Foreverland

Chapter 34

•Peter•

After a full night sleep, I was feeling more like myself. Or... maybe not myself. I felt different, but it was a good different. I had been beaten, and broken, and had fallen so far, that I finally hit bottom. Rock bottom. This morning was different. There was hope in the air. I had hope that we would succeed in our task. It was like I had been reborn- transformed into someone better- the someone Rose always wanted me to be.

Flynn looked like he was feeling better as well, some of the colour had returned to his face. I smiled slightly, despite myself. I couldn't help it. Even amidst those who hated me most, a weight that I didn't know I was carrying had been lifted off my shoulders.

"Feeling good you two?" Elijah chuckled, looking over at Flynn and I from his hammock.

"Well... yes?" Flynn sat up with only a small wince of pain.

"Its from the ointment I put on your wounds." He laughed lightly again, getting to his feet and pulling on his boots.

"What is from the ointment?" I frowned- yet wasn't overly concerned. Whatever it was couldn't possibly be that bad. In fact, it felt amazing.

"The..." His face broke into an overexaggerated grin and he shook his hands in fake enthusiasm, "the excitement, the joy and the... optimism you could say? It'll wear off in a few hours." He laughed once more before pulling on a shirt and making his way to the stairs to the deck.

Most of the hammocks were empty once again, as the pirates tended to wake with the sun. Down at the other end of the ship one of them was still fast asleep, his snoring echoing down the room. I remembered him of course, I remembered them all. Sam, or Smee as everyone called him. He had to be the oldest on the ship now. If he weren't fast asleep, I may have gone over to say hello.

I looked back to the hammocks around me. Flynn had lifted up his shirt to check on his wounds, Twila seemed to have just woken, and Rose was still asleep. I didn't remember her coming down the night before, she must've stayed on deck for a long time speaking with Chay and Cecco. Suddenly I had the urge to go up and talk to them. Explain myself. I wasn't here for trouble- I was trying to do something right, and I needed help doing so. Just a day or two of shelter and food. That's all I wanted or expected for them.

"Where are we?" Twila looked around with a troubled look on her face, still half asleep.

"Morning beautiful." I beamed, swinging back and forth on my hammock.

"Excuse me?"

"We're on the pirate ship, don't you remember?"

"Yes, I remember I just- what? What did you call me?"

"Let's wake Rose up and find our selves some food." I hoped up and started over to Rose's hammock. She looked exquisite when she slept. The lines of turmoil and exhaustion were but a memory, and the dim light of dawn illuminated her face through the cracks in the roof. All the muscles in her face were at peace, she was at peace.

"That is a wonderful idea!" Flynn exclaimed, attempting to roll out of his hammock and falling onto the floor instead. "I'm okay." He groaned from the floor.

"Quit the act you two." Twila muttered, helping Flynn to his feet.

"Rose." I whispered, shaking her shoulder. "Rose, wake up. Rose." Rose was asleep one second and pinning me to the ground the next. There was a knife in her hand- I didn't know where it had come from.

"Sorry," She muttered, realising I wasn't a threat, "And please Peter, stop calling me that. It's not my name." Rose got up and tossed the knife onto her pillow.

"But it's such a beautiful name." I still lay on the floor, smiling up at her while she frowned down at me.

"He's right, it is such a beautiful name." Flynn piped up from where he was leaning on Twila, who was now frowning at him as well.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you two." She shook her head before looking back at Rose with what looked like a hint of concern in her eyes. "Let's get some food in these idiots, where can we find some breakfast?"

"Let's go up and see Chay, I'm sure he can get us something to eat." Rose nodded to the stairs and while Twila helped Flynn shuffle over, she grabbed my arm and pulled me up, "Did you do something to him?"

"To who?" I asked dreamily, distracted by how lovely her eyes were.

"Ugh, never mind." Her fingers dug into my arm as she pulled me after the others and up the wooden stairs. On deck, every pirate stopped and staired. This time, I did wave at them. None of them waved back. None except Elijah who was sitting on the edge of the boat beside Charlie, both of them had smug smiles on their faces. Flynn was now waving at Elijah as well before Twila slapped his arm down. Both girls moved their feet faster, practically pushing Flynn and I to Chay's quarters. He answered the door after one swift knock from Rose and welcomed us inside. There was a bowl of fruit on the table which he offered to us for breakfast- Neither I nor Flynn hesitated to dig in. I was famished.

"Chay, there is something up with them this morning." I looked over my shoulder at Rose and her eyebrow raised slightly as she looked at me.

"Ah, Elijah used the ointment, made from Solace fern. It was unnecessary really, he could've used something else... but it works I suppose. I'm sure he was just looking for a laugh at Peter Pans expense." Chay let out a small chuckle, "Although it soothes wounds, it has a few side effects."

"Side effects?" Twila sounded worried. She shouldn't be, I wasn't worried. I felt terrific. Solace fern was magnificent.

"Don't worry, nothing bad, they'll be back to normal in a few hours." They three of them continued to talk, but I tuned out. They were so boring and the apple I was eating delectable. Flynn surely agreed with me, for he had already finished one and was now feverishly pealing an orange.

Once I had my fill, I felt even better than before. If that was possible. I leaned back in my chair- not realising is wasn't a chair all and a stool instead. No one even blinked an eye as I fell off the back, except for Flynn who burst into a fit of laughter, thus causing me to laugh as well. The only thing that made me stop was Twila chucking an apple at my head. However, that only caused Flynn laugh harder.

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I had a raging headache. One of the worst I'd ever had. My wounds were aching again and I was angry. My boys were in in trouble while I was here on this stupid ship prancing around like a fairy with too much pixy dust. If I didn't want to risk being thrown off the ship, I would've strangled Elijah. Flynn had forgiven him after a weak, half-hearted apology. I however, had not.

All the pent-up rage inside me- although pushed to the back of my mind for a few hours- was threatening to burst. I'd had my rest, I had the dagger, I was ready. Rose and Twila were also in good health, the three of us could be enough. Flynn could stay on the ship until the task was done. I'm sure the pirates wouldn't mind.

"I know what you're thinking." Twila nudged my side. We were sitting up on the quarterdeck, looking back at Neverland. Rose was with the pirates and Flynn was back below deck, resting again now that the effects of the Solace fern had warn off. "I can see it in your eyes."

"I just don't understand why were waiting." Twila nudged my side again, harder, right where my still healing wound was, "Ouch."

"That, Peter Pan, is why we are waiting."