Hey everyone StarRosie here.
Sorry, I promise that I'm usually more consistent with pumping out these chapters, but a lot of things have happened recently and I wasn't able to proofread this chapter during that time. I know I don't have a huge following, but it means the world to me that you guys are so engaged in this story and your reviews never fail to make me smile :)
All of the characters in this fanfic belong to the Walt Disney Company and I only own Dakota Davenport, Mindy Singh, and Scarlett Bloom.
Now without further ado, please enjoy this long-ass chapter!
Chapter 11: Bad Form
The opponents broke apart.
Mindy heaved as sweat oozed down her back and trickled to her calves. Seriously? How pathetic are you? The actual swordfight has barely begun, and you're already exhausted?
She didn't have time to call for a timeout as Hook pounced with the viciousness of a lion. Mindy's eyes grew to the size of cannonballs as she clumsily countered his blade. She impulsively started moving backwards as they continued to clash swords. She gripped the handle with two hands as she swung it over her head with hilariously shrill cries.
When Mindy had watched swordfights in movies and TV shows, she had pictured the weapons to be a lot easier to carry. Unfortunately that was far from the case. Her arms were straining something fierce just to keep the weapon upright. She felt as though her elbows were mere seconds away from popping out of their sockets from how far she had them extended. Occasionally, the flat end of her blade would strike her chest or the side of her head as a result from the relentless brute strength that emanated from her opponent. She gritted her teeth to distract herself from the swelling, and pressed onwards.
She released a sort of "Woah!" sound as her back suddenly hit the railing. Taking notice that she was trapped, the villain swiped his hook in the direction of her stomach. Mindy swerved out of harm's way and it struck down on the wood instead.
"BLAST THIS HOOK!" He bellowed to no one in particular.
Mindy watched with bated breath as he started the process of freeing himself. What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?!
Her heart pounded as the gears whizzed rapidly inside of her mind.
She knew that it would be physically impossible for her to defeat Hook. She was at too many disadvantages when compared to him. She was nowhere near as experienced as he was with a sword, so she wasn't even going to try to out-duel him. She was also sleep-deprived, hungry, and above all thirsty. She hadn't eaten anything since the Native Party, and she couldn't remember the last time she had stayed up this late.
Mindy knew that the only way that she was going to win, would be to outsmart him… but she also knew that she had to think of something quickly. Otherwise, her body would shut down before she was prepared.
She was brought back to the present by the sound of Hook chopping a chunk of wood from the railing; freeing his arm with a beastly grunt. He then whirled around with a smile that made Mindy's stomach churn.
"I knew you wouldn't have it in you to land the first blow…girls, they are incredibly sensitive when it comes to violence."
"Men, they're so…they're so incredibly stubborn when it comes to admitting when they're wrong about something." The words sounded pathetic and hoarse coming from Mindy's cracked lips.
Nevertheless, she was rewarded with the sound of childish laughter stemming from The Lost Boys and Dakota Davenport who wheezed: "Can we PLEASE count that as a hit?!"
"I don't think that's how it works bu-AHHH!"
Mindy was totally unprepared when Hook lunged towards her the second time.
She dug her toes into the ground with a tense grimace as their blades collided. As they resumed their battle, she did her best to keep him from backing her into anymore tight spots. Unfortunately, pure adrenaline could only get her so far this time around, and her noodle arms were starting to falter. Despite how hard she tried to maintain her footing, the fact didn't change that Hook was ten times stronger than she was.
Which was why she wasn't surprised in the slightest when the captain knocked her sword out of her hands, and sent it sliding across to the opposite side of the deck. Mindy put her hands up in surrender as the tip of his blade hovered over her throat.
She snapped her eyes shut as she waited for him to land the finishing blow…that never came.
"That's one point for the Cap'n!"
Smee's voice caused her to glance up…
Hook's once intense, steely gaze had softened into one of overwhelming smugness. He took a step back from the shaken teen, turned to his men, and snapped his fingers. Mindy's breath came out in ragged puffs as she followed his eyes. The burly pirate with the lavender shirt and bushy mustache who was guarding the kids, selected one at random, and cut his restraints.
To everyone's horror, he withdrew the littlest of the bunch.
The Lost Boys released agonized cries: "No! Not Toodles!" "Take anyone else!" "Take me!" "No Me!" "Not *sniff* our little… GUUUYYY!" "Waaaaahhhhh!"
As the pirates hollered incoherently and led the kid dressed as a skunk to the plank, Mindy could feel a rising pressure in her chest that she couldn't even begin to describe. Desperately, she looked towards Dakota. When he caught her stare, he in turn received the tacit message she was trying to convey.
Protect them.
"How?" He mouthed.
Discreetly, she flicked her eyes towards Tinkerbell.
Dakota nodded before disappearing over the railing with the fairy zipping behind him.
"You're in over your head me dear."
She whipped her head around so hard that her glasses almost flew off of her face. "Yup, it appears that I am!"
Hook raised a brow at her sudden change in demeanor but continued regardless, "It's never too late to call it quits…are you quite certain that you know what you're getting yourself into?"
I'm getting real tired of people asking me that question as of late.
Mindy gnawed on her bottom lip before turning to witness Toodles walking across the plank. He looked over his shoulder to give his friends a tiny wave before he leapt over the side. The Lost Boys screamed bloody murder while Wendy and Mindy could only stare at the scene in shock. They could hardly believe their ears when a proper splash resounded from Starboard.
The pirates cheered which drastically contrasted with The Lost Boys' wails of devastation.
All of them (including their cocky captain) were too occupied descending into another round of laughter to notice a water-logged Dakota rising up to peek over the railing, hissing: "Psst!" to the kids, and gesturing to a high-flying Toodles who was perfectly alive and well. Dakota then spit out a strand of seaweed before giving them a thumbs-up. Everyone on the good side let out collective sighs of relief.
