I'll Take You to Neverland

Chapter 7: Knight in Shining Armor?

Here's the double update I promised!!!

†★†

I kick out the stool before I have a chance to turn back and automatically my neck starts aching.

The wind is knocked out of me while I struggle with the rope around my neck scratching and bruising my skin.

Though it may sound cliché, my life flashes before my eyes within the instant.

I remember the face of a man and woman, standing over me and smiling, a young boy cheering me on as I crawl towards him. People cooing to me softly while fall asleep. But I don't know who they are.

Waking up Easter morning and running down the stairs to find the hidden eggs before anyone else can, putting a sheet over my head for halloween, then changing into a dusty old hat and robe to get more candy as I make my way around the neighborhoods for a second time.

The smell of warm apple cider and the crisp autumn air while I watched the older boys at my foster home make leaf piles.

Throwing on all of the winter coats, hats, socks, gloves, and scarves that I could to keep myself warm while I go sledding, then coming back to sit by the fire and drink hot cocoa afterwards.

Growing up and finding a tree house when I finally managed to run away from a foster home for the first time.

Being on my own and feeling free.

My head gets dizzy as I try to take one last breath of air, the rope strangles me and the dirty white walls surrounding me start to fade. My fingers feel numb and I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. Every natural instinct inside of me telling me to take a breath, but when I try I can't do anything.

I regret it, I regret my decision. Antthing would be better than this. Than ending my life at the hands of a ceiling fan and a piece of rope. This was considered a punishment in older times. Yet I do it on purpose.

Why couldn't I be smarter. I could have jumped off of a roof, ending it quickly and efficiently while still getting the rush of adrenaline that I meed to scare me out of it.

I take what I consider as my last breath. What if I make it out of this alive? The ceiling fan could break, I could fall and snap a limb. Not only would I be left screaming in pain at the bone hurting me, but I would have no one to go to, no one to take care of the possible internal bleeding going on inside of me right now.

But at this point, I know that I can't turn back. Even if I were to survive this, life would get worse by two fold. I'm going to be legally old enough to live without a foster home in two days, and with a swollen throat and broken leg or arm, I won't be able to last a week.

I embrace my death, still taking very short breaths when I can, involuntarily, but I feel my heart slow and I'm at peace.

And then suddenly, the noose loosens.

I take a deep breath, my brain starting back up while I cough. I feel the rush of air go to my lungs and I'm able to function again, my sight starts to come back within the next few seconds and with it comes my feelings.

That's when my heart almost stops for the second time.

I feel nothing beneath me. Only wind brushing against my skin tossing my hair in all directions I move through the night.

It's dark out and I can't see anything, but the second I look down all I see are fields flying by. Miles beneath me we hit the shore of the ocean. I move at what must be thousands of miles an hour but don't know what's carrying me along.

I don't give any exertion myself, but feel my whole body being tugged upwards towards the sky and into the night.

Is this heaven? Am I dead?

No, I can still feel a shadow of the noose around my neck, and when I reach up I feel the indents that it made on my skin. I know it will bruise, there isn't a doubt.

But if I can feel pain, that opens up a whole new problem.

I'm not dead, you're not supposed to feel this hurt once you're gone, as far as I know. But I'm definitely not back in my room where I was only seconds earlier.

I look up and the only indication of something pulling me along is a dark patch in front of me. Not solid, but not quite invisible. That's what must be pulling me up.

I look down again, seeing that we're far above the clouds by now. The increase in altitude is making my head hurt and I plug my ears, hoping to take away some of the pain.

I'm screaming now but the sound is strange, it doesn't sound like me.

That's when my ears pop.

I can hear the wind now, my screaming, the pounding in my head is already so terrible and this only makes things so much worse.

All of a sudden things begin to fade again, and the splotch ahead of me blurs into the night. My eyes struggle to stay open but I continue screaming, not able to control myself at this point.

Everything goes black.

†★†

Picture: Pan's Shadow from OUAT