Journey of a Lifetime

Chapter 2
Present:
It seemed as though that was a life time ago. Now, here we were back in Neverland. Since we’d left I’d aged 2 years. Now I was eighteen. It looked the same as when I’d left but it felt different. I seated myself on the crate, fiddling with the necklace that my uncle had given me so long ago. In that moment, I missed him more than usual.

“Are you alright, Lucy,” Mary Margaret asked, taking a seat beside me. I simply nodded, still engrossed in my thoughts. “You seem to be deep in thought. If you need to talk to someone, I’m always here.” I smiled a little. She was very motherly, unlike my own.

“You wouldn’t understand.” I replied quietly.

“I don’t know, I might.” She took a hold of my hand, waiting for my reply. If anyone on this ship would listen and not judge me, it would be her.

“This feels wrong.” I said.

“In what way?” I glance up to see my father talking to David before he disappeared below deck with Emma. No doubt he told David to make sure I didn’t jump ship.

“There’s just something about Peter that you all don’t understand.” I started. Mary Margaret remained quiet. She probably hadn’t been expecting that. “He didn’t used to be like this. Granted, when I first met him, he wasn’t completely innocent. He had just lost Wendy, but he still had this… glimmer of hope. Everything was a game, but simply for fun… not for gain.”

Mary Margaret was about to reply but the ship jerked hard. I jumped up and ran to the railing. Mary joined David at the helm. I stared out into the water but couldn’t see anything. I trailed behind Regina up the stairs. A storm wouldn’t cause that kind of thud noise.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Regina yelled.

“Trying to keep it steady.” Mary Margaret shouted back.

“Hold on.” David said.

“Prepare for attack.” Father ordered, moving to take the wheel of the ship. I gripped Regina’s arm to keep from falling over.

“Be more specific.” Regina said. I knew of only one thing that could cause this.

“If you’ve got a weapon, grab it.” Father clarified. These creatures were hard to kill. They were fast. I could hear their screeches above the roar of the waves.

“What’s out there? A shark? A whale?” Emma asked.

“A Kraken?” David added. I rolled my eyes at his assumption. There were no Krakens in Neverland. Besides, we’d already be dead if it were one. I wish it were a shark or whale. It’s much easier to kill one.

“Much worse,” My father replied. Looking over the railing, I could see them swimming under the water. I absolutely hated them.

“Mermaids.” I said in unison with father. There was only one person I knew that could command the mermaids. As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think they are here for Emma.

“Mermaids?” Emma yelled. She still didn’t believe, though she was here among us. She’d never beat Peter with that kind of mindset.

“Yes, and they are quite unpleasant.” Father said. “I’ll try and outrun them.”

“How many of them are there?” Emma asked. Outrunning them would be a near impossible feat. I could throw myself over. Maybe they’d leave. Peter didn’t send them to kill. The only way we got into Neverland is because he wanted us here.

“I will not be capsized by mermaids.” David grabbed the canon. Did he really believe he could fight them off? Emma and Mary Margaret threw a net into the sea. This was turning from bad to worse.

“We caught one!” Mary Margaret shouted.

“One? There are dozens of them,” Regina replied. “Enough of this.” She created a fire ball and threw them out at the mermaids, sending them all away. I sighed. They were gone. “There. They’re gone.”

“Not all of them.” Mary Margaret and Emma were still struggling with the one in the net. Regina used her magic again to transport the mermaid on deck. The mermaid flopped a bit.

“Get that thing off my ship.” Father demanded. He was right. She was trouble.

“No. Now we have a hostage.” Regina said.

“I hate to say it but I’m with Hook. Those things just tried to kill us.” David descended the stairs to stand beside me. I kept my eyes on fixed on the mermaid.

“And perhaps we should find out why.” Regina countered.

“How? By torturing her?” Mary Margaret asked.

“If need be, sure.”

“No!” I yelled, trying to stop the mermaid. I was too late. She grabbed the conch and blew into it. I covered my ears at the blast.

“What the hell was that?” Emma asked.

“A warning. Let me go, or die.” The mermaid said. I stood immobilized. It didn’t matter if we let her go. This was not good.

“What is this?” David asked, picking up the conch. “What did you do?”

“Let me go.” The mermaid asked sweetly.

“Not until you tell us.” Regina demanded. “Or we make you tell us.”

“Do you know what this is?” David turned his attention to me as Mary Margaret and Regina started to argue.

“I don’t know. I’ve only ever heard stories.” I replied. David put his hand on my shoulder, very fatherly like.

“Lucy, Hook told me about Pan.-”

“Told what? There’s nothing to tell.” I snapped. David gave me a stern look, as one would do with a disobedient child. I averted my eyes. I shouldn’t feel like I was in trouble, this man was neither a friend nor family.

“What do you know?” He asked again.

“It brings death. No one has ever survived to tell the tale.” I replied. Peter had told that once, when he took me to the lagoon.

“Or maybe she and her friends will come right back to kill us.” Regina said. David took my explanation without any further questions. I still felt as though I was in trouble. I could feel my father watching me.

“I don’t need my friends to kill you. You’ll kill yourselves. Now let me go.” The mermaid replied. A crack of lightening burst.

“It’s a storm. She called it.” Father said. The mermaid had done it, but only because she was backed into a corner. “Don’t let her go. She’ll swim off and leave us all to die. At least with her we’ve got leverage.”

I tried to stay out of the argument of whether or not we should kill her. Either way, this storm was coming. The mermaid smiled at me. In her eyes, I could read that Peter had planned this. Nothing ever happened in Neverland without him knowing about it.

“He’s waiting.” The mermaid said. Regina turned her to stone. A heavy weight sat in my heart. I had to face him sometime.

“What did she mean?” Regina turned her anger to me. There was no time for an answer.

“Regina! What did you do?” Emma yelled. I looked past Regina. A massive wave headed straight for us. Everyone grabbed onto ropes, bracing themselves for the hit. The wave crashed down on us. I couldn’t keep hold and was swept off the ship. I could breathe. As I lost consciousness, I barely felt something tugging me. I blacked out soon after.