Decadent Rose (ON HOLD)

Child of Power I 8

I wrote this rather quickly, so sorry if there are mistakes or stuff. I INTRODUCE ANOTHER CHARACTER (YAAAYY) And so Skye11467 doesn't kill me;)

Sera

Charlie had sat with his arms wrapped firmly around her trembling body for what like hours till she calmed down and her salty tears had dried from where they were soaked into his shirt.Jake had fallen asleep on the bed to the sounds of Sera's wails and she couldn't help but feel bad about the way she had treated him. She may not have liked what he had been saying, but she didn't need to have snapped at him the way she had.

Neverland was just never as appealing to her as it was to Charlie and she hated herself every day because of it. He wanted to leave and fly off to some magical island when all she wanted was to live a normal life, maybe get married and settle down in some small boring town. But most importantly, she wanted to grow old. She wanted her life to go by, she wanted to experience everything and then, when all her experiences were done, she wanted to sit in some ironic rocking chair, hand in hand with her husband, as they laughed about the old times.

She had no chance of that in Neverland. In Neverland. You couldn't reminisce about the old times because nothing was ever old. You couldn't live a normal life because the Island and all of its people were drenched in magic. You couldn't find love because the Island drained you of any such feeling than family love and she didn't want that. She already had that.

"He's just a kid" Charlie sighed and shook his head from beside where Sera sat, back propped up against the wall.

She turned and, upon seeing his teary eyes, frowned "They were all just kids Charlie and that's what they wanted. That's why they stayed...there"

"You can say the word y'know" Charlie shrugged "It's not cursed or anything"

Sera looked away, staring at a small crack within the ground. "I know" she muttered "But it does make it real"

"It was real, Sera. The best sort of real there is, for me at least"

"I know, Charlie" She breathed "I do know what that place-" Charlie shot her a pleading look and she groaned "-what Neverland meant to you" Sera corrected ruefully "But you don't know what this place means to me. This World was our home and, it took me a while to realise but, Neverland could never take that away from me like it did to you"

"Sera, I-" Charlie began, but Sera was quick to intercept him.

"You don't mean to - I know you don't - but you mock the idea of the World being my home. That's why I never say anything" her fingers twisted and turned where they lay rest knotted on her lap. She'd never dared to breach the subject of what would happen where there any chance for Charlie to return to Neverland, but it needed to be said. It felt like poison was burning her insides as she forced herself to look into Charlie's blinding emerald eyes and say the words, whisper the words, write the words.

She wouldn't be going with him.

"Charlie, you need to know tha-"

"Don't take me away" Jake muttered in a muffled voice from where he lay sprawled across Charlie's bed "Please, no. You can't. I don't want to go" His voice was slow to raise but he was quickly shouting and thrashing about the bed, crying tears too unreal to be his own. "Peter!"

"Oh, hell" Charlie muttered as he jumped to his feet and was instantly at Jake's side, gently nudging him till he woke up and Jake clutched at Charlie's dark knitted shirt whilst the tears continued to fall.

She wanted to paint them in that moment, not only because of her love of art but also because she never wanted to forget the looks on their faces. Jake's small trembling hands clutched Charlie jumper whilst his head rested against his chest as small sobs fell from his mouth. Charlie's chin rested atop of Jake's head, a far off look in his eyes as he gently rubbed the kids back soothingly. But there faces were exactly the same. Vacant. As if the only thing they cared about had been taken away, as if all the lights had suddenly gone out and they were left alone in the dark for days. Like they were stuck in never-ending pain, numbed only by the shared experience.