Chapter 4: Peter, Peter Pan

Hannah's Perspective:

My hands bound with rope, the three of us walked through the dark forest. The boys had removed the rag from my mouth but kept me tied up since I attempted to escape them on a few occasions. This whole experience has led me to a conclusion; this really sucks. What if I'm crazy? Or what if I died and none of this is real? I mean, how could it be? I'm on a freaking island in the middle of nowhere! But then again, I am not the sort of person to be crazy. Sure I may get into trouble a lot, but that was on purpose. This whole adventure definitely wasn't my own doing. The boys continued to converse with each other as if I wasn't even there.

The brunette spoke in a serious tone;

"When do you think he'll hit rock bottom?"

I could hear the chuckle trailing in the blonde's voice as he replied;

"I think he already has…"

Who hit rock bottom? Who could they be talking about? My curiosity was more than I could handle. Not to mention I'm quite nosy when it comes to knowing things.

"Who are you guys talking about" I butted in.

At first they were surprised I even spoke. After I while I had given up on making any sort of conversation. But now I was actually interested in something they were talking about. The boys exchanged a look.

"Just someone we work for, it's nothing really" the blonde spoke, assuring me that it wasn't important.

Though I can smell bull from far away. But I came to realize that none of this really matters. Soon I'll be back 'home' eating chips on the couch forgetting any of this ever happened. But it didn't stop me from asking who it was that was going to get me home in the first place.

"Who do you guys work for again?"

The brunette grinned as he released a soft chuckle.

"You'll meet him soon enough. Trust me, you're gonna love him" he spoke with that same sly grin.

I scoffed as I rolled my eyes;

"Is that supposed to be sarcasm? Because I'm not impressed. What's the big deal anyway with me being here? You guys are here, what's so bad about me?"

After that question left my mouth I immediately wished I could take it back. The blonde haired boy frowned and a chill crawled up my spine. Why the sudden mood change?

"Well let's just say you weren't part of his vision" he spoke quietly, most likely in the hopes I wouldn't hear him.

But I did hear him.

"Who's vision?" I questioned as my curiosity peaked.

Out of the corner of my eyes I could see the blonde resting his eyes as he sighed;

"…The person we work for. He regulates everything on this island. Nothing has ever gotten past him. Except for you and one other person."

This boss of theirs seems like a total control freak. I don't understand why they would work for a guy like that. And isn't it strange that a couple of teenage boys would be working for some random dude on a remote island? But what confused me more was why he mentioned that one other person had gotten by this mystery boss. What's the big secret here?

"And who would that be?" I pried.

At this point both of the boys chuckled and the brunette spoke up.

"You sure do ask a lot of questions."

I do not ask a lot of quest—…Okay maybe he's right.

I scoffed;

"What do you expect? I'm a girl, I like knowing things. Like, when can we stop wandering around this forest like lost puppies?"

It seemed as though now we were walking even slower to our destination.

"We're not lost, we're just taking our time…We aren't exactly thrilled to give our boss the big news."

What does he have to be afraid of? It seemed as though the blonde began to move even slower.

"Why don't you just call him by his name?" I questioned as I fumbled with the rope that bound my hands together.

The brunette quickly replied;

"Cause then you won't believe us. Trust me, it's just better you meet him for yourself."

You have got to be kidding me! I rolled my eyes as the brunette spoke once more;

"He's quite a character if I do say so myself" the brunette continued.

Boy does that kid like to talk…At this point it was ridiculous. When can I just go home? And how long until we get to—

And then I saw it.

We stopped in front of two large posts standing fifteen feet high. In between these posts was an opening about seven feet wide and going around was a large wall constructed out of cedar wood. The blonde then spoke, startling me;

"Relax guys, it's just us."

As I looked up I saw what appeared to be two boys sitting up at the top of the posts. Upon further investigation I noticed they were both aiming crossbows in our direction. My heart began to race as I noticed both of the bows were directed right at me. Why such high security in a place of a couple teenage boys and their old boss? Even so why are teenage boys handling crossbows?! Slowly they lowered their bows as the one in the left post locked eyes with me. His hair was an orange red color and from what I could see his eyes were a dull brown color. The only way I could describe his expression was shock. A moment passed when the two boys with me turned to each other.

