Helpless

7-Answers

  I give in and take his hand. In the blink of an eye, we're in a wooden cabin.
  "Stop that! What the hell is going on?" I sharply yank my hand out of his. He looks hurt for a moment.
  "Look, we both have questions we need answered. Just stay calm, and I promise you'll get your answers," He coaxes. I think about it for a moment.
  "Fine."
  "Great. Come, sit." He takes a seat on a bed in the center of the room and gestures for me to sit next to him. I do, reluctantly. "Let's start simple. I'm Peter. Peter Pan."
  My heart stops, and then I burst out laughing. "Wait... you don't seriously think you're Peter Pan, do you?"
  "No... I don't think I'm Peter Pan. I am Peter Pan," He tells me, dead serious. My laughter dies down.
  "You're insane. Is that why you kidnapped me? Because you're a psycho?" I say, standing up from my seat on the bed. He grabs my hand and pulls me down.
  "You don't actually think I kidnapped you, do you? You appeared on the island. In the middle of the forest. My shadow couldn't have taken you, it only takes boys. How did you get here?" He asks.
  "I... I don't know..." I stammer.
  "You must be lost. It's okay. That must be why you're here," Peter concludes.
  "Wait, what now?" I ask.
  "You do realize where you are, right?" He asks.
  "Lost, Peter Pan, teenage boys... Oh my God, no. It can't be-"
  "You're in Neverland," He clarifies. I shake my head in disbelief.
  "This is crazy... I must be going insane-" I stutter before he grabs my shoulders and turns me towards him.
  "Hey. This is a real place, you're really here. I promise. Want me to prove it to you?" He asks.
  "That'd be better than pinching myself to wake up," I reason.
  "Okay. Can you remember the last thing you were doing before you woke up here?"
  "Yeah, I was in my car."
  "Do you have your keys with you?" He asks. I shuffle through my bag and shake my head. "Hold out your hand, love."
  I follow his instructions, and the keys appear in the palm of my hand. I run my thumb over the ridge.
  "Oh my God... this is real... how is this real?" I ask him.
  "Neverland's magic is more powerful than you can imagine. Now, can we get back to those questions and answers?"
  "Yeah, I guess. Where were we?" I question, still focused on my car keys.
  "I never got your name," He says.
  "Audrey," I smile. He smiles back at me.
  "Beautiful name to match a beautiful girl," He tells me. I sigh and try to pretend I'm not blushing. "Well, if you found your way here yourself, you must be pretty lost. Can you tell me a little bit about you?"
  I try to think about where to start, but it makes my head hurt. "I'd rather not talk about it."
  "Okay, I won't push you. Do you have any questions for me?"
  I turn my situation over in my mind. "Now that I think about it, I do have one. Neverland is supposed to be for lost boys. Clearly I don't fit that category, but you didn't kill me. Why not?"
  "You seemed... important. Special. I couldn't kill you. Some of the boys thought it'd be best, but I told them to get that thought out of their heads. You're not going anywhere. Well, that is, if you do something for me," He explains.
  "Do what?" I ask curiously.
  "Just by the fact that you found your way here, I know you're lost. You don't have a family. You're alone-"
  "Just get to the point," I urge, annoyance prominent in my voice.
  "I need you to let that go. We can be your new family, but only if you let go of your past. You can be happy here," Peter looks at me hopefully. I turn the thought over in my head.
  "But, you said some of the boys wanted to kill me. How could they be my family? I'm sorry, Peter, I just don't see how this could work," I begin to get up but Peter grabs my wrist.
  "Please, Audrey. Stay. There were only a few boys, and I can take care of them. Stay with us. Be apart of us, love." He looks up at me with his big green eyes and I can't resist.
  "I'll stay."