Chapter 3: Familiar Faces
Jake's Perspective:
My heart began to race as I felt something in the pit of my stomach. I examined the silver ring and grasped it in my hand. I won't let myself believe it was all a dream. The ring was proof enough. After a moment my memory started to come back to me. Visions began flashing in my head.
Taking it off her finger, she laid the ring in the palm of my hand.
"It was my mom's wedding ring-" she explained.
"I found in in a box of her stuff after she…"
She trailed off before she could say the rest of her thought. I examined the inside of the silver band where there was something engraved. I read the engraving aloud;
"Love will set you free…"
I turned my head to Lea who held a small smile toward the sky.
"That was my parents' saying. It was strange…They always made it seem like falling in love was the greatest thing that could happen to you, but I never really
understood they meant at the time…"
Her smile slowly faded as she rested her eyes. I drew my attention back to the ring in my hand. I held out my hand to give it back to her, but she didn't move.
"Keep it" she said.
I grew confused.
"What? Why?" I wondered aloud.
She didn't meet my gaze and just continued to look at the sky.
"I'm gonna have to let go someday…and you gave me your locket, I owe you something that's meaningful to me" she claimed.
My locket…
I walked back over to her and looked at the locket I was wearing around my neck that my mother gave to me when I was little. I reached for it and took it off my neck, opening Lea's hand as I did so. I put the chain in her hand and I closed it tight.
She was why my heart had a reason to beat.
She wasn't in a dream…she was my dream.
I was in love with her…
What happened…?
I thought to myself as a memory flashed in my head once more. I heard loud screams as I felt the sword being driven into my chest. Lea's scream was the loudest. It rang through my ears for what felt like forever. I looked over to her where I saw tears streaming down her face. Her usual smile was gone. She was the last thing I saw before everything went black.
I'm dead…that's the only explanation.
His sword went right through me…There's no way…
But for some reason, I didn't feel dead. Granted I didn't feel alive, but I wasn't gone. At least I didn't think so. Looking out at the night sky through the window I wondered to myself.
Where am I? What happened to her…
Is she dead too?
My heart started to ache. Every unanswered question pushed me farther and farther away from finding my way. It seems as though there's no way for me to know. This can't be the real world…My father would be an old man by now…But there he is, out in the kitchen getting drunk…just like he always did. I sighed and rested my head against the wall. I need an explanation. I have to know that she's okay…I promised I would be there for her…But the way she screamed…The way she was beaten to the ground to the point where she stopped breathing…She almost died because of me. She needed me, but I was useless. And who knows if she's even alive. I could've gotten her killed for all I know. But then I stopped and thought; my kiss. As long as she wears my locket, nothing can hurt her. I have to find her. But how? I don't even know where I am, how am I supposed to—
"Jake."
It was a voice. It wasn't the husky, drunk voice of my father though. It sounded vaguely familiar, but it was towards the back of my head. I thought I was hearing things.
"If you can here me, go to the forest."
The voice echoed once more, this time more clearly. I know that voice…I listened to see if I would hear it again, but there was silence. Sitting up in my bed I looked outside towards the forest.
The forest…
I glanced at the door that just barely barred me from my father. There's no way I'm taking my chances with him, it's too risky. I don't know if I can trust this voice, but at this point, what do I have to lose? I stood up from my bed and hurried to my window. Unhooking the latch I pushed the window open with little to no hesitation. Without looking back I climbed through the window and hopped out. I landed on my feet and left the window open slightly so I'd be able to get back inside (who knows why I'd go back though). My eyes shot to the forest beside my house and I bolted. I took the voice as a sign of what my conscience was telling me to do;
Get the hell out of there.
I ran and didn't look back. I sprinted through the cornfields and eventually met face to face with the large forest that extended for miles. My feet treaded along the dirt as the darkness filled my vision. I couldn't see where I was going, but I just kept running. I knew I would have to stop eventually, so I slowed down to the point where I needed to figure out where I was gonna go. I rested my back against a tree and caught my breath. I have nowhere to go…I really should have thought this through more…I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. What am I doing? The nearest source of civilization was a diner about eight miles away. And even if I got there, what would I do? I can't send my brothers any letters to contact them, and it's not like they could help me anyway. At this point I don't know what I'm going to do…
"Look at you, you actually listened to me for once."
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the voice. I was scared to move as much as breathe. I was afraid to find out whether or not I was crazy. But at this point, what other choice do I have? I took a deep breath as I looked up.
My eyes widened.