When the pirates' chuckles started to die down, Mindy waved her hands with panic-stricken eyes. In an instant, Dakota yanked the lost boy back over the railing, and everyone went back to pretending to grieve for their fallen brother.
The sound of someone clearing their throat caused her to whirl around.
Captain Hook raised a brow as he crossed his arms.
Oh crap he asked me a question! Mindy kept her face blank as her thoughts spiraled, Um…okay girl, you've got this! Just pretend that you're too sad to even answer...Ooh, ooh! Better yet! Uh, respond to his question with another question to get him off your scent!
She feigned a look of absolute heartbreak, and forced tears to spring into her eyes as she demanded: "Don't you have anything better to do with your life?!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"All of you!" She then addressed the rest of his entourage with an over-dramatic shout of anguish, "Look at what's become of all of you! You guys used to be living life to its fullest on the high seas! Looting, pillaging, and plundering! And-and now you seriously have nothing better to do with your lives other than play make-believe with a bunch of little kids?!"
"Uh, kiddo?" Dakota poked his head over the railing to whisper in her ear, "I think you've sold them…no need to milk it any more than you need to."
"Hang on, I'm on a roll." Mindy whispered back, "Furthermore! (And this is just a thought) Have you all ever considered what would happen if you decided to I don't know stop with all of this nonsense?! I mean, you guys just got excited to kill off a little kid for crying out loud! And let's say that you did manage to kill off Peter Pan in that explosion…what are you planning to do then?! And don't say sail the seas! Don't you think that things will never be the same after all of this?! You do realize that Hook will continue talking about Pan even after he's gone… nonstop… for days and days on end right?! Do you really wanna be reliving the memories of your time stranded on this Godforsaken island once this is all over if it even is over?! Well I'll tell you something! We all know how this is gonna end, because this is a Disney movie where no one dies, and good will always triumph over the forces of evil! And that formula is NEVER gonna change because the people at corporate will ra-A….A….AAAAA-choo!"
Before she could finish her sentence, something black, white, and fluffy tickled her nose and caused her to sneeze…when she eventually registered what it was, the weight of the world came crashing down onto her wimpy shoulders.
Shit.
Toodles dangled upside-down in midair with an adorable smile on his freckled face. He flapped his arms enthusiastically as he circled back to Dakota who was shaking his head with a face-palm. Mindy glanced up at the crew with a smile that was a bit too tight.
"Hehe….he's-he's uh, he's a ghost?"
It took everything within her not to yeet herself overboard, Convincing.
"You treacherous little viper!"
Mindy's pupils shrunk to pinpricks when Captain Hook speedily advanced towards her, took hold of her throat, and slammed her into the mast alongside the restrained Lost Boys. She gurgled helplessly as he proceeded to crush her windpipe. Wendy and Dakota rushed forwards to help, but were quickly intercepted by two of Hook's lackeys. Tinkerbell scowled before zooming towards the captain, but he flicked her away without even turning to look over his shoulder.
It took a stupid amount of time for Mindy to comprehend that she had never been more afraid of Captain James Hook than in that exact moment.
Up till this point, he'd portrayed himself as a conniving gentlemanly villain who somehow managed to grate on every single nerve that made up her petite body. Mindy knew that he was an evil sociopath, but she honestly hadn't been expecting him to lash out at her in such a violent manner.
For the first time, she was witnessing just how dangerous he could be.
And it shook her to her core.
"I consider myself to be a reasonable pirate." Mindy didn't bother to point out how controversial his statement was (not only because she physically wasn't able to but mainly due to the fact that she was practically pissing her panties), "One who doesn't take the terms of a duel for granted…and when someone… say a delusional little girl who's trying to play the part of the valiant heroine chooses not to respect the rules set in place, I consider that to be bad form."
She clawed at his fingers, but that only caused him to squeeze tighter.
"Send my regards to Pan will you?"
Black dots clouded her vision, and she could feel herself steadily losing consciousness. There was no denying that Mindy was in a tight spot, and she had to do something drastic otherwise she was a goner for sure.
Come on! Why is this so hard for you to do?
She was running out of time.
Do something! Anything!
She could feel the life slipping away from her body.
Fight back! Fight Mindy!
Her eyes started to flutter closed.
FIGHT!
A sickening crack met her ears.
She had somehow managed to roundhouse kick Captain Hook in the jaw. This in turn caused him to release her neck and stumble backwards in astonishment. Mindy fell to her knees in a coughing fit as she wheezed for air. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sob uncontrollably over her almost immediate death, but she knew that she couldn't stay down for long.
Her legs wobbled as she got to her feet.
The wager was all but forgotten at this point, and so Smee didn't bother to count her burst of sudden adrenaline as a hit which was fine by her. She was too dazed to even notice the pirates whispering amongst themselves about how she was some sort of witch. Hook clutched his bruised jaw… still in shock over what she had just done. If Mindy was being honest with herself, she was just as surprised as he was.
How… how did I do that?
The captain shook his head to regain his composure, and tried multiple times to stab her in the chest. Mindy was barely able to dodge his blows; cutting it close on more than one occasion. Growing more frustrated, Hook proceeded to make his movements as unpredictable as possible. He attempted to confuse the girl by acting as if he were about to strike, and catching her off-guard while she was distracted. Mindy's feet scrambled to avoid his attacks as if they were dancing on hot coals.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
Meanwhile, Dakota acted as her own personal cheerleader, "You're doing great! Okay, to the left-uh lean back! Move side-to-side! Duck! Good! Keep playing safe, safe is your new best friend! Now to the right! Duck again! Le-right! Jump and-"
"-DAKOTA!" Mindy hollered. "I AM NOT A VIDEO GAME CHARACTER!"
