smirked. I ignored it, "So what are you gonna do about it? Cancel my party? I don't even care!"
"No, I have something far more torturous in mind," There was a suspicious gleam in his eye, "You will return to the tree house and Felix will be there to keep you company."
"Felix?! Please, anyone, but Felix! Why not Carter?!" I retorted desperately.
All expression of amusement vanished from Peter's face and he stepped closer to me, "Carter? Why do you always want to spend time with him? Is something going on between you two?"
I chuckled lightly at his mood change, "I already told you Carter is my friend and everything is so much more enjoyable spending time with a friend than with a drug addict!"
"No." he responded curtly.
"Pleeeeeeeeeease, Peter! If Carter's there, I promise I won't run away again!" I tugged at his sleeve and put on my best puppy dog eyes.
"No." I theatrically stabbed myself in the stomach with an imaginary knife and dropped to the ground. I heard him snicker, "Aren't you dramatic?"
"I'm not going anywhere until I get my way! I've heard you're quite the spoiled brat, Peter! Well, I'm here today to test that theory! We can't both get what we want!"
"Fine, be that way!" he blurted out.
I sat up straight, "Yeh!"
"Don't think Felix won't be there."
"No!" I pretended to shoot myself through the head. I fell back down and shut my eyes, "Well, you're gonna have to carry me!"
"Ok." He replied casually. I felt his arms slip under my shoulders and knees. He lifted me off the ground. I opened my eyes and gave him a sceptical look. I didn't expect him to take me seriously. "What?" he asked innocently. I rolled my eyes and Peter enveloped us in purple smoke. When we were back in the dreaded tree house, he just stared at me without saying a word. He was frowning, but he didn't look mad. He appeared intrigued.
Eventually, I broke the silence, "Are you gonna put me down, Peter?"
He snapped back to reality, "Do you WANT me to put you down?" I opened my mouth then closed it. That question was harder than it seemed. Yes, because I knew I shouldn't feel any special attachments to him and no, because despite everything, I did! His hold on me felt so strong and safe. I didn't want to admit it, but I've got the case of the feels but it's nothing serious! I mean he's hot but he's not that hot! By the corner of my eye, I spotted a figure appear in the doorway. I turned my head and saw Felix. He always had to ruin the ambiance! Peter must have seen him too, because he gently placed me on the bed and all the sense of security left me, "Carter will be here soon."
"Thanks." I mumbled. He walked over to Felix and muttered something unintelligible before he jumped out of the hut. I shifted myself under the covers and closed my eyes. I just needed some rest & relaxation before Carter arrived. I almost forgot Felix was here, probably watching me at this very moment! My eyes shot open and my suspicions were confirmed. Felix was staring right at me as if I had no right to privacy, "Um, Felix, do me a favour and wake me up when you see Carter."
"Ok, sure." he responded without moving a muscle.
"No, like turn around and look out for him! You can't see him if you're facing the opposite direction!" I just really didn't want him staring at me! He gave me a strange look, but obliged, turning his back to me.
Feeling more confident, I shut my eyes, but just as I was drifting off, Felix came and shook me lightly, "Mackenzie!"
"What do you want with my life?" I groaned in response.
"Carter's here."
I sat upright and surveyed the empty room, "No he's not!"
"Well, he's not up here. He's down there." Felix pointed down the ladder.
I tossed off the blankets and strode over to the doorway. When I looked to the ground, that wasn't too far down, I saw Carter planted at the bottom of the ladder, "Hey Carter!" He glanced up at me, "What are you doing? Come on up!"
"Don't you remember what I told you?" he paused, but, when he didn't get a response, he continued, "My fear of heights!"
"Of course I remembered!" No I didn't, "That's why I wanted you to come! To conquer your fears, like I did today!"
"What happened today?" he called out.
"I'll tell you when you get your lazy butt up here!"
