Chapter 9: The Voices

Pan's Perspective:

You've gone soft Pan…

How could I have possibly gotten so weak in that moment? The drowning is my favorite part!

"You really are a demon, aren't you?"

The voices that brought me so much pain and suffering…They're coming back…

"You can't keep doing this to yourself…"

I strolled through the damp forest as I sighed.

I obviously have let the voices back into my head again…

The voices that toy and bring out my emotions.

"We wouldn't have to if you'd just accept that everyone has emotions…"

My god, do you ever shut up?

"You've forgotten who you really are Peter…Is this what Wendy would have wanted?"

Shut up!

When I can I do my best to subdue my emotions in order to keep myself from having any sort of weakness. Any time I felt like my emotions began to creep up on me I would down a vial of a hand-crafted elixir. It would take away any joyful emotions or feelings I had and leave me in my most practical state. But the voices bring them back. They taunt me and make me do the opposite of what I wish. They make me feel. And that's the worst thing a pan could do. To have emotions would be a mistake…I had always found it better to just not have emotions at all…Emotions make one weak and powerless…It gives their enemy a weak spot to drive a dagger through. I pulled the small vial containing a light blue liquid out from my belt and pulled the cork from the top that was capping it. Tipping my head back I brought the vial to my lips and downed the cold liquid till the vial was empty. As I swallowed I felt like something was pushing against my chest. My eyelids began to struggle to stay open. My breathing began to get heavy as the potion did its magic. Slowly the voices began to fade…and I started to feel more like myself again.

Ah…

Much better…

I opened my eyes and felt my heart become even heavier and colder. My mind was finally brought back to its senses.

Now…

I exhaled a heavy breath.

The girl…

How do I get rid of the girl?

Drowning was obviously a bust. I can't kill her…and I can't let her leave. My options are quite limited…

I can't possibly let her weasel her way into associating herself with the Lost Boys. After all, girls always make things complicated. They mess with your head like no other. I walked slowly along the trail towards shore where I was met with the bright blue waters of Neverland. Everywhere I go, I always see…her…In the ocean, I always see her eyes. In the sun I always see her hair. In the wind I can just faintly hear the sound of her voice, singing the songs she would sing when I was just a young lad. She was always here. Watching and listening...

My foot sank into the sand as I took my first step towards the crashing waves. One step after another I looked out to the outskirts of Neverland. It was then that my eyes fell upon Hook's ship.

That's it!

At that moment I came to my senses.

What if I used her as bait?

It could easily be done…

I could anger her enough to make her want to join the pirates, or perhaps, I could send her out on a little adventure…

If I'm lucky enough maybe they'll even kill her for me.

Oh, Pan, it's good to be back…

Hannah's Perspective:

"I think it's safe to say you've made a little bit of progress today shortcake…" Julian commented as we walked along the trail back to camp.

"What did I say about nicknames?" I snapped.

He chuckled and held his hands up in defense.

"Listen, you gotta realize that you're on an island full of teenage boys that are bound to try to make you miserable" Julian spoke.

I rolled my eyes in distaste;

"Well, you gotta realize that I don't put up with that kind of stuff. You have no idea how many fights I've gotten into at school" I gloated.

"And how many did you win?" Julian questioned.

I began to count on my fingers to myself before answering;

"Seven and a half."

With a perplexed expression, Julian eyed me.

"'And a half'?"

I chuckled to myself;

"Well, I mean technically I would have won, but when you're in a fight with your four hundred pound gym teacher nobody really wins in that situation…"

Julian just looked at me in confusion.

"I'm not going to even ask…" he dismissed.

I continued;

"Long story short, I'm not exactly the easiest to work with…"

Julian rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Yeah, you've got that right" he laughed.

I sent him a glare and shoved his shoulder.

"Woah there, didn't your mother ever teach you some manners? To be lady-like?" Julian chuckled.

I remained somewhat distant and quiet. He looked at me then back at the ground.

"Or are we not talking about mothers yet?" he spoke with care.

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed.

"Eh…I just don't really talk about her much…"

I continued to watch the ground until I looked up at him.

"Are mothers a forbidden topic here?"

Julian shrugged his shoulders and released a light sigh.

"Not forbidden…just somewhat forgotten. It's commonly thought that your past life doesn't carry over in Neverland. Whoever you were before…it doesn't matter. It's who you are now that makes the difference."

I nodded my head in agreement. I never knew such sensible knowledge could come out of a delinquent's mouth.

"What about yours?" I asked.

Julian smiled and glanced at the ground.

"My mother?" he questioned.

I looked up from the ground into the trees.

"Well, from what I remember, my mother was the sweetest person I knew…"

He continued on;

"She was always kind, thoughtful, and put others before herself. My father was the same as well…"

I listened intently to him speak.

"But you see, my family didn't have much…My father was a miner and my mother stayed home because she wasn't allowed to work. He wasn't paid nearly enough to be able to take care of my family, so whenever he was on the job, he'd steal some of the gold or diamond he'd mined and pawned it so he could afford to feed us."

