The Lost Realm (Once Upon a Time/Peter Pan)

Chapter 5

I continue to rush through the hallways and out the school doors.

Typically I'd meet up with my sisters and we'd drive home (courtesy of Sam and Sylvia) but today I need to walk; I need to sort out my thoughts.

Myrtle Beach is a tourist paradise, it isn't the most expensive place on the Earth, and it doesn't have the least desirable beach. Therefore every summer packs of tourists fill the shore and occupy all the other empty condos, but for now it's late autumn. Not very much happens when the weather is cool and people understand the charade of tourism.

Honestly I love the summer, Syl will make us Jet Skis and we ride up the inter coastal out to the ocean inlet. My favorite part however, is sitting on our beach front balcony and reading the thoughts of people from all over the country, although Samantha prefers to just tamper with their volleyball games and knock down sand castles.

I've always felt safe in this town, just something about it makes me feel protected.

I keep my steady pace as I make my way passed temporarily closed surf shops and other money traps. My sisters and I have considered starting a business, but we have plenty of money, and don't want the risk of being found.

Finally I force my brain to focus on the issue I'd been so carefully avoiding, "who is this guy?"

He knows something, it was in his eyes. Not only that, but out of the thousands of strangers I've come across ,my abilities have worked, except two. The mysterious man, and Pete.

I'm sure how to handle it. I could be upfront and just ask him, but then I'd be admitting the truth to him. I could ignore the whole situation, but then me and my sisters could be at risk.

I reach the condo complex but push past it and head onto the beach. The sound of the ocean has always comforted me, made me feel like I belong on this Earth, a feeling I feel all too little.

"Maybe he's like Miss Jo," I mumble to myself, "and he's here to help you."

No, if that were the case he'd have confronted me and explained himself.

Maybe I should just talk to my sisters, surely Ana couldn't sense his feelings and is in the same boat as me.

I head up to our unit. We live in one of the few beachfront condo complexes that permits year round living. The only catch is the pool and amenities are closed during the colder months, and the maintenance staff isn't on duty, so if anything breaks we have to fix it on our own, not like it is a problem for us or anything.

I walk into our condo and immediately see Sam and Syl eating in the kitchen.

"Hey, why'd you ditch us today?"
Sam says, taking another bite out of her turkey leg.

"There was this- wait where's Ana?"

Typically Ana would be in the kitchen stuffing her face with whatever edible magic Sylvia could create.

"We don't know, thought she was with you." Sylvia says, a curious tone in her voice.

I panic. My mind instantly goes to the worse scenario possible.

"He got her," I whisper to myself.

"Who got her?" Syl and Sam respond simultaneously.

"Did you see a new boy today? Dark brown hair? Green eyes? Well-"

Anastasia walks in, she looks shaken up. In her hand is a piece of paper.

"Ana what happened?" I ask, terrified of the answer.

"That guy, Pete. He- he gave me this to give to you."

She hands me the paper.

I can tell it had been neatly folded, by the creases left on the open page. It is obvious he spent at least a little time on it.

Half of me hopes it will be some stupid love letter and that he is madly in love with me, but I know better.

My eyes scan the letter, it is written in neat, almost medieval handwriting.

At the top of the page, written slightly bigger than the rest of the text are five words:

I Know Who You Are