Chapter 10: A Different Ending

Hannah's Perspective:

I watched as all of the boys dispersed from the crowd. It became my mission to seek out Julian and find out if he thinks there's anyone here I could beat in a duel. But as I searched and scanned through the large group of boys I failed to find him. However, I did recognize one of the twins that ran off with him earlier leaning against a large ash tree near the fire. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown while his hair was a fiery red color. Determined, I started toward the boy and met face to face with them. He stood up from the tree as I began;

"Hey, where's Julian? I need to talk to him."

The boy stood tall with a blank expression and shrugged his shoulders.

"Couldn't tell ya—" he replied.

"He didn't come back with us" he added.

I scrunched my face in confusion.

"You mean he stayed behind?" I questioned curiously.

The boy raised a brow and looked off to something in the distance. His gaze fell back to me as he spoke.

"Sorta. He wanted to do some investigating in the area before coming back."

Investigating?

"Investigating what?" I inquired.

Before I could say another word the boy chuckled and started;

"Listen, it'd be better if you just left everything up to the boys. Neverland is dangerous, and we wouldn't want you getting lost now would we?"

He held a cheeky grin as he took his pointer finger and lifted my chin. Looking at him with a revolting expression I stepped back and scoffed.

"Like it or not I'm still one of you. Whether or not I'm 'one of the boys' I could still kick your ass" I hissed.

The boy's eyes widened as he grinned.

"Woah, we've got us a feisty one!" he snickered.

He cracked his neck and looked at me;

"Tell ya what—"

He took a step forward and made direct eye contact, allowing me to look into his chocolate brown eyes that appeared to have specks of red and yellow flakes splattered throughout it. I watched as he glanced over toward the area where the duel just took place before his line of sight fell back towards me.

"Beat me in a duel tomorrow…and I'll answer all of your questions about Neverland and the people who inhabit it…"

I scoffed;

"You're kidding me."

I began to turn away from him but the boy stopped me.

"Listen, I know how much they're trying to protect you from knowing everything, but because I'm so nice, I'll just fill you in" he insisted.

What in the hell is he talking about?

I exclaimed;

"Who's trying to protect me? Protect me from what?"

He rolled his eyes and clenched his jaw;

"That's beside the point—"

"No, it's not!" I spoke harshly, taking a step towards him.

The boy just laughed and stepped back.

"Easy girl. You wouldn't want to draw any attention to yourself…"

I glared at him and shook my head, trying to decide whose side he was really on;

"Why the hell should I trust you?"

Cocking a brow the boy smiled.

"Because I'm a guy of my word. Plus there's not really much of a point since there's no way you can take me on" he challenged with a grin.

I growled fiercely and snapped;

"I can and I will…"

My comment seemed to only amuse the boy. His arrogance seemed to fluster me more, and he knew it.

"Do I need to ask which flaming redhead you are?" I questioned as I looked over to his twin brother talking to some other Lost Boys in the distance.

The cocky boy chuckled;

"I'm the faster, cooler, way better looking one."

I shot another glare at him. For God's sake, you're about as identical as identical twins come, you moron. He stuck out his hand.

"The name's Brett" he greeted fakely.

Reluctantly I stuck out my hand and shook it lightly.

"It's been a displeasure meeting you Baguette…I mean Brett."

He rolled his eyes playfully.

"Well aren't you just cheeky…" he commented.

Brett exhaled a heavy sigh;

"Alright then. I'll pummel Trent tomorrow, then it'll be up to me and you."

He neared closer to me.

"And when I win, you'll be forever known as the girl who just couldn't keep up with the Lost Boys."

What a load of crap…

His eyes narrowed at me, allowing me to see the cockiness within them.

I countered back;

"And when I win—"

I took a step closer to him.

"You'll forever be known as the guy that got beaten up by a Lost Girl."

I noticed a flicker in his eyes that held a sudden realization. This made me smile. That was until he grinned.

"See you around, Lost Girl…"

He nonchalantly strolled away from me, acting as though he was a big hotshot.

What a loser.

Back home guys like that ran the show. And for some reason, the girls would be all over them. The lack of girls here probably makes the guys go absolutely nuts. Well, being that Brett was of no help in finding Julian, and now that I have a duel on my hands for tomorrow—

Wait…

Oh my god.

What have I done?!

I can't duel! I've only just started to learn! God knows how long that flaming redhead has been around; dueling and putting other Lost Boys in chokeholds. I quickly became filled with anxiety and didn't know what to do.

Where the hell is Julian?!

