.
Chapter V:
The Tick-Tock Croc
He swiftly swooped her up in his arms when she denied his request.
"But I'm not tired," she whined as he gently placed her in bed.
The Captain ignored her protest as he pulled the sheets over her, tucking her in. She went to sit upright, but he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. He could tell from her over-emotional state and the bags under her eyes, that the blonde was clearly sleep-deprived.
"Go to sleep," Hook rebuked, looking at her.
Emily gave him a scowl before submitting and buried her face in the pillow. Not long after, her tired body melted into the bed.
"Codfish," she muttered sleepily.
"You only get one of those, and you just used it." He sneered with a chuckle.
Hook raised a hand and brushed the strands of her hair out of her face. She giggled to herself at his response and leaned into his touch.
It was odd... She would have lashed out if a man in London dared to touch her in the manner that the Captain had this morning, but she found herself seeming to find comfort in it. It was delicate and warm – like he himself was afraid to touch her to begin with, and maybe that is where she found the comfort...
Soon enough, she had fallen asleep.
His fingers lingered just a little longer on her cheek before he dropped his hand and exited the cabin.
She didn't stay asleep for long, but it was noon by the time she decided to get up.
Emily made her way outside and squinted as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun. She could see some of the crew loading a few rowboats with bags and weapons, packing for their journey ahead. She walked to the forecastle deck where she watched Hook place crimson markings on a map and then roll it up, stuffing the paper into a satchel that he then handed over to Smee.
Hook looked up to her, "Ah, good to see you're awake. Do you still insist we venture to Mermaid Lagoon?"
She nodded in response.
She slowly moved her eyes along his arm and smiled to herself when she realized he took her advice and didn't wear his hook today.
"Are we hiking there?" She recalled on the map that Mermaid Lagoon was only just around the corner from Cannibal Cove, where the Jolly Roger resided. It would be much faster to travel by ship.
"Afraid so. If we were to take my ship around there, the mermaids would all flee at the sight. They do not like us pirates, you see," he explained, "We will have to travel by foot."
Emily gave a nod in understanding as he got up from his desk and began to yell commands at his crew before they were ready to set off.
Bill Jukes stumbled his way over, carrying a bundle of guns in his arms. He stood beside her and watched the Captain give orders.
He leaned down close to her ear, "Aye Lass, how did you do it?" Jukes inquired, looking at her.
She gave him a confused look, "What do you mean?"
"The Captain never listens to anybody, not even Smee half the time," he clarified, "...but he listened to you."
"Probably because I'm a lady," she shot back, smirking. She was really just trying to be funny.
But Jukes shook his head in disbelief.
"Nah Lass, I've been with the Captain long enough to know him," he stated, "Trust me, he isn't a man so easily swooned. He could care less about a gal."
She watched Jukes wander off to finish loading the boats.
Once again, she didn't know what to make of his statement.
Once they made it to shore, the crew began to unpack the items from the boats. An object that Emily found absolutely unnecessary that the Captain insisted on bringing was this large sedan chair; she found the whole thing ridiculous-looking too.
It was a simple rectangular container that was covered in olive-green velvet with dark green and gold curtains tied at each corner with a bouquet of purple feathers on top. The inside had a dark green velvet chair, and there were two long horizontal poles are either side for at least 2 to 4 men to carry.
"I don't see why you need that thing," Emily scoffed, side-eyeing him.
"You don't expect me to walk through the jungle, do you?" he rebutted, raising a brow. "That's much too tiring." Hook crossed his arms as he watched Emily beginning to roam off, "Besides, what would you say if I brought it for you instead? Such a hike is too much for a little lady."
She could tell by his manner that he was mocking her.
Emily rolled her eyes as she made it to the edge of the jungle, "Honestly Captain, where is your sense of adventure?"
Hook gave her with a smug look, "I see... And where do you think you're going?"
"Mermaid Lagoon, where else?" she bantered back.
"Ah," he stated, "I was just wondering since Mermaid Lagoon is the other way, my Dear."
She stopped in her tracks and scowled as she turned on her heel. She placed her hands on her hips as she shot a glare at him.
"Then forget the chair and let's go," Emily teased, "Codfish!"
