"I'm going to Granny's," I called out leaving the pawnshop.
"Be home by 10:30 and stay out of trouble," Gold's voice carried out from the back room unworried. Why would he need to be? I gave up on sadness a while ago. Decided being a bad kid just wasn't worth the trouble so I became the good kid I was before Shay's death, not like I was ever a bad kid.
"Have fun!" Belle called out as well. The whole town is really nice. But it's strange that they've all come from a different realm full of fairy tales. I usually just nod whenever they talk about it. Smile and nod then walk away. It's weird that they don't age though.
"Hello Emerald how are you?" Archie asked from behind me. I slowed down so he would catch up. Gold or Rumpelstiltskin didn't expect me to think they weren't all nuts when they told me so they sent me to a psychiatrist that used to be a cricket.
"About the same as I was earlier, you?"
"Fine I was just taking Pongo for a walk. The moon's very pretty tonight." I look up at the sky and nod. Only a sliver was showing.
"Archie, what's today's date?"
"The ninth I believe." I blink a few times.
"Four years," I say in disbelief shaking my head. "I'll see you later Archie." I cross the street before he asks what's wrong, because there's too much to say and Granny's is right across the street. I sit down at the counter a little bit dazed and order myself a hot chocolate with cinnamon on top. Emma had me try it once and it was amazing, I've had it that way ever since. The mayor walks in and sits down a stool away from me and orders a cup of coffee sadness radiates off her like it must radiate off me.
"What's got you so sad," she snaps at me when she catches me staring. I roll my eyes about to ignore her but decide against it returning to my hot chocolate stirring it absently.
"My best friend drowned in the Atlantic four years ago. My mother died about two years ago as well, only she meant to. What's your excuse?"
"My son was taken about three years ago. Today would be his birthday."
"Life's a bitch," is all I say not really caring if it was the mayor I was talking to, I deserved to be out of it.
"Indeed it is," she said not caring about my vulgar language.
"Need to talk about it?" I ask a few minutes later curiosity winning over me. I never knew she had a son. She smiled grimly before answering.
"Henry was ten when he died. He died because he believed too much."
"That's what happens when you think life's all rainbows and unicorns. Someone dies, and you're left alone wondering how or why." I glanced at the clock and say how late it was. "I'd better get home now or I'll miss my curfew. It was nice talking to you, and I'm genuinely sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose people you care about and it sucks. Good luck," I say standing up and leaving a tip for Ruby.
I just pass Granny's garden area when something dark swoops down at me with glowing white orbs for eyes. I scream when it grabs me pulling me into the air. I see Regina run out of the diner along with Ruby Granny and a few others before they disappear from my view. I keep struggling but whatever grabbed me kept hold of me. I see trees below us and start squirming even more. It finally drops me at about tree level. But somehow when I hit the ground it doesn't hurt that badly. I stand up knowing I'll have killer bruises in the morning.
Okay so some shadow creature thing carried me and dropped me in some jungle/woods/forest somewhere great. Well Regina saw me get taken and if they are really magical creatures finding me shouldn't be a problem. I look around the small clearing hating how tall the branches of the trees were none of them looked climbable for someone like me, I like branches that aren't five feet above my head. I start looking for a tall tree to climb and help figure out where the hell I was. I find a tree that might work and jump u to grab it an arrow blossoming up next to my arm. Startled I lose my grip on the branch and I fall back on my feet with a startled sound and turn around trying to find the source of the arrow. I see a silhouette in the forest and tense.
"Who are you?" I ask proud that my voice doesn't waver.
"We're the welcoming committee," said a monotone and emotionless voice from behind me, "welcome to Neverland," said the tall guy in a hood coming from behind the other side of the tree I was about to climb. More boys filled the clearing each of them with some sort of weapon the guy who spoke holding a club over his shoulder.
"Do you always welcome people with crude weapons?" I fire back unemotionally.
"Only the ones Pan wants," he says in the same tone.
"Well I'm not an object someone can posses and something tells me you're lying."
"About what exactly?"
"Only confronting the special ones with the weapons. Which way back to town? Curfew is in ten minutes and I'll be grounded if I don't make it."
"You won't make it," he says giving a nod and then a bunch of howling boys descend upon me. I thought I was doing pretty well until I was on the ground someone binding my wrists. Then we're all playing follow the leader someone nudging my back every time I slow down. At least the person that tied my wrists together was stupid. The knot came undone a while ago and the person behind me never made sure my wrists were still bound. It was only a matter of time before they got distracted and slipped away unnoticed.
