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Chapter 105 - Part V - 9: Jack

Jack was having a hard time paying attention to what Tink was trying to tell him. He was sitting in a chair across from her in her small office in central control, and his eyes kept wandering to the many screens that were displaying what was happening in different parts of Neverland. In addition, a pair of creepy, animatronic birds were singing in the corner, and they were horribly distracting. He didn't know how Tink got anything done. He shook his head and forced himself to look at what Tink was showing him.

"Look at this section over here," Tink said, pointing to a video of the forest from the night before. "There was a little bit of a breeze, so the leaves are moving, but the leaves on this tree are moving the other way. And the other night, when I turned the volume up, I could hear breathing."

"Breathing?"

"Yes. Heavy, labored breathing."

Jack frowned. "Maybe It was a deer or something."

"Deer don't breathe like that. I think we have an intruder."

Jack sighed. "So you want me to check it out?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright." Jack stood up and looked at the screen again. "Where exactly is this? On the northern edge of the forest?"

"By the Weather Tree."

"Okay." He was about to leave when something from another one of the screens caught his eye. "Whoa, what is this?" He walked over and turned up the volume on a video showing Cora talking to some pretty boy by the cliffs.

"I wouldn't do that, Jack," Tink warned. "It'll only bring you pain."

But it was too late. With just a few keystrokes, he was listening to a conversation that, according to the time stamp, had happened yesterday afternoon. Jack quickly became disgusted with the guy and his smooth words, but what was more alarming was that Cora seemed to be smitten with him.

"Who is that?" He asked, turning to Tink.

"Mason Harper," Tink replied. "He's visited the park three or four times now, and all the mermaids are in love with him, including Cora, apparently." She tapped her fingernails on the desk. "I was surprised. I thought she was stronger than that."

"So did I," Jack muttered.

Tink gave him a pitying look. "I wouldn't lose hope just yet," she said. "Maybe he'll turn out to be an awful person, and then you can have another chance."

Jack swallowed hard. "Wait. You know that I... like her?"

Tink quirked an eyebrow and gestured to all of the screens. "What do you think?"

Jack groaned and Tink held up her hands in defense.

"Hey, I can't help that watching Cora yell at you is way more interesting than watching Noodler pick his nose. I liked what you said about the mouth to mouth resuscitation, by the way. That was very funny."

"Okay, stop," Jack said, rubbing his forehead. "Does anyone else know?"

"No, I haven't told anyone. Oh, except Curly. We actually watched that whole beach scene together a few times. It was very entertaining."

Jack glared at her and she made an obvious effort to stop smiling.

"I'm sorry. I won't tell anyone else. For what it's worth, I'm rooting for you."

"Gee, thanks," Jack said sarcastically.

Tink folded her arms. "Do you know what would be a great distraction for you right now?"

"What?"

"Hunting down an intruder in the forest."

*****

Jack tried to get the image of Cora gazing dreamily at that guy out of his mind, but it seemed to be burned into his memory. He grumbled about fickle mermaids as he walked through the forest, only half-heartedly looking for the supposed intruder. He was so consumed with his embittered thoughts that he almost didn't hear the gasp. He froze and peered into the darkness, wondering if he had just imagined the sound. He was reaching for his flashlight when he noticed some rustling in the hedge to his right. He took a cautious step towards it, and suddenly the hedge shook violently as something bolted out of it. Jack took off running, following the fleeing footsteps. He couldn't quite make out what he was pursuing because of the darkness and the heavily wooded forest, but he thought every now and then he caught a glimpse of some hair or an arm.

Finally, he emerged into a small clearing surrounded by large trees, but there was no sign of the intruder. Jack walked all around the perimeter of the clearing and behind all the trees, but the mysterious trespasser seemed to have vanished.