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ALESSA
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Ronan treads water beside me, his dark eyes fixed on Nerida. She stares back at him, her expression serene. She’s so calm, and it infuriates me, because now is not the time to be calm. Ronan is missing his heart!
I touch Ronan’s arm and he flinches, as though he has forgotten I’m here. “The pocket watch,” I choke out, my voice small. “Your hat ...”
He returns his gaze to the mermaid. “How do I get it back?”
His heart. His broken heart!
My chest aches, as though my own heart is breaking for him.
“Use the key,” Nerida says, and then she is gone, swallowed by the depths of the lake.
Ronan stares at the ripples on the water’s surface for what feels like an eternity.
I gently squeeze his arm. “We should go.” My teeth chatter, even though the water is warm.
He nods, and we swim back to the shore, the silence and the Neverland night weighing heavy between us. I traipse up the bank to where I left my clothing, wringing out the hem of my chemise as I go. The pocket watch shines silver in the moonlight, and even though I already knew it holds a piece of Ronan’s heart, now that it’s confirmed, it somehow seems all too real. Or surreal. My mind can’t quite grasp the expanse of what I just saw in Ronan’s memories.
His mother ripped his heart from his chest and broke it.
I crouch and set the pocket watch gently aside, then quickly dress. When I turn to Ronan, the timepiece resting on my palm, he stares at me with empty eyes, as though he has retreated inside his mind, searching for more answers.
“Forgetting was better.” Ronan clutches his chest and squeezes his eyes closed. “Remembering hurts too damn much.”
Slowly, I go to him and press my hand over his, the pocket watch between us.
“We can fix this,” I say. “I can help you remember yourself.”
He looks down at me, his brow furrowed. “I’m not sure I want to know.”
I take a deep breath, then gently prise his fingers open and push the pocket watch into his hand. “If I can love the man you are now, then I most certainly can love the man you used to be.”
Ronan’s lips part. He raises his eyebrow and tilts his head. “You love me?”
A grin forms on my lips. “I suppose I do.”
“How can you love someone who is heartless?”
“You’re not heartless.” I reach up and press my palm against his cheek. “You’re just lost. But I’ll help you find your way again.”
Ronan looks down at the pocket watch. “Use the key,” he mumbles.
I lift the leather necklace over my head and hold it out to him. Ronan hesitates, then raises his hook. “Only one hand, remember?”
I suppress a chuckle, take the timepiece from him, then open the back cover and hold it so he can slip the key into the winding hole. Ronan winds the pocket watch all the way until the key will no longer turn. It elicits a faint click and he removes the key. I hold my breath, vaguely aware of Rose, who has been quiet until now, gently landing on Ronan’s shoulder.
Ronan opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, the keyhole glows red, brighter than I have ever seen it. The light seeps from the back of the pocket watch, curling in mist-like tendrils and rising into the air between us. Then it darts at Ronan, slamming into his chest with enough force to knock him back a step.
Rose squawks and tumbles from Ronan’s shoulder, her wings beating frantically. She circles around to hover at my side. “What was that?”
Ronan leans forward, clutching his chest and breathing hard.
“A piece of his heart.” I glance at the pocket watch.
Something shifts beneath my fingers. I snap it closed and turn it over as the final leaf of the design moves into place. The heart-shape is gone and the back case is now completely covered with roses, stems, and leaves. But the pattern shifts, forming the heart again and revealing an inscription within it.
Begin at the beginning.
I repeat the words to myself a couple of times, remembering the rest of the King of Heart’s words. And go on till you come to the end: then stop. But why is there only part of the advice engraved into the pocket watch?
“Ronan, are you all right?” Rose asks.
He straightens and looks into my eyes. An involuntary gasp passes my lips. Ronan’s eyes are green, as they always have been, but there is a light inside them I have not seen before.
“Aye, Rose,” Ronan says, not taking his stare from me. “Never been better.”
“What now?” I whisper.
Ronan takes a few steps to close the gap between us. He uses his hook and hand to slip the leather necklace back over my head. I tuck the pocket watch into my dress, making a note to show him the change later. The key rests against my chest, and Ronan brushes it with his fingers before trailing them over my collarbone, up my neck, and to my cheek.