Unfortunately, this momentary lapse allowed Hook to find an opening, and swung at her neck. She leaned her head back at the last minute, but the blade still nipped her throat; leaving a scarlet indent just underneath her chin. Mindy cried out in pain as a few droplets of blood spilled onto her dress. Since she was temporarily stunned, the villain took the opportunity to kick her in her gut. She landed roughly on her side, knocking the breath out of her lungs in the process.
Hook pointed his sword at her with a murderous glint in his eyes. "It appears that you've lost your touch."
She braced herself for her inevitable doom when she heard: "MINDY! HEADS UP!"
Her eyes popped open and caught sight of none other than Dakota Davenport who'd managed to snag his foot onto the grip of her sword, and slid it in her direction. She didn't hesitate to grab it, and miraculously deflected Hook's oncoming blade. The sweat beaded down the sides of her forehead as she pushed against him. The captain's mouth twisted into a ruthless scowl as he forced all of his weight on her. Mindy's arms shook as the sword drew closer and closer to her throat… With strength she didn't know she possessed, she threw him off of her, and catapulted him into a line of barrels.
Her eyes widened as she sprung to her feet… she looked at her trembling hands as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened. For as long as she could remember, she had been a weakling… where had that sudden upper-body strength come from?
"SMEEEEE! GET OVER HERE YOU IDIOT!"
"HOLD ON CAPN' HOOK SIR I'M COMIN SIR!"
Mindy tiptoed over to see what the commotion was about, and cupped her hand over her mouth to hide her giggles. Hook had somehow managed to get his head stuck inside one of the barrels, and was frantically trying to free himself from the humiliating position. As Smee hobbled over to tug at his legs, she stifled a laugh and averted her eyes from their direction. She then glanced down at her sword before licking her lips, and hesitantly getting into an amateur fighting stance.
Wow, I look…so dumb.
"SMEEEEEEEE!"
"ALMOST THERE CAP'N!"
A loud pop pierced through the air as the Captain was freed from the barrel. Smee fussed with his coat and wiped the excess juice off with a handkerchief. After a reasonable amount of time had passed, Mindy cleared her throat to get their attention. Hook hastily shooed his first mate away, and looked up to face to the mettlesome girl…
A chuckle rumbled in his throat. "Princess…why don't you save yourself some trouble, and walk the plank before you do something elseyou'll regret?"
"Believe me if I wanted to kill myself, I'd climb up to your ego, and jump to your I.Q." She shot back.
Mindy didn't give him the chance to reply as she charged towards him at full speed.
As they resumed the clashing of swords, Mindy constantly observed Hook's movements in hopes of finding something that she could use against him. She noticed many things, but none of them were helpful for getting out of her situation. But that didn't stop her from attempting to copy his fighting stance and his footwork to the best of her ability.
"You know." Hook commented. "Imitation is the highest form of flattery."
Mindy didn't respond and instead concentrated on keeping her sword in her hands as her knuckles turned white. She made the mistake of hunching over to wipe her brow on her sleeve, and foolishly left a wide opening for Hook to do whatever he pleased. Instead of simply running her through like he had originally intended, he decided to toy with her a bit before finishing the job. So he kicked her in between her ribs and knocked the breath out of her a second time as she tripped over a coil of rope.
Mindy coughed as she staggered to get back on her feet.
The pain was worse this time, and she could feel her limbs growing weaker by the minute… she wasn't sure how long she could keep this up. At what seemed like a snail's pace, she continued to haphazardly swing her weapon at Hook.
The Captain yawned in boredom and deflected each of her attacks with ease. "Is this truly the best you have to offer me?"
Mindy didn't seem to hear him. She felt as though she was swimming in a pool of thick tar as she sloppily countered his attacks. Her vision was clouded with more dots, and her throat was so dry that she could barely utter a response. Before she knew what was happening, her legs gave out from under her, and she collapsed onto the deck in a heap.
"Mindy!" Dakota screamed.
"Free the others." She mouthed back to him.
He nodded before shifting his gaze to Tinkerbell who was still recovering over being flicked into the door of the Captain's Quarters. Dakota gave a subtle bird-like whistle as he tilted his head to he and Wendy's predicament, and the fairy came to their aid. Thankfully, no one noticed as the pair slipped away from the crowd, and glided over to the other side of the mast to begin untying the Lost Boys.
Hook decided to rub it in as Mindy took deep staggering breaths. "Giving up already are you? How disappointingly pathetic…When you were younger, you lasted far longer than this." He clicked his tongue a couple of times as he pointed his blade at her collarbone. "What a pity…I thought that you could've been a worthy adversary to replace Pan but… I suppose that I was wrong."
When she refused to give him a reaction, he groaned before crouching down beside her. "Alright… I can see that you're hesitant to speak so I'll put it bluntly... If you don't get up in thirty seconds, I will kill you right here and right now."
Mindy's brows shot up. "You… you want me to-"
"-keep in mind that I don't show mercy very often." He snapped. "You have thirty seconds… I suggest you use them wisely."
If she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to get up.
How could she when she knew that there was no point? Despite how determined she was the truth of the matter remained: I have no idea what I'm doing! This is my first time picking up a sword, and I expected to be able to defend myself against one of the greatest swordsman in cinema history?
A shrill ringing noise echoed inside of her brain at that moment… A fuzzy tingling sensation flooded throughout her entire body as she reflected on three key events that had led up to this moment. She remembered the swooping kick she had landed, the sudden strength she had possessed, and the witty remark she had made seconds before the fight had begun… what had caused me to react that way?
