Page 1 of Beneath the Starlight and Storms

CHAPTER1

Shadows weavethrough flashes of light as I move through the portal. Time moves endlessly until it doesn’t. Until everything stops and I’m pushed through the icy barrier that leads me to another world.

My knees and hands collide with the rough ground and a sharp slice of pain shoots through them. I wince and glance over at the portal, the icy wind whipping my long blonde hair across my face as it closes with a flash. And with it, my last way back to Neverland. My home.

Or what it used to be.

I can never go back now. Not after everything that happened. Not after everythinghedid.

I fist my hands as my eyes burn and blur from the tears that threaten to spill.

How could I have been so foolish? How could I have been led so easily and been blind for so long?

Because you’re a fool, Tink. A stupid, naïve fool that believed anything and everything Peter said.

And all because he once promised you love.Hislove.

Something he never had to begin with.

I shake my head, disgusted at myself for not spotting a monster when he was staring right at me. With my past, I should have been able to see beneath his mask straight away. But just like always, I only ever saw what I wanted to see and ignored the sick, twisted feeling in my gut telling me something wasn’t right.

That something wasneverright.

The reality of everything hits me and I shiver as the cold seeps into my body. I glance down at the white slip of a dress I’m wearing, the fabric too thin and fragile to shield me from the icy weather in this Realm.Wherever that may be.

Foolish, Tink.I’m alone in a strange new Realm with nothing and no one, and the first thing I do is feel sorry for myself.

I pull my long blonde hair around me to help guard against the cold bite and glance around.

Where am I?I could be anywhere. That portal didn’t have a location on it when I made my escape from Peter and Neverland.

A grunt and slashing sound filters in from somewhere around me. I turn only to find a large, dark metal structure sitting in front of me. It’s wide enough to hide a dozen men, but still doesn’t hinder the small light filtering through on each side of it. My eyes travel up its size as it towers above me. It’s at least double my height. My gaze finally lands on the night sky above and its dulled starlight.

A pang of pain shutters through my chest as I look up at them, already missing Neverland and its beauty.

But even though they hold none of the vibrance that Neverland has, they’re there. And along with them is a familiarity that makes me feel less alone.

I take a deep breath and nearly choke on the putrid smell that invades my senses. It quickly seeps into the small space around me, making me dizzy and nauseated with the stench.

I move to the opening on my right, hoping to get away from the foul odor and step around it.

Only to realize I’ve landed right beside some sort of brawl.

More than half a dozen men are fighting. But the closer I look, the more I notice the separation between the two groups.

Though they all wear dark clothing, six of the group wear identical head-to-toe black attire, the only hint of color is a silver crest of a star and a strange, twisted swirl in the middle of their chests.

While the other two men wear something more casual. The one furthest away from me wears a long, dark coat that swirls around him as he moves against those in black. His face, though, is hidden in a slash of shadows.

The other man is a little closer so I can make out his shoulder-length wavy black hair. There’s an amused smirk on his face as he flings something that glints in the moonlight at the other group.

A quick shift in the dynamics of the groups forces the fight closer to me.

Taking a step back, I contemplate hiding behind what must be a large waste container, but immediately gag the minute I get closer. The smell lingers around me, churning my empty stomach.

A loud shout bellows from somewhere to my right, making me jump.

I turn my head and immediately spot one of the men with the silver crest standing far too close for my liking. The only relief is that he has his back to me, his focus on the man with the long coat and the other man wearing the amused smirk.

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