Chapter 4 'Helpless'
"You are not getting away from me that easily,"
"I always get what I want,"
"You are mine, forever,"
"Forever,"
Lily sprang up from her bed in cold sweat. She ran her hand through her hair as she tried to calm down. The nightmare and the brunette creep still haunted her, and she feared it was getting worse. Inching towards her bedside table where her journal lay, she tried to grasp what happened. The events were hazy and the words were vague, but she knew it was that boy again.
She switched on her lamp and hurriedly scribbled two people on a fresh page, the boy being one of them. The second person was a young girl about her age and decking Native American attire. The two were squaring off, one giving the other intimidating glares, but in sense sort of playful. Lily made sure to highlight the way the girl was basically in the boy's face, refusing to back down. If only, she could be more like this girl, assertive. And for the boy, she zeroed in on the way he stared at the girl with such desire. Though not in a romantic, mushy way.
Lily recalled what she heard in her dream. Those sayings could have been sweet and endearing, but how the boy said them made it anything but. He sounded like a psychotic serial killer, getting too emotionally attached to his hostages. She shivered at the thought. Graham might have been right and it pained her to remember those last warning words. There was a reason she was having nightmares of this boy. Something bad must have happened in her early childhood. Something bad did happen but it didn't involve anybody else but her and- she didn't want to finish that thought. Oddly enough, when she tried to pinpoint a certain memory from her past she envisioned a blank canvas. Nothing came up. She could hardly remember her first foster home.
Setting down her pen, she stared at the finished drawing. The boy and the girl were well defined in the ink, a range of emotions swirled about the page and she could feel them all before feeling crestfallen and sad in the end. It was obvious these two had a companionship like no other though still a companionship nonetheless. It had its dark aspects but it was meaningful. Lily wished she had what they had. She longed for someone who understood what it was like being so broken and lost. She could walk right into Paige's room and tell her what she had been through, but as great of a friend she was, she would never get it. She had a family and friends who adored her. The perfect life.
Sighing, Lily checked the time on her clock. It was already time to get up. She threw off the covers and changed into her uniform before heading out the door. Normally, she would have taken the bus. With the weather as cool and serene as this, it would be a shame not to enjoy it. She arrived at school in half an hour, roughly early in her opinion. Kids loitered the front of the school, chatting away in their own separate groups. She cut through them to get to her classroom.
When she entered the classroom, she suppressed a groan. Henry Mills sat in his seat, flipping through some book. He was the only one there. Great, she thought. She crept to the back of the room and set her things there. Miss Blanchard hadn't come yet so Lily was forced to endure 10 minutes alone with the mayor's son. She decided to pass the time by doodling in her dream journal some more. She plucked a pencil from her bag and headed over to the sharpener at the front of the classroom. On the way, she passed by Henry's desk. At the corner of her eye, she caught a brightly colored image on a page. Curious, she stopped and saw that it was a prince and a princess. A fairytale, she thought. It looked to be a wedding scene.
She tried to read what was on it, only coming up with a few words here and there. But from the little she could decipher, it was interesting. It turned out to be Snow White and Prince Charming, a fairytale Miss Blanchard assigned to her weeks ago. Scanning the page, she knew that this wasn't in the original story. It had a twist. She got to the part where it said, 'curse' when Henry noticed her presence and quickly shut the book.
"Oh, hi Lily," he said smiling innocently.
"Hi," she responded with less vigor.
"Did you read out of my book?" he asked nervously, fingers tapping against the book's leather cover in a fidgety fashion. It was like whatever is inside was sacred, for certain eyes only.
"No. I'm stupid remember," she lied and ended with a rather bitter tone.
"I don't think you're stupid," Henry said, causing Lily to look at him funny. No one has ever said that to her. And coming from a boy who was supposedly a spoiled brat, it took her off guard, "You just can't read that's all,"
"Apparently, that makes me stupid,"
"Um...out of curiosity, what did you see?" She shifted forward and reached for the book just to spite him. He slid it away from her fingers. He was hiding something.