"Gail?"
Sam's Perspective:
It was just Felix and I as we walked along the trail.
"We can't sneak away this long! Pan will kill us!" I exclaimed as I pulled on Felix's hood.
Felix rolled his eyes.
"Relax, we'll be back soon. I just need to do something real quick—"
"Ugh why did you have to drag me along though?" I whined.
"Hey quit it. You know the rules. No one goes off alone" Felix shot back.
I rolled my eyes.
"That is unless you're Le—"
"Hey shh!" he hushed as he put his hand over my mouth.
"I think I heard something."
We both stood silent and listened. At first I thought he was crazy, but then I heard it too. Something was crashing in the waves near the beach. Felix and I looked at each other. He started towards the beach.
"Hey what do you think you're doing?!" I questioned as I grabbed his shoulder and stepped in front of him.
He looked to me in confusion.
"I'm gonna check out what's over there making the noise" he answered nonchalantly.
Is he crazy?!
"Are you insane?" I exclaimed.
"This is that moment in horror movies when you're not supposed to investigate! Now let's go!" I tried.
Felix brushed my hand off his shoulder.
"Lay off, you can't go back to camp alone, so you're sticking with me" he demanded.
Ugh! Why?!
I stood there not knowing how to respond. I was defeated once again. At that moment we heard another sound coming from the beach. Felix brought his finger to his lips, signaling me to shut up. I did as I was instructed and followed him as he led the way. I walked about a foot behind him as we headed outward towards the beach. It didn't take long before our feet began to get buried by sand. I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to where we were going since I thought Felix was crazy. Literally if we're not back soon Pan is going to be beyond furious. Before long we were at the beach looking at nothing.
See…Felix is crazy, and I was right like always. Ha!
"See, I told you it was nothing!" I said as I shoved Felix.
He spoke as he examined the beach;
"I know I'm not crazy, I heard something…"
Ugh! All I ask is to be in one piece at the end of the night! But no! Felix the adventurer wants to investigate!
But then I heard the noise again…
I turned around ready to bolt when Felix had a hold of my hood. Practically choking me as I tried to run he spun me around.
"I'm gonna have to put you on a leash soon…" he said to himself.
I gulped at the thought of being Felix's pet…
Reluctantly, I followed Felix as we walked along the beach toward the noise. At first I didn't see anything, but then Felix stopped in his tracks.
I looked toward the shore and saw what made my heart stop.
Felix spoke aloud in shock;
"Oh my god…"
Hannah's Perspective:
I was almost paralyzed when I heard the voice of a boy coming from behind me. On one hand I wanted to run, but on the other, maybe he could help me. I turned over my shoulder as my eyes laid on not one, but two boys who were around my age. The one boy had dirty blonde hair with blue eyes, and a rather large scar on his face. The other boy had shaggy brown hair accompanied by bluish, green eyes. They both held a look of surprise upon seeing me. My breathing was still heavy from washing up on shore as I figured I was gonna have to be the one to start the conversation.
"Where the hell am I?" I started desperately.
All of my modesty went out the window ever since I washed up on a random island.
The one boy tried to speak, but all that came out was fractions of sentences. It was silent for a moment until the blonde haired boy finally spoke.
"W-where did you come from?" he interrogated.
'Where did I come from'? Where am I?!
"Um, Wisconsin? I don't know. What is this place?" I asked frantically as I looked around us.
Waves continued to crash on the beach as it began to get colder in the night. The boys glanced at each other for a moment.
The one with the brown hair spoke;
"Well, um, you see…"
He paused for a moment.
"You're in Neverland…"
I laughed.
"Ha, funny! Now seriously, what is this place" I said.
But their expressions remained the same.
"We are being serious" said the blonde.
Okay, this joke is getting kinda old…
"Oh yea, if this is Neverland, where's Captain Hook, huh?" I mocked.
The blonde haired boy raised a brow and pointed in the direction behind me. I turned my head over my shoulder and saw the ship with the skull flag and had an odd feeling in my stomach.
That's just a coincidence.
"Hm, I see…Then where's Tinkerbell, or the Lost Boys?" I spoke confidently.
The brown-haired boy chuckled;
"We are Lost Boys."
Are they out of their minds?
I dismissed them;
"Sure, whatever. Anyway, how do I get back to reality? You know, where normal people are?"
I wasn't trying to be rude, but I think I have a good excuse for not being the most lady-like.
Surprisingly, the boys sort of shrugged their shoulders.
