The Girl With Lost Memories - Parts 1 & 2 (An OUAT Fanfiction)

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 44: 𝐿𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒩𝑒𝒸𝓀𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒

I pin a poster I made online on Granny's corkboard. If there's one place my mother will see it, it's here. I set the stack on the counter and sit on a stool as Ruby, always kind and attentive, pours me a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, but after the mocha at the café, I don't think I can go back," I say, even though I've had coffee here since then. I'm not in the mood for mocha-less caffeine.

"I've had Mrs. Potts's hazelnut latté, so I hear you." Ruby moves the mug behind the counter, and her eyes shift to the pile of paper. "Do you think you'll find your parents with those lost item posters?"

"I hope so. It seems like my only option. It may be my last option. So far, I've put them up on electrical posts, store windows, the Town Hall's message board, and at the post office."

"You'll find them."

Before I can reply, a blonde woman with her hair in a messy bun approaches. She wears a forest green knit vest and a matching dress with a flowy, asymmetrical skirt, the soft fabric cut to give the appearance of leaves. Intricate gold and bronze accents adorn the bodice, strings holding it together at the front. Beneath the dress, she wears a textured full-length bodysuit with tiny pieces of silver glitter—stars in a night sky. A green shimmery neck scarf completes her unique outfit. The woman's clothes are tattered, as though she's gotten every use out of them as she could and still refuses to part with them.

"Hey, Ruby. Can I get a—" I recognize the shock on her face—the same reaction I've seen from all the others. Here we go again. "Isabella? How are you here? You're so...young."

"That's because I'm sixteen. Do I know you?"

The woman takes a step back. "Of course you do. In Neverland. Don't you remember?" she replies with a New Zealand-ish accent.

"Her memories are lost," Ruby explains.

I swivel the stool to face the woman head-on, the pieces fitting together. It's like she's stepped out of a fairytale, and it dawns on me who she's portraying. However, when I glance down at her shoes, they're not pom-pom slippers. Instead, they're olive combat boots. This may be a different interpretation, like Killian. "Let me guess. Blonde hair. Green dress. You're supposed to be Tinker Bell, aren't you?"

"'Supposed to be?'" she asks, glancing at Ruby. "I am Tinker Bell." She wears a vial filled with sparkling powder around her neck. The dust matches the faded color of her clothes.

"Oh, I see. Neverland's a strip club."

"What's a strip club?" She moves closer, fear in her eyes. "Is that where they strip fairies of their wings in this land?"

"It's nothing like that," Ruby interjects. "And there's no use in trying to reason with her. She doesn't believe. What did you want?"

"A whiskey. Neat."

"Ooh, this is a badass Tinker Bell. I'm curious. How much money do you make?" I ask.

"Excuse me?"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'll bring it to your table, Tink," Ruby says, and the woman walks away. "She's not a stripper."

"Sorry, but it's the only way this Neverland shit makes sense," I say, swiveling to face the counter.

"So you think a couple of strippers called the Lost Boys kidnapped Henry and took him to a club where their leader, Peter Pan, was waiting for 'em?" Ruby looks at me like I'm an idiot, and she has a point. The situation is far more absurd than that. I'm still struggling to grasp the truth of this strange world I've been thrust into.