"Forget it! You are an utter waste of my time!" Hook burst out. "Just look at you! You don't even remember how to hold a sword properly! How can you expect to just-"
His words were drowned out by the nerve-grating ringing sound as well as the overlapping questions bouncing inside of her head. Oh my God, I'm having another stroke…Was it because of intense pressure? Am I simply going insane? What are the connections between those three? Come on Mindy focus! She squeezed her eyes shut as she searched her mind palace for answers. Have I done this before? If so… when? How old was I? How far back do I need to go? Why is it so hard to just remember? Ughhh….I just want to remember!
That was when the lightbulb lit up…
Her eyes began to shimmer a milky white as vivid images danced in her head: A little girl letting out bell-like laughter as she took down five pirates with a makeshift trip wire… she soared to a flying boy's aid as she blocked a gleaming hook with her sword…A loathsome sneer flashed in her mind as the girl lunged towards the figure… the vision ended with two silhouettes rapidly clashing blades as the smaller one knocked the other onto its back…
"-This is ridiculous!" Hook threw his arms up in aggravation, "This is no place for a weak, helpless little girl like yourself!"
That was when The Lost Boys were cut free, and teased the other pirates with animalistic shouts and problematic hoots.
"Quick! Up the rigging, you'll be safe there!" Dakota hollered above the turmoil.
Since he was the oldest one of the bunch, no one objected, and followed both he and Wendy as they scurried up the ropes (but not before Michael Darling filled his teddy bear with a cannonball).
Mindy blinked a couple of times as her eyes returned to normal... images of training sessions with Peter Pan and countless nights of cardio came flooding back to her in an instant... It took every ounce of restraint within her to keep from smirking arrogantly. Oh she would get up alright… and this time she intended to not hold back in the slightest.
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE YOU BILGE RATS! GET THOSE SCURVY BRATS!"
While Hook was distracted barking orders, Mindy aimed a flying sidekick towards his back with a fierce battle cry. Unfortunately, he had sensed her presence and swerved to the side right before her foot could meet its target. She rolled onto the deck with a snarl, and made a point of dusting herself off before she clambered back to her feet into a proper fighting stance.
"What's this?!" Hook mocked. "It seems that you've finally decided to come out to play after all!"
"Yeah, well." Mindy backed him into the mast with a half-smile, "Better late than never am I right?"
He frowned at how quickly she had trapped him, but slashed her arm with his hook with an outraged screech. She stumbled backwards with a gasp as a thin trail of fresh blood trickled down her wrist. Since she was momentarily distracted, Hook slipped out of the tight spot, and disarmed her. Mindy watched in horror as her sword landed on the upper deck with a clang!
Her breath hitched in her throat as the pirate aimed the blade at her neck. "Face it princess, you should have just stayed home!"
The world seemed to move in slow motion…
Right as Hook was about to pierce his sword into her chest, she did a flawless back-flip, and kicked the weapon out of his hand; causing it to land a few feet away from her own. His eyes bulged out of their sockets, and his mouth was slightly agape… Mindy breathed heavily as she fruitlessly tried to process what had just happened…
She came back to her senses, and sprinted up the stairs to retrieve her weapon. Hook took a bit longer to recover, but followed close behind. As soon as she grabbed her sword, she spun around and immediately parried the captain's. They then broke apart, and resumed their battle.
Her body seemed to move on its own as she did various cartwheels and complicated back hand springs in order to dodge Hook's attacks. It was as if she'd been transported back to the night of the Native Party, and was as light as a feather as she performed the complicated dance routine consisting of parry, thrust, dodge, and weave. After a while, Mindy started holding the sword with one hand instead of two, and it strangely felt… lighter than it ever had before. It was as if she'd been a swashbuckler her whole life.
And it felt invigorating.
Still, Hook refused to give in so easily. "Aren't you growing tired of playing this childish game of pretend?"
"Not in the slightest!" Mindy proclaimed. "In fact… I've never felt more like myself!"
"Stop the charade!" Hook shouted. "This isn't you! You're Melinda Maye Singh… you live in a colorless world, have low self-esteem, value rules and expectations, and are a terrified girl who flees in the face of danger!"
It was then that Mindy came to a startling realization.
Hook's weakness was his ego. There was no doubt about it that he was one of the most narcissistic Disney villains to date, and that was why he found satisfaction in talking down to her. Mindy just had to concoct a plan to get under his skin, and she would be home free. If she managed to keep his attention focused on her long enough, she would buy Peter some time to swoop in and save the day as usual.
She smirked at his cruel words, "What you're saying about me is true…but I know one thing is for absolute certain. Everything about this situation feels right, and I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon!"
Hook practically frothed at the mouth when they drew apart again.
"So… how long have you been doing this for?"
He was a bit taken aback that she was attempting to make small talk with him while they were in the middle of a duel. "I've been a pirate all my life…I thought you knew this."
"No, that wasn't what I meant." She ducked nonchalantly as he tried to decapitate her.
Hook stopped, and raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "What did you mean then?"
Mindy shuffled her feet, "Oh, I don't know…maybe what kind of sick, deranged, middle-aged dingbat spends a good chunk of his worthless existence hunting down little kids!? I mean, you've gotta be pretty screwed up in the head to dedicate this much time for something as meaningless as-"
She cried out as his fist met her face.
Mindy stumbled backwards as a throbbing shot through her cheek, but she bit her lip to restrain a whimper. In her eyes she considered this to be a solid victory. He was fighting harder, not smarter, and that was exactly what she wanted.
Her world was spinning, but Mindy forced herself to throw her head back in laughter. "Ha! You call that a punch? I've seen my own grandmother hit me harder than that! Not only is she a hundred years old, but she's also a woman! Yeah, I bet that makes you even more pissed off, you sexist pig!"
