The Heart Of The Truest Believer (OUAT fan-fic)

4 ~ The unfair punishment & the run away

My skin tingles with excitement. The air around me transforms as I close my eyes and think of butterflies. As I open them, I'm surrounded by millions of the beautiful insects. They open their wings and fly away, not one of them touching me. The sound as they fly past my ear is like the ocean.

As I turn around, the ocean spray hits me gently in the face, filling my mouth with salt. Beside me is the netorious tree - the one with the pixie dust. I close my eyes once again, and imagine myself on the top branch. When I open them, my feet are swinging freely in the slight breeze. I reach towards the flower and draw out a handful. Sprinkling it over myself, I dive off down into the air. At first, it feels like I'm falling. But my closed eyes imagine being as free as a bird, soaring above the clouds. Then, it's like the dust suddenly springs into life. It swells around me, and in no time, I'm rising above the world, above the tree. Higher and higher I climb, until I'm looking down on the whole island. This is freedom.

*************

A slamming door pulls me from reality. I open my eyes slowly, groggily, getting up as quickly as my stiff body will allow. I pull on my clothes with difficulty, avoiding the bruises, and hurry down the stairs.

Shay is making breakfast, which I deliver to the table. Tom is reading the paper, looking absorbed. Cecile is jotting down notes in her diary and Maggie is playing with her puzzle toy. I drop their breakfast off with a quick curtsy. No one looks up so I back out of the room, and hurry down to help Shay with the dishes. Not long after, we here the tell-tale steps of Cecile as she graces the kitchen with her presence.

"The doorman has the day off today, so you two will be on your own. I am going into town to pick up some things. By the time I come back, I want the living room cleaned, and the dining room swept out. I also want the library cleaned. Maggie is having guests over today."

"Yes Miss Cecile." Shay nods. Cecile turns her nose up at the kitchen and flounces out of the room. We both look at one another and giggle helplessly, at her silly feathered hat.

"What shall we do first?" Shay smoothes her apron. "If you take the library, I'll do the dining and living room."

I nod. The library is a huge task, but not nearly as huge as cleaning both the dining and living room.

Taking my brush and water, I make my way down the hallway and into the Baker's huge library. It's about 10 times the size of my tiny room, with bookcases lining the wall to the ceiling. I begin the enourmous job of dusting the books off, coughing as cascades of dust come spiralling down. I swear, the Baker's plant the dust there sometimes.

I'm halfway done with the books when one title catches my eye. Pulling over the ladder, I climb up to pull it out, slowly. I know how to read, but the Bakers hardly ever let me read anything they have. I dearly love reading, it's one escape from the world.

Something drops in the doorway. My hand automatically snaps back to the ladder, and I look down at Magie.

"What are you doing here?" She asks, sucking a lollipop. Her hair is free from its bun, and her dress is creased.

"Dusting." I say shortly, pulling my duster out. "Isn't there somewhere else you'd rather be, miss? The books can be very dusty sometimes." 

"You're lying." She sneers. "You were trying to steal something." 

"Why would I do that?" I'm genuinly scared now, that she's going to go telling on me.

"Father!" Maggie screeches. She runs out of the room. I climb down from the ladder, hands shaking. In no time at all, the thundering foosteps of none other than Mr Baker interrupt the pleasant morning I've been having. Shay peeks in from the doorway, biting her lip.

"Maggie has put a serious charge against you." Mr Baker says, obviously wanting the pub right now. "You would dare try and steal from us? After all that we've done for you? We took you in off the streets. In fact, if it hadn't been for us, you'd be living on them!" He points to the door. "Go up to you room, right this instant. You will stay there until further notice."

I obey, feeling slightly relieved that's all that's going to happen this time. With last night's bruises still aching, I don't think I could take much more.

At the click of the lock in the door, I sink down onto my bed and start to cry. I'm not a crier, and definitely not a woss. But sometimes, the world just gets too harsh, and there's no way I can escape from it.

I sob, until I have no more tears left to cry, and when I look up again, it's night time, and I fall into an exhausted sleep.

**************

"Psst!" I'm shaken awake. Once again I jump with fright, knocking my head on the head board.

"OW!" I clutch my head with annoyance, looking around. There's no one there. Feeling thoroughly creeped out, I get out of bed, pull on my jacket and look around. The window is open and flapping in the breeze. I pull it closed, and when I turn around, I come face to face with the intruder. 

I'm pretty sure I open my mouth to scream, but the... being in front of me puts her hand over my mouth and shoves me backwards against the bed. Lying on my bed once again, with her hand over my mouth and her other hands pinning mine down, I let myself relax before she strangles the life out of me.

As she pulls her hand from my mouth, I glare at her. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" I whisper harshly, breathing fast to regain the breath I've lost. "And who the heck are you?"

"My name is Tinkerbell." She gives her wings a flutter. "How would you like to run away?"

A/N: I thought you might like Dr. Pan on the side. ;) I have a heap of those, so stay tuned for more.

Just imagine for a moment, if you will, if Pan was Dr. Phil...

LOL

HAHA

That would be rather hilarious.