────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑

────── ★★★ ──────

"Everly."

The voice was slowly helping Everly come around from her forced slumber, but it wasn't enough to bring her to open her eyes just yet.

"Everly."

The voice seemed to be getting closer, desperately wanting the Jones girl to wake up. It sounded familiar, making Everly want to open her eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Everly!"

The third time was enough to make Everly's eyes flash open. She sat up as quickly as possible and let out a silent gasp. Her eyes scanned the room around her, only to find it completely empty. An eerie feeling washed over her as her attention fell on a very concerned-looking Henry. The two of them just stared at each other, neither wanting to break the silence surrounding them. Because they both knew if they did then the world around them would become their reality.

But the silence soon became too much for Everly to bear and she forced herself to break it. "Where is everyone?"

The Jones girl watched as her nephew swallowed the lump in his throat before responding with three simple words. "I don't know."

Not even a second after that passed when Henry helped her to her feet before they sprinted out of the loft. Storybrooke was normally a quiet town when they weren't under attack, but this time it was too quiet. Cars were stopped in the middle of the streets with their engines still running. Shop doors were wide open but there wasn't anyone inside. It felt like a ghost town.

"Hello!" Henry yelled, hoping that they would get a response from anyone left in Storybrooke.

When they were greeted by silence, Everly found herself looking over at her nephew with a hint of fear in her eyes. "I don't think anyone's here, Hen."

The two of them just stared at each other for a moment longer before they continued walking through the uninhabited town. Even though Everly knew it was useless, the Mills boy continued calling out for anyone left behind. Despite Henry's hope that someone would respond to him, the Jones girl knew the truth. Rumplestiltskin and the Author were successful. They were able to rewrite their stories. And now she and Henry were alone in Storybrooke.

The Purest Heart followed her nephew down a few more streets, allowing him to continue his search. It wasn't long before they arrived at the Pawn Shop and forced themselves to enter. They were immediately greeted by a scratching sound that drove Everly crazy. She stood by the door as she watched Henry walk over to the record player and lift the needle before turning it off.

After searching the streets and finding no one, Henry and I enter Rumpelstiltskin's shop and immediately hear the sound of a record player scratching a disc. I stand by the door as Henry walks over, lifts the needle, and turns it off. The Mills boy just stared at the record player for what felt like an eternity before turning around to face his aunt. "We need to find help."

"Where? We're the only ones left in town," Everly responded while trying her best to hide the fear in her voice.

An unreadable expression formed on the Mills boy's face as he tightened his grip around the key in his hand. "Then I guess we have to look outside of town."

Before the Jones girl could say another word, Henry sprinted past her. Confusion flowed through Everly's veins as she turned to face him, only to find her nephew running toward one of the cars in the street. She didn't hesitate to race toward him after watching him open the driver's side door. When she was close enough to Henry, she pulled him away from the car and slammed the door closed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Everly questioned with a hint of irritation in her voice, only to be greeted by a sad look from the boy in front of her. The Jones girl couldn't help but let out a long sigh before she continued speaking. "Look, Hen. I know we need to find someone to help us. But you're thirteen. You're not driving us anywhere."

"Oh, and you are?"

A small smile soon appeared on Everly's lips as she pulled out her phone and took the case off. Henry watched with confusion in his eyes, only for that to fade after watching her take out a small card. "I did get my license when we were in New York."

Before he could argue any further, the Jones girl got into the driver's seat. She couldn't fight back the laugh when she saw the irritated look on Henry's face as he walked around the car to get into the passenger's seat. Once he closed his door and finished putting his seatbelt on, Everly started the car and began their journey outside of Storybrooke.

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly continued to stare at the very angry-looking Harry, who glared down at her with fire in his eyes. She was unsure of what to say to de-escalate the situation, but she knew she needed to get out of there sooner rather than later.

