Chapter 9

"Hey Nibbs. Who is that over by Curly?" Tootles asked. They were talking so loud that I could hear them perfectly clear.

"What you say Tootles?"

"I said 'who is that girl standing next to Curly'? You know the one with the red hair in the blue dress. The one that looks like how Slightly described his mermaid."

Nibbs shrugged. "Beats me. Hey Slightly, do you know who it is?"

I felt Slighty's stare. It made me uncomfortable for people to stare at me especially when I was dressed like this. I swayed a little making sure that the pain in my ankle distracted me. I tried to think of the next adventure we were going to have but even that wasn't helping.

"That's…. that's…. that's…." Slightly stammered. I looked up to see his face had gone reddish pink. I gave a fake girly giggle for fun. Slightly blush got even redder. He started to walk our way. I was frozen. There was now where to run.

Curly nudged me. I turned towards him ready to ask what he wanted at a time like this but he said nothing. "What?"

Curly just held out a Pan flute. Not just a Pan flute but the flute. He placed it in me open hands and said "play."

Still staring at him dumbly Curly gently pushed me to the center of the crowd. Stumbling in, I tripped and fell to the ground. A sharp pain hit my ankle. I rubbed it until the pain subsided. Slowly I stood up regaining my balance. All the lively dancing stopped. Everyone was now staring at me. Their wondering eyes barred into my body. My body froze; I was unable to move. All I wanted was to hide. I wanted to run. I wanted to be anywhere but here.

I looked around from face to face of each man, woman and child. They all looked surprise and were waiting for me to do something, anything. The Lost Boys attention was on me. I could see Tiger Lily, Jane and Tink looking sympathetic. I saw Curly. He was bruised all over. There were scratches all over his arms and face. His reassuring eyes made me have this new found courage deep inside of me.

Before I could give it a second thought on my loss of memories I started to play. I played a livelier dancing tune. Floating barely two centimeters I could make it look like I wasn't hurt. I skipped and twirled around getting others to join me. I looked over at Tiger Lily and Jane. Tiger Lily was playing a drum too accompany me. More people chimed in playing all different instruments. Many more danced. Jane had got Slightly to dance with her. He would sometimes glance my way but Jane made sure he'd notice her more. I smiled inside with relief. They seemed to be having fun. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a dark figure at the edge of the crowd.

My attention then turned to it. The figure stepped into the light. I put my hand on my hip expecting to find my sword but to my disadvantage I had left in Tiger Lily's teepee. He was a man who had. He was wearing a soldiers' uniform. His right knee was bandaged by a cloth so supporting him was an old wooden crutch. Gauze wrapped around his head that covered his dark brown hair streaked with gray. When I looked into his hazel eyes they reminded me of someone. His soft sad smile reassured me he was no threat. He raised a hand up as if to say good-bye and walked back into the forest.

Something inside me made me run towards him. I didn't feel the immense pain in my ankle. I dodged dancing couples to follow him. I heard Tiger Lily say "James where are you going?"

"James?" came the response from every Lost Boy except Curly. He instead tried to help Jane explain but I didn't pay attention. I kept running towards where the solider exited.

I don't know what made me want to follow him but a vague memory seemed to make me move. I had seen him before. But I don't know where. I pushed past the outskirts and into the woods. There was not a trace of him anywhere. He couldn't have gotten that far. I desperately ran farther into the forest trying to find him. But it seemed like he just vanished.

I heard a snap of a tree branch. Quickly I turned around involuntarily reaching for my nonexistent sword. But to my relief it was only Peter who stood a couple feet from me. His smug expression alarmed me. Standing there dumbfounded I looked around for the solider.

"What hoping it was someone else?" He teased.

"Maybe, maybe not." I retorted. Recently I was getting quite good at being sarcastic. Well I learned from the best. "Why would you want to know?"

He shrugged uninterested. "I don't I was just in the forest minding my own business."

"Why aren't you at the party?"

"Do I have to be?"

That caught me off guard. "Well, no."

"A better question is why agirllike you isn't at the party?" he asked. His words dug deep under my skin. The way he said 'a girl like you' bothered and it had itched me like a poison ivy.

"What do you mean a girl like me?" The blood reached my ears. I felt a new kind of anger rising within me.

