A Word From Brittany

  If you’re reading this, hello!

  I know this is a very short story and I want to believe it could go places, but I just had to release it in it’s form it’s in now and see where I take it later.

  Thank you for your support! If you do enjoy reading it, please leave a review and let me know. If you didn’t like it, please email me authorbrittanywright@gmail.com and me know what you didn’t like about it.

  Otherwise, remember you are more than enough. It’s okay to be okay and I believe in you. <3

  Neverland’s Wonder

  Brittany Wright

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  About the Author

  Special thanks:

  Pantera—Five Minutes Alone

  Loveless–Supernova; Worst-case scenario; Middle of the Night.

  Black Label Society–A Love Unreal

  1

  Have you ever just had enough that you wanted to scream, run, or fall asleep and not wake up? That was my life constantly, but I had enough. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. No, the voodoo doll that killed the witch. I know the stories and myths about other creatures hidden in the Enchanted Forest, but I didn’t pay it any mind. Being raised by bears would be superior to my aunt. Walking through the enchanted forest, I was done with everything to do with my life. I was done with the daily emotional and physical abuse, being used, and the torment of being alive. The worst part is they accused me of killing my parents. Who did this? Why, who else other than my aunt? I walked out of the house and straight into the forest. Was I prepared? Absolutely not. I had my basket of goodies I made, a backpack with additional supplies, and I was wearing a new dress and red jacket with a massive hood, covering my curly, wild red hair.

  I had a fork in the road where I could walk left, right, or straight? Something was calling, so I followed the call. I went to the left. Never left behind. I noticed the trees were full of life and beautiful. Rabbits and squirrels ran alongside me as I sang a delightful song my mother used to sing me. It was her lullaby, and I loved it. Evidently, the animals did, too. I felt a tingle on my neck. I wasn’t alone anymore. I mean, with the animals with me, I wasn’t alone either, but I wasn’t alone now.

  Two brute men ran to catch up with me. “Hello little girl, you’re awfully deep into the forest. Is there a reason you are here?” One giant spoke. His voice sent a tingle down my spine. I’m not sure if it made me curiouser or if it showed danger. I was being inflexible, so I ignored it. “Yes, pretty girl wearing a lot of red. Where are you headed?” The other lumberjack buzzed into my ears as they encircled around me. They looked at me as if they could see through me.

  “First, my name is Bayou. I ran away from home to get some peace and read some books. Second, why does it matter?” I answered them. I swear I squeaked like a mouse.

  “Bayou, nice to meet you.” They both said. Then they growled. Like a wolf's growl, they growled at me!

  “Am I in your territory or something? I don't have an issue with leaving or going in the other direction if it's a problem.” I replied.

  “No, little one. Usually when a virgin walks into our forest, taking our path instead of the yellow brick road, it means they’re a sacrifice from the Evil Queen.” He asked licking his lips, “So let me ask, Bayou. Are you a virgin?” Shit.

  “I am.” I answered with confidence. We didn’t have boys in our village.

  “Do you want to change that?” The second giant asked. They were tall. Their lips were plump, they had long hair and beards. I think I read about them with the Norse Vikings. They intrigued me. I was terrified. This was almost laughable. Not wanting to play their games anymore, I simply replied, “Not really. I’d just like to read.”

  “What’s wrong, Bayou?” The first giant responded, “are you afraid of the big bad wolves?” Big? Yes. They were giants. Bad? How bad could they be? Wolves. There’s no way! Is there?

  As if reading my mind, “Thank you for the compliment. Yes, we are werewolves, and yes, we are half-giants, too. Mom wanted a giant to mate with to ensure a stronger family. And I can show you how bad we can get.”

  “Little Siren, what song were you singing earlier?” The second man asked. I didn’t answer. “I apologize Bayou. We know your name, but you do not know ours. I’m Rian and this is Kane.”