Julian looked me in the eyes.

"But one day my father was caught and he was sentenced to death. So from then on, it was just my mother, my older brother, and I. "

I found it hard to gather the words to speak.

"I'm…so sorry…" was all I could muster up.

He grinned slightly;

"They were good people…My father didn't do it for himself…he did it for my brother and I. That's what made him a good man."

Shifting gears I asked a counter question.

"Julian, how long have you been here?" I asked, my tone trailing in wonder.

He chuckled;

"I honestly have no idea. But I guess you could say that's the fun part."

I spoke;

"But don't you ever wonder if maybe you could go back to your family and see them again?"

It seemed as though Julian thought I was joking. That was until he saw my serious expression.

"Listen, let's just say even if I went back, they would be long gone by now—"

"Well, you don't know that for a fact. Do you even know what year it is?" I interrupted.

He raised a brow.

"Hannah, I highly doubt there's anyone still alive from the eighteenth century" Julian laughed.

I stopped in my tracks.

"Did you say…eighteenth…century?"

"Yes, ma'am" he chuckled.

What in the hell?!

"Are you seriously telling me you've been alive for hundreds of years?!" I exclaimed.

Julian responded nonchalantly;

"Nope. Because I technically don't know…"

Out of strange impulse, I instantly grabbed Julian's cheeks and stretched them as far as I could.

"Um…ow…" he mumbled.

It was the strangest thing I had ever seen…He didn't have a single wrinkle…So what, now obnoxious teenagers have discovered the secret to eternal youth?!

"What the hell is this…" I spoke aloud.

I continued;

"You don't look a day older than seventeen!"

He mumbled;

"That's what Neverland does to you. It doesn't even feel like I've been here that long. Maybe ten years or so…I don't know, I just try not thinking too hard about it."

I let go of his cheeks and stepped back.

"I still don't understand any of this…"

"You will eventually" Julian chuckled once more while rubbing his sore cheek with his hand.

Suddenly deep within the trees came a loud rustling sound. A few feet from us were two boys revealing themselves from within the forest. Turning my head towards them I quickly came to realize that these boys were identical twins.

"Julian, we need you. It's serious" the one spoke desperately.

Julian turned to them;

"What's going on?" he questioned.

The boy speaking cleared his throat.

"We found Felix."

Julian's eyes widened as he quickly turned to me.

"Okay Hannah, I need you to go back to camp right now."

I quickly grew anxious.

"Wait, what's going on? What happened to Felix?" I interrogated.

What weren't they telling me?

"There are just some things I can't explain right now…" he said.

I countered;

"But I don't want to—"

"Now!" Julian demanded.

Leaving my side Julian began to run off into the opposite direction.

"But what if I get lost?! I want to help!" I yelled after him.

Moments later the twins joined Julian in a sprint.

"Walk along the path! It will lead you back!" Julian called out.

I scoffed and shook my head as all of the boys disappeared into the trees.

"Men…" I spoke aloud with displeasure.

Looking about myself the only option I had was to follow the path back to camp. Did I want to go back to camp? Not really. Did I have a choice?

Not really.

I exhaled a heavy sigh and figured that I may as well start heading back. This whole forest looks exactly the same…Without the path, I'd probably be screwed…

The forest itself was quiet and slightly eerie. Despite its beauty, the near silence within the trees made the atmosphere feel strange and chilling. It was different than any other forest I had been in. To be fair it appears to be more similar to a jungle. In some parts, there were thick green vines and leaves and in other parts, it was bare with only a few ash trees. I wandered the path for a while, taking my time and enjoying being alone. In this part of the forest, the trees had released their leaves, allowing them to rot in piles on the ground. Strolling along the path my eyes were left to watch the grass as I crushed the leaves beneath my feet. The dry, dead leaves surprisingly blended in nicely with the thick, green moss growing on the ground. My mind continued to wander until a bright reflection blinded my peripheral vision wherein the fallen leaves appeared to be some sort of abandoned object. Instantly it peaked my interest. I shuffled around the dead leaves with my foot, which in turn revealed a shiny, metallic blade. Crouching down I took my hand and sifted through the crunchy brown leaves to find that this object was actually a dagger. I began to pick it up from the ground when I noticed that the handle of the dagger was covered in blood. I flinched and dropped the dagger, afraid that it had just been used to kill something…or maybe even someone. But as I examined it closer I realized that the blood had actually been dry. I found this peculiar, not only because it was dried blood, but the fact that most of the blood congregated around the handle rather than the blade. In fact, I could see the blade's entire design. The silver steel blade was engraved with a pattern of swirls and lines that created an intricate design. It was…interesting…to say the least. I carefully picked up the dagger and held it in the light. The blade appeared as if it could have been fashioned yesterday. There were no scratches or rust, or any sign of wear really. It was perplexing that it seemed like a tool or weapon that would have been in style in the medieval times. When I turned the dagger on its side I was intrigued by a particular marking on its rich mahogany handle. It appeared to be initials. Scratching away bits of dry blood with my nail from the handle I read the initials aloud in question.

