The air was electric in the dining hall.
No one was on guard duty. All of the Lost Boys were present, and they were all practically buzzing in their seats, unable to sit still.
It was late afternoon, and the sun was in the midst of its slow descent towards the horizon, just beginning to cast the dining hall in a golden glow. The weather was perfect for a game of hide and seek; warm but overcast so that you could move through the dark without the moon giving you away. I hoped it would give the boys of Mystasia a fighting chance. They knew the city, probably knew every nook and cranny and crevice to hide in. Hopefully, under the cover of the clouds, the Lost Boys would pass them by without a second glance.
Although my stomach was in knots, I forced myself to take bite after bite of food, focussing on the meats and vegetables and avoiding the desserts. I would need the energy.
Peter, Benj, and the older boys seemed to be thinking the same thing. They even went so far as to avoid wine and ale. They wanted their minds and senses sharp. Anything that could possibly fog that and put their game in jeopardy was off limits tonight.
The younger boys, still too young to understand or just too easily tempted by sweets, watched us with curious eyes, but they didn't stop eating desserts before touching the meat and cheese and veggies in front of them.
One by one, we finished our meals and, one by one, we exited the dining hall to do our final preparations for the game. Some would go and sharpen weapons. Others would spar with one another. A few of the more strategic boys would go and study maps of the city that they pulled from the archives.
Benj and I shared a glance as he stood and made his exit. He had told Peter he needed to sharpen his knives.
Peter smirked around a mouth full of food. He rubbed his hands together. "My favorite Seeker! I can't wait to see the work you and I do tonight!"
Benj shot a smile over his shoulder, and I was reminded of the boy that he was when we first met.
The boy that ran his blade up my thigh and the one who held me down while Peter sliced my feet to ribbons.
The meat in my mouth suddenly tasted rotten, and it was difficult to swallow. I had to shake the crawling sensation that was making its way up my spine.
Peter said something, his voice startling me, and he chuckled. "You're jumpy today."
I tried to laugh it off, and he leaned in and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.
"Better go get ready, Sweetheart," he said before he planted a chaste kiss on my lips. "It's going to be a long night."
I didn't hesitate. I returned his kiss, his lips tasting sour despite not drinking, and made my way back to my room where Sasha was waiting for me.
###
I looked at myself in the mirror, studying the clothes that I had asked Sasha to find: A pair of black trousers, a black long-sleeved tunic, and a pair of black boots. They had all been John's at one point, and my father could never bring himself to throw them away. He always held out hope that he would return to Mystasia one day.
I tied a long piece of string around the waist of the trousers, synching them tight and swallowing the knot in my throat. My father had held out hope he would return, but John knew that he would not.
Now, they were both gone, and I was left alone.
"Would you like a cloak?"
I looked at Sasha in the mirror. She held out a dark cloak to me.
I shook my head. "No. I don't want anything loose that can be grabbed."
She furrowed her brow but nodded her understanding before placing the cloak back on the bed. Then, she handed me the blade that Benj had left for me. It was a smaller blade, something that I could easily handle but would still yield the damage I would need should I come face-to-face with a Seeker.
I pulled the blade from its sheath to check its sharpness, and a small piece of parchment fell to the ground.
When the game starts, meet me where we hid the first time.
When a knock came at my door, I jumped and quickly stored the note in the pocket of my trousers.
Sasha and I turned to find Harlan standing at the door. He looked like he hadn't slept, his hair disheveled and his face unshaven. He was pale, and his eyes were wide with worry as he looked at me.
"Time to go, Princess," he said, and I nodded, swallowing hard. "Are you ready?"
I nodded. "Ready."
Because ready or not, the game was about to start, and I had to play whether I liked it or not.
###
The city square was full, just as it was on the day I had returned to Mystasia. Everyone was there to witness the start of the game. Everyone was ordered to or they would face the same fate as those who were unable to see my return.
This time, however, Peter and the Lost Boys didn't go door to door. They didn't have to. They had riddled the city and the people in it with enough fear that they didn't dare defy him or his orders. He had infected them with fear, and there was no cure.
Boys of all ages clung to their families, their arms red and swollen from the same brand that scared my own wrist. Some of them were crying while others stood like stone, their faces blank and their eyes far away. Older boys carried what they could find to use as weapons, pitchforks and wood-carving tools and iron stakes. Younger boys carried wooden clubs and kitchen knives. Many carried nothing at all.
Peter explains the rules one final time, and then it is time for the Seekers to put on blindfolds. They'll wear them until the bugle sounds to avoid anyone gaining an unfair advantage.
