Emma woke up the next morning being shaken. It took her a moment to remember where she was. She sat up and looked at Felix. "Where are we going?"
He pulled her to her feet. "Pan called all of us." he said walking down the path, trusting Emma to follow him.
"What's Peter need?" she asked, following Felix.
"Don't know. That's why we're going to him." he said, almost to Pan's tent. Emma nodded and followed in silence. When they arrived a couple other boys were already there. Emma kept close to Felix, not wanting to get separated. Part of her wanted to grab his hand to avoid that but she knew he wouldn't let her.
A few minutes past and Pan appeared through the trees. He stood in front of the boys and Emma. "Listen up boys, Felix is leading a scouting party today. I'll be going with him, so I need a few to come and a few to stay and guard the camp. Any volunteers to stay here?" he said. A few boys raised their hands but most wanted to go with the scouting party. "Alright let me put it this way, which two of you are actually brave enough to face the mermaids?" Two of them raised their hands. The boy who'd warned her not to talk about Rufio and the boy who she'd seen with Felix when she got to the island. As Pan dismissed all but those two and then continued to talk to them Emma looked up at Felix and asked "Am I going?"
Felix looked down at her. "Yes. You're my responsibility so I have to take you with me."
"Is it gonna be dangerous?" she asked, buts of fear in her voice.
Felix nodded "Of course."
"Y-you'll make sure I don't get right?" Emma asked, becoming more scared.
"You won't die." He said bluntly. Felix knew he was scaring her, that was the point. His job was just to make sure she didn't die. She could be scared half to death and he wouldn't care.
"Ca-can I just stay here?" Emma asked.
Felix shook his head "I would prefer that but I can't let you wander around unattended."
"But you can tell someone else to take care of me. Then you can go without me." She said, trying to avoid going out of the camp.
"Fine." Felix said. He called over one of the boys. While we're gone keep the girl out of trouble."
The boy looked at Emma in confusion but nodded. "Yes sir."
Felix nodded and walked over to Pan. Emma looked at the boy. He was a dark skinned boy about Felix's age. "What's your name kid?" he asked.
"Emma. What's your name?" she responded.
"Flint." he said, "How'd you get here? Pan's lookin' for boys."
Emma shrugged "I don't know. Peter's shadow brought me here. Felix is trying to find out why."
Flint nodded, "Walk with me." he said, turning down the path. "Why didn't you go with Felix?"
"He said it would be dangerous and that I might get hurt." she explained.
He nodded "The dark jungle is dangerous, but Pan wants you taken care of. That's why he told Felix to watch over you."
Emma gave him a confused look "Felix doesn't care what happens to me."
Flint chuckled and stopped by a tent. He grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows, before speaking to Emma again. "He does actually. Might only be because Pan wants ya alive, but he does take care of you. The boys have to learn to take care of themselves but Felix hasn't made you do that."
Emma looked at the bow, unsure of why he had it. "Really?"
Flint nodded "Felix has an odd way of caring. Ever since Rufio died he's turned cold. He'll still protect us with his life and is forever loyal to Pan, but he has a hard time letting himself care for the new boys, or in your case, girl."
"What happened to Rufio?" Emma asked.
Flint paused and looked down at her "Hook happened. We've been fighting him as long as I can remember, but Rufio was the first death. That's why Felix is so sensitive. He feels like he failedPan by failing to protect Rufio." he explained.
"Oh..." Emma was silent as they walked. She hadn't been expecting that. She knew in the movie Rufio died but she hadn't expected Felix to be so upset by it.
