Heheh (nervous laughter) Hey guys! Has it been two months already? (tugs at collar and looks around nervously) wow, updating Neverland just completely slipped my mind.
Roger: She's lying
Jack: Snitch
Roger: Hey!
Jack: Just saying
Lizzie: You're an idiot ROger
Roger: WHy?
Lizzie:...1...2...3...
Hammsters: ROGER I KILL YOU!
Roger: Ooh, will it be painful? (Hammsters runs at Roger with a bungee chord noose)
Jack: I think that's a yes
Roger: gulp
(ten minutes later)
Lizzie; Amazing
Jack: I know right? He just keeps going up and down and up and down. She truly has an evil mind
hammsters: Muchos gracias mi amiga
Jack: Amigo. I'm a guy
Hammsters: I regret nothing! Except, well, not updating as quickly as you wonderful fanfiction peoples deserve! but fear not, because I have returned with the longest chapter this story has ever seen!
Roger: (while bouncing up and down in his bungee chord noose) It's- gonna- be- epic- man!
Hammsters: ENjoy!
I toss and turn restlessly in bed. Roger's words seem to reverbrate through the very walls. Slaughtered him like a pig. And enjoyed it. It was horrible. Being forced to relive those moments knowing that every word he said was the honest-to-God truth. One person was truly responsible for Simon's death. Me. I started that awful, violent dance. I ordered my hunters to attack. I delivered the final stab to his chest. And I had enjoyed it. The feeling of life slipping away beneath my hands. It made me feel powerful that that one life or death decision was for me to make. I played God and who was it who had to pay the price? Simon. And the thing that haunts me the most is that I didn't really think it was the beast. I knew all along that there was no beast and I knew that it was Simon who crawled out of the jungle that night. But I didn't care. I was too far gone by that time to care. And as hard as I try, as long as I live, I will never forget that, and I can never forgive myself for what I did.
The air is hot and sticky. Sparks from the massive fire drift around the surrounding air. The hunters dance savagely, dancing around whatever boy they've made their prey this time. A littlun, I think. Whatever.
Ralph and Piggy sit off to the side, awkward and silent, holding the spears we lent to them. The look on their faces as they watch is absolute horror. Horror and disgust. A booming, nightmarish luagh bubbles up in my throat. I feel like a child from Santa's nice list on Christmas morning. I'm about to hop off the platform and join the dance when out of the corner of my eye, I see a dark figure stumble from the trees, clutching his stomach like he's going to be sick. The person looks up. His face is cloaked in shadow, but his green eyes glow in the darkness.
The sight brings images from another life flashing before my eyes. A black haired girl curled up with Peter Pan, green eyes twinkling. The same girl holding my hand, sitting across from me on a couch, crawling around and barking at Roger, shoving a bar of soap in my mouth because I said a dirty word. And then the same girl crying, eyes wide with fear and sadness and betrayal and hatred and disgust all at once, Roger's dark laughter blaring in my ears. I clap my hands over my ears, crying out in shock and pain, but my ears begin to bleed. I squeee my eyes shut, but a green light still burns them. I scream, but non of the boys can hear. And I'm forced out of my blissful ignorance, forced to remember Lizzie and what pain I've caused her.
I have to stop it. Simon won't die this time. Lizzie will not be abandoned by the only family she truly has. Not if I can help it. I run to Simon. I tell him to run, to hide, but he doesn't listen. I try to push him into the woods, but like a ghost my hands pass right through him.
"The beast! It's the beast!" A littlun screams. The boys all go still and silent.
"What do we do Jack?" Maurice calls. I feel like I've been possessed by the me I used to be. I'm trapped in my own mind, forced to watch as my body does the devil's bidding. The corners of my lips jerk up into a sinister smile, my eyes narrow, my nose crinkles slightly, and an audible growl escapes my mouth.
"Kill it." I command coldly. The words spill out without permission, my tongue acting of its own accord. The boys gladly do as their chief has commanded them, swarming Simon and attacking mercilessly. He cries out in pain, his blood dying the sand a hideous, revolting red. I try to pull them away from him, but as before, my hands just pass through them.
