Long Lost | Once Upon a Time (REWRITING)

Chapter Twenty: Good Form

Grace ran through the forest, her heart racing and her chest quickly rising and falling. She couldn't catch her breath, but she wouldn't stop for a second until she knew she was in the clear. She just kept on running in an unknown direction. Surprisingly, for a place where time stands still, Neverland has changed a lot since the last time she was here, even if it was less than a decade ago. The forests have grown thicker and it was much harder to navigate through it all. To put it simply, Grace was lost.

She turned her head to see if she was being followed, though she didn't see nor hear anyone. She only continued to push on, in fear of getting caught again and being forced to return to Pan's camp. She couldn't. She dodged a wide root down by her feet as Grace continued to take in all the air she could whilst running. She could feel herself begin to hyperventilate, as her breaths were coming in choppy. She knew she would have to sit down at some point, just so she wouldn't fall over, but now wasn't the time.

After another minute of darting through the wooded area, she turned back once more. She was beginning to feel light headed due to overexertion and Grace finally took the time to slow down. She knew, however, that once she stopped, she would be unable to get back up on her feet for a long while. Just as she was beginning to slow her fast steps, she turned to face forward, only then seeing a figure just a mere foot away from her. Her eyes widened, though she had no time to stop. She couldn't help but crash into whatever stood in her way. Her face collided with leather and Grace fell flat on her ass due to the impact. "Ow, shit!" She cried out as her elbows dug into the dirt ground beneath her. She huffed in frustration as she finally looked up, only to see that the figure she had run into was Hook. Her eyes widened gratefully and Grace soon realized that this must've been one of the only times she was actually happy to see the pirate in her entire life.

He appeared to have been put off balance the moment she ran into him, though he stood his ground. Upon seeing and hearing what had crashed into him, however, his eyes widened in surprise and, what appeared to be, relief. "Grace." He breathed out, the initial shock not yet leaving his form, as well as the pain from the initial blow.

Grace rubbed her head as she began to sit up from the ground, the rest of the group now coming into view. "D'ya miss me?" She breathed out, mainly due to the fact that she was still unable to catch her breath after the several mile run.

"Grace!" Snow cried out as she quickly pulled her figure up off the ground. The girl's breaths were still ragged and it was clear that she had just been on a long run, though that didn't stop her mother from tackling Grace into a hug. She caressed the back of her head, softly petting her hair as she leaned her head down on her shoulder. "Oh! We were so worried!"

Grace couldn't find it in herself to hug back, mainly due to the fact that she couldn't feel her arms. Or legs. Or her entire body, as a matter of fact. "It'd be discouraging... if you didn't." She said between breaths as Snow parted away from the girl. As much as she tried to regain her composure, she just couldn't catch her breath. "Oh, god, I need some water." She huffed out, causing Emma to quickly step forward with an open canteen.

"Here." She said, swiftly placing the drink in her hands. The teen gave her a thankful nod before bringing the canteen up to her lips and taking many generous gulps. She thought she drained about half the container but she didn't care. The water was much needed and Grace could already feel her heart rate begin to slow because of it.

Finally, she brought the canteen back down with a gasp before wiping her mouth and handing it over to her sister. She took it wordlessly when her father suddenly stepped forward and immediately, all the remorse Grace had been holding in came rushing back. She looked at him with sad eyes and he quickly embraced the girl in a loving hug. Tears pricked her eyes though she quickly blinked them away. She couldn't think of that now. She had to keep it in--she couldn't let her parents know what she had done.