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

Chapter 22

//Hey it's me, the author, here. If you're reading this thank you so much!! Ily and I hope you like reading it almost as much as I like writing it :) okay imma shut up now byeee
.
.
.
.

I take in a deep breath as I sit down on the sand. I'm back home, watching the water tug at the shore.
It's my favorite beach time, late evening. The sun is in the midst of setting and there isn't anyone to ruin my tranquil state of mind. Nothing but me, the shore, and time.
I know this isn't real, or maybe it is. Maybe this is heaven, maybe it's hell. Whatever it is something inside me refuses to leave, weighing me down.
Suddenly I notice an object coming ashore. A small, glass bottle. I walk over and pick it up, admiring it carefully. It is indeed what a thought, complete with a cork lid and small rolled up piece of paper.
Carefully I open the lid and unroll the tightly bound parchment.
Elegant handwriting covers it, making it more of a piece of art than a floating message. It reads: "Our sweet Arabella, you mustn't give in. There is still so much, even after all that's been. You may not understand how you are getting this, but no it is true. Because there are some things you must do. We love you. -Mom and Dad"

The feelings come back. The love, the anger, the fear. That's when I realize what I loved about this place wasn't the solitude, but the numbness.
Black spots begin to attack my vision, drowning out my utopia. I feel my body fall to the sand, and what is left of my sight focuses no longer on the deep blue sea, but the soft warm sky. Darkness spreads until it has consumed me, and the soft angelic sand is replaced by something hard and cold.

Voices begin to spread through my mind, soft yet booming echoes. I feel everything more clearly, sign I'm back in the real world. I search for the strength to open my eyes, and a dim light blurs my vision, causing my head to pound. The voices become clear and I soon recognize the speakers.

"Is she waking up? Oh please tell me she's waking up." Sylvia. Her voice is strained and full of worry.

"I-I think she is." Sam. Her voice sounds just as tired and worried.

"Arabella?" Ana asks, panic flooding through once again.

My vision focuses to see my three sisters hovering above me. Hope beginning to overrun the previous panic.

"Oh thank goodness," Sylvia says, letting out a big sigh of relief.

"Where-where are we?" I manage to choke out. They help me sit up and I notice we are in a dark, dingy dungeon. Enclosed by bars and covered by rocks.

"We are in the Evil Queen, Regina's, castle. She and her huntsman came aboard Hook's ship in search of us. Him and his crew tried to fight them, but she used some sort of spell and froze them all in their tracks. We went through some portal type thing and ended up in the midst of her castle. Some of her guards led us here. Which is where we found you lying unconscious in the middle of the cell." Ana rapidly fired out the story, her voice trembling and her eyes full of anguish.

"What do you remember?" Sam asks.

I shudder as the images roll through my memory.

"Peter...he....I," My mind searches for words. "He led them to me, to us. It was all a trap. He is exactly what Hook said. A demon."

Disbelief rushed through my sisters' faces, only to be replaced by anger.

"How could he! After everything!" Sam yelled. My eyes begin to water, not out of sadness, but out of deception. I had been played, and it was one of the worst feelings I'd ever felt.

"What's that?" Ana asks, motioning to the object sticking out of my pocket. I pick grab it.

It's a golden, antique looking key. Attached to it is a note with old fashioned handwriting. My eyes scan it, "Don't give up on us. -P"

Here we go again.