"Alright, so Sam you go ahead and tell him what's going on" the blonde insisted.

Finally! I know someone's name!

Sam appeared completely taken aback.

"What, me? Why me? You're second in command—"

The blonde then interrupted as he crossed his arms;

"Yeah well I'm not the one that got us on guard duty for two weeks."

"Well maybe if you hadn't gotten all adventurous we wouldn't be in this situation!" Sam nagged back.

Okay I'm officially sick of this.

"Ladies please! Calm down!" I spoke, getting in between them.

The boys looked to me in awe and shock. Yeah, I called them ladies. They're acting like high school girls, and there's nothing I despise more than petty, dramatic school girls.

"Can't you just do rock, paper, scissors or something? Nose goes?" I suggested.

The boys looked to me at first with a look of question. That was until Sam blurted with a grin;

"Not it!"

In that moment the look of disappointment and annoyance was apparent in the blonde's eyes.

"You have got to be kidding-"

"You heard her. It's only fair" Sam chuckled.

The blonde boy looked to me, most likely in the hopes I would say something to get him out of his losing situation. But I said nothing. Sam was right, it was only fair. After my elongated silence the blonde released a heavy sigh. Rolling his eyes with a loud scoff, the blonde boy turned around and disappeared into the night within a few moments. It was then that Sam and I were alone, standing in silence. Keep in mind, I'm still tied up. So I get to stand here all awkwardly as I barely know this kid. For a few minutes it stayed like this as the wind blew through the leaves in the trees and the crickets and night bugs chirped. That was, until I actually had a question this kid might possibly be able to answer for me. I cleared my throat as I broke the long silence.

"What are the other girls like here?" I said pretty much out of nowhere.

Sam's attention turned toward me. His eyes met mine for a brief second before strands of his shaggy brown hair fell in front of one of his eyes.

"Other girls?" he spoke questionably, as if he didn't hear me correctly.

I continued on;

"Yeah, the other girls?"

His facial expression changed as his eyes fell to the ground for a moment. He then answered looking back up at me;

"Um, there's only one girl, and it's you."

I laughed aloud;

"Yeah right. There's no way a few teenage boys can survive on their own without a girl to keep them from doing something stupid."

In that moment Sam shrugged. I could continue prying and asking questions, but there really wasn't much of a reason to. In the distance I could see the blonde boy strolling back over to us. He carried himself as though he was being weighed down by boulders.

Let's just get this over with. He stood before us, looking down at his hands and twiddling his thumbs.

"He wants us to bring her" he spoke in a low voice as he looked up at me.

The blonde pivoted on his feet towards the entrance of their camp. I looked to Sam with concern as we began to pass through the entrance. The boys above us in the guard towers watched us with their observing eyes. Every step I took I could hear the leaves crinkling and I would cringe at the thought of making any noise. As I looked about my surroundings I noticed the lines of small huts and small campfires that were unlit. But one thing I noticed out of the ordinary was a hut much larger than the others. Who does this guy think he is, royalty? As we made our way along the winding path a thought crossed my mind. Am I in hell? Am I about to meet the devil himself?

Probably not, but you never know.

The farther we walked the more I began to hear scattered voices; voices of what seemed to be teenage boys, and a lot of them at that. As I peered through a mass of trees and bushes my heart began to race. There had to have been at least twelve or so boys in sight just by peaking through the bushes. Making our way around the last corner I was not prepared for what I was about to see. Almost thirty boys surrounded a large campfire the size of my bedroom back home. Where are the girls? I began looking amongst them to not find a single one. Many of the boys were laughing and talking amongst themselves until all of a sudden they grew absolutely silent. Like clockwork all of their heads turned and faced us. They were looking—staring at me. Sam wasn't joking…Why aren't there girls here…

Many of the boys were in similar shape. They looked strong, and just by looking at them I could tell they were probably fast. The youngest boy I saw had to be at least twelve or thirteen. And from what I could see, the oldest boy there was most likely seventeen. The peculiar thing was, when I scanned the group of boys, I didn't see their leader. Surely an old man would stick out amongst this type of crowd. And how could a middle-aged man control teenage boys that could definitely take him on? I continued on, scanning and observing the boys around me.