He hesitated, but finally put a hand on the ladder and slowly climbed up. When he was halfway up, he said shakily, "Mackenzie, I don't think I can do this."
"Of course you can! You're a Lost Boy! Just don't look down!" I called to him encouragingly, but the thing was he was nothing like the Lost Boys! He actually had a soul, he was actually nice and funny.
"Ok." he said while looking down. I just specifically told him NOT to look down! I saw him take a deep breath and continue to mount the ladder. When he was close to the top, I held out my hand to him. He took it and I pulled him inside the tree house. After he got on his feet, I went and hugged him. I'm sorry, but spending even five minutes with Felix is torture! I'm so happy Carter was here or I would literally die, I mean he's my best friend. I have no idea how it happened! We became friends in the weirdest situation! Now that I think off it, when I met him he was totally just in a tree like "Hey what's up!" and now were best friends! Wow, how things change. Anyways I realized that I was killing him, because I was hugging way too tightly. I sat against the wall and he took few moments to relax before talking, "So now you can tell me how you conquered YOUR fear."
"I had to hide in a really small closet." I replied plainly.
He raised an eyebrow, "Who were you hiding from?"
"Tinkerbell."
"The fairy?"
I furrowed by eyebrows in confusion, "She's a fairy?"
I jumped slightly when Felix spoke, "Well, she WAS a fairy." The fu… Was he eavesdropping on our conversation?!
"What happened to her?" I interrogated them.
"We don't know exactly," Felix said, "Something about being banished for breaking a rule."
"We never asked, so she never told us." Carter added. "Anyways, why did you want me here, Mackenzie?"
"Because I needed company!"
"You know I'm here!" Felix sounded insulted.
"Um, well, I believe three is better than two!" I replied awkwardly. He gave me an odd look, which I ignored. I turned back to Carter. I peered down at his belt and saw the handle of a sword and a thought came to mind, "Carter, I saw you dueling another boy the other day and you were really good! Do you think you can teach me to use a sword like that?" I asked hopefully.
"Sure! The real question is… Are you up for the task?" He gave me a boyish smile.
"Of course!" I exclaimed eagerly. I leapt to my feet, believing in a sword which appeared in my hand. I saw Felix giving us disapproving looks by the corner of my eye.
Carter stood up, chuckling, "Before we begin, do you have any fighting skills?"
"Well, I have good aim! Like I can shoot an arrow pretty straight! Oh and I'm good with a dagger!" I declared enthusiastically.
"Ok, let me see what I have to work with here! Instead of a sword, pretend you have a dagger in your hand. Show me what you got!" I took that as a cue to show off some of my amazing knife fighting skills. After demonstrating a number of moves, Carter stopped me, "Impressive, but sword fighting takes a little more precision! When you're handling a knife, the movements are in the wrists, right?" I nodded and he continued, "With a sword, it's all in the shoulders and here." he stepped behind me and put his hands on my hips. He rotated my body left and right. He acted like it was a perfectly normal touch, but I thought differently. This must have been how he felt when I put my arm around him! What if my feels weren't for Peter? What if they were for Carter? Not only was Carter nicer, he also had a familiar feeling about him. I couldn't think about boys right now! I was learning how to swordfight, for God's sakes! Meanwhile, Felix was staring intently at us, his face devoid of expression. Carter removed his hands and walked in front of me, "Do you think you're ready to learn some moves?"
"Yes!" I nodded impatiently.
