This chapter may have contain triggers for some people for mentions of drinking and abuse.
You have been warned…
Chapter 12
(Henry's POV)
Henry was walking through the jungle, thinking. Everything that happened the past few days seemed like a blur. The first moment he was an older brother, together with his step-dad, the only man in his sister's lives. And now, only a few days or weeks later, his sisters had boyfriends. And not just anyone, no, fictional character boyfriends. Elizabeth's boyfriend was Peter freaking Pan, and Sophia's boyfriend was a bloody Lost Boy.
Where did they meet, do you ask?
On freaking Neverland.
How?
They were taken by some crazy people through a magical portal.
Yes, Henry always believed in everything you could believe in; there was no doubt in his mind that this all was real, but his sisters caught up in this. That was what pissed him off the most. He was supposed to keep them safe, and now because he couldn't, two other guys were taking over his role as their protector. It was just too soon, he supposed. It was going to happen eventually, but he just wasn't ready. Pan and Felix may have good intentions but they're still boys who don't want to grow up. And if they don't want to grow up, then they're going to break his sister's hearts, because both Elizabeth and Sophia do want to grow up. He knew they did.
Only then, did Henry realize that he had wandered off further than he intended to. Apparently he had walked to the beach they went swimming in the other day. Which also meant that the pirate ship with the rum he found was close by. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to take a little sip, just to numb his worries a bit, maybe get him sleepy enough to have a good night's rest for once. A little bit never hurt anybody.
So that was what Henry did. He walked over to the ship, climbing aboard and going below deck to where the rum was stored. He grabbed a flask, twisting off the plug and smelt it. That was some strong stuff they had stored in here. He brought the bottle to his lips, about to take a sip, when he heard the planks above him crack.
Someone was aboard.
Henry started to panic a bit. What if it were his sisters, they would be so mad. Or maybe the pirates had come back. If they found him down here than they were going to kill him for sure. He quickly put the plug back on the bottle, but when he wanted to put it back he accidently knocked over two other bottles, making much noise then was felt physically possible.
"Felix, over here," he heard Pan's familiar voice say. Henry relaxed, letting out a heavy breath. Not long after he heard the voice, Pan came inside the storage room, Felix in tow.
"What are you doing here?" Felix asked, while Pan raised his eyebrow at him.
"I could ask you the same," he countered.
"One of the boys said they saw someone aboard the ship, we came to check it out. We don't want pirates on this island, now do we?" Pan said, crossing his arms. "Now tell us why you're down here."
Henry sighed, he was never a good liar, better tell the truth then. "I just wanted a bit rum, just a sip or two, nothing more."
Felix walked further into the room, crunching his nose as the strong smell of the liquor Henry knocked over hit him. "Why would you want to drink this? We have fresh water back at the camp."
"There is alcohol in this," Pan explained. "If you drink enough of it you'll get this… fuzzy feeling. It puts you in a dazed state, and some people makes it happier, other people only turn depressed."
"But how do you know whether you become cheery or miserable?"
"Doesn't really matter, you'll remember nothing of it afterwards." Pan turned back to Henry, raising his eyebrow. "Why do you want to drink this?"
Henry sighed, leaning back against a crate. "I- I just want to forget for a few minutes, okay? It's all a bit too much."
To his surprise, Pan nodded, understanding in his eyes. "I know what you mean. Tell you what, why don't we share a drink?"
"You serious?"
"One wouldn't hurt anyone, right?" Pan looked at Felix. "You joining us?"
"Why not?" Felix said with a shrug. Pan grabbed another two bottles, handing one to Felix while holding the other one up.
"To us," he said, both Henry and Felix holding up their bottle as well. "And to the hope that the girls won't find out about this."
They all chuckled before taking a sip of their bottle. After that they took another sip. And another. And another. And another…
(Sophia's POV)
"Hey Soph," Elizabeth called when she was just about to leave the camp. She looked up at her sister, her eyebrow raised. "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere, just need some time to think," she replied, smiling at her twin.
"Okay, if you see Peter, tell him I want to see him."
"Sure will."
With that she turned, walking into the jungle. She just needed a moment alone right now, to think and get her thought in a row. As she walked she fiddled with the piece of wood in her pocket. She took it from Felix when they had stolen their clothing, and after everything that had happened- she hadn't had the chance to ask him about it. She pulled it out of her pocket, looking at it closely as she sat down on a log in the clearing she just walked into.
She examined the piece of wood closely, letting her fingers caress the carefully carved edges. It was a rose, a rose made of wood. Felix had made it, made it for her. She knew he made it for her because on one of the petals of the rose was an 'S' carved in graceful lines. He must have spent much time carving on the island, because what he had made out of this simple piece of wood, was incredible.
