Chapter Six
*Flashback (y/n)’s POV*
I got back to the camp only to find all the Lost Boys gone. I looked around, confused for a moment, before deciding to go back to my tent. I plopped down on the bed Peter and given me and stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. I wonder where they are? I thought to myself, as I reached up to rub my eyes. The camp had never been empty before, especially since non of them trusted me to be on my own. Then I shot up in surprise. This was my chance, I could leave and no one would notice. I slid off the bed and sprinted to the entrance of the tent. I smiled at the empty campsite. No one could stop me now. I was just about to break out into a run when a thought popped into my head. What about Peter? I stopped, a confused expression on my face. Yes, I thought, what about Peter? I asked myself I in disbelief. Normally, I would never have even considered another person, especially Pan, when it meant disregarding my own safety. I shook it off and strode out of the tent, but I couldn’t stop my mind from racing. What if he’s hurt? That thought stopped me in my tracks. What if that’s why they aren’t here? Peter could be hurt or worse. My brow furrowed as I realized I was wasting time. I began to mentally argued with myself as I paced around the camp. What did it matter to me if he was hurt? This was my one opportunity to get out, to run back to my home, but here I was, in the middle of an empty campsite actually having to convince myself to leave. I shook my head and sat down on one of the logs. I stared at the fire pit. Was there really any point in leaving anyway? I was never truly happy back home, and actually it wasn’t really a home now that I thought about it. I never felt welcome or comfortable there. Being here was different. There was definitely more adventure, which was something I always longed for. Maybe life here wouldn’t be all that bad. I sighed, as my thoughts swung back to being in the woods earlier with Pan. A smile tugged at my lips whenever I thought of him now, which upset me. I was letting my guard down, which in my experience, was never good. That little moment was what was keeping me here. I should be long gone by now, but I wasn’t. I was still here, hoping Pan would stride in at any moment so I wouldn’t have a choice but to stay. “Stupid,” I mumbled, as I moved the ashes in the fire pit around with a stick. I knew it, I thought, frowning at the ground. I was developing feelings for him. I stood up quickly and threw the stick down. “Ugh!” I said loudly, kicking the log I had been sitting on. I jumped when I heard leaves cracking behind me. I turned to see Peter running towards the camp. I blushed, embarrassed, hoping he hadn’t seen my little fit. As he got closer I noticed a look of panic on his face. “Peter what-” he grabbed my shoulders, “(y/n), I need you to come with me now,” he said quickly as he grabbed my hand, attempting to drag me along with him. “But why-?”
“Just- come on!” He yelled frantically. My eyes widened as he burst out into a run, pulling me along with him. I held onto his hand tightly as I struggled to keep up with him. The trees flew past us, their branches threatening to trip us at any moment. Everything started to blur together as we gained speed. I could barely feel my feet below me we were going so fast. Peter’s hand began to slip out of mine as we continued to sprint through the forest. “Peter, I can’t-” I said, gasping as I watched my feet stumble below me. He hadn’t heard me and suddenly, my hand snapped back from his as I tumbled to the forest ground. I continued to roll until I hit a log. I felt numb for a second, my head spinning. I blinked, trying to steady myself. A funny feeling started to trail up my leg, replacing the numbness. It began to heat up, as if a fire was catching. My brow furrowed, confused at to what was happening. The pain continued to grow, and as my head stopped spinning I looked down to see a gaping hole in my leg. My eyes widened and the numbness had completely faded. I howled in pain, my hands shaking over my leg, struggling to grasp what had happened. I looked around frantically for Peter. I couldn’t find him anywhere. Tears began to cloud my vision as I tried to get up. I fell down to the ground yet again, screeching from the burning sensation in my leg. I suddenly started to panic, remembering we were running from something. Peter never gets scared and yet, why was he running? What had frightened him so much? I but down on my tongue trying to stifle the scream that was rising in my chest, not wanting to draw whatever it was that had frightened Peter to me. I leaned back against the log, a shuttering breaths leaving my body, as I tried to calm myself down. Peter must not have noticed I was gone, because there was no sign of him. Unless this was his plan, to just leave me as bait for whatever was after him. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the throbbing of my leg. How could he just leave me? I thought as tears from the pain mixed with these thoughts, streamed down my face. “Hello dearie,” a voice interrupted. I lifted my head confused. “Peter?” I said, I was becoming so dizzy that my vision was clouded, I couldn’t see anything. “Sorry to disappoint,” the voice said, moving so uncomfortably close that I could feel his breath on my face, “but no.” It growled. Suddenly, I felt claws digging into my leg, making me scream so loud it caused my ears to ring. He kept squeezing until the pain was so intense I began to go numb. “Stop,” I heard a familiar voice say, despite the loud ringing in my ears. Whatever it was finally let go of my leg leaving me in a state of shock, “Ah, I was starting to doubt you’d come to rescue the damsel in distress,” the voice said, in a high pitched tone that rang through the quiet forest as I leaned back against the log, the shock starting to wear off as I listened intently, “What do you want?” Peter growled, as he watched, what I assumed to be a man, pace around me. I watched him cautiously, wanting to avoid anymore interaction with him, “I think we both know what it is that I want,” the man said, coming closer to me again. I tried to pulled myself away from him but failed. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for that burning feeling again. Peter tensed up as well as the man came closer, “Leave her out of this, she has nothing to do with you or me,” Peter said, his usual confident tone slowly slipping away. The man laughed in a high pitched tone that made me wince, “Oh, but I think she has a lot more to do with you than you care to admit,” he said as he nudged my leg, ever so slightly, but still causing a significant amount of pain to shoot throughout my body. I whimpered, as I tried to pull myself away from him again. I heard Peter move towards him, “Leave her alone,” he said sharply, making a grab for the man. The man giggled as he transported to the other side of the log, “Ah ah ah, not so fast,” he teased, infuriating Peter. Suddenly, I felt the log begin to move behind me. I struggled to move away from it as it lifted into the air. Peter’s brow furrowed with worry, as he watched the log hover over me. I looked over at him, desperately. “Now, we can all agree to cooperate, yes? Because, I know we wouldn’t want this to happen,” he said as he jokingly dropped the log and picked it up again before it could hit me. “I’ll do want you want,” Peter said quickly, holding his hand out as he anticipated the log falling. I held my breath during the moment of silence as the man seemed to decide my fate. He made a noise in the back of his throat, “Hm, actually I’m not feeling very agreeable today,” he said, flicking his wrist. I threw my hands over my head, waiting for the inevitable, but it never came. I opened my eyes to see Peter had caught it. I let out a relieved sigh as I watched him smirk at the man and tossed the log over at him. The man howled in pain as the log crashed into him, pinning him against a tree. Before he could do anything, Peter ran over and placed something on his wrist, “Clever, clever,” the man said through laughed as he watched Peter help me up. I winced, but Peter waved his hand over my leg, taking away some of of the pain. I managed to get up and look over at the man. He had murky eyes with skin that look like a crocodile’s. His lips curled into a dark smile as he met my gaze, “but we both know very well that this won’t stop me,” he growled, keeping his malicious gaze on me. I tore my eyes away from him as we began to walk. I was struggling to walk but thankfully, Peter threw my arm around his shoulder, helping me along as we began to fast walk. “I hate to say it, but he’s right. That won’t stop him,” he said, quietly, keeping his eyes forward. I nodded my head quickly, too focused on keeping my legs steady to reply. A few moments later we came to a cliff. I looked over the edge, wincing at the dark water below. It wasn’t that far of a drop but steep enough to scare me out of my wits. I turned to see Peter giving me an apologizing look. It took me a moment to understand but then I frowned, “You’ve got to be kidding,” I groaned. “I’m really sorry but I’m not.” He said grabbing my hand and quickly throwing us over the edge. I screamed as we flew through