"I don't think we know the answer to that" the blonde answered.
Are you kidding me?
"What do you mean? I'm assuming you live here. How do you not know how to get out of here?" I continued.
"Do me a favor—" the blonde said as I listened.
"Take a look around. Notice anything strange?"
I looked around as he told me to.
"Yeah I do…"
I spoke;
"You two aren't very helpful tour guides."
The boys seem shocked by my smart remark.
"Now why do you keep dodging my question on how to get out of here?"
I stood with my arms crossed as I waited for an answer.
The brunette began;
"Well—"
"This isn't exactly an easy place to get to" the blonde cut him off.
Yeah no kidding.
"So then are you going to help me?" I said, getting irritated.
Between them they looked at each other with contradicting expressions.
Getting annoyed and antsy, I sighed.
"Never mind, I'll figure it out myself…"
Immediately the brunette spoke out.
"No! I think it would be better if you stuck with us."
Why would I stick with them?
"Why?" I asked, my voice trailing in curiosity.
"Um…" he started.
I raised my brow waiting for an answer.
A moment of silence passed.
"It's incredibly dangerous" the blonde piped in.
I scoffed;
"I'm not afraid."
"You should be" the blonde responded.
I rolled my eyes.
"Can we at least know your name?" the brunette asked.
I'm not so sure I should be trusting these guys…
I hesitated for a moment but spoke;
"Hannah."
The blonde smirked;
"A pleasure to meet you."
"Now you should really come with us. We might be able to help you—"
I cut him off.
"No way! I can take care of myself!" I declared.
But the blonde continued to insist;
"Please, you shouldn't be out here by yourself."
I narrowed my eyes.
"I'm not going with you!"
The two boys exchanged a look between each other that made me uneasy. The silence among us was soon distant.
"We're sorry about this…"
The boy with the shaggy brown hair lunged toward me and got me on the ground. The dirty blonde then proceeded to pull out rope from his pocket. They began to tie me up as they put a rag in my mouth. Pulling me up from the ground they began to make me walk into the forest.
"You do realize it never had to be this complicated if you just complied" the blonde chuckled.
At this point I was livid. I tried to yell but it came out as muffled screams.
"Shh! They'll hear is if you don't quiet down!" the brunette spoke once more.
What have I gotten myself into?
Jake's Perspective:
Before me stood against a tree a boy about fifteen years old. His shaggy, dirty blonde hair and green eyes gave me a moment of nostalgia.
Gail…
"It's been a long time since I've come across a fellow Lost Boy" Gail smirked.
I shook my head in disbelief.
"No…this is impossible…You're…You're—"
"Dead?" Gail interrupted.
He scoffed;
"You could say that."
He shrugged his shoulders;
"Then again, it looks like you've gotten yourself into some trouble."
Oh no…
I panicked frantically as I pinched my arm;
"Am I dead?"
Gail laughed;
"In a way. Though I can't say I'm the one that should be talking. How did you end up here?"
I shook my head and stood up from the tree.
"Where is 'here'?" I asked in desperation.
Gail's facial expression turned to one that held surprise.
"…You really don't know, do you?" he said quietly.
I stood silently and lightly shook my head. This can't be real. Gail is dead.
"We—" Gail began.
"—are in Preternal Neverland" he said, gesturing with his hands.
My heart dropped to the ground when I heard him say it.
I've been banished…to…
No. This must be a mistake. Hook killed me. There's no possible way I got here.
"That's not possible. Hook didn't throw me into the water…"
Gail looked saddened at the sound of Hook's name.
"You guys are still battling Hook…" he spoke.
I responded;
"We were. We almost had him, but we got caught…And then he tried to kill her…"
My gaze lowered to the ground as I thought about Lea, not knowing where she was or what happened to her.
"Her?" Gail questioned, his facial expression confused.
That's right…He doesn't know…
"There's a girl in Neverland…" I told him.
Gail looked shocked;
"No way…Really? But why would Peter bring a girl with Wendy there?"
It was hard for me to come to the realization that Gail has missed a lot.
"Pan is not who he used to be…Wendy left a long time ago…" I spoke to myself.
Gail seemed confused by my statement.
"I can explain later, but I need to know how I got here so that we can get out."
Gail scoffed;
"Been there, tried to do that."
"What do you mean? There's gotta be a way home—"
"This is your home" Gail cut me off.
This place is not my home.
I looked to Gail with a look of determination.
Gail started;
"Hook sent you through a portal that brought you to the place that caused you to be the most miserable. That's what happened to me."
