CHAPTER FOUR:
A Scratch of Darkness
"I ignored the beat inside my heart for too long,
and accepted what was right but always felt wrong."
Rumpelstiltskin giggled in delight at the sight of the girl, and smirked wickedly at the sight of the unconscious fairy lying on her hand.
"My, my." He clapped his hands together while staring at the small being, then looked up to face the blank expression on his apprentice's features. "Aren't you full of surprises?"
He reached out to get a hold of Tinkerbell, but Emery took a step back, causing his gaze to narrow dangerously for a brief moment. But her determination didn't waver, and she regarded the Dark One with guarded eyes.
"She is not to be harmed in any way," she spoke, slow yet firmly. "If I –"
"You shouldn't be threatening those who are willing to make deals with you," he interrupted, his voice lower and freezing her to the core. "Do not forget who you're talking to, dearie."
And he smiled that wicked, sickening grin. She pressed her lips into a thin line, swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat and tried to remain calm.
"She is not to be harmed," Emery repeated, aware of the dangerous turn the situation could take if she messed up and the sorcerer grew irritated. "Now, we have yet to speak about your terms – what do you want in return?"
Rumpelstiltskin seemed to be pondering something in that tricky mind of his before humming in appreciation.
You are an interesting being, Emery Red; I can see why you're involved in so many stories.
"I want something valuable, of course," he voiced, and his eyes seemed to glow in that dark cell. "And before you say 'I have no gold' or something along the lines, let me tell you that," he inched forward and smiled knowingly, "not all that glitters is gold."
His eyes cast down briefly, as though hinting something, then shot up to her appalled expression. As realization washed over her, the corner of his lips tugged up into his signature grin.
"This is not valuable at all," Emery muttered with a frown as she looked down at her wrist.
"Ah, but that's not entirely too, is it?" he –tried to– stifle a giggle and waved his hands in front of him. "So long as it holds affection, it becomes priceless. And gifts are made out of endearment."
"It's important to me," she admitted, almost to herself.
"My point exactly, dearie!" he exclaimed, then sobered up. "Now, you just have to ask yourself which matters most, a look into your past or a… well – a wristband." He pulled a face that clearly expressed his opinion on the issue, yet it was soon replaced by a satisfied look as the girl gave in.
-#- Some years ago -#-
"You're like a witch, then?"
The question caused her to let an amused laugh, and she quickly shook her head. Currently, both friends were sitting under the willow tree, enjoying a moment of peace after another visit to the mermaids. To Peter, those creatures were the most annoying ones he had met in Neverland; always giggling in confidence and teasing maliciously with their strident voices. Thus why, he had been so surprised to see Emery laughing along with them, almost as if she were one of them. Not only did she seem to enjoy their company, but mermaids had looked greatly pleased upon her arrival; their disappointed expressions had also been evident when they had realized there was no evil plan for them to play part in, though.
"More like a magician," she corrected. "There are lots of things to do here, because magic drips from every leaf, every fallen branch. All you need to do is freeing your imagination."
"You used magic on me to make me fly," he reminded, but there was no trace of hostility or bitterness in his voice.
"It's my most charming talent," she joked with a playful wink. "How was it?"
Peter thought for a moment before replying.
"It was blissful," he confessed, and an embarrassing blush covered his cheeks. "It felt as if happiness grew on its own accord in my chest." His forest green eyes fell upon Emery's smiling face. "How did you do it?"
But, much to his dismay, the girl simply gave a casual shrug and commented, "If I told you, it'd take all the fun of guessing it out for you."
Peter groaned in frustration.
"I just wish I could blackmail you sometimes."
All of sudden, a basket of red berries appeared out of nowhere and landed on his hands. Completely taken by surprise, Peter could only stare at the item with wide eyes as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. And, beside him, Emery sat in silence, her stunned gaze fixed on the red fruits.
"You used Neverland's magic," she whispered so lowly Peter almost didn't hear her.
"Did I reall–what's wrong with you?"
Her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly agape as she stared at the berries in excitement, Peter Pan completely forgotten, and so the rest of the world. Her dazed expression was enough to make the boy grow wary, but before he could stand and move away from her, Emery jumped on the basket of enticing fruits.
Some feet above from where they were, Tinkerbell sat with a thoughtful expression plastered on her hard features. Her green eyes observed the children as they rolled over the green grass, both of them laughing hysterically. In the beginning, Peter was merely trying to get as far from the girl as possible but had ended up teasing her with the basket of fruits, prey to amusement as he watched the useless attempts of the short girl to get a hold of it.
