2: Escape

I flew above the ocean with Tink in front of me. She pauses to check in on me and notices my grin. "Are you enjoying the ride?" She asked me and I nodded my head in agreement. 

"I've never felt so free in my life." 

Tinker Bell gave me a wicked smile. "I know, it's a blast." 

"How is this all possible?" I asked her and she laughed lightly.

"Anything is possible in Neverland."

Neverland. I remember from reading the book. A place full of wonder and danger. It was real and I was here.

We landed and she looked behind her and informed me "Looks like we've lost them, but I'm sure we're not free of them." 

I nodded my head asking her, "How long do we have?" 

She tilted her head from side to side in thought and said "Maybe about two days, two and a half if we're lucky." 

I frowned at her reply. 

"Then we should keep moving," I suggested and Tink glanced up at the sky and shook her head at me. 

"It's not safe to travel in this jungle in the night. This whole island is his trap. We're going to have to camp for the night." 

"You sure it's safe?" I asked her and she glanced at the nearby tree.

"I'm afraid we have no other choice."

I frowned, the idea of staying caused worry. The pirates could find us quicker if we stayed in one place for too long. 

Tinker Bell pointed to the big tree beside us. "We're going to have to sleep in trees. Are you fine with that.?" I gave her a nod of my head.

We set up a camp and as I gazed at the fire. Something bothered me. 

"Why don't you have wings?" I blurted.

She looked at me and frowned slightly.

"I lost them long ago trying to help someone. Now I'm here living out the rest of my life." 

"What about you?" She asked me and I turned to her. 

"My parents always wanted me to be someone. My parents don't care about me though. They were embarrassed by me." 

I sighed and swallowed, "They used to scold me every day. I was such a disappointment of a child to them. They don't care about me and they never will. I'm glad that I'm gone from them. They wouldn't even care if I'm missing. And besides, they're not my biological parents." 

Tink touched my shoulder saying softly, "I didn't know that."

I nodded my head at her, "I guess we both had rough lives." 

Tink grinned wildly saying, "I guess we do." 

We giggled a little.

"Hey Jess, it's okay if I call you Jess sometimes right?" 

I turned to her and smiled, "Jess is fine. We both gave each other nicknames." 

Tink smiled at me and asked, "How old are you?" 

I looked at her and told her, "I just turned 16 and you?" 

Tinker Bell laughed lightly "I'm older than you think Jessica, that's all you need to know, but let's just say I'm in my early 20's." 

I asked her "Are you staying the same age because you're a fairy?" 

She looked at me and shook her head.

"Some of it is because I'm a fairy. Most of it though is because this is Never-Land. It's almost as if time has slowed down a lot. You barely age here." 

I was interested in the idea and said "I never thought that there was such a thing." 

"No one would know at all," Tink firmly stated to me, "It isn't an easy island to travel to. Even then, most people avoid it. The only thing about Neverland is once you arrive, you can never leave." 

"What do you mean," I asked her confused and she sat up to explain it to me.

"There's this thing called the Shadow. It works for him. It's a shadow that takes children to Neverland. If you try to leave, it will come after you." 

Tinker Bell informed me and added, "Be careful when dealing with it, it's very strong and powerful." 

Over time, my stomach began to make a grumbling noise. It was loud enough that the whole jungle could have heard it. Tink stares at me and I grin embarrassed. 

"Sorry, that was my stomach, I guess I haven't eaten much in a while." Tinker Bell shot me a grin and a little laugh. She looked around for some reason until she finally stopped.

Tink pointed to a nearby branch, "There's a fruit tree. She reached out and plucked an apple from the nearby branch. She threw it at me and I caught it without problems. She took one for herself and we ate in silence. 

The night was approaching rapidly as we talked more about our lives. I noticed Tink's dagger and looked at it. 

She pulled it out and asked, "Do you like it?" 

I nodded my head at her and stared at the edge that seemed to be faintly coated in something. 

Tink held the dagger by the handle and explained to me. 

