Alrighty! Sorry to leave you all hanging right off the bat, but here's my next installment of Vanessa's story! I hope to update much more quickly after this! Enjoy!
Oh, and just as a note, I'm trying to go with info from the book by J.M. Barrie, but if I accidentally put in a couple details from Disney or something, just go with it. I don't own any of it except for my darling Vanessa.
Just like Vanessa hoped, there was another Lost Boys vs. Pirates game with a couple of the girls acting as mermaids, just for the excuse of watching. All of them knew about the ongoing rivalry between Timothy and Vanessa. They wanted to see who would win the next bout. Just as they suspected, there was a match between them and, as about half of them hoped, Vanessa won, making the score between them fifty-one to fifty-one—dead even. They were hoping for more than just one bout, as there had been multiple times in the past, but no such addition occurred. It turned out that one of the Lost Boys got hurt and, with him out of the game, the Lost Boys were outnumbered. Despite protests, the grown-ups called off the game to avoid other injuries. None of the children could wait for the next match, particularly Vanessa and Timothy.
However, it never happened.
Rose, the girl who always told the children stories, suddenly fell ill and became so sick that she was taken to the hospital. She never returned to the orphanage. Though the children were never told what happened to her, they all knew. They all knew she died. Soon, the children lost the will to continue playing that game as it reminded them of the stories Rose told. They moved on to other games and forgot all about Peter Pan. The only one who still hung on was Vanessa. She tried time and time again to get the others to play. She even went to Timothy just to pick a fight. Much to her surprise and dismay, he just turned around and left her alone.
She became depressed after that. She was a fraction of the girl the children and adults knew her to be. She didn't know what to think or do with herself. Besides her half-eaten meals and somewhat-existent sleeping, she spent much of her time out on the balcony, looking up at the stars, dreaming about Never Neverland, and being a pirate under the command of Captain James Hook.
Vanessa was outside one of these nights when she made a wish. She closed her eyes and whispered with all her heart, "I wish I could be a real pirate."
Soon afterwards, she nodded off to sleep. She was rudely awakened by a loud bang on the roof. She bolted to her feet with a gasp and looked around for the source, not realizing it came from the roof until she heard voices.
"I must say, Mr. Smee, that that was probably your worst rowboat landing yet."
"I apologize, Cap'n. I'll definitely try better next time."
"No matter, Smee. There probably won't even be a next time. I don't see us coming back any time soon."
Vanessa whipped around and stared up at the roof and the two men making their way down the sloped side. Her eyes widened and she shakily pointed at one of them, her heart pulsing wildly in recognition. "You're…you're…"
The man smiled slyly, took off his plumed hat with his left and only hand, and bowed at the waist. "Good evening, young lady. I see you already know who I am, but I believe introductions are in order in any case." He nimbly jumped from the shingles to the balcony while his cohort made the jump with a little more effort.
Just looking at him, Vanessa couldn't help but sense he was a man of importance, stature, and pride. He dressed in a highly fashionable and kingly way that reflected, especially to the orphan's eyes, riches beyond imagination. His skin was pale and his blue eyes cold and harsh under his black curls, but none of these features demanded as much attention as the hook in the position of his right hand. With any movement, it gleamed with a silver light, reflecting the moon's soft rays and contorting them into a pallid and almost disturbing nature. Perhaps the most extraordinary part of his appearance was the strange contraption he held in his mouth, tucked in the corner of his grin—a sort of cigar holder that allowed him to smoke two cigars at once—a thing unheard of in an orphanage.
He replaced his hat and took the cigar smoker from his lips. "This is my boatswain, Mr. Smee. I, my dear, am Captain James Hook of the Jolly Roger." Still retaining his upturned lips, he slid the smoker between his teeth. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Vanessa couldn't help but stare at the pirate she so admired and felt a cold sweat trickle down her back which made her shudder. His voice was smooth and filled with elegance, but she couldn't help but feel this sort of blackness underneath. To her, his voice was dangerous and yet inviting at the same time.
"Va-vanessa Hodgens…" At first weak, her voice came back to her and she gave a small, tentative smile in return with a bow as well. "At your service, Captain."
