As expected, Mary-Ann bombarded me with questions the rest of the day, keen on the idea of pummeling my boss. Fortunately for him, he wasn't the cause of the attack. It was random, but may have been triggered by the stress taking place.

I trekked toward the gateway to ComplexDisney. Ursula had escaped. There was no telling what she might do. No knowing if she would hurt people or not, and the founders were taking the risk and only sending teams out to look for her. They weren't even fully trained teams either. More like volunteers who were looking for big bucks to earn.

I walked through the employees entry door to head over to the kitchen for Olaf, BFG, and Pegasus' food. This had become a routine, and the only minor problem was remaining balanced on the ice in Olaf's exhibit. Once that was conquered, I would be able to get my work done with no accident. Hopefully, though, by the time that point came, I would have solved the puzzle to why fiction was making its way to reality.

The large kitchen was mostly empty, with only two other workers preparing meals and cooking food. I opened the fridge to grab the ice cream before moving to get the hay and large platter of food for BFG and Pegasus.

"Hey, I'll be leaving soon to get to quarantine," the taller, young man told the other. "They need the key for tonight after the park is closed, but I'll be back in a jiff. You'll need to keep an eye on the biscuits though. They'll be in the oven and close to the time of being pulled out."

I paused a few steps away from the large platter of food. He has the key to quarantine? I looked over at him, my eyes finding the key set on a hook above the sink. He must have placed it there so he wouldn't get it dirty as he messed with some flour that slowly coated his apron as he worked. I inhaled sharply. If I could get the key, I could talk to Peter Pan!

"That's alright, Ben," the shorter man said, pulling a box off of a shelf. "I won't let them burn. I have to work at the oven soon anyways."

I slowly grabbed the large platter of food so I didn't look suspicious as the two men turned to look at me, realizing the extra company they had. I smiled dimly before leaving the kitchen. I'd have to go back in to grab the hay beneath the sink. That's perfect!

I didn't even stop to chat as I dropped the ice cream on the other side of Olaf's exhibit door before doing the same for the BFG. I locked his door as his gigantic form moved to grab the food. I didn't think he was being fed enough as it would take a large amount of food to satisfy him for just one meal.

I hastily returned to the kitchen where the two men had stopped talking. Even though I had been at the sink many times to grab hay, this time I felt really suspicious. I reminded myself that it would look like my daily routine to the two men, but to me, it felt totally different. Probably because I was going to be nicking the key. It was a dumb plan but all I had. As long as he didn't notice the key was missing long enough so I could get inside quarantine and out again, I should be fine.

Ben moved over for me so I could reach down and open the cupboard. My heart beat rapidly as I wrapped my fingers around the ropes holding a large cube of hay together before standing up straight and hoisting it over into one arm. I skillfully reached my hand out, using the hay to hide my movement from the two mens view. Ben had his head down as he rolled some dough out, but as he looked up at me, my hand instinctively flew back to my side, empty. The key still hang on the hook.

"Can you move now?" he asked, his eyes falling on the hay. "Go feed the horse."

"It's Pegasus," I said, trying to stall.

"Same thing. Move."

My heart sank as I moved out of his way. There goes my chance. It wasn't like I could be all ninja-like like in those weird movies people like to watch. Reality wasn't like that. You either did something clumsily, or didn't do it at all.

How am I suppose to get into quarantine now?

I let my shoulders sag as I turned to leave, but as I looked up at the doorway, my mouth dropped open. The hay slipped beneath my arm as I stared at the figure wandering around aimlessly and reaching his twig hand out to the fridge door. He turned and grinned at me.

"Hello!" Olaf loudly proclaimed, drips of water slipping down his face as he was not anywhere cold anymore.

"What the...?" Ben and the other man whirled around and gasped out loud, annoyance and disgust appearing on their faces. "Quick, grab it!"

The two of them rushed past me and toward Olaf who immediately fleed through the door on his stubby legs. I didn't have time to stare and watch the awkward scene as I turned and sprinted back toward the sink. I grabbed the key off of the hook and slipped it into my pocket before exiting the kitchen. I owed Olaf one. I must have not locked his exhibit door when I rushed to toss the bucket of ice cream inside.

Ben and the man were dragging Olaf into his exhibit as I stepped out into the fresh morning air. I snorted to cover up a laugh as Ben slipped on the ice and exclaimed something angrily as they exited and slammed the door shut. My smile dropped once Ben rounded on me.

"Isn't that snowman yours to watch?" he demanded, face red. "You didn't lock his door! I wouldn't be surprised if you released Ursula too!"

