Chapter 22: Nightmares

3rd Person Perspective:

As the wind whistled through the Neverland trees and the waves crashed upon the shore, Lea tossed and fidgeted in her sleep, her muttering softly echoing throughout Neverland.

"You don't have to pretend anymore…" Lily whispered.

"We both know you've been holding back, and I'm here to tell you-"

"-there's no need…"

"No…" Lea muttered. Tigerlily's voice continued to echo in her dreams.

"I've always known that there's something between us…ever since the day you set foot on this island…"

Images of Jake and Lily flashed in Lea's head. The way Lily's eyes gazed at Jake with lust drove her mad.

"And I mean look at you…"

"You're strong…"

"Such an attractive face…"

"What girl wouldn't fall for you?"

Lea's breathing began to hitch.

"…She's not good enough for you…"

"She doesn't deserve you…not like I do…"

"No…No!" Lea muttered louder.

"Look at that! Your fire is showing through again. If only you could always be that strong…"

"I guess they left out the part about you being gullible" Lily's voice chuckled.

"How does it feel knowing he lied to you?"

"For once, you thought that you could finally trust someone again, only to find out that you meant nothing to him…"

"No…" Lea began to shout in her sleep.

"He wanted to kiss me, he was practically begging for it."

"Boys will be boys. They'll go from one girl to the next. It's just the way it is darling."

"Who knows…Maybe he didn't like you cause you weren't pretty enough…"

Lea's fists began to clench in her sleep, her fingernails nearly drawing blood from her soft, smooth skin.

Hook drove his sword into Jake's body without effort or a second thought.

His breathing became unsteady and he looked over with a single tear running down his cheek.

His brown orbs grew faint and his head tipped back. Strands of his golden blonde hair fell in front of his face and his rosy cheeks lost their color. Hook let go as Jake fell towards the sea.

His lifeless body plummeted into the gold illuminated sea with a splash.

Jake was dead.

Lea screamed a blood-curdling scream as her body squirmed, falling from the tree she slept in. "No!" She cried as tears ran down her face. "No! No!" She shouted. Her body hit the ground like a brick, kicking up dirt in the process. She continued screaming at the top of her lungs, still dreaming and trapped in her night terror. Her eyelids remained shut as her hands clawed at the ground beneath her. Unable to escape her nightmare, Lea's screams echoed throughout Neverland, perhaps even the depths of Neverland as well. Her screams were loud enough for even mermaids to hear.

"Jake!"

The sound of Lea's screams echoed through the air in which the boy with the golden-blonde locks raised his head from his work out in his father's field. Jake's eyes widened as he continued hearing Lea's cries.

Jake's Perspective:

"Jake!" A blood-curdling scream sounded through the air. My brows furrowed as the scream came from a distance.

I know that voice…

The hot sun shone down onto the field of crops as I threw my shovel the ground. Another scream gave out.

"No! No! No!" Lea's voice yelled.

"Lea?!" I shouted, spinning in circles trying to figure out where it was coming from. I thought I heard the voice again as I began to sprint towards the woods. Birds flew as I stormed in between the trees, hectically trying to find the source of Lea's voice. "Lea?! Lea?!"

"Jake? What's going on?" Gail's voice spoke from behind me, nearly making me jump out of my skin. I grabbed ahold of his shoulders.

"It's Lea! I can hear her! How am I hearing her?" I spoke frantically. Gail's eyes wide, he walked away from me and listened to the screams.

"How is she…?" Gail trailed off.

"What? How is she what?" I questioned.

"I didn't know it was possible…"

Lea's violent screams continued.

"You know how we have the ability to visit the dreams of people in Neverland?" Gail questioned uneasily. My brows furrowed.

"Yeah?" I replied. Gail paused for a moment.

"I think she's found a way to visit you in yours…"

My eyes widened as I looked over at Gail.

"How in the hell is that possible?" I asked hesitantly. Gail stood looking up at the sky full of white puffy clouds between the trees.

"There's only one explanation…" he spoke. My eyes looked up to the sky, examining the scorching sun and bright clouds.

"We're not as far from Neverland as we think."

Lea's Perspective:

"Lea!" A familiar voice echoed.

"Lea, wake up!" A second voice begged. Collectively, the voices shouted. "Lea!"

