Chapter 2
Hi guys! Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and follows! I was not expecting people to actually read it!
Hope you like this next chapter.
Wendy, to Peter's annoyance, got along with the Lost Boys quite well.
Coming from the same world as many of them had its advantages, he supposed. They were all full of questions for her, and she was more than happy to answer them. School, governments, countries. Things that he knew nothing about, but the boys seemed endlessly fascinated by. All, it seemed, except for Felix. He stood by Pan's side as Wendy spoke to the other boys, awaiting an explanation.
"Don't you remember the last time the girl was here?" he said haughtily. "We simply couldn't make her stop crying. What is she doing here, Pan?"
"Don't worry, Felix. I have struck a little bet with our guest. She will be gone soon enough," he said easily, eyes never leaving Wendy. She was smiling as she talked to the Lost Boys, and Rufio was laughing at something she had told him.
"She'd better be," Felix muttered, and Peter looked sharply at him, narrowing his eyes.
"What is it? I know that voice. What's the matter? You don't think I'll win this bet?"
"I think that this girl has come here by mistaken one too many times," he replied. "Surely there's no need to play this game with her."
"Now, Felix, where is your sense of adventure?" He mused, dismissing the concern in his tone. "Besides, she has changed, you know."
"There is no such thing."
"Isn't there?" he asked. "I took her alongside the sea to get here. Near the mermaids. She was not afraid. She laughed."
"She knew you weren't going to let them kill her- why would she be afraid?" Felix said, unimpressed.
Pan just shook his head, patting Felix on the back as he shifted to his feet. "Take your queries elsewhere, Felix. I have a game to play."
Wendy glanced over at him as he walked towards her, hiding her smile. He had been staring at her, none-too-subtly, since the mermaids, and she knew what that meant. She had him curious- and curious was the next best thing to 'fear' in her books. Of course, she had the Lost Boys enthralled. She was glad of their company, that was for sure- glad because she could talk to them about things from where she was. Also, they were no different from Daniel, Lucian, Kaleb- all the boys she knew. Easy to impress, easy to control. Winning this bet would be so much easier if Peter Pan was like them.
But when he reached her, the conversation stopped, and the boys stopped talking to her, backing away from him, making it clear- he was not like them.
"We need firewood," he said, and Rufio and Slightly stepped forward, eager to please, but- "Wendy and I will handle it. Do what you like until we return."
From behind Peter, Wendy saw the tallest of the boys- Felix, she reminded herself- throwing her a dirty look. She just raised her eyebrows at him and turned to Peter.
"Well, we've got work to do, then." She started walking out into the forest, Pan at her side. He glanced at her in surprise.
"You're not going to complain?" he remarked.
"What's to complain about?"
"Last time you were here, you-"
"Last time I was here I was a precious little kid," she practically spat the word out.
"You say 'kid' as though you no longer are one," he said.
"I don't know what I am, and I don't care," Wendy replied. "I'm not an adult, but I'm not a kid."
"Then you are nothing," he said tauntingly, hoping to scare her. But she just shrugged.
"Maybe I am. You know, nothing's perfect," she grinned at her own joke, and Peter hid his own grin with a shaking head. "But I'm being a rude guest," she went on. "All this talk about me- what on earth have you been up to since I left, Peter Pan?"
"And why would I tell you that?" he said- not unkindly, but there was no negotiation in his voice.
"If you're not going to tell me anything else, at least tell me about Baelfire. When did he leave here? How long has it been?"
He was silent for a moment before he glared at her. "Why are you so curious about someone who never even mentioned you for two years?"
"So he's been gone about a year, then?" she said, ignoring the tormenting, even though it stung.
Peter paused for a moment, scowling as he realised what he'd just confessed.
"Oh, how clever of you," he said sarcastically. "How proud you must feel."
"Tell me about it," she grinned. "I'm just too good."
"Not too good to pick up firewood," he said, pointing to a pile only metres away. "Go get those, won't you?"
"Sure, sure." She stepped forwards- and then, slowly, she turned back, cocking her head sideways. "Aren't you coming, too?"
"It's only a short distance," he said.
"Exactly- what's the problem with walking it?" she said, suspicious at once, though it was hard to tell if she had grounds to be, with his face being so perfectly impassive.
"If you don't have the independence to walk a few metres on your own, there is no way you will ever be a Lost Girl," he said. She stood her ground, putting her hands on her hips.
"If you don't have the intelligence to realise that I know there's a trap over there that you're hoping I'll fall into and get all scared of, then there is no way I won't be one."
"I have been with you since you arrived," he said, exasperated. "Tell me, how would I have had the time to set a trap without you noticing?"
He had a point, but she didn't let him know she was thinking that. "If you're so confident that there's no trap there, then you will walk over there first."
"You're being ridiculous."
"I dare you." She said it, smiling in satisfaction as she saw his mind working fast to formulate an answer. If he said 'yes' she knew that there was no trap- but if he said 'no', she could bet her life that there was one, and he would have to admit it, too.