He just smiled his conceited smile. It is the one thing that gets me the maddest is when he flashes that arrogant smile. At the moment I just wanted to hit him.

"Fine be that way." I stormed deeper and deeper into the wilderness. I felt the pain in my ankle increase but I didn't care. It was far better than having to put up with him.

"James, wait!" I heard from behind. But I kept walking. I couldn't hear him following me anymore but the words rang in my head. 'James, wait' No I am not James. 'James, wait' stop it I'm Jaime the girl, no more being James the boy. 'James, wait' Like hell I would stop. Peter's voice rang in my head telling me over and over to wait. But no one could have convinced me to turn around at that moment in time. Quickening my pace I looked behind me and saw nothing. I stopped dead in my tracks.

The wind curled around me making me shiver. Wrapping my arms around me there was a peculiar silence that engulfed everything. The life that usually surrounded the forest was a sleep and safe. The darkness in its place wrapped its cold dead fingers around me chokingly. A caw from above my head made me jump. Looking up on a branch from above a crow sat. Peering at it more closely I saw it was not a crow but a raven instead; its cold glass eyes stared down at me investigating.

"'But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only the one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing father then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—till I scarcely more than muttered 'Other friends have flown before—on the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.' The bird said 'Nevermore.'" I recited.

What poem was that? I wondered. I heard it before but I cannot remember. I looked at the raven again. 'The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe' a voice murmured. I turned around quickly to find no one there. 'Remember Jaime this is not a fairytale it is very dark. Do you really want to hear it?'

My heart started to hurt when I heard her voice. I closed my eyes to see if it would go away. Instead I saw a rather beautiful woman. She was sitting next to me on a quilted bed. Her red hair was pinned rather nicely on the top of her head. A warm smile spread across her perfect read lips and her dazzling eyes. I felt tears run down my cheeks. 'Was it too scary Jaime?' I felt my head shake. She wrapped her warms around me in a warm embrace 'it's alright baby Mommy's here… Mommy's here.'

I opened my eyes, touching my cheeks to find warm tears running down them. Wiping them away I looked for the raven but it had disappeared. A twig snapped behind me. As I turned around I felt a hand covering my mouth.

"Shhh, my dear." A raspy voice ordered. The thing in front of me wore a cloak covering his face but the glint of metal on his other hand gave away who he was.

Hook! I thought angrily.

"There is something I need you to do for me." Hook hissed. Elbowing him in his gut I slipped away from his grasp pulling his sword out from his sheath. He gasped for breath as I pointed his sword against him.

Finally he straightened up. "Hmm, Peter has taught you much." in one swift motion he brought his hooked hand and hooked it on the sword and pulled it out of my hand. Pointing it to my heart I stood still. He chuckled "But not enough."

"Now back to business. I want you to get close to Peter and learn his weakness. When you do you will bring him back to me." Hook said.

I gave a small laugh. "And what makes you think that I would help you?"

A sly smile stretched across his ugly mug showing his sun stained teeth. "My dear if you do not I have to kill you."

"I'm not afraid of dying."

"Maybe instead I'll kill the little boy and girl. Oh, what are their names? Oh yes, Jane and Danny isn't it."

I felt my face go pale. This couldn't be happening. Not even in my worst nightmares did I imagine Hook killing Jane or Danny. It was the worst case scenario. Hook smiled "Bingo."

"No!" I yelled. I reached toward the sword but wasn't fast enough. Hook grabbed my hand, slashing it on the palm. I cried out in pain as the crimson blood dripped down my finger tips on to the cold hard ground. Clutching my bleeding hand with my free one I heard Hook chuckle.

"Ha, my dear you are far too young, far too inexperienced to go up against me, girl." He spat. He threw a piece of fabric in my face. "To bandage your mistake."

Pulling it off angrily the vile creature was nowhere to be seen. I ran off in one direction searching for him but he vanished like a smoke in the wind. I kept running to nowhere and no one. Feeling my hand throbbing just made me run harder. My heart and lung started to hurt but I didn't really notice at that time. All I could hear was Hook's mechanical laugh replaying in my head over and over again. Out of breath I stopped. Looking down I realized I was gripping the filthy rag with my good hand Hook had given me. Throwing it on the ground in disgust a voice whispered in my ear "Looking for me?"