My heart hammers against my ribcage, the new light in Ronan’s eyes swirling like a raging storm. His lips quirk at the corners, and heat burns my cheeks as he rakes his gaze over me. His stare rests on my mouth and I can’t help licking my lips.
Rose clears her throat. “Neither of you have told me what happened in the lake.”
I drag my gaze away from Ronan, very aware of how close he is and his scorching touch on my skin. Rose hovers to my left, her hands on her hips, and for a heartbeat I want to swat her away so I can have this moment with Ronan uninterrupted.
But now is not the time.
I take a step away to put some space between us. “Ronan just got a piece of his heart back. There are three. Another is in his hat in the lighthouse, the third is somewhere in Wonderland.”
Ronan opens and closes his fist and presses his lips together, as though he is trying to compose himself. He turns his full attention to Rose, and I let out a long, controlled breath, willing the heat in my face, chest, and belly to calm down.
“My mother ...” He stops, clenching his fist again and shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter now. What matters is getting the second piece of my heart so we can get to Wonderland.” Ronan laughs, but the sound is hollow. “Mother dearest won’t know what hit her.”
“Come on, then.” Rose flits higher into the air, her pink glitter mingling with the silver stars.
Ronan and I refresh our faerie dust that washed off in the lake, then he takes my hand and we join Rose, flying towards Wonderheart.
In the distance, the beam flashes out over the Neversea, illuminating Vengeance where she bobs on the water off the coast of the lighthouse island. As we draw closer, and the beam rounds again, I catch a glimpse of something small fluttering amongst the stars; a trail of orange sparkles in its wake.
Tiger Lily.
She reaches the lighthouse as we touch down at the base of the odd building.
“Where have you been?” the fiery faerie asks, hands on her hips. “I returned to the woods, but you weren’t there. I’ve been all around Neverland trying to find you.” Her eyes widen and she darts forward, clutching Ronan’s nose with her tiny hands and staring into each eye. “What happened?”
Ronan gently pushes her away. “We returned to the Lake of Memories.”
Then he tells her everything we learned. Rose listens intently alongside her sister, both faerie’s expressions changing with each new piece of information.
“All this time, we’ve just been pawns in her game,” Tiger Lily says.
“I’m sorry you were dragged into this,” Ronan says, rubbing his cheek. “It would have been better if you stayed in Wonderland.”
“So we could be stuck in the ground all the time?” Rose says. “No thanks.”
I move closer to Ronan and take his hand. “You ready?”
He looks up at the glass dome of the lighthouse, then back at me. “Unbelievably so.”
Ronan presses his hand to the wall of Wonderheart, revealing the entrance, and we race up the stairs to the lantern room. I stare out over the Neversea, marvelling at the beauty of the sugary sky stretched out before me. It will be sad to say goodbye to Neverland, but my heart aches to see Alice again, and it aches even more now that we are so close.
Ronan touches my arm, bringing me back to the room. “I need the key, love.”
His eyes smoulder, and I wonder how much they will change once he has the second piece of his heart back. If he is destroying any sense of resolve I have now, I can’t even contemplate how weak his stare will make me when he’s whole again.
I blink rapidly to regain my composure, then slip the leather over my head and pass him the key. Ronan steps up to the lantern. The hat spins slowly, casting its light over Neverland, as he walks around it a couple of times, his brows dipped in thought.
“There’s no keyhole,” he mumbles.
I study the hat. “Maybe you need to put it on?”
Ronan raises an eyebrow and grins. “I knew I brought you for a reason.”
“Stop!” Tiger Lily yells, just as Ronan’s fingers brush the brim of the hat. “This is wrong.”
“What the bloody hell do you mean?” Ronan asks. “My memory knows a piece of my heart is in here.”
“But it’s not the right piece.” Tiger Lily darts over and puts herself between Ronan and the hat. “When you went into the past, you created two timelines. You’re on the wrong timeline.” The little faerie’s eyes plead with Ronan. “If you do this now, here, there will still be a piece of your heart on the other timeline.” She starts in the air, her mouth forming an O and her eyes going wide. “Who knows what effect that will have? I told you to stop messing with Time!”
