Hey everybody,
here's a new chapter just for you! Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Once upon a Time, just the crazy ideas in my mind that I incorporated into this story.
Chapter 26
Peter's POV:
The thought of leaving Aura helpless behind made me want to turn around and hold her in my arms, never letting go. My fingertips longed to touch her flawless skin, I craved to feel her full lips move against mine, and a building pressure in my lower regions that couldn't be ignored had me stop walking and take a deep breath.
Shaking my head, I tried to get rid of everything I associated with our Lost Girl. She was distracting me, straying me from my goal. To have absolute power, stay young forever and protect my home, I needed the heart of the Truest Believer. With her here- with her heart- I was slowly turning to the carefree boy who simply wanted to escape growing up. I would not have my judgement clouding my emotions, stupid ones. I kept repeating in my head how Aura was all but a passing fancy who happened to have exactly what I needed to succeed my plan. Deep down in my almost empty heart, I knew I was lying, but my mind was convinced enough.
I could feel a cold ice layer cover my heart, making me immune to feeling anything like remorse and warmth. The foolish boy who was eager enough to love was vanishing, as if he never existed, taken over by a darkness I welcomed. My heart in exchange for eternal youth and power was a small price to pay.
I was still exploring the lengths and depths of the power of Aura's heart; of how much more I could do. To fly, pixie dust wasn't required anymore. I had become one with Neverland.
And sometimes I would have glimpses of people or things important in my plan. The image of Aura kept occurring, which annoyed me to no end, because I was trying so hard to keep her out of my mind. It seemed as though the more I pushed her out, the more she came crashing back into my thoughts.
A face of a young boy with warm hazel eyes and brown hair flashed before my eyes. He was wearing weird-looking clothes, but I didn't really care to notice. Rather, I fixated on his chest. It was emitting a powerful glow, similar to Aura's heart.
A series of other faces of children followed: a girl in a white nightdress with blond curls smiling to her younger brothers. A poor boy with tattered clothes stuffing his mouth with bread. And last was an image of Captain Hook with his crew on the Jolly Roger, ready to set sail.
I felt the edges of my mouth twitch upwards to a smirk; everything was falling into place. They were all somehow connected to my quest for the brown-haired boy and would be visiting Neverland soon.
Oh, this was going to be a fun puzzle.
Aura's POV:
The sunlight, as well as eating and sleeping at specific times would help me tell day from night, but in this cave with no source of light, I couldn't tell what time it was or how long I had been here. Still awaiting my rescuer, I fell into a routine of having short naps, eating small meals, reading books and letting my thoughts drift to Peter.
Every so often I tugged on the loose strands of my hair or fidgeted with my hands, not being able to keep them in place. The sound of water dripping from the ceiling did nothing to calm my nerves. My fingertips were itching with longing to touch my true love's skin, just to be near him. I looked down to my chest to see the faint glow permitting from my chest, but my eyesight turned hazy. The raging thoughts in my mind were tiring me, and when my eyelids closed, my mind cleared.
The feeling of the familiar stone floor brought some relief, although this time, I wasn't in the dungeon I kept visiting in my dreams. I was still in the cave. Even in a subconscious state, I was trapped.
An eerie sound of wind and the sudden coldness around me made my muscles tense and I simply stood there. Fists clenched and my breath held in, I waited for whatever was coming.
As soon as I saw the magical glowing eyes in front of me, I tried to claw the face, trying to get rid of the constant tormentor of my dreams. I could see the silhouette of this man, but there was no face, just thin air.
'You have fire. I like that.' The deep voice was menacing, sending a chill through my spine.
With the snap of my fingers, I created a small fire near my bed, wanting to get a better look at this mysterious person. To my surprise, the man in front of me was all but a shadow. Lifting me from the floor whilst grabbing my throat, he effectively cut of the air flow to my windpipe. It was weird how a few seconds ago, I couldn't even touch this being, now he was able to inflict the same pain I had felt so many dreams ago.
My brain was already going fuzzy, but I still managed to fight back. I scratched the hands at my neck and kicked around, trying to hit any part of his body, although this seemed to make the shadow even more angry and the iron grip around my throat tightened. The tugging feeling of consciousness told me it wouldn't take long before this misery was over and I would awake in my soft bed.
For a split second, the black silhouette of the shadow morphed into Peter's face, the devious glowing eyes were replaced with his faint grey ones, now full of confusion and sadness. The grip loosened and I slumped to the ground, massaging the bruises around my neck.
'Peter?' I managed to croak, relieved to know my true love was here.
Not fully comprehending his transformation, I questioned the connection between the shadow and Peter. But when I looked up, he was gone. Both had disappeared. Walking back to the bed, I sobbed myself back to reality, awakening with a steady flow of tears.
So yeah...
I noticed that the traffic graph on this story was just sinking, chapter by chapter...and that made me really sad. Is it because people lost interest or something else, I don't know..(got real 'real' there)
But aside from that, I am still grateful for all those people who do read this and embark on an adventure with Aura...
Reviews are always appreciated, as well as constructive criticism!
Love you all,
aureaborealis