Helpless

9-Nightmares

  "Why would anyone want you?" I hear Mayor Mills voice ask. I look down to see red cuffs covering my hands, and chains around my wrists. My eyes follow them to the back of the room. I'm in a hospital gown, locked in a white room.
  I'm in an asylum.
  "You're worthless. You were a mistake. I feel bad for foster families that had to deal with you."
  "Why are you doing this, Mayor Mills?" I plead. "I'm not crazy!"
  "Says the girl rambling about Peter Pan and Neverland! No wonder no one wanted you!" She slams back. I try to cover my ears with my hands, but I can't reach them with the chains.
  "Please! Please stop!" I beg.
  "Ha, you foolish girl! You think you can defeat the Evil Queen? You really are crazy! I don't even know why you kept trying to stay alive!" She continues to slice me with her harsh words. She bashes me, threatens me, and beats me down.
  I wake up with a start and my head in Peter's lap, tears streaming down my face. I bolt up so I'm sitting up and bring my hand to my forehead. I'm panting.
  "Hey, hey. It's alright. Breathe," Peter says, comfortingly. I can tell he wants to take my hand, but doesn't because he doesn't to make me uncomfortable.
  I eventually get my breathing under control with his help. I look around and notice that we're back in his treehouse.
  "How, um, how did we get back here?" I ask, trying to get my mind off that horrible dream.
  "I could sense something was wrong. I found you crying in your sleep underneath a tree, and I just teleported us back here. I couldn't wake you up so I just tried to comfort you in your sleep, and be here when you woke up," He explains sweetly.
  "Thank you," I say graciously, but my thoughts are still racing.
  "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?" Peter asks, leaning closer.
  "No, no. I'm okay," I tell him. He nods but I can tell he's unconvinced. "What time is it?"
  "It's hard to keep track of time in Neverland, but if you mean in relation to sunrise, it's about two hours away. So, where you're from, it's probably four in the morning," He explains.
  "Oh, okay- wait. Have you been up with me all night?" I ask accusingly.
  "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," He defends himself. I see him begin to reach out to me, but pull his hand back.
  "You shouldn't have done that. I'm not worth losing sleep over. Don't do that next time," I warn. He laughs lightly.
  "Sorry, love. That's not really your decision," He reminds me. I huff. "If you're still tired, you can take the bed-"
  "Are you kidding? After you stayed up for me all night? No way. Besides, I couldn't sleep another second after what just happened," I lower my voice.
  "It was just a nightmare. You should try to sleep," Peter probes. I smirk.
  "That's not really your decision, now is it?"
  "Using my own words against me. Clever. But, in case you haven't noticed," He snaps his fingers and I'm lying down in the bed. "Peter Pan never fails."
  I roll my eyes. "Really, I couldn't sleep a wink. And I'm not taking your bed," I say and hastily toss the covers off.
  "If you're not sleeping, neither am I." He crosses his arms and pouts like a child. I groan. "It's alright. I don't need sleep. You should just talk to me. I want to know more." I sigh and sit down cross-legged in front of him. He puts his elbows on his knees and leans in like he always does when we talk.
  "What do you want to know?" I ask him.
  "Everything. Start from the beginning. I want to get to know Audrey."