❝And all that matters now is where I go from here. But I know I'll find a way if I live for today.❞

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

CHAPTER NINE:

GONE

                                     The window was open. Approaching from the starry sky, he could catch a glimpse of the curtains as they swayed to the rhythm of the cold breeze of the night. At the unexpected sight, Peter frowned in thought. Ever since the royal couple had learnt of his existence, they had done everything in their hands to keep the boy away from Emery. Every night, they would step into her room to check the lock on the window before disappearing into theirs. And although it had never been an issue to Peter Pan — for he would simply wake his dear friend from her slumber so she could let him in —, he suddenly became wary and stopped right beside it to peer inside her room.

What the bloody hell?

The place, once neatly organised, was unrecognizable. Bed sheets were scattered in a mess along the carpeted floor, and the pillows had been scratched to the point they spilled out feathers. Those pompous dresses Emery hated so much had been teared apart, and the round mirror which TInk used to help her braid her hair had been smashed, leaving a trail of blood smeared on the wall.

"Come out, Peter Pan," a feminine voice he loathed — and would always do — spoke from the cracked door.

Snow White stood there with a serious look in her eyes, staring straight at the open window. Albeit startled for having been spotted, Peter clenched his fists by his sides and narrowed his green gaze upon the Queen of the Enchanted Forest. However, the woman surprised him by giving a quick glance around the chaos, and he soon realized he had not been caught. To her, Peter Pan was the reason behind their turmoil — she expected him to be there.

As annoyance coursed through his veins, the boy remained hidden at the other side of the window and observed the situation unfold. He didn't know what to expect from her, but he would welcome any bit of information regarding the disappearance of Emery. Because he hadn't seen her anywhere, and by the looks of it, she had fled — she was on the run.

"Snow!" The characteristic voice of Prince Charming rang from the hallway, before the man himself appeared by the door with a small army of soldiers. "You shouldn't be here; she could still be lurking around."

The frown that formed on her face was as noticeable as the disappointment in her voice. "Lurking? You talk about her as if she is some kind of evil creature. She is a child, for God's sake!"

Charming matched her indignation with some of his anger.

"A child who goes making deals with Rumpelstiltskin himself and destroying everything in her way without a second thought," he retorted. "We found two dead guards in the dungeons, but the Dark One refuses to talk."

A sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head in exasperation. The weight of the world seemed to fall upon her shoulders as her body slouched and she leaned into her husband.

"Do you think she heard us talking about her? Were we wrong to think that way?" the woman wondered aloud, eliciting a huff from the man.

"Look around you, Snow." He waved a hand around. "This only proves just how right we were—"

"—or just how scared she was."

His features furrowed, and he ran a hand through his dishevelled hair before placing it on her back to lead her away from the ruined room. "You must be exhausted. Let's call it a night."

Peter Pan waited for them to disappear in the darkness of the corridor before he landed on the marbled floor. One of his feet stepped over a sharp piece of glass and he cursed his lack of care before deciding to float over the mess as to avoid hurting himself anymore. He knew, once he got back to Neverland, he would need to bandage his bruised foot — the last thing he needed was an infection slowing him down, not when she was so lost in a world that seemed to deny her right to be free.

A deal with Rumpelstinskin, however, was something he had never expected from her. His hair stood on end at the mere thought of such creature sharing the same air as hers, and he bit the inside of his cheek to stop a trail of curses from leaving his mouth. Many questions roamed his mind — why had she gone to him, what for? —, yet there was nothing in that destroyed place that would answer them; he had to find her, he had to bring her home.

Back to Neverland.

His questions could wait — she couldn't.

As he crossed the room, glancing at everything that caught his sight, his mind would not stop harassing him with troubled thoughts. His eyebrows furrowed and relaxed, only to furrow again.

Has the betrayal affected her this much?

While he could partly understand Emery's suffering, he could not help but feel anxious about the whole situation. Deep down, as he stared with cautious eyes at his surroundings, Peter Pan found himself frightened at the thought of his good friend going down a path with no return. His stomach lurched as he analysed the emotions floating the place; it reeked of desolation and rage — of an uncontrollable, dangerous wrath.

It was madness.

A gust of wind alerted him of its presence.

"What is it?" he asked, annoyed by its appearance.

Shadow hoovered above the disaster, observing it in feigned interest, before approaching the boy.

"The fairy is up to something," it hissed in its usual raspy, hissed voice.

"How can you tell? She can't leave without my permission," Peter retorted, not paying too much attention to the dark being — he had more important things to do than discussing the behaviour of a fairy.

"She's visiting the mermaids," it spat the name as if the mere thought of them disgusted it.

At that, Peter arched a brow. The mermaids and Emery had always been very close — those bloody creatures truly adored her —, so when the fairy had whisked the girl away from Neverland, they had but taken the news lightly. Everything had changed then; they had become more aggressive and wild, especially towards the children visiting the island. Their relationship with Tinkerbell had been the first thing to break, and the fairy had avoided crossing paths with them ever since.

"Does she have a death wish?"

"She might," Shadow replied, "or she might not."

Peter frowned at its vague words. "What do you mean?"

"I have reasons to believe she's plotting something against you," it confessed with a sickening grin, but the boy wasn't fazed.

"Is that so?" he drawled, his voice tainted in boredom once again. "Well, if that's the case, I really cannot understand how getting killed by the mermaids is going to help her." Upon receiving no response, he turned towards Shadow and asked, "Is there something else you want to share with me? As I've said before, I do not have time to waste."

It merely regarded him, eventually leading Peter to huff in annoyance and take off towards the forest that surrounded the castle.