I gasped for air as my eyes opened, tears forcibly running down my face. Through my blurry sight, I could see that the sky was dark. As I rolled over on my side I coughed and sniffled.

"Lea, it's okay. You're okay…"

That voice belonged to none other than Sam, who sat on his knees beside me. Lifting my upper body from the ground, I collapsed in Sam's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"They w-won't g-go away-y Sam. They'll n-never go a-away. They won't go away," I sobbed through my panicked breaths. Sam held onto me tightly and spoke with a soothing voice.

"It's over, okay? You're awake now…"

"It's okay, Lea. It's over" another voice spoke, resting their hand on my back. Opening my eyelids and sneaking a peek from the corner of my eye I saw Lily sitting on the other side of me.

My eyes narrowed.

My fists clenched.

"You…" I scathed.

"This is all you…All of it!" I hissed through gritted teeth.

"Lea, calm down…" Sam said, "Lily came to make sure you were okay. We heard you screaming all the way back at camp" Sam explained.

"So, you bring her here? To taunt me? To remind me why he's gone?" Lily and I both stood up from the ground as she stepped away from me. Sam got up from his knees a few moments later.

"That wasn't her Lea. You know that…" Sam tried as he extended a hand out in front of me. I pushed past him and approached Lily with aggression.

"How do we know that?" I spat. "How can we ever be sure that she's not toying with us?" Lily stood where she was as I leaned in close to her face. "You should have left me for dead when the pirates first found me.." As I stepped away from Lily, her eyes became glossy and she spoke with a strained voice.

"You think I don't regret what happened, Lea? I think about it every day. Every morning, I wake up and I remember all of the horrible things I did, all of the horrible things I caused. But I promise you, I never wanted to hurt you, or anyone. You were one of the best friends I have ever had. You mean everything to me. But you can't keep letting this eat away at you. Someday, you will have to let go…" My eyes fell to the ground as wisps of wind blew strands of hair in front of my eyes.

"That's not up to you to decide…" I muttered. "I will live out my days bringing down Hook. I will not stop until he feels every last bit of what I've been through. Like it or not, that's how I cope. If you wanna prove you're on our side, why don't you make yourself useful and figure out how to free the Lost Boys under Hook's influence. I turned away from Lily and Sam as I headed into the woods. "Unless, of course…You're still one of them…"

As I ventured off into the forest, I allowed my thoughts to wander. Perhaps, Lily meant what she said. But I wasn't willing to take the risk. I've trusted her once too many times. It's mistakes like that that will allow you to be taken advantage of. I've found that I'm better off alone, where no one can earn my trust and betray me. Looking towards the sky, I saw in the distance the mermaid's lagoon. The reflection of the moon on the dark waters was nearly blinding, yet beautiful. Keeping an eye on my surroundings, I approached the lagoon, throwing my bow and quiver on the ground beside me. Kneeling towards the lagoon, I sat on the ground and exhaled a heavy sigh. One hand wrapped around my knees, the other gracefully brushed through the lagoon water, tracing patterns back and forth. Before my eyes, visions began to flash from several years ago.

My eyes couldn't see anything in the dark abyss as I felt my waist being dragged further below sea level.

My vision grew hazy as my head began to pound.

The muscles in my arms and legs burned from the inside out, struggling to fight back against the mermaids.

My eyelids were half-open when the figure of a boy appeared in the distance. As he got closer I was taken aback by his holden locks swishing and floating within the water.

It was the boy I had rescued from the wolves ever so recently.

As He grabbed ahold of me I just barely glanced into his deep, brown eyes. The hood of my cloak fell further in front of my eyes, impeding the view of my rescuer.

My eyes shot open as I ripped my hand out of water. I guess my first memories are more vivid than I thought…Shaking the water droplets from my hands I heard a woman's voice echoing from the lagoon.

"We can help you, Lea…One quick swim and we can make it all go away…"

Looking out to the lagoon, I knew exactly the source of the voice.

"We can end your suffering…"

"It will be painless…"

Slowly emerging from the lagoon beside me was a mermaid with hair black as night and eyes as blue as the lagoon itself. She only exposed herself from the collarbones up and lifted her hand out of the water. My hand still hovering above the lagoon, she gently grabbed a hold of it.

"You express much pain, my child…"

I stood still as my breathing began to slow.