“Ronan, she’s right.” I grab his arm. “We have to wait for the timelines to meet again, so there’s only one.”
“But we got the piece from the pocket watch.” He gestures towards my skirts where the timepiece is hidden.
“This is the original pocket watch. It’s the one we’ve had with us since the moment we met,” I say.
Ronan runs his hand through his hair. The muscles of his hook arm flex under my grasp and I let go. He walks to the glass and stares out at the sea, hands on his hips. Rose flits over and perches on his shoulder, patting his cheek.
“I’ve lost track of where we’re up to with Time,” he finally says, glancing at me over his shoulder.
I worry at my lip, moving to stand beside Ronan. It’s still dark out, the sky lit by the full Neverland moon and twinkling stars. Fatigue washes over me, making my limbs heavy, and I can’t recall the last time I had a good sleep. It seems we’ve been going for days, when really it shouldn’t be that long.
Time works differently here.
The Neversea churns, whitecaps drifting across the surface of the water. A bird cries somewhere in the distance. I stare at the cloudless sky, then remember what happened the last time we were here. In my mind’s eye, I see the sun rising and falling, casting orange, pink, and purple light through the clouds as time spun and ... What did Ronan say?
“Reset ...” I mumble.
“What was that, love?” Ronan asks.
“Reset,” I repeat. “If you can reset the island, like what happened when you fixed the hat’s thread, can you speed it up? Can we speed up the days?”
“I’m ... not sure.”
“Come on, Ronan.” I spin to face him. “If you can travel through time, surely you can do whatever the hell you want in this place. Just ... wave your hand and use your magic.” I wave my own hands at him.
“A lady shouldn’t use language like that.”
I plant my hands on my hips. “Now is not the time for an etiquette lesson.”
A heavy sigh sounds behind us, and I turn to where Tiger Lily hovers near the hat. She pinches the bridge of her nose with her tiny fingers and shakes her head.
“Come on, Tiger Lily,” Ronan says. “Get it off your chest.”
The faerie drops her hand to her side, looks at the hat, then at Ronan. “As much as I hate to say it, Alessa could be on to something. We don’t want to sit around waiting, so speeding things along may be our only option.”
“Do you know how to do that?” I face Ronan and worry at my lip, hoping he’ll say yes.
“I ... have a theory,” he finally replies, one eyebrow raised.
“A theory?”
“It’s where all good ideas start.”
Ronan rushes over to the lantern. The hat spins consistently in the same slow rhythm, round and round and round. He puts a finger to his lips, frowning, then squints.
“How long?” he mumbles.
“Wait,” I say, as Ronan reaches for the brim of the hat.
He groans, but lets his hand fall away. “What this time?”
“Will this actually work?”
Ronan shrugs. “Hopefully.”
“Hopefully?” I stare at him. “We’ll hopefully end up in the right time?”
“Yes?” he says.
“But you don’t know for sure?”
Ronan winces. “No.”
“Then, are we better off using the Time Tunnels?”
“Oh boy,” Tiger Lily says, covering her face with her hands.
“After getting the key, we always planned to return to the time we left, but we got stuck here fixing things, and—”
“I know, love. I was with you. Remember?” Ronan puts his hand on his hip and grins.
“Alessa is right,” Rose says. “All you have to do to get the timelines to meet again is return to the time when you left for the past.”
“The future hasn’t happened from that point, on either timeline,” I add. “So they should just meet up. Shouldn’t they?”
“Logically, yes.” Ronan raises his eyebrow.
“Seriously, Ronan! Now you’re thinking logically? Nothing we’ve done so far has been logical! Everything is perfectly illogical.” I throw my hands in the air. “We’re talking time travel. And your heart is literally in pieces, for crying out loud!”
“To the Time Tunnels, then?” he asks.
Tiger Lily groans. “I hope this doesn’t break something again.”
“It won’t,” Ronan says.
“Do either of you need more faerie dust?” Tiger Lily asks.
I take a deep breath and huff it out, tired of going around in circles. Tired of this taking so long. Tired of having to figure out what to do next, where to go, how to move forward. Tired of illogical logic.
Tired of just being ... tired.
“No,” I say, rubbing my eyes. “I can get us there faster.”