Hook brought his sword down, this time aiming for her head. Mindy deflected it mere seconds before it could gash her temple as he glowered down at her in fury. "I'm going to make you wish that you were never born, you impudent little wench!"
"I'm sorry… what was that?" Mindy inquired. "I couldn't understand you on account of the fact that I don't speak idiot!"
Hook snarled like a vicious animal as they broke apart, and resumed to their usual fighting positions. The villain swiped his blade as if it were a flyswatter, growing more and more frustrated each time his weapon missed its target. Meanwhile, Mindy roasted his self-esteem effortlessly as they continued to go at it.
"You know, it's actually better to let someone think you are an idiot than to open your mouth and prove it!" She gasped as if she had an astonishing epiphany. "Then again, calling you an idiot would be an insult to stupid people!"
"Calling you clever would be an insult to intelligent people!" Hook retorted. "Every little word that comes out of your mouth is utterly idiotic!"
"Of course I talk like an idiot!" Mindy stated it like it was obvious. "How else would you understand me?"
The captain didn't reply, and instead fought more aggressively.
She grinned in triumph… her plan was working. "Hey, how old are you? Oh wait…I probably shouldn't ask, you can't count that high."
Hook refused to humor her, and chose to fume silently.
Mindy threw a piece of her insult with each clang of their swords "I. bet. You're. So. old. Your. Memory. Is. in. black and. White!"
An idea spontaneously popped into her brain, and she led him in front of the mast. The captain took the bait as he charged towards her in a blind rage. Mindy was ready though, and narrowly slid out of the way with a dramatic flourish of her hands. This in turn stunned him into impaling his hook into the wooden structure; causing it to be stuck yet again. He cursed under his breath as he viciously started hacking away at the wood.
Mindy couldn't help but giggle.
Oddly enough, she didn't feel as frightened as she had been before. At the moment, she didn't view Hook as a dastardly pirate, but instead as an amusing pawn in her game. The tables were turning in her favor. He was getting angrier. However, she knew that she had to push him to his limit if her plan was going to succeed.
She leaned against the mast with a philosophical expression on her face. "There are some remarkably stupid people in this world…" She placed her hand on his shoulder. "…thank you for helping me realize that."
Hook growled as he freed himself, and attempted to slice her arm off.
She nimbly evaded the blow, and laughed with childlike glee. She couldn't remember the last time she had experienced this much fun in her life! Deep satisfaction filled her very core as both she and the necklace emanated a soft golden aura.
Mindy hid behind the mast, and Hook followed suit. However, every time he would try to come over to her side, she would speedily move to the opposite side. The captain fruitlessly tried to confuse her by using tactics of dodging and weaving, but she would not be so easily tricked and responded by sticking her tongue out. Hook groaned as he hunched over in fatigue; allowing his anger to come to a steady boil.
Seeing the frustration building up inside of him, Mindy temporarily stopped with a sympathetic glint in her eyes, "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings by calling you stupid person earlier… I thought you already knew."
He couldn't take it anymore, and groaned in vexation, "You are such a juvenile child Melinda Maye Singh!"
"And you'll never be the man that your mother was James Bartholomew Hook!"
A collective gasp erupted from the Lost Boys, the pirates, and even Tick Tock the crocodile. For the longest time, no one said a single word… Mindy allowed herself to lift her chin a bit higher as Hook's entire face glowed crimson... no matter what happened next, she was prepared to face the consequences of her actions. She could only hope that this had been an act of courage and not one of foolishness. If all worked out as she'd planned, then this would have been worth it. If not, she didn't know what she was going to do.
"Say that again." Hook demanded in a barely audible whisper.
"You heard me." With a sudden boldness that she didn't know she had possessed, she leaned forward with a wicked smirk. "I don't think I have to repeat myself in order to get my point across."
Captain Hook let out a shriek as he barreled towards her. Before she had time to blink, he once again knocked her sword out of her hand. Her blood ran cold as it planted itself underneath one of the beams holding up the main sail of the ship.
Her newfound cockiness dissipated and she found herself leaping down the stairs three at a time as the blood pumped through her veins. Hook gave in to her game of cat-and-mouse, and chased her as she climbed the rigging. Her fear of heights was overshadowed by the fear of the inhuman beast behind her. Her breathing came in ragged, exhausted, huffs as she clambered higher and higher.
Oh instincts please don't fail me now!
Mindy continued her ascent up the Jolly Rodger, until she was teetering on the beam that held her weapon. Her eyes darted around in hopes of catching the flash of the grip, but her pursuer had caught up to her. She yelped as he roughly shoved her onto her back, and pointed his sword at her throat.
"Any last words you insolent pest?" Hook's eyes blazed with fiery rage, as his chest heaved from having kept up with her speed. He let out a maniacal laugh as he noticed the look of absolute terror plastered on her face, "Go on… try to insult me now."
She frantically scanned her surroundings until her eyes landed on the brightly glowing pendant dangling off of her neck... An idea formed in her mind. It was impulsive, frightening, and slightly crazy, but it would work. She gulped before rising to her feet, and pushing the sword away from her. Shockingly, Hook didn't protest to this.
Mindy put her hands up in surrender as she backed away from him, "Well, what can I say really? You won. What was I thinking? I couldn't've possibly been able to defeat you. I mean, you've been doing this far longer than I have so I didn't stand a chance…"
"It's true... you couldn't get the best of me." Hook drew closer with a diabolical smile. "You're nothing but a little girl."
"That's funny." She tilted her head. "Because last time I checked… I'm not a little girl anymore."
He chuckled, "Then what are you?"