the air. I watched in horror as the water grew closer with each second. I closed my eyes as I braced for the impact. I snapped my eyes open as I felt Peter’s hand slip from mine. The next second I was crashing into the water. The impact sent chills through my whole body. I hadn’t expected it to be so cold, but I was grateful that it numbed my leg as I struggled to swim to the surface. I looked around for a sign of Peter, but he wasn’t in the water. I assumed he had reached the shore already so I swam as quick as I could to find him. “That was enough adventure for a lifetime,” I said, as I crawled onto the shore. I laid down, letting the water of the tide surround me. “Let’s agree never to do that again,” I laughed. There was no response. “Peter?” I said confused. I pulled myself up and looked around. Peter wasn’t on the shore either. I forgot about the pain in my leg and shot up, looking frantically for him. “Peter?” I said louder now, as I limped across the beach, the wet sand making it all the harder to walk. “Peter!” I yelled again, my voice cracking, as I tripped and fell down in the sand in defeat. He was no where. I tried to convince myself that he would come back but I couldn’t. Thoughts of the man with the crocodile skin popped into my mind, keeping me from hope. I felt my eyes start to burn as I thought of what he could have done to Peter. I put my head in my hands and sobbed. I didn’t realize how much I needed him until now, until I was here, alone on this island. I always hated being alone and now I had no choice. I felt like I was being silly, seeing as I really hadn’t known him long. It’s just a boy, a boy I don’t even know, my mind argued, but he wasn’t just a boy. He was so much more to me than I wanted to admit. My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice, “Miss me?”
*Peter’s POV*
I let her hand slip from mine as we fell. I watched her fall into the water as I hovered above. I waited until I saw her emerge from the water before quickly transporting to shore. I climbed into a nearby tree, just out of her view, as I waited for her. I hadn’t planned to let go of her, but once I felt her hand slipping from mine, I decided not to bother holding on. I wasn’t quite sure why I had done that, I suppose I wanted to see what she would do if I left her on her own. Would she try to leave the island? I was almost positive that she wouldn’t, she seemed to have come to her senses now. I wanted to believe that she wanted to stay, but I couldn’t be quite sure, that is why hadn’t healed her leg completely. It would most definitely slow her down if she tried to run from me. I frowned as I realized I should have healed it all the way. I shouldn’t have done that to her, she wouldn’t be happy. I shook my head, trying to convince myself her feelings didn’t matter to me. It was then she appeared on the shore. I watched as she laid just in the waters reach, letting what little bit could encircle her. A smile tugged at my lips as I listened to her. Her voice had the loveliest ring to it, much like a fairy’s. I watched as she slowly began to realize I wasn’t there. My smile faded as I waited for her to run, but suddenly she started to panic, calling my name frantically. My smile returned as I realized she wasn’t going to run. I watched for a moment as she limped across the shore, the water flying around her as she frantically looked for me. The wet sand finally got the best of her, knocking her to the ground. I was about to leap down, but I stopped when she began to cry. My brow furrowed, I hadn’t anticipated this. Why was she crying? I asked myself, amused. She was actually afraid; afraid that I wouldn’t return. I laughed, she really didn’t have much confidence in me. I leaped down from the tree, landing right in front of her. “Miss me?” I asked, a confident smile spreading across my face. She lifted her face out of her hands, a look of shock replacing her sadness. I put my hands on my hips as I watched her stand up. Her hands shook as she studied me, her jaw dropped as if she didn’t believe I was real. I laughed, “I really am disappointed, you know,” I said, smiling as she struggled to accept that I was here. “I thought you would have figured it out by now, Peter Pan never-” I was stopped when she suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly to her. I was so startled by this that I just stood there awkwardly as she held me tightly in her arms, “Fails,” I finally managed to mumble. She hugged me tighter, nuzzling her face deeper into my neck, “Peter, I thought you had died, I thought that man..” She trailed off, “Oh, thank God you’re here, you’re alright,” she said, still holding me tightly to her. I slowly lifted my arms and gently wrapped them around her waist, holding her to me. I hadn’t expected this at all. I was so fascinated but the thought that she really did care about me. I rubbed small circles on her back as I pondered over what was happening. There was this peculiar feeling in my stomach, like it was tangled in knots. I had never felt anything like it before. I was snapped out of my thoughts as I felt her begin to pull away from me. I studied her face as she looked away awkwardly. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as her blue eyes looked everywhere but at me. “I’m um, sorry,” she said, crossing her arms over here chest. I smiled, amused as I watched her look out at the water, trying to hide her embarrassment. “Don’t be,” I said slowly, unable to tear my eyes away from her. She finally turned and met my gaze, her eyes piercing into mine with a deep shade of blue. I stood there, entranced by her, until a the sound of leaves moving startled me. I snapped my head in the direction of the sounds. A large flock of birds had been scared off by something in the distance. (Y/n) and I turned back at each other, a knowing look on both of our faces. I grabbed her hand and led us deeper into the island. We walked in silence, noting every sound that occurred around us, as we walked back. I could feel the tension pulling at both of us as we stayed hidden in our thoughts. I glanced over at her a couple of times, wishing I could say something, but my mouth stayed glued shut. It was up to her to break this everlasting silence. We finally approached the hidden treehouse I had created for special circumstances such as this. It was well hidden deep in the forest of the connecting island, secluded enough so that beast couldn’t find us. Once I had helped her up the latter we sat across the room from each other. I watched as she attempted to wrap her leg, but it proved quite difficult. I got up and knelt down by her, “Here let me,” I said, holding her leg up gently. She winced as I waved my hand over it, curing her wounds completely. She looked at me with an incredulous expression, “That would have helped a lot earlier,” she said. I threw her a smirk, “There wasn’t a proper time to do it,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t be too upset. I was relieved to hear her musical laugh fill the room. “I’m not stupid, Peter, but it’s okay. I wouldn’t trust myself either,” she said, winking at me, as she walked over to the bed. She sat down on it and looked out the window. A concerned expression washed over soft features, “That man,” she asked slowly before turning back to look at me, “who was he?” I tensed up, really not up to this conversation, “An old friend,” I said lamely. She was smart and I knew she wouldn’t let it go that easily, but that was a difficult subject, one she may not understand. She seemed to see it in my eyes and gave me an understanding look as she laughed, “That didn’t seem like friendly reunion, if you ask me,” she said, casually smiling at me. I was glad to see she wasn’t too shaken about it, despite that it really was quite the trauma. There was a pause as we both seemed to have gotten lost in our thoughts, we both did that a lot. I could feel that familiar burn of tiredness start to grow in my eyes. I watched, beginning to drift off as she threw a blanket on the ground. I gave her a confused expression and got up, “(y/n), you know there’s a bed?” I said, motioning towards the large bed in the middle of the room. She nodded, “Yes, but there’s only one,” she pointed out with a smile, then she straightened herself and put her hands on her hips, “I am a lady, you know.” I laughed, amused by her clever response. I walked over and took the blanket from her hands and laid it out for myself, “And I can be a gentleman when needed,” I said softly, smiling as I noticed that now familiar blush rise to her cheeks, “Besides, you had an extraordinarily tough day today, you should get a good rest.” She looked up at me, her eyes fixing into mine once again, mine, however, flickering to her lips this time. “Thank you, Peter,” she said, I forced my eyes away from her lips to meet her gaze, “for everything.” I shrugged, not sure how to respond. She smiled warmly and stood up on her toes. I was taken aback when she placed a small kiss on my cheek before turning to her bed. I stood there for a moment, watching her crawl into bed as those unusual knots began to twist in my stomach again. An amused smile painted on my face as I realized what was happening. I, Peter Pan, was falling in love.
*End of Flashback*