Rubbing my temples I released a heavy sigh. Anxiety filled my entire being. My thoughts trailed off when across the camp my eyes caught a glimpse of Sam's messy brown hair.

Maybe he could help me find Julian…

As he walked towards the area of huts I jogged to catch up to him. In his hands, he held a fairly large bouquet of handpicked flowers. When I got a closer look I realized that they were dahlias. The inside of the petals reflected a bold red color while the spiky tips were a bright white.

"Hey, Sam" I called, making him turn his head toward me.

His hazel eyes met my dark blue ones as he greeted me happily.

"Oh, hey…You seem like you're accustoming well to Neverland life…" he commented.

I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders;

"Eh, you could say that I guess…Listen, I need a favor…"

At this point, we had stopped in front of his hut as he responded with a raised brow.

"What kind of favor?" he questioned suspiciously.

Like it makes any difference?

Clearing my throat I started;

"I need help finding Julian. Have you seen him?"

He stared back at me skeptically.

"I thought he was with you…" he replied with wonder.

Thinking aloud I contemplated;

"I mean, he was for a bit, but he ran off somewhere with the twins. They were going on about something seemingly serious."

Sam appeared to be at a loss.

"Hmm…Well, what do ya need from him? Anything I can help with?" he kindly offered.

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed.

"I royally screwed myself."

Sam's expression remained confused and concerned.

"Umm…?"

"Ugh…Never mind…I'll tell you about it later…" I spoke in a frazzled tone, bringing the palm of my hand up to my forehead.

He shrugged his shoulders and dismissed my question. His gaze momentarily fell toward the flowers he was holding in his hand.

"Who are those for?" I asked curiously.

Who knows…Maybe he's got a date with Pan…

I internally chuckled and shook my head at my lazy attempt of humor.

Sam looked up from the flowers and kept eye contact with me. But breaking eye contact once more his gaze fell back to the flowers.

"Just a special someone…" he spoke quietly as his expression remained overall melancholy.

Well, that's…interesting…

"Lost Boys are weird…" I mumbled aloud to myself as I turned away from him.

Like a miracle from God Julian appeared from the forest as he walked into camp.

"Found him" Sam voiced cheekily.

I groaned to myself and rolled my eyes.

Thank you Captain Obvious…

I immediately ran over towards him. He saw me approaching him and held a concerned look on his face.

"Thanks a lot for abandoning me out there dude. Really nice. Where have you been?" I interrogated. The anxiety continued to worsen within me every moment that passed.

Julian replied in a calm tone;

"Oh, I was just helping out the twins with something they saw in the forest. But everything's fine. I just got distracted on the way back. What have you been—"

"I'm dueling Brett tomorrow" I cut him off, speaking frustratedly.

Julian's bright eyes widened.

"You what?" he cross-questioned.

My stomach flipped several times as I tried to explain;

"Brett was being an asshole and I just got all tough with him. Now I'm going into a fight I know I'll lose and I don't know what to do!"

It was now that I was practically pacing. I screwed up big time.

Julian sighed;

"Listen, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. Just don't go—"

"I can't just not show up!" I cut him off once more.

"Then they'll just call me a coward…" I sighed.

Julian chuckled and shook his head;

"You really did yourself in, Rookie."

How could he be joking at a time like this?!

"You don't understand how big of a deal this is! He'll humiliate me!" I stressed as I rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands. I exhaled several heavy breaths when Julian began.

"Hannah, you are way over-thinking this. Just do what I've been teaching you. Go in and give it your all. You may even surprise yourself you know…"

As I stood and listened to Julian's words I knew he was right. I wouldn't be able to become a skilled swordsman overnight, and I sure as hell wouldn't be able to quit.

"God damn it, why do you always have to be right?" I complained, giving him a less than desirable glare.

He smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Listen, I'd love to continue being your therapist but I have something I gotta go take care of. How about you go around and start making some friends?" He said childishly.

I rolled my eyes and shot him a death glare. I watched as he headed off in the opposite direction of me.

It looks like I've got my work cut out for me…

Jake's Perspective:

I'm not sure how many times I've woken up in my bed to the shouts of my father, for I lost count after thirteen. Had I been here for days? Weeks? Months? After I woke up I followed through my day as it was already planned out for me. Weed and plant the crops, shuck the corn, fertilize the crops, feed the animals, re-fix the fence I had fixed yesterday, and so on. All remained in an endless loop…

Boy, I did not miss being a farm boy.