He turns to me before putting on his blindfold and pulls me to him, kissing me hard.
"Don't let me catch you, Sweetheart," he said, his eyes like that of a predator. "You should be better at this now."
I swallow hard and nod my head. "Yes, Peter."
He smiles. "That's my girl." Then he turns and joins the other Seekers, placing his blindfold securely over his eyes.
Benj, who sat next to Peter, gave me a small nod, so small that I wasn't sure he had done it at first. I returned it, and he gave me a smile before placing his own blindfold over his eyes.
Meet me where we hid before.
The sun felt like it was falling faster now, and I hoped the first bugel would sound soon. There wouldn't be too much time to hide before the second bugle sounded, and with each passing second, it didn't feel like enough time at all.
As soon as the sound pierced the square, I was running. Children were already screaming and crying, and the worst part hadn't even happened yet.
I ran and refused to look back. At that moment, I was back in the forest on Pan's island.
As I ran, Benj's knife at my hip and John's clothes on my body, all I could hear was Peter's words in my head.
"Don't let me catch you."
I didn't intend to.
###
Initially, I had been worried that I wouldn't be able to find the servant's room that held the wardrobe that would take me to the tunnels. I even ducked into a few that weren't the right room. Panic had begun to set in when I finally peeked found it. Shutting the door behind me, I resisted the urge to push something in front of the door. I knew that once the bugle sounded and the Seekers began to make their way through the castle, city, and surrounding areas that anything that made them suspicious would make them buckle down and search more thoroughly, and the last thing I wanted was for any of them to discover the tunnels.
Besides, I wasn't entirely sure if Benj would be coming through the same way or if he would be going through a different entrance.
After stepping through the wardrobe, I adjusted the coats and carefully slid the piece of wood back into place. Unlike Benj, I didn't light the torch on the wall. I was too nervous that someone would see the light peeking through the wardrobe somehow.
So I sat in the dark and tried to count the minutes instead, but my heart was racing far too quickly for me to keep track. The darkness began to feel like ink, thick and sticky and far too close to me. My breathing started to come in gasps.
Had the bugle sounded yet? Was Peter on his way to find me?
Tears stung my eyes. How many games of Hide and Seek had I lost? How many times had he found me crouched in the dark, unable to run or hide anymore?
And what would he do to me if he found me this time?
The sound of muffled footsteps made me pause and press my back into the rock wall. Slowly, I pulled Benj's knife from the sheath and held it to my chest. My eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat, but all I could make out was a tall, dark shadow making its way down the tunnel towards me.
"Holly?" Came Benj's tentative voice, and I sighed with relief.
"I'm here," I whispered, and I sheathed the blade.
His hand found my shoulder, and then he was embracing me. Hard.
I held onto him just as tightly, both of us standing there and holding on to each other like a lifeline.
His breath was hot on my cheek as he asked, "Are you alright?"
I nodded, unable to answer. How could I put into words everything that I was feeling?
Thankfully, it seemed that Benj understood everything without me saying it out loud. He kissed me gently and said, "He can't get you here. You're safe." Then, he linked his hand in mine and said, "Are you ready?"
"Ready?"
"I need to take you deeper into the tunnels. On the off chance that one of the other Seekers finds that entrance, I want to make sure you're hidden."
The thought of the tunnels being found by another Lost Boy or, worse, Peter, made my stomach churn, and I agreed, following Benj deeper into the tunnels.
At some point, Benj had lit a torch and was using it to guide us deeper into the tunnels. At first, they broke off and we had an option to go left or right, but eventually, the tunnels started breaking off in several directions. Anyone could get lost in them, but it seemed that Benj knew them well. Or at least well enough to navigate to where we needed to go.
Seeming to sense my anxiety, Benj peeked over his shoulder and smiled at me. "Almost there."
The tunnel began to slope downwards, so much so that I had to lean back slightly and take smaller steps. The ground was looser, so we had to be careful about slipping. I could hear the sound of water and smell the ocean, and the temperature had dropped slightly, making me thankful for the trousers and long-sleeved tunic.
Then, we were stepping out of the tunnels and into the largest cavern I had ever seen.
The ceiling must have been one hundred feet high, and I could see a spattering of stars through the opening where a cloud had broken open. The ocean lapped at a sandy shore of black sand, and I could see an opening that would lead out to open water.
I wondered if low tide would reveal a larger mouth to this cavern.
How did I not know this was here? Under Mystasia? This whole time?