Sophia was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone enter the clearing. Quickly she put the piece of wood back in her pocked. When she saw that it was Felix she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"You scared me," she said, laughing a bit.
"I did?" he asked, looking surprised. "Sorry, didn't know I was that scary."
He walked over to her, grinning like an idiot, while not being able to walk in a straight line. Sophia immediately knew something was wrong. He sat down next to her as ungraceful as a boy like him could. She was surprised he didn't fell backwards.
"Felix?" she asked carefully.
He looked at her, still grinning. "Yeesss?"
"Are you drunk?"
"What's da-runk?"
"Come here." She grabbed his chin, pulling his mouth closer to her. She sniffed it, indeed smelling alcohol. She coughed as she got a whiff of his breath as he exhaled. Sophia sighed heavily, pushing him away again. "You can't be serious."
"Why am I not serious?" he asked, looking very confused. "I can be veeeery serious right now."
Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. "Felix, you should better be going back to the camp, and get some sleep. You'll feel better tomorrow."
"But I feel soo-super fine now."
Felix suddenly reached out for her pocket where she put the wooden rose in. She tried to push his hands away, but even drunk he was fast. He got the piece of wood, and looking at it closely. Sophia looked away, feeling her cheeks heat up.
"I knew you had it!" he said, laughing to himself. "I actually wasn't planning on giving it, because I was scared that you would think it was ugly or too much and I didn't want to push you away."
Sophia smiled. "It's beautiful, and it's not too much. I love it."
Felix sloppy handed it back to her. "I'm very happy that you like it, because you are very shesh-special to me."
She laughed, shaking her head. "You're very special to me too, Felix."
He suddenly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. He didn't say anything else, only hugged her tightly and nuzzling his nose into her hair. She laughed softly, hugging him back as best as she could with her arms trapped between his. After a moment he pulled back, looking at her.
"You know," he starts, clumsily sitting back on the log and almost falling off as he pointed at her. "You're my first."
She tilted her head. "First what?"
"You are the first girl I ever liked, in like, ever. You were my first kiss, my very-very first in everything." He then moves closer as if he was going to tell her a secret. "I've never been with a girl before."
"Really?" she said, laughing a bit when he nodded, looking as if he barely believed it himself.
"Yeah, but don't tell Sophia. I don't want her to think I'm pathetic."
She smiled softly, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "I never think you're pathetic."
Felix grinned, resting his head on her shoulder as he let out a long breath. His hands grabbed hers, and he started playing with her fingers - examining them as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. They sat there in silence for a moment, Sophia not really caring anymore. Felix was probably going to pass out any second now, so when that happened she could either stay here with him for the night or try to drag him back to the camp. But she would decide that later.
She suddenly felt Felix hand brush away some of her hair, exposing her neck. She froze completely when he started placing soft and gently kisses on her neck, brushing his lips against sensitive skin, and made her shiver. The hair on the back on her neck stood on end when Felix began to nip at the sensitive pulse point at the base of her throat.
"Felix," she breathed, her voice a bit shaky. "Wha-what are you doing?"
"I wanted to do this for a long time now," he whispered, tightening his grip on her. She couldn't say that she wasn't liking it. It actually felt really good, the way his lips brushed against her skin and the way that that his little love bites felt. She would probably have to deal with them later if she didn't want anyone to notice them - especially Henry. "One day, Sophia, one day I'm going to marry you, and that's a promise."
She felt herself lean into his touch, turning her head to him so that her cheek was almost touching him. "Why would you want me?"
His nose came to brush against her cheek, his lips kissing her jaw. "Because I love you, Sophia."
Before the words could even sink in he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her sloppy and lazily but still very heated. She could taste the rum on his tongue and lips as they moved against hers. The kiss became slower and slower until Felix pulled back, nuzzling his face in her neck once more.
"I love you so damn much," he whispered before his entire body went limp against hers. He had fallen asleep. The words slowly sank and when she finally really realized what he said, she just didn't know what to do anymore. Her hand tightened around his as she buried her face in his hair while her other hand pulled his head closer to her. That was the last thing she expected him to say, especially now.
"Why did you have to say that, Felix?" she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Why, you idiot? Why?
(Elizabeth's POV)
The Neverland air was really warm today. What day was it anyway? Elizabeth's mind was wondering as she walked around the jungle. The dirt and moss under her boots was quite firm now - Elizabeth guessed that that's from not getting enough water lately. It hadn't rained at all since the Jones group arrived. As she thought though, it doesn't need to rain since time stands still. None of the plants will wither, and nothing will die without sabotage.
That was just the way that Neverland was. It was a mix between the Earthly book and the real version. Barrie got the fact that Neverland was a place of dreams, but he missed the fact that Neverland was covered in dark undergrowth that could easily kill you if you ran in to the wrong plant- or beast.
