A Castle Made Of Dreams

PAIGE’S DECLARATION STUMPED Wallace silly. He stopped struggling, simply staring at her wide-eyed and jaw agape as she continued to scowl. However, he couldn’t understand why she suddenly changed so drastically, and within a few hours, no less.

“But why now?” he softly asked. “Why return now when you’ve shown obvious disgust the last time we encountered the pirates? You obviously didn’t like them. You didn’t like that life. I’ve not seen you as a captain of a ship before but I know for sure that your smile in the Neverland Orphanage is genuine. You belong there. I don’t. I’m... a foreigner.”

Paige blinked slowly. At first, Wallace could still see the rage in her eyes. However, her grip slowly loosened. She still held him enough to keep him in place but their altitude was starting to lower itself.

They settled atop the roof of the island’s cave, their feet barely gripping the rock. Wallace stumbled a little before he found his footing, his eyes still focused on Paige. As the wind blew, her dress lightly fluttered in the wind, billowing like a pirate’s flag when the ship is sailing the high seas. The red in her eyes was gone but now, it held a tint of blue.

Finally, she mumbled under her breath, “Why do you have to leave?”

Her eyebrows were furrowed, fingers running up and down her own arms, eyes looking on the ground. Her skin was starting to turn red from the friction but she didn’t seem to care. She was too focused on the conversation, too immersed in her thoughts and assumptions.

“Neverland can be your home too. If you don’t like staying in the orphanage, you can stay with me on the ship. They’re not truly bad people. They’ve just been led astray by the wrong captain in my absence.” Then, she looked up. Her eyes reminded Wallace of those of a puppy’s. They were slightly watery, glimmering with tears. “Stay. With me.”

“Did you...” Wallace stuttered. He gulped, swallowing the bile in his throat. “Did you return because you thought I didn’t want to stay in the orphanage specifically? That a fresh environment would make me want to stay in Neverland?”

There was no need for Paige to answer. She shrunk even further like a mimosa that was harshly trampled, withered. The subtle nod of her head was telling enough of her innermost thoughts. Although it warmed Wallace’s heart, he knew what his answer would still be.

He couldn’t stay. This wasn’t his home.

“They’re good people, I promise,” Paige swore, growing desperate. She reached out and grasped Wallace’s hands. “They’re not like how they acted the last time we encountered them.”

“If you say they are good people then there’s no doubt they are,” Wallace affirmed. However, his smile drooped depressingly. “But you know what my answer is. I think you’ve always known.”

“Yes.” Her grip tightened forcefully but enough to hurt Wallace. “I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“You’ll let me go?”

The witch — now pirate captain — braved a smile. She mustered all her strength to display it, her lips trembling.

“I can never stop you. You’re not mine to control.” Paige edged towards the side of the island, holding out a hand in the skies. Within seconds, her broom flew towards her, landing perfectly in her grasp before she swiftly hopped on. “Come,” she beckoned sadly. Her expression speared through Wallace’s heart, making it clench painfully. “I’ll bring you home. Back to the mainland.”