Chapter Six
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Ghost in the wind...
--
It was strange. I was certain that it\\\'d been weeks since my arrival in Neverland but it felt like mere days had passed. Tink had tried to explain to me how time flows differently depending on how many Gateways are opened to the other world but it didn\\\'t make a whole lot of sense. I decided it best not to get caught up on such matters and instead dedicated myself to my flight training. This too, was strange for it felt like I was being guided into doing so. It was almost as if my instincts were driving me to it, telling me that it would be necessary for some greater purpose.
Along with this newfound motivation, unfortunately, came the now familiar sense of dread. Every single night, without fail, the dreams of the shadowy figure haunting Wendy would come to me. Even worse is that they were becoming increasingly more terrifying as time went on. It was almost as if every night brought it one step closer to her. I would have gone mad if not for Tink always being there to offer comfort me when I woke screaming in the middle of the night.
Tinker Bell... she was such a blessing in my life. She was like a mentor, a parent, a sister, a best friend, and in some ways... something more. From what I could gather from what she\\\'d told me and what I\\\'d learned from the Lost Children she had probably been even more lonely than I had. The knowledge that I could bring her as much happiness as she brought me was like a never fading beacon of light in my troubled mind. I knew deep down in my heart that no matter what happened, Tinker Bell would always be at my side...
--
“I think we need to add a little something to our diet,” I mused outwardly, kicking at the sand of the beach.
“I told you not to eat the weird fruit you found in the forest! Any tummy aches you get are your body\\\'s way of telling you to listen to me,” she said in her scolding tone of voice as she landed on my shoulder. I laughed and nudged her with my chin.
“I feel fine thank you very much... although I don\\\'t recommend whatever that was, it left an awful aftertaste in my mouth. I\\\'m just saying that fruit and vegetables are fine and all but maybe we should add a little meat or something, what do you think?”
“I think you\\\'re nuts! You\\\'ve seen the animals around here, they\\\'d squash someone your size like a bug, imagine what they\\\'d do to me!” I couldn\\\'t help but giggle at the excitable way she was bouncing in the air.
“I was thinking more along the lines of fish. I\\\'ve seen lots of them small enough that the mighty Tinker Bell need not fear them.” She made an indignant noise and turned away from me.
“Do you even know how to fish?”
“Don\\\'t have a clue,” I said with a shrug.
“Me neither... so it should be lots of fun trying!” she shouted happily, all irritation quickly forgotten.
“Great minds think alike!” I chimed in with a laugh. “We\\\'ll need a fishing pole though... or maybe just a net, what do you think?”
“Hmm...” she murmured, crossing her legs and tucking her chin into her hand to ponder. “Why not both? I think I\\\'ve got all the materials I need and you know how I love to work with stuff.”
“You\\\'re the best, Tink!” I shouted, darting forward to give her a quick kiss on the cheek that reached from her brow to her shoulder.
“And where exactly are you going to be while I\\\'m busy doing all the work?”
“You know damn well you\\\'d be swatting at me left and right if I tried to help,” I muttered, rubbing the back of knuckles were she\\\'d rapped me last time. “Crazy obsessive pixie...” I said with a grin, darting backwards into the air when she charged at me.
“I swear one of these days...” she threatened.
“Bah, you love me too much to do anything too terrible to me!”
“And you\\\'re lucky for it, believe me!” she shouted back, already I could hear the jingling of her laughter from our familiar banter.
“I think I\\\'ll go out and do a little scouting if you must know. Saw a big group of some pretty blue ones while we were practicing earlier. Blue things are usually pretty tasty, right?”
“I\\\'d call you crazy if I didn\\\'t have to agree,” she said with her musical giggle before her mood shifted. “Just be careful out there, you know how I worry...” she murmured quietly. A bit of a chill ran down my back as I recalled how frantic she\\\'d been after I\\\'d gotten lost while out practicing on my own. It\\\'d taken several days to get her to calm down enough to let me go off without her even for the smallest amount of time.
“I know, Tink... I\\\'ll be careful.” She hovered closer and spread her arms so I could nuzzle her with my cheek before we flew off in opposite directions.
