Edited✔️✔️

I would like to shout out to fulltimeoncer because I've been struggling for a while and her comment inspired me to post this chapter. So thank you! And if you're a big fan of ouat's Peter Pan (which I'm sure most of you are :)) I would also like to recommend her books because I think they're amazing!

Chapter 13

Mia was woken up that morning with her shoulder being shaken violently by a familiar, rough hand. She groaned and swatted at the person. She was in no mood to be awake. Her muscles were still sore from sparring the night before and the last thing she wanted to do was move her aching muscles from their extremely comfortable position.

"Get up!"

Mia rolled her eyes. It was the annoying voice of none other than Captain Hook himself. She raised her head to glare at him, her anger at the one-handed pirate fueling her energy.

The cloaked man was away on another one of his 'business trips' and he had put Hook in charge of her, making sure she got up, ate, and trained. It was confusing how one moment the cloaked man would disappear without any word and then just reappear as if his absents never existed. Sometimes it took him a day or two before he returned and other times is only took him as short as thirty minutes.

After being in his strange inhabitants for a while, Mia grew a strong dislike for Rufio and Hook the more she got to know them.

Rufio always stayed silent. But it wasn't the type of pleasant or calm silence that you could relax in and just mull about life. It was the kind that sent shivers up your spine just by the empty look in his eyes, confirming that he was without a soul. Rufio was a killer, no doubt, and he was exceptionally craving the opportunity to drive his dagger through her chest cavity. His eyes always scanned her up and down as if he ways thinking of all the different ways of killing her or worse. Mia always made sure to never be left alone with him, scared of what he'd attempt to do to her if she did.

Hook on the other hand was different. He was a bastard, yeah. But he was more sarcastic and annoying than anything else—like an annoying older brother. He never scared her—even after his lame attempts at threatening her—but always found a way to get on Mia's last nerves instead of simulating fear. She was pretty sure that the fact that he didn't scare her made him try harder for her to hate him even more. To her it made no sense why someone would waste their time trying to get people to hate them. But that was his problem, she supposed.

His blue eyes stared right back at her and Mia stared right back with the same intensity. He couldn't scare her even if he tried, which he did and failed every time.

"Get up," he repeated slowly at a low tone, pausing between his words. "The master wants you fed before your next lesson which starts in less than an hour."

His silver hook glimmered in the soft candle light and Mia's eyes were instantly drawn to it.

Hook must've noticed her stare because he stood up and hid his hooked prosthetic under his coat. "Breakfast is on the table. Don't be late. You know where to find him," he drawled and walked out swiftly, slamming the door on his way out.

Mia pulled the comforter off of her and began to get ready as she was instructed, dressing in her usual blouse and black pants. When she was finished, she ran out, grabbed a piece of banana bread off the table next to the door, (her favorite), and went outside where the cloaked man stood, his back facing her and his pale hands clasped behind his back.

"I would like to show you something," the anonymous man said under the cloak, not turning in the slightest to look at her.

Mia always wondered if he ever got hot in the Neverland sun by his attire and if his cloak ever got washed. That thought made her nose crinkle in distaste. It seemed as if he never took it off even in his moments of privacy. Nobody touched the cloak and he never took it off. He seemed protective of it like some irreplaceable treasure. Mia was slowly dying on the inside to know why. Was it to hide a mutated person under it? Or was there more to it than it looked?

But she was always too fearful to ask any questions, knowing full well of the cloaked man's short temper.

"Come."

Mia realized how pitiful it was of her to follow the cloak man around at his command like some sort of puppy. But even if she tried to run, with his immense power he would capture her instantly. So far he hadn't acted like he wanted her dead, so Mia thought it was best to keep it that way.

He led her to the same clearing that he brought her to time and time again to practice her magic. She conjured up a fireball once but that was all she could muster up so far, terrified of the unending well inside of her that held all her magic. The cloaked man told her it was normal to be wary and it would take time to master even the simplest charms and be comfortable with them. Sometimes it was agitating how hard it was.

He told her time and time again that the key is having full control over her emotions and use them to energize her magic—to do what she wants them to do. But Mia didn't understand that at all. How could you control or manipulate how you feel?

The clearing still had its usual wall of trees barricading the field that no one could see nor get through without magic. All the trees were twisted and turned in weird angles to leave no gaps and Mia naturally assumed that magic was the cause of their unusual forms. With a wave of his hand, the trees moved, creaking painfully and formed a whole just big enough for a grown man to fit through.

