Lost, Then Home: The Third Book in the A Tale of Two Sisters Series

Part One: Lost Girl

"The ridge is just a few hundred paces up ahead," Hook said as he led the others through the jungle.

"A few hundred?" Reagan said.

"You really think we're gonna be able to see Pan's hideout?" Emma asked.

"From there, we should be able to see everything, including where he's keeping the boy and girl," Hook answered.

"You know, I could have just poofed us up here in an instant," Regina said.

"I wouldn't recommend that," Reagan said. "He'll know that you used magic. Just let Hook guide us."

"How do you know he would pick up on it?" David asked, making Reagan stiffen. She hadn't told everyone about her past with the ruthless teenager.

"I'm just assuming," she replied, falling in line with her mother, the two of them getting ahead of the Charming family, and a little bit behind Hook.

"You need to tell them," Regina said quietly.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"They're going to pick up that you know a little more about this island than the rest of us."

"They'll just assume I know all of this from my books."

"Reagan."

"Mom, please. That's a time in my life that I want to forget," the teen said as she began to pick up her pace, now catching up with Hook. Seeing a patch of thorns ahead, she unsheathed her sword and went to swing at them.

"No. No!" the pirate said, catching her arm.

"I'm not some damsel in distress waiting for a prince to come save me. I can handle a couple of thorns."

"That's dreamshade. It's not the thorns you have to worry about. It's the poison they inject you with. The plant is the source of the toxins I used on The Dark One."

"The poison that almost killed Gold?" Emma asked.

"Indeed. I used a concentrated dose. In its natural form, death would be much slower and far more painful. I suggest we go this way," Hook pointed in another direction.

"We'll go this way," David said, pointing in the opposite, beginning to lead the group.

"I thought you knew the island," Regina whispered to her daughter.

"Shut up," Reagan replied.

"You don't have your ex-boyfriend's protection anymore. You have to be careful. As much as I hate—"

"I'm fifteen, not five. I can handle myself."

"Up here!" David said, bringing the group to a cliff. "We made it."

Hook went to the front, "Pan's lair should be just . . . Right . . ."

"Where?" Regina asked. "All I see is jungle."

"Aye. The Dark Jungle," Hook said as he took out his telescope. "It's, uh, grown so much since I last stepped foot in Neverland."

"So this nature hike was for nothing."

"Hook may have led us astray, but at least we're in a good position to start combing the jungle," David said.

"Not exactly," Hook said. "The Dark Jungle's the last place you wanna set food. We'll have to go around it. In order to do that, we're gonna need our strength. I suggest we make camp."

"You wanna sleep while my children are out there suffering?" Regina asked.

"If we want to live long enough to save them . . . Yes."