The Monster Under My Bed • Peter Pan, Once Upon A Time •

Chapter 43

4 months. It's been 4 months since the mermaids helped me escape. The first thing I did when I arrived was cry. I was soaking wet, sitting alone in the middle of the forest where I'd first lost my brother. I was alone in a campground, and I had no way of getting out. So I did what any sane person would do. I sought out help. You were expecting me to say 'I stole a car' or, 'I ran', but no. I'm not as stupid as I usually come across. I'd found a nice couple who had a young kid, and who had immediately taken me in. It gave me a sense of nostalgia, and I could help but cry whilst wrapped up in a blanket next to the burning fire. The husband had offered to drive me to the city the next day, and I'd just given them my old address, and prayed nobody was home, so I could figure out what to do afterwards. When I'd gotten there, only Corey was home, and I could clearly see him from his window, but I said nothing as the man drove away. I stood still, looking at my surroundings and then debating if I should do what I thought about doing or not.

But then I did.

I picked up the garden gnome on the lawn and took the spare key, then quietly opened the door, praying Corey wouldn't see me. I knew for a fact that none of my old stuff would be here, but I knew I could definitely get some cash. I went to the bookshelf and pulled out the book titled, ironically enough, 'Peter Pan', and went to the page where we kept a spare $500. It may seem like a lot, but honestly it wouldn't last me as long as I hope. $500 burns fast when you're alone going across the country. I noticed a hair tie on the table, probably belonging to my mom, and grabbed it, knowing I wouldn't be able to shower for a while, and I wouldn't want my nasty hair anywhere near my face. I heard a shuffling noise upstairs and froze, shoving the money in my pocket. I looked back at the table and saw the bowl of keys. I quickly grabbed the top set of keys, not bothering to see what car they belonged to. No, my family wasn't rich. But they all had their own car, and now that they'd had one less kid to deal with, they saved a bunch of money. So I took the small amount of money I could and the keys, and headed to the door. But just before I left I saw a forest green hoodie hanging on the coat hook. I stared at it momentarily, before ultimately taking it, and rushing to the truck at the front of the house. I made sure Corey couldn't see me from the window and hoped that he wouldn't notice the car pulling out of the drive, as I got in.

But that was all 4 months ago. Now I was doing what was probably the biggest mistake of my life. I was settling down. Not exactly, but I'd been staying with this girl I'd met for a few days. Her and her friends were going camping the next day, and they'd invited me to join, since I'd mentioned I wasn't staying in town for long. I thought it was a good idea, since they were only going for about 3 days, and over 4 months it was easy to forget how powerful Pan really was. Of course, I'd never forget how he treated me, or the things he'd done to me. But I could only hope that he wouldn't be able to find me. Now currently? I was sitting on the girl's- who's name was Amanda- couch, and she was in the kitchen slicing up a pizza she ordered, since her other friends were all coming over so we could spend the night, and then head out early in the morning. She had long, wavy brown hair that she usually wore up in a ponytail, since it was so hard to handle, and had a heart shaped face, with almost chubby cheeks, and little freckles that dotted her face, along with brown eyes to match. I was flipping through the pages of a book, when the doorbell rang.

"Oh! That'll be the girls!" Amanda smiled, running towards the door. She was 19, and already living in her own. Then again, my birthday was a few weeks ago, so I guess I'm 18 now. When I looked up I saw a girl who resembled Amanda almost to the T. Both the girls screeched, and immediately I rolled, my eyes both literally, and mentally.

"Amanda!" One girl cheered.

"Chelsea!" The other one did the same. They'd been together less than 30 seconds and they'd already managed to give me a headache. The sad part is I used to be like that.

"Where are the others?" Amanda asked as she pulled away from the girl who looked like her twin. "Getting their stuff from the-"

"AMANDA!"

"TAYLOR, OLIVE, BABES!" Amanda screamed, embracing the two girls who bolted in the door.

"Hey, so question. Why all the screaming?" The dark redhead said. The others rolled their eyes as I stood up and the bright redhead lightly shoved the girl who'd just spoken.

"Oh hush Olive, stop being such a-" She was cut off when she saw me.

"Oh! You must be Adelaide!" She said with a smile, the other girls seeing me too.

"I'm Taylor," she stepped forwards and extended her hand. I took it and gave it a shake, smiling back at her.

"Adelaide," I nodded, pulling my hand away.

"I'm Olive," the dark redhead said from behind.

"And I'm Chelsea," The first girl walked forwards and gave me a bone-crushing hug. This is going to be a long few nights. I thought, putting on a fake smile.

"We're going to have so much fun!" Chelsea squealed, nearly breaking my eardrums.

Dear lord someone send help.