--
My search for any large groups of fish had ended with little success so I instead found myself drifting aimlessly over the surface of the water, allowing my fingertips to skim the surface. I truly loved flying, there was no greater release to be found than soaring weightlessly through the air and at times like this it could also double as a sort of meditation. It was amazing how well the mind could wander when it didn\\\'t have to concern itself with all the burdens that came with being rooted to the ground.
Like most times when I entered this mindset I found my thoughts drifting to Wendy and how close the shadowy figure had gotten to her in my nightmares. She needed me, I don\\\'t know or care how I knew this but I was certain of it. The problem came when I thought about how I would go about rescuing her. Visiting the other world was one of two subjects that I knew next to nothing about because Tink wasn\\\'t comfortable in discussing them just yet. Unfortunately, I was about to crash headfirst into both of them...
--
“Ow! Damn it! Who the hell put a...” It was as if an icy hand had taken hold of my spine as my eyes swept across the side of the ship I\\\'d just bumped into. My happy thought vanished at the sound of stomping boots from above and with a breathless yelp I crashed into the briny water below. Luckily, some semblance of self preservation kicked in at the memory of Tink telling me to run and hide should I ever encounter a Pirate. Instead of paddling my way to the surface I pushed myself down and underneath the ship, just barely catching sight of the murky outline of someone peering over the railing as I did so. I waited there, panic stricken, until my lungs could take no more and slowly rose up to breach the surface, relieved to find nobody looking down on me. The urge to flee into the skies was held in check only by the fear of being spotted and, as the minutes passed, only by the tight grip I had on the chain of the anchor.
“Getting to be that time, lads!” a brash and arrogant voice sounded above me.
“Ai ai Captain!” a chorus of voices shouted. My decision as to whether I should flee or not was taken from me as the chain began to rise. I managed to back away from it in the water, only to have the anchor itself snag on the bottom of the ship and twist the chain around my ankle. I had to clap my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming as I was hoisted upside down out of the water, coming to a stop a mere three feet from the deck with my leg pinned against the side of ship.
“Set the pace!” the first voice called out.
“Ai ai Captain!” the crew shouted once more in unison.
At the sound of the first drumbeat my heart nearly leaped from my chest and I began thrashing and clawing at my trapped leg. Unfortunately, due to the snag in the chain, the anchor, and me along with it, were not properly secured and as the ship lifted free of the water it swayed outward only to send me crashing back into the side. The weight of the anchor crushed the air from my lungs and the impact itself brought my senses into a swirling mess. We were circling now, the swaying of the anchor addling my already dizzy mind. The last semi-clear thought I had... was of just how much Tinker Bell would be worried... then came the terrible screaming sound and the black pool of unconsciousness.
--
“Petra...” Tinker Bell gasped, dropping the twine she\\\'d been working with to clutch at her chest. She quickly flew over to the window, every fiber of her being telling her that something was wrong, just in time to see the Pirate ship drifting away into the darkness...
--
“Tink...” I groaned upon awakening, instantly regretting it as the mere motion of speaking sent white hot pins and needles through my head. I slowly opened one eye and waited for my blurry vision to settle enough to give me a view of my surroundings, not for a second believing what I saw when it did. I brought my arms, which were hanging above my head for whatever reason, down to rub numbly at my aching eyes so I could take in the scene once more. Sure enough it was as I\\\'d first seen, an upside down view of Big Ben not twenty meters in front of me. I looked down, or in this case, up to find myself dangling from an anchor chain by one leg. The memories came flooding back and it took every last ounce of my willpower not to panic.
Slowly, I raised myself up against my protesting body to work at the chain holding my ankle. With the ship hanging in the air it was a simple matter to free myself but my newfound freedom offered a challenge of its own, I was still hanging high over the city and was scared out of my mind. Desperately I tried to bring up Tink\\\'s lessons into my mind as my numbed fingers clung desperately to the anchor chain. As it was, my strength failed first and I found myself slipping free into the air. The biggest flaw in my flying, that of holding onto my happy thought in a panicked state, reared it\\\'s ugly head as I plummeted downward. I closed my eyes to avoid the sight of the ground seemingly rushing up to meet me only to have an obscure thought drift through my mind of its own accord.
