────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟖
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

────── ★★★ ──────

When Everly woke up the following morning, she found one of her arms tied to a pole. Confusion instantly flowed through her veins as she looked over at Vincent, only to find him sound asleep on the ripped couch. Despite knowing the boy he truly was, the Jones girl had to admit that he looked peaceful when he slept. She had never seen him look so calm before. But Everly soon pushed those thoughts aside to focus back on what was important. Getting out of there.

A small sigh passed over her lips as she focused her magic to teleport out of there...but it didn't work. Her confusion did nothing but grow as she continued to get her magic to work, only to fail each and every time.

"That's not going to work." Everly instantly jumped at the voice before she looked up to see Vincent smirking at her from his spot on the couch. When he was greeted by nothing but silence from the blonde girl, he let out a soft laugh and continued speaking. "Look at your free wrist."

The Jones girl's eyebrows instantly scrunched together as she looked down at her wrist. Her blood soon ran cold when she spotted a cuff she had never seen before on her arm right above her bracelets. "What is this?"

"It's enchanted to neutralize magic," the McKay boy explained as he sat up on the couch while keeping his eyes glued to the Purest Heart, "I stole it from Rumpelstiltskin. Apparently, he got it from our favorite person. Peter Pan."

Everly couldn't help but let out a long sigh. She should've known that her bad luck came from the former leader of the Lost Boys. Everything bad that happened to her always led back to him. Now her only way out of the mess she found herself in was if Sam and Katherine got there before Vincent grew tired of his game.

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It had been about an hour since Everly got back to the cove after her disappointing conversation with Felix. She never thought that she would be upset about Pan not helping them, but there was always a first time for everything. Instead of training or trying to come up with a plan to protect themselves from Vincent, which is what the Jones girl normally did in her free time, Everly was lying on the grass. Her eyes were glued to the clouds as she attempted to relax, even if it was only for a moment. Just as she was about to get up and look for something else to do, she felt two people lie down beside her. A small smile appeared on her face after looking between Bobby and Robby.

"What are you guys doing?" Everly asked as she looked between the boys lying on either side of her.

"We're bored and tired," Bobby told her after letting out a long sigh, causing a small laugh to escape the Jones girl.

"Well, I have an idea," a new voice said, causing the three of them to look up to find Sam smiling down at them, "how about we tell the stories of how we ended up here?"

"Great idea. Bobby, Robby, can you go get J.P. and Adam? They're training just outside," Everly asked the twins, earning nods from both of them before they sprinted away to find the remaining two of their group. As soon as they were out of sight, the Jones girl looked back over at Sam, who was now sitting beside her in the grass. "Where did that idea come from?"

"The boys have been asking about your story," the blonde boy announced, earning a slightly confused look from Everly that made Sam laugh, "believe it or not, it's uncommon for a girl to be on Neverland."

It wasn't long before the four boys came rushing into the cove and sat down beside Everly and Sam. The Jones girl couldn't help but laugh as they pleaded for her to tell them her story. So as soon as they calmed down and were ready to listen, Everly did just that. She told them about how she ended up on Neverland and why she was left on her own. She told them everything up until the moment she saved Sam from becoming a Lost Boy.

"So you weren't lost?"Adam asked once the Jones girl finished her tale.

"Not one bit," Everly responded before a small smile appeared on her face, "but that doesn't mean I don't understand what you're feeling. Pan made me feel lost."

They all nodded in response before Adam went next, telling everyone about how his family was killed in a fire started by a sorcerer. J.P. then explained how he was abandoned in the forest a month before the Shadow took him. Finally, Bobby and Robby were taken because they felt lost after their parents died in a car accident, but they had other family around them to help them get through it.

"Such sweet stories," a familiar voice called out to them, causing everyone to tense as they turned around to find Vincent standing at the entrance of the cove.

────── ★★★ ──────

Everly was just staring at the ground silently counting the minutes until she was rescued. Despite wanting to try to reason with Vincent, she knew she'd just be wasting her time. So instead she forced herself to not meet his gaze, knowing that would drive him mad. But it wasn't long before she heard footsteps approaching, causing Everly to look toward the door just in time to see Pierce walking in.