Hook examined her in silence, tapping his chin lightly with his hook. He let out a puff of smoke and handed the double smoker to Smee who took it without question and immediately put out the cigars before tucking it inside his plain brown coat. Hook walked a circle around Vanessa, his boots clicking on the wood. The orphan stood still and somewhat uncomfortably. She wanted to shift her weight but resisted the urge, not sure what kind of image she would project to the well-known pirate. It felt like he was determining whether to leave her there, take her with, or kill her on the spot. Hook stopped circling, facing her again, seemed about to say something, but then stopped. His eyes twinkled and his mouth pulled into a smirk.
"At ease, dear girl. You look like you're about to walk the plank."
Vanessa immediately took in a sharp breath and relaxed. She had been thinking about what she would do if she ever met her idol, but nervousness never crossed her mind. Now, it consumed her and made her mind race with multiple outcomes of this meeting instead of the single one she had been so sure of. She closed her eyes to refocus, but they flew open along with another intake of air at the sudden coldness of the iron hook under her chin, propping it up. She stared into the eyes of Hook and a variety of emotions flowed through her. Her eyes were first wide with fear, then calm, then somewhat anxious, and then seemed to glitter with excitement as a smile grew on her face.
I'm standing here with Captain James Hook…the Captain of the Jolly Roger! I can't believe this! He's actually here! He must have heard me that night—that's the only explanation! Does this mean he'll allow me into his crew?
Hook went almost nose-to-nose with her, looking amused. "Why the sudden change of heart? Do you fear me? Is that why you smile? To hide something?" He paused, staring into her eyes. "No…no, there is no lie… You are happy with this engagement." He removed his hook and strode back over to his boatswain. "Smee, ready the parchment."
Vanessa's hand went to her neck and rubbed the cold spot as she stared at the two men who went over to the small desk on the balcony. She blinked, confused. "Parchment? What for?"
Smee looked up as he took out an ink bottle from his coat, plunking it on the desk. "He's—"
"I'm adopting you, dear girl," Hook said smoothly. "We must keep up appearances in your world, you know. They won't appreciate it very well if we just up and off with you." He turned back to Smee with a dismissing wave of his hand to Vanessa. She would have blown up at that—in her mind disrespectful-gesture if she hadn't been so confused. She had never seen this done before—especially in that way.
Smee pulled out a quill, tucked the end of it in his mouth, and pulled out a roll of parchment that was tied with string, deftly undoing the knot and smoothing out the old paper. He pulled out the stopper from the ink bottle, dipped the quill, and held it at the ready. "Ready, Captain."
Vanessa just stared incredulously as Hook started pacing in front of her, completely ignoring her as he looked up at the sky with his hand behind his back and his hook out in front of him, bobbing with his words as he dictated.
"I, Captain James Hook, do hereby adopt…"
"Vanessa Hodgens," she provided when the pause was too long, annoyed that he hadn't remembered her name. She could feel her old self coming back, but she still had her uncertainties.
"—Ms. Vanessa Hodgens. I do swear to raise her and care for her to the best of my abilities. She shall be like my very own daughter until she—or I—cease to draw breath." He stopped where he was, tapping his cheek again. He looked at Smee. "What do you think, Mr. Smee?"
"I think it marvelous, Cap'n." He finished scrawling the last few words. "Not a mite more needed."
"You need to sign it," Vanessa said plainly, still with a hint of annoyance. She hated being left out of this.
"Yes, yes, of course," Hook replied with barely a glance over his shoulder. He took the quill from Smee and signed in flowing letters, Captain Jas. Hook. "There we are, Mr. Smee. You may now post it on the door and off we will be."
Vanessa looked back and forth between them as Smee pulled out a small dagger and walked past her to the door. She backed off from him and let him pass, heading over to her new Captain and father.
"What is it, my dear," Hook asked, touching her back with his hook and making her stop. "You seem rather unhinged. Not at all like the girl I had heard time and time again wish she were a part of my crew."
Vanessa hesitated. "Well, um…well…" She didn't know what to say. It had been very sudden. Before this all happened, she had worked out to a T in her mind what she would say and what would happen, but what just transpired before her was not at all what she had expected. She froze when his fingers ran across her forehead, pulling her angled bangs to the side.
"A very interesting haircut," he mused. "You almost don't look like a girl." She whipped around, finally fuming, to answer, but he cut her off. "There we are! That's the fire I recognize in you!" He paused as Smee made a bang on the door as he drove the dagger into it, pinning the parchment to the door. He gave his new daughter another sly smile, pushing her over to the roof. "I hope to see that fire more often than you have tonight, young Vanessa."
Love it or hate it, I do appreciate reviews! Please tell me what you think!
Luv ~ shdw