"It's still not that simple, Harry," the Jones girl explained, causing the Bensen boy to open his mouth to argue. However, Everly continued speaking before he even had a chance to get a word out of his mouth. "I'm on your side in terms of rebelling against Pan. But trying to harm Lost Boys isn't the answer."

"I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I just wanted to scare them," Harry explained while keeping his eyes locked with the blonde girl's, "and I succeeded. No one died."

"But someone could have," the former Lost Girl retaliated, earning an annoyed scoff from the boy standing in front of her, "I'm not going to help you if you keep setting fire to Pan's camp and putting innocent lives in danger."

The anger in Harry's eyes did nothing but grow as he stepped closer to Everly, making her take a step back. He just stared down at her for what felt like an eternity before opening his mouth to speak. "Maybe I'll set fire to your camp next."

"Like you know where it is," the Jones girl responded while trying her best to hide the fear flowing through her veins.

"I have all the time in the world to find out."

Before Everly could say another word, Harry sprinted into the forest. As she watched him run away from her, the only thing the Jones girl could think about was how another reckless boy was roaming Neverland. And that wasn't good for anyone.

────── ★★★ ──────

After driving for what felt like an eternity, Everly pulled the car into the parking lot of the first diner we saw. Neither of them said a word as they got out of the car and walked inside the small building. A strange feeling washed over the Jones girl as they made their way over to the woman staring at them from behind the counter, but she chose to ignore it. They needed to find help and they needed to sooner rather than later.

"Are you even old enough to drive?" the woman asked as they approached the counter.

"Yeah, are you? We need some help," Henry responded, earning a small smile before the Mills boy placed some pictures of their family on the counter, "have you seen any of these people?"

"Hm...no," the redheaded woman told them after looking at the pictures before her attention returned to them, "no, I haven't."

"It's our family. Are you sure?" the Truest Believer questioned without even attempting to hide the desperation in his voice.

The diner employee's eyes studied Everly and Henry for a moment, her eyes holding something behind them that the Jones girl didn't like. It wasn't long after that when she let out a long sigh. "Look, why don't you guys wait here and I can, um...I-I'll ask some of the others."

Henry sent her a small nod before looking back down at the pictures on the counter. Everly kept her eyes glued to the woman as she walked away, only to watch her pull out her phone. Despite the distance she put between herself and the teens, the Jones girl heard her voice as clear as day. "Yeah, I've got two kids here. Yeah, I-I think they're runaways."

The Purest Heart waited for her to walk further into the diner before looking over at Henry, only to find Henry already staring back at her. Not even a second after that passed when they quickly gathered the pictures and made their way to the exit. Everly was halfway out the door when she realized Henry wasn't behind her anymore, making her turn around to find him staring at one of the books being sold by the diner.

"Let's go, Hen!" Everly called out, causing him to grab one of the books and follow her out the door. As soon as they got back to the car, the Jones girl started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. When they stopped at the next traffic light, Everly glanced over at her nephew with a hint of irritation in her eyes. "What is so important about that book that you almost got us caught?"

The only response the Jones girl received was Henry holding up the book. Her eyes scanned over the picture of a knight battling a dragon on the cover before they landed on the title. Heroes and Villains. Right as Everly finished reading the author's name, Henry turned it to the back to show her the familiar face of the Author.

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Everly just stood on the beach for another moment while keeping her eyes glued to where Harry vanished. It wasn't long before she snapped out of her daze and made her way back to the cove. The Jones girl quickly gathered the boys around their dimming fire and told them about her conversation with the Bensen boy. They let silence surround them as they took all the information given to them. But it wasn't long before it was finally broken.

"He threatened to find our camp?" Sam questioned, earning a small nod from Everly in response before letting out a long sigh, "luckily there's only one entrance."

"Yeah, we can't get ambushed like Pan and the Lost Boys," J.P. added while trying his best to keep his false confidence on display.

"Do you think he's going to come for us?" Boddy and Robby asked in unison, not caring about the fear laced within every one of their words.