"The Sea Prince!" Vincent exclaimed as he walked toward the Kai boy to shake his hand, "what brings you here?"

"I came to see how the Purest Heart was holding up," Pierce responded with a hint of hatred in his voice, causing a wave of confusion to wash over Everly.

"See for yourself," the McKay boy told his friend before sending his captive a quick smirk and walking into the other room.

As soon as he was out of sight, Pierce began making his way over to Everly. She couldn't help but glare at him as he walked across the warehouse until he was standing directly in front of her. The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment before a small smile appeared on Pierce's face. The confusion within Everly did nothing but grow as she opened her mouth to speak. "What are you doing here, Pierce?"

"Helping," the Sea Prince announced as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The Jones girl's eyes scanned over every inch of Pierce's face, looking for any signs that told her not to trust him. But she couldn't find any. "Me or Vincent?

"Isn't it obvious?"

Before Everly had a chance to respond, the Kai boy held his hand up in front of her face, showing her the cuff that used to be on her wrist. It wasn't long after that when he untied the rope restraining her, allowing her to move her arm freely for the first time in a long time. All the confusion she was once feeling soon faded as she smiled up at Pierce. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," the Sea Prince responded before using his thumb to gesture toward the door behind him, "now let's get out of here before Vincent gets back."

Everly instantly sent him a small nod in response before they started heading toward the door. They were only about ten feet away from the exit when something hit the back of the Purest Heart's leg, causing her to crumble to the floor. Tears began forming in Everly's eyes as she stared at the burn, which covered almost the entire back of her leg. A shaky breath passed over her lips as the Jones girl looked up to see Vincent walking toward them.

"You two aren't going anywhere."

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"How did you find us?" Sam demanded after unsheathing his sword and taking a step toward Vincent, who was still standing at the entrance to the cove.

"Wasn't too hard," the McKay boy responded as a sinister smirk formed on his lips, "I just followed the sound of your whining."

"The only one whining around here is you!" Adam retaliated while loading his bow and aiming the arrow directly at the raven-haired boy's leg.

"You're outnumbered," Bobby announced after he and his brother stepped up to stand next to Sam.

"There are six of us and one of you," Robby added.

"That's very true," Vincent said before the smirk on his face grew larger than humanly possible, "but I'm more skilled than all of you combined."

As soon as he finished speaking, the McKay boy sprinted toward him. Adam instantly released his arrow, only for Vincent to easily dodge his attack. It wasn't long before he and Sam were having a sword fight, allowing the rest of them to grab everything we needed. Once they were finally prepared for battle, they went to join Sam. What felt like an eternity passed when it was clear that Vincent was no match for them, and yet he didn't give up. A wave of confusion washed over Everly, knowing that there had to be more to his actions than he was leading on.

The next thing anyone knew, the Jones girl landed a kick to Vincent's chest, causing him to stumble back and collide with the rock wall behind him. The McKay boy just stared at them for a long moment in silence as he tried to steady his breathing. It wasn't long after that when Everly finally had the chance to ask the question that was bouncing around in her head. "You know you can't win, Vincent. So, why are you really here, Vincent?"

Another silent moment passed before the smirk returned to the McKay boy's face. "I needed a little training for my fight with Pan."

Everyone seemed to freeze as soon as Vincent finished speaking. No one said a word as they slowly backed away from the McKay boy, unsure of what to make of his current state. But the silence was soon broken by Sam, who was staring at Vincent as though he had just grown a second head. "Do you have a death wish? Or are you just crazy?"

"I think it's both," J.P. muttered under his breath, earning nods from Bobby and Robby, who were standing on either side of him.

"Why on Earth would you wanna fight Pan?" Everly questioned, drawing Vincent's attention back to her before she took a small step back, not liking the crazed look in his eyes.

"I want to rule this island. Pan's been in charge for far too long," the McKay boy announced before sprinting into the forest and in the direction of Pan's camp.

The Jones girl just stood there as she took in Vincent's words, unsure if she should be worried or relieved. But as soon as she saw the look on Sam's face, she knew it was the latter. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, as if having a silent conversation with each other. It wasn't long after that when the Wilbert boy sent her a small nod, confirming her original thought. Everly needed to warn Felix before anyone got seriously hurt.