"Boys," I mutter under my breath as I run waiting to here the whole "oh shoot where'd she go" shouts that were sure to appear. But I found a good tree before they came and was up above their heads not making a sound as they ran by below me unaware I was right above their heads. I climbed higher but couldn't see anything useful besides trees. I sigh and cross my arms for a second forgetting I'm at least twenty feet off the ground and holding an arm out to catch myself.
"Careful that'd be a nasty fall," said a pleasing accent. I turned and saw the same face that stole my pizza two years ago I haven't thought of him in years either.
"You owe me a pizza," is all I can say.
"And I told you we'd see each other again," he pointed out leaning on the branch I was standing on. "You've changed quite a bit. Not as sarcastic as you were."
"I'd say the same but then we'd both be lying."
"Ah there it is. So how's Storybrooke? Are they still heart broken? I mean one would think they'd just get over it already, it's been three years."
"I suppose you want me to ask what they need to get over? Too bad where the hell am I?" He glanced at me a smirk on his face mischief plastered all over his face.
"Neverland."
"There's already a Wendy so let me go." I say sarcastically.
"But Wendy's so boring all she does is sit in a cage all day wining 'I want to see my brothers' but she does have her uses so I keep her around."
"That's good for her, can I leave now? Or are you just going to make me fall asleep so you can make an exit?"
"Very tempting but now it's time to play."
"Let's not and say we did."
"You've got fire, that's great, I like fire, you'll be much more entertaining than the last."
"Oh so that's why I'm here? To entertain you?" I asked swinging down to the branch he was standing on landing much closer to him than I wanted to be but I kept my expression neutral leaning in and taking a deep breath before pulling away and swinging to a lower branch.
"What'd you have in mind?" He asked appearing in front of me closer than before temporarily stopping my descent.
"Mm how about we do a little bit of role playing? I'll be queen and you can be the peasant that has to do everything I say. Ready...go. First order of business take me home."
"Nice try m'lady," he said with a smirk.
"Get with the times no one says my lady anymore Peter."
"So you do remember me."
"Yeah you're the guy that walked into my house uninvited the day after my mother died and stole my pizza."
"You've had quite the hard life," he said with something in his voice, admiration?
"Understatement. Now take me home."
"Mm no."
"So why do you kidnap children?"
"I don't kidnap children."
"You kind of do."
"No I kind of don't."
"Well you said yourself that you did indirectly of course."
"You're very stubborn aren't you?"
"I'm not stubborn I'm right."
"Yeah of course you are," he said rolling his eyes. "Come on time to go back to camp."
"Is camp in Storybrooke?"
"Of course not."
"Then I'll pass."
"Nope it's time to go. I don't want to carry you."
"You can't tell me what to do," I called up to him.
"And you don't understand, everyone on this island does what I say. I'm in control of this island and everyone on it. So if I tell you to jump you ask how high. If I tell you to go back to camp guess where you'd better go."
"I'm fine thanks. Let's get this straight, no one tells me what to do. I don't care if you own the world. The most your commands will be are suggestions, so I'd suggest stop wasting your time."
"Be careful what you say, after all you are on my island," he said haughtily.
"Yeah I know my life sucks, and obviously it can get worse. So what do you want with me anyways?" I asked dropping to the ground and landing on my feet. "You never answered."
"Let's make it a game, a puzzle to solve," he said mischievously a dark laugh following the statement from somewhere above me.
"How about we skip the whole put the pieces together and you just tell me before I get really annoyed and hit you with something."
"Hit me with something?"
"Yeah you seem like the type of person that deserves to be high fived in the face with a chair."
"Ouch," he said landing silently in front of me again invading my bubble of personal space.
"Hash tag sorry not sorry," I said trying to ignore him and giving him my 'kill you with a look' glare. Belle said it was like I was throwing daggers with my eyes. I also won many staring contests with Eric that way. But Peter met my gaze head on unflinching and just as hard a gaze as mine. "So what did you do to that little boy?" I asked my voice steely.
"I see a lot of little boys be more specific love," he said maliciously.
"Henry," I said recalling the name of the boy I had been talking about with his mother not a half hour ago.
"Oh I took his heart. I suppose you want it back?" he said daring me to answer.
"You really aren't the happy go lucky ginger they think you as are you?" I ask tilting my head my eyes never leaving his, though I inwardly cringe at the cold darkness in them. He grins wolfishly.
"Of course not."
So tell me what you think and review please or don't, whatever works. Happy new year by the way.