"Ok, let's start with the basics." Carter unsheathed his sword and showed me some simple movements, which I mimicked the best I could. Felix observed us closely, but after a while just sat in the doorway and stared out into the woods. Every once in a while, we would engage in a slow duel and I would attempt to speed it up and beat him, but I would always end up having his sword pointed at my throat! After a couple hours, he started teaching me more complex actions. When I got the hang of it, I challenged Carter once more. I knew I had improved, because I wasn't the only one stepping back anymore. Our pace increased and the clanging of our swords grew louder. Soon, Carter and I were leaping around the room, our sword making long indentations in the walls and slices in the mattress and blankets! We knocked over furniture I hadn't paid much attention to before. Upon hearing all the ruckus behind him, Felix turned around and desperately tried to stop us, but he couldn't get close enough unless he wanted to lose an arm! We continued our battle until, eventually, he pinned me down on the bed, my sword the only thing preventing Carter from slitting my throat! In my peripheral vision, I saw another silhouette appear beside Felix, but overlooked it. I had to concentrate on getting the advantage! When I tried to push Carter away, he flew back, his back smashing into a wall!
I gasped and looked up to see Peter, his hand still in the air, "What the hell, Peter! I had him!"
"He was about to kill you!" Peter yelled.
"You, idiot! He wasn't trying to kill me! I asked him to teach me how to swordfight! We just got a bit carried away…"
"Carried away? Look what you two did to the place! You completely destroyed it!"
I glanced around the tree house at the destruction, "Sorry?"
"Leave us!" he ordered Felix and Carter. Carter slowly recovered off the ground and followed Felix out of the tree house. I hoped Carter didn't have too much of a hard time getting down!
I stared into Peter's hard, green eyes and the words started spilling out, "Come on, Peter! Why are you so mad? Isn't Neverland supposed to be all about fun? Did you really expect me to sit around and do nothing? Can't you just fix this mess with your magic? If I'm really that much of a pain then why don't you just send me back to the Enchanted Forest?" Peter raised his hand and flicked his wrist. I looked around the room again, to see that everything was back in order.
"Get dressed and come down. I'll be waiting for you." Then he vanished. That's it? No scolding or lecture? Ok then… I walked over to my red dress that was still hanging on the wall, but when I put it on, I realized there was a slit on the left side of the skirt. One of our swords must have cut it during the mayhem! The magic must have missed it. I really didn't care. It still looked good. I made a mirror materialize and I stared at my reflection. I patted my flat hair. Most girls would spend a few hours doing their hair and makeup, but I was much too lazy! Maybe just a pair of shoes and I'd be ready to go! I imagined a pair of simple, black pumps and they appeared on my feet. This party better be good!
Peter was waiting for me at the bottom of the tree house. His back was facing me. I walked right up behind him. He must have heard me because he started to speak, "That was fast…" he cut himself off when he turned around. His eyes widened when he saw me. He smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Wow, Kenzie, you look… You look nice."
"Girl I know… Oh… I mean thanks." I felt myself blushing.
"Red, like an apple!" He gazed at me for a moment before frowning, "It's ripped," His hand went to the hem of my dress, "I can fix it!" He lifted his other hand.
"No." I took both his hands in mine, "I like it that way!"
"Ok," he took a step back to contemplate me again, our hands still intertwined, "Something's missing."
"Please don't tell me makeup!" I pleaded.
He scoffed, "Of course not!" he moved forward, letting go of one of my hands. With a quick flick of the wrist, a little red flower revealed itself in his fingers. I let him delicately tuck it behind my ear, "There!" He smiled, but it wasn't one of those frequent smirks. This one was genuine. I smiled back. Peter wrapped us in a purple cloud and brought us in the middle of some trees. We must have been on the outskirts of the camp, because I could hear the Lost Boys shouting and laughing. "Close your eyes!" Peter told me. I obliged and he led me forward, guiding me toward the sounds of partying, "Now open them!" When I did, my jaw dropped. In the middle of the camp was a huge bonfire with Lost Boys dancing all around. Even Carter was dancing, but that's not what caught my attention. Around the fire, there were tables and tables scattered around the clearing filled with food! "What do you think?" I heard Peter ask beside me.
"It's beautiful!" I ran towards the closest table dragging Peter behind me. I recognized some of the dishes, but others were completely foreign. For example, there was a round, flat thing cut into eight triangles. It was covered in sauce, cheese and a variation of meats and vegetables. "Peter, was is this?" I asked curiously.
