Chapter 24: In a Heartbeat

The soft patter of raindrops on the worn cobblestones drew Mindy out of unconsciousness. Why does this keep happening to me?

She didn't even bother to question how she had survived that fall, and instead sat up to take in her new surroundings. The water had somewhat dried on her lenses, and she was able to view the world a bit more clearly. Her teeth chattered as she gazed upon the larger-than-life horse-drawn carriages, and the mountain-like stone buildings. Looming lanterns lined the streets, and her ears caught the sounds of a ginormous clock indicating that the time was seven o'clock at night.

Mindy came to the conclusion that she was in nineteenth century London, but she had no idea how that was possible…unless.

"Alistaire." She hissed as she looked down the piece of jewelry dangling off her neck. "Did you send me back to Peter Pan's world?"

A message engraved itself onto its front, Welcome to the Isle of Oblivion.

"Why would you send me to the place where all of the characters have a bounty on my head?!"

Upon seeing the arrow that appeared, Mindy flipped over the pendant. I am what's left when all is said and done. Everything hangs in me before you have won. Lose me, and you surely will fall. For I am what helps you stand against it all.

Realizing what Alistaire was implying, she took in a breath and wobbled to her feet to marvel at how tiny she had become, Huh… so this is what Jiminy feels like on a day-to-day basis. Getting back to her current dilemma, she set off to blindly search for the answer of the second riddle.

Mindy jumped at every sound, and would occasionally turn to see if she was being followed. She couldn't risk getting recognized here of all places, or else she was as good as screwed. It didn't help that her pale lavender overalls stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the swirl of greys, whites, and blacks of the dreary London streets. Since Jiminy wasn't around to berate her, she was free to curse her frustrations verbally instead of mentally. However, this didn't stop Alistaire from zapping her for her unnecessarily colorful language, causing her to stop almost instantly.

She kept in the shadows most of the time, but if there was a puddle that was too deep for her to cross, she would have no choice but to step out into the light and go around it. From time-to-time she would spot other tiny people, and she would scramble to duck into the closest alleyway until they had passed.

Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as they led her to a traditional London suburb. Mindy squinted intensely at the sign above her head, and was able to make out through the droplets on her lenses: Baker Street.

In that moment, she was able to deduce which Disney film she had landed in. "The Great Mouse Detective."

Despite the fact that she now knew what movie she was in, Mindy couldn't for the life of her remember the story. She knew everything concerning the good guys of the movie, but she couldn't recall what the conflict was or who the bad guys were. However, from her one of her friends' Disney trivia sessions, she remembered that the main antagonist was a rat voiced by the legendary Vincent Price. She also remembered that the main protagonist resided in 221B Baker Street just like in the BBC Sherlock.

Mindy bit her lip. What choice do I have?

She wrapped her arms tightly around her quivering body, and tucked the amulet in her shirt as she trudged towards the detective's flat. It took nearly an eternity for her to reach the doorstep, and she found herself hesitating to knock…

"Snap out of it!" Mindy scolded herself, "You got kidnapped twice, summoned abomination after abomination, took on two of the most infamous pirate captains in all of Disney history, single-handedly rescued a princess from drowning, used telekinesis to catch a bullet, almost got hypnotized by The Projectionist and this is what you're afraid of?"

She then tapped her knuckles against the door, but regretted it as soon as she realized that she was a pint-sized human amongst a realm of talking mice.

Before she could even consider the possibility of aborting her mission, the door eased open to reveal an elderly mouse in about her mid-forties. She had a round body with plump rosy cheeks and kind topaz eyes. She donned a short-sleeved blue dress that brushed just above her ankles with a frilly white apron, and black high-heeled shoes. A pair of crescent spectacles rested on her snout, and a floppy white hat sat atop her head.

Mindy didn't dwell on the fact that she was an anthropomorphic mouse, and smiled politely, "Hello… uh, I'm-"

"-You… you're the one everyone's been squabbling about!"

"I know, I know, and I-I'm really sorry about that…but I need Basil's help to-"

"-He's been looking all over for you!"

She hadn't been expecting this, "Come again?"