Everly was silent for a moment as she thought about how to respond. The last thing she wanted to do was scare them, but she also needed to be honest with them. She knew that the more they knew, the safer they would be. Even if that meant adding to their fears. "I think so."

"What are we going to do?" Adam questioned while fiddling with his fingers.

"First, we need to stay calm," the Jones girl told them, knowing that all of them thought better without their emotions involved, "we're all smarter than him. That's what's gonna help us defeat him. And he's not just threatening us, he's threatening the Lost Boys. And if Pan thinks he's a threat, he'll send him off Neverland."

Everly felt Sam's eyes studying her, but she refused to look over at him. At least that was until he started speaking. "And if Pan doesn't?"

"Then we have to prepare for war."

────── ★★★ ──────

Thanks to Henry's phone and the magic of the internet, they learned that Isaac was having a book signing. That was how they ended up in New York City. After parking the car on the street close to where the Author was, Everly and Henry walked into the building where the signing was taking place. A wave of annoyance washed over the Jones girl after she saw the huge line of naive people waiting to get their books signed. If only they knew the truth about the man they worshiped.

About an hour of them standing in line passed when they were finally next in line. They were right behind a girl with curly brown hair that handed Isaac a button that read Long Live Regina. Everly watched them have a conversation for a moment before looking over at Henry. "Do you have the page ready?"

The only response she received was the Mills boy showing her the page with the Author's door. It wasn't long after that when the girl in front of them walked away. While Isaac looked down to put the button he was gifted into his pocket, Henry slid the page across the table. Shock appeared on the Author's face after spotting the familiar paper before looking up at the teens standing in front of him.

"What are you two doing here?" Isaac questioned as his eyes moved between Everly and Henry.

"What did you do with our family? Where are they?" Henry questioned without even attempting to hide the anger in his voice.

"I, uh," the Author paused to clear his throat and look around at those surrounding them before his attention fell back on the teens, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, please. Cut the act," Everly said with a glare as Henry pulled the key to the door out from his pocket. The Jones girl couldn't help but smile at the fear forming in Isaac's eyes before she continued speaking. "You know what that does. So you either give us the answers we're looking for or Henry opens the door and you get a whole new ending."

It wasn't long after that when the Author brought them into the back room, where they could talk freely. Everly's eyes scanned over the boxes filled with his books before letting out a scoff. She couldn't believe he was making a profit from their family's suffering. It made a feeling form within her that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Isaac needed to be stopped and they needed to figure out how to do it soon.

"Okay," the Author said as he walked toward them after speaking with one of his assistants, "much to the chagrin of my publicist, you have my undivided attention."

The Jones girl continued to stare at the raven-haired main with disdain in her eyes as Henry approached him. "Where's our family?"

"You really wanna know?" Isaac asked before using both hands to gesture toward the piles of books surrounding them, "look around you. They're all right here in my bestselling book."

Everly could no longer fight the irritation building up within her as she opened her mouth to speak. "Enough with the riddles, Heller. What does that mean?"

"Are they still alive?" Henry added while holding the key closer to the page with the Author's door.

"Easy with the key, cowboy. Your family is fine," Isaac told them while holding his hands up in mock surrender, "if you want to get technical, they're in here."

The Author didn't hesitate to pull out a book that looked eerily similar to Henry's storybook. The only differences were the coloring and the title. Heroes and Villains was written neatly on the black cover, causing chills to run through Everly's entire body. Isaac gave them another moment to study his book before he continued speaking. "See? The original copy of my book. The one that I always wanted to write. They all live in here now, in kind of an alternate reality."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Author's full attention landed on Everly. Despite the stoic look on her face, the Jones girl was terrified of what was about to happen. Isaac just stared at her for another moment before pulling a folded page out of the bag and handing it to Everly. "That's one of my favorite parts."

The blonde girl hesitated for only a second before taking the paper from him. No one said a word as she unfolded the page and read over the simple sentence written on it, only for her blood to run cold.

The Purest Heart will be no more.

