White Raven

Chapter 7

I immediately ran over to him, putting his arm around my neck and supporting him as we walked to his bed. He collapsed in it and I ran around, grabbing water, salt, and bandages. His face and arms had several cuts, scrapes, and bruises. I poured some hot water into a bowl, added a pinch of salt, and submerged a cloth in it. Wringing out the cloth, I started dabbing it on his wounds, cleaning them. I could tell he was in pain but he didn't want to show it. Once I was done cleaning, I put bandages on his injuries and pulled the blanket over him. I started to get up, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back down with surprising strength. Because of the unexpected force, I fell onto the bed and landed next to him. He smirked and wrapped his arm around me. Grandmother looked uncomfortable and Shelley pulled her and Toby out of the room. As soon as they left, Peter dropped his facade and started to cry silently. I gingerly wiped away the tears and he grabbed my hand, pressing it to his cheek. I snuggled in closer to him.

"So many," he whispered, his voice breaking. "All because of me."

"It's not your fault, they chose to fight. They could have hidden instead," I said, trying to comfort him. He turned to me, his eyes wide and looking scared.

"My own father has tried to kill me several times. When he doesn't kill me, he kills my friends because he knows I will come after him in anger. He's even gone after you." His voice was barely above a whisper. It took me a moment to realize who his father was.

"No," I said, not wanting to believe it. "How could someone as evil as him produce someone as kind and loving as you?"

"But how do you know I'm not like him? What if- deep down- I am really as evil as Captian Hook?" he asked me, searching my eyes for the answer. I felt the back of my eyes start to burn, and the tears came.

"You could never be evil. He relishes the thought of someone being hurt or scared or lost and you hate the idea of someone in need having no help. You are not evil," I told him. He seemed uncertain and it hurt me. I was fighting against my emotions, but they finally won and I found myself kissing him passionately. He didn't kiss me back, but rather pushed me off of him and turned on his side so his back was to me. I got angry.

"Why are you pushing me away?" I asked him, deeply hurt.

"Because you shouldn't be around me. Wendy was right. You should go now," He replied, his back still to me. Upset and heartbroken, I rolled out of bed and ran outside, ignoring Grandmother, Shelley, and Toby's warnings to not go outside, that it was dangerous. By the time I reached the ocean, I was sobbing. I knelt on the sand and cried, my face in my hands. Someone's hand clamped down on my shoulder like they were comforting me, but it wasn't affectionate.

"Why are you crying? He's probably right you know," Hook's cold voice stirred up my anger and I stood up, facing him. I slapped him, hard. He wasn't expecting it and let go of me, staggering back a few paces, his hand held to his face.

"You're wrong," I hissed, my voice full of venom. Hook looked at me, his eyes wide as he realized the full extent of my anger. "DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU! ARE! WRONG! ABOUT! PETER! HE IS KIND AND GOOD AND YOU COULD NEVER LIVE UP TO HIS EXPECTATIONS!" My words were so loud, that you could have heard them from the other side of the island. "BECAUSE OF YOU, HE HAS PUSHED ME AWAY! YOU HAVE TRIED TO KILL YOUR OWN SON AND WHEN THAT DOESN'T WORK, YOU KILL THE PEOPLE HE HOLDS CLOSE TO DESTROY HIM! CAPTAIN HOOK, YOU ARE THE MOST EVIL, FOULEST CREATURE TO WALK-" This time it was me who was slapped. I fell back into the sand, my vision dancing with stars. Hook's face appeared right up in mine.

"You are right," He hissed, grinning wickedly. "I haven't succeeded in killing Peter Pan, so I will take the most precious thing of his." I struggled as he tied me up. "SMEE!" he yelled, and Smee came into sight. "Get this girl to the ship and tie her to the mast. Then call for Peter Pan. He needs to see her suffer." Smee nodded and dragged me back to Hook's ship. I was frozen with horror.

"I would like to grab the attention of everyone on Neverland!" Hook shouted. The inhabitants of the island had all gathered in Pirate Bay. "Today I am going to teach the wretched Peter Pan a lesson." He turned to me, grinning widely. Peter wasn't there, and I was grateful. He couldn't see me suffer and I would not scream, no matter how painful the punishment was. Hook walked over to me and stopped. The silence of that moment pressed upon everyone. In one sharp motion, Hook had ripped my shirt off, exposing my crop top underneath and my tattoo. He pressed the tip of his hook against the beak of the raven and pressed down. I bit back a scream as he dragged the hook across the lines, carving into my flesh. Up until then, my blood had appeared red because I had wanted to seem normal. It showed its true color then, a silver blue that shimmered in the light and glowed in the dark.

"As you can see," Hook said after a bit. "I am carving her tattoo into her flesh. That is only the first punishment." After he was done carving into me, he pulled back and admired his work. Satisfied, he walked over to a table. He picked up a bullwhip and walked over close enough to me to strike me with it. I was forced to count the blows out loud. By the seventy-fourth blow, I was almost unconscious. Hook put down the whip.

"Now for the final punishment," Hook announced. I was moved to the platform that I had been sold on. There was a post in the middle and firewood all around it. I tried to struggle but was too weak to resist. They tied me to the post and left me there. Hook took a torch and set the firewood at the bottom aflame. The smoke rose into the air and choked me, but I did nothing. As the fire reached me, I faced death bravely. The ropes binding me snapped and I started to fall forward, but someone caught me. I was lifted into the air and fell unconscious.