I was back in the other world and in London no less... Wendy was waiting for me. The feeling of weightlessness washed over me and I opened my eyes to find myself not ten feet from the top of a tree and my immediate death. Swallowing hard, I lifted off into the sky and flew in the direction of Wendy\\\'s home. A surge of energy washed over me, bringing warmth and feeling back to my strained and battered body. I doubled my pace, flying faster then I ever had before as images of the shadowy figure danced across the back of my mind.
Even in my rush I couldn\\\'t help but notice the remarkable clarity of the city beneath me. At first I wondered if it was simply my new viewpoint from above but quickly dismissed it. No, this was something else, it was like all my senses had been improved upon. Back when I was on the streets I\\\'d often wondered if I needed glasses even if I could only laugh at the thought of being able to afford them. Now it was like I could see every little detail of the objects I passed and from much farther distances. Before, what would have seemed like bleak and empty streets now felt vibrant and full of energy, it was like new life had been breathed into me. I would have to remember to ask Tinker Bell about it when I returned.
Barely a minute passed until I arrived at the estate where Wendy lived. A surge of emotions filled my body at the sight of it. At first came joy at the memories of the kiss we shared, then elation from the image of taking her into my arms and leaping into the sky to share the wonderful euphoria it could offer. When that had passed a trickle of dread passed through me at the possibility that I had been forgotten as a passing fancy after being apart for a month without word. When that too had faded... came fear... fear at the thought of what I might find when I looked into her window, the same window I\\\'d been looking through every night in my dreams.
With my heart threatening to beat it\\\'s way from my chest, I alighted along the side of the manor near her window. I mustered every bit of courage I could and steeled myself for whatever lay waiting before pushing away from the wall to peer into her room... Nothing. She was simply standing there, arms around her waist as if to ward off a chill. The adrenaline drained from my blood at the sight of her safe and sound and I quickly ducked back away from the window to chew at my lip. I\\\'d been so certain that I would find her being threatened by the shadowy figure that I hadn\\\'t put any thought into what I might do otherwise. Quickly deciding that it would be best to avoid startling her, I landed on the ground and paced for a moment to collect my thoughts. Coming up with nothing, I found myself nudging a few pebbles with one of my boots only to have the idea strike me.
Picking up a small handful of the rocks I gently tossed one against her window and waited. When no response came I tossed another and then another again with no result. Frowning, I prepared to toss another only to have it slip from my fingers at the sight of her in the window.
“W-Who\\\'s there?” I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves and took a few steps forward.
“Hello, Wendy... I came back to see you,” I said quietly. There was a long pause and for a moment it seemed as if she hadn\\\'t noticed me before she responded.
“If you\\\'re trying to have a laugh off of me, you\\\'ve done it!” she shouted bitterly, sounding almost on the verge of tears. I lowered my head and wrung my hands together.
“I\\\'m sorry, Wendy... I know I said we\\\'d meet again soon but the most wonderful thing happened! I was taken by a fairy to a place called Neverland! It\\\'s such a beautiful place and you can live there forever and never grow old or anything!” I shouted excitedly, pausing upon noticing she was staring at me with same hurt expression as when she\\\'d shouted. “You probably don\\\'t believe me but I can prove it you,” I said with a grin, lifting gently off the ground and hovering up towards her. “I\\\'ve wished for this moment since the first time we met,” I said, barely containing my nervous energy as I offered her my hand. “Would you like to fly with me, Wendy?” She stared at me with empty eyes for a moment before turning away and sighing.
“I\\\'m such a fool...” she whispered before turning around and stepping away into the room.
My happy thought vanished so quickly at the realization that I barely had time to catch myself on her window to keep from falling. I managed to pull myself up into the room behind her only to fall to my knees, pressing my face into my hands as the bitter tears began to fall. She couldn\\\'t see me...
–
I now knew the reason why Tink became so sad whenever I mentioned visiting Wendy, as well as why she never had the heart to tell me. Not since the day before meeting Wendy had I been so depressed. All the nights and days I\\\'d spent dreaming and wishing of spending time with her now felt like a cruel form of self torture. I\\\'d been so certain that there was something more, that we were connected in some way, but I guess it was all just the wishful thinking of a silly girl with a crush. I may as well have been dead to her...
