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────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐄'𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓

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Everly just stood in front of the open door for another long moment before reality hit her. Not even a second after that passed when she walked out the door and watched as Sam entered Pierce's room. The Kai boy stood in the hall, still confused by everything that happened. It wasn't long before he noticed Everly staring at him before he sent her a sympathetic look. The two of them just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the sea prince followed Sam inside.

The Jones girl stood there, unsure what to do at first. Her whole world seemed to be crashing down around her and she was helpless to stop it. A shaky breath passed over Everly's lips as she returned to her room and closed the door behind her. Thousands of thoughts bounced around in her head as she made her way across the room and out onto the fire escape. Her eyes were locked on the clouds above her, hoping they would remind her of a happier memory. One where everyone she loved was still with her and nothing could hurt them. But she couldn't find a single one. Because whenever they were all together, they were in danger. And whenever there was peace, not everyone was there.

Everly's eyes studied the clouds in the sky for another moment before they closed. She leaned her head back against the wall behind her and let her fingers trace over her bracelets. The Jones girl did her best to calm her emotions as she let her thoughts go to the one person who truly brought her peace. Felix.

"Hey, Lost Girl!"

Everly jumped at the sound of the new voice before her eyes flashed open. Confusion flowed through her veins as she looked down at the sidewalk below, only to find Will looking back at her with a childish grin on his lips. The Jones girl couldn't help but match his smile before opening her mouth to speak. "What do you want, Knave?"

"I'm going for a walk in the woods," the Scarlet man told her before holding up the two cups in his hands, "care to join me?"

The smile on Everly's face did nothing but grow as she climbed down the ladder. As soon as she landed on the sidewalk next to him, the two of them began their walk around Storybrooke. It wasn't long before they found themselves walking down a trail in the forest. Their voices never seemed to stop as Everly tried not to trip over numerous rocks in their path. Will couldn't help but laugh at her actions before gently nudging her in an attempt to get her to fall.

After playfully shoving the Knave, the two of them continued to walk side-by-side down the trail. It wasn't long before the Jones girl found the courage to ask the question that was bouncing around in her head. "How are things going with you and Belle?"

The smile on Will's face faltered before he let out a long sigh. "I don't know anymore. Rumpelstiltskin visited her a few days ago. Now she seems kind of distant. Now my mind's back to...never mind."

Curiosity flowed through Everly's veins as she looked at the Scarlet man. "Back to what?"

"Did you not hear me say never mind?" Will snapped without even looking over at the girl standing next to him.

The Jones girl's mouth snapped shut after hearing the tone of his voice. They continued down the path in silence, one that neither wanted to break. What felt like an eternity passed when Everly noticed a piece of paper fall out of Will's jacket. The Purest Heart didn't hesitate to pick it up before noticing the name Anastasia written in the corner. Everly just stared at it for a moment before looking at the Knave of Hearts. "Hey, Will. You dropped this."

The Scarlet man turned around to look at her before his eyes landed on the paper in her hand. Before another thought could pass through Everly's head, Wil snatched the paper out of her hand and shoved it back into his pocket. "Thanks."

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The Saved Boys and Everly didn't hesitate to sprint in the direction of Pan's camp. Shock coursed through their veins once as soon as they arrived. Everything was up in flames and the coughing Lost Boys were running away from the burning camp. The Jones girl's eyes scanned the scene happening in front of her, unsure of what to make of it at first. It wasn't long before she snapped out of her thoughts and turned her attention toward her friends. She soon sent the boys to help in any way they could, even if it was something as small as sharing the water in their canteens.

It wasn't long after that when Everly spotted two familiar boys slowly limping their way out of camp. Two boys who showed her nothing but pain and misery, but she wouldn't show them the same. The Jones girl didn't hesitate to rush toward them with Sam beside her as she called out their names. "Connor! Tony!"

As soon as they reached them, Everly and Sam helped them get a safe distance away. Their coughing continued to cut through the air as Connor and Tony sat down on a log near where the other Lost Boys were. They let another moment pass between them before Sam broke the silence surrounding them. "What happened?"

Connor let out another cough and took in a shaky breath before looking up at them. "It was Harry. He was saying something about how Toby's death won't be in vain."

Everly's eyes instantly widened as shock coursed through her veins. She was trapped in her own head before she was brought out by the sound of more Lost Boys escaping their camp. It wasn't long after that when they noticed Devon slowly approaching them. As soon as he was close enough to them, he opened his mouth to speak. "We can't find Pan anywhere."

"He probably used his magic to escape," Tony responded after having his coughing fit. Once he was able to take in a steady breath, he looked back over at Devon. "Is everyone else out?"

"Not quite," the redheaded boy responded with a hint of panic in his voice, drawing Everly's attention toward him before he continued speaking, "Felix is missing."

A cry got caught in the Jones girl's throat as she looked toward the fire. Because her eyes were glued to the flames, she failed to notice Sam move closer to her until he began speaking. "Don't even think about it."

