FROSTBITE | HENRY MILLS [2]

XVI. searching

Chapter Status: Edited.

In the room only stands a few people, Regina, Henry, Anna, Sandy, Chloe, and June. Everyone else is at home, still recovering from the drama that had only stopped a few days previous. Of course, Tahlia is also in the room, in her coma, the heart monitor is not connected to her, for the first time ever, but only because her heart is not in her body.

"Can I have some time alone?" Henry requests softly.

Everyone nods in understanding, and does not hesitate to leave. He sits down, staying quiet for a moment before sighing.

"I'm sorry for overreacting back in Neverland... It's stupid, I just... I just don't want to lose you."

He takes a hold of her hand and looks at her face, gently brushing some hair away from her closed eyes.

"I know you can hear me, I just... I just don't know what to do. Mum kissed my forehead and I woke up, I kiss you and... nothing. Is it that you don't love me as much as you did? Or is it something totally unrelated? All I know is that I love you, and I'm not going to give up on you until you wake up," he leans forehead and gently kisses her forehead.

Unlike Henry wishes, she does not move, and he sighs, knowing that true love's kiss is not going to wake her up this time. He groans and stands up, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Tahlia, please, if you can hear me, wake up, we need you... I need you."

Tahlia's eyes flutter open and she sits up, stretching and yawning. In her dreams, everything that they say around her body comes to her mind, and so she knows exactly what Henry had said to her. She steps out of her tent, all of the boys are already awake, and instantly, Fletcher walks over to her and holds out some meat.

"Want some?" he asks with a bright smile on his face.

She shakes her heads, "no thanks Fletch, but do you happen to know where Jamie is?" she questions.

He smiles wider and nods, dropping the meat and plate onto the floor.

"He's with some of the older boys making weapons, apparently a big wave of animals are coming our way, perfect time for hunting before the winter hits," he explains. "Jamie! Tahlia wants to talk to you!" he suddenly shouts as they reach a group of teenage boys not much younger than Tahlia.

She recognises all of their faces, but only a few names come to mind. Jake, Thomas, and Lee are the first she can think of, she knows one of them is fairly new, he came after her drama here last year, so she never got to meet him properly, much less learn his name. Jamie stands up, and the pair of them walk closer to the forest, out of earshot.

"What's up?" he asks, wiping his hands on his trousers to get rid of the dirt on his hands.

"They need me, Jamie, true loves kiss won't wake me up," she tells him softly.

He frowns, "trues love kiss? But that stops all curses, doesn't it?"

"It's supposed to, but apparently a kiss isn't strong enough. Last time the only reason I woke up was because I was put in that labyrinth," she says.

"Well, actually, about that labyrinth," he scratches the back of his neck, making Tahlia raise an eyebrow quizzically. "When they put the potion in you, it didn't send you there, Peter did."

"What? That makes no sense," she frowns.

"Well, turns out that the potion wasn't the thing that woke you up. The reason you woke up last time was because of something more powerful than a kiss or a potion, something that showed love more than anything else," he states.