At first my eyes were drawn to the boys that stood further away from the fire pit. But not long after I was drawn to a pair of sparkling eyes framed with thick lashes. They reflected the fire's flames before him as he stood close to it. They were locked with mine the moment I came into view. His eyes were green; a shade of green that brought forth memories of rolling down hills in the spring as a child; like they were his innocence. The kind of green that shown underneath piles of cold wet snow when winter had met its end. The kind of green that budded on the dead trees of winter, bringing life back to their branches. That green color of the forest after it rains. That churning, passionate green that the ocean turns during a storm. That green color that brings hope and life no matter what has happened. And looking into those eyes, I could see it. And he knew that I could. That was when he looked to me with a grimace and his eyes changed. They turned dark and fierce, like a late winter storm in the middle of the night. His eyes matched the way he felt towards the world: dark and cold. They were drilling into mine. I couldn't help but think— I'd never seen such dark eyes with so much light in them. I then took notice to his light brown hair, which was rich like mahogany. Everything about him was symmetrical, most obviously his cheekbones and jawline, but it led to the manner in which he presented himself. He appeared to be a few inches taller than me and stood with authority; like he was important. Who was this boy, and why do I feel so drawn to him? He shoved past a few boys in front of him, bumping shoulders and shooting glares at them. Now standing before me…he smirked.

Why was he smirking?

I anxiously waited for him to speak. And from the moment he did, it was like I couldn't pay attention to anything he was saying.

"You seem to have come a long way, love."

Oh my god.

This attractive boy was British!

I stood there, still with my hands tied behind my back as I looked to him. Who is this boy?

"It really boggles my mind you've found a way here…" the boy spoke, his spirited voice laced with dark intentions.

I breathed slowly as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Where is…'here'?" I said, looking around me once more.

The boy released a slight chuckle.

"Why, you've found your way to the greatest place of all."

What is it with boys not answering questions?

I glared at him.

"I'm not messing around" I began.

"Where am I?"

The boy raised a brow as the boys behind him whispered sporadically.

"I take it you've got a backbone…very intriguing…"

Intriguing…?

Beginning to feel uncomfortable, I took a step forward, trying to hide the fact I was unsure of this boy.

"Look, you may see this as some some sort of game, but I'm not here to play. I want to know why I'm here."

The boy laughed and his smirk faded into a crooked smile. His eye color faded to a light emerald green color.

He claimed authoritatively;

"Well darling, truth be told I don't know why you're here—or how you got here for that matter. But I will tell you that this is indeed a game, and I make the rules."

All of a sudden something clicked in my head.

Is this boy…their boss? The boss I assumed was a middle-aged man?

I scoffed;

"I take it you're 'in charge'?"

The boy began to stroll back and forth in front of me with his hands behind his back.

"You could say that. I do own the island, so I'm pretty sure that gives me the right to make the calls from time to time" he said comically.

Unfortunately I wasn't particularly in the mood for comedy.

"So then what am I doing here?" I spat bitterly.

All I wanted right now was to go home and sit on the couch with a bag of Doritos and my premium Netflix subscription. But no, I was stuck here talking to a cocky attractive British boy. For a moment the boy stopped and paused as he started;

"I think we could use a new flame in the camp, something to keep things interesting…"

He paused.

"And you know what they say—"

He eyed me with those piercing green eyes.

"'One girl is worth more than twenty boys'."

For some reason when the boy said it, my mind flashed, as if I had heard that saying—or read it somewhere…It sounded familiar…But what was it?

My eyes narrowed and I scoffed;

"What am I supposed to be, some sort of maid?"

The cocky boy showed a look of comical offense.

"Why, not at all. You see, you're at an advantage."

Advantage?

"Girls have something us boys lack…" the boy claimed.

The boy paused;

"Intelligence and common sense."

No, really? I thought boys weren't as dumb or smarter than girls?

He raised a brow;

"Granted this also tends to make them less adventurous and spontaneous, but not always…"

Excuse me? I'm about as adventurous as it gets for a Wisconsin girl.