The field was exactly how she remembered it: as large as a football field and with a couple burn marks in its bright grass where she had a couple of magic incidents. But in the center of the opening was a person who looked extremely calm despite their situation. The small built person had a sack over their head and was tethered to a wooden chair, their shoulders slumped.

Mia on instinct began to rub her wrist where white and pink scars still remained from the same type of unforgiving ropes from her identical situation not too long ago. She felt pity for the person in the chair because she knew exactly how they felt. Trapped.

"Who is that?" Mia asked, trying to decipher who it could possibly be. She knew they were small, but she couldn't tell exactly who is was. At first glance, it looked like a typical, young Lost Boy with their baggy, soiled clothes. But from the person's thrum of white magic, Mia knew otherwise.

The cloaked man flicked his wrist and the bag disappeared in a gust of black smoke, revealing the face of a familiar blonde.

"Tinkerbelle?" Mia questioned, aghast, and stepped slowly closer to the malnourished fairy whose dull eyes stared blankly through her. She was bewitched, a voice in the wind spoke in her ear, making Mia's blood boil in both shock and anger.

"We caught her the day after you arrived. She was working with Pan to sabotage our plans," the cloaked man explained and Mia felt instant guilt course through her. "So we, of course, have no choice but to kill her."

Every muscle in Mia's body froze until as stiff as rocks, knowing she had o act quick. She stared, wide eyed with horror, at the cloaked man and stood up, instantly creating an invisible barrier between him and the fairy who remained impassive. 

"You bring me here just to watch my friend be murdered?" Mia exclaimed and felt her face flush with anger. The barrier, made of wind and ice, roared between them.

"No. Sometimes people just need some motivation. And because of my generous personality, I'm giving you three options. You can either stand by and watch her die, block my magic and you both live, or try to block my magic, fail, and you both die," he said bored and crossed his arms like what he was saying was a game of life and death.

"You-you know my magic isn't strong enough to do that!" Mia protested feeling helpless, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. The barrier shuddered. "I can barely make a fire ball let alone a—" she cursed "—protective spell, you—!" she let out a slur of curses, not holding back and the barrier roared despite growing thinner and weaker each passing second.

She had never been more angry in her life. Right now she didn't care about herself, only Tink. And if that meant getting her name on the cloaked man's kill list then so be it. The horrible behavior of the man before her made her vision turn red and her stomach felt sick, like she'd throw up in the next second if she didn't do something.

"If you're so sure then move," he growled in a tone that would send chills down anyone's spine. In his hand appeared a bolt of blue lightning that sparked in his hand.

Mia knew if he sent that their way, the pitiful barrier she had created would fail, and both of them would die in seconds.

Tink would die. Someone innocent would die because of her.

Mia couldn't find it in herself to be selfish enough to move. She knew that if she moved, that she would certainly live, maybe even eventually get off the island, but Tink would still die. And she'd decided a long time ago that she'd rather die a fool than live as a coward.

So she stayed put and watched, drained of all emotion, as his lightning of darkness came straight towards her chest. Mia felt all the anger, betrayal, and hurt rush through her and the unwavering longing to get home

. She could remember the feel of Thomas's lips on her, the happiness that was ripped away when she was taken from Anna's bedroom.

Mia pictured her mom sobbing next to the front door for years, begging to God for him to bring the love of her life and father of her only child, home.

Then she saw Pan, his acts of jealousy, him laughing at her angered expressions, and their almost-kiss to him turning his back on her just a few days later.

Full of a whirlwind of all sorts of emotions, both good and bad, for her to use as she wished, Mia finally understood everything about her magic.

So in that damned field, with a bewitched fairy depending on her, and a man conjured by darkness trying to kill her, she did what she had been wanting to do for a very long time:

She let it out.

~**~**~**~**~**~

Who do you ship: MiaxPan or MiaxThomas? I asked this question before but I want to see if anyone's opinion has change. ;)

This book has officially reached 600 votes! That is absolutely insane. All I've received is positivity and encouragement from this book which, sadly, not every author gets. So I feel extremely grateful to be provided with such amazing readers that encourage me to pursue what I enjoy doing. I want to express my gratitude to every person that has taken time out of their day to read this story, add it to their reading list, or post a comment or even just click the vote button because you truly deserve that! God bless and I hope you all have an amazing new year! Xx
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