They got to a small clearing and Flint stopped. He leaned the quiver against a tree and stung the bow. He turned to Emma "Ever shot a bow?" she shook her head. "Would you like to?" he asked. She debated it a minute before nodding. He smiled and handed her the bow "Here. It's probably a bit big for you, but it should work." Emma held it upright, pulling the string back and releasing it. The string hit her extended arm, causing her to yelp. Flint instructed her on how to hold the bow so that wouldn't happen again. Once she was holding it correctly, he handed her an arrow and told her to put the feathered end against the string. He knelt behind her and helped her pull the string back. "Let's hit that tree shall we?" he asked, aiming her at a tree that was already covered in arrow marks. Once aimed he told her he was going to let go and she'd shoot the arrow herself. She nodded in understanding so he slowly let go and stood back. She glanced at him and he gave her an encouraging nod. She shifted her eyes back to the tree and let go of the string.
The arrow whizzed across the short clearing and thudded into the tree. Emma whirled around to look at Flint, a big smile on her face. "Did you see that? I hit it on my first try!" she said excitedly, jumping up and down.
Flint smiled at her "That you did. I'm impressed Emma; some boys take weeks to hit their target."
"Can I try again?" she asked excitedly.
Flint chuckled and nodded, handing her another arrow. They spent quite some time shooting arrows at trees. Emma didn't always hit her targets, but she did well enough that Flint was surprised. After some time, Emma said she was hungry. Flint collected the arrows and returned them to the quiver. They returned the bow and quiver to the tent they'd been in and Flint grabbed two wooden bowls. "Come on, someone's probably got something cooking. If not there's plenty of berries around."Emma noddedand followed him to the campfire. There were some boys already there eating soup, although Emma couldn't tell what kind of soup it was. Flint dished out soup for both of them and handed one bowl to Emma. Together they sat down to eat, talking idly. Emma looked up and saw the sun was right about her head. It felt odd to her, like it should be later in the day. A couple boys would talk to Flint but ignored Emma. When they finished Flint lead Emma to a creek so they could wash the bowls. After taking the dishes back to Flint's tent Emma asked, "What now?"
"We could continue archery or I could teach you a bit of sword fighting, though I'm not the best at that. I could teach you about the berries and ways to survive if you get lost." he said, listing things to be done.
"How about...berries." she said.
Flint nodded and looked around. As soon as he found a bush he started talking "Red berries are safe but don't eat the blue ones." From there they wandered through the area around the camp, Flint telling her about every berry or thorn bush they came across. When night fell they went back to the fire. Again the boys all played games while Emma sat to the side. After the sky grew completely dark, Emma saw Felix and the two boys who'd volunteered walking up the path. Felix ignored her presence but the dark haired boy nodded a greeting. When the fire started to die and the boys were headed to their tents, Felix finally walked over to Emma. "Come on little girl."
"My name's Emma." she said firmly.
Felix pulled her up "I didn't ask your name."
Emma nodded as they walked towards their tents. "I know, but I don't like being called little girl."
Felix scoffed "Too bad littler girl."
Emma humphed as she followed him. "Why are you so mean to me?" she asked.
"I treat you just like I treat everyone." he said.
Emma shook her head "Not true. I've seen you with the boys. You're nice and playful with them. You're just mean to me."
Felix glanced behind him at Emma "Why should I treat you nicely? You're not supposed to be here."
"Peter thinks I'm here for a reason." Emma pointed out.
Felix stopped in front of their tents. "Listen little girl, I won't question Pan, but I don't know why you're here. You're nothing but an orphan. Just a lost little girl." He said harshly.
Emma was silent a moment before something clicked in her brain. "You want to know why I'm here? That's why! I'm a lost girl!"
Felix mentally ran over what he'd just said. "You're still not the one Pan's looking for." he said before ducking into him tent.
Emma drowned and sat down in her tent. She stared at the tents nearby. Her mind was focused on why was Felix so harsh. Flint had said it was just because he doesn't like new people but she got the feeling there was more to it. Maybe he's got a little sister back home. She wondered. Maybe that's why he doesn't like me. Cause I remind him of his little sister. Regardless of the reason, Felix didn't like Emma and she could tell. He's too focused on finding a specific boy for Pan. Slowly Emma laid down and fell asleep, her thoughts dissolving into a dreamless sleep.