"Says the boy who's too afraid to leave me untied" I mocked.

The boy eyed me as his eyes grew dark. He stepped toward me and before I could say or do anything his hand was around my neck, applying a decent amount of pressure to at least scare me. But I did my best not to show any fear.

The boy mumbled aloud;

"Aren't you cute, you're a talker…"

For some reason, in my stupid brain, I felt like talking back would somehow make the situation better.

"Yeah, and I can scream too. I'm just adorable."

Oh god, I'm an idiot. I internally wanted to slap myself, but I had a feeling there would be one coming my way in a few moments.

"A very sassy talker at that…" he said, his grip growing tighter.

As he was up close I could see that his eyes weren't only green, but they flourished with several colors of yellow and red, maybe even a hint of blue. For some reason there was something captivating in his eyes, besides the fact he was holding me in a death grip.

"You take orders from me, understand that?" he uttered strongly.

Again, my dumb self thought that now was the time to stand up to bullies.

I replied using the small amount of air I had left;

"Why should I take orders from you?"

For a moment there was complete silence as the boy looked into my eyes. He chuckled to himself and loosened his grip around my neck, bringing his hand back to his side.

"Allow me to introduce myself…"

He took a few steps back from me as the other boys stood watching.

"Peter, Peter Pan" he introduced as he bowed before me.

I didn't say anything. I just stared at him blankly. You've got to be kidding…

"You? Peter Pan? Ha!" I chuckled as I rolled my eyes.

This only seemed to make the boy angry.

"What's so funny?" he questioned me in annoyance.

Now this is the point any logical person would say whatever they had to in order to make the person threatening them not want to break their neck. Unfortunately, I am not that logical person.

"You don't seem like the boy who had many great adventures with his loyal and trusted lost boys. After all, that personality of yours won't lend you any help in the friendship department" I joked confidently.

Boys around the fire actually laughed, leaving myself not feeling as bad for making a joke.

I noticed the boy's eye twitching.

"So you brought me a funny girl, didn't you Felix?" the boy spoke.

He looked off to the side at a boy and glared at him. I couldn't quite tell which one he was talking to since none of the boys seemed too happy at this moment in time.

"Well since you think you're so funny, how about a challenge?" Peter proposed.

"If you beat Felix in a duel, you can stay. If not…"

His eyes immediately darkened.

"I'll throw you to the mermaids myself. After all, no use in holding on to a girl who can't fight."

I could now see the true horrid intention in this boy's eyes. He may have looked innocent on the outside, but on the inside, he was cold and ruthless. But I then began to panic. I don't fight, nor did I ever plan on having to fight anyone. What is this, the Hunger Games?

I looked to the boy in shock;

"Whoa fighting? Who said anything about fighting? I don't even want to be here—"

"Says me, and well, sorry love, but you can't go home. Once you're in Neverland, you can't leave" he cut me off.

My heart sank into my chest.

What does he mean I can't go home?

Surely I can.

There must be a way…

"Regardless, it's late, and my boys need their sleep. They won't be much help to me if they can't stay awake while they gut pirates" the boy smirked darkly.

There's no way in hell this boy is Peter Pan. Or at least, not the Peter Pan I read about. Peter turned around and looked into the crowd for a moment before yelling out a name.

"Julian!" he shouted.

At first all that could be heard was shuffling deep in the crowd of boys. Though moments later a boy stepped out from the crowd. The flames of the fire illuminated his shining bright eyes and dark hair. He was taller than me and had an attractive face. I wouldn't have been surprised if he was around the same age as me as well. The boy made eye contact with Peter and kept a few foot distance from him.

Peter coldly ordered the boy;

"Take her to the pit, that's where she'll sleep for the night. Tie her to that stake and don't untie her unless I say so. If I find her untied, what happens to you is at your expense."

My eyes widened as I wondered what that boy's expense would be. To my surprise the boy just nodded his head as he calmly approached me. Expecting him to harshly grab onto me, I tensed my body in a way that it would make the grip less painful. But unexpectedly the boy gently rested his hand on my shoulder and guided me in the direction of travel. It didn't make sense to me that not all of the boys were as cold blooded as their leader. Not long after Peter began to give his boys a speech about working hard or something of that matter. The boy named Julian continued to guide me as we began walking through the forest. For some odd reason, I had the confidence to ask the boy a question. As soon as we were far enough away from the group of boys where they wouldn't hear me, I began speaking.

