Never Land
Gabriella
Zayn just sat in his captain’s quarters, his hands folded as his dark eyes looked blankly into space. Ryan just stood in front of him, watching his captain and having no idea how to console him. Gabe was the one who could bring him out of any funk, make him smile when he was on the verge of burning a village to the ground. She was the one who knew every single secret the captain had to keep, and now she was gone.
“Captain.” Ryan said softly. Zayn’s eyes moved up to his, the rest of his body still stiff in the same position. “We should go after her. Gabe’s not a deserter, something must be wrong.” Zayn was silent for a long time before he spoke, his soft tone of voice completely foreign to Ryan.
“She’s been so different lately.”
“What do you mean sir?” Ryan pressed. Zayn looked at the wall were a painting of him, his first mate, and their fathers was nailed up. He had to stand for hours like that, and his arm had fallen asleep in just under an hour. But Gabriella had been there. She looked over when the artist had moved to their faces and quickly massaged the feeling back into it for him.
“Things were so simple when we were children.” Zayn said finally. “When she and I would kidnap Tiger Lily, Peter would come save her, and just when Peter thought he would deliver the finishing blow, she would jump him.” He smiled at the memory. “Then my father would scream at me for needing someone to save me, and when I was locked in my room, she’d sneak in with sweets and cheer me up again.” But then his smile fell. “But then Peter left and we grew up.”
“Sir, even those of us in Neverland eventually grow up.” Ryan said.
“That’s not what I mean.” Zayn said, looking back at Ryan. “Ever since she took over she just blushes all the time, she gets sick, she can’t fight, she’s always off dreaming-”
“Did you ever think to ask her what she’s dreaming about sir?” Ryan asked. Zayn’s head snapped up, his amber eyes wide as he looked at the young man before him.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I think it’s obvious to any outside observer sir, but she specifically asked me not to tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself.” Zayn cocked an eyebrow at him, so Ryan simply bowed his head. “If that’ll be all sir.”
“You’re dismissed.” Zayn said. Ryan quickly turned, making his way out of Zayn’s quarters and back up to the deck. Zayn simply leaned back in his chair, looking back to the painting. He had never noticed how brightly she used to smile, especially since she hadn’t done so since the new children arrived. He stood, walking over to it and running his fingers over her face.
She was standing in front of her father, his hand on her shoulder as she stood by Zayn’s side. It had been done just days before Zayn’s father was killed, so he had never really looked at it very intensely before. It had been Gabe who took it out from the clutter of his desk, saying Zayn should have it so he’d always remember his father. Then again, she had always known how to cheer Zayn up, no matter how he was feeling. She always had, ever since they were children.
She used to be such a fighter, she would run at Peter whenever he had trapped Zayn with everything she had. She’d had no fear, no reservations, so why had she turned into such a helpless little girl when she was fighting Tiger Lily? It made no sense to him. He looked back at the photo, squinting his eyes when he caught something. All these years he’d never really inspected it up close, but now he could see that Gabe’s eyes, which he thought had been looking forward, were actually looking at him. Then realization hit him like a cutlass to the throat.
Gabriella was in love with him.
She had been so fierce against Peter because she was protecting him, she’d been weak against Tiger Lily because she wanted them to fail and the girl to get away. She’d faked being sick, trying to win over more time with him. She had done all these little things for all these years to try and get him to see her as not a warrior, but a possible wife, and he’d been completely blind and mistaken it for weakness. The reason she never let him go to sleep upset, why she would risk his father’s wrath as children to sneak into his room and bring him sweets, she did it all because she was in love with him.
He felt his knees become weak and he leaned against the wall, thinking of how much everything he said must have hurt her. Talking about kidnapping Jodie and marrying her for years, always talking about how beautiful this new girl, Evelyn was, it must have killed her inside. And when he’d screamed at her, telling her she was worthless when all she wanted was to be with him. He felt like a monster.
He shot out of his cabin, racing up to the main deck as Xavier jogged up to him. “Sir, we lost the mermaid, she just hopped over the edge and…” But he stopped when he saw Zayn’s attention was elsewhere. The handsome young captain quickly scanned the deck until he found Ryan, quickly making his way over. When the young man saw the determined look in his captain’s eyes, he knew Zayn had finally figured it out.
“Ryan!” He barked.
“Yes sir?”
“Prepare me a lifeboat, I’m going after her.”
“The mermaid?” Xavier asked. Zayn shook his head, his normal smirk returning.
“No.” He then leaned his head back, hollering to make sure everyone would hear him. “I’m going to go find the best damn first mate Neverland had ever seen, and then I’m going to marry her!” The crew burst into cheers as he smirked, jumping into the lifeboat and nodding to his crew. “Lower me down lads!”
