────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟖
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

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Everly avoided as many people as possible while running through Storybrooke toward her next destination. What felt like an eternity finally passed before she found herself at the mechanic's shop. After looking around to make sure she wasn't seen, the Jones girl ran around the building and towards the house at the back. Her hands continued to glow as she banged on the front door as hard as she could. It wasn't long after that when the door swung open to reveal a very confused-looking Jacob. He just stared at her before his attention fell on Everly's glowing hands.

"Looks like you could use a bit of help," the Overland boy said mockingly, only for the small smirk on his face to fade when he saw the terrified look on her face. After letting out a small sigh, Jacob stepped aside and gestured behind him. "Come on in."

Everly didn't hesitate to rush into the house before she heard the door close behind her. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she turned around to face the tall boy standing behind her. "I can't make it stop."

"You need to breathe. Just relax," Jacob told her, earning an irritated look from the girl in front of him, "you can control it. Be stronger than your fear."

Despite trying her best to calm herself down, Everly's hands started to glow even brighter. The Jones girl tried her best to think of something else, anything else other than what was happening. But it wasn't long before she realized something that terrified her. She couldn't control her fear or her new magical abilities.

"Everly, you need to think of something positive, something fun," the Overland boy continued before hesitating after realizing the one thing that could help Everly at that moment, "think of Felix."

Just hearing his name made the blonde girl feel calmer before she closed her eyes. Only a moment passed before her head was filled with all the memories she shared with Felix. It wasn't long after that when Everly felt her fear beginning to fade away until it disappeared completely. When she finally opened her eyes, the Purest Heart found her hands back to normal before she looked up at Jacob. "I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go."

"No need to apologize," the Overland boy responded as a thousand thoughts bounced around in his head, "after what happened on Neverland, I understand why you came here."

Before Everly had a chance to speak, there was a loud banging on the front door. The Jones girl's entire body tensed as she and Jacob turned their attention toward the source of the sound. It wasn't long after that when a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Jackson!" Sam shouted followed by more banging on the door, "you there?!"

"He can't know I'm here. I don't want to go back until I can control this," Everly said in a tone just above a whisper, "I don't want to hurt any of them."

Jacob hesitated for a moment while watching her with an uncertain look in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when he sent her a small nod and forced her to her feet. Confusion flowed through Everly's veins as the Overland boy escorted her into the back room. Once he knew the blonde girl would be out of sight, the former lost boy made his way toward the front door to face Sam.

"Have you seen Everly?" was the first thing the Jones boy said after Jacob opened the front door.

"Why would she be here?" the brunette boy responded while staring at Sam with false confusion in his eyes.

"She ran off and now we can't find her. I thought she might've come here to see Jackson," the blonde boy explained without even bothering to hide the concern in his voice.

"Well, she didn't," Jacob lied before letting out a long sigh after seeing the defeated look on Sam's face, "but I'll let you know if I see her."

After the Jones boy sent him a nod in response, Jacob watched him walk away before closing the door. It wasn't long after that when the Overland boy joined Everly in the backroom. The two of them sat down on the couch, leaving the Purest Heart squished between Jacob and the armrest. Silence surrounded them for a long moment before Everly realized the former Lost Boy was looking down at her with an unreadable look in his eyes. That was all it took for her to realize she wasn't going to be able to run from their upcoming conversation.

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After her encounter with the Overland brothers, Everly couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. The sudden weather changes in the presence of the two boys were strange enough. Especially since there were rarely any changes in the weather on Neverland. But what was even stranger to the Jones girl was that Jacob, one of the few boys she never got along with since arriving on Neverland, let her escape. That part made the least amount of sense. What did he have to gain from letting her go?

Everly did her best to calm her thoughts as she made her way toward the river. Just as she reached the bank, her ears picked up on shouting. The former Lost Girl instantly stopped in her tracks and listened to the noise coming from somewhere nearby. She knew enough about the Lost Boys' schedules to know it wasn't a hunting party. And it definitely wasn't Pan's voice. Against her better judgment, Everly let out a silent sigh and began quietly walking through the trees. It wasn't long after that when she spotted the Overland brothers standing in a clearing hidden by the tallest trees on Neverland.

"She's safe isn't she?!" Jackson shouted, earning a hard glare from his older brother.

