Somewhere In Neverland || FIRST DRAFT

Once Upon A Dream (4)

When Riley slowly peeled her eyes open, it felt like someone had glued them shut for years, her vision was extremely blurry, but she could make out the devilishly handsome, golden face above. In place of Peter's usual cocky, arrogant childlike smile of his was a mask of concern, Riley's muscles felt stiff and sore, like she was the tin man, all rusted and broken, it felt like she'd never move again. There was a dull ache on her right arm and her face, she slowly eased herself up and the world seemed to spin around her. "How do you feel?" Peter asked her, concern lacing his voice. Colours span around her, gold, blue, green, brown, red.
"Like shit" even though Peter was concerned he let out a small gruff chuckle. Riley's petite, shaky frame seemed weightless, but her head felt like stone on her shoulders, Riley felt like a bobble head figure. Riley stood up, pushing away a concerned Peter who was trying to help her stand, riley made it a few steps forward, before she fell into the blur of colours, she landed softly in Peter's arms, her heavy head lolling back to look at him.

"You're lucky I caught you" he said sitting her back down on his bed.
"Not the first time that's happened" another soft chuckle from Peter.
"Now Riley, be honest with me. How do you feel?" Riley actually took a moment to pause and think about that, though the swirling blur of colour did no good for her focus, a pinwheel of colour, just like at the carnivals back in London, that aunt Clara used to always take her to. She remembered the one time that she begged aunt Clara to take her on the new ride Spillz n' Thrillz, they waited in line for an hour and when they finally got on, it spun Riley round and round so fast it made her so dizzy that she vomited afterwards. Just thinking about the memory was making her feel sick, the pinwheel of colour was spinning in her head as the nausea rose in her stomach, gold, blue, green, brown, red.

Before Riley knew it her stomach lurched, like it always does when she's at the very tip top of the roller coaster, so high she can see all of the carnival below. Peter took that as his cue and thrust a bucket into Riley's hands as she threw up all of the mermaid poison that was in her system, when she was done she felt faintly better. Peter gently lied her down on his bed, and the pinwheel of colours stopped, Riley looked up into Peter's blue eyes, she had never seen anything prettier, she was delirious, it was the mermaid poison, she was absolutely . "Here" Peter said holding up a buttercup filled up with red, murky liquid. "Drink this" he handed Riley the drink and she skulled it, the cold liquid soothing her flushed skin, and the churning feeling in her stomach. "Ariel said it should get all of the poison out of your system"

Riley stared at Peter in front of her shocked.
"You want to teach me how to fly?" She asked, pronouncing each word slowly, to put emphasis on how crazy he sounded.
"Yes" Peter responded as if he did this everyday, because he did. "Come on Riley, it'll be fun. I promise" he spat on his hand and held it out for her to shake, she stared down at it disgusted. Peter's eyes seemed to dare Riley to do it, he was thinking that she couldn't do it, daringly she spat on her own hand and linked it with his, shaking it.

Peter doused Riley in a fine gold powder that she has come to know as pixie dust, it rained down on her and clung to her red hair. Peter couldn't help but smile at how pretty Riley looked, all red hair, brown eyes and freckles, the gold pixie dust shimmered in her hair, making her sparkle under the warm yellow sun. "Just think of the happiest things, the happiest memories. Anything that is happy" Peter whispered from behind Riley, his breath tickling Riley's neck, she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, thinking the happiest thoughts. Riley remembered the time when she went to the bookstore with her aunt Clara, she was only ten years old, a scraggy looking tangle of red curls. Riley was extremely short and she had to stretch up on her tippy toes to try and reach for the top shelf, she still couldn't reach it so Clara hoisted Riley up on her shoulders so she could reach the top shelf. In that moment Riley felt invincible, she felt like she could fly.

When Riley opened her eyes she saw Peter's childish grin, she looked at him confused, why would he be grinning at her like that, suddenly she felt weightless, she looked down to see that her feet weren't touching the ground. Her face seemed to light up with joy, like a child on christmas morning. "I'm flying" she squealed. Peter just laughed at her, he took hold of Riley's hand as they soared higher. Higher and higher as they soared over the Neverland, in the white fluffy clouds, that Riley was no longer afraid of. Riley felt invincible, all though there was a tiny spark of fear in the pit of her stomach, the last time she felt like this was when she thought with her friend, just before she got to Neverland.
Before she could stop herself she was transported into the memory.

"Lena you've changed" Riley stared down at her friend, Lena just shrugged and looked bemusedly ahead, not even looking at Riley, but looking through her, as if she wasn't there at all. Lena stars laughing, now she finally looks at Riley, amusement lights her perfect features.
"I just love the way you said that 'lena you've changed' " Lena mimicked Riley's voice, in a way that she wouldn't have a few months ago. Fury ignited deep in her chest, Lena wasn't taking this seriously, wasn't taking her seriously.
"I'm not joking Lena. You have changed." Before Lena could protest Riley rambled on, rage powering her words. "Ever since you've been hanging out with the popular-" Riley spat the word at her best friend like venom "-girls, you've changed. And I know that everyone changes, hell even I've changed, but I've changed for the better, where you've changed for the worst" Lena didn't seem hurt one bit, she even smiled at Riley's rage filled words.
"I don't give a shit what you think about me. You can-"
"But you should give a shit Lena! I'm your best friend" and as Riley looked into Lena's eyes, once friendly eyes she saw the ghost of those eyes, there was no more Lena.
"I miss the old Lena, the Lena who would've cared what I thought about her, and wouldn't have been such a bitch towards her best friend" realisation flickered over her face.
"If this is about you being a little soft hearted wuss-" before she could finish, Riley was turning and walking away. "There you go again. Walking away, just like you always do" Lena was right, all Riley ever did was walk away from her problems, but this was one of her problems that she couldn't solve, so she did what she knew best, and walked away.

Peter and Riley soared through the blue sky, Peter welcomed the familiar feeling of wind rushing through his blonde hair, tousling it, and the freedom he felt, as he raced the birds. Peter watched Riley as she flew with purpose through the sky, she looked like a natural, although something was obviously concerning her and she was struggling to stay above the trees, because there was pain laced in her beautiful features, and his heart lurched for her. Peter quickly scolded himself, he can't be acting like this, he can't grow up. As he looked over at Riley again her focus seemed to sharpen as she stared ahead of her, Peter followed her train of sight and there seemed to be something glittering in the distance.
"Let's go down and have a look" Peter shouted to Riley, over the whooshing sound of the wind. They both flew down to the ground, the closer they got, the clearer the glittering object was. And then they saw it.