"I'm a lot of things." Mindy admitted as she took a couple steps backward, "I'm a coward, I'm a train wreck in the flesh, I'm impulsive, I'm socially awkward…but most importantly, I'm the self-proclaimed Queen of Disney Trivia and I happen to know one thing that you don't."
Hook's shoulders slumped, "And what pray tell, is that?"
"The good guys always win…and now this is the part of the story where I fly in order to showcase how much I've grown over the course of the movie…guess the only thing left to do is to think of the happiest things." She tapped the citrine jewel on her necklace, and showered herself in pixie dust. She then sent herself hurdling back-first over the edge of the beam, much to the horror of the spectators.
"Odds fish!" Hook watched in awe as the girl plummeted towards the crocodile with her eyes closed in bliss.
Mindy clamped her mouth shut… Time slowed to a crawl as she surrendered herself to the abyss, but her mind whizzed through every happy thought in her library of memories. She pictured pistachio ice cream sundaes, her exuberant dance at the bonfire, and how thankful she was for both Scarlett and Dakota's friendship. Her stomach was doing somersaults as the wind whipped through her mangled braided hair. She mouthed a prayer as her heart stopped beating.
And just like that…she was falling again.
Her eyes flew open as she bounced onto the awaiting belly Tick Tock croc. He wrapped his arms securely around her waist with a frightened purr. She breathed deeply to calm her jostling nerves. She had taken a literal leap of faith, and was rewarded for relying on her instincts.
But still, she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that she hadn't flown like she'd originally intended…At least I'm still in one piece.
Mindy petted the croc's head with a shaking hand, "Th-thanks bud."
"NO!" She glanced up at Captain Hook who was struggling to come up with a rebuttal to her ambitious stunt. "When I get down there I'll- I'll-"
"-You'll what?" Mindy teased. "Shoot my baby? I doubt that you're brave enough to do that!" She shrugged with a giggle. "Sorry Captain, I'm afraid he's still on my side and you don't have your precious leverage this time… so I guess we'll call this one a draw."
"No! It's not fair! You were within my grasp!" Hook stomped his feet like a child throwing a tantrum. "I can't be beaten by a girl! Not again!"
"Then why don't you pick on someone your own size?" A new voice piped up.
Everyone lifted their heads to the sky as Peter Pan swooped in, cutting an opening through the main sail with his dagger to face Captain Hook. The Lost Boys, Wendy, John, Michael, and Dakota, cheered thunderously for the return of the high-flying trickster.
Mindy sighed with a relieved smile, Thank goodness.
Hook's face went chalk white. "It can't be!"
"It-it's his bloomin' ghost that's talking!" Smee stuttered in disbelief.
Peter smirked. "Say your prayers Hook!"
The captain shook his head before his mouth formed into a hardened scowl, "I'll show you that this ghost has blood in his veins!" He drew his sword from his scabbard with pure outrage in his eyes. "I'll run him through!"
With that, the final battle between Captain Hook and Peter Pan had officially begun. Only it didn't start off on the main deck like in the film, but in the rigging. Mindy was mesmerized at the level of speed and agility they were fighting at. Determination sparked in their eyes as one attempted to obliterate the other while circling around the ship. Hook aimed his blade for his legs, but Peter soared upwards to evade the blow. Inspired, he leapt over the captain's head, snatched his feathered hat, and hovered a safe distance away above the main mast. The boy then plucked the feather sticking out of it, and twirled his dagger a couple of times before ripping it to shreds.
"Fly! Fly! Fly! You coward!"
Peter did a double-take, "Coward, me?!"
Hook let out a mirthless chuckle, "You wouldn't dare fight old Hook man-to-man! You'd fly away like a cowardly sparrow!"
"No one calls Pan a coward and lives!" Peter swooped back down and narrowed eyes, "I'll fight you man-to-man with one hand behind my back!"
When their blades collided, their glowering faces were inches away from touching.
"You mean, you won't fly?"
"No! Don't Peter it's a trick!" Wendy shouted in vain.
The boy lifted his chin, "I give my word, Hook."
"Good! Then let's have at it!"
Mindy checked off boxes in her head during the following events:
Hook immediately shoves Peter off the beam.
Hook proceeds to try to stomp his foot on Peter's hand in order to cause him to let go of said beam.
Peter falls, but snags onto the ropes underneath the sail and continues clashing blades with Hook all while trying to keep his grip on the rigging enough to climb back onto the aforementioned beam.
Peter manages to get back onto the beam but Hook chops the rope he was grabbing onto which causes him to fumble to grab ahold of the remaining rope and swing to the opposite side of the beam we've been talking nonstop about.
Hook once again cuts the rope, Peter loses his grip, and plummets back-first towards the deck-
Wait, what?!
She rubbed her eyes and watched in dumbfounded silence as Peter Pan's ankle caught onto one of the ropes mid-fall, and caused him to dangle upside-down from the rafters. The Lost Boys, Dakota, and Wendy begged him to fly but he stubbornly refused as he started attempting to hack the rope with his dagger.
Unfortunately, gravity wanted revenge for Peter's many immortal years of defying it.
He kept trying (and failing) to force himself into a sitting position but ended up swinging back-and-forth like a pendulum instead. Meanwhile, Hook was high-tailing it down the rigging like a spider about to devour a fly caught in its web.
Oh no you don't. Mindy hauled herself onto the railing and surveyed the scene.
There wasn't enough time for her to climb all the way up to where they were before the villain finished the job…which left only one option. She glanced down at herself, and noticed that her torso was still emanating a sparkling golden hue. A thought came to her, and she flipped over the pendant around her neck to read the riddle again: I can be cracked, I can be made. I can be told, I can be played. What am I?
Inhaling deeply, Mindy hollered at the top of her lungs: "DAKOTA! TELL ME A DAD JOKE!"