"What makes this the 'greatest place of all'?" I questioned, my voiced drowned with sarcasm.

I at first wasn't sure with how the boy would react. He scoffed and chuckled;

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself."

He turned his head and looked at me with what seems to be a comedic expression. But I could tell in his eyes that he wasn't joking. For some reason I felt as though something was truly wrong here. Something about this place was not normal. My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the sound of something shuffling in the air. I slowed down my steps as I looked up around me. I knew that sound wasn't the wind, more life the sound of leaves on a tree branch being brushed against. When I looked up it seemed as though something was watching me from the trees. However, there was no visual evidence that there was anything there. After all, the only living souls on this island were the boys at the fire and the mermaids Peter had briefly mentioned. But Julian pushed me on, as to not become distracted by the ghosts of the night. Each and every step I took led me deeper into my thoughts and my subconscious. What if I truly am stuck here? Never to see Tom or my uncle ever again? I had told Tom that I would visit him after he left for college. That I would make sure he always had someone there for him. I can't give up, not now at least. I can do my best to fight my way out of here.

I'm going home.

Whether Peter Pan likes it or not.

Peter's Perspective:

I had now order all of the boys present at the fire to get some shut eye. For I needed them to be on top of their game at all times. Though I held back Felix in order to have a word with him. I stared into the hot flames of the fire as all of the boys cleared out. Soon it was just him, I, and the spirits of Neverland that lay awake.

"Yes Pan?" Felix called aloud as he stood a few feet beside me.

I continued to stare coldly into the fire as I parted my lips.

"I want you to show no mercy Felix. Do you understand?" I ordered.

I could tell in Felix's eyes that he would not want to follow my command, but I insisted.

"We can't carry any dead weight Felix. She will just get in the way."

Felix looked to me with hopeful eyes that disgusted me.

"Aren't you even gonna give her a chance? After all, she got here on her own. Don't you think that's a sign?" he tried.

A chance? What kind of saint does this boy think I am? I laughed;

"I think she's a sign sent to distract me."

I broke eye contact with the hot flames of the fire.

I continued with my serious tone;

"I'll throw her to the mermaids in the morning."

I noticed the hope in Felix's eyes die and wither away into nothingness.

"Then why bother having her fight me?" Felix asked.

I exhaled deeply, clenching my fists in a ball and slowly releasing them as I said to him;

"I felt like giving her some hope so that she wouldn't scream in the middle of the night, as to wake Hook and his crew. Plus I'd rather get to see her drown. It's just too dark to see into the water at night."

In that moment Felix's face turned white. He actually thought I was going to spare her? What a fool.

"Go on, get some sleep. Even though that fight of yours shouldn't take much effort. Just don't kill her, I want that pleasure for myself."

Without looking at me Felix stormed off into the forest without a sound. He must really not understand why I'm so careful with my decisions. The girl isn't of any use, so why bother having her around? She will fail tomorrow with no doubt. Her death will be relatively quick and it will be as though she never existed. If you think about it, I'm doing her a favor. I could drop her off with Hook and have him take care of her. But since I'm so generous, I'll end her sad life now. And let's not forget…

Nobody gets away with trying to humiliate Peter Pan.

—

Hey guys! First off, I am so deeply sorry for how long it's been since I updated. My life has been crazy busy and sitting down to write was very hard for me to do. I'm hoping that now with my after school activities ending that I'll have more time to write. Yay! Again I am so sorry for how long you have all had to wait. I promise I didn't venture off into Neverland without y'all! And I also promise that if you don't see an update for a while it's not because I gave up on my story. Most likely I'm just crazy busy or I'm unable to get my computer to successfully update the book with the chapter. Anyhoo…what did you guys think? Isn't Pan quite the catch? And how is Hannah supposed to fight Felix?! Let me know any thoughts or predictions and I will see you soon with another update!

-Agm3