Down on the beach was a bonfire, and I could see a few boys from the city already huddled there with some food and drinks in their hands, their eyes taking in the massive cavern around them. A few others came filing out of a tunnel nearby, led by Harlan and Sasha and Saisha.
I studied the tunnels that broke off from the cavern. They reminded me of spokes in a wheel, and I realized that each spoke had dozens of different tunnels that led to different parts of the kingdom.
"This is incredible," I said, awestruck.
Benj nodded. "Isn't it though?"
"How did you find this place?"
"I didn't."
He wasn't looking at me. He was looking up at the stars, the small bits of light reflecting in the dark pools of his hair, pulled back in that same tattered ribbon, shined like spilled ink. He felt my gaze and finally turned to me, smiling, but it seemed sad.
"Who did?" I asked.
He squeezed my hand and opened his mouth, but he was interrupted by Harlan .
"We're headed out to find more boys," he said as he jogged up to us, slightly out of breath. "Are you coming?"
I nodded, but Benj protested. "It's too dangerous for you to go out there. If Pan finds you-"
"I want to help," I said, cutting him off. "The more people helping, the better."
He ran a hand through his hair, bits of it falling out of the ribbon and framing his face. He looked older that way, more like a man than a boy. He sighed, but nodded.
"Alright," he relented, "but I want you to promise me that you'll only help boys that are easy to help. If they'll come with you willingly, fine, but if they reisst, leave them. We-" he motioned to Harlan, "-can handle the ones that are more resistant. They'll be scared and probably won't believe you're trying to help. If you can carry them, do so, but if you can't, drop them and run." And if you see a Seeker..."
He didn't have to finish his sentence. I knew what to do.
"Run like hell," I said, and he nodded.
"Then it's settled," Harlan said. "Let's move."
###
Benj and Harlan left me at an entrance with the easiest path back to the cavern. It was in an alleyway in a dark corner of the city, outside a seedy tavern. It was easy enough to slip in and out of without being noticed, so I took up watch from behind a stack of empty whisky barrels, the smell of whisky and rotting wood creating a spicy sweet smell in my nostrils.
Although it was only the boys and young men of Mystasia playing Hide and Seek, the rest of the city was asleep. All the windows were dark, and there were no stragglers tonight, not even at the seedy tavern. Windows were closed despite the coolness of the night, and it was as though no one dared to breathe.
And it seemed that no one was using this area of town as a hiding spot.
Until I noticed a set of eyes watching me from across the alley.
My heart slammed into my ribcage, convinced I had been caught, but then a small, red-headed boy with more freckles than there were stars in the sky peeked out from behind a barrel, looking wide-eyed and terrified. His dirty face was streaked with tears, and it looked as though he had no weapon.
I put my finger to my lips and carefully peeked down the narrow street. When I motioned for him to come to me, he buckled down and shook his head furiously, his ringlets bouncing from side to side.
"It's okay," I dared to whisper. "I want to help. I have a place we can hide where no one will find us."
He shook his head again, his bottom lip quivering.
"I'm not a Seeker," I said, trying to convince him, but he was too young to understand. He didn't know that I was in just as much danger of being punished as he was, even though I was Peter's Lost Girl. Even though I was the princess of Mystasia.
I wracked my brain, trying to figure out a way to get the boy to come to me. He wasn't safe out here, especially for as young as he is and without a weapon. He wouldn't be able to outrun any of the Seekers; he was too small, his legs too short.
Then, an idea came to me.
"Are you hungry?" I asked, taking in his ragged clothes.
He perked up at that and nodded.
I smiled. "I have food at my hiding place. Want some?"
He nodded again and didn't hesitate as he stood and began running his way to me.
Only to be snatched up by a cloaked figure.
The boy opened his mouth to scream, but the stranger clamped a hand over the boys mouth to silence him.
I had promised Benj I would stay put, that I wouldn't interfere, but I couldn't let this small boy fall victim to Pan and the other Lost Boys. Besides, it had been me who had lured the boy from his hiding spot. It was my fault he was found.
I had to try to fix it.
"Hey," I shouted, "Leave him alone!" I pulled the knife that Benj gave me from its sheath and began to run towards the cloaked figure and the boy.
The cloaked figure turned to me, his face cast in shadow. He cocked his head. "Holly?"
I stopped and held the blade out in front of me, but I paused at the familiarity of the voice. "I said, leave him alone."
"Holly, it's me." The figure put the boy down, who wasted no time running to me, and then pulled his hood back.
It felt like the air was knocked from my lungs.
Hook.