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A few days passed since the girls crash landed on what appeared to be an uninhabited island. They spent their time close to the plane, going through the snacks and water bottles stashed in the cargo hold. Eura's appetite had strangely spiked since they'd arrived so they were now running dangerously low. Everyday they woke up hoping it was all just a dream or even a nightmare. And everyday they'd wake up to find that it was neither.
Eura always slept curled up on a seat while Sawyer opted for the floor in order to stretch out. Unlike her sister, she'd been a restless sleeper. At nights, there were moments she swore she heard yelling in the distance. Sometimes, she thought she heard someone rushing through the tall grass surrounding the plane but chalked it up to wind. Then there was the howling and the growling along with the uneasy feeling that they were constantly being watched.
Her mind went back to the cliff. Was that truly someone standing in the shadows or just a figment of her imagination? She walked to the cooler in the back of the plane for a water bottle. As she drank, she heard movement outside. Looking out one of the broken windows, she saw a flash of dark hair. Someone was definitely there. Sawyer hurried off the plane. She crept carefully through the tall grass towards the dark haired stranger. Whoever it was stood with their back to her with a large basket and an earthen jug at their feet.
"Hello?" said Sawyer, cautiously.
The girl whirled around. Her big, brown eyes looked fearfully in Sawyer's direction. Her dark hair was styled into two braids that hung over each shoulder. She had on a tan dress but was barefoot. Before Sawyer could say anything, the girl had a knife at her throat.
"I just said hello," Sawyer frowned, holding her hands up in surrender.
The girl lowered her knife, but watched Sawyer warily. "Sorry. You startled me."
"Like wise."
"I'm Tiger Lily," the girl said, as she put her knife away.
"Sawyer."
Tiger Lily nodded and picked the basket up off the ground. "I brought these for you and your sister. You've been living off strange bars and drinks in plastic containers. I thought you might like something different."
"You mean the granola bars and water bottles," Sawyer smiled as she peered inside the basket. There were various fruits, vegetables, nuts as well as some eggs and a frying pan. "The bars are starting to taste bland. Thank you."
"I also brought fresh water. It's from a spring not far from here," Tiger Lily said. "It's safe water for drinking and also a good place for bathing. I probably should have come sooner but I wasn't sure what you'd do."
"What do you mean?"
"We - I - don't get many visitors here. The ones that have visited were not very pleasant."
"Where exactly is 'here' anyway?"
"You're in Neverland," Tiger Lily smiled.
"Never heard of it. Is it in the Bahamas?"
"No," Tiger Lily frowned. "What is the Bahamas?"
"It's where we were supposed to go for summer vacation," Sawyer sighed, as she sat down on a log.
"Well you should know this island can be dangerous and anyone you meet you shouldn't trust."
"Does that include you?"
Tiger Lily couldn't tell Sawyer the truth. He'd know and she'd be punished. She had already said and done too much. The wind suddenly picked up and dark clouds appeared in the otherwise blue sky. Tiger Lily looked up in panic.
"I must leave," she said.
"Okay. Well feel free to stop by anytime!" Sawyer called after her quickly retreating form.
As soon as Tiger Lily disappeared into the jungle, the wind died down and the clouds went away. Sawyer picked up the basket and jug then headed back to the plane. Unknown to her, Tiger Lily was running for her life. She was grateful Sawyer hadn't seen it. The dark entity that haunted the island. A black vapor with terrifying red eyes. Peter had warned her not to visit the strangers from the plane without his permission, but she did anyway and she'd taken food as well. She'd broken rules and now she had to pay. Suddenly Tiger Lily felt herself being lifted up into the air. She flailed her arms and legs around even though she knew there was no escaping the grasp that held her. Soon she saw the familiar camp below. Her ghostly captor dropped her without warning. She hit the ground with a sickening cracking noise coming from the ankle that took the brunt of her fall. She immediately cried out in pain.
"You really should not have done that," Peter frowned, walking towards her with his arms crossed.
Several hooded figures of varying heights stood around watching. Waiting. Felix was leaning up against a tree with a smug smile on his face. Tiger Lily kept her head low and fought against the tears filling up her eyes.
"I told you to keep an eye on the girls. Not give them food."
Tiger Lily continued to be silent which made Peter angrier. He knelt down and pushed up her chin to look at him.
"It was a mistake asking you to tend to their wounds when they first arrived. I should've known you'd get attached," he said. "Do not visit them again. Am I clear?"
Tiger Lily nodded, wanting so badly to be free so she could heal her ankle. Peter snapped his fingers and her wrists were suddenly bound tightly together with a rope that burned against her skin.
"Cage her," he said. "And make sure that ankle stays broken a little while longer."
Two of the smaller figures came forward to drag her away. Peter knew full well that without her herbs or potions Tiger Lily couldn't heal herself. She was dragged carelessly over tree roots and dead branches, each jolt hurting her ankle further. Once, her ankle got stuck and she was jerked so harshly forward another crack could be heard. At that Tiger Lily screamed which made Peter smile. He prided himself on being cruel.
Soon they reached the clearing where they kept their crudely built wooden prisons. They tossed Tiger Lily in like a rag doll ignoring her painful cries. She felt her cage being lifted up and squinted at the bright, hot sunlight coming through the cracks. Peter would make sure daylight lasted longer than was normal. Tiger Lily's cries echoed all around the jungle. Back at the plane, Sawyer stopped cooking to look around.
"Do you hear that?" she asked Eura, who had just gotten up.
"Hear what?"
Sawyer listened again. She definitely heard crying. She continued to listen until the crying grew faint and eventually disappeared altogether. Eura looked at her strangely. "I don't hear anything."
Sawyer said nothing as she resumed cooking. But she still felt uneasy. Something about those cries seemed familiar and it would be several days without Tiger Lily.
~*~*~*~*~*~