Emma woke up the next morning to Felix shaking her again She rubbed er eyes sleepily "What's going on?"she asked.
"Just another day." he said before pulling her to her feet.
"Do you have to always push me around?" Emma asked, letting him lead her.
"I don't have to, but you don't put up a fight." he said, pushing her down the path for emphasis. Emma tripped on a stick and fell to the ground. Felix grabbed her arm to pull her up but she pulled away. "Get on your feet little girl."
"No! Not until you start treating me nicely!" She exclaimed.
Felix scoffed at her "You're..." he paused to think of the right word.
Before he could continue Pan walked up "She's like you. You're both stubborn and untrusting, yet loyal to your friends." Pan looked at Felix, "You should listen to her, you might like her." he commented.
Felix glared at Emma before turning his attention to Pan "Why would I ever care about her? She's trouble, just like Baelfire was." he said.
Pan looked down at Emma. Something was going through his mind, but Emma couldn't tell what. After a minute, he looked at back at Felix. "Good. Paradise is no fun without a bit of trouble." he said before walking away.
Emma looked up at Felix "What was that about?"
He shrugged "I don't question Pan. He's my leader, I follow orders without question and am rewarded.
Emma looked around for a moment before saying "Peter's right about you being loyal."
Felix gave her a slight surprised look, "Didn't think you'd know what loyal means little girl."
Emma humphed and turned away from him "You're still not being nice."
Felix rolled his eyes "Pan was right, you're stubborn. Too stubborn for your own good."
Emma turned back towards him "You're just as stubborn as me."
Felix sighed and leaned against a tree. "Do you really want to try my patience little girl?"
Emma nodded. "Yes. This way I can tell you about my day yesterday."
"Why would I care what you did?" Felix asked, becoming more annoyed as the conversation went on.
"Because Flint was teaching me about the plants and what I can and can't eat and he taught me how to shoot a bow and I wanna tell you about it!" she said excitedly.
"That's not a reason for me to care." He said.
"Flint said you care, even if it's just cause Peter told you to take care of me." She said, determinded to win the argument.
Felix glanced around looking for Flint, "Why would he say that?"
Emma shrugged "I don't know. Ask him."
"I will," he said. He waited a moment before saying "Get up littler girl. I'm tired of standing here."
"Not until you treat me nicely," she said defiantly.
Felix sighed "Fine. Will you please get up?" he asked, ready to get on with his day.
Emma nodded and stood up "Now, where are we going?"
Felix walked past her "Combat practice."
Emma smiled and followed him "Do I get to shoot a bow again?" she asked excitedly.
"Maybe." he said bluntly. Emma smiled and skipped beside him. When they arrived at the clearing Flint had taken her to yesterday, Felix called over a boy practicing archery. "Let the girl practice with your bow for a while. I need a sparing partner." The boy nodded and handed Emma his bow and quiver. Emma smiled, took them from him, and walked a few feet away to practice. For a moment she watched Felix and the other boy engage in combat. They were both skilled but Felix was definitely better. Emma turned her attention to the bow and arrows. She grabbed an arrow and began shooting at a tree.
Several hours past before they left. Felix again beat the other boy then looked over at Emma "Little girl, it's time to go," he said.
Emma let go of one last arrow which thudded into the tree. She nodded and collected the arrows, putting them in the quiver and thanking the boy for letting her use them. She walked over to Felix "Where to now?" she asked.
"Breakfast," he said.
Emma nodded "Good. I'm hungry." Felix didn't respond as they walked to their tents. Felix grabbed a bowl and tossed it to Emma, telling her to find some berries. While she was looking for berries Felix worked on fixing some soup.
Once Emma had filled the bowl she returned to the tents. Felix looked up at her "Let me see the berries." he said, not trusting her to have picked the right berries. She handed him the bowl and sat down under the cover of her tent. A few minutes later he looked over at her "Flint did good teaching you about the berries." he commented.