Everly found herself looking over at the blonde boy while trying to hold back her tears. A million thoughts swam through her head before she finally responded. "Too late."

Before the Wilbert boy had a chance to respond, Everly got to her feet and sprinted into the burning camp. The Jones girl could barely see through the flames as she went through the burning camp. Panic coursed through her veins as the heat continued to grow around her. Everly's eyes could barely see through the smoke in search of the Lost Boy.

"Felix!" the former Lost Girl called out as best as she could while trying not to take in too much smoke, "Felix!"

It wasn't long after that when her ears picked up the faint sound of coughing. Everly instantly turned in the direction of the noise to find Felix pinned down under a fallen tree branch. Relief mixed with the panic within her as she made her way over to him while avoiding the growing flames. She soon found herself kneeling next to him before trying to push the branch off his legs.

"Sunshine?" the Thorne boy questioned after his mind registered the girl next to him, "you have to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you," Everly responded while keeping her eyes glued to the branch. What felt like an eternity passed before she finally managed to get it off him. A shaky breath passed over her lips as the Jones girl looked up to meet his gaze. "Can you stand?"

Felix stared at her for a moment before trying to get to his feet, only to fall back down and let out a painful hiss. Everly's eyes stayed glued to him as she tried to think of a way out of their current situation. It wasn't long before fire grew even larger and began to surround the border of the camp. That left them with no way for them to get out except for an opening at the other side of the camp. A sigh soon passed over Everly's lips as she helped Felix to his feet and slung his arm over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" The Thorne boy questioned while looking down at Everly.

A determined look appeared on her face as she continued to stare at their only chance at survival. "Getting us out of here."

Before Felix had a chance to respond, Everly began walking toward the opening, forcing the Lost Boy along with her. They half walked, half stumbled out of the burning camp while making sure not to let go of each other. Right as they made it out, there was another explosion that sent them flying forward. The two of them soared through the air before landing on the ground with a loud thud. Everly's head pounded as she stared at the trees before everything went dark.

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Everly and Will continued with their walk as though nothing had happened. The Knave was silent as he stared down at the path, his thoughts preoccupied with his past. While the Scarlet man was trapped in his own head, Everly kept her eyes glued to him. Despite how much she tried to move on, she couldn't stop thinking about the paper in his pocket. The Jones girl secretly wished she had unfolded it before giving it back to him, but she knew that wasn't right. It wasn't her business to know unless he wanted to tell her. And she kept telling herself that until her curiosity finally got the better of her.

A long sigh passed over the Purest Heart's lips before she finally broke the silence by asking the question that was bouncing around in her head. "Who's Anastasia?"

Will instantly stopped in his tracks as his head snapped up without looking Everly's way. His actions caused the Jones girl to stop a few feet behind him. The two of them just stood there for a moment before Everly found the courage to speak once again. "The paper. It had the name Anastasia on it. Who is she?"

The Knave continued to stare at the trees in the distance as if he was debating on whether or not to answer her question. What felt like an eternity passed before he let out a long sigh and finally turned around to face Everly. "Anastasia is known as the Red Queen in Wonderland. She and I were in love once. A very long time ago. She left me for royalty."

Everly's throat ran dry after listening to the Knave's story. She didn't know what to say at first, knowing her words would mean nothing. But soon she found herself saying the words everyone told her after losing Felix. Words that held very little meaning. "I'm sorry, Will."

"Everyone always is. Funny thing is, I don't feel a thing," Will replied before he continued walking down the forest path with Everly right by his side.

When he looked over at the girl beside him, he found her staring up at him with a hint of confusion in her eyes. The Knave couldn't help the small smile forming on his lips as he thought back to someone he knew a very long time ago. Someone who Everly always reminded him of. But the small wave of happiness vanished as quickly as it came when he remembered what happened between him and Indigo. It wasn't long after that when he quickly shook off his thoughts and continued speaking.

"After Ana left me, I had a run-in with the Queen of Hearts. She saw I was broken and offered to take those feelings away by taking my heart. I repaid her by working for her, which is how I became the Knave of Hearts."

"So the Queen of Hearts has your heart?" Everly questioned without even attempting to hide the shock in her voice.

"Not anymore," Will told her while thinking back to one of his last adventures in Wonderland, "Alice and...a few other friends helped me get it back."

The Jones girl stopped in her tracks after hearing the name the Knave spoke. She had always loved the story of Alice in Wonderland but she never thought Will actually knew her. Confusion flowed through the Scarlet man's veins as he stopped and turned around to face her. The smile returned to his lips when he saw the surprised look on her face. "If I knew that story would shut you up I would have told it sooner."

"Hey!" Everly shouted, causing a laugh to escape the Knave before he continued walking down the path. It didn't take long for the Purest Heart to catch up to him before she continued speaking. "At least now I know why you understood how I felt when I lost Felix."

"You still need to tell me some stories between you two," Will told her, completely unaware of the Jones girl's smile faltering before she quickly regained her composure.

"I saved him from a fire once."

"Yeah right."

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