"Kiddo! As flattered as I am that you enjoy my sense of humor, is now really the best time?!" He yelled back from atop the crow's nest.
"DO IT OR ELSE I'LL TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE SRIRACHA PEANUT BUTTER INCIDENT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL!"
"Gah! Alright!" Dakota tapped his chin in thought, "Uh…. How do you find Will Smith in the snow?!"
"I don't know, how?!"
"You look for the fresh prints!"
It took a moment for Mindy to understand…when she did, her mouth broke into a smile.
She guffawed uproariously as her arms clutched her sides. This time, she embraced the warm glow of the pendant as she started to rise a couple inches off of the ground. Mindy waved her arms like a disabled bird as she awkwardly inched her way up to the main sail. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but she focused on her laughter in order to disorient herself from the paralyzing fear that wanted so desperately to take hold of her.
Her face fell when she noticed that she was drooping a bit, "Keep it up Dakota!"
Catching onto what she was doing, he complied. "What's brown and sticky?!"
"Dunno, uh Nutella?!"
"No! A stick!"
This one caused her to wheeze obnoxiously, and gave her a much needed boost of happiness which in turn caused her to soar higher. "Hahahaha! That's it! Keep going!"
Dakota sucked in as much air as he could, "Did you hear the rumor about butter?! Well, I'm not going to spread it! Why can't a nose be twelve inches long?! Cause then it'd be a foot! What kind of shoes do ninjas wear?! Sneakers! Did you hear about the circus fire?! It was in tents! When does a joke become a Dad joke?! WHEN IT BECOMES APPARENT!"
Mindy was fanning herself by the time she reached her destination. She unintentionally did a couple of front-flips on her way over (which caused her to laugh even harder), but she managed to land somewhat gracefully onto the rigging above where Hook was, and slid down.
Luckily, he didn't seem to notice her as he gloated to Peter, "Who's the codfish now?"
"Still you!"
Hook's head snapped upright only to get slammed in the face by Mindy's incoming feet. The captain struggled to keep his grip on the ropes as his right eye swelled shut. He spit out a trickle of blood before swiping his hook up at the girl.
"You stay out of this wench!"
"Aw, run out of insults already?" Mindy asked with a babyish pout, "I thought you were more original than that."
Before he had the chance to retort, she stomped on his head as if she'd seen a cockroach on top of it. He was sent hurdling towards the deck with a shriek, but not before snagging his hook onto Mindy's ankle, and slicing a chunk out of the side of her heel. She let out a girlish screech as tears formed in the corners of her eyes, but bit the inside of her cheek to distract herself from the pain.
She shook her head before turning her attention to Peter, "Give me your dagger, and I'll cut you loose!"
"How will I get down if I can't fly?"
"Don't worry I'll…I'll fly out to you, and I'll catch you okay?" Peter looked doubtful, but she held out her hand with pleading eyes, "Trust me."
After a beat of hesitation, he handed her his prized dagger.
Mindy smiled in gratitude.
With some difficulty, she glided towards him and sawed at the rope around his ankle as fast as she could. Fortunately, it fell apart relatively quickly. Unfortunately, this meant that Mindy had to fumble to catch him as a result. She gasped as he slipped from her hold, but looped her arms underneath his pits, and swooped upwards at the last minute.
Sweat beaded down her face as she struggled to keep them suspended in the air, "Ughhhh… Dakota?!"
"What happens when you go to the bathroom in France?! European!"
"Not doing it; hit me with another one!"
"I love telling my dad jokes, sometimes he actually laughs!"
This time, her heart ached at the implications, "Nope, you're making it worse!"
"I waste my best material on you!"
"DAKOTA!"
"Sorry! Uh…ooh! Ooh! Why can't you hear a psychiatrist using the bathroom? Because the pee is silent!"
Mindy gave a pathetic snort, but it was enough to get them to the top of The Jolly Rodger.
She plopped Peter onto the beam and landed beside him, "You okay sport?"
He put his hands on his hips with his signature smile, "Ha! Never felt better."
Mindy grinned back as she returned the dagger, "I believe this belongs to you."
Right as Peter took the weapon from her hand, Mindy screamed as something grabbed a fistful of her hair, and shoved her aside. The impact caused the breath to be knocked out of her yet again, and her braid to come loose in mangled frizzy waves. She sputtered as she swept her muddy-brown hair out of her face to better view the action.
Her vision was a bit blurry, but she was just able to make out Peter Pan and Captain Hook striking each other with full-force. Mindy got to her haunches as the villain disarmed her childhood hero, and the dagger flew into the air. Hook and Peter scrambled at the same time to catch it, but the former succeeded with a: "Ha!" before tossing it away.
Mindy's eyes bulged as she came to a startling revelation.
In the film, Peter defeated the captain by leaping up, grabbing the pirate flag, tying him up, snatching his weapon out of the air, and declaring: "You're mine Hook!" There was one problem however…
They're on the wrong side of the mast.
Mindy leapt to her feet without hesitation, and searched for her sword.
To her relief, she spotted it a couple feet from where the pair was supposed to be fighting. She limped/sprinted across the beam, barreled over the side, and hung upside-down like a bat as she tugged at the grip.
Come on, come on, come on! Mindy's mouth scrunched into a painful grimace. This is a matter of life and death!
"Insolent youth!" Hook seethed as he advanced towards the weaponless boy, "Prepare. ToDIE!"
"Fly! Fly! Fly Peter!" Wendy beat her hands anxiously on the edge of the crow's nest, "Fly!"
"No!" He boldly stated, "I gave my word."
In the nick of time, Mindy freed her blade with a grunt.
