Tiger Lily

Chapter 4- Neverland

1646, Neverland

I woke up in a room of some kind. It was elaborately decorated, and I was on a large white bed. My wedding clothes were still very much intact, but my hair not so much. The pirates had upbraided the elaborate pearls and gold beads and left my hair a tangled mess. My boots were across the room and sitting next to them was Hook himself looking out some windows. My brain was still foggy, and my mouth felt like I was trying to swallow a mouse. I rubbed my eyes and took off the beads decorating my midsection. I pulled off the wilting poppies and slid off the elevated bed. Hook seemed to be dozing, or speaking in his mind. Either way, he was thoroughly distracted. I gently padded up the ladder and out of the room.

The wooden planks were soaking wet, and I desperately wished for my warm boots. The sailors were raising a large white sail made of feathers, with a black Pegasus painted on it. I crouched behind some barrels of liquid. Cautiously, I sniffed the liquid, gag rum. But I was dying for a drink so I drank some, loving the bitter sweetness. "There' a girl, boys," a man exclaimed. I turned around to see some pirates, all with gristly teeth and waxy hair. I was going to make a run for it, but the ship tilted upwards and I flew back into Hook's hands. He looked angry and afraid.

"Pan wants the girl. You lay one finger on her and he will murder us all. Back to your stations." I was terrified, and shaking. Hook threw me down the stairs back into the room. I landed feet first into the desk. Then he closed and locked the door, leaving me in darkness. I started to cry again, my life turned to shit fast. The past six months have been hell on Earth for me. I was cold and tired and sad. In that cabin, I was the Princess of nothing, and it showed. No one paid attention to me, no one cared what I wanted, no one cared for my thoughts. Technically I was married.... but I don't know where my prince was now... Pan was a monster for doing this to me. He wanted me, for some reason.

I stood up and ruffled through the desk drawers. I pulled out my engraved dagger and pressed it against the vein in my wrist. Lightly at first, but enough to draw blood. "It's my destiny..." I was about to drive the dagger into my wrist when the ship lurched and I dropped it.

w I looked outside, it was broad daylight. The water we landed in was crystal blue and matched the sky. The pirates were lowering a small rowboat with Smee in it. I whipped my tear stained face and got closer to the window. The lock started to jiggle and Hook and the two burly sailors came down the ladder. They tied me up with my arms tied from the shoulder to the fingers with tight sailor knots. My head was held high and proud, and my chest poked out from the unnatural position of my arms. They tossed me into the lifeboat that was waiting for me. " Thanks boys," I said sarcastically as Hook climbed in after me," I enjoy a little rough housing!" Hook pushed his curved silver appendage into my neck, and I felt the point pierce into my neck.

 "Skull Rock, Smee.That's were Pan wants to pick up the little lady." I growled at the term 'little lady'. I'm not little nor am I a lady, for goodness sakes I'm tan and wearing a short top, exposing my toned stomach! Far from the elegant white ladies who have no sense of freedom. I winced when the hook drove in a bit deeper. "Stay silent unless your spoken too, understand?" I nodded blinking.

 We sailed into the mouth of a giant rock that had a skull's grousome features. The eyes were illuminated with amber lights, glowing menicingly as we sailed into the goulish nose. I assumed that the mouth was underwater. The pirates rowed me out to the middle of the skull's lake. I tied to breath evenly as the cold wind whipped around us, chilling me from head to toe. Killian  ran the silver hook over the solid goose flesh on my bare arms. I raised my chin higher and glared at him proudly. "Watch it little girl. I'm a hell of a lot kinder than what Pan will be. You do know he controls the island?"

 "That's not possible," I said condescendingly," Nobody can control land. It's day and night, grow or don't, natural cycles. Besides he isn't that powerful."

 "Tiger Lily. He makes day and night here. If you want to leave, you need to ask him. Anything, you have to go through him. He's a king.. a tyrant." The wind blew colder and louder. "And he is coming for you now."

 Peter came flying in through one of the eyes. He glowed with an errie green glow, and his powerful smirk was apparent even a hundred feet up. He swooped down like an eagle and grabbed me underneath my waist and bottom. Then he angled up and left through the other eye. My beads were clinking together and my hair hitting my face violently form the speedy, chilled wind. we landed in front of his thinking tree. He let me down but I was too busy hyperventilating to be able to stand on my feet. And my arms were still violently pulled back, further knocking me off my feet. He pulled the dagger from my woven belt and cut the ties and successfully freeing my arms. Pins and needles danced up them as they were freed. I tried to speak, but all words failed me. " Are you alright," he said mocking me. Clearly no, I was not alright. I glared up at him

 "No," I said pushing myself up, legs shaking," I was just taken from my home, my husband! I was tied up and left in a dark hold! Then you take me and fly?! How do you fly?!" I pushed him away and tried to maintain my breathing.

 " Oh," he said," No. Your husband's dead. Hook was ordered to kill him." He smiled evilly at this. He grabbed my wrist, digging his sharp nails into the sensitive flesh so I would gasp in pain.

 "I didn't ask for this! I wanted to stay and be a wife and mother and warrior! Why Pan?!"

 "Because you know I get what I want, and I wanted you here."

_______

2009, New York. Manhattan

 I pulled up my hair into a ponytail. Today was my interview for the museum. The metropolitan Museum actually, in New York. I adjusted my short blue dress. I had a black blazer over it and my tribal jewelry. Yes, I still had the beads my tribe gave me the day I disappeared. I added a bit more eyeliner.  " Lily," I coached myself," You've got this! It's practically in the bag!" I slipped into the nude pumps and grabbed my matching bag. I still looked really young but I'm out of college so they should hire me.

 I left the apartment and tucked my cell into my bag. Locking the door behind me and walked over to the elevator. A man was in there too, he wore a fedora and a black vest over a white tee and jeans. I merely acknowledged that we were both headed to the ground floor and stood with my back to the mirrored wall. Casually pulling out my mp3 player and headphones I started listening to music to avoid conversation. The man looked at me and started speaking. I paused the music and looked at him," Sorry what," I said giving him my attention.

 "I said you look nice today Lily."

 "How do you know my name," I said. I keep to myself in the apartment complex, no one knows my name or anything.

 "Someone told me," he said," Well i'm a psychic. I heard this guy named Peter speak to me when I was walking by what I guess is your apartment.

 I stared at him with fear in my eyes. "Peter," I whispered. My fingers automatically went to the black cuff I was wearing and I tried again to pull it off, nope still not budging.

 " Is he like a dead ex or something? Because I sense many spirits surrounding you,lots of dead people. Did your family die of a plague?" The elevator  doors dinged open.

 "Can I schedule something with you, I would like to speak to you more in depth, but I have a job interview."

 "Apartment 57," he called behind me. I waved and ran to the subway, catching my train just in time. I held onto a leather loop from the ceiling, about to hyperventilate. Peter still knew where I was. Thanks to this stupid cuff I can't take off, he could come for me and I would never know it.