Emma smiled at him "He didn't teach me much but I got the basics."
Felix nodded and started a small fire "You don't mind eating away from the boys do you?" he asked.
Emma shook her head "Not at all."
Felix nodded and continued working on the food. "If the boys all go on a hike will you come?" he asked, stirring the soup.
Emma thought about it a moment before nodding."If there's no one here then there's be no one to keep me safe. Why do you ask?"
He glanced at her then back to the soup "Good. Pan's planning on all of us going on a hike soon."
Emma crawled over to sit next to him. "Where are we gonna go?"
"Across the island. There's a lake we found that would be great for swimming." he explained.
Emma smiled "That sounds fun!" she said excitedly.
Felix didn't comment as he finished cooking the soup. Once it was done he dished some out for Emma and himself and put the bowl of berries between them. For the most part they ate in silence. Emma tried to hold a conversation but Felix wasn't very talkative. Once they were done Felix handed the dished to Emma and told her to go them out in the creek. She nodded and ran off to do so. She paused and looked back at Felix "You're letting me go by myself?" she asked.
Felix nodded "You've stayed out of trouble this long. I'm sure you can wash a few dishes." Emma smiled and ran off.
While Emma took care of the dishes Felix relaxed by the dying fire. It was nice for him to have a moment to rest. It gave him some time to think about why Emma was here. She's an orphan, she's ignored, she's lost and a fast learner from what he could tell. So why would the shadow bring her? She couldn't be the one Pan was looking for, he's looking for a boy after all. Maybe she has a connection to the boy?I should ask Pan before asking her if she knows anything. He thought to himself.
His thoughts were disrupted when Emma came back and handed him the dishes. He grabbed them from her and put them in his tent. When he came out Emma asked "What now?"
He glanced down at her "Whatever you'd like. I just need some time to think."
"Think about what?" she asked curiously.
"Why the shadow brought you, little girl." he said.
Emma shrugged "Maybe Peter knows?" she suggested.
Felix shook his head "No, he was just as confused as I was when I saw you."
Emma sighed and sat down in her tent "You don't want me here do you?" she asked, trying not to sound hurt.
"Doesn't matter what I want. You're here now and can't leave." he said, leaning against a tree.
Emma frowned and looked at the fire "Why does no one ever want me?" she asked quietly.
Felix took a minute before responding. He didn't want to make her cry again so he had to think about what he was saying. "Flint didn't seem to mind you being around."
Emma shrugged "But...I'm supposed to have a family. A mommy and daddy who love me. Maybe a big brother or sister." she said sadly.
Felix knelt in front of her "Listen up littler girl, everyone's got a family. You just have to find it."
Emma looked up at him, a small smile on her lips "Really?"
He nodded and stood up"Come on little girl, I'm bored of sitting here." he said while offering her a hand to get up.
She accepted his hand and pulled herself to her feet. As soon as she was up Felix let go of her and grabbed his club, flipping it up to rest on his shoulder. They walked off, idly wandering the camp. Emma spotted the boy who'd warned her about mentioning Rufio and ran over to him. She tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. He smiled at her "Well hello there."
Emma smiled and asked "What's your name?"
"Aaron."he said.
She smiled "I'm Emma." she said before running back to Felix.
When she was back at Felix's side he looked down at her "What was that about?"
"He'd warned me about something and I wanted to know his name." she said.
Felix nodded but didn't say anything. Eventually they ended up by the fire with all the other boys. Emma sat on the sidelines but Aaron or Flint would sit with her between games. Felix however ignored Emma and elected to sit with Pan and watch the boys. After a while Felix and Pan walked off together. Emma debated following but decided to stay with the other boys. Felix didn't want her around anyways. When the boys went to bed Aaron walked Emma to her tent then bade her goodnight. She was still awake when Felix got to his tent. "Where'd you go?" she asked.
He looked over at her "Pan needed to talk to me." he said then ducked into his tent. Emma sighed and laid down, letting herself drift to sleep.