Such a funny insult the mermaids taught her.
Hook rolled his eyes in annoyance and dismissed the men who were putting it together. He swiftly strode to her side and grabbed hold of her arm, jerking her towards him. It wasn't done in a harsh manner, but rather firm. Emily let out a startled gasp, and her cheeks raised to a scarlet when she saw that their faces became only inches apart.
"Watch yourself, my Dear," Hook warned sternly. "Do not disrespect me, especially in front of my crew."
Emily looked down to her feet. Her face became irritated by his dangerous tone.
It is known amongst the crew that the Captain didn't like to be humiliated. He especially didn't like to be humiliated in front of his crew. And he also especially didn't like to be humiliated in front of his crew by a woman.
She wondered if perhaps her manners were becoming a little indolent, particularly because she was in the presence of pirates and not with the upper-class of England.
She nodded and mumbled, "Yes, Captain."
Hook didn't respond.
Instead, he moved his hand from her arm and firmly held her chin, turning her attention up towards him. Their eyes locked, and Emily's face quickly softened as she swallowed when his thumb brushed against her lower lip. Her quick change in attitude caused the Captain to give her a satisfied smirk.
"All right men, let's get going!" he called out as he dropped his hand and moved past her.
The blonde stared at him blankly before she kicked her foot in the sand in shame and followed silently behind him.
The crew had been traveling the jungle for a couple of hours.
Upon reaching halfway to their destination, they decided to stop for a quick rest and some lunch. Mason got a fire going, and the rest of the crew sat around it while handing out food amongst each other.
Emily took a spot under a shady tree and closed her eyes as she laid down, the tall grass tickling her skin as a gentle breeze ran through it. For the first time since she arrived in Neverland, Emily finally felt at complete ease. She figured it was because of the fresh air she was inhaling, and not the musky, sour rum stench of the pirate ship.
"Here Miss," The blonde opened her eyes to see Smee hovering over holding an apple out to her. "Gotta eat something."
He gave her a small smile. Emily sat up and took it from his hands.
"Thank you, Mr. Smee," she acknowledged and took a bite out of it.
He gave her a pleased look before he shuffled away. Such a sweet man to care so much.
Unfortunately, she barely had an appetite the past couple of days. She couldn't pin where it was coming from – whether it was from stress, lack of sleep, the presence of pirates, or just all of the above, but the sickly-sweet taste of the fruit just made her more nauseous than she already was.
When there was a moment Smee had turned away, she chucked the remaining apple behind her. She took in another deep inhale and lied back down in the grass.
If she had it her way, she would lie here forever...
Her peace was disrupted once again when Murphy took his place beside the blonde to finish his story from earlier. He didn't even ask her if she wanted to hear it, for she honestly couldn't be bothered to listen to such nonsense.
"So anyway Lass, before we were so rudely interrupted, there was about 80–no–90 thieves that jumped at me," Murphy continued on.
Did he seriously up the number to try and impress her? Emily let out an irritated moan and looked to the sky.
Lord, if you can hear me...please shut this man up.
"Murphy!" Hook called out.
Murphy paused. "Yes, Captain?!" he responded.
"Shut up," the Captain hissed between his teeth. He must have called bullshit on his story too.
She clasped her hands together in a prayer position.
Thank you.
Murphy started to grumble to himself and rolled his eyes at Hook. Emily speedily made her escape from him to sit beside Jukes who then pulled a small gold flask from his pocket and take a large swig from it.
"You brought alcohol on a jungle expedition?" she asked as her brow twitch. "You'll get dehydrated."
"Gotta tolerate these men somehow, Lass," said Jukes.
Emily smirked and held her hand out. Jukes clicked his tongue and thought for a moment.
"Ya sure, Lass? I don't think you'll like this," he advised.
"It's just rum," she replied, motioning again with her hand to pass the flask over.
Jukes hesitated before he gave her a shrug and placed it in her hand cautiously.
She held it to her lips and took a swig. Her eyes went wide as she moved the container from her mouth and started to hack. The girl leaned against a tree for support and hunched over, coughing as a burning sensation took over her throat.
"Oh...my god," Emily wheezed in between inhales, handing it back to him.
