Malice in Neverland (Dark Fairytale)

Alice

"Take me to Church" by Hozier
***

I would give anything to talk to someone I knew. I'd give anything to have a companion here. I would love having a friend to talk to right now; I craved any sort of human interaction. Doing positively nothing but pacing Wendy's apartment for nearly two weeks waiting for her to return was lonely. My friends kept in touch, of course, but it was through text messages. All they knew was that I decided to go to Chicago to see Wendy. I hadn't told anyone that I had yet to find her. I didn't tell anyone that she was missing. That she didn't even know that our parents are now dead. How horrible does it look that I haven't seen my own twin in seven years? I rubbed my head wearily, feeling I need another anxiety pill to get me through the day. They had been my friend for the last six months; they helped ease the stress of Wendy's sudden vanishing act, ease my mind after our parent's deaths. Only one pill a day though, that was what the little orange container said.

As I stepped out of my cab, I tipped the driver well although he was a very unfriendly man whose cab reeked of cabbage and feet. He sped off almost at the same time I closed the car door. Everyone and everything here moved at a much faster pace than they do in Pella. I smoothed out the wrinkles of my black peacoat. I looked down at my navy skinny jeans and snug brown ankle boots. The jeans seemed looser than they used to be, a cause brought on by my recent weight loss. Removing my phone from my pocket, I wondered if I had a bit of walking before getting to the right place. Something was wrong as I glanced at the address Mr. Barrie sent and then back at the entrance sign in front of me.

Club Neverland dazzled in large neon letters on the building. This was the address Mr. Barrie provided. But as I googled the name of the club, something sickening appeared. This wasn't a nightclub as I had been anticipating. This was a strip club.
"My private investigator gave me the address of a strip club?" I asked myself, feeling quite puzzled by these developments.
I was starting to talk to myself. A ramification of being as lonely as can be with no one to talk to in this alien city. People came and went down the other side of the street, going to work this morning and paying me no attention. I suddenly knew how it felt to be lonely in a crowded area.

"Ms. Carroll, I presume," said the familiar voice of Mr. Barrie. I turned and couldn't help my eyes widening in surprise. I'm not sure what I was expecting him to look like. On the phone, his voice was rich and airy, but still masculine. I didn't know what age he could be and I didn't spend time thinking about it. The man in front of me was taller than my small frame; wavy dark hair stood out against his olive-toned skin. Deep brown eyes and sharp cheekbones enhanced an already handsome face. He was perhaps in his mid to late twenties. This man was easily the best-looking man I'd seen in a long time, but maybe that was because I was from a small town where typical suitors could care less about appearances or personal hygiene. Back in Pella, men wore camo and ball caps. They sported pot bellies and a love for spitting and/or burping. You would be lucky to find one in a clean pair of jeans instead of being covered in cow manure or muck of some kind. Women were typically no better in the hygiene department; I was an outcast who put somewhat effort into my appearance.

Mr. Barrie wore a fine pair of dress pants and a black blazer that was just as dark as his hair. His black dress shoes looked to cost more than my dilapidated Chevy back in Pella. I watched him for a few long seconds longer than necessary before remembering my manners and that it was impolite to stare. I had no reason to find myself rude for staring at him; he was doing the same to me; watching with a powerful gaze.

"Your presumption is correct," I said politely, returning his handshake. "It's nice to meet you." His hand squeezed mine gently in the embrace.
"Likewise. Although I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."
I couldn't contain myself from asking the question that had been haunting me since we had gotten off the phone. My eagerness was eating at me. "What do you know about Wendy??"
The corner of his perfectly chiseled lip twitched in a half smile. "I believe the better question is, what do you know about her?"
What a puzzling thing to ask.
"Clearly not much or I wouldn't have found a private investigator the second I moved into her place," I admitted sadly.
The hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his perfectly sculpted lips. "I s'pose that's true," he said with a nod. "Do you normally hire people you've never met before?"
I thought that was another odd question, but I didn't think too much about it. "Not really," I admitted. "But I wasn't exactly sure how to hire a private investigator."
He didn't say anything as he watched me for a few long moments. His eyes seemed to analyze every part of my face.