"Let me help…" she insisted with a motherly tone.

She began to bring our hands under the surface of the water, slowly pulling more and more of my arm further into the lagoon. My head began to feel weightless and my heart felt as though it was the most calm it head been in years. The world around me was practically still.

I chuckled slightly to myself;

"I thought you were dead…"

A small smile crept upon Jake's face.

"I would never do that to you" he replied warmly.

I turned my attention back to him with a slight grin.

"Don't make promises you can't keep" I spoke warm-heartedly. Jake eyed me.

"For you, I'd keep any promise." I rolled my eyes.

"You're so damn cheesy," I smirked. Noticing the blood rolling down his face I offered him my assistance.

"Here-" I spoke as I walked over to the other side of the room.

I grabbed a chair and dragged it over next to the bed. Sitting down, I reached over to the bowl of warm water and grabbed the wet cloth. As Jake laid half sitting up, I leaned forward towards him, strands of my hair falling in front of my face. My eyes focused on his wounded forehead as I had just barely pressed the cloth against his skin. Feeling the stinging pain, he flinched back. I pulled the cloth away slightly. My attention left his forehead for a moment as my free hand rested on his forearm.

"Hold still…" I spoke tenderly as the corner of my lips pulled into a slight smile.

He complied as I leaned in closer, bringing the cloth back to his forehead. He sat through the stinging pains while I pressed against the tender skin. His deep brown eyes were just about level with mine. I released my free hand from his forearm and pulled back a few golden strands of his hair that laid in front of his face. As I did so, my fingertips brushed lightly against his skin. I ran my fingers ever so slightly through his hair. It was somehow soothing and also comforting to me. A few more strands of my long hair fell in front of my eyes. Occasionally, I would wipe extra drops of water that streamed down his face with the tip of my thumb. With his right hand, he gently raised it and tucked the loose strands of my hair behind my ear. My attention left his injury as my eyes fell to meet his. He looked at me with this glimmer in his eyes. No boy has ever looked at me the way he was right now. He wasn't looking at me like I was just some girl. He was looking at me…like I meant something to him…My lips parted, and I smiled softly for a split second.

Please…

Just kiss me…

My eyelids shot open as nearly half of my body was in the lagoon, the mermaid still holding a firm grip on my wrist. She had slowly been dragging me into the lagoon, forcing me into a dreamlike trance.

Jake wouldn't want this…

I ripped my wrist out from the mermaid's hold and climbed out of the lagoon, the mermaid lunging after me with hisses.

"No! You were mine!" It continued hissing. Crawling further away from the lagoon and grabbing my bow and quiver, I mumbled aloud.

"Not today, slimy siren schmuck…"

Strolling away from the lagoon, I disappeared into the forest without any intention of sleep. It's time for me to stop thinking about what I want and more about what Jake would want. As much as I would like to gut Hook like a fish, I need to put my own wishes on hold. Jake would want his friends to be free from Hook's wrath. If I'm going to do this…I need to figure out what kind of state these boys are in. I can't just observe them from a distance anymore. It's not enough. I need to know how they think, how they react, how they survive. Hook can't be controlling them from a distance. There's gotta be some kind of ringleader.

Screw Tigerlily…

If you want something done right…

You gotta do it yourself…

One Hour Later…

Crouched and hidden within the trees, I observed the groups of boys from a distance. Something strange was taking place. The boys usually were used to work and do Hook's bidding, whether it was manual labor or gathering materials. Instead, the twenty-five boys stood unmoving in uniform lines, their heads covered by their signature brown Lost Boy cloaks. My only guess as to why they were awake at this time of night was because they were trying to stay out of sight from everyone else. They most likely slept during the day to lower the risk of having an unwanted run-in. But again, the boys were not working. They were standing as still as statues, their breathing barely detectable. I'm afraid that my fears and suspicions may have come true…Whatever they are planning…

They're ready to execute it…

It wouldn't be much longer until they were ready to attack. And at this rate, we're outnumbered.

My thoughts ceased suddenly when the center Lost Boy from the front line stepped out of formation. He turned slowly and nodded at the boys, cold shivers traveling up my spine. I could feel my hands begin to shake until I gritted my teeth and snapped out of it.