"This dagger's tipped with Dreamshade. It's poison from a deadly plant. One cut and the poison can spread inside you ensuring a slow and painful death." 

My eyes widened as I drew back my hand "That seems a little harsh doesn't it?" 

Tinker Bell shook her head at me "No, it seems just fine. The things that live in Neverland are fierce and you got to know how to survive."

"Pass me your sword." 

I handed her the sword I got from the pirates. She took it and cut it into a small dagger. the blade was dipped into a dark liquid. I assumed it was the poison. I was warned not to cut myself and I intended to keep it that way.

I woke up to see myself back in my room in my bed. My room looked different though. I moved around the bed before finally forcing myself out. I stood in the room and stared at a blanket at the edge of the bed. It was a soft baby pink and it said 'To our beloved daughter whom we love so much.' I touched the blanket and it felt soft. I got out of the bed and went to touch the door knob. The problem was, my hand went through the knob. I gasped with shock and I glanced at the room itself. 

It looked like my room, but then again there were so many changes. I notice a girl in the closet and I look in to see. The mysterious girl seemed to be stuffing clothes into a simple brown backpack. She was muttering something I couldn't make out. I waved my hand in front of her, but she didn't even notice me. Her hand went through my body. She didn't know I was there. She continued packing the pack. I noticed her face though. The rough messy brown hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail to the captivating emerald green eyes that made me stop in my tracks. The girl was me.

I watched as my younger self continued packing. She looked around the room which I now noticed had a baby crib in it. Once she was finished packing, I watched as she walked towards the window and opened it up. The wind blew through the window and some small strands of my hair blew in the wind. She had the backpack on her shoulders and she looked down at the group of people in the room down the hallway.

My parents held a baby girl in their arms. My mother looked at the baby with her eyes full of love for the child and it broke my heart. My father grinned proudly and he never did it with me. I see my past self watching with teary eyes.

"I can't wait for you to grow up and be a big girl in the future." My mother beamed happily at the child in her arms and my father smiled proudly.

"Hopefully, you won't grow up to be another disappointment."

The younger me could only watch wide-eyed before she fled back to her room, opened her window and never returned.

I woke myself up out of fear. Tinker Bell got up alert after hearing my cries.

"Are you okay?" She asked worried and I nodded my head.

"Just a nightmare about my family."

She nodded her head, "Don't worry, I get those too."

I didn't get to stay calm for long as we heard the noise of footsteps. "Stay concealed in the trees and be quiet." We perched in the trees watching below as the figures approached.

They were the pirates. Hook stepped into the area with Smee behind him. 

"Captain, no trace of them here," Smee reported without looking around. 

Hook rolled his eyes, "We won't stop looking, Smee. When we get our hands on them, they're going to walk the plank tied to an anchor."

I swallowed and Tinker Bell signalled me to be quiet. They sulked below us and trudged through the jungle again.

We let out a sigh of relief and I was about to climb down the tree when Tink stopped me. I was about to ask her why, but then I got my answer. 

Another group of people came into the clearing. They were in old worn clothing. They wore over their heads as they scanned the dark jungle like a lion searching for its prey. 

"Look around here in case," said a familiar voice and I realized it was the same person that was looking for something on the Jolly Roger. 

I looked up at Tink who stared at me with confused eyes. 

"Those were the people that were looking for something on Hook's ship. Do you know them?"

 Tinker Bell finally looked me in the eyes as she told me. "They're the Lost Boys." 

Lost Boys... The name rang a bell. The loyal boys to Peter Pan. Suddenly it clicked... I knew who 'he' was. 

Suddenly, we saw an arrow flying towards Tink. I grab Tinker Bell who looked at me confused before noticing the arrow. 

Unfortunately, I was unable to keep my balance and hold onto the branch as I was able to save Tink from being impaled with a deadly tipped arrow. We both fell off the tree and landed hard on the ground. I rubbed my arm and Tink got up fast. We stood at the base of the tree's trunk surrounded by Lost Boys. We were so in trouble, I thought as Tink and I took out our deadly daggers and readied to fight.

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