"Stop! Stop guys, it's Simon!" I cry. My words fall upon deaf ears. One by one, the boys back away, their job finished, never turning so that they may admire their work. It's malicious, disgusting, and yet I long to do the same. I see that Simon is still alive, still breathing. ONce again I"m no longer in charge of my own body. A force makes me pull a hunting knife from my belt, crouch by his side, and stab him again and again and again, spraying my face and bare chest with his blood, until I'm satisfied. I them rise to my feet, licking the blood from around my lips, and chuckle darkly. I'm alone now; the boys have all returned to their dance. My body feels numb and cold. I did it again. Suddenly, Simon bolts up and stares at me with empty black eyes.
"It's your fault Jack. I'm dead and it's your fault." He says in a deep, demonic voice.
"No. No! I didn't mean it, I swear, I didn't mean it!"
"It's your fault Jack." A whole group of voices says. I find myself surrounded by those I've hurt, those I've killed, those whose deaths I'm responsible for. The world begins to spin and I'm forced to look each of them in the eye one. By. One.
Ralph.
"It's your fault.
Piggy.
"It's your fault."
The littlun with the mulberry birthmark.
"It's your fault."
Samneric.
"It's your-"
"-fault-"
"-Jack."
Lizzie.
"It's your fault Jacky."
"No!" I scream.
Ralph, Piggy, the littlun.
"It's your fault."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" I blubber.
Simon, Sam, Eric.
"It's your fault.
"I didn't mean it!"
"It's your fault."
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, please, I'm so sorry!" I cry.
"It's your fault."
All of them.
"It's your fault."
Lizzie.
"It's all your fault."
Me.
"It's my fault."
Roger.
"Someone's gonna die today." He sings. "And it's your fault."
It's my fault. They're all dead, or crazy, or traumatized. And it's my fault. A single tear slides down my face as I come to realize what I've known all along. Thrembling, I raise my bloody knife and plunge it into my own stomach. It's over.
I bolt up in bed, nearly drenched in a cold sweat. The room is drowning in pale blue moonlight. A sillhouette in the window casts a dark shadow across the floor. I look up and see a boy squatting on the window ledge.
"Davy?" I say groggily. I hear a snore coming from my roommate's bed that tells me it's not him in the window. I turn on the lamp on my bedside table and squint up. I can now see the person's face clearly. Ralph. I remember Davy saying that Ralph had been his roommate once upon a time. "R-R-Ralph?" I stutter. "What are you doing?" He doesn't answer. It's like he doesn't even know I'm there. After looking closer, I see that tears are streaming down his face. Then he drops. "Ralph!" I rush to the window, look out, and see not his crushed body lying there, but Piggy's. "What?" I gasp.
I turn around and see the room filled with hunters dancing around and chanting, "Kill the beast, cut its throat, spill its blood!" It continues for a few minutes, then just like that, they disintegrate into grains of sand. A silvery ghost-like figure that appears to be Roger glides in circles around me.
"She's next." He whispers in my ear, then vanishing.
I sit up again, waking up for real this time. I run a hand through my unkempt red hair.
"Just a dream." I assure myself. "It was just a dream." I continue to pant, shivering and sweating at the same time. Maybe I should start wearing a shirt when I sleep. A lock clicking on the door snaps me out of my thoughts. I fly out of bed and run to the door. Sure enough, it's locked from the outside.
"No, no, no, no." I mutter. "Roger!" I hear laughter on the other side of the door. "Roger, you unlock this door right now!" I demand.
"Don't worry Jack. This'll all be over by morning." He laughs again. "Or at least, for Lizzie anyway."
"You're a sick bastard!"
"I think I can live with that." I hear footsteps walking away from the door.
"Davy! Davy wake up!" I yell.
"Huh? What?" I grab his arm and tug him out of bed.
It takes about half an hour, but we finally manage to bust the door down. I waste no time in charging down the hall and waking up the nurse, going completely on instinct.
"Jack? What are you doing up, what's wrong?" Nurse Mia asks.
"No time!" I exclaim. "I need the key!"
"The- the key? What key sweetie?" She asks, sounding beyond tired. I don't really care at the moment though.
"The key! The key for the door, the door on the roof!" I ellaborate. This wakes her up.
"What? WHy?" She asks.
