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 an hour ago. Somehow, she's been able to follow the tracks that 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 off this hell hole.
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 but a black hole. I don't know why but 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. I come up beside her with an impressed smile.
"Nice work." I compliment.
"If the cave is some sort of prison, why aren't there any guards posted to stop us?" David asks the question we're all thinking. I look around to make sure this isn't some sort of ambush but don't see any signs of Pan or the Lost Boys.
"Because this prison doesn't require guards." Killian says darkly. We all turn our attention to him. 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, a grim expression set across his face.
"Aye, I lost half my crew inside those rock walls." Our eyes widen at his words. My heart picks up speed, imagination running, wondering what could be so dangerous to kill so many people. "The only way to rescue someone from inside is to reveal a secret." My brows pinch together.
"That's all? That's not nearly as bad as I had thought it'd be." I say with a relieved laugh but his expression doesn't lighten up.
"Your darkest secret."
"Oh." I say through a shaky exhale. I feel my hands start to go clammy at the prospect of sharing my darkest secret with anyone, let alone a whole group of people.
"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 nervously.
"I'm not really a 'secret' kind of person. I usually just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind." I ramble quickly, proving my point in the process. 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 isn't 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.