They're not your friends anymore Lea…

Looking through the trees, I watched as the dark night sky began to fade. Morning was soon upon us. There was probably only minutes to spare at this point. The boys in unison began to file out of the field in straight lines. The hooded leader fell back into line as the string of Lost Boys began to leave the reservation. Now would be my only chance. Quietly sliding down the tree, I jumped to the ground and landed in a shallow pile of leaves, pulling my hood over my head. As the last Lost Boy in the line filed out, I carefully and smoothly fell into the line, doing my best to blend in with the mindless drones. The Lost Boys followed each other through the forest, seemingly following a guided path. I decided to keep up the charade just a few minutes longer until I felt like there was a possibility of me successfully pulling off my plan. There was a slim chance it would work, but I was willing to give it a shot.

Holding my breath, as we began to march in an arboraceous part of the forest, I grabbed a hold of the Lost Boy's cloak in front of me and forcibly yanked him back. Covering his mouth, I tackled him to the ground as the rest of the line moved on without us. The real mystery here was who did I end up swiping from the lineup? The boy wasn't holding up much of a fight, which I guess isn't that surprising given the fact that they are in such a vegetative state. Pulling the dagger from my belt, I held it up to their neck. As I pulled back the hood from their cloak I found myself in a slight state of shock.

Lying there before me was Ryan, who stared at me with cold, dead eyes. It took me by surprise seeing him this way. I could barely remember the last time I had seen him. I know it had to have been sometime after things went to hell.

"Long time no see, compadre," I greeted with a dark smirk. Ryan's face remained emotionless and unmoving. "Let's see what I can get out of you, hmm?" I continued darkly. "I gotta say, I never thought I would be happy to see you…"

"We're sure happy to see you…" he spoke emotionlessly. My eyes widened and the grip on my dagger tightened.

"So, you can talk…" I muttered, raising a brow.

"He'll be so happy to see that you've come to join us…" he began. I stared at his blank expression.

"Who? Hook?" I inquired. Blinking slowly, Ryan responded.

"Not Hook…His apprentice." I narrowed my eyes and grabbed a hold of Ryan's shirt with my fist.

"Apprentice? What apprentice?" I interrogated through gritted teeth. Ryan spoke calmly.

"The Lost Boy that has been pulling the strings. He's the bridge…" My body began to tense up and a feeling in the pit of my stomach made me uneasy.

"The bridge to what?" I questioned, slightly apprehensive of his answer.

"Hook never really wanted him though…" Ryan continued, disregarding my question. "He always wanted you…Ever since you set foot on the island…"

My stomach dropped as my eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?" I pressured him.

"He wants you as our leader, Lea…"My eyes narrowed and my jaw clenched. "We know you have a difficult time seeing it, but you belong with us…You deserve to be your own leader…"

"I am my own leader…" I snarled at him. Ryan chuckled.

"Not a leader over Pan…And you never will be if you stay with them…"

Suddenly, I felt my ankle twist as my body fell to the ground. Flipping me over, Ryan overtook me and pinned me down. I grasped desperately for my dagger that had fallen out of my reach.

"We understand if you need a little nudge, Lea. We all did." Ryan traced his fingers along my neck slowly. "And now that we're able to get to you, it's finally time we get our new leader…"

Ryan then reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial of purple shimmering dust. It didn't take an expert to know what it was he was holding. I began to panic in fear that I had no escape.

"Ryan, Ryan, no. You need to stop!" I spoke hectically, trying to get him to stop before it was too late. He continued to uncap the vial. He pushed harder against my forearms in an attempt to keep me still.

"It's okay, Lea. You'll be one of us now…" Ryan spoke ominously.

I squirmed and fought harder as fear began to get in. He was going to turn me into one of them; a mindless, killing drone.

"Ryan, no! You don't know what you're doing!" I exclaimed, still trying to keep my voice down as to not alert the other influenced Lost Boys. I felt stuck. For the first time in a long time, I was helpless. It was at that moment that I was becoming desperate.

"I know why you always hated me! Ryan—" I blurted aloud. Ryan's glossy eyes narrowed.

"I know why you hated me so much…" I said, heavily breathing. I had momentarily grabbed his attention.

"It's because I remind you of your mother, isn't it Ryan…?" I continued. He remained frozen in place.

"You miss her very much…" I spoke softly with pain in my voice.