Swiftly I grabbed a stick from the ground and pointed it to the owner of the voice. A sigh of relief escaped ma stick from the ground and pointed it to the owner of the voice. A sigh of relief escaped my throat as I saw that the owner belonged to a boy with dirty blonde hair dressed in leaves and vines. He put his hands up in defeat and smiled.

"Whoa! Sorry if I scared you." Peter apologized. Grabbing the stick from my hand he saw the bloody gash on my hand. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

Peter looked at me astonished. After ripping the hem of my dress I bandaged my hand nicely Peter pointed to my hand. He said "Your hand how did it get all bloody?"

I was so close to tears. Looking in Peter's eyes made me want to tell him everything. I thought about lying but I knew too many stories where the hero or heroine lies and it only hurts themselves and everyone they love in danger. I didn't want that nor did I want Jane and Danny dead. Feeling the stickiness of I wanted to say 'it was hook he slashed my hand and threatened to kill Jane and Danny if I didn't find out your weakness.' But I was afraid Hook was still around so instead I whispered low enough for only Peter could hear "It was nothing only a tree branch."

Peter's eyes blazed with fiery angry that made me shiver. He knew I lied. I felt his grip tightened and I yelped in pain. Letting go quickly he flew up. With my good hand I grabbed his arm pulling him back down. He looked at me astonished as I held his arm. I concentrated at the incident that only happened minutes before. Shock rolled over his expressions as he saw the memory.

"That bloody coward" Peter said as he shook my hand free. He walked back the way I came. Running to catch him I heard the last sentence he mumbled. "If that's what he wants then I'll kill him."

"No." I said. I stared at Peter. "If he knew that you knew he would kill them both. We have to think of something."

Peter continued to walk. He glared ahead of him with a puzzled expression. "Like what?"

"I don't know. But we have to keep everyone safe and away from the camp."

"But he wants you to tell him my..." Peter chuckled "weakness."

I glared at him. I moved in front of him and stopped him in his tracks. He looked at me as I pointed a finger at him. I warned "Everyone has at least one weakness. Sometimes you don't know it's your weakness until you lose it."

He rolled his eyes at me. Peter started to hover and moved past me. I tried again to catch up with him. I heard him utter "I don't care."

"Be that way I will protect Jane and Danny myself." I puffed as I was the same speed as him.

"And how are you supposed to do that? You can't beat Hook."

"Now you're saying 'you' again like being me is a bad thing."

Peter sighed turning back to face me. "Look the first time I didn't mean to say it in a bad way. For this time no one can beat Hook."

That made had made me stop walking. Did Peter Pan actually say no one can beat hook, not even him? I wondered. Peter always thought himself a better fighter than Hook. Why is he stopping now? Stopping with me he landed on the ground standing in front of me. A serious look clouded over his green eyes. Peter pulled out his sword and looked at it and handed it to me.

"This was the same sword that I tried to kill Hook with." He said calmly. I held the handle of the blade as I balanced the actual blade with my other hand. "I only managed to cut off his hand."

In one swift motion Peter grabbed the blade out of my hand and threw it hitting a nearby tree. His head was down and he was trembling. I walked over and pulled hard to get the knife out of the tree. Then I walked back over and handed Peter his sword. He sheathed it and looked up at me. His eyes were like his feeling didn't know what to do so they were blank. He looked at me and said "Go back to the party. I'll keep watch."

Then Peter flew quickly off into the dense overtop. Turning to face what was behind I found light passing through the trees. I slowly pushed past the trees and found myself back at the camp. Walking past the dancers, storytellers, and leaders I reached Tiger Lily's tent and found Jane and Danny sleeping next to each other. I let out a sigh of comfort as I saw their chest rise and fall as they breathed. I sat down beside Danny and brushed my hand through his hair.

"I swear, that I will protect you both." I swore quietly to them. My response was Jane shifting to face towards me. I chuckled a little and watched the crescent moon.


Hey sorry this took so long. had a bit of writers block and no time. great combonation, huh? well you know what i going to say. Disclaimer: I don't own Peter pan. yada yada yada. i hope you reveiw please. and please tell me what you think is going to happen.