By the time my sobbing had ceased, I found Wendy sitting at her desk brushing her hair in her nightclothes. I stood on shaky knees and walked to her side to lean on the back of her chair. She looked older then I remembered, a little more worn, but still so pretty that I couldn\\\'t imagine ever wanting to look away...
--
“There was so much I wanted to say to you, Wendy, and even more that I wished to experience. I could have shown you the most beautiful sights you\\\'ve ever seen as we flew together, hand in hand, through the sky... but I guess it really was just a dream.”
I paused for a moment to absorb as much of her beauty as I could, only to have something else catch my eye. There sitting on her desk, was the knife I\\\'d carried with me all those years on the streets, the \\\'P.P.\\\' I\\\'d etched into the stock catching in the lamplight. It was strange, I know I should have been confused that she had it but I could only feel a flow of warmth deep in my chest. I could feel hot tears building up in my eyes as I leaned close to whisper into her ear.
“I might have fallen in love with you if we\\\'d had more time together...” I reached out caress the stock of the knife, “but this will have to take care of you in my place.” I leaned in and pressed my lips to her cheek, closing my eyes to savor the warmth of her skin before slowly pulling away. “Goodbye Wendy...” I whispered before making my way to the window and leaping into sky. If I had stayed but a few moments longer I would have seen her press her fingertips against where my lips had been and the tear rolling down her cheek... as well as the cloaked figure that materialized from the shadows.
–
A wave of relief washed over me at the sight of the Pirate\\\'s ship still hanging over the waters near Big Ben. At the very least I wouldn\\\'t be trapped here to wander like some kind of phantom. I lowered myself down to the ground to avoid being spotted by anyone still on the ship and settled in to wait in a nearby neighborhood. My only hope was that the ship would need to pick up speed before entering the Gateway like it did coming from Neverland, that would give me enough time to fly up and grab hold of the anchor to hopefully hitch a ride back home. The fact that I knew next to nothing about the Pirates had my stomach churning with worry and it was only with great effort that I didn\\\'t allow the thoughts that the ship might take me somewhere else entirely to take root.
The only positve feelings to be had in the situation came, oddly enough, from my brief visit with Wendy. Seeing that she had my knife somehow told me she knew I wasn\\\'t coming back for better or worse. Maybe that was the reason I\\\'d felt so drawn to come back here, to get some form of closure. If I could only get back home safely I would be grateful for having come here, even if not under the best circumstances. If Wendy was safe I had nothing to regret about my past and an endless lifetime of happiness to look forward to in my future. I wouldn\\\'t be alone either, I\\\'d have the children to look after from time to time and Tinker Bell always at my side.
“Tink...” I murmured, feeling a pain in my chest from being so faraway from her. It was almost as if I could feel her worry feeding into mine. “I swear if I make it back to you I\\\'ll be a hundred times more careful no matter where I go!” I shouted to the sky, only to yelp in surprise and duck behind a lamppost as my eyes caught sight of something falling from the side of the ship.
Leaning over to peer around the edge of the post I caught sight of what looked to be a large blanket fluttering down to land on a nearby rooftop. Confused, I stepped around the pole to get a better look only to duck back as the cloth suddenly rose from where it had landed in the shape of a tall cloaked figure and then sink into the home through the roof.
I cautiously made my way towards the building and lifted up to the window nearest where the figure had entered, finding myself gazing into a child\\\'s room... and the most horrifying sight I\\\'d ever witnessed. I tried to scream out but found no breath in my lungs as the cloaked figure, standing near the bed where a boy no more then twelve years old lay wide eyed and trembling, raised a short sword over it\\\'s head and drove it into the boy\\\'s chest. There was no scream nor spray of blood as I had expected, the blade seemed to pass through flesh as if it were air... but the boy felt it. His body went stiff for a moment as a pale, gently throbbing, light seemed to flow up the blade and into the cloaked figure that held it... then he lay still.
I tore my eyes away and sank to the ground to clutch myself around the waist, vomiting pure bile as the sound that could only be that creature letting out a long, crooning call of jubilation clawed it\\\'s way into my head. I wanted nothing more then to lay there and try to tear what I\\\'d just witnessed from my memory but a heart wrenching realization would not allow me such comfort. I\\\'d seen a similar cloaked figure far too many times in my dreams to ever forget...
“Wendy!”