As the long hours passed it was evening once more. The sun had set and the air was cool and damp. As I approached the house I stopped for a moment and paused. What would I say to my father this time? Surely I didn't want another three hundred degree burn to the arm again, but what was there to say? Though saying how I felt did wonders for my thoughts, it didn't do wonders for the vase I shattered on the floor. Standing in front of the door to my back porch I grabbed the handle and proceeded inside. Once again I didn't flinch when I heard glass shattering only inches away from the right side of my face. Calmly, I flipped the light switch as I saw my father sitting in the kitchen directly across from me on the same stool as usual. Kicking aside the shards of glass on the floor I stepped towards him. As I looked at him the only thing I could feel was a sickness in the pit of my stomach.

"What turned you into this?" I questioned boldly.

Drunk as a sailor my father stared at me coldly.

"What in the hell are you goin' on about now?" he asked harshly as he tossed another empty bottle on the floor.

I stood my ground and narrowed my eyes at him.

"You heard me. What caused you to decide to live like this?" I asked with pain dripping from my voice.

Not surprisingly my father rolled his eyes and dismissed me.

"If you wanna act like a smart-ass then go do it somewhere else" he replied angrily.

His actions and words led me to be repulsed. His gray eyes were emotionless and dry. They became that way after my mother passed.

"Alright. Then let's talk; man-to-man. Why don't I get letters from Jared or Max anymore?" I confronted him.

Cracking open another bottle of beer from the kitchen table he sighed.

"Who?" he played dumb.

I scoffed;

"My brothers. Your sons."

He sighed and replied;

"I don't know, cause they got bored of ya?"

I breathed heavily and rolled my eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me. You've been hiding their letters from me for years. I found one under the stove from Max. They tried to get you help but you refused—"

"That's none of your damn business…" my father growled.

"They were addressed to me! That letter was dated two years ago!" I exclaimed, feeling my blood boil in my veins.

He hissed as he gripped the beer bottle in his hand tightly;

"My house; my rules."

Rolling my eyes I couldn't take any more of this. I stormed past him and headed straight for my bedroom. Slamming the door my head began to pound.

It's always the same…

Tiptoeing toward my bed I face planted onto the cold, scratchy blankets.

Please…Let me fall asleep and dream this time…

What Gail hadn't told me when I arrived was that you could only communicate through dreams…

Not nightmares…

Every night held a different nightmare from my childhood. I hadn't dreamed a single time since my first night here. Each and every day I was here I became more and more hopeless. It felt like I was in purgatory. What was I doing wrong? What could I possibly have done that—

My internal rant had been interrupted when I heard a peculiar sound coming from the kitchen. If I had a guess, it would be my father was opening another bottle of whiskey from the cabinet. Oddly enough, I felt compelled to confront him in the act, just so I could have a peace of mind for a few moments…I stood up quickly from my bed and opened my bedroom door. Reaching the end of the hallway I peaked into the kitchen at the cabinet to find nobody there. And even stranger, my father wasn't slouching on his stool. He was gone. I could hear the slight clinking of bottles in the fridge. As I turned the corner of the hallway I was ready to rip my father apart when a surprising sight sent me into shock. The person rooting around in my fridge wasn't my father, but Gail.

He turned around with a biscuit in his mouth, a bowl of mashed potatoes in one hand, and a can of whipped cream in the other.

"Gail? What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?"

After I spoke those words I came to the sudden realization.

Oh my god!

I was dreaming!

He swallowed the biscuit in his mouth and grinned with his pearly white smile.

"Sorry, I haven't eaten in years" he laughed.

A smile was permanently plastered across my face. I get to have a day without having a nightmare…

Dreams were so rare here that I considered them to be treasures.

Gail set down the piles of food on the kitchen table and sat down in a chair.

"So you decided to raid my refrigerator because…?" I asked openly.

Gail tipped his head back as he dispensed globs of whipped cream into his mouth.

"Because I don't remember the last time I tasted whipped cream, A.K.A, the food of the gods."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed;

"You haven't changed a bit."

His dirty blonde hair and shining green eyes were the same as they were when he lived in Neverland. In less than thirty seconds he devoured the entire bowl of mashed potatoes he stole from my fridge and burped loudly.

"Where're your manners?" I plugged my nose as the horrid stench filled my kitchen.

He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

"And why am I dreaming in my kitchen?" I asked confused.

The next time I blinked my eyes there were large trees surrounding us for miles.

"Better?" Gail questioned as he appeared from behind me.

I don't know how he did that...

But not gonna bother asking...

Exhaling a heavy sigh I was still haunted by the fact that this dream wouldn't last forever. These moments of being carefree and full of joy would shortly expire. Gail noticed my sad expression and questioned it.