"Lizzie's in trouble!" I groan. "Screw this!" I grab all the keys off her dresser and run up stairs. Nurse Mia calls after me, but I don't slow down for a second.
Third Person POV
"I'm not sure Roger," Lizzie says. "Why's SImon up here?"
"He's waiting for you." Roger tells her. "He's going to take you back to Neverland with him Lizzie!" Her face lights up.
"Really? Ya think so?" She asks.
"I know so," He says, tapping her on the nose. SHe giggles. Then she begins to feel sad inside.
"But- but what about Jack? He'll be all by himself alone." She says. He smiles.
"Oh, don't you worry about old Jack Merridew. I'll take good care of him. And soon, I'll make sure he goes to Neverland too." She jumps up and down and claps.
"Oh goody!" He smiles again, but the smile never reaches his eyes. Lizzie notices. Is Roger a faker?
"Now you go on up there. I'll be right here if you need me." He opens the door and she steps out onto the roof.
"Bye bye Roger!" She exclaims. He closes the door behind her. Lizzie looks around, but can't see any sign of Simon. "Simon?" She calls nervously. "Simon, where are you? Are you playing hide and seek?" No answer. She turns and tries to open the door, but it's either locked or someone's holding the knob to keep it from turning.
"Roger, are you playing a joke?" He doesn't answer. She shivers from the cold of the night air. "Roger, this isn't funny!" Nothing. "I wanna come inside now!"
"Are you going to just leave your poor brother out there like that?" Roger asks.
"He's not out here!"
"Lizzie?" A soft, sweet voice says. Lizzie turns and sees a small (but not smaller than her) black-haired, green-eyed boy standing behind her.
"Simon!" She squeals, running at him and hugging him like she'd never let go. He laughs.
"Oh Lizzie, I've missed you so much!" her brother says into her hair.
"I missed you too." Then she smiles her signature 1000-watt smile. "Guess what Simon!"
"What?"
"I made a new friend! His name his Jack Merridew, only secretly his name is Jacky. Don't tell Roger though! He might make fun of him." Simon's face goes from gentle and kind to cold and hard.
"I don't want you hanging out with that boy Lizzie." He tells her sternly.
"But her's my friend." Lizzie says softly. "My bestest frined in the whole widestest world!"
"I never want you to see him or talk to him again, do you understand me Lizzie? Or else you can't come to Neverland." Simon tells her with a tone of finality. "He's a bad person."
"Why's he a bad person SImon?" Another boy appears at Lizzie's side.
"He hurts people really bad." Ralph replies.
"It's why he's here." Simon adds.
"He likes to hur kids. He hurt me and SImon. He killed our friends." Ralph says.
"Cut them up."
"Stabbed them."
"Burned them."
"Pushed them off a cliff."
"Hit them." Lizzie shakes her head and claps her hands over her ears.
"I don't wanna hear anymore!" She cries.
"But it's okay now Lizzie." Ralph tells her soothingly, gently taking her hands off her ears.
"You can go to Neverland with us Lizzie, and you'll never have to worry about Jack or Roger or mean old mommy and daddy again. Just fun and games and happiness. You and me and Piggy and Ralph can all play games together all you want." Simon says, stroking his baby sister's hair gently. Ralph smiles and takes Lizzie's hand.
"Do you want to come with us?" Ralph asks her. She nods vigorously.
"How do we go?"
"You just step off the roof and fly. It's as easy as breathing." Simon nudges her gently towards the edge of the roof.
"I don't know." She says nervously, looking back at them. Ralph was gone. "WHere'd he go?"
"He's gone out there to show you the way. Just find him and follow." Simon tellse her.
"Simon, I'm scared." Lizzie says in a whisper. He smiles softly.
"Don't be. I'm right her."
"But what if I fall?" She asks.
"You won't." He assures her.
"But what if I do?"
"Then I'll catch you."
"Simon I-" Losing his temper, he cuts her off.
"Just do it!" He snaps, his eyes flashing black. Lizzie jumps back, trembling.
"I- I don't like this. I wanna go back inside now." She whimpers. She starts for the door, but Simon grabs her shoulder roughly and yanks her back.