"Nothing important," In Lily's opinion, it wasn't. What she read was only a story. Nothing more.
"Who knows? What if this book holds the secret of life as we know it here in Storybrooke?" he said offhandedly.
She scoffed before continuing her line of path to the pencil sharpener,"Yeah. Whatever," The day Henry held the secret of life was the day she would get adopted. Seriously, this kid is weird, she thought as she reached the sharpener.
After the coast was clear, Henry opened the book again and began searching for the Lily's identity. Henry looked between Lily's retreating figure and the book, flipping through the pages from beginning to end. Frowning, he scrunched his nose in puzzlement having found nothing on a girl matching her description. When he first looked inside the book, he immediately recognized Mary Margaret as Snow White within seconds. It would have struck him by now.
"Who is she?" he wondered to himself. The book talked about the Enchanted Forest. If she wasn't from there, then where was she from? Were there other lands?
A sword flew past Tigerlily as she made a daring streak towards the river. Smiling to herself, the water was her haven, she knew her pursuers weren't to follow after her there. She swerved through the trees and hopped over the logs. The grumbling of male voices drew nearer and nearer, pushing her speed to its fullest. But then all of the sudden, she was ambushed. From the arc of trees opening into the river, three cloaked figures stood in her path swords and clubs raised. Tigerlily turned to change paths only to be met by her pursuers, all in the same emerald cloaks. There were 6 of them altogether. They were older than children yet younger to be considered adults. It wouldn't be easy to go through them all.
A towering blonde boy stood in front of the three blocking the river. He twirled his club aimlessly, advancing dangerously close to Tigerlily, "Give up now, princess?"
She stuck out her chin defiantly, "Never," Tigerlily grinned knowingly to herself. She had a secret weapon.
She straightened up, threw her head back then let out a crow. It resonated through the jungle reaching for miles around. She heard gasps coming from the boys when something brushed past the jungle canopy, rustling the leaves. Even the blonde looked up to try and find this mysterious bird. Then, one by one, the boys behind Tigerlily shot up into the trees being dragged by their hoods by unseen hands. Some boys screamed as they dropped their weapons and let the force pluck them off the ground.
Tigerlily picked up a fallen club and charged at the blonde. He swung at her but she stooped low enough to jab his kneecap. Once he had fallen, she moved on to the other two. She disarmed one easily but the last boy was tricky. Their duel lasted longer than expected. Near the end of the fight, she discarded the club and moved on with her fists. He tried cuffing her but to no avail. She dodged his throws before punching him square in the nose, knocking the hood off. It revealed to be a brunette boy with freckles. His blue eyes flashed with intensity.
"You're going easy on me?" he taunted, shaking off the pain.
"Are you?" she replied. Before sweeping the boy's legs, bringing him to ground. Sprawled out on his back, he looked up at Tigerlily in defeat. He sighed and brought his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay. You win!"
"Not exactly," a new voice came from above. Tigerlily looked up to see Peter, in his mischievous glory, hanging from the branches. He dropped in front of her, holding his sword, "Rules are that the team captain must perform the final strike to the opposing team captain."
"Then what are you waiting, Peter?" Do it,"
Peter smirked while Tigerlily rolled her eyes. He offered to share the sword hilt so they could strike together. They were on the same team of course and not just in the game, "Will you share the honor?" Tigerlily nodded, showing a hint of a smile. She wrapped her fingers around the hilt right above Peter's. In unison, they raised the sword above their heads. The freckled boy closed his eyes and awaited for the strike that never came. When he opened his eyes, he saw the blade centimeters close to his nose.
"Relax, Devin," Peter hauled the boy to his feet, "It's just a game. You looked as if we were going to actually kill you. It would have been a great loss since you hold a bit of seniority, being the first boy I've taken in."