  “Nice to meet both of you. I think.” I offered my hands to them to shake their hands properly the way a lady was supposed to. Each man kissed my hand after licking it. “The pleasure is all ours,” Rian said. “For now,” Kane finished.

  “Why are you in the woods so far from your home? This could be dangerous for you, Siren.” Kane asked, more serious and sympathetic. To be honest, or not.

  “Please be honest with us.” Rian added, reading my mind again. Please stay out of my mind. It’s my only secure place. “Noted.” They said simultaneously.

  “I ran away from home. My aunt’s and cousin’s torture has become too much,” I explained. “To be honest, I don’t know where I’m going, but I know how I got here. It’s a long story, so please bear with me.”

  “I was mad at my aunt and cousins. Impossible to please, never satisfied, spoiled to the max. Yeah, that’s Aria and Tia. I read all I wanted in my spare time, while the aunt and sisters spent all his money and turned me into their little cleaning slave. Even if I tried, I couldn't make it up. The basements were my new room, while the brainless twins took my suite and unified the second floor. Every morning, I woke up, cleaned the kitchen, prepared breakfast, and prepared lunch and dinners for them to finish preparing. Hoping they would have enough brain cells left to complete at least one task to help me out just a little. Instead, they never did and always fretted because it wasn’t ready. Apparently, getting off their lazy bottoms and finishing a task was way too much to ask. Considering, I left the instructions for them.” I took a deep breath. They were tuning in to every word.

  “Go on, Siren.” Rian said and Kane nodded.

  So, I continued, “By night, the kitchen was clean again, breakfast prepped, lunches and dinners prepped with instructions on them (and, like always, they ignored it). All the chores were done. I hung the laundry, ironed, and put away. I dusted the living area. Everything is perfect as it should be. Satisfying the three was the most arduous task of my life. I headed to my room in the basement, and my aunt had to say the wrong thing. “Your father would be ashamed to have such a disgraceful, ugly daughter.” I dropped everything in my hands and turned around to face the evil witch that had plagued my life for so long.” I was almost in tears.

  They invested time in my life and in how I was treated. “Why would anyone call you ugly? Take one look at you and I want to keep you forever.” When Kane asked, he did his best to make it a joke, but I nodded my head. “He’s sorry for interrupting you. Please continue.” Rian said, apologizing for Kane. “Sometimes my brother doesn’t realize his lack of a filter can get him slapped.” They both laugh. “Go ahead, I’m sorry, Siren.”

  “I was sick of it. Five minutes was what I wanted. I listened to the Pantera song in my portable music player and wanted to scream the lyrics to “Five Minutes Alone,” but I just couldn’t let them know I was ignoring everything they were bitching about.” I stopped for a minute. “Have you ever listened to Pantera?” They both nodded and waved their hands for me to continue.

  “So, my aunt went into one of her angry spells and said, “If you walk out of this mansion, I’ll make sure there’s nothing left of your inheritance left by your father, and you may not step foot into this home again.” She was screaming at me as I packed my food. I knew he left everything for me in the Will. They were lucky I had to be here until I was 21, before everything was in my name and then I could move on. I had three years to go. Aunt grabbed my bag and held onto my blueberry snickerdoodle and chanted something in Latin. I think I heard: “Duo Bites, vitam mutant, morph quod male faciunt, recte faciunt. Veritatem intus monstra mendacia, fores ligans reserata. Sint veritatis libero sint. Ut in pace sempiternal volumes.” which translated to “Two Bites, they change lives, morph what they do wrong, they do right. Show the truth inside the lies, binding the doors unlocked. Let them be free of truth. That we may live in everlasting peace.”” I paused for a minute because they both looked at each other and took a step back. “Do you still have any of the cookies in your basket or in your backpack?” I nodded, handing them some cookies I made before my aunt touched them and fixed them both some juice. I’m glad I brought the extra cups with me.

  “She’s always acting insane. She thinks she’s some royal witch. No, lady, you’re a royal bitch. I loved my dad, but I still wonder what spell she put him under. He wasn’t that stupid. Maybe I was too young to notice.” They both laughed.