"Well, now she knows I won't take her to Pan!" Jacob exclaimed, only for the younger of the two to send him a confused look, "that's not good, Jackson! What if she won't hide from me anymore?! What if she starts letting her guard down when she's out in the forest?! Our job is to make sure she survives Neverland!"

The confusion flowing through Everly's veins did nothing but grow as she continued to listen to their conversation. She took a step closer to try to hear more of their conversation, only for her hand to slip and break a branch off the tree next to her. The Jones girl cringed at the sound before looking up to find the Overland brothers staring back at her. Before she even had a chance to escape, Jackson and Jacob were on both sides of her. And thanks to the tree against her back, there was nowhere to run.

"Jones," Jacob grunted while glaring down at the girl in front of him.

"Overland," Everly responded with just as much anger in her voice.

"You need to get out of here," Jackson told her before grabbing her arm without thinking.

As soon as his skin met hers, the Jones girl's whole body felt like ice. She began to shiver uncontrollably as she slowly slid down the tree behind her. Everly sat on the floor while keeping her eyes on the Overland brothers, unable to move any part of her body.

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"What happened?" Jacob questioned after he and Everly sat around in silence for what felt like an eternity.

"I really don't want to talk about it," the Purest Heart responded before starting to get to her feet, only for the Overland boy to grab her arm and force her back on the couch.

"Well, that's too bad because we're talking about it," he told her as the Jones girl stared at him with annoyance in her eyes, "look, I know you came here for a reason. Now spit it out."

After letting out a long sigh to calm her nerves, Everly began telling Jacob everything that happened back in the forest. The Overland boy's eyes grew wider and wider with every little detail that escaped her lips. It wasn't long before the Jones girl finally finished telling him what had occurred before he stared at her with no emotion in his eyes.

"You need to learn to control this," Jacob announced, earning a slightly annoyed look from Everly before he continued speaking, "we need to start your training right away."

"We?"

"You aren't doing this without me," the Overland boy declared, causing the annoyance on the Purest Heart's face to be replaced with confusion, "I'm going to help you whether you like it or not."

Everly couldn't help but study the expression on Jacob's face while trying to hide the shock in her eyes. It was obvious that there was something he wasn't telling her. And it drove the Jones girl crazy that he was hiding something important from her. Another moment passed before Everly finally built up the courage to ask Jacob the question that was bouncing around in her head. "What aren't you telling me?"

The Overland boy hesitated, taken aback by the question that was asked. It wasn't long after that when he said four words that made Everly even more skeptical of him. "Everyone has their secrets."

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"What did you just do?!" Jacob shouted while keeping his eyes glued to the shivering girl in front of him, "I thought you had control!"

"I do!" Jackson exclaimed before his voice softened after taking in Everly's current state, "I didn't mean to. I just...I panicked."

The older Overland brother let out a long sigh before squatting down and placing his hand on the former Lost Girl's arm. It wasn't long after that when the cold began to leave Everly's body, replaced by a blanket of heat. After savoring the feeling of the cold being sucked out of her for a moment longer, the Jones girl got to her feet and looked at the two boys with a hint of fear in her eyes. "Since when did you two have magic?"

"Are you okay?" Jacob questioned, completely ignoring her question. Everly just stared at him with no emotion in her eyes before sending him a small nod in response. After scanning over her one last time, the older Overland brother turned his attention towards Jackson. "Don't even think about laying a finger on anyone again until you can figure out how to not freeze them."

The younger of the two let out a long sigh before sending his brother a nod. After looking over at Everly with regret in his eyes, Jackson turned around and ran off into the forest. As soon as the blonde boy was out of sight, Jacob moved his gaze back to the former Lost Girl, who was already looking at him with uncertainty in her eyes.

"Are you taking me back to Pan?"

"No," Jacob responded, earning a shocked look from Everly before he continued speaking, "but don't let your guard down. Just because a few of us won't take you back to Pan doesn't mean no one will."

The Jones girl instantly nodded in response before the Overland boy turned around and followed after Jackson. As soon as he was out of sight, Everly grabbed her canteen and filled it with water. The moment she saw that it was filled the Jones girl put the cap back on and quickly made her way back to the cove.

As she sat down on a rock and looked into the clear ocean water, only one thought was running through her head. The Overland brothers had magic.

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"You know my secrets. Why won't you tell me yours?" Everly questioned, only to receive an annoyed yet concerned look from the boy sitting next to her.