The boy, Devin smiled and shook hands with Peter in sportsmanship conduct, "You cheated you know? My team jailed you already."
"Cheated? " Peter put a hand to his heart and gasped dramatically, "I would never! I merely used the perk of being the leader to my advantage. Besides, there was a fault in the cage. No one locked it,"
A series of 'Aw, man!'and 'Really?'s erupted in the treetops, "Okay boys, game over!" Devin said and the cloaked boys climbed down from the trees, joining their leader with no hard feelings. It was a good game, brilliantly played and they had fun. That was what mattered. The blonde boy rose from the ground and headed towards the group, the only one bitter about the defeat. He brushed away Peter's hand when a handshake was in order.
"C'mon Felix, don't be such a spoiled sport,"
"I'm not. It's just Tigerlily hit me a bit too hard," he said, glaring at Tigerlily. She crossed her arms. It wasn't her fault the boy couldn't handle it.
A new batch of boys arrived onto the scene, these ones with black cloaks. These boys were much younger, ranging from ages 3- 12. They were Peter' and Tigerlily's team. They had been caught by Felix and Devin's team before they could reach the river. Tigerlily didn't think it was fair to have the smallest kids on one team while the bigger ones were on the other. That was why she and Peter joined the smaller boys to even out the odds, but it sort of backfired.
The smallest of the small, Tootles, ran ahead and stood before Tigerlily. He tugged on her dress. Since he was only a mid thigh height to her, "Did we win? Did we win?" he asked excitedly in his chipmunk-like voice. She nodded, causing the younger team to cheer.
"Okay. The Boomerangs won against the Tangerines!"
"Why did you give us that name, Peter?" Felix asked, very annoyed with the girly name.
"Please, you have bigger boys with bigger clubs, let us have this one,"
"You already won," Begrudging, Felix stalked off somewhere into the jungle, probably heading back to the compound ahead of them. Peter shrugged, bringing his attention back to the boys, "We must celebrate! Come on, let's go home!" Peter exclaimed. And with his arms around both Tigerlily and Devin, the group of 15 or so boys filed out.
Tigerlily couldn't believe how fast the last 2 centuries flew before her eyes. Since that fateful day with the jaguars, alot had changed on Neverland. First of all, she stopped aging. Her bones shifting into place and now forever appearing 15 years old. Now she could look Peter straight in the eyes without having to crane her head. And speaking of Peter, he had made peace with the Sky Eaters tribe as well as a few neighboring ones clustered near the southern tip of the island. Soon, he and the Indians were allies against island invaders, which meant an organized truce.
Peter had also kept his promise. Nothing ever stayed still in Neverland anymore. The adventures they had were too numerous to count and too phenomenal to describe. From what was a simple companionship grew into an inseparable bond.
But then came a day when the island became too small for them both. Using pixie dust, Tigerlily was able to accompany Peter to travel to different realms. They had met Devin in the Enchanted Forest, running away from an abusive household. They rescued him and took him back to Neverland. Realizing many others were suffering the same fate of abandonment and loneliness, Peter began making frequent trips between the Enchanted Forest and Neverland, rescuing boys from their terrible fates and giving them a home in Neverland. He coined the name Lost Boys and that was what he called them ever since.
It took much convincing of the fairies to let them stay on the island since if the population grows then the magic surrounding their youth would wear out thin. But Tinkerbell pulled through on their behalf, saying that the belief the boys had would fuel the island's magic indubitably. Peter's constant merriment and adventures heightened the boys' belief and now magic flowed like never before, growing larger and more powerful. Neverland was the motherload of magic.
At first, Tigerlily didn't like the arrangement. She had 11 rambunctious boys to look after rather than the one menace before. But over the years, she warmed up to them, even flashing a smile or two at their way. Plus, it was hard to hate the Lost Boys since they adored Tigerlily and worshiped the ground she walked on. They were amazed by her skills and gave her the respect her village never did.