I winced at the sharp shove he initiated with his words. The hay slipped out of my arm and onto the floor. I scowled as the shorter man slinked back to the kitchen. "It was one small mess up! You obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Ben spat on the ground before shoving me again, more forcefully this time. I stumbled backward as he glared at me before walking back toward the kitchen. Once he had disappeared inside, I rushed to Olaf's exhibit to lock it before delivering the hay to Pegasus' exhibit and locking that too. The key bumped against my leg from in my pocket and my heart leapt at what I was about to do.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and made sure I wasn't about to have another panic attack before heading toward Royal Rounds. Took what felt like forever to get there. The quarantine door was right next to the entry gate, though, so that was helpful.

I acted casual as workers walked past me. They barely acknowledged my presence except for slight head tilts in my direction, and I felt relieved that I did't seem suspicious. I returned the gestures as I reached the quarantine door. I glanced around me. There were only two workers around, and they were completely engrossed in fixing something to pay me any attention. Just as I began reaching for the key in my pocket, my stomach somersaulted as I remembered something.

Security cameras.

They were bound to have them here. I glanced around at the roofs of buildings and lamp posts, moving away from the door so whoever was watching through the cameras didn't get suspicious. I quickly strode toward the two women working on fixing a water fountain.

"Are there any security cameras around here?" I asked once I was in hearing range for them.

The older woman looked up at me. "Yes. They aren't activated right now, though, as there has been serious glitching and some cameras seem to not function properly."

Just my luck! "When will they be working again?"

"Tonight, at the latest," she answered. "For today, there will be security guards stationed everywhere."

"Ah, okay, thanks. I was just curious."

"No problem." Her attention focused back on the fountain.

I walked away from them, feeling thankful for the news. As I reached the quarantine door again, I glanced back at them before pulling the silver key out of my pocket and inserting it into the lock. With one twist, there was a slight click. I held my breath as I turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open.

As I slipped inside, I closed the door behind me. I dropped the key back into my pocket as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting.

This is quarantine?

I was in a room with a bed against the wall. There were tables and shelves covered with medical tools and medicines. The orange lightbulb on the ceiling cast a light just bright enough that I could make out the whole room. As I moved forward, a small groan greeted me, causing me to jump slightly. I turned toward the bed where a form laid, shifting slightly.

"Peter?" I asked softly, moving toward the bed.

I wasn't quite sure what I expected. But what I saw, I was never prepared for.

A boy, about twelve or thirteen, was lying sprawled in the bed. His skin was pale and clammy, with one hand clamped tightly over his chest where red stains stood out visibly against the tightly wrapped white bandages. His blond curly hair was damp with sweat, and one thing that popped into my mind was that Peter Pan's hair wasn't blond. It was more of a reddish color in the Disney version.

"Peter?" I asked again over a strained gasp of pain that escaped the frail boy. He shifted around uncomfortably, his body tensed and eyes squeezed shut as he fought off the pain.

I glanced around me, afraid someone might have been watching. It was a silly notion to think because this was a one room quarantine, and there were no obvious places a person could hide.

Who did this? Was it the white gloved person Travis mentioned? Or, was it a group of people with white gloves? Doctors? Or did he get injured in a different way?

"Peter," I said, placing my hand on his. "Can you hear me?"

Peter let out a weak cough before turning his head slightly in my direction and cracking his eyes open. I swallowed at the attention the wounded boy was giving me, my eyes flicking back to the bloodied bandages wrapped around his bare chest. The blood soaked the bandages more heavily in some places and I was guessing that it was where the actual wounds were.

"Who did this to you?" I asked softly, hoping that he had answers, or even understood what I was saying.

His eyes locked with mine. His lips parted as if he wanted to speak. He shifted his body again, causing the bed to creak. His hand tightened over his chest, making creases in the middle of the bandages. "R..."

Only the pronunciation of the letter R escaped his lips before he succumbed into a fit of coughing and wheezing. I gripped his hand tightly, wanting the pain to leave. He was still just a boy, fictional or not. All of the characters were just like us.

"Shh," I soothed, the room getting warmer by the minute. There were no windows or air conditioning anywhere.

"Ro..." Peter tried again, but his word was cut off as he cried out in pain, his body arching upward. I pressed him back into the bed gently, not wanting him to injure himself further.

"Ro is helpful," I said genuinely. It really was helpful. It's a hint. "Thank you. I'm trying to save you, okay? You'll feel better soon."

I wasn't sure if he processed my words or not. I leaned down and kissed his forehead before walking back toward the door. I hated leaving him there but there was nothing I could do. At least some doctors were trying to help.

I reached out and began to pull the door open but I almost gasped out loud as I quickly shut it.

There was a guard outside the door.

I'm doomed.

•~•~•~•~•

Woo! She got into quarantine...and only got "Ro" out of Peter. What do you think it means? :O

Once again, apologies for the draft. But the more I update this old one, the more excited I am to rewrite! It's going to be epic!!