"I used to sing for Tommy before he went to bed every night a long time ago…" I explained. Ryan's grip on me tightened. Wrapping his hand around my throat he began to push the air out of my lungs. Through small breaths, I continued speaking. "And I knew—" I choked, "—that you secretly listened..." Ryan's dead eyes observed me as I continued painfully, still holding the vial upright in his hand.

"You listened because it reminded you of your mother who passed on a long time ago…" The wind began to pick up in the trees and the sun began to creep up from the horizon. "And you hated that," I said. "You hated that I reminded you of her. You couldn't stand the fact that I brought back memories of something other than Neverland." Ryan's expression remained cold. It was apparent that the real Ryan wasn't hearing me."And Hook used that to get to you…That's why he used you to get to me. That's why he used—"

I paused as a pain filled my chest.

"That's why he used…Tigerlily—" I trailed off. "Because he knew that's what would hurt me most…" It was now that I could feel the emotions that I had shut out starting to resurface. "He tried to control Jake…To get to me…" I spoke. "But I snapped him out of it before Hook could take control." I gasped for air. "I still think there is a way to free you guys…And I'm not going to give up until I do…"

Ryan clenched his palm even tighter around my neck. Now not having much air left, I was forced to my last resort.

"Your mother, Ryan, used to sing this one song…Do you remember the words? Remember the words, Ryan? What I would sing for Tommy?" I asked him through gasps. His stern expression was steadfast. My vision fading, I began to recite the words one line at a time.

"Where the sun meets the sky—" I gasped.

"And the mockingbirds sing—"

"The beauty in the world—"

"When winter leads to Spring—"

Ryan was frozen as his dead eyes looked directly into mine.

"There's no other feeling—"

"Like traveling the ocean blue—" I paused, catching my breath.

"Hear the whistling in the trees—" I exhaled violently and wheezed, seeing darker spots in my vision. There was a moment of silence.

"Calling out for you..." Ryan spoke softly.

My eyes widened and I laid speechless. Ryan blinked once, and for a moment, just a moment, I saw a flicker in his eyes. His grip loosened around my neck.

"That's right," I nodded with a slight chuckle of surprise. I inhaled heavily to catch my breath. Off in the distance, several pairs of footsteps echoed throughout the air. Hearing the footsteps, Ryan glanced to the side before shaking his head. Taking one last look into Ryan's eyes, I muttered.

"I'm going to save you guys, no matter what it takes…"

Gathering all of my strength, I head-butted Ryan and knocked the vial out of his hand, throwing him off me in the process. Picking up my dagger and my bow, I darted off into the forest, pulling my hood back over my head. I ran as fast as my legs would take me. The sun had risen and the Neverbirds' calls began to echo around me. The whole way back all I could think about was that flicker in Ryan's eyes. That flicker of light was a sign—

A sign of free will…

As I neared the camp, I felt shivers run throughout my entire body, causing goosebumps to form on my arms. Wrapping my cloak tightly around myself, I grew curious.

Why in the hell was it so cold?

Now walking towards the camp, I looked up to the sky where it had changed to a shade of white. Holding out my hand in front of me, I brought my palm close to my face when something tiny floated into it. Examining it closely, I watched as it melted instantly against my warm skin. Looking up, there were dozens of them floating down from the sky. They were…snowflakes…Why was it snowing?

As I pushed through sheets of vines and leaves, I was surprised to hear the ground crunch beneath me. It was quickly that I realized I was standing in heaps of snow. Bulling back the leaves of the trees, I saw before me a dozen Lost Boys playing in the snow as if nothing in the world mattered. Leaning against the tree, I stood in wonder as to how or why this was possible. Turning my head, I noticed Peter standing not too far from where I was, leaning against a tree with a smile on his face, admiring the boys making fools of themselves. Last time I checked, Peter was on the verge of a mental breakdown. So…

What has gotten into him?

—

A.N:

Hello everyone! Hope quarantine is treating you well! I know it stinks, but we'll get through this! Anyway, school is finally over for me, which means more time to write! Yay! Anyway, what did you guys think? Do you think Lea is going crazy? Does she have a right to be angry with Lily? Is it not Lily's fault? Do you think she was onto something with Ryan? Let me know your thoughts and predictions! I love hearing them! Stay safe and healthy and I will see you in the next update!

-The Storyteller