Crimson

Chapter 22: Nightmares

3rd Person Perspective:

As the wind whistled through the Neverland trees and the waves crashed upon the shore, Lea tossed and fidgeted in her sleep, her muttering softly echoing throughout Neverland.

"You don't have to pretend anymore..." Lily whispered.

"We both know you've been holding back, and I'm here to tell you-"

"-there's no need..."

"No..." Lea muttered. Tigerlily's voice continued to echo in her dreams.

"I've always known that there's something between us...ever since the day you set foot on this island..."

Images of Jake and Lily flashed in Lea's head. The way Lily's eyes gazed at Jake with lust drove her mad.

"And I mean look at you..."

"You're strong..."

"Such an attractive face..."

"What girl wouldn't fall for you?"

Lea's breathing began to hitch.

"...She's not good enough for you..."

"She doesn't deserve you...not like I do..."

"No...No!" Lea muttered louder.

"Look at that! Your fire is showing through again. If only you could always be that strong..."

"I guess they left out the part about you being gullible" Lily's voice chuckled.

"How does it feel knowing he lied to you?"

"For once, you thought that you could finally trust someone again, only to find out that you meant nothing to him..."

"No..." Lea began to shout in her sleep.

"He wanted to kiss me, he was practically begging for it."

"Boys will be boys. They'll go from one girl to the next. It's just the way it is darling."

"Who knows...Maybe he didn't like you cause you weren't pretty enough..."

Lea's fists began to clench in her sleep, her fingernails nearly drawing blood from her soft, smooth skin.

Hook drove his sword into Jake's body without effort or a second thought.

His breathing became unsteady and he looked over with a single tear running down his cheek.

His brown orbs grew faint and his head tipped back. Strands of his golden blonde hair fell in front of his face and his rosy cheeks lost their color. Hook let go as Jake fell towards the sea.

His lifeless body plummeted into the gold illuminated sea with a splash.

Jake was dead.

Lea screamed a blood-curdling scream as her body squirmed, falling from the tree she slept in. "No!" She cried as tears ran down her face. "No! No!" She shouted. Her body hit the ground like a brick, kicking up dirt in the process. She continued screaming at the top of her lungs, still dreaming and trapped in her night terror. Her eyelids remained shut as her hands clawed at the ground beneath her. Unable to escape her nightmare, Lea's screams echoed throughout Neverland, perhaps even the depths of Neverland as well. Her screams were loud enough for even mermaids to hear.

"Jake!"

The sound of Lea's screams echoed through the air in which the boy with the golden-blonde locks raised his head from his work out in his father's field. Jake's eyes widened as he continued hearing Lea's cries.