Jukes began to howl with laughter. Hook whipped around on his heel and gave them a suspicious look.
He gave the Captain a shrug while still laughing, "She wanted some rum."
Hook's lips went from a flat line to a wicked grin. Bill Jukes was known for brewing his own brand of spiced rum, which is one of the strongest that even the Captain has ever tasted. He shook his head at them as Emily scowled giving Jukes a shove and then made her way beside Hook.
"Ay' Jukes, your spiced rum?! That's too strong for the Miss," Smee blurted out.
"It wasn't that strong," Emily denied, a single cough sneaking out here and there.
The mates around her began to cackle at her statement. She rolled her eyes and blushed in embarrassment – that was twice today. She hated being considered a delicate creature in front of the crew.
She looked to the Captain who also had a smug look on his face. For some reason, this annoyed her. If she couldn't make fun of him, why was he allowed to do so? Captain or not.
"Codfish," Emily jeered at him sharply.
Hook's face immediately dropped at her comment and turned his head to Smee who was snickering to himself.
"She's a bit of a feisty lass, isn't she, Cap'n?" Smee snorted.
He returned the smirk and looked back at Emily who began to move farther away from the group under another tree. The blonde listened absent-mindlessly to the men around her joking and sharing obnoxious stories as she sat in the grass, her fingers trailing over the wildflowers as a way to occupy herself.
She was perfectly okay with minding her own business until Murphy called her out in front of the crew.
"So, Lass," Murphy started, "what did ya do before you got to Neverland?"
She bolted her head up to see a collection of stares in her direction. Emily agonized being put on the spot since she didn't peg herself as an interesting person; she was well-educated, sure, but a lot of what she did – all her education, music lessons, extracurricular activities, hobbies – were just expectations of being the daughter of a wealthy man. Nothing but the finest training, according to her father.
But training for what? Her father was very prominent in making sure that she was an exceptional bride for bachelors.
What a waste it turned out to be.
However, it was because when her mother died when she was 17, he became lenient on many things. While he still urged her every now and then to get married, he knew he couldn't push her to do any of it. Besides, he still valued her happiness; he just wanted to make sure she was well taken care of when he passed on.
What would her father think of her now? Surrounded by pirates?
...her father...
"Um, well..." Emily took a moment to think about it. She tried her best to uncover things from the depths of her memory, but it felt as if the more she thought about it, the more her life seemed so far away. "I lived in London, England, and I was a music teacher."
Why did she say it in past-tense? Surely, she'll return home...
"The Captain's from England," Noodler chimed in excitedly.
Hook took a glance up from his meal when he heard his name.
"A music teacher?" Smee grinned, "What kind of stuff did ye' teach, Miss?"
"I taught music to children," Emily answered, "I'm a violinist...or was...and I learned a bit on the piano..."
"The Captain plays piano," Noodler chimed in again.
Emily gave him a smile; as if she didn't clue in from when she saw the harpsichord in his cabin.
"That's interesting," she replied, looking back down at the flowers.
She didn't want to be in the spotlight anymore. However, this just caused Murphy to probe more.
"Got a man waiting for ya back home?"
A look of annoyance crossed her face.
Of course, that's what he was getting at. She groaned to herself.
"No," Emily mumbled, not bothering to look up.
"No?" Murphy gasped dramatically as he dashed his way over to her side. He outstretched an arm and placed it around her, pulling her in. "I could be yer man, Lass. I'll make ya my wife."
He flashed his best rotten, yellowed grin at her. She scrunched her nose as she smelt the stench of rotten eggs on his breath. Emily gave him a look of disgust as she rolled her eyes and shoved him off of her before standing up.
Murphy's advances struck a chord with her, and she was sick of being just a pretty thing for men to look at. Why was she constantly viewed as an object to be owned?
For this freedom, I have given all I had
For this darkness, I gave my light
For this wisdom, I have lost my innocence
Take my petals and cover me with the night...
"Murphy, if the men in England weren't good enough for me, what makes you think you are?" She snapped, shooting him a glare.
The men surrounding them let out a snicker. This caused Murphy to shoot a dangerous glare at her, but she didn't care. She turned on her heel and stormed away from them, having enough.