No, it can't be.
"I died…" I said looking him in the eyes.
Gail clarified;
"And so did I—"
"But any wounds you have are healed once you enter the portal. How do you know he didn't throw your body into the portal after you died?"
Oh my god…He had a point.
"I know it's hard to take in, but at least you'd didn't have to figure it out on your own…"
Gail looked down to the ground. He had to figure all of this out on his own. I can't even begin to imagine how hard that was…
Gail continued;
"You live the same day over and over; forever."
He continued to explain;
"The moment the clock strikes midnight, the day resets, and we live it again."
The same day…over and over?
But what is Gail doing here at my 'home'?
"But wait, then how are you here?" I inquired.
From what he's telling me there's no possible way I could be talking to him. He should be at the place where he was most miserable.
Gail raised a brow.
"The perks to not being dead or alive; you're almost like a ghost. Except you can only contact through or see people's dreams. It's really hard to contact people in their dreams who are outside of Preternal Neverland. I've never been able to do it. But since you're within the realm, it's not an issue."
Something Gail said clicked in my head.
"Wait, you can see the dreams of people outside of this world?"
Gail smirked;
"Absolutely. The universe is yours. And what you said earlier about the girl in Neverland makes sense now."
At first I was perplexed.
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
Gail's smirk grew more pronounced.
"It kinda explains why you have so many dreams about her…"
Please don't tell me…
"Um, those are private, thank you very much" I replied in a sarcastic and slightly embarrassed tone.
I think I'm starting to hate Preternal Neverland.
I thought aloud;
"The only thing is; I'm not asleep."
Gail shook his head;
"That's what you think."
Come on! Can't something go my way today?!
I sighed;
"You mean I'm not awake? How did you know I was here to begin with?"
He shrugged his shoulders and dismissed my never-ending amount of questions.
"Listen we don't have much time…" he responded.
I looked to the sky and took notice to how late it was. Soon it would be midnight.
I began;
"Alright, so how do we get out of here?"
Gail frowned.
"I can't…"
Gail paused;
"But you can…"
I looked to him confused.
He continued;
"That ring in your pocket—"
He paused once more.
"Is a kiss."
I reached into my pocket and felt around for the ring. Pulling it out of my pocket, I held it out in my palm. Her ring…was a kiss?
"I sensed it the moment you got here."
I could barely speak.
"She saved you, Jake. It may not have prevented your death, but it saved you from the curse."
I wondered aloud;
"Curse?"
Gail looked me in the eyes;
"Anyone that gets banished here is cursed. The curse makes it impossible to leave this place at your own will. That is, except you. With you in possession of her ring, she protected you from it. And as long as you have it, nothing can hurt you."
So many thoughts raced in my head.
She…protected me…
"And I think it may be your ticket out of here" Gail said.
Looking to him with hopeful eyes, I listened.
"You can get out of here on your own. The trick is figuring out how."
If what Gail says is true…then I may have a chance at saving us. If I can get out of here, I can help Gail escape too. Then I can find Lea.
I can see her again…
"So when do we start?" I asked eagerly, clutching the ring in my hand.
Gail looked up toward the stars.
"We can't do anything about it tonight. And besides, you've got some work to do" he chuckled.
Work? What work?
I began to ask;
"What do you mean—"
"Jake!"
—
My eyes shot open.
A loud voice rang throughout the house. I came to realize that I was laying on my bed in my room. The sun was barely out and the stars were gone. It must be morning…The loud voice that screamed my name echoed in my head. As soon as midnight struck I must've woken up. But what day is it? Gail said that we relive the same day over and over…What was my most miserable day in my life?
"Jake!"
…It my father's voice.
"If you don't get your ass outside and start working I'm going to make you wish you were never born!" he yelled from another room in the house.
Whoa…It's funny how long it's been since I've heard him yell at me this early in the morning. Every morning began with my father screaming at me to get up and take care of his responsibilities while he sat around all day. But this day in particular was different than the rest. At first I wasn't sure of what day it was, but then it hit me.
I knew exactly what day it was.
The day that sent me over the edge.
The day I ran away.
—
A.N:
Hey guys! Happy to say I'm on vacation in the mountains so I've had plenty of time to write! I'm so glad to get Jake's perspective again! But jeez! What's going on with him?! Do you guys think he's alive, or do you think he's crazy? Let me know in the comments any of your thoughts and predictions (I enjoy all of them (:) Don't forget to vote if you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next update!
-Agm3