Peter Pan Imagines

Remember Me Part 15

Peter POV:
I opened my eyes. It was raining. 

I stood in the middle of a cobble road, horse carriages trotting up and down the street. The street-lamps glowed a hazy yellow against the dark grey sky. I remembered where I was again: the street where Nicole had grown up.

It looked so alien to me - I'd never visited in daylight before and the entire area had taken on a new characteristic - illusion or not. Now people walked eagerly down the streets as they attended to their daily errands, school children ran home in pairs and trios with treats in their hands. This was a much different world compared to Neverland. 

My clothes had also been changed to a simple brown suit. The collar of my shirt was tight and suffocating - I tugged at it and threw the bow tie into the gutters below. Considering the situation, there was little use for formalities. I also found that here I had no powers to call my own - making flying or teleportation completely out of the question.

It wasn't long before I spotted her home: a tall building of red brick and bright windows. A tall gate and several thorny rose bushes were the only things separating the hustle and bustle of the street from the tranquil peace of a proper British estate.

It was then that I saw her. 

Nicole sat at the window peacefully, a book in hand and a smile on her lips. Around her head were bandages, but her red hair still poured out through the twists in the thick gauze. She hardly moved - like a doll in a glass case. 

At first, I wondered if this stillness was a side effect from this illusory world, but it wasn't. Here, there was a peace in total opposition to the chaos of Neverland. There was no hiding, fighting, poison, or cults - only calm. I could hardly pull my eyes away, savoring the moment for as long as I could, but it was then that she turned her head.

Someone had called her from inside the house. She snapped her book shut and started to rise. This was my chance. 

I lifted a pebble from the street and threw it at the window. To my surprise, it cracked the glass. She jumped at the impact and spun around, looking for the source. 

I threw another.

It was with that second rock that she spotted me. She sharply opened the window, riled up and ready to argue. "You've broken the glass!"

"My apologies." I tried to sound as posh as I could muster. It wasn't exactly working. "Could you come outside? I need to talk to you."

"And why would I do that? I don't even know you!" Her words felt an ice pick right through my heart. Despite everything, her not even knowing who I was struck me in such a way I wasn't sure if I would breathe properly again.

From inside, Tiger Lily called her again. "Nicole!"

"Coming!" She turned back to me. "Listen, just tell me what you want or take it up with my brother!"

I found myself becoming desperate. Each moment that passed, another one of her heart strings snapped. She didn't know me in this place, but if I didn't make my point soon, this would've all been for nothing.

"Nicole, please." I grabbed the gate and pulled myself up on the metal rungs. "You have to trust me on this. It's a matter of life and death."

"What do you mean life and death?" She looked terrified, her eyes wide and bugging. "And how do you know my name?"

"I, uh..." I struggled to come up with an excuse. "I knew your father. He was a teacher of mine."

"I knew all of my father's assistants and he never mentioned you."