"Tigerlily, you bested us against!" They said to her once they found the compound. Tents and blankets were strewn across a spacious clearing, surrounding an oak tree. Peter had built the compound around the tree he and Tigerlily took refuge in during the jaguar hunt. 'May the tree serve as a refuge to those who were lost.' he had said when he proposed the idea. It was a comfy setting and very inviting. The Lost Boys took to it, dropping to their favored spots.
Tigerlily took her place on the log in front of the fire, squeezed between Thud Butt and Curly, the two chubs of the Lost Boys. As the twins, Sooner and Later, passed out the celebratory meal to both the winners and losers Tigerlily was swarmed with compliments and questions by the boys,
"How do you run so fast? You must have been a cheetah in a past life,"
"Can you teach me? Could I ever be as good as you?"
"How hard did you hit Felix?"
The questions amused her. She didn't know how to respond. Luckily, she didn't have to. A horn blew in the distance. It came from her village. It meant there was an emergency.
"Oh no boys," Peter called, "I'm afraid Tigerlily has to return to home," Tigerlily wished she could spend the rest of the day at the compound. Sometimes the responsibilities of the Chief's daughter became too much of a hassle and it was nice to have time to relax and play.
Peter handed her her axe and bow which she had left in his tent earlier, "Until tomorrow, Tigerlily. I think it's high time we should go on a quest by ourselves," his lips quirked into a smirk, "It's been an awful long time since it had been just us. According to the mermaids, there's a treasure washed ashore."
"Treasure?" A ginger haired boy, as lanky as Felix, said leaning against a tree, "Well you better get to it soon,"
"Yeah, before Hook does," Thud agreed.
Recently a gang of pirates emerged out of the blue, captained by the infamous and wicked Hook. He was a cold hearted, greedy man bent on revenge towards the one who cut off his hand. He thought Neverland would preserve his age as he went to look for a way to enact his revenge. The pirates' presence on the island disrupted the balance of the magic which fuels youth. Every so often there would be a few Lost Boys, Indians, and pirates who started to age again. Peter spent years trying to chase Hook and his men away to keep the youth magic for the original island inhabitants and his Lost Boys. It was constant battle between the Lost Boys and the pirates.
"Don't worry," Peter assured, circling around the firepit. He wanted his point to come across everybody's ears, "The pirate has other things to deal with...like an army of Lost Boys of for instance?" Cheers erupted from the boys, "Poking holes through their sails would hinder their sailing around Neverland for a little while. Shame since it's a big island and all. Impressive thinking, Fox." The ginger haired boy swelled with pride at the mention of his idea.
"Still, Felix tell the mermaids to spread a rumor of a lucky charm, south tip of the island. That would keep pirates busy for two days," Felix nodded and did his leader's bidding. Tigerlily couldn't figure him out. He had a shady past and always brought negative energy with him. Though when it came to Peter, Felix would obey him without hesitation.
Deciding not to dwell on that any further, Tigerlily accepted Peter's offer to go treasure hunting. He held out his hand to seal the deal. When her hand grasped his, a shock surged through her. Alert, she pulled away. Peter must have felt it too because he studied his fingertips.
He waved it off, "Probably some magic working its way out," he theorized. His eyes locked onto Tigerlily and brought his face close hers. Feeling him a breathe away made Tigerlily back her head away slightly. She wanted to keep a respectable distance, "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow," she confirmed, "Goodbye," She walked away from the compound feeling a strange sense of delight. But it didn't last long. The moment she stepped foot on her village, she was approached by her father,
"Tigerlily, you are late," he said, disapprovingly.
"Sorry, father," She did rush to get there with it being an emergency. The Chief would have none of her excuses He turned abruptly on his heel and led her down the rows of tents
"You play in the jungles with Lost Boys. No time for games. You must stop and focus on ruling over your people,"
The Chief used to like Peter at one point and didn't mind when Tigerlily ran off with him. But something must have happened and now he tried to limit the times his daughter visits to the compound as much as he could.