"Where are you going?!" He called out after her.
"Far away from you!"
Hook watched as her face flickered from anger to sorrow as she stormed off. He waited for her to stop, but once she disappeared from his vision, he immediately stood up and followed after her.
"Bitch," Murphy muttered under his breath.
"Leave her alone," Jukes defended, his eyes narrowing at him. "The lass lost her family and home all in one day to end up on a beach of an island that is practically impossible to leave. She doesn't need you bothering her."
Murphy rolled his eyes and turned away, muttering nonsense to himself.
Hook stumbled through the dirt path, looking for the blonde ahead.
Woman, he thought, rolling his eyes. Where the hell did she go?
"Emily!" he called out. He stopped in his tracks and observed his surroundings, waiting to hear a yell back from her or even the sound of her footsteps.
But nothing.
"Dammit."
He continued to move forward.
She didn't know when she had started running.
She just knew that she couldn't stop.
Nothing was chasing her, but it was as if she was running from something.
The hymn; the pirates; the life she left behind in London that seemed to have found her here...
Why was she even here?
She still found it hard to believe that she had washed up on an island told from her mother's stories.
She truly did wonder if maybe she did drown, and her body was stuck in purgatory. But why Neverland of all places? And why purgatory? She went to church every Sunday, put all her faith in the Lord...
However, the Captain did say it was possible to leave Neverland, but how...?
"The only way out of here is to fly"
But how...does one even begin to fly?
...
"Sometimes they spy on us for Peter Pan"
Peter Pan…
"How is Peter Pan able to fly, Mama?"
"He always said with a little faith, trust, and pixie dust, my little Tadpole."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
In the midst of her thinking, she failed to see a trap wire before her and fell forward.
And then...pain.
Emily let out a harsh groan as she opened her eyes and found herself on the ground. She could feel her body beginning to ache from the rough impact, and felt a sudden dampness spread along her stomach.
She propped herself up on an elbow weakly and moved onto her back. She averted her attention down to her body and began to tremble as her heart pounded in her ears. Her chest tightened up as she caught sight of an arrow sitting in her lower abdomen.
She slowly raised a shaky hand to the wound, and as her breath came back to her, she let out a blood-curdling scream.
The crew's eating came to a halt as they heard a scream echo amongst the trees.
They all looked at each other hesitantly before coming to the same conclusion.
"Emily..." Jukes whispered hoarsely.
They abandoned camp and hastily went searching for the girl.
"Emily?!" the Captain called out, shoving a bush to the side.
He found her lying in the dirt and darted his attention to the arrow sticking out of her.
"Fuck!" he shouted as he darted towards her, but in his next step, he too slipped into one of the Indian's animal traps.
Hook was sprung up into the air and was left hanging upside down by a rope.
"Smee!" the Captain cried out.
He moved his gaze to the rope tied around his ankles.
The time I'm not wearing my hook… He mentally scowled.
Emily looked up at the Captain, her breathing beginning to quicken and deepen.
"Emily, hold on!" Hook yelled to her below, "Damn Indians..."
The blonde closed her eyes, trying her best to steady her breathing and body.
tick-tock
The Captain froze in his spot.
tick-tock
"Oh no," Hook sneered, frantically swinging from the rope. "Smee! S-SMEE!"
To say he screeched was an understatement.
tick-tock...tick-tock
What is that...? She wondered.
tick-tock...tick-tock...tick-tock
Emily slowly opened her eyes, and her heart sank into her stomach.
There in front of her, stood a ferocious beast – a crocodile, to be exact. Except, she didn't think they could get so colossal; it must have ranged between 10 to 12 meters in length.
It hissed at her as its jaws opened wide, his teeth taunting her fate.
She held her breath as the creature scurried towards her. She squeezed her eyes tight and braced herself for what was to come next.
"Emily!" she heard Hook cry.
She could only wait.
The texture of rough, scaled skin brushed against her neck along with hot breath that reeked of death.
She kept waiting.
I know you.
The girl gradually opened her eyes and stared wide-eyed when she saw that the crocodile had pressed its nose right up against her neck. It began to back up and then turned its head so that its amber eyes were looking right at her.