"A mouse-sized human has been spotted wandering on the outskirts of London." The mouse explained, "At first, no one wanted to believe it, but when an anonymous source presented Mr. Basil with photographic evidence of a young girl… he started investigating it as soon as possible. He's just returned empty-handed from the last known sighting of the girl and lo and behold, here you are!"

"But I don't understand." Mindy narrowed her eyes, "You're… not afraid of me?"

"I am a bit shaken… but there are a variety of odd occurrences and creatures that make up The Isle of Oblivion." She admitted, "Where are my manners? I'm Mrs. Judson, the landlady. Oh, who would I be to turn away a helpless frightened child? It goes against my nature to do so."

"Well I wouldn't say that I'm-"

"-Alright… follow me upstairs and we'll get you out of those wet clothes."

Mrs. Judson proceeded to wrap her arms around her shoulders, and led her past the parlor and to the second floor. Mindy drew her attention to the fireplace for a split-second before hastily avoiding eye-contact with the three mice who stood in front of it.

She'd recognized each of them.

There was Dr. David Q. Dawson, a plump gentleman mouse with a gray suit, black bowler hat, and a white bushy mustache. Standing beside him was a young mousette named Olivia Flaversham who donned a wooly blue button-up coat and a matching plaid hat with a red cotton ball on top. She was currently explaining her unfortunate circumstances to Basil of Baker Street, who was listening so intently it appeared that he hadn't even noticed Mindy walk into the door.

Which was more than fine with her.

When she started to ascend the stairs however, his keen ears swiveled towards the sound and he spotted her. Mindy quickened her pace, feeling incredibly uncomfortable all of a sudden. Luckily, Basil hadn't addressed her but she still couldn't help the flustered blush that creeped onto her cheeks.

Why do I get the feeling that he already knows who I am?


Once she'd gotten a bath and changed into proper mousetorian attire (which looked so out of place with her unusually bright spectacles), Mrs. Judson guided her back to the parlor, and advised her to wait until the detective was done assessing Olivia's case so he could move on to hers.

Mindy adjusted her collar as she sat on the stairs a few ways away from where the mice were. Despite Mrs. Judson's insistence that she wear a frilly, suffocating dress with a petticoat and corset, she chose to ignore her plea and instead settled into a white long-sleeved button-up with an emerald-green tie and a muddy-brown vest. When she'd tried to search for some suitable pants in the disguise closet, she'd been dismayed to find that all of them had holes located towards the rear end (obviously meant for the tail that she didn't possess). So, she'd been forced to find the next best thing. A skirt that brushed just above her ankles so that it was perfect for leaping, gallivanting, and fencing.

Mindy let out a barely audible sigh at not having been recognized thus far, but she couldn't help but wonder who this aforementioned mysterious mouse-sized human was, and what they're business was for being in this place.

Who is she? Could she possibly be looking for me? She pondered, If so, is she my friend or my enemy? Probably the second one.

A knock at the door, snapped her out of her thoughts.

Mindy debated over whether to answer it or not. Basil and co hadn't shown any indication that they'd heard it, Mrs. Judson was bustling about the kitchen, and she was closest. Curiosity got the better of her in the end, and she opened it. She gasped upon seeing none other than Peter Pan, Dakota Davenport, and Jiminy Cricket huddled underneath the conscience's umbrella.

"Guys?!"

"Mindy!" Dakota rushed forwards, lifted her up by the waist, and spun her around the room, "Thank God! I've been worried sick about you!"

"Oomph!" Her cheeks reddened at the bold gesture, but allowed it to happen anyway, "I guess we're doing this now!"

She was starting to grow nauseous the longer Dakota whirled her around, and spat out a hundred words per second, "I'm so relieved you're okay! Wait, are you okay? Do you have any scratches? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you light-headed? Did a cat chase you? Is Al doing their job? Did you fall in a puddle? How are you feeling in general?"

"I feel like I'm about to spill the contents of my stomach for the millionth time this week!" Mindy shouted, causing the mice to snap their attention to the little group gathered in front of the doorway, "Now would you please put me down?!"

"Oops, sorry!"

"We're so glad you're safe!" Jiminy beamed as he lowered his umbrella and he stepped into the flat.

"How did you all find me so quickly?" She questioned as Dakota plopped her down, but was reluctant to release her waist, "And in what world are you taller than me?"

