The Game [OLD VERSION] | OUAT

Mermaid Lagoon

I did understand nothing of what had happened. What was I doing there? I wiped the tears away and stepped towards the green dust, which was beginning to fade.

     I stretched out my arm and touched it before it completely vanished. When the last speck of dust landed on the floor, a huge, ferocious blaze turned up sharply.

     I backed away, shocked, as I watched the flames becoming smaller, until a burned piece of paper replaced them. I approached it fearfully. It was magically floating, and didn't even move when I tried to take it. I looked at it, startled.

     Mermaid Lagoon, it stated. Two seconds after reading the paper, it burst into flames.

     "Mermaid Lagoon" I muttered, my voice trembling and trailing off. "Guess that's my next stop."

     I shook my head and went out of the huge rock. How was I supposed to leave the small island without Pixie Dust? Swimming? I looked at the murky, moonlit waters. There should be a way... Then, it hit me.

     "Come on" I thought. "You can. Just... focus."

     I closed my eyes and imagined a small boat. I concentrated on that object and, when I opened them once again, a wooden rowboat was docked in the shores. I smiled proudly and got on board.

     "Let's work this out once and for all."

***

The Skull Rock wasn't very far from the Mermaid Lagoon, so I could see it in the distance. I skirted the coast until I finally reached what seemed to be a U-shaped beach. Even though it was broad daylight and the sun was shining, a dense and mysterious fog was inexorably spreading throughout the coast. The sea seemed to be darker there, and the single sound of a long waterfall broke the intense silence. I sighed, trying to calm down. That place made me feel really nervous and afraid.

     "Pan?" I muttered under my breath.

     "Sienna?" said a familiar voice. I tried to look trough the mist, but it was too dense. "It's Bae. Is that you?"

     "Yes! Where are you?" I questioned, struggling to find him.

     "Guys?" said another voice.

     "Jack?" Bae asked. "What's going on?"

     Suddenly, the fog dissipated and we came face to face, looking confusedly at each other.

     "Over here." someone said behind me. I turned around to face Pan and so did they. "Welcome to Mermaid Lagoon." he smirked.

     "Why are we here?" Jack asked. "And what was all that stuff about the magic bean for?"

     Pan stepped towards us.

     "The game's changed, lad." he said. "And you'll be fighting for the prize."

     "And what the heck is that –" I tried to ask, but Bae interrupted me.

     "The bean." Bae said. "I perfectly know how they work. They're portals to other realms."

     I widened my eyes at Baelfire's words as Jack stepped towards Pan, glaring at him. That's why Pan had said to me that a bean could get me off the island...

     "Well, you're mad if you really think that we're gonna fight against each other for that bean." Jack stated firmly. He glanced at me waiting for my approval. I widened my eyes, overwhelmed.

     "Yeah" I just said, what seemed to concern Jack.

     Pan smirked at my reaction. Our previous talk was still haunting my mind. He had accused me of being selfish, of only wanting to save myself, not caring for others. And he had accused me of that because he wanted to make me see that I was just like him. But I wasn't falling in his trap.

     "Now," Pan said. "Rules are easy: you'll play alone, on your own. You'll look for the bean around the island, following the clues you'll find in your way."

     He shot me a warning look.

     "Also, though," he began. "You may run into some... let's just say obstacles." I frowned at Pan confusedly, but Jack stopped me before I could ask him.

     "What if we refuse to do it?" he said with hatred in his voice.

     "You're not getting it," Pan snickered. "That's not the problem. The winner gets the bean, I get the losers back. It's the game."

     Jack backed away, shooting Pan a deadly look.

     "The only problem for you..." Pan continued, but looked at me as he spoke. "Well, is that there's no escaping Neverland. No one gets off this island without my permission."

     "We'll see." I stated challengingly, and Pan grinned back.

     "We'll see." he repeated. "So now, let the game begin. Let's just call it... Hide and seek."

     A devious smile played on his lips as he vanished, hidden by a dense, green fog.