She then jumped up, snatched the flag, and hobbled towards the adversaries. Mindy surprised herself by sliding underneath Hook's legs before tossing part of the tarp to Peter. Understanding what she was doing, he leapt to his feet as together they draped the tarp over the captain's head. Peter cinched the flag tightly around the scoundrel's waist so that the skull-and-cross-bones were facing the front. He grabbed Hook's cutlass before he and Mindy pointed their blades simultaneously at his chest.
"You're mine Hook!"
Mindy cleared her throat.
"I mean…ours!"
The kids cheered at their victory, and Mindy couldn't help but laugh uneasily when she heard Michael exclaim: "Cleeve him to the brisket!"
Lord, I can't believe Walt let that slide.
Hook peeked from folds of the flag with a hopeful smile, "You wouldn't do Old Hook in now, would you kids?"
Mindy and Peter glanced at each other briefly but didn't lower their weapons.
"I'll go away forever!" Tears welled up in the captain's eyes as he put his hook and hand together in a praying gesture, "I'll do anything you say!"
"Uh uh!" Mindy shook her head, "You're not getting off the hook that easily...um heh, no pun intended."
"Hang on, say you're a codfish!" Peter demanded.
Hook gulped, "I'm a codfish."
Mindy drew her blade closer, "Louder!"
"I'M A CODFISH!"
"Hooray!" The kids cheered before singing, "Hook is a codfish! A codfish! A codfish! Hook is a codfish!"
"Alright Hook!" Peter backed off, "You're free to go! And never return!"
Mindy eyed the captain suspiciously as he released out an almost too dramatic sigh of relief. But she followed Pan's example and lowered her sword as he tossed the cutlass overboard. She covered her ears as Peter beat his chest and crowed triumphantly into the sky.
Remembering what happened next; Mindy threw herself in front of Peter and parried the villain's incoming hook before giving him a rough shove which caused him to tumble overboard with an unholy screech. Tick Tock croc waited underneath with a mischievous grin, but Hook peddled his feet to delay his fall. Instead of double-jumping (thanks to cartoon logic), he floated gracefully onto the surface of the ocean like a leaf, but he somehow sprang back to his feet, and started bolting across the water with the flag still draped over his body.
"SMEEEEE! SMEEEEE!" Unbeknownst to Hook, he ran directly into Tick Tock's mouth.
Realizing what he'd done, the captain made a beeline out of the croc's stomach with the ticking clock in his hands. In a panic, he chucked it over his shoulder. The clock returned to its owner's mouth which caused the croc's jaw to shake from its obnoxious ringing.
Mindy and Peter doubled over in laughter as they watched Tick Tock chase Captain Hook in a zig-zag pattern. That's what you get for tearing a chunk out of my heel you prick!
"SMEEEEE! SMEEEEEE!"
"Cap'n! Cap'n!"
Mindy waved to her reptilian companion as he circled around the ship, "Goodbye Ticky! Thanks for everything!"
The crocodile waved back to her with his iconic smile. It was almost as if he were saying: "No, thank you!"
She blew a kiss to him and continued waving even after he, Captain Hook, and the rest of his crew disappeared into the sunset. Mindy was brought back to the present when she felt something being wrapped around her shoulders. Her brows shot up when she comprehended that it was Hook's red buckled coat.
She wrinkled her nose in disgust, and handed it back to Peter with a tight smile, "Ew…hehe uh, why don't you hold onto that?"
Peter shrugged before donning the captain's coat and hat. He then rubbed the back of his neck and avoided eye-contact with her, "Hey… I honestly was expecting ya to bail on us in our time of need (what with you being a no nonsense grown-up now), but thanks for helping them before I got here."
Mindy could tell from the strain in his tone that it had been difficult for him to say that, "Don't mention it…"
Peter started to glide to the deck, when he noticed Mindy stumble with a wince of pain. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She lied through clenched teeth, "Don't worry, I'll manage."
Despite her insisting that she could climb down the rigging on her own, Peter hovered by her side every step of the way to the deck. At one point, Mindy had to stop and place her injured foot through one of the loops in order to remove the building pressure. Peter was surprisingly patient, and it unnerved her to no end.
Why is he acting so out of character? Then, the answer dawned upon her, Right…it's because he claims to know me from my childhood. I had my doubts at first, but now I know that it's true. I did know him, REALLY know him once…I wonder if I'll ever get to know him like that again.
When Mindy reached the deck, she could feel her eyes starting to droop.
She forced herself to smile as Wendy, John, Michael, Dakota and The Lost Boys cheered for: "Captain Pan!" and didn't bother to ask for some credit of her own. She was just so…so…tired all of a sudden.
Her limbs were shutting down, and her head spun at a nauseatingly slow pace… A gelid sensation coursed throughout her body, and her ears picked up an unfamiliar static sound far in the distance... at first, she disregarded it as being a figment of her imagination, until she heard it steadily begin to increase in volume.
Mindy felt her breath quicken, as she scanned her surroundings in apprehension for the source of the strange noise…Where is that coming from?
She could practically feel the sound waves from the unbearable static bouncing off of the walls of her skull, as it boomed thunderously in all directions to the point where she felt as though her ears were about to explode. Mindy attempted to muffle it by covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut, but that only seemed to make it worse as it grew louder and more demanding. She scrunched her face up as her heart hammered wildly in her chest.
She hardly even registered when Dakota rushed towards her with his brows crinkled with worry and asked in a slightly distorted voice: "Mindy? Mindy? Are you okay?" whilst shaking her shoulders.
I just want it to stop! Mindy screamed in her head, as the static drowned out all the other sounds around her… fuzzy black-and-white shapes flooded her vision and prevented her from viewing her surroundings. She gasped as she blindly reached out for something, anything to bring her sight back. What's happening to me?!
She recalled someone grabbing ahold of her outstretched hand before succumbing to the void…