Long Lost | Once Upon a Time (REWRITING)

Chapter Eight: The Outsider

Neverland
Roughly 18 Years Ago...

The ship slowly rocked from side to side just on the outskirts of Neverland. A gentle breeze passed through, ruffling all the sailors' hair as they continued on with their daily tasks. Captain Hook stood just at the helm of the ship, though he was not steering it. Instead, he was wrapped up in his thoughts while his hand loosely hung around one of the many spokes of the wheel. His eyes drifted out towards the open ocean and he appeared to be in a trance--and he would've stayed like that had he not been torn from his thoughts so abruptly by something pulling on the side of his coat.

He quickly whipped his head around, ready to scold the sailor that dared to disturb him, only to find no one there. He furrowed his brows in confusion before feeling the tugging once more, and only then did he look down to realize that it hadn't been a sailor at all, but their new addition--Grace. She had been looking up at him eagerly, and when she finally got his attention, she smiled.

"What are you doing, Mr. Hook?" She asked quizzically as she looked over the horizon, much like he had been doing before. She appeared to be searching for something, most likely whatever he had been looking at, only to find nothing there.

Hook only forged a smile as he gestured towards the ship's wheel. "I'm steering the ship."

As if she could see through his lie, she furrowed her brows, turning back towards him as her lips quirked. "If steering the ship is having one hand on the wheel, then even I could steer." She stated.

Hook shrugged at her expression. "That's actually not far from the truth." He began, turning back towards the brunette with a questioning look. "Care to have a hand at the helm?"

It was as if the girl knew just how dangerous putting a ten year old up to steering a ship was, as her eyes quickly widened in shock. "Are you crazy?" She demanded, earning a very humorous look from the captain. "I'll kill everyone."

Hook grinned at the statement and quickly shook his head. "Bah. It's not too difficult. And besides, we're in open waters. There's nothing around here to hit."

After hearing his reassurance, Grace loosened up a little. "Fine. I guess I could give it a shot." She let out, earning a smile in return from the captain.

"Ah, that's the spirit." He praised as he then pulled Grace over to the front of the helm. "Now, the left of the ship is called 'port', and the right 'starboard'." He spoke as he gestured towards each direction while he spoke. Grace reluctantly placed her hands around the wheel, only now realizing the significant height difference she had with Hook when standing before the helm. Her head barely went over the top of the wheel--and that was with her being on her toes.

"Which way do I turn?" She finally asked as she looked out towards the ocean.

"Try... one notch to port." Hook said as he gestured with his hand towards himself. It was obvious that he was giving the girl an easy task to start out with, just to make sure she was on the right track with steering. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't caught the mischievous look she currently held. Suddenly, she swung the wheel all the way to the left. Hook's eyes widened as the mast swung at a violent speed--and it was headed straight for him. "Whoa, whoa, not that much! Not that much!" He shouted as he quickly ducked to avoid being thrown overboard by the wooden beam. Luckily for Grace, her height put her right under the beam and so she didn't have to worry about ducking like the captain had.

The crew of the ship took notice to the change in direction and they all cried out as they were thrown into the side of the ship. Grace couldn't keep the giggle from escaping her form as Hook took over the wheel. Finally, he took notice of the sly grin she held and couldn't help but chuckle himself. "You little devil." He let out, and while he would normally be furious at anyone for pulling a stunt like that, he just couldn't seem to stay mad at the girl. Finally, he turned the ship back in the right direction, careful to avoid getting hit by the mast like he almost had before. Once the ship continued on heading north, he spoke, "Let's try that again, only this time, take it slow." Grace only rolled her eyes before doing as told, turning the wheel just one notch to the left as she was instructed before. Hook, very clearly seeing the difference in her steering, laughed and patted the girl on the shoulder. "There. See? You're a natural, after you're done trying to kill us all." Grace grinned once more as she raised a brow up at the man.