Elizabeth's mind continued to wander as she pushed away the branches of trees while she looked for Peter. This morning he was nowhere to be seen. By her at least. She was sure that Felix had seen and talked to him, maybe even Henry. Still, he was evasive of her. I thought that he would want to see his Blondie, or am I just being clingy? Elizabeth just wanted to see Peter, was that such a bad thing. He was acting so strange yesterday.
But at that moment her mind was cut off as she saw a tree in the distance with an old strung together latter hanging off its trunk. Another treehouse? Her curiosity got the better of her as she continued to walk towards the tall tree, and sure enough, there was a dark wooded house neatly made in its branches that the latter ascended too.
Elizabeth started to climb, and although it was hard with the latter not really nailed down to the trunk of the tree, she managed to get to the top. There was a trap door right above her head at this point, and the latch was already partly open. Maybe someone was already here. Elizabeth's mind went haywire with ideas as to who was here: Tink? Felix? Another person on the island? Or maybe even Peter? And with that spur of knowledge - and hope that Peter was the one here - she lifted herself onto the treehouse floor.
Elizabeth didn't even bother to close the trapdoor, since whoever was here didn't care either. The room where she was, was a tiny little room with a balcony facing the camp for as much as she could see. A small desk set was in the corner of the room, but in the other corner there was a spiraling staircase leading to another room. And at that moment, when she was done examining the lower room of the house, she heard a noise coming from the upstairs. It almost sounded like an object was falling, not from a great height, but like something was tipped over.
That was enough of something to get her going again. Elizabeth didn't run, but she didn't walk normally either. It was almost as she scurried to the stairs, but she did so in a graceful way for a change of her casual clumsiness. When she was finally up the twisting stairs, she saw a dark room with a hammock on one side and a dresser on the other; along with a window on the far wall.
But there in the center of the undersized room, was Peter. He was sitting on the floor of the dark wood with what little light was coming through shining on his slumped back. His elbows were on his knees, his head was bowed to the point where his chin could touch his chest, and it barley looked like he was breathing. Not even to mention that the air in the room had a faint smell of liquor.
The stair that she had just stepped on made a quiet creaking sound, and as she was still looking at him- she saw him raise his head ever so slowly. So there they stared at each other. Elizabeth's lips parted in surprise. Peter's face looked so broken. His eyes were rimmed with red- which only made his green irises stand out even more- and you could see the saltwater tear tracks running down his cheeks without being able to stop. He blinked at her for a moment, and she saw that he unconsciously let another tear loose.
"Elizabeth."
His voice was so hoarse. Everything about him at this moment broke her heart: to the darkness of the room where he thought he had to take refuge, to the tears running down his face that he wanted no one to see. And every part of her knew that he wanted her to see like this least of all because he wanted her to keep the image she had of him still. He wanted her to see him as the unbreakable Peter Pan. The strong willed leader of the Lost Boys, not some broken boy who couldn't keep himself from crying.
"Peter," Elizabeth paused, then continued to talk to him in one of the quietest whispers that escaped her throat. "Oh Peter, what happened to you?"
He didn't bother to answer her question, he only let the room fill with silence again while still looking at her. So she wasted no time, and went to him while letting her knees hit the floor. She didn't mind the pain that shot through her legs, Elizabeth was only worried about him. There they both were, Peter in the same exact place that he was in when she arrived, and Elizabeth sitting in front of him on her knees.
After some time, the silence with her here looking at him was driving Peter further into madness. He couldn't take it anymore.
"What are you doing here, Blondie?"
"Looking for you... and I found you. What happened to you?"
He didn't need to answer because at that moment she glanced around the room, and saw all that she needed to understand what went on. There on the floor next to his hammock was a tipped over flask. Its sliver body dull and bare, and Elizabeth had no doubt that that was where the stench of rum came from. And if Peter had a flask here, it means he drank it because even when the cap was tossed aside somewhere - there was no liquid flowing out it. Another bottle just laid there mocking them along with the flask.
She looked back at Peter, now only to see that his eyes were tightly shut, and his lips set in a thin line. He knew that she knew what happened.
"You're drunk?"
"So what? It wouldn't be the first time," he said defensively.
He opened his eyes to look at her once again. She saw how he couldn't care less that she knew. Elizabeth was curious and saddened that he hadn't told her more about him, but she had not asked. She asked once about his scars, and she still had his bracelet on- but she didn't ask about his past. Even though he told her parts, it didn't even come close to the full story.
"You're only seventeen, Peter. Why in the world would you even consider drinking?"
"Because if you drink enough, you can forget anything." His voice was filled with such emotion, it was as if he had done this too many times to count. Peter's voice had such a ferocity that Elizabeth had no idea of what to do except to lean forward and place her hands on his cheeks.
