Chapter 15: Look Within Yourself

AN: This actually could have been uploaded much earlier, but my editer was DISTRACTED. And then I forgot to upload it. But still. Enjoy. Keep an eye on my profile for updates.

-April 5, 2009-

Hazel's POV

I giggled quietly to myself as I tiptoed out of the captain's quarters with a whistle in my hands. I climbed up the lookout tower as carefully as I could one-handed, put the whistle to my lips and-

"RIIIIIIIIIIISE AND SHINE BOYS!" I screamed loudly between whistles, "EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM AND ALL THAT JAZZ!"

There was quite the ruckus as the crew members crawled out of their hiding places or were startled awake from their posts. I squealed as several guns were cocked and pointed up in my direction. I shot down further into the tower's railing.

"You blithering idiots! You dare raise a weapon to my guest?!" I heard the angry snarl of Captain Hook as his footsteps thundered across the deck.

I heard the rustling of their retreating weapons. I peaked cautiously overtop the railing, "Is it safe now?"

"Yes, my dear. It is quite safe." I stood up a bit more confidently.

"Well... There might be a problem with me coming down." I grinned sheepishly, motioning to my arm still in a sling.

He gritted his teeth before ordering one of the crew members to fetch me, "Jukes! Look alive!"

He scrambled up the tower and put me on his shoulders. I grinned, "Thanks, Bill!"

When we were safely on the ground, he nodded his acknowledgement. Hook took a deep sigh, "My dear... Your arm is still recovering. Please refrain from... stupidity... while it heals..."

I saluted him with my good hand, "Aye aye, Captain!"

He smirked before heading up the stairs and to his maps sitting on the table. I leaned over the side of the ship, watching the water flowing gently.

It was only a few more moments of peace before a crowing erupted from the sky. The young boy clad in green and red feathered cap broke through the clouds, "Hook! Did ya miss me?"

Hook slammed his fists on the table, "Pan! Men! Ready the canons! And fire at will!"

The crew scrambled around me to ready the weapon and I squealed, jumping up and down, "Peter Pan!"

The boy paused in the air and glanced down with a grin, "A new pirate? And a girl!" He rolled in the air with laughter.

I pouted, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean! Come on! I just got to Neverland yesterday!"

Peter stopped laughing and flew around, avoiding the canons, "Who are you?!"

Hook began shouting insults at him, but Peter blatantly ignored him. To my surprise, instead of waiting for a response, Peter gripped my waist and hoisted me in the air.

I screamed at the pain as he rattled my arm, "H-Hey! O-Ow... M-My arm..."

I felt him shrug as he fixed his grip around me, "So, who are you?"

"C-Can't talk... Pain..." I whimpered as he flew around the ship.

"Cease fire!" I heard Hook shout. Peter paused us in mid air, curious, "You unhand her at once!"

Peter grinned, "Why don't you make me, codfish?!"

"Why you insufferable-" Hook paused before a wide smirk overtook his lips, "Why, Pan... Stealing an innocent young girl... What a very... adult... thing to do..."

I could all but hear Peter's frown behind me, "It is not! I'm rescuing her from you! You kidnapped her first!"

"P-Peter please!" I could feel the pained tears in my eyes. The height and angle he was holding me was not good for my arm.

Peter retreated into his thoughts far enough that he failed to see the ropes that were being thrown in our direction. I felt myself slip from his grasp as he shot higher into the air.

I screamed as I was shot heavily through the water. I gasped, panicked as I attempted to swim with one hand towards the surface. Black crept across my vision slowly, overtaking my senses immediately.

00000

Gasping for much needed air, I clawed the air subconsciously. When my eyes finally opened, I sat up quickly and took note of my surroundings. I was obviously not in Neverland anymore.

I resided in a black abyss atop what looked like a stained glass platform. I slowly got to my feet and stepped back to get a better look at the image.

There was a girl on the front with closed eyes and her arms resting away from her sides. Her golden brown hair flowed down to her waist. She wore a tank top v-dip dress of black, navy, and dark violet polka dots on the front to shorts with the back of yellow, pink, orange, and white polka dots on the back to a skirt cape like fabric past the shorts to her calves.

The girl resided on a the platform covered in what looked like alternating colors of black and white, with a third inner layer of grey. The platform contained smaller circles alternating what looked like a spork, a chocolate bar, a knife, a strawberry, a fork, a chicken leg, a spoon, a potato chip, a whisk, a taco, a pair of tongs, an ice cream cone, a spatula, a tomato, a pastry brush, an egg, a thermometer, a fish, a rolling pin, and a peanut. The entire platform's background looked to be of cookie dough with everything looked to be sprinkled with what looked like powdered sugar.

"Do not be alarmed, Princess." I jumped at the sound of a familiar female's voice, but I couldn't quite place it, "All will be well."

"W-What's going on? And where are the others? And why does this chick look like me? Is it me? I'm pretty sure that's me." I asked nervously into the darkness.

"You will find the answers to your questions soon." Three short pillars rose from the ground at different edges of the platform with floating weapons. One with a sword, another with a shield, and the third with a staff.

"No way!" I screamed.

The voice chuckled, "Yes, this does seem quite familiar doesn't it. You know what you must do."

I couldn't run to the staff fast enough. It disappeared not even a second later, "Now what will you give up in exchange?"

I hurried over to the sword, whining when it disappeared as well, "You've chosen the power of the mystic. You've given up the power of the warrior. Is this the form you chose?"

I grinned widely, "Yes yes yes!"

The grin faded as I heard shattering. I glanced down slowly as the glass shards of the platform began floating away. I screamed silently as I floated down through the abyss.

When I felt myself gently touch solid ground once more, I observed that I was on another platform. This was of a dark ocean surrounded by a lavender ring, and a dark violet ring outside of the light one. On the inside were seven circles. The top contained a human-dog like figure in a hat on a bright yellow background. Next was of a young female with dark forest brown hair to her chin with eyes the color of snow on a silver background. Next was a young female with long black hair, her eyes as black as night, on a dark, almost black, background. Next was of a white duck in blue clothing on a bright orange background, next was of a girl with long golden brown hair, her left eye black, the right eye white, on a snow white background. The sixth contained a girl with chestnut hair to her shoulders, her eyes glowing a golden yellow, atop a blood red background. The middle circle contained a familiar boy in red with chocolate spikes.

Shadows began seeping up from the floor, eyes glowing a golden yellow. I gulped, "First chicks that look like the gang, now Heartless? Will it never end?"

A light floated down in front of me. I shielded my eyes for a moment until in its wake was a fairly sized black book with white trim. In white calligraphy on the cover read, Half-Princess Of Heart.

It floated in the air before slowly opening to a random page in the middle. But the pages were blank. I frowned, eyeing the moving shadows nervously, "As you grow and learn, so will the book. Look within yourself and you'll be fine."

I attempted shouting spells, concentrating, everything I could think of, but in the end, nothing happened. The shadows pounced. My screams faded as blackness overtook my senses once more.