  “I remember the day he brought the witch and her little spawns home. He said she would stay with us and to treat her like family—that we would be a family and I had someone to play with. Only problem was the witch was not family and the children he brought to play with were kin to trolls, no offense to the trolls and their kind. Dad always told me to treat everyone with respect and it would pay off soon enough. The harder lessons he taught me-that he and my mother taught me - were the ones I would never forget. How to grieve your parents on the inside. How to let go of something, but hold on to it simultaneously. To always give up, but hold on to your dreams. Yeah, I learned a lot from them. Sadly, my evil witch of an aunt was always casting spells on our fruits and food. She set one on the mirror that told her she was the most beautiful queen in the land. So naturally, the narcissistic bitch thought she had the upper hand when spelling my cookies. Whatever. I might not even eat them, anyway.” I laughed finishing before continuing to explain. “Everything in this house, Is mine. Everything in my father’s name is mine. In my name. Not yours. You have no rights to anything here. Please know, Lucina, if I walk out of this door, I expect you to be gone in three years, because when I come back, I promise you, you and your little daughters are gone.” I said, grabbed my bag and ran out the door. I planned on coming back tonight, but I didn’t know when I would accept that fact. This was my home, not hers. She was a temporary head of the estate until my lawyer signed the final papers with me.”

  “So, that’s what happened. After that, I ran into Whispering Woods, the proclaimed enchanted forest, because I needed a change of scenery. I knew for a fact the dainty little bitches wouldn’t ever think of entering. Not only because they are too prim, spoiled and perfect. They had others do everything for them. I took a left at the fork, sang to the bunnies and rabbits, and that’s when you two came up.” I finished explaining as they were eating the rest of their cookies.

  “So, are you going back home tonight? If you need a place to rest, we have a pack house. I assure you, Kane, and I will let nothing happen to you. Wolves’, Honor.” Rian pledged as he was patting his chest.

  “I’m not going back home tonight, but I do plan on finding a good place to sit and read. Are there any more big bad wolves out there to harm me?” I asked, mocking them.

  “There’s nothing out of her but us. We have been scouting to ensure that we do not have any rogues entering our lair. You should be good until you reach the swamp. We also have good hearing, so if you need anything, just scream for us as loud as you can.” They gave me a hug and thanked me for the cookies.

  “Thank you for not being the monsters in my nightmares. Although I’m hesitant about letting anything get to me tonight. I just want to read this book and relax in peace.” We went our separate ways. I know I walked for a good twenty minutes. Perhaps it was an hour. I usually lose track of time in nature. The life in the forest thrives on flowers and animals. And a thought hit me out of nowhere. Why were they calling me a siren?

  Letting the thought go and feeling like I was losing daylight, I ran. Running in the woods was an amazing feeling. I ran fast and then I ran slow, then a brisk jog. There was so much to look at and so little time. I wanted to read. Bayou, you’re sounding like a spoiled child. You’ll get to read soon. I told myself what I remembered my mother’s voice to sound like.

  Upon running, I found a beautiful row of Acadia and Oak trees. I settled on the stump I named Oakie. As I rested, I snacked on the remaining blueberry snickerdoodles, drank a bottle of squeezed apple juice, and investigated the woods. It was so beautiful here. I packed a mini picnic, my lunch bag, and a few extra snacks in my duffel bag. Within the basket, I had a few chocolate chip cookies, sandwiches, and lemonade. I had no plan on coming back tonight, so I also attached a lantern, sleeping bag and tent, a few extra books, and a lantern so I could read once I found my peace.