"An identical twin," said Mr. Barrie softly. His deep brown eyes were watching me close. I grew slightly uncomfortable from his attractive gaze.
"Shall we?" he murmured, proceeding up the steps to Club Neverland. For a half second, I thought against following him. But I ignored it and followed hesitantly behind him, not quite sure what we were going to find regarding Wendy. Did she have friends here? Worse – the horrible thought lit up inside me – what if she worked here? My bottom lip trembled at the very thought. Not that there was anything wrong with women who worked this profession, I was sure they each had their own reasons. The thought simply seemed so asinine because it was so unlike Wendy that it felt disturbing; wrong. I followed behind Mr. Barrie, his citrusy cologne was soft and not overwhelming. He allowed himself inside the club, politely holding the door open for me.

I stepped past him, pausing once I stepped aside and allowed him to follow inside. He watched me with his large brown eyes; they lingered on me for a few seconds too long. He continued passed a very large man with a wide girth; one that looked capable of doing serious bodily harm on someone if he wanted to.
There was something strange I noticed although the moment was brief. When Mr. Barrie walked past the man who clearly had to be the bouncer, he gave a slight nod to him. After that, he was allowed through the large set of doors without any introduction. The bouncer looked straight ahead, never once acknowledging me as I followed Mr. Barrie.
"Have you been here before, Mr. Barrie?" I asked, confusion settling in. Maybe he had been here before to search for Wendy, that was why there was familiarity exchanged between him and the man.
I wasn't from the city, but that exchange seemed quite odd. Was it typically that easy to waltz into strip clubs? A few gorgeous yet topless women walked past us, giggling at the sight of him.

But Mr. Barrie didn't answer me. He didn't say anything as we walked through the long narrow hallway without any windows. Everything was dark, as if that was purposely the color scheming of the place. We continued our walk, past more men who looked ridiculous strong and large, as if they had been consuming miracle growth their entire lives.
"Where are we going?" I finally asked. We had gone probably ten minutes without talking. Ten long, excruciating minutes where I was suddenly wondering if it was a good idea that I hadn't told anyone where I would be going today. No one would know where to find me if something bad happened...
I shook my head of the grim thoughts.
Mr. Barrie finally led me through a large set of black doors. Doors that led to a very dark room. A light was switched on and I instead found the room was the opposite of dark. Four white walls, a white ceiling, and a windowless area made this room look quite dark with all the lights off. There was nothing inside of the room minus a very large chair that looked like it belonged in a dental office. It was placed in the center of the room, the only piece of furniture occupying the room.
"You are a lot of things Wendy, but stupid was never one of them," said Mr. Barrie. He turned to face me; his large hands cupped together. I found we weren't alone in the large room. Two more very large and extremely powerful looking men were nearby. They looked to be related, they looked too much alike. I jumped when I saw them; they had to have been waiting in the darkness for us to arrive.

"W-what are you talking about?" I mumble fearfully.
"Identical twins," said Mr. Barrie softly. "That's quite the pitiful cover, is it not?"
I was confused and now very scared. Suddenly I had a very bad feeling I wasn't talking to a private investigator. "S-seriously, w-what are you talking about?"
"CUT THE BULLSHIT," snarled Mr. Barrie, his brown eyes wide and very angry. No longer was he calm and collected. He changed demeanors quite easily, like flipping on a light switch. "You have the flash drive. You're going to give it to me, or, I'm going to make you regret coming back to my family's city-"
But a sharp pain suddenly struck my neck. Instantly I was lightheaded; my legs crashing out beneath me. I fell backwards, but before I could hit the hard ground, strong arms caught my fall. I found the most amazing pair of blue eyes watch me as I was pulled into unconsciousness.
***