I know I haven't updated in a while so I'm sorry. Lots of guy drama and well…. Yeah. That's self-explanatory. So here's the fifth chapter!
Oh and by the way…
Italics are the small tinny voice
And bold italics are the loudest most obnoxious voice
And regular bold font is the logical, medium-volume voice
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My thoughts were waging a war in my weakened state of mind. I could faintly hear a tinny voice in the deepest corner of my mind, desperately screaming for attention.
Stop reminiscing old memories Claire! Get a grip already. Focus on the present, and don't worry about the past. You're in Never Land now and nothing from your past is going to haunt you. Now what about Tompkins… Neither you nor I noticed the similarities at first but after a few recaps, I figured he could be your betrothed's doppelganger! Their features are exactly alike-
The smaller voice was abruptly interrupted. Ha! What does it matter? You and James were never meant to be. As you have mentioned before, your parents set the arrangement and you didn't approve. So why go through with it? However, you and Peter… The voice trailed off suggestively. If it had a face, I could imagine its eyebrows rising and its eyes glittering. Its obnoxious voice invaded my mind, filling it with hopeless possibilities.
An image of Peter and I at the beach, our hands intertwined... Another vision of the both of us flashed across my eyelids, except this was one of playing hide-and-go-seek with the Lost Boys, giggling and screaming when each of us was caught. With that I succumbed to the desire and let more imaginings flooded my thoughts. Kissing on a rock in the lagoon, his strong slender arms wrapped across my abdomen, holding me close while stroking my hair and whispering romantic words as we stand on the beach, waking up to see his perfectly tousled hair falling around his emerald eyes… I mentally shook myself awake and banished those thoughts.
My god girl, you have got some serious issues! The sensible, quieter, voice stated this fact bluntly. Even if you do wake up, which the odds aren't looking so great by the way, does he feel the same? You only just met him and you've already got a crush. Talk about easy to please. It's better to play it safe, keep cool, and don't let him change you. When you get back home, you can settle things your way and then you can find love with someone who grows old at least… Maybe Tompkins is your soul mate. Just give others a chance.
My mind was telling me no way in hell was I going to fall for Peter, that he was too dangerous and he always ended up causing people pain. Like my mother and sister for instance! He broke their hearts and sent them back to cold rainy London. However, my heart betrayed me. The millisecond I noticed Peter in my room in all his shadowy glory, my heart skipped a beat and then started sprinting a million miles an hour. Peter was mesmerizing and utterly eye drawing. It was no wonder that the mermaids loved him so much! They were like beautiful goddesses and he was the only one among them that was perfect enough for them.
James Tompkins however was an entirely different matter. His black hair shone with a mysterious light all on its own and his chocolate brown eyes, filled with joy, could peer right into your soul with a single penetrating glance. This is of course the English teenager, not the bloodthirsty pirate. Even so, I do love the corsair's courage at facing me. That was a very brave yet stupid move.
As my focus began to wander, a soft scratchy whisper invaded my ears. "C-Claire?" As I focused on the way the person spoke, I could easily establish that this person had enormous difficulty speaking. "Please wake up. It's been two weeks Aquila! Shouldn't she at least have said something?" My brain started racing and I slowly slipped into a panicked frenzy. What is he talking about? Two weeks? These two thoughts crossed the front of my mind and then I realized that I had slipped into a coma! Had I really hit my head that hard?
Immediately I wrenched open my eyes, dread filling my heart. Peter? Little Wave? Are they okay? A gasp shocked me into reality.
"Claire! Oh my goodness! Come here right now. You had me absolutely terrified!" Little Wave clenched my face in his hands and kissed me full on the lips. All I could process was the thought, What the hell just happened?! "Aquila said you might have died if it were not for her special herbs from the pirates' side of the mountain. I snuck by the pirates and retrieved the herbs, all to save your life!" he chattered on proudly.
"Yeah. Mmhmm. Cool." I couldn't help but sound bland as Little Wave went on and on, boating about how courageous he was. A sudden realization crossed my thoughts. Where was Peter, and was he okay? I interrupted Little Wave rather rudely and questioned, "Little Wave. Where is Peter?"