Sure enough:
"On second thought, that wood doesn't look ideal for lighting. Perhaps we should look elsewhere," he said curtly, briskly walking away. Wendy followed, clapping her hands together slowly and laughing.
"So you admit it, then? I was right! Oh, you must hate that," she said, her smile reaching her voice.
"You were merely lucky you were right this time," he said, annoyed by her gloating. "Just wait. I will scare you yet."
"No you won't," she said easily. Then she winked at him. "But I'm counting on you to try."
"You're very confident," he said gruffly.
"Can you blame me? I'm fearless," she boasted, another careless laugh leaving her mouth as she walked past him, ensuring that she elbowed him lightly on her way. "Hey, look- firewood!"
He tried to glare after her as she bundled up the sticks in her arms, but he couldn't quite manage to maintain his anger. It had been a while since he had had any kind of opponent who was willing to do things like that- to question him, to elbow him, to laugh at him. The Lost Boys wouldn't dare do that. But this girl was too foolish to abide by those rules. Too foolish, or too brave- although he would soon disprove the latter.
Then he went to help her, glancing at the sky as he did. It was dark. Soon, the boys would start crying. And three years ago, Wendy Darling would have cried as well, and begged to go home. But this Wendy wanted to be Lost- she was not afraid of mermaids, and she was smart enough to avoid a trap. This Wendy, he sensed, would not shy away from the night. Not this time.
And he was right.
Mornings in Neverland were a gentle kind of light. The trees that coated the earth served as a shield from the blaze of the sun, so only a few streams of light fell through their branches onto the ground, warming the place. Wendy had not slept much- although, to be fair, she was never one for sleeping very deeply. She got about three hours of sleep just before the sun came up- and she started to hear the most curious sounds- like boys playing football, only with an unprecedented amount of yells of pain.
Naturally, that got her on her feet. She had fallen asleep against a log- whose wood had been surprisingly soft, just away from the main clearing where the rest of the camp lay. Now her back was cramped from her night curled in an awkward position, her hair was all over the place, and she was blinking to keep her eyes open- the usual state for her in the mornings.
And yet; I made it, she thought to herself, pride making her strides bounce. I made it through the night. She had been frightened for so long that she wouldn't. All those nights on park benches or squatting at a stranger's house, looking out the window and thinking that even if the Shadow did come back, even if she were to return to Neverland, she would be afraid as she had been the very first time.
But she really wasn't scared. No, she was far too numb for that.
As she made her way back to the main camp, she discovered the source of all the noise. The Lost Boys were standing in a circle, with three plants adorned with sharp thorns being thrown- none too gently- from one boy to the other. Rufio cursed in pain as Tootles chucked one his way, the thorns making gashes in his skin. Peter stood to the side, watching them with an intense kind of investment in his eyes.
"Faster, Rufio," he commanded, and Rufio scowled, turning to Felix without warning and sending him a lobbed plant that hit his palm with a sickening thud. Still, Felix made no sound, even as he pulled some stuck thorns out of his hand and passed it on to the next person, all the while looking at Peter. If he was looking for approval, he did not receive it. At least, he got a single nod. Perhaps that was all he wanted.
It was then that Tootles spotted Wendy, and he called out, stopping the boys all at once- earning some genuine groans of protest, and some grateful murmurs from others. Peter merely straightened up, turning his gaze on her. Rufio was positively beaming.
"Wendy! Did we wake you?" he said. Wendy smiled at him. He had a nice face, Rufio. Glowing gold skin meets green eyes meets the most crooked smile with the most crooked teeth she had ever seen.
"I heard you all making a fuss," she said. "I must say, I expected to find you all being brutally murdered here. Quite dramatic, aren't you?"
"Dramatic?" Felix said, not amused. "I suppose I don't expect a girl to understand the nature of a game like this. When is she leaving?" He turned to Peter, who ignored him; his eyes were still on Wendy, waiting for her to say something with a half-smirk.
"I understand that you're throwing a bloody pine-cone around a circle. Where's the fun in that?" She countered.
"Fun?" Peter spoke at last, stepping towards her. "And what would you know about having fun, Wendy? What fun can one possibly have, in a world without magic? Without belief?"
Wendy just grinned. "I'm so glad you asked." She walked up to Rufio and grabbed something from his belt, much to his obvious surprise.
"What are you doing with that?" Felix asked sharply, the first to notice that it was Rufio's hand-crafted arrow that she now held in her hand. Peter leaned forward, unsure yet whether he should intervene. She just smiled disarmingly, moving instead towards Felix now and holding out her palms. "Give me your bow."
"My…" he tightened his grip on it, eyes flashing to Pan, waiting for some kind of assistance, an order. But his leader merely stood and waited. Felix grew impatient, "You're not really going to let this girl take our weapons, are you?"
The Lost Boys, and Wendy, turned to him, awaiting his answer. Wendy met his eyes- a challenge in them.
"Give her the bow," was all he said. Wendy curtsied in his direction, albeit mockingly, and Felix didn't hide his resentment as he handed over the impressive object- carved from the wood of surrounding trees over tireless hours. Drawing her hand across the bow and putting the arrow in place, Wendy addressed the group.
