Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.
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Thank god Snow is with us, otherwise we would have gotten lost hours ago. She's tracking the tracks Neal made whenever he was being dragged away. That is, if Pan was telling the truth and Neal really is alive. We may be just tracking a ghost, but it's worth a try. Neal may be our only way out of this hellhole.
We eventually come across a cave, and Snow stops in her tracks. Well, technically Neal's tracks. The mouth of the cave is about a foot taller than me and is overgrown with leaves and vines. I can't see anything of what's inside from where we're standing except a black hole. The sight makes the hair on my arms stand up.
"The tracks lead directly into that cave. This must be where Pan is keeping Neal." Snow remarks.
"Nice work," I say.
"If the cave is some sort of prison, why aren't there any guards posted to stop us?" David asks.
I look around to make sure this isn't an ambush, but there are no signs of Pan or the Lost Boys.
"Because this prison doesn't require guards," Killian says darkly. He takes a step towards the mouth of the cave. "Echo cave."
"You've been here before?" I ask quietly.
He looks at me over his shoulder with a grim expression.
"Aye, I lost half my crew inside those rock walls."
I straighten up, my eyes glued to the mouth of the cave.
"The only way to rescue someone from inside is to reveal a secret." He explains.
"That's all? That's not nearly as bad as I had thought it'd be." I say with a laugh, but his expression doesn't lighten.
"Your darkest secret."
"Oh," I say through a shaky exhale.
"Echo cave derives its name from an old saying. 'The deeper the lie, the more truth in its echo.' The cave demands that you reveal a truth about yourself. A secret you would never admit to anyone." Killian further explains.
I shift from foot to foot.
"I'm not really a 'secret' kind of person. I usually just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind." I ramble.
Which, for the most part, is true. It's one of the reasons why people found me to be so eccentric as a child. It wasn't until I was older that I realized that blurting out every stray thought is inappropriate.
But still, everyone has secrets, and I'm no exception to this rule. I'm not ashamed of my secret, after all, it's not like I've been hiding a body in my closet or something crazy like that. But I am scared of people treating me differently because of it.
"Even if we spill our guts, how do we know Neal is still alive in there?" Emma asks.
"Because this is what Pan wants. We go in there, spill our guts, and walk out hating each other. If we hate each other, we won't be able to work together to get Henry back." I say.