They reached the healer's tent and Tigerlily followed her father inside. A group of villagers were inside, huddling around a sleeping man. She had never seen this man before. His clothes were soaked through, clinging to the frail body. This man was the image of death, with his eyes sunken in and purple circles forming around them. He was wearing strange garments, none of which resembled Sky Eaters or pirate. The villagers made way for the Chief and the princess.
"Who is this?" she asked her father.
A petite girl kneeling beside the man, the healer, answered for the Chief. "We found him on shore. A mainlander," The girl went by the name of Moon-Eye and was the closest thing Tigerlily had for a female friend. They would talk once in a while whenever they picked berries.
"He could die soon," Tigerlily assessed. In her eyes, she didn't think the man could endure another minute of life. That was good. The last thing they needed was another man to throw off the balance of youth magic, "Leave him be,"
"No," The Chief ordered, "Heal him. He tell us if more come," More coming? She used to think it was most unlikely, but with the pirates' arrival, it proved to be probable. Then with that, the villagers left the tent along with the Chief, leaving Tigerlily and Moon-Eye to take care of the man.
Tigerlily grunted. She was called to babysit. But nevertheless, it was her duty as the princess to assist the healers. She stood awkwardly watching Moon-Eye as she tended to the man. She studied the way the girl executed tasks with gentleness and grace. She was an example for what a Sky Eaters should be. Beautiful and fragile. Moon-Eye couldn't hurt an animal if her life depended on it. She and Tigerlily could never be more different from each other.
"We must let him die,"
Moon-Eye shook her head. Unlike Tigerlily, she was much more compassionate. She would at least make an effort to save someone's life, no matter who it was.
"It is not right. He might have information,"
"Information or not. He is here, on the island, absorbing the magic as he breathes," She grabbed a hunting knife from the table and went to finish the job. Chief's orders or not, she didn't want to age. She was only a few feet away from the man when Moon-Eye screamed.
The man jolted into consciousness, coughing up water as he did so. He sat up and checked his surroundings. Panicked, he had grabbed the person nearest him and that was Moon-Eye. She tried to wriggle out of his tight grip. whimpering. Tigerlily intervened by cutting the man's arm with the knife. His arm retracted and he stared at the cut in shock. He took it harder than he should, like he was supposed to be resistant to harm. The man glowered over Tigerlily, who stood an arm's width away shielding Moon-Eye.
"Stay back!" she said, switching tongues.
He jumped to his feet and paced around, searching for answers. Tigerlily could tell from his mannerisms that this man was more than waterlogged. He could be mentally ill. "Where is he?" he asked.
Tigerlily motioned for Moon-Eye to send word for the Chief. She sent the girl out of the tent, leaving her alone with the crazy man, "He?"
"In the chest!" he clarified, but only confused Tigerlily even further, " My master! He calls upon me. I must, I must-" his eyes darted to the tent flap. Knowing what he planned, Tigerlily tried to intercept him but he was too fast. He was out the tent and running across the village.
"Stop him!" she ordered anyone within hearing range. Luckily, her hunting party had been nearby. They charged after the stranger with their weapons. Tigerlily strayed behind them, most of her energy had been drained from the game she played with the Lost Boys.
Moon-Eye returned with the Chief. The Chief saw the hunters and ordered for them to stand down. By this time, the man had crossed the edge of the camp. She went to chase after him but her father stopped her, "Let him run. In his condition, he will die there"
Tigerlily didn't believe it for a second. The man had outran the fittest hunters of her tribe after only waking up a minute earlier. Whatever possessed him to do that…
The princess could only watch helplessly as the man escaped into the jungle, never to be seen again.
Lily stumbled onto the backyard porch later that day. From what started as a beautiful day turned into one she wanted to forget.