He shifted back and forth on his feet nervously. "Peter's at a war council." He quietly explained. My face turned pearly white and I struggled ferociously to rise from the cot. "Please sit down! You need your rest!" he pleaded.
My brown eyes seemed to turn black as I glared at him. "Where is the council?" I hissed dangerously.
"The largest tent in the center of the village." He said, clearly scared of me.
I stalked out of the tent, my unkempt hair flowing over my shoulders in wild curls. My muscles ached and creaked but I still moved swiftly on. I was absolutely determined to see Peter and make sure for myself that he was okay. Running off to save Peter? Huh. The small tinny voice, full of disdain, crept back into my mind. This is just priceless. The boy who brought you into the middle of a war, snatched you away from James, and caused you to become extremely sick after hitting your head on a boulder while you were trying to save him. He kills you emotionally, the desire you feel is because you have been alone all this time. You want him, you need him. This isn't a good way to die! James could give you all you wanted and more. Are you going to let him in? I refused to think anymore and let my legs rule my body.
Hushed voices leaked out from the tent flaps, slowly opening and closing in the gentle jungle morning breeze. "We must act! The pirates-""Hush with the pirates! What about that girl?" My eyes widened drastically as I realized this unknown native was speaking about me. "She needs proper care. We cannot fix her with our medicine-"
"Where is Aquila, the healer?" Peter's voice resounded through the air, filled with authority, but disguising hidden worry. "She said that Claire might wake up if we got some strange herbs from the pirate's side."
"The pirate's side?! You have got to be joking. We are at war with them! We cannot simply go over and ask whether they have any strange plants that we can use to wake up our damsel in distress." The warrior's harsh words cut through my heart and a tear leaked down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away and decided that this was the time to intervene.
One foot in front of the other Claire, the nasty voice in the back of my head mocked. Go see your Prince of Pain. Smashing these thoughts, I waltzed slowly into the tent and all eyes darted towards me. Peter's mouth hung open in a little "o" as he took in my bedraggled complexion. For the first time I was conscious of what I was clothed in. A short pair of brown, white, and black shorts donned my long pale legs. A V-neck tank top covered my torso, leaving my thin but muscly arms bare. Both of these items were a little too short for my liking so I automatically pulled down the shorts another inch.
"Ahem." I cleared my throat and spoke, "Hello. I'm sure you all know that I am Claire Darling, sister of Jane and daughter of Wendy. I was brought here by Peter to help "make nice" with my mother and sister." I said, curling my fingers into quotation marks when I said the words "make nice". Then, I continued on, "Unfortunately I regret to inform you, I disagree with this and I demand to be brought home immediately. Now I know that you have a war with the pirates going on, but I am afraid that I cannot be of any use. I have no intention of staying here any longer. I am sorry Peter."
He just sat there dumbstruck while a warrior yelled angrily at me. "We are going to keep you here and you are going to "make nice" with your family, help us end a war, and you must learn the ways of the Mollusks* to earn passage home. All in favor say yes, all opposed say no."
Almost all of the room said yes, everyone except Peter and I. It stung a lot when he wouldn't even look at me and when he whispered no, I was as if someone had cut off my arm. I couldn't stand being in the hot, dark, stuffy tent anymore, so I fled outside with tears streaming down my face. I tried desperately to stop a loud sob from racking through my shaking body but I could not, so I fled into the jungle. Thorns scratched my delicate skin but luckily did not do any damage to my clothing.
Very faintly I could hear Peter whooshing through the air, searching for me, calling out my name. Even so, I still ran blindly, not caring where I was headed. Sprinting through the dense brush, leaping over fallen trees, dodging different animals, and crashing through clumps of vines helped eliminate all emotion. However, when my foot twisted upward, caught in a trap, panic began to flood my mind. What happened? Am I caught? Which side of the mountain am I on?
All of these frantic thoughts were banished when I heard the silky smooth, dangerous words creep through the night, invading my brain. "Looks like we have caught another precious bird! I wonder who this could be?" A wild mass of greasy black hair, glittering amethyst eyes, and pallid sweaty skin hung inches from my face. With a jolt I realized the person in front of me was none other than the notorious Captain Hook.
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*Mollusk is the tribe name
I loved writing this chapter! Please review and again, any constructive criticism is taken with appreciation.