"How are you holding up?" he asked sincerely.

In reality, all I wanted to do was scream at the top of my lungs. Not at Gail, but at this world that I was trapped in. I felt like my true self was being ripped apart. I felt…empty…

"You have no idea what I've been through…" I sighed as I shook my head.

I sat down on a large boulder and ran my fingers through my dirty, unkempt hair. Gail followed and sat next to me.

"Trust me. You're preaching to the choir " he spoke with a light chuckle.

I sighed heavily once again. It amazes me that Gail could still have a sense of humor after years of living…here…He patted me on the back;

"Oh, c'mon lad! Cheer up! You'll get used to it eventually."

But that was just it. I didn't want to get used to it. Gail is just so positive and optimistic that it's perplexing, to say the least. There was a short moment of silence between us. Both of our gazes fell to the ground. There was still one question I haven't asked Gail since I got here. Swallowing the lump in my throat I spoke up;

"Where is your Preternal Neverland, Gail?"

His gaze was still focused on the ground until he locked eyes with me. He was momentarily quiet but answered solemnly;

"In a medical ward. The day that my mother died."

As I took in his words my heart ached. His eyes were glossy and reflected several years of pain and suffering. I spoke softly;

"Are you saying you've watched your mother…"

I trailed off mid-sentence, not wanting to upset him in any way. He nodded his head lightly.

"Yeah…"

He looked away from me, his gaze falling back to the ground. His voice was quiet as he continued;

"It gets harder every time I hold her hand as she lays there cold and weak…and she tells me that she'll be okay…Because I know well enough that she won't be…"

My previously dry eyes were now beginning to tear up. His voice became raspy.

"My mother was a fighter. To see her lose the battle thousands of times is just…" he whispered aloud as he trailed off.

He chuckled dolefully;

"Seeing her lose the battle once was enough…"

At that moment I could barely hold back my tears.

We left Gail here…

For years…

To suffer…

A few tears escaped my tear ducts and streamed down my warm cheeks. There was no way to express how sorry I was for not finding him sooner. He was left here to rot…all by himself…with nobody to talk to…

"I'm so sorry…" I managed to choke out.

I wiped the few tears from my face with my dry thumb and cleared my throat.

"We thought you were dead for so long…but you were trapped here all alone…" I said full of sorrow.

Gail shook his head;

"Don't blame yourselves, Jake. It wasn't your fault. You never would've been able to get here if you hadn't found the entrance—"

"What do you mean entrance?" I cut him off, questioning what he meant.

Gail looked to me as if I had already known.

"Well, I mean, that's how you got here. Through the portal" he responded.

The portal…? I shook my head confused.

"What are you talking about?" I asked once more.

I could tell in Gail's facial expression that he was trying to form his words.

Before he could reply I continued;

"You said there was a way out of here…but you never explained how…" I uttered, my gaze falling to my feet.

He cleared his throat before slowly shaking his head.

"There's a way for you to leave…" he answered without looking at me.

"Whoever that girl was, her kiss protected you from the curse that binds us here."

I remained quiet, unsure of what to say. I didn't realize that it would all be up to me to get us out of here. And the thought of leaving Gail alone all over again sent chills up my spine.

"But what do I have to do?" I questioned desperately, finally meeting his eyes.

Swallowing a lump in his throat he silently shook his head once more.

"I don't know exactly what it is you're supposed to do. All I can figure is that we must be repeating our most miserable days for a reason."

Gail had a point. Why would the universe punish us without reason? Why would we live through this hell only to get the same outcome every time?

"So then what do you suggest I do?" I inquired.

For the first time, Gail shrugged his shoulders without a sure plan.

"See what different outcomes you can make of it. Try to find a different ending…"

I stared blankly into space;

"A different ending…Maybe we just—"

"Jake! If you don't get your ass outside and start working I'm going to make you wish you were never born!" My father shouted from the kitchen.

And just like that…

Gail was gone…

"Try to find a different ending…"

A different ending…

"Jake!" My father yelled once more at the top of his lungs.

And so the cycle began once more.

Suffer…

Recover…

Repeat…

—

A.N:

Hey guys! So this is pretty rare…Holy crap I updated within a week! I'm so happy that I was able to stay focused and get this chapter done. Y'all are so patient and I really appreciate it :) But what did you guys think? Do you think Hannah made a big mistake with taking on Brett's challenge? Does Hannah have any chance of actually beating him? And what in the heck is going on with Jake?! Leave your thoughts and predictions in the comments and let me know what you think! I hope to update soon! See you in the next update!

-Agm3