Her clothes were dirty and her body was bruised. She winced with each step she took, for pain danced from one moving muscle to another. Loud and tearful gasps emitted from her mouth, finding it hard to breathe thanks to the massive kick to her stomach, courtesy of Manny. It was when she collapsed against the wooden railing Paige came outside.
She rushed to her side, still in the winter attire Lily had seen her in earlier. She stifled a small cry at the sight of her foster sister, "Oh no," she breathed, helping Lily out her coat to asses the damage, "Why didn't you call?"
Lily's bloodied fingers dug into her pocket to pull out her cell phone, broken in half, "They took turns throwing it against the wall." she whispered.
Though it pained her to say another word, Lily spoke solemnly, "I saw you at Granny's," As she took the beating in the alley earlier that day she saw Paige through the window. She watched her getting tortured but remained idled.
"Lily, I wanted to-"
"You watched them do this to me," Her voice shook. She could feel a tear trickle down her filthy face, "Your friends! Do you tell them to stop?"
"I didn't know what to do. They promised me they weren't going to hurt you too bad,"
"Too late," Lily rose, steadying herself against the railing. She refused Paige's assistance into the house. She hobbled into the kitchen, groping the walls for something to hold onto. She decided to save Sheriff Swan the trouble and tell her foster parents in person. Mrs. Tailor was on the landline when she saw Paige and Lily enter. Her hand went to her heart and her mouth agape. She ended her call to dial the hospital. The foster sisters sat quietly in the dining room while Mrs. Tailor was on the phone with Dr. Whale.
"Does this seem right to you, Paige?" Lily asked finally. The pent up frustration and anger was used to shame Paige, make her feel guilty. She unrolled her sleeve to show her more of the wounds, waving it in front of her eyes," What they're doing to me?!"
Paige tried to avert her eyes. With a small voice she replied, "No,"
"Yet you act like it's your arms being tied down. Your mouth they cover to muffle your screams. I hate how the people who are able to help, choose not to! You should have said something!"
"I am trying, Lily!" The chair screeched back and Paige was standing, outraged. She spurred off her feelings, "I tell my friends to leave you alone. It is not my fault if they don't listen to me! They told me they were going to do worse if I said anything."
"But here I am. Needing medical attention. Some sister you are," Hurt spread on Paige's face before turning into anger, "I am tired of fighting your battles for you! Can't you see that you're used to people fighting your own battles. Me, my parents, Graham...And now that he's gone, you think you don't have a fighting chance. Maybe if you learn to defend yourself-"
"Do you believe that a weakling like me could?" Lily interrupted.
"I believe you are more than capable," The sound of Mr. Tailor pulling up on the driveway called to their attention, "Maybe it's not if I believe, but if you believe. You're stronger than people credit you for. Why can't you see that?" Paige stormed upstairs, leaving Lily to think about what she had said.
A/N: Okay. I've been pretty busy this winter break trying to perfect the next few chapters.
For the record, Moon-Eye is a character from Jodi Lynn Anderson's book, Tigerlily. I recommend reading it. It is amazing and beautifully written. It was actually what inspired me to make this story in the first place.
So after the next chapter, the Neverland flashbacks wouldn't necessarily be in chronological order. It would kinda bounce around depending on where we are in Storybrooke like on the show. Tell me if this is getting a bit boring. Please, don't be afraid to tell me upfront when this story could use a twist or two. The next chapter, we get to see a spark of Tigerlily show in Lily and what happens when the mysterious chest is found by the Lost Boys. I think you're really going to like it!
If you've noticed, I keep changing the story covers. I'm finicky. I love making new cover art, it gets me inspired. Maybe if you know how long it takes me to make one cover, then you'll know why I haven't been updating as frequently as I should.
Tis' the season to be jolly- but how could I be jolly with this darn hiatus. I guess we'll just pass the time with our fanfics and tumblr.
Stay strong, everybody. Merry Christmas!
*~Phoebee~*