"You want to forget me?" Elizabeth took what he said to heart, and it broke hers. Her hands had started to drift from his face, and pull back. Peter on the other hand looked scandalized.
"You- never. My past however, every single day of my life."
That made her feel a little better, but to this point, Elizabeth was as confused as a chameleon in a bag of skittles.
"Peter, what do you mean? I know you had a rough start, but… what?"
"When your fourteen, and you start to steal fire whiskey to forget the horrors of your life- it means that you really need to have something changed."
"You were fourteen when you started drinking?!" To say that she was surprised would be an understatement. "Where did you even get it? No one in their right mind would allow a kid to have whiskey?"
"Elizabeth, I STOLE it. Didn't you hear me? Even if they were in their right minds, my masters were furious when they found out."
Her eyes widened at his confession, and it felt like her heart had sunk to the deepest darkest pit the ocean could offer. Elizabeth could barely question him.
"Wh-w-what?"
"They never thought why I had it. HA, yeah right. Their only words to me were how worthless I was," he paused, staring at her like she wasn't really there. His swollen eyes looked at her glazed over with either tears or remembrance- most likely both. "Not even to mention what their wives did to me."
Apparently the rum had loosened his tongue enough to tell her this because otherwise his secrets would be well kept, and not being spouted like a water faucet. As his secrets kept coming she inched closer to him. Eventually Elizabeth held Peter's head in her hands again, and without knowing it started to rub her thumbs against his cheeks in soothing circles.
"I could face my masters with silent lips, but my mistresses- It was so much harder. Their husbands would push me around and beat me for the hell of it, but their wives- my mistresses- were absolute monsters. So the only way I ever thought that I would become a child would be if I couldn't remember anything of what my days brought me. I needed a place where I could be free," He paused again. "So when I turned seventeen I found a way to be free. I found Neverland in one of my dreams, and I got here. I got what I wanted most- to be a child."
Their world seemed to spin around them; Peter's most likely because of the alcohol, and Elizabeth because of what she had just witnessed and heard from her Lost Boy. So they both sat there in the dull dankness of the room, and listened to the silence overthrow the room once again. Elizabeth sat there holding Peter in her hands, staring at the boy truly underneath the façade.
His shoulders were still hunched and his back still slumped over, but he never blinked. For a long moment she thought he had passed out with his eyes open, but he hadn't. That's when two things seemed to happen. She realized that he was reminiscing about his past, and a sharp chord was pulled in her heart. What had his mistresses done to him to make his like this?
"Peter, what did they do to you?"
Her voice still quaked, but anger was suddenly flaring in the pit of her stomach because men are capable of many things, but there were few things that a woman was capable of to torment a boy to this extent. Without moving a muscle, he answered her.
"That Darling, is a story for another time." Now Peter looked as if he was looking into something bad, wonderful and sad because a microscopic smile was playing on his face. However, the look in his eyes screamed that he still needed her. Elizabeth thought he was done, but the eternal boy wasn't.
"Just promise me one thing, Elizabeth, don't let them take me again," he pleaded her, his voice breaking her heart in a million pieces. It was such a request question from her Lost Boy, still it hurt her in so many ways. She couldn't hold herself up anymore, and she wondered how in the seven hells he was able to even talk about this. The rum must be extremely strong to allow him to say these things to her. Elizabeth launched herself forward and grasped fervently to the back of his emerald shirt.
Without even thinking her right hand held the fabric of his shirt like a woman who was seeking comfort in her last breaths, her left hand gripped the strands of hair at the nape of his neck while she nuzzled her nose into the hollow base of his throat. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist with just as fierce of a grip.
Peter felt the rumble of her voice on his skin when she spoke. "I promise, Peter. I promise you unto the day that I die that they will never take you away again, not from me."
She felt his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed his voice. When he spoke it was cracked and strained.
"They can't have you either," he gulped again. "You're too beautiful for them to take; you're so full of love and hope and innocence. They'd brake you, Elizabeth. Faster than you'd realize."
Her only response was to nuzzle her nose deeper into his collar. He could easily feel the wetness of her tears stain his neck, but he guessed that he wasn't much better being in the same state that she was.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I'm so sorry that you weren't loved and taken care of before Neverland. I'm so sorry that this place even exists because of what you had to go through as a child. And I promise to make it all up to you- I promise that you'll be loved for as long as I'm alive."
"You can't promise that. No one loves me," his tone was quite, but it held almost like a heart clenching certainty to it. But so did her voice.
"You're wrong."
"Really how? How do you know for sure that I'll be loved?"
"Because Peter," she paused, taking a deep breath before pouring her heart out in the next words she said, "I love you."
A/N: We know that this was quite a depressing chapter for the leading Lost Boys of Neverland(It's not everyday that you find out one of them was abused and the other is a 400 year old virgin), but it was a major chapter! R & R! We love the comments...