--

Neverland was quiet. With no children running and playing around, the island had fallen into a heavy, expectant silence. Tinkerbell walked down the non-existent path surrounded by overgrowth brambles, using her sharp sword to break her way through. Her small feet made no sound as they stepped on the dirt and leaves that decorated the ground, yet she knew that would not be enough to hide her presence from the mermaids. They were cunning creatures, equipped with sharp senses since the very beginning of their existence. It was a selfish thought to believe oneself skilled enough as to step into their territory and get away without a single scratch.

Ever since Emery had been whisked away, the fairy had done her very best to stay away from their reach. She, more than any other living being in Neverland, was aware of the risks of barging into their realm. After all, they were dying to get a hold on her.

Yet there she was, with no options left and forced to contact them. As the soft sound of the waterfall reached her ears, Tinkerbell could only hope she would be able to compel them.

Upon entering the glade, she took a deep breath and approached the small lake with hesitant footsteps. The big puddle led to a waterfall, which end mingled with the wild seas that surrounded the island. A large cave stood over the dark water, a forbidden place for those who were not capable to breathe under its pressure.

A giggle broke her composure and put her hair on end. She stopped death in her tracks, her green eyes already fixed on the blonde head that was slowly coming out of the water. A pair of striking blue eyes locked on her, before the mermaid stepped into the light. She tilted her head in a playful way, and then swam towards where the fairy stood.

"What a marvellous surprise, Belly," she mocked, her lips stretched into a sickly-sweet smile. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Tinkerbell pursed her lips upon hearing the nickname, but decided against giving the mermaid another reason to attack her. She watched her closely as the beautiful, yet dangerous creature placed both arms on the grass and splashed the water with her yellowish tail.

"I —"

"Why don't you come closer?" she interrupted with a pout. "I can't hear you from all the way over there."

The fairy stiffened, and she ignored every fibre in her bones that told her not to do it as she took some steps towards the lake. Another head broke out of the water, a dark-blue one this time. Her gaze was grey, the coldest colour Tink had ever laid eyes upon.

"You are lucky, fairy," the new mermaid spoke in a monotonous voice, giving away nothing.

"Aeryn," Tinkerbell acknowledged, now much more alert than before. If there was one mermaid she had to be more cautious about, that would be the blue-haired one.

"I'm surprised you remember her name, Belly," the blonde commented. "I'm also hurt you don't remember mine."

"I do, too, Bryony."

The mermaid laughed in delight, although her merriment didn't last long.

"Stop playing around," Aeryn hissed with a warning look, then turned towards the fairy and stepped out of the water. Her platinum tail swayed dangerously close to her body as the mermaid sat down on one of the huge rocks that surrounded part of the lake. "I would snap your head with my teeth, but I can't help but find your lack of common sense intriguing."

"You're so savage, Ryn," Bryony mused with a secret smile as she combed her long hair. "It would be much more fun to drown her. I would definitely get into so much trouble," she sang the three last words and giggled.

Aeryn regarded her comrade for some seconds while Tinkerbell gripped her sword. "I do not care about consequences."

"Hmm... I know you usually don't," Bryony drawled, placing a slender finger under her chin. "But I also know not to mess with Caden."

At the mention of the male mermaid, the fairy stilled and her breath hitched in her throat. Caden was something akin to a king to the mermaids, a leader to whom they looked up. He had also been the closest to Emery, so the departure of the latter had taken a heavy toll on him. A shiver crawled up her spine as the remembrance of his broken expression came back alive inside her mind.

Aeryn seemed to agree with the blonde, for she huffed in defeat and said no more.

"Caden is not here right now, so consider yourself lucky," Bryony added as she regarded the fairy, before her gaze drifted towards her friend. "About that, do you know where he is by any chance?"

"Do I ever?" The older mermaid lay down on the rock and locked her intimidating eyes on Tinkerbell. "Don't tell me you are here because you've decided you were wrong and want to apologize. I might not be able to control myself, and as Bryony has mentioned, it wouldn't be wise to kill you."

Said mermaid nodded fervently. "Caden would have her head on a spike. But, oh, do not think Caden wants you alive."

"He wants to slay you himself," Aeryn explained.

Tinkerbell managed to remain unfazed on the outside, even though her insides were churning in anxiety. She could feel her hands sweating, her heart racing as fear coursed through her body.

"I understand his pain, but killing me will not help Emery," she spoke in a firm voice, yet her determination threatened to break when Aeryn slid off the rock and swiftly jumped on her face.

"Do not dare to try showing empathy towards him, fairy," she hissed in disdain, her teeth no longer ordinary but sharp fangs. "You can't."

"So cool," Bryony cooed.

The other mermaid rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Aeryn, there's really no time for this," urged Tinkerbell. "Emery might be in danger."

The reaction was immediate. Both mermaids stopped dead in their tracks and turned towards her, their eyes wide and expectant.

"What do yo—"

"Ladies, why don't you go somewhere while I have a chat with the fairy here?" someone interjected.

His voice was as light and vivacious as it used to be, and it held the same playfulness too. However, something in it paralyzed Tinkerbell from head to toe; it made the temperature drop, silenced the waterfall and stopped the wind.

Neither of them muttered a word as the two mermaids jumped back into the lake, not even sparing Tinkerbell once last glance. Soon, it was just the two of them, regarding one another with cautious eyes.

Finally, his lips curled into a sardonic smile.

"It surely has been a while, Tink," the merman remarked.

And as his yellow gaze surveyed her, the fairy could only utter, "Hello, Caden."