"I need a small object. Something one could balance on one's hand."
"That's specific," Felix murmured, still glaring.
"Would an apple do?" It was Rufio, eager to impress. He stumbled forward, holding out the shining fruit towards her.
"An apple will work splendidly," she said. "Why don't you give it to Felix?"
"I thought you wanted it?" Rufio said, confused.
"It's all apart of the game," she explained, hiding her smile. "You'll see."
Rufio shrugged, eager enough to find out how to play, and he emptied the apple into Felix's own hand.
"What's the meaning of this?" he said tiredly. Wendy was unable to hide her smile for much longer, but she tried. He looked bored. He would not look bored for much longer.
"Hold out your hand to the side. Keep it flat," she instructed. After another exasperated look at Pan, who did nothing to spare him the humiliation, he did as she asked, his hand outstretched to the left.
"Good," she said. "Now," she lifted the bow, pulling back firmly, twisting her hips the way she'd been taught to at her last archery camp. She hadn't shot an arrow in a long time, but she was good at it. Good enough to get it right on the first go. Although, she mused to herself, it wouldn't be all too awful if she did miss. "Don't move."
Felix's eyes widened as he realised what she intended to do, and he opened his mouth too, ready to protest- to call to Peter, to yell at the stupid girl who stood before him-
And then he realised that she had already fired her shot.
There was a gentle hiss of air moving aside to make room for the arrow, and then the apple was gone from his hand, ensnared by the arrow in the blink of a mili-moment.
There was almost a collective intake of breath, the Lost Boys staring as the apple hit the ground, looking from it, to Felix, to Wendy, who stood now with the bow lowered, a satisfied look on her face. Even Peter was struck speechless for a time, completely taken aback by what had just happened. It was Felix who was the first to speak- if speak was the right way to put it. His breathing was fast from fear, and his eyes were wild as he advanced on Wendy.
"What was that?" he yelled. "You stupid girl- you could have gotten me killed!"
"Please," she rolled her eyes. "At most, you would've lost a finger or two. I thought you Lost Boys liked games that are exhilarating. If the stakes aren't high enough, there's no chance of that." She turned to Peter then, raising her eyebrows, as if to ask him- 'do you? Do you really? Or are you all talk and no action?'. It seemed almost as though he was about to answer.
But then,
"We do!" Rufio had his grin back, and, while he was shaking, he looked across at Tootles and beckoned him over. "That looks mighty exhilarating! I say we all try it!"
"Me too!" Another boy proclaimed, and then they were all shouting it, drawing out bows and arrows and retrieving whatever apples they found discarded on the earth. Rufio even chucked an apple at Wendy, who laughed and held it out obediently before her, barely flinching as he loaded his bow and cheering when the arrow hit its mark- not so smoothly as it might have, but even so. Even Felix, however angry he was, had his own turn shooting an apple of someone's hand.
There were casualties, of course- Tootles being one of the unfortunate ones. The arrow just skimmed by his finger, but there was enough blood to make a few of the younger boys squeamish. Tootles, who had had several scars before, didn't much mind. He just teased the boy who had hit him, telling him his aim was right off. Soon, he was back in the game. They played for a long time- though it would be hard to say exactly how long. Time had an odd way of passing in Neverland. It was as though you had all the time in the world for everything, and yet time was constantly slipping away, all too quickly.
Throughout all that time, Peter was impassive, watching the group and evaluating the game.
Wendy, whose future was now completely dependent upon him, noticed this quite quickly, and, seeing the opportunity to make her next play in their own game, she picked up another apple from the ground and walked towards him, eyebrows raised.
"What's the matter, Peter? Too grown up to play with the rest of us?"
"Me, grown up?" he snorted.
"What are you waiting for, then?" She gestured at his belt, loaded with weapons. "You've got a bow and arrow… I've got an apple."
At this point, the boys had stopped what they were doing and were listening to their conversation. Some of the louder ones started to chime in.
"You should, Pan!"
"Show her, Pan!"
"Pan's the best shooter of any of us," Rufio added.
"Is that so?" Wendy said. He was staring her down, blankly, trying to intimidate her, she thought- but she just kept smiling. She knew how unsettling that could be, when you were trying to frighten someone. She stepped backwards now, enough so that he could easily aim his bow towards her. "Seeing you're the best of them all…why not make it even more interesting?" She lifted the apple, and, careful to keep her eyes on him, she placed it on top of her head.
Peter could not stop himself from clenching his jaw in surprise, then- and the rest of the boys did far more than that. Their gasps were loud, the fear and awe in their eyes very real. Who was this girl, they thought, to do such brave and reckless things- things that even Pan wouldn't have them do.
"My arrows are not like those of the other boys," he said conversationally. "They're poison, you know. You'd be dead in a day."
"The higher the stakes, the better the game," she said, undeterred. "Come on, Peter," she smiled confidentially at him, as though this was a very intimate secret that they were sharing- as though there weren't a crowd of people around, egging him on. "Take your best shot. Consider it target practice."
Plot twist! Let me know what you think of the idea that Wendy might have come up with the game initially. Thank you for reading!