First the mermaids, and now this?
"What..." she gasped.
…Cove…
Cove…?
The blonde sat speechless as her eyes darted all over the creature. She let out another wince and glanced down at the arrow that was still impaled in her.
"I'm not–" she let out a hard cough as her lungs struggled for oxygen.
I recognize that scent from anywhere, siren.
The girl watched as the crocodile's eyes glazed over her. It appeared to have deemed her no longer desirable, and instead, turned his attention to the quivering pirate captain above. He let out a pleasing growl as he stood onto its hind legs to reach him. Hook immediately let out a shriek like a helpless mouse in a trap.
"S-SMEE!"
"Wait!" Emily cried.
The beast halted, and fell back on all fours, looking at the girl with curiosity.
"Please, don't eat him," she sputtered, then gestured to the wound, "I...I need his help."
The crocodile waited for a moment, its eyes narrowing on the blonde in front of him.
As for the Captain, he could only hear a few low growls and a hiss from the beast, as if it was actually speaking with her.
The next sentence from her mouth made him almost throw up in his.
"No, not even a lick!" she begged.
Hook watched dumbfounded when what sounded like a sad growl escaped from the beast.
Very well. I shall spare him only to spare you, siren. Just this once.
"Thank you..." she breathed raspingly.
Next time, I will eat him.
The crocodile snapped his jaws mockingly at the Captain before it retreated.
Emily watched quietly as it disappeared from her view and looked up to the Captain who was staring at her wide-eyed.
"How did you..."
She let out a nervous laugh as her body felt heavy, and her eyelids began to droop.
And then...darkness.
Hydrogen peroxide was poured down the blonde's throat.
There was a pause, and then an urgent push of air.
A pause, and another push...
A pause, and another push...
A pause, and another push...
"Emily!"
It all sounded far away...who was calling out to her...?
"Goddammit! Emily, breathe!"
Breathe...?
A pause and another push...
Breathe!
A sharpness shot into her lungs, and suddenly everything became loud.
And then pain.
Her eyes snapped open, and she let out a hoarse cough as pain shot throughout her entire being.
She watched as a look of relief crossed Hook's face, and then in another second, she was rolled onto her side. Her eyes scanned over her surroundings as they shifted into focus, and she soon recognized her body to be wrapped in the Captain's arms. They were lying on the cabin's floor...when did they get here?
Emily could see Smee sitting in front of her with a glass of golden brown liquid in his hands and went to hold it to her lips.
"Aye Miss," Smee whispered, "You're gonna want this."
In her hazy state, she accepted the fluid without question, and it went down with ease; coating over the burning sensation that already occupied her throat from the hydrogen peroxide.
She could only lie motionless. Her eyes tried their best to fixate on the Captain whose grip tightened on her arm.
"Brace yourself, my Dear." His voice was gentle...and full of regret.
What was happening?
Everything was as if in slow motion, and all sounds were nothing but an echo. She could hear the faint rip of her shirt being torn open and a tugging motion along her hip.
And then...burning – like someone was holding fire right up to her skin.
Emily's eyes bolted wide, and she let out a sharp scream that could be reached across the whole ship. Her instincts told her to flinch out of the way, but the Captain pinned her down more firmly.
"Sorry Lass," Jukes muttered sadly, pulling a red-hot knife off from her back, "Tryin' to close the wound..."
Sweat began to form along her forehead as she panted heavily and squinted her eyes tightly shut.
"Fuck...!" she wearily sighed.
Everything ached and her lungs felt like they were on fire. She opened her eyes as hot tears began to swell in them.
"Just stitching you up now, Lass," Jukes clarified, looking at her.
Stitching up...?
Emily lifted her head to watch Jukes run a needle and thread through her, followed by a light pinching that moved along her hip.
Hook raised his hand to brush the strands of hair that stuck to the beaded sweat out of her face, and then wiped the tears that fell over her cheeks.
"Almost done, my Dear," he cooed in her ear reassuringly.
Emily stared up at Hook quietly as exhaustion took over her.
She closed her eyes as she then collapsed in his arms.
Song: Rose Red by Emilie Autumn