Everly sprinted out of the cove without saying a word, knowing that Sam would explain her actions to the boys. All she could think about was getting to her and Felix's meeting place as fast as she could. Even though she despised Pan with every bone in her body, the Jones girl knew she needed to save the Lost Boys. They were simply following their leader's orders and she never held that against them. It wasn't long before Everly finally reached her destination and spotted Felix standing at the base of the tree.

As soon as the Thorne boy saw the distressed look on Everly's face, his smile dropped. "What's wrong?"

"Vincent is planning on overthrowing Pan," the Jones girl said through her labored breaths, "you need to warn him."

A fearful look instantly formed on Felix's face before he sent her a quick nod. After placing a quick kiss on Everly's lips, he sprinted in the direction of his camp. The Jones girl was surprised when she found herself hoping that he made it back in time. She was surprised when she felt herself hoping that Pan won.

────── ★★★ ──────

"I'm disappointed in you, Pierce," Vincent said as he began circling around him and Everly like a predator did with its prey, "I thought we had an understanding after we stole that girl's heart together."

"Her name's Katherine," Pierce responded without even bothering to hide the hatred in his voice, "and I regret what I did."

"And now you're here to make up for it? Typical," the McKay boy scoffed as he stopped once again in front of them. His eyes scanned over every inch of Pierce's face before the former continued speaking. "You were always the weak one."

"I'm the weak one?" the Sea Prince questioned while trying his best not to let his emotions get the better of him, "I'm not the one who relied too much on other people to rescue them. I saved myself."

The room soon became dead silent. Everly quietly healed her burned leg while Pierce and Vincent continued glaring at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Knowing there was a lot of history between them, more than she would ever understand, the Jones girl didn't want to get involved in whatever was about to happen. Instead, she tried to make herself as invisible as possible while sitting on the warehouse floor.

What felt like an eternity passed when Vincent hurled a fireball at Pierce, who created a wall of water to protect himself. The mixing of fire and water caused the room to fill with steam, cutting off everyone's vision. It wasn't long after that when Everly heard a grunt right as the steam began to clear. Her blood instantly ran cold at the sight of Pierce pinned against the wall by Vincent, who was holding a dagger against the Sea Prince's neck. Now Everly knew she had to get involved.

The Jones girl let out a shaky breath as she got to her feet while forming a ball of light in her hand. Not even a second after that passed when Everly threw it at Vincent, hitting him directly in the arm. To her surprise, the McKay boy didn't react no matter how much it had to have hurt him. Instead, Vincent shot his free hand out toward her, causing the Jones girl to fly through the air before she was pinned to the wall behind her. Everly shouted at Vincent as she struggled to break free of the invisible force after watching the McKay boy push the dagger harder against Pierce's neck.

The next thing anyone knew, Vincent screamed in pain before collapsing to the floor. Shock coursed through Everly's veins as she stared at the arrow in his back before she realized that it wasn't just any arrow. The Jones girl didn't hesitate to look toward the warehouse's entrance to find a stunned Sam standing a few feet behind Katherine, who had another arrow loaded onto her bow. It wasn't long after that when the Jones boy rushed toward her sister and helped her to her feet while Katherine did the same with Pierce.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked as his eyes scanned over every inch of Everly.

"I'm fine. He didn't do anything," the Jones girl answered while keeping her eyes glued to Katherine, who was shaking a bit as she talked to Pierce, "I can't believe she did that."

"She did it to save you and Pierce."

"I know."

"What are we going to do with him?" Sam questioned, causing Everly to turn her attention back to her brother, only to find him staring down at the McKay boy.

The Jones girl hesitated for a second as a hint of sadness coursed through her veins. Despite everything he had put them through, Everly knew that Vincent was just as much of a victim as any of them. He was simply a Lost Boy.

"I'll take care of it," Everly announced, earning a small nod from Sam before he walked toward Katherine and Pierce. It wasn't long after that when the Jones girl looked back down at Vincent before waving her hand through the air. Her actions caused him to disappear into a cloud of gold, sending him to his place in the cemetery near Felix.

────── ★★★ ──────

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