an: so, I feel like this chapter is pretty short, my apologies! But I seriously am loving you guys loving this story! its love-ception. anywho, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
The girl who called herself Gisselle led me through the trees, holding a small dagger to my throat. "Come along, James," she said sweetly. "I can't kill this girl yet, but I can surely make her face much less pretty."
James followed, keeping as close to me as he dared. His eyes would flicker around, back and forth between the forest ahead of him, then to Gisselle, then to me.
I faltered a step, pretending to trip, knowing that, for some reason, Gisselle was not allowed to hurt me.
Fortunately my theory was correct and as I made a sudden lurch, Gisselle gasped and pulled the knife away from my throat.
"Run James!" I yelled as I careened into the trees. I could hear thunderous footsteps a distance away and knew James had broken free as well.
The next sound I heard sent chills down my spine, almost made me falter and trip again.
Gisselle's screeching laughter.
"I'll find you, Gracie," she called. Her voice seemed to eerily carry throughout the trees; I had no idea where she really was at this point. The sun was down now, darkening the trees, making it next to impossible to see where I was going.
"I'll find you," she promised, "and I'll make you rue the day you ever escaped my grasp."
When I could run no more, I realized then that I was hopelessly lost in this never-ending forest. I braced my hands on my knees panting, shaking, wondering where the hell James was, if he was okay.
A sound a few feet ahead of me made me snap to attention, a scream building in my throat.
But it wasn't Gisselle.
"Peter," I breathed, so thankful to see that blond head of his that I bounded and leapt into his arms.
He tensed at the embrace at first. Then, slowly, his muscles relaxed and he wrapped his arms around me.
He was a lot sturdier than I had imagined, with a hard chest and swelling muscles that seemed to envelope me in his ethereal warmth. One of the leaves of his tunic scratched against my turned cheek, but I could have care less.
"Where have you been?" he asked, his cheek pressed against the top of my head. "I've searched all of Neverland for you."
"That woman found James and I. She's looking for me now-" I pulled away sharply, not completely leaving his arms, but enough so that I could look him in the eye. "Peter, she's looking for me right now. She wants to bring me back to Nerezza. And I told James to run- he's still out in the forest! We need to find him!"
The only response I received was a slight tension in his muscles. "What woman?" he asked.
"She said her name was Gisselle."
"Wait here," Peter said, and shot straight up into the sky, leaving me staring after him in awe.
"Grace?" I heard a distance away.
"James!" I whispered, shooting off in the direction I heard his voice.
I came into an opening in the forest, some kind of small clearing, still surrounded by trees. Moonlight was the only thing illuminating the scene before me, but I could see clear as day that it was not James that had called my name.
"Dearest Grace," Gisselle cooed, and the lunged.
We both fell back onto the forest floor. I gave a muffled cry when she grabbed my hair and forced my head back, exposing my neck.
"Let's see," Gisselle said, twirling the small dagger expertly in her hand, "what shall we write on you? What message shall we send?"
I gave a half-scream-half-sob when the metal of the knife bit into the exposed skin under my collar bone.
And suddenly the pain was lifted. I sat up and clutched at the wound, willing the blood seeping through my fingers to slow, stop, heal.
Gisselle lay a few feet away from me, wild-eyed, dagger gone. Her crazy hair had twigs and leaves strewn throughout it, and he mouth was open in surprise.
"Hello," Peter said to her, dangerously calm. "I don't believe we've met."
She scrambled to her feet, plastering a fake smile on her face. "Ah," she said sweetly, "Peter Pan. I don't think I've had the pleasure. Perhaps Gracie can introduce us?"
Peter didnt even glance at me, his green and golden eyes stayed on Gisselle the whole time. "I don't think she cares to. I also don't think she takes kindly to being assaulted with a knife. You're going to pay for that."
It came out so easily, so smoothly, that I almost didn't register it as a threat. Once it sank in, though, the hair on my arms raised and I shivered. I think that was the one thing that Peter could do to strike fear in anyone's heart: promise pain in a way that you knew he would uphold it.
Gisselle, realizing she was in trouble- especially when Peter reached for his sheathed cutlass- began to back away from him. "I can assure you, Pan, I was only following orders. I can also tell you your fortune," she said with a small smile. "This doesn't end well for you. One way or another, the one thing you want from Grace Chase, you will not be the first to get it. Mark that."
With that she spun in a circle and, in a flurry of billowing skirts and clacking bracelets, she was gone.
Peter seemed unaffected as ever by her words. Though when he reached me, and pulled my hand from my chest, I saw in the glow of the moonlight that he really did look shaken.
"You okay?" he asked as he looked from my wound to my eyes, his dark lashes framing sunny irises. His lips were tenses around the edges, he was obviously stressing out more than I was.
"I think I'm in shock, maybe," I said. "You seem more scared than I am. Should I be scared?"
Peter was silent a moment, then, "No," he said quietly. He helped me to my feet and steadied me, his hands clasping my shoulders.
"Thanks," I said, looking up into his face. "I would have been dead my first day in this world without you saving me all the time."
His hands hadn't left my shoulders, merely slid down to my upper arms, pulling me closer. "I'm glad I could help," he said.
This, here, with him, made me forget everything in the world. All of the troubles, all of the lost boys, and the evil pirates seeking to destroy Peter.
Until I remembered.
"James!" I gasped as Peter leaned in toward me.
That seemed to set him upright. "James?" he asked, his eyes very guarded.
"He's still out in the forest!"
Peter, looking very resigned, sighed and dropped his hands from my arms, taking the warmth with it. "This James has really become quite a thorn in my side."
"He isn't that bad," I defended.
Peter looked at me so intentionally that I blushed. "He ruins everything," he said quietly, before grabbing my hand and hauling me along after him into the forest to look for James.
an: And dere you go! For those of you guys that read my authors notes, I was thinking about writing another Peter Pan FF. It wont be anything like this one, but I still think itll be pretty good! Tell me what you guys think in a review please! Peace!