-#- Present time -#-
His eyes darted around, touching every tree and every inch of land, and he sighed. It sure felt lonely to be in Neverland at that time, when the children that had been playing around with him for hours had finally gone back to their respective lives. Now, the moon glowed splendorous up in the night sky, the cold breeze blew ever so softly between the leaves of the trees, and a deafening silence surrounded the island.
Peter Pan gave a whine before rolling on his back and standing up. His feet landed on the sand soundlessly, and he scanned the wild sea in search of approaching pirates whom he would spend the night messing around with. Unfortunately, no lights shone on the horizon – he huffed.
Then, Peter grinned enthusiastically.
"And where do you think you're flying off to?" the stern voice of Tinkerbell stopped him as he was about to – well – fly off.
Turning on his heels, the boy gave her an expectant look.
"To see Em," he replied with a 'duh' tone, which awarded him a flick on his forehead. "Ow, what was that for?!" he demanded to know, a glare directed to the fairy.
"You must not visit Emery," she voiced, her features hard yet troubled.
The unexpected words caught Peter off guard, and he couldn't help but become wary.
"And why is that?"
Tinkerbell sighed, and it was then when Peter Pan really saw the exhaustion in the fairy's eyes. Dark badges decorated the skin under them, she was paler than usual, and her blonde hair stuck to her face due to the sweat.
"What's going on?" he asked, more urgently this time, and his agitation increased when she looked away, like she was ashamed.
"She found out… about us keeping her in the dark," Tink revealed.
She had barely time to step away from the boy when he snapped.
"Us?!" he growled, angry. "As I recall, it was you who took her memories away and dropped her like a sack of potatoes in another land. And it was also you who decided it was best for her to spend time with her, even though she didn't know who we were," he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly. "That was a mistake, and this was bound to happen sooner or later."
Tink pursed her lips into a frown and glared at him.
"Nonsense."
"What?" he was baffled.
"You wouldn't have been able to stay away, either way," she explained, but the statement seemed to anger Peter even more. "Let me remind you, you are linked to Neverland. No, that's not completely true. You are Neverland, the both of you. Which means, this place needs you two to survive. That fact connects you to one another; but whether that's good or not… I'm not certain yet."
A sardonic smirk touched his lips.
"Should have thought about that when you took her away." He narrowed his eyes again. "But that's not going to happen, not ever again. From now on, you're not allowed to leave this island. In fact, no one is. And if you try, I will know. Because the shadow will be watching over you while I'm gone."
"You can't do that!" the fairy gasped, alarmed, but the boy grinned wickedly.
"Oh, but I can. I can control Neverland," he stated, and added, "I am Neverland, after all."
"And you plan on visiting her now? Think about it, Peter; she–"
"Don't," he snapped, already fed up. "You don't get it, do you? You adults are always thinking about what's best for us, but you never stop to think what actually is that we want. Emery has been betrayed by enough people, and she doesn't deserve any of the pain that has been sent her way. She just doesn't."
Tinkerbell remained silent for some seconds, merely observing the flying boy with a thoughtful stare.
"You really think you will be able to reach out to her, don't you?" The words fell from her lips in a barely audible whisper.
"If I can't–" he furrowed his brows, as if the possibility was hard for him to believe, "at least I'll be able to say I tried."
Frowning, the fairy watched Peter Pan fly away, his silhouette fading quickly into the dark horizon. After some seconds of staring straight ahead, she gave out a sigh and turned around to step into the depth of the forest.
Eventually, she found herself replaying her last meeting with Emery, the girl she so deeply had cared about for long years – she knew things would never be the same between them, yet was certain that devotion would always remain inside of her small being. Her fingers traced the outline of her jaw, where Emery had punched her soon after the fairy had woken up.
"I never doubted you, not even once."
Her words had cut deep; they had created significant wounds in her heart Tinkerbell doubted would ever heal, much less disappear.
"If I ever see you again, I will kill you."
Those eyes, Tinkerbell shuddered at the remembrance. They had been so cold, so empty; like two pools of spreading darkness. Terrifying would be an accurate definition of what she'd thought upon seeing the –once innocent-looking– girl standing in the middle of her recently destroyed room. However, Tinkerbell soon realized that Emery had never been naïve, not even close to childlike. Back in her time in Neverland, Emery had always been known for her tricky intentions and wild behaviour, so unexpected that it had gotten many children – if not killed – severely injured. Not even then had she been harmless, if only to impose herself.
Tinkerbell stopped by a thick tree, one whose trunk worked as a stairway to a small house hidden in its leaves. Home, she thought with a slight frown, before her feet started to drag her up the steps.
Nevertheless, not even in the comfy dwelling in which she slowly began to drift off did she feel safe. Neverland did not feel the same anymore, and the fairy feared that grey night was only the beginning of a new age of chaos and darkness.
Just like it was predicted.