"Apparently this one!" The conscience chuckled, "It was Dakota who got us this far, but I was the one who voted we come here for shelter from the rain, and thank our lucky stars that we did! Also, when we entered, I was the only one who didn't shrink which means I can finally do this!"

Without warning, he threw his arms around her into a tight embrace and Dakota followed suit. Feeling compelled to do so, Peter got in on the action. Mindy stiffened, but soon shut her eyes and reveled in the warmth and safety of her friends.

When they detangled themselves, Dakota suddenly grabbed her wrists and jerked her towards him, "Oh yeah by the way, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Nearly everyone was taken aback by his outburst, but not as taken aback as Mindy. She couldn't for the life of her remember another time where Dakota Davenport had lashed out at her this intensely, and it left her speechless…

"YOU CLIMBED ON TOP OF A MOVING PIRATE SHIP IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREAKING THUNDERSTORM!" Dakota continued, his face glowing crimson as his voice raised in pitch. "WHAT ABOUT THAT SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD IDEA TO YOU?! YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED I THOUGHT THAT-" he put his hands together and inhaled, "-I thought that…that you hadn't survived."

The weight of that statement sunk agonizingly slow in Mindy's mind.

"You promised that you wouldn't scare me again." her heart throbbed as she heard the strain in Dakota's voice, "Why-why did you lie to me?"

"I never meant to hurt you." Mindy started as she rubbed her opposite elbow, "I'm impulsive…that's why I did it. I thought…I thought that I could solve all of our problems by using my powers, but I didn't listen to what Alistaire was trying to tell me. They knew that this was where we needed to be, and that's why I couldn't magic my way out of that situation…I'm sorry."

His silence was deafening…that was when she noticed the tears pricking the corners of his eyes, "Mindy…I…I-I don't…I can't explain it but…but something inside of me is telling me that I have to protect you at all costs. It's an instinct, a biological need to be by your side no matter what. That's why I joined you on this quest in the first place. I want to help you in any way I can, I want to be useful-I-I want to do more than just stand off to the sidelines watching as you fight for your life being utterly powerless if something goes horribly wrong. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you or Scarlett."

"Would you believe me if I said the same thing about you?" She asked after a moment, "I mean it when I say that you two are the closest thing to family that I've ever had, and I would be devastated if either of you got hurt because of me. I know you want to help Dakota, but you can't always be there to save me all the time. We both know you're not an active fighter. Take today for instance. If Peter hadn't had been there to watch your back after you'd ventured off to battle Captain James Hook in my place, would you have actually died trying to protect me from him?"

Dakota tilted her chin up to look her directly in the eyes as he spoke in the tiniest of voices, "In a heartbeat."

Mindy's complexion turned stark white as she shook her head in denial, "You don't mean that, there's-there's no way you could possibly mean that. No one would be crazy enough to risk their life for my sake."

She immediately regretted the words that had just come out of her mouth as her friend's hazel-eyes glistened with hurt. They stood, absorbing each other's heavy words…before Mindy could apologize, Dakota stepped back, and silently walked out the door.

She ran her fingers through her tangled locks as she sunk to the floor in a sniveling, panicked frenzy. I am an absolute piece of shit…what is wrong with me? I blow Hook's ship to smithereens, replace it with candy out of all the ridiculous things, banished a plethora of innocent underrated Disney characters to the outskirts of my kingdom, and have the audacity to question my best friend's loyalty to me?

Jiminy knelt beside her and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey it's gonna be alright…I'll go talk to him."

Mindy barely comprehended her conscience following him out the door, and instead struggled to prevent the oncoming tears from streaking down her cheeks. Peter sat beside her cross-legged, and started rubbing circles on her back, not knowing what to say to comfort her.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the both of them to snap their heads around. "Well, it seems that you lot have quite the interesting tale to tell…I'm certain we'd all love to hear it."

Mindy physically had to stop herself from dashing after Dakota and Jiminy as her fight-or-flight reflexes kicked in. Basil of Baker Street stood before them with his arms cross and a smug grin adorning his furry face. Mindy and Peter exchanged nervous glances right as Mrs. Judson entered the room.

"I'll get the kettle on."