They happy agreed, and once Zayn hit the water he sat, grabbing the oars and rowing towards the mainland as fast as his arms would allow. And as he saw the thick forests, filled with danger and death, he just hoped he wasn’t too late.
“Captain.” Ryan said softly. Zayn’s eyes moved up to his, the rest of his body still stiff in the same position. “We should go after her. Gabe’s not a deserter, something must be wrong.” Zayn was silent for a long time before he spoke, his soft tone of voice completely foreign to Ryan.
“She’s been so different lately.”
“What do you mean sir?” Ryan pressed. Zayn looked at the wall were a painting of him, his first mate, and their fathers was nailed up. He had to stand for hours like that, and his arm had fallen asleep in just under an hour. But Gabriella had been there. She looked over when the artist had moved to their faces and quickly massaged the feeling back into it for him.
“Things were so simple when we were children.” Zayn said finally. “When she and I would kidnap Tiger Lily, Peter would come save her, and just when Peter thought he would deliver the finishing blow, she would jump him.” He smiled at the memory. “Then my father would scream at me for needing someone to save me, and when I was locked in my room, she’d sneak in with sweets and cheer me up again.” But then his smile fell. “But then Peter left and we grew up.”
“Sir, even those of us in Neverland eventually grow up.” Ryan said.
“That’s not what I mean.” Zayn said, looking back at Ryan. “Ever since she took over she just blushes all the time, she gets sick, she can’t fight, she’s always off dreaming-”
“Did you ever think to ask her what she’s dreaming about sir?” Ryan asked. Zayn’s head snapped up, his amber eyes wide as he looked at the young man before him.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I think it’s obvious to any outside observer sir, but she specifically asked me not to tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself.” Zayn cocked an eyebrow at him, so Ryan simply bowed his head. “If that’ll be all sir.”
“You’re dismissed.” Zayn said. Ryan quickly turned, making his way out of Zayn’s quarters and back up to the deck. Zayn simply leaned back in his chair, looking back to the painting. He had never noticed how brightly she used to smile, especially since she hadn’t done so since the new children arrived. He stood, walking over to it and running his fingers over her face.
She was standing in front of her father, his hand on her shoulder as she stood by Zayn’s side. It had been done just days before Zayn’s father was killed, so he had never really looked at it very intensely before. It had been Gabe who took it out from the clutter of his desk, saying Zayn should have it so he’d always remember his father. Then again, she had always known how to cheer Zayn up, no matter how he was feeling. She always had, ever since they were children.
She used to be such a fighter, she would run at Peter whenever he had trapped Zayn with everything she had. She’d had no fear, no reservations, so why had she turned into such a helpless little girl when she was fighting Tiger Lily? It made no sense to him. He looked back at the photo, squinting his eyes when he caught something. All these years he’d never really inspected it up close, but now he could see that Gabe’s eyes, which he thought had been looking forward, were actually looking at him. Then realization hit him like a cutlass to the throat.
Gabriella was in love with him.
She had been so fierce against Peter because she was protecting him, she’d been weak against Tiger Lily because she wanted them to fail and the girl to get away. She’d faked being sick, trying to win over more time with him. She had done all these little things for all these years to try and get him to see her as not a warrior, but a possible wife, and he’d been completely blind and mistaken it for weakness. The reason she never let him go to sleep upset, why she would risk his father’s wrath as children to sneak into his room and bring him sweets, she did it all because she was in love with him.
He felt his knees become weak and he leaned against the wall, thinking of how much everything he said must have hurt her. Talking about kidnapping Jodie and marrying her for years, always talking about how beautiful this new girl, Evelyn was, it must have killed her inside. And when he’d screamed at her, telling her she was worthless when all she wanted was to be with him. He felt like a monster.
He shot out of his cabin, racing up to the main deck as Xavier jogged up to him. “Sir, we lost the mermaid, she just hopped over the edge and…” But he stopped when he saw Zayn’s attention was elsewhere. The handsome young captain quickly scanned the deck until he found Ryan, quickly making his way over. When the young man saw the determined look in his captain’s eyes, he knew Zayn had finally figured it out.
“Ryan!” He barked.
“Yes sir?”
“Prepare me a lifeboat, I’m going after her.”
“The mermaid?” Xavier asked. Zayn shook his head, his normal smirk returning.
“No.” He then leaned his head back, hollering to make sure everyone would hear him. “I’m going to go find the best damn first mate Neverland had ever seen, and then I’m going to marry her!” The crew burst into cheers as he smirked, jumping into the lifeboat and nodding to his crew. “Lower me down lads!”
They happy agreed, and once Zayn hit the water he sat, grabbing the oars and rowing towards the mainland as fast as his arms would allow. And as he saw the thick forests, filled with danger and death, he just hoped he wasn’t too late.