"First of all, my secrets are my secrets, not yours," Jacob responded in a tone that made the Jones girl flinch, causing him to let out a long sigh to calm his emotions before he continued speaking, "and also because my secrets could put you in danger. And if Jackson and I mess up before you're trained, then the mission will be a failure."

"Training me? Mission? What are you talking about?" the Purest Heart asked, only to receive a blank stare from the Overland boy in response. Everly just glared at him for a moment before letting out an irritated sigh. "Fine. If you won't tell me then where's Jackson?"

Jacob hesitated for a moment as a flash of concern went through his eyes. However, before the Jones girl could question it, the look vanished. It wasn't long after that when the brunette boy finally broke the silence that was beginning to surround them. "I don't know. I haven't seen him in a few days."

"And that doesn't worry you?"

"He can take care of himself," Jacob told her, earning an unconvinced look from Everly in response before he let out a long sigh, "fine. If you aren't gonna trust me then I'll tell you a bit about mine and Jackson's history."

It wasn't long after he finished speaking when the two of them fell into silence once again. Everly did her best to squirm on the couch due to the tension that was building up around them. At the same moment, Jacob was just staring at the carpet, trying to figure out how to start his explanation. What felt like an eternity passed before the Overland boy let out another long sigh and opened his mouth to speak.

"Jackson and I weren't cursed like we told you on Neverland. We were given these abilities because of the decisions we made. Jackson and Jacob aren't even our real names. Well, they're the names we were born with so we prefer them but most people know us by the names that were given to us after we got our powers. Jack and Jake Frost. Jackson, Elsa, Anna, and I were ice skating on the frozen lake. The ice began to crack underneath Anna's feet but Jackson pushed her out of the way and fell in instead. I dove in after him and was able to reach him before everything grew dark around us. When we came around, we were in a cottage surrounded by a group of people who call themselves the Guardians. They're chosen and led by a man who saved them. He only chooses those who deserve it."

Silence surrounded them once again as Everly took in every detail of Jacob's story. It wasn't long after that when she looked back up at him and asked the question that had been bothering her since their conversation started. "Who told you to help me?"

"The Sorcerer."

Everly just sat there for a long moment, trying to process everything that Jacob just told her. She didn't understand why the Sorcerer, who was the most powerful being, assigned her two Guardians. She couldn't find it within herself to believe she was that important. The only significant thing that the Jones girl has done since gaining her powers was when she helped Pan, and that was a great mistake. How could she possibly be of any importance to the Sorcerer?

It wasn't long before she was snapped out of her daze by Jacob snapping his fingers in front of her face. As soon as her full attention was on him, the Overland boy motioned for Everly to follow, which she did without hesitation. The two of them walked through the small house and out the back door. Their pace didn't slow until they reached a small clearing in the forest just behind the mechanic's shop. The first thing Everly noticed was a few targets set up around the clearing. Once she realized what was about to happen, the Jones girl looked over at Jacob.

The Overland boy didn't say a word as he created a ball of ice in his hand before hurling it straight at the target. Everly watched with wide eyes as it soared through the air until it hit the wooden circle. Both of them kept their eyes glued to the target as it was slowly encased in ice. It wasn't long after that when Jacob turned his attention to the girl standing next to him. "Your turn. Try creating a ball just like I did."

After letting out a long sigh, Everly held her hand out in front of her and concentrated on what she wanted her magic to do. It wasn't long before a small ball of golden light formed in her hand. The Jones girl did her best to keep her excitement at bay as she focused on the light until it was the size she wanted. Not a second passed after the ball of light was right when Everly sent it toward one of the targets. However, instead of hitting her mark, the light curved and hit the target that Jacob froze. They watched as the light swirled around before it vanished completely, leaving removing all of the ice from the target.

Silence surrounded them for a long moment before Jacob looked over at Everly. "I guess what the Sorcerer said was right. Your magic can't destroy, only heal and fight against dark magic."

"So kinda like Emma's magic?"

"Somewhat except you can only use it against those who have darkness in their hearts," the Overland boy responded before the smile on his face was replaced by a serious look, "but most importantly, you can never use your magic to kill any living soul. It doesn't matter how much darkness runs through their heart."

Everly couldn't help but just stare at the boy in front of her, completely taken aback by the urgency in his voice. "Not that I want to but what would happen if I...killed someone without magic?"

"If that happens, you will no longer be the Purest Heart. Your magic will instantly turn against you, making you darker than the Dark One. The only way to turn you back is true love's kiss."

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