Everly couldn't help but read over the sentence one last time before looking back up at the grinning Author. "So you really are the one that caused all this...this...mischief!"

Despite all the emotions he was feeling, Henry couldn't help but look over at his aunt with confusion in his eyes. "Mischief?"

"That's not the point, Henry," the Jones girl told him before turning her attention back to Isaac, "you made them miserable."

"I see that you've read some of my book, good, good!" the raven-haired man responded with a smile, making Everly roll her eyes, "then you know everyone got the ending they deserve, except Emma of course. You won't find her in the book."

The sound of her sister's name was enough to send Everly over the edge. The next thing anyone knew, she grabbed the Author by his collar and pushed him against one of the many piles of boxes that contained his book. "What did you do to my sister?"

"There was no room for a Savior in my world, just like there was no room for you," Isaac whispered just loud enough for Everly to hear, "be lucky I left you here with Henry and not trapped like she is."

The Jones girl was surprised when she felt her anger surprise as soon as Henry's hand was on her shoulder. She glared at the Author for another moment before letting out a sigh and letting go of him. She ignored them as they watched her walk across the room to sit down on one of the boxes, not caring if she damaged one of his books inside.

"Bring them back or I use this," Henry demanded while holding the key closer to the page with the Author's door.

"I can't. I don't have the power. The cardinal rule of the Authors is 'don't write your own happy ending.' As you can see, I broke that rule," Isaac explained as he looked away from the page to meet the Mills boy's gaze. It wasn't long after that when a smile appeared on his lips as he pulled out the Author's pen, "so, this it's just a pen now. And me? Oh. Well, I'm nothing more than a bestselling writer with legions of fans and a penthouse over Central Park."

It wasn't long after that when Henry looked over at his aunt with determination in his eyes. That was enough to make Everly get to her feet and walk across the room to stand beside her nephew. The two of them seemed to have a silent conversation before turning their attention back to the Author. "If you can't get them out, then give us the book and we will."

The next thing any of them knew, Henry grabbed the book off the boxes. However, Isaac was fast enough to grab the end, resulting in a quick game of tug-of-war. Sadly, Isaac won.

"You?" he questioned before chuckling and focusing all his attention on Henry, "do you know why you're still out here, kid? Because you're not from a magical world. So take it from me, you will never be a knight in shining armor. You're just a poor, innocent child who needs saving."

"He has me to help him. Give us the book," Everly said, drawing the Author's attention to her before the smile on his face grew.

"You're the least important character in the storybook realm. You're story practically ended the moment you left Neverland. The only people who needed you were Peter Pan and Felix. And, well, we both know where they are. So, why don't you put the key away and, uh, stick to the roles you're both best at."

The teens continued to glare at the man in front of them, both wanting nothing more than to send him back behind the door. Not even a second after that passed when Everly felt her fist clench at her side. But it was as if Henry sensed her growing anger and placed his hand on her arm, calming her almost instantly. That was until the Mills boy gave her arm a gentle squeeze, causing her to look over at him. All it took was the expression he was sending her to know what he was thinking.

When they turned their attention back to the Author, they found him walking toward the exit of the room. Because his back was facing them, he failed to notice Everly making her way toward him until it was too late. The Jones girl used all her strength to tackle Isaac to the ground, sending the book to the floor. Before the raven-haired man had a chance to react, Everly kicked the book over to Henry.

"Now what?" Isaac questioned as he and Everly got to their feet. Not even a second after that passed when the Jones girl went back to Henry's side as he flipped through the pages. The Author watched them for a moment before continuing to speak. "You're gonna tear up the book?"

The Jones girl continued to watch her nephew until he stopped on one of the pages toward the end of the book. Henry just stared at it for a moment before plunging the key into the page.

"Wait!" the Author exclaimed as soon as he realized what the Mills boy was doing, "don't be stupid!"

Ignoring the warning, Henry turned the key. The next thing any of them knew a gold light emitted from the book. Not even a second after that passed when it wrapped around Everly and Henry and took them into the book.

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