Chapter 36: Doubt
Felix lay there in that shadowy hell, somehow sleeping with the shadows.
He dreamt about a girl. A a girl he held so dear for so many years a, only to have her ripped from him.
The boy had always been cold towards people even when he actually had a heart, but now that he didn't, there was an emptiness within him.
A hole he couldn't fill. If Pan killed that last little spark of fire, that little princess he cherished, his one true love then Felix wouldn't survive.
He stirred, calling her name over and over as though she was coming for him. But he was lost and no one was coming for him now.
Even as he slept, tears slid down his cheeks, boiling hot then instantly freezing on his scared face.
But the boy woke as soon as he heard the distant talking and the sound of twigs breaking on dead leaves as three people made their own way inside the deadly darkness.
"So this is where the victims of Pan's shadow reside." Someone said, it wasn't exactly a question. Felix recognized the voice and groaned.
"Yeah." Bae replied to the pirate. "Forced to spend eternity in this darkness. Come on. Let's be sure not to join them."
Felix wondered why the shadow hadn't killed him yet, why he hadn't ripped off his own shadow. What if Pan wanted him alive for something? This just worried him more.
Pan has his heart and therefore, he controls him. He sighed, standing up. "Hey!" He shouted.
They ran towards him, weapons at the ready. "Felix."
He nodded., backing away slightly. "Yeah. I-"
"Lily's worried about you." Emma stated. "She thought you'd be here."
He frowned. Why would they risk their lives for him? And... How did Lily know he was there?
Then he realized she wasn't even amongst them. "Where is she?"
Neal sighed. "She's in my old cave."
Felix's eyes widened. "Alone?"
They nodded. "Are you out of your minds?!" He yelled angrily. "What if Pan gets to her!?"
"He won't." Hook said confidently.
Felix glared at him. "How do you know? Pan knows this island better than any of you! If he wants to find her, he will!"
Bae went to retort, but Emma put her hands up before anyone could reply. "OK! Guys, we haven't got time for this!We're wasting time! Are we just gonna wait for Pan's shadow to show up and attack us?" She snapped.
Neal sighed. "Actually, Yeah. And when it does, we'll be prepared."
"You wanna tell me how that coconut works?" She asked him.
Felix tilted his head in confusion. "What?"
"We're here to trap Pan's shadow. Gonna stop us, Felix?" Hook hissed, a hint of warning in his voice.
The boy almost laughed. "You're gonna catch it with a broken coconut with a candle inside?" He asked, with a glance at the so called trap that Baelfire held in his hands.
"We light the candle, and the shadow is drawn to it." He explained. "It gets close enough, the flame will suck it in. Put the lid on then it's trapped inside this bad boy."
Hook bit his lip. "Sounds like a fine plan, except for one thing: our lanterns went out." He stated coldly. "So how the devil are we gonna ignite that bloody thing?"
Neal smirked, pulling out his silver lighter. "Welcome to the 21st century." He smirked.
Emma walked over to Felix as the two men worked on lighting the candle. "How's it coming over there, guys?"
The nodded at her. "Okay." Hook sighed, trying to snatch the shiny object from Neal's grip.
"So, Felix..." The boy glanced at her questioningly. "Lily explained what happened before... She told us that Pan 'punished' both you and h-"
He scoffed. "That's what she said?" He spat. "He ripped out my heart and forced his cock in her mouth to humiliate her. That's what happened." He snapped.
Emma's eyes widened in shock at his words. "Well, she mentioned the part about your heart... But..." She was disgusted by what he'd just told her. "Why did he do it?"
"Because I questioned him." He growled. "I saw the bruises all over Lily and she was crying... I did what I had to. I couldn't bare to see her that way... So I tried protecting her... That had been a mistake. He didn't take it well, and Lily paid the price more than I did." He whispered. "It's my fault she got hurt."
Emma bit her lip, she wanted to comfort him, he looked so broken just talking about it. Whatever Pan put them though, he was going to pay. "Every time I make a mistake, he hurts her. When I found her eighty three years ago, she was tied like an animal, she didn't even look at me when I came in."
He looked over at Emma. "She thought I was him. She begged me not to hurt her. But when she found out it was me, she said she missed me. But not ten seconds later, she said I couldn't stay. She wouldn't even let me untie her. I barely know what Pan's done to her... Only that it's terrible."
Emma sighed, glancing over towards the two men who love her, fighting over a lighter... She could feel the doubt wash over her and feared that they may not win this fight.
"Get up!" Peter yelled, when the broken little doll lay there crying.
She obeyed this time, waiting for the worst. She refused to look up, knowing that his demonic gaze awaited her.
Peter saw right through her, a wicked grin plastered on his on his face. "Look at me, slave."
Lily took a deep breath, but she ignored him. "My name is Lily. My name is Lily. My name is Lily." She kept repeating those words in her head until her chin was grabbed and she was forced to look at him.
"Please." She cried, closing her eyes, refusing to look at him. It was torture to stare into his eyes when she knew that he was trying to break her... When she knew just how well he was succeeding.
But Peter wasn't satisfied yet. He raised his hand and smacked her hard on the face, no doubt bruising her again. "Open your eyes." He snarled.
She was hesitant, but she decided not to anger him further and obeyed. But when she did open hose gorgeous blue orbs, she realized they weren't in Bae's cave anymore.
"N-no." She breathed, as she realized where they were. "No. NO! Please!" She sunk to her knees.
They were in the tree house, her prison. Peter hauled her up, and pushed her against the wall. "Listen to me, girl." He spat. "You and me are going to play a little game tonight."
Her eyes widened. "N-!"
Peter pulled out his dagger and placed it on her throat. "Yes. You will. Henry will be here because he's getting a little too suspicious. He thinks I'm keeping his family hostage." He hissed, clearly irritated at the very idea.
"He's been worried about you, by the way. You've not been in camp for a while... I think he misses your company... Mind you, who wouldn't enjoy a little whore's company every now and then."
"Pan-" He pressed the dagger harder against her throat, warning her to stay quiet.
"Now, what I want you to do is simple." She gave him a questioning look. "I want you to lay there." He gestured to the bed. "And wait for the little brat to come to you... He will ask you what's wrong. All you have to do is tell him that magic is dying and you are dying with it."
Her eyes widened in realisation. "B-but If I do... He'll trust you and then you'll kill him." She whimpered.
Peter grinned. "Clever girl." He whispered. "If anything goes wrong," He put more pressure on the dagger. "Then you will regret it."
She bit her lip, almost making it bleed. "He's just a boy." She whispered.
Pan grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the bed. "Defy me this time, and I won't hesitate to kill your brother along with Felix. Is that clear?" He demanded.
Lily gulped. "C-crystal..." That's when her doubts started to flicker, like the candle facing a little gust of wind... Lily was the candle, and Pan had almost blown her out.