sultal's quick note: HeartOfGold (Guest) - I've answered you at the end of the chpt :)

Chapter 76: Retreat

The air holding him failed as Peter groped for something.

Anything.

But there was nothing.

Nothing to slow his defenseless stumble into Facilier's shadow. Slamming into the wall, Peter had only time to blink as the shadow clawed it's way into every orifice.

Once inside, the shadow buzzed through him like a chain saw.

And then, the nightmare began.

Peter had felt different when Wendy took his shadow. He had felt emptier, fragmented, threatened – it was almost like being naked in a room full of people, but with all your deepest, darkest secrets written sloppily on your skin with a ballpoint pen.

However, Peter Pan always felt that way. Always. Empty. Threatened. Incomplete. So, smushing the uncomfortable emotions with his usual inflated persona, Peter hadn't terribly minded loosing his shadow.

But this...this was…a nightmare.

Peter felt like he was drowning form the inside, as if someone was compressing his skull and chest with cement. Rigor mortise seized every muscle as his body was taken under siege.

He could feel the shadow leafing through his brain like a book, ripping open pages of memories that Peter never wanted to remember.

With one heartbeat, Facilier's shadow screwed itself into Peter.

Possessed and infected, the boy fell.

"Peter!"

"Wen, no!"

"LOOK OUT!"

"BEHIND – "

"—UP—"

"—OVER TH—"

"—THEY'RE COMING!"

"LOOK OUT!" Ariel repeated, raising her trident as Facilier, Gaston, Kay, and Lana appeared, flanked by evil comrades. Loosing sight of Jim and Wendy, she clustered with Mulan, Flynn, and Rapunzel as the ambush hit.

Trident screaming, Ariel slashed in circles. Students descended from every direction, scratching at faces, pulling at hair, and stabbing with kitchen knives. The ambush tore through like a tornado, knocking Ariel down.

Outnumbered!

Gaston punched Mulan's temples. Lana ripped a fork through Rapunzel's skin. Kay slammed Flynn against the stone corner. Facilier threw kitchen knives at Jim's face. Peter wormed his hands over Wendy, knotting his arms around her neck like an evil puppet on strings.

They were outnumbered!

Ariel rolled. Merida and Robin stumbled over her, reaching for bows and arrows but were met immediately with raining knives.

How would they save Fantasia?

Her father's calm, militaristic voice crunched between Ariel's ears.

Retreat.

Wrenching her shoulders, Ariel dug the trident into the floor.

Eel electricity swept over stonework. Everyone in the room jolted and jerked apart.

They had a second. One second.

"RUN!" Ariel screamed, "EVERYBODY RUN! RUN AWAY! RUN NOW!"

Jim shook his head. Electricity sparkled between his fingernails and teeth. Then, with a violet shove, he pushed passed Facilier's shaking hands.

Grabbing Wendy and rallying Mulan, Flynn, Rapunzel, Merida, and Robin to follow, Jim sprinted after Ariel.

One second passed. Then…they were pursued.

Jim ran without looking back. Dragging Wendy around corners he raced ahead of Ariel, plowing through the turmoil, twisting and turning unexpectedly for the safest path.

But every detour lead to danger. No matter the path, the group was met with screaming classmates and sobbing friends.

Gruesome, panicked noises bled from the auditorium, and Jim could only imagine the slaughter of students trapped inside. What classmates had escaped were ambushed by student-villains and...

"Pirates!" Rapunzel shouted, pointing and slamming into Merida.

Jim skid. Two steps away, were two pirates. One was huge with a huge black mustache. One was un-human, spidery. Both were flanked by an army of mates – human and alien. Both pirates leapt at the students.

Grabbing his shirt, Wendy yanked Jim from the spidery pirate. Jim swung, loosing his balance as Silver emerged from the pirate army.

"AVAST!" Silver laughed, hailing a golden blade. His red eye pierced through the chaos and into Jim's gaze. "AVAST MATES! YO HO!"

Catching Wendy's arm, Jim stumbled before retreating after Ariel once again.

A violent cheer raised from the pirates as forest of cutlasses chopped their way down the hallway.

"WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU!" taunted the pirates. Singing and growling, they chased the students. "RING AROUND THE ROSIE! A POCKET FULL OF POSIES!—"

"YOU HAVE NO WHERE TO GO!"

"—ASHES! ASHES!—"

" NO WHERE TO HIDE!"

"—THEY ALL FALL DEAD!"

Jim ran harder.

But…he knew the pirates were right.

Headmaster Mickey had placed the magical barrier to protect his students. How could he have ever suspected the school would be attacked from the inside. With no way out…with no escape…

Assailed by student-villains and pirates, the group ran. Sprinting through hallways, they descried suffering friends but could afford only a painful heartbeat.

In a flash, Tinkerbell and Silvermist cried as Kay ripped their beautiful wings.

Aladdin wrestled six pirates for his lamp as two more unraveled Jasmine's magic carpet.

Belle screamed as Gaston twisted a knife into Adam's ribs.

Quasimodo limped away from the pirates trying to beat the deformities from his face.