"Fly Lizzie. Just step off and fly." he whispers in her ear hostiley. She looks in his direction, but he's no longer there.
"Simon?" SHe calls. "Where'd you go?"
"Fly Lizzie fly!" She hears Ralph's voice.
"Come to us Lizzie." SImon's voice says. Lizzie covers her ears with her hands and looks around for any sign of the boys. Nada. The voices continue, growing louder and louder inside her head. "Come to us Lizzie," they call.
"La la la la la!" She sings, trying to block them out. Simon suddenly appears behind her, his eyes black again.
"Jump!" He yells in her ear, smiling sinisterly. She stumbles back, now standing on teh very edge of the building.
Meanwhile, Jack is still fighting his way towards the roof. As he gets closer, the number of people trying to stop him increases.
"For Christ's sake, I'm not doing a freaking swan dive!" He yells in exhasperation as Nurse Corrie tries to convince him that suicide is not the answer. He finally pushes past her and dashes up the stairs to the roof. Now only one obstacle lies in his way: Roger.
"Yo Jack!'' He calls from the top of the stairs. "You gotta listen to this! She thinks she's talking to Simon and Ralph!" He presses his ear to the door and beckons Jack forward. "Dude, it's like listening to Simon on the island!" Jack runs up, glaring and thinking the thoughts of a killer. Again. He grabs Roger's shoulders and pins him to the wall. Roger raises his hands in front of himselr as a form of self-defense, to show he meant no harm. To Jack, anyways.
"Whoa, man, chill out! We used to do this to her brother back at boarding school, remember?" Jack presses him harder against the wall.
"If anything happens to Lizzie, I'll see to it personally that everday of the rest of your miserable existence is living hell." Jack threatens. "Remember that." He releases Roger, unlocks the door, and shoves it open.
"Lizzie?" Lizzie heard a familiar voice call her name. She turns her head back to look at him, an expression of pure terror in her eyes.
"Jacky?" She says in a whimper. Jack starts toward her, but a sudden wind blows hard and makes Lizzie lose her balance. She soon topples off her precarious perch. Lizzie screams. Simon laughs. Ralph laughs harder. Roger laughs hardest.
"Lizzie!" Jack cried over her scream. Lizzie's eyes squeeze shut. She feels sure that she is just about dead. Then a strong, callused hand grabs her forearm and, with much huffing and groaning, tugs her back over the edge. Lizzie collapses in to the safety of Jack's arms, sobbing into his chest.
"It wasn't him Jacky," SHe sobs. He rubs circles on her back and strokes her long black locks.
"I know Lizzie." He says softly, kissing the top of her head. "I know."
The group home was completely swarmed inside of an hour. That's all it took. One hour for police, paramedics and psychiatrists to com and take Lizzie and Roger away to some place that could give them the special help they needed. One hour, and they were gone. Lizzie Monroe and Roger McAllistor never saw that group home again. Yet Jack wasn't sad as he watched his best friend being taken away. In fact, he smiled, because he knew. He knew that there would be a next time, and he knew that next time would be better.
The End.
I think that's the best ending I've ever written. Yay! But I'm super sad that it's over! I'm gonna miss all you! So I'll start with my thank yous.
To all who favorited Neverland:
1. crishuyen
2. Fifi226
3. T3R3Z1
4. XxAnimalxInsidexX
To all who put it on their alert list:
1. crishuyen
2. Fifi226
3. XxAnimalxInsidexX
4. SideshowJazz1
5. MuffinMuffin
6. xxxAnneMerridewxxx
To all who reviewed this story:
1. Haeli Elizabeth
2. SideshowJazz1
3.T3R3Z1
4. xxxAnneMerridewxxx
And the anonymous reviewers:
1. AJ
2. hurrhurr
3.
And now, just for the heck of it and because she said being mentioned makes her feel famous, my friend Julia, who I'm pretty sure was one of those anonymous reviewers, but I don't know for sure (she won't tell me her username cuz she's a poo like that)
So yea, that's it for this story. Hope you enjoyed it. And even though it's the last chapter, it would be super awesome to get some reviews so I feel that this story has gotten the appreciation that I think it deserves. Later people! Keep being awesome!
~Hammsters signing out.