Finding Neverland
Summary: Charlie Fayer was torn away from Neverland when she was 8, by the new pirate captain. Now four years later Neverland has come back to bring her home. But will Charlie be able to remember her past in time to save it.
Chapter
10: Staring At The Photo
Minutes passed by with silence. A
lump formed in the back of Charlie's throat. Her whole body was
numb, as if Nathan had slipped her something so that she couldn't
move. All she could do was sit on the bed and stare blankly up at
him. Without speaking Nathan left, but on his way out he put a small
package on the table.
Charlie stared at the bundle. Immediately,
she was gripped by curiosity. She wanted to know what was in it. No…
she needed to know what was in it. Cautiously, when she knew no one
was looking, she reached over and picked up the parcel. It was lumpy
and not very heavy. She sat it down on the bed next to her and undid
the brown paper rapping. Lose articles scattered around the bed as
they were freed. She picked up a little box; it had tiny shells and
crushed flowers stuck on the out side. She stared at it for a few
seconds it seemed so familiar and significant. She went through each
item. Some where dolls, others, hairpins. But each little item had a
purpose. She knew it did. It was there for a reason, just like her.
She buried her way through the pile, until she came to an envelope.
She threw aside all the other bits she had been inspecting and pulled
it out. It was old, its paper had gone all yellow and some of it even
disintegrated when she touched it. But even though the envelope was
so damaged, it had served its purpose, the contents inside had been
protected enough for it still to be describable. It was an old photo,
like the one Mel, Darren and her had had taken at DreamWorld. It was
yellow and the edges were very fragile, there were three people in
the photo. One was a man, who stood tall and protective over his wife
who was sitting with perfect grace on a chair in front of him. And on
the adjacent side of the man, was a girl no older than 8. Charlie
stared at the girl, she recognised her from somewhere. Then, like a
lightning bolt, Charlie understood who that girl was, it was her. She
couldn't believe it. But she knew it was true. She had her eyes,
her same hair. It was exactly her, but in the 1900's She looked at
the family around her. "My family." She whispered, touching her
mum's face. Then she looked at her dad. He wasn't smiling, his
stern face portrayed him as a strict parent. She wondered how he had
ended up with such a pretty lady. For she was nothing near to strict.
Her face was soft and smooth, she looked gentle and warm. She
suddenly had a desire to jump into that picture, and snuggle up to
her mother.
"Makes you miss her, doesn't it?" Nathan was
back.
Charlie jumped; she had been so focused on the photo that
she hadn't heard him come in. She nodded, slowly, not looking up at
him. "How did you get this?" she asked.
"If you look closely
you'll find the answer." He smiled. When Charlie just looked up
blankly at him, he laughed. "You'll find it." And then he left
again.
Charlie was starting to get annoyed with all these
interruptions. Why can't they just make up there minds, either
stay or stay out. She thought angrily. Then looked back down at
the photograph.
For what seemed like hours, she stared at that
picture. But nothing. Not a single answer came to her. She got fed up
after that, and concentrated more on the food that had been brought
in. She lay down on her bed and stared up at the picture. She had
heard from her teachers that reading something above of you, helps
you remember it. So Charlie decided to put it to the test.
She
must have dozed off, because when she woke up a star was shining
brightly through her small window. She sat up in bed, the room was
rocking slightly from the water, making her feel queasy. The star
twinkled welcoming down at her, she put her hand to the window. She
wanted to be outside again. To fly through the night sky. She felt
like a wild beast, locked up in a cage at the zoo. She now understood
how those animals felt being locked up there. But at least there
in a replica of their natural habitat, I'm locked up in a place
where I don't want to be. She thought. Suddenly a dark shadow
flashed across the window. She jumped back, and a face appeared. She
almost screamed, until she realised who it was. It was Peter. He
smiled, and put his finger to his lips and flew off again. She
smiled, then returned her attention to the star.
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"Have
you found it yet?" Nathan slipped through a side door Charlie
hadn't noticed before.
When she saw it was him, she turned back
to the window, "Nope." She said flatly.
"You haven't?"
Nathan sounded surprised. "Try harder."
"Why? You could just
tell me!" She said angrily. She just wanted to be alone. To find a
way out. "If it's so important that I know, then why not tell
me?"
"Cause you need to work it out for yourself!" Nathan
shouted back. He snatched up the photo. "Who does he look
like?"
Charlie squinted her eyes. After a few seconds she
started to laugh. "He looks like…" She stopped mid sentence.
The laughing froze and she slouched onto the bed again. "But…
that would mean…"
"You're my daughter." Nathan finished
for her.
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There
was a crash outside. Nathan ran out to see what the commotion was
about without hesitation, leaving Charlie completely dumbfounded.
It
was unbelievable. All the questions she had always wanted answered,
had been. She felt empty without them. She picked up the photo that
had floated to the ground. She found her self, starring, once more,
at him. This man, this man who looked so stern and noble, had become
a pirate. But even as she looked at him, she saw what was really
there. He was a husband, he had been happy, with a baby girl.
Glimpses of her past flashed across her eyes. She saw her mother
sitting on a rug, as her father swooped around her. They were all
happy, all smiling and laughing. But then, he came…
He had loved
her so much, (and still did) he gave up his life for her. To save
her, bring her back. But what good had it done? It was her decision.
Obviously, she wanted to stay in Neverland. But why? She just
couldn't rmeber?
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She
sat pondering about this, until she noticed the side door, that
Nathan had forgotten to shut on his way in. She looked around the
room. Checking if anyone was looking. Slowly she got off the bed. Her
legs were cramped and stiff from sitting in the same awkward position
for so long. She crept over to the door, and peeked behind it. It led
into the main passageway of the ship. She slipped out and hung around
the shadows. She passed a few pirates with ease. Then as she walked
further into the ship, she heard a voice. She followed the voice.
Until she landed in front of a door. Carefully she opened the door,
just a few inches to peek inside. The room was fancy, and she guessed
it was the Captains.
"It should work." Nathan was talking to
himself. His back was turned and he seemed to be cradling something.
"If I just wind it back to 1919, then…" He started to mumble
on, and Charlie only caught snippets of what he was saying. "Never
know what hit them… never remember it anyway… things will be back
to normal… so 10 meters…" Charlie started to get board of his
rambling, and let down her guard. Finally Nathan turned around, and
Charlie saw what he had been hiding.
It was a clock.
But if
you looked closely you could see pictures of people where the numbers
should have been. Nathan wound the hands so they landed on him and
Charlie. Instantly the faces disappeared and were replaced by
numbers. He swivelled the hands again, and like before the numbers
disappeared replaced by larger numbers. But then Charlie realised
what they were. They weren't numbers. They were years. Recognition
dawned on Charlie. He was going to turn back time.