Phillip dropped his sword, surrendering as a Helga pushed Aurora's stomach over her sharp spinning wheel.

Cinderella and Tiana huddled over Naveen's unconscious body.

Attina sobbed as blood spilled over the bear claws on Kocoum's chest.

Dread numbed Jim's hope. Squeezing Wendy's hand and watching Ariel's flailing red hair, he ran and listened to screams.

They had to get out.

Or else they'd die.

"Come on!" Jim yelled. "Faster! Fas – Wen!"

Jim felt his wrist pop as Wendy was ripped away. Jim tripped as Peter blasted through the sky, seized Wendy, and pinned her against the wall. Wendy hit the stone wall, Peter pressed against her.

Both Jim and Ariel ran forward, Merida turning with their cue, but Wendy was faster. This time prepared, she slapped a hand over Peter's mouth, pushing him away. Her other hand reached for the magical needle.

Suddenly, the air froze. Followed by a shrill cry, an icy blast punctured the castle walls.

Across the hallway, cornered in Dr. Doppler's classroom, was Elsa. Afraid and savage, she crouched like snow tiger as Facilier and Hans advanced. Facilier snapped his fingers and Elsa was blanketed in pirates.

Elsa screamed. The castle rumbled as ice stalagmites stabbed through the floor. Snow crystallized into thorns and ice sparkled before extinguishing the lights.

Winter exploded from the heart of the classroom freezing everything in sight.

Suddenly, a bullet skimmed Jim's chest. Slamming backwards, Jim fell into Ariel.

"No!" He barked, answering Ariel's unasked question. "Didn't get me. Just – shit!"

Silver grinned as the bullet exploded into shards of ice. Bending in the winter storm, the cyborg aimed his pistol head at Jim.

Then, everything happened at once.

Elsa screamed.

Fantasia School for the Magically Skewed was pervaded with snow and ice.

Wendy stabbed her needle into Facilier's shadow.

Peter shrieked.

Silver's shot exploded.

Jim, forgetting to dodge the bullet, stared into the cyborg's human eye.

"JIM!"

Ariel lurched. Jim buckled as the trident bit into his side.

Silver's bullet hissed by Jim's head, knocking into a keyhole. The Headmaster's door popped open.

"There! The Headmaster's office! Go there!"

Merida, Robin, Mulan, and Ariel grabbed Jim.

Jim grabbed Wendy.

Wendy pushed away. Jim grabbed again. Then, he fell back.

"Peter!" Wendy yelled as Jim fell. Peter was screaming. The shadow pulsed up and down Wendy's arms, around her shoulders, an across her eyes. "Peter think! Think!"

"Wen!" Jim shouted as Silver muscled through the snow and ice, raising his pistol at Wendy. "Wen! LEAVE HIM!"

"Think!" Wendy repeated, fingers flying over the shadow. "Peter! Peter! Think! Think of a happy – "

"Wen!" Jim struggled as Robin seized his waist and Mulan wrenched the door shut. "Let me go! I'm not leaving her!"

"You have to mate!"

"NO! Wen! Wen!-" Jim twisted his neck desperately. "-ARIEL!"

"GO!" Ariel screamed, wedging her foot into the doorway and zapping Robin's tail with her trident. Snow painted her red hair as she turned. "Jim! GO!

Jim sprinted. Thundering through the ice, he raced for Wendy as the pirates, student-villains, and Long John Silver readied for the kill.

Suddenly, Wendy snapped backwards. Burdened by Peter, she fell. Jim caught her a second too late, lunging to grab the arm that held Peter against her chest.

Slipping on the ice, Jim recoiled at the sight of Wendy's opposite arm.

A black, glittering living something slithered up and down Wendy's arm. At her elbow it injected into the vein, bubbling up like black rivers and black spider-webs under her fair skin before pooling into a black puddle inside Wendy's cupped palm.

And just as realization dawned Jim's face, Peter opened his eyes…

….and Silver spoke.

"Its the…shadow…? MATES! SHOOT HER! SHOOT BEFORE—!"

Jim wrenched, throwing Peter, Wendy, and himself at the Headmaster's door.

Gunshots, ice, and snow sliced the doorframe to smithereens.

And just before Ariel slammed the door shut, Wendy threw the shadow at the pirates, villains, and cyborg.

sultal's note: I HAVE MISSED you all!

Ok ,so CLINIC IS OVER! Guys I actually had a great time at clinic working with amazing patients. By the end I was almost 100% independent (without supervision from my clinical instructor), and doing all of the paperwork PLUS my homework, so that is why I've been MIA and I am SOOOOO SORRY!

I've got a few questions to answer from reviews:

HeartOfGold (Guest): Hi! PLEASE POST YOUR STORY (Diamond Angel)! And haha, yes I am totally going to finish this story. I always story-board before I write, so I've known the ending for a long time now. It's just a matter of finding the time to write. But I do not abandon stories as a rule...I just take forever to finish them because of school. But I love your enthusiasm with this story and YOUR stories! So PM or review me when you start posting your story so I can read it!

OK...ON WITH THIS STORY FOLKS! Thanks for staying with these characters while sultal has been working for free for school!

keep writing.