  While sipping my juice and eating my snacks, I got lost in one of my books. This blueberry snickerdoodle was one of the best I had ever made in my life! It was the perfect blend of blueberry and sugar cookie and the right cinnamon. The book I was reading was amazing. Suddenly, I became very distracted. Something was drawing me into the woods. Deeper. The deeper I went into the woods, the stronger the pull was. You’re never alone if you hear my song. Don’t be a prude, sing along. I followed the voice, sang along to the song. It was the same lullaby. The pull was getting so strong. I’ve felt nothing like this before. Magnetic force could be as close to an explanation as I can give for the sensation that took place. I ran deeper into the woods. I wasn’t sure where I was. I saw a rabbit and a cat running together. I swore the cat had a smile.

  2

  And then I fell. I’m not talking, tripping over a branch and landing on my ass. I’m talking, falling off a cliff into a tunnel and losing my mind. I left the basket at the tree, but I still had my backpack with me. I hope someone has a great picnic. The fall was quite the acid trip, however; I did no drugs or hallucinogens. I was sober. Unless the Apple juice can turn to wine? The transition of light and brightness were impeccable, and though I was falling, I also felt like I was simply moving from one place to another, as you would switch seats while going to the library or a diner. There were words written around me, but I could only make out a few words: beautiful, fair, and kind. I looked closer at the wall. There were tea sets painted on the surface. A deck of cards with legs, roses, and so many red roses were painted, decorating the view of this tunnel.

  Suddenly, I saw a few doors. I grabbed a ledge and walked through the door. I used my backpack to wedge the door open. Walking through the door was a vanity room with one fancy mirror. There were ivy plants hanging and reaching from one side to the other. I looked into the mirror and saw a beautiful princess wearing a red dress, crown and with one scar over her eye. I had a scar over my eye, but I did not have that dress or crown. What a beautiful illusion! Leaving the vanity room, I headed back to the area where I was traveling. I see another door a few minutes later. Using a branch to stop me, I climbed up and walked through, again leaving the door open, so I wasn’t forever stuck. Going through, I see a few vials of medicine. One said, “Fix me”. Another said, “break me.” There were three others: Reverse me, eat me, drink me. That was awesome. I didn’t want to steal, so I left them there and jumped back down the hole I was traveling in. Soon after, I saw another view of this tunnel. Was it a tunnel? I fall into it and walk for a good mile. There was no door to prop open, so I kept walking. On the other side, I saw little men helping gather wood and supplies for their village. It was quite a sight to see, but seeing as I wasn’t sure where I was, I traveled back and saw if I could find my way back to my tree. I jumped back in from the tunnel. Traveling for another twenty minutes. I think I came to China. Maybe? Nothing looked familiar. In the woods, it should have been getting closer to the sun setting. Here, it was bright, and everything was alive. Where was I? Did I fall asleep? I landed with a splash and I want to say I fell back asleep.

  Waking up, I don’t know where I fell. I can’t give you the exact coordinates of where I was. But the moment I fell, I felt my entire life change and improve. That’s not when I met him. That’s when I showed who and what I was. I lived a Cinderella life. I had the entire cousin and evil step-in mom thing going on. She was evil and took care of me in place of my parents. They were only here because my parents died in horrible freak accidents. They were evil. However, I didn’t have a fairy godmother. Maybe my life was a fairytale. Who knows? The surrounding water made me feel so calm and electrified. Reflecting on my life and everything that surrounded me since I was six years old and lost my mother. I had a picture of her in my locket my father gave me. Her on one side, him on the other. Even though they weren’t alive anymore, they were always with me.

  My father said that a fisherman confused my mother for a fish and killed her. Nobody found her body, and I never had a genuine chance to mourn or grieve over my mother. Shortly after, my father died of a mysterious drowning. Yet, my entire life I have feared the water, until now. I knew my father left me letters in his safe, but I was the only one with the code to the safe, yet I never felt like I could open them and go through losing them all over again. He left me an orphan and stuck with the evilest of aunts and cousins from hell. When I fell through this hole or escaped reality and lost my mind, it never dawned on me that maybe I didn’t belong in that world, but I wanted so bad for them to realize that if it weren’t for my father and I, they wouldn’t have the extravagant things they had when my aunt stepped in for my daddy.

 

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