Ch. 5 Never Trust a Pirate
"Tink where did the mermaids go?" Moira and Tink were flying over the island to survey the damage. The report wasn't good. Everywhere they looked things were losing the bright, unreal, life that had once been commonplace on Neverland. It was if there was a crack in the barrier that holds the magic inside Neverland and it was now seeping out.
"Tink, where'd they go?" Tink gave a start then answered,
"I suppose the same place all of the other magical creatures went. When the lost boys started to lose belief in magic there was nothing to hold them here so… they left." This was made her task even more difficult. She had figured that she would just have to find the lost boys and other inhabitants of the island, give some inspirational speeches and then leave. But without magical creatures Neverland wouldn't function properly even if there were a hundred Peter Pans inhabiting it.
"Is there any way that they would come back?"
"They might, if we get everyone here to believe again. But we have bigger fish to fry, look. There!" Tink pointed towards a harsh metal structure. Coming in closer they could see that there was a person standing near it. No… not standing there, chained there! They were now a mere thirty feet away from what appeared to be a camp of sorts, crouched down behind some Never-ferns that had once come in ever color imaginable but were now a dingy brown.
"What's that?" Moira hissed in an urgent whisper,
"I…don't know." Answered Tink who was starting to get the feeling that this would be much more than simply luring back a few fairies and gnomes.
"You promised me you wouldn't!" a young woman yelled not caring who heard her. Her voice throbbed with betrayal and was threatening tears. She had auburn curls that seemed to have a life of their own and forget-me-not eyes that were currently burning with more intensity than a livewire. The man across from her twisted his ink black moustache around his fierce metallic hook and smiled at her, his eyes that were depthless pools of night glinting cruelly.
"My dear, didn't your father teach you? Never trust a pirate. Put her below decks!" a squat, plump man waddled in.
"Y-yes Cap'n. We have to go now miss. Terribly sorry about all this but, Cap'n's orders." Jane glared daggers at Hook until the door was securely fastened and she was led down stairs swathed in shadow below decks.
When Jane had first left home she had believed that while people made bad choices they were essentially good. Three days in the London slums had cured her of that. Starved and bedraggled on the fourth day she found her way to the harbor. She was miserable but bound and determined not to return home before succeeding. Most of this was due to pride. She was too proud to go home partly because before she had left; her impertinent younger sister had told her that she couldn't succeed. Jane wasn't willing to give her that victory. But she also did not want to return because she knew that as soon as she did she would first be cooed over but would then undoubtedly receive a lecture from her mother. Who would say that her little escapade just went to show what a harmful effect fairy tales could have on young girls. Which in turn was the reason she had left, to prove her mother wrong. To show her that there were fairies and that Neverland most certainly did exist. But of course her mother would never admit to her disbelief Jane could here her now "But of course I believe dear, what on earth would make you think that I don't" but she didn't really mean it. Much as she hadn't meant it when she had told Jane that she could go off on her "fairy quest" if that's what she really wanted. Jane smirked at the remembrance. Wendy had figured that Jane wouldn't really leave. Well it seems as if Wendy is a little out of touch with her daughters Jane did take her up on the offer, gladly.
Now she wandered through the harbor asking anyone who would listen if they knew how to get to Neverland. She knew that this probably wasn't the best course of action but she didn't have any better ideas and reckoned it was better than nothing. An ominous man cloaked in scarlet, with a huge, feathered hat and a shining hook in place of a right hand approached her.
"Neverland you say?" a terrified Jane nodded, "I can take you there child if you agree to join my crew. What do you say?" desperate as she was to find Neverland Jane agreed, knowing full well that this was some very shady business. Aboard the ship he told her of how he planned to make the island a great land of wealth. When asked whether he would hurt anyone to achieve this he solemnly promised the girl he would not. A promise he would do well to remember now, Pans did not easily forgive a grudge.