He smirked, "That, my dear Kenzie, is called a pizza."
"What kind of a name is pizza?"
"A name from a world without magic!"
"This is from another realm?!" I exclaimed in surprise.
"Yep." he picked up a slice with his hand and took a bite, "It's a sort of delicacy."
"You eat it with your hands?" I asked incredulously.
Peter glanced at the pizza as if encouraging me to try it. I slowly reach for a piece and bit the end. All the flavours mixed in my mouth to create an indescribable taste! My eyes must have become the size of saucers, because Peter raised an eyebrow in amusement, "You like it?"
"Are you kidding me?! This is the most magnificent thing I've ever tasted in all the realms! How can a land without magic make such magical foods?!" I took another mouthful and another until it was gone. I quickly snatched another slice and devoured it.
"Slow down! Save some for everyone else!" Peter gestured to the piles of food stacked on the tables.
"Um, I don't really want to save some!" Peter gave me a death stare "Ok, ok!" I shoved the last piece of pizza in my mouth and followed Peter to the other tables. He introduced me to several new foods, like hamburgers and chicken wings. Eventually, he left my side to go speak with Felix. After about an hour of tasting, I plopped down on a log to digest.
"You should dance." Peter walked up to me.
"Are you crazy? I'm completely stuffed! I think I might hurl!" I rubbed my stomach.
He waved his hand and I suddenly felt like I could eat five more pizzas, "Better?"
"Yes! Thank-you," he held out his hand expecting me to take it. I did, but not to dance, "Now I can eat more food!" I dashed to a table filled with chicken wings. I grabbed one and bit into it.
"Wanna dance?" I froze. I slowly turned around to face Felix his hand held out to me. Great!
"I'd rather eat."
"I insist."
I looked around the camp for help, but Carter was still dancing around the fire like a weirdo, Bernard eating pizza, (Oh, he better not eat MY pizza!) but as soon as Felix asked me to dance, Bernard started laughing. I didn't know squirrels could laugh? However, I was wrong. He was dying off laughter on the table and Peter had stopped paying attention to me. He was leaning against a tree. He pulled something out of his belt. A pan flute. He put it to his lips and suddenly lovely music filled my ears and I had the strange urge to dance. I took Felix's hand, "Why not?" Bernard stopped laughing and just looked at me confused. Damn, I loved that squirrel. He was like a human!
He smiled and led me to join the Lost Boys around the bonfire. We started dancing to the music. I barely noticed when it stopped, because it kept playing in my head. When I flung out my arm, felt someone grab my hand and steal me away from Felix. I was twirled around and around and when I finally came to a stop, I was face to face with Peter. He smirked and continued dancing with me. It didn't last long before Felix stole me back, taking my hand and spinning me towards him. This went on for a while, Peter, Felix, Peter, Felix. I felt like I was about to barf and not because of all the food. They kept spinning me back and forth. Suddenly, I felt another set of hands take my waist and carry me away from Peter and Felix.
At first, I was too dizzy to see who it was, but slowly my vision cleared and I could see Carter smiling at me, "I thought I would save you!"
"Thanks!" I put my hand to my head. I glanced over at Peter and Felix. If looks could kill Carter would be dead x2!
This chapter is so long, but like I thought, I had so much fun writing it! It's over 4000 words! So Flav should be writing the next chapter! Tell us what you think! Oh PS that was Talia. It's me now! Flavia, that is. I decided to stop being lazy and write the next chapter and also add some awesomeness to this chapter (You'll know which parts I added, because me and Talia write differently and also mine our so much funnier! I'm kidding! Luv ya Talia!) Just thought you guys should know that when I wrote the part when Kenzie was remembering how she met Carter (Her BFF!) I was thinking of how I met Talia because we met in the weirdest conditions! :'D Anyways we love you guys! Plz review and keep being awesome :) 3.