"L.R."

Who's L.R.?

However, I figured that the dagger must have belonged to one of the other Lost Boys. Standing up from my crouch I stuck the dagger in my belt loop and continued on. It wasn't long before I was met with the entrance to the camp.

Julian's Perspective:

"Where'd you guys find him?" I questioned as I followed Rhett and Brett.

"A scouting group found him by the waterfall. He seems pretty freaked out" Rhett responded.

I looked at them skeptically but shrugged off my idiotic thought. As we continued to run it wasn't long before I could hear the crashing water from the waterfall. It meant that we were close, and within just a few seconds we would be met with the large, open space surrounded by rocks and trees. Looking ahead of me I saw sitting on a large boulder was Felix with many bruises and cuts.

"Dude, what happened to you?" I questioned in fear as I stood before him out of breath.

Felix coughed up a few droplets of water before choking on his words.

"It's them—"

His speech was interrupted by his constant coughing.

"Them who?" I asked perplexed.

"The missing Lost Boys…"

My eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned nervously.

Felix cleared his throat;

"I was up top of the waterfall when I ran into Charlie. He looked completely normal until I saw his eyes…"

Shivers crept up my spine as he spoke.

"But it was Charlie…" he said sorrowfully.

"It was as if he was just…empty…He wasn't even there…He attacked me and my only way of escape was the waterfall…" he finished quietly.

My heart sank deep into my chest as I shook my head.

"Might you have any idea where he headed off to?" I tried.

Felix calmly shook his head;

"He just came out of nowhere. After I had jumped I looked up at the waterfall and he disappeared. He was gone…"

I sighed and cleared my throat. Turning to the other boys present I spoke;

"Get him dried off and back to camp. I'm gonna scope out the area to see if I can find anything…"

Brett asked;

"Do you want someone with you? Just to be safe? We can't bear to lose you, Julian…"

I glanced toward the ground.

"No" I spoke.

"It's better I go alone…" I spoke solemnly as my eyes fell further toward the ground.

The surrounding boys nodded and grabbed onto Felix to help him up. Slowly they headed back towards camp while I stayed behind.

Something just isn't right.

If Felix really saw Charlie, and if Hannah saw Slightly, then the missing Lost Boys must be alive…but how?

How have they just vanished?

I sat down on a nearby rock and looked to the waterfall as I thought.

And why would Slightly chase after Hannah? I mean, I guess if he just didn't know that she wasn't a threat then maybe…but still…

Why would Charlie attack Felix?

They've been friends since the day Charlie stepped foot in Neverland. What could possibly make him want to hurt Felix?

Unless…he didn't have a choice…

"He looked completely normal until I saw his eyes…"

"It was as if he was just…empty…He wasn't even there…"

Felix's words repeated themselves in my head.

Suddenly my mind flashed back to a memory in Hook's ship.

"Jake immediately rushed over and looked at Sam whose blue eyes were dilated and held a blank expression."

"Sam are you alright?" Jake asked, but he didn't give a response. He stood there silently staring back at us."

Jake waved his hand in front of Sam's face and he didn't even flinch. He looked to me with a concerned expression.

He took the bottle from my hand and looked it over. On the bottom was a small label that was faded and barely readable.

"Suggestion Elixir" he read aloud.

We looked up for a moment at Sam's dilated eyes.

He spoke;

"It means he's susceptible to our suggestions."

"And who knows when it will wear off."

My heart rate began to increase as I took deeper, quicker breaths.

I know what Hook's doing to them…

I don't know where he's keeping them, but they must be under his influence.

I stood up from the rock and took off toward the top of the waterfall to try to get a better view of the island. I sprinted until I was met with the top of the waterfall where I could get a view of Hook's ship far in the sea. In the distance, I heard the snap of a twig, but I ignored it when I noticed that the ship was closer to shore than usual. Either they're planning to board the island…

Or they already have…

"Looks like we've found another one for the captain, boys."

Hannah's Perspective:

So I don't necessarily have the best sense of direction…But I wouldn't say that I'm lost.

Okay, I'm lost.

I have no idea where the hell I am because all of these damn trees look the same!

And it doesn't do you any good when you step off the trail to chase after that random sound you heard in the distance.

My god, I'm a complete dumbass…

I looked around me only to see trees and vines of green. I sighed to myself as I felt the dagger I had tucked into the back of my jeans. As I reached behind me to pull it out I heard a snap of a twig close by. I held my breath and looked around me once more.

Lord, please don't make me have to fend off a bear or something…

I took a step closer until I heard another twig snap, and then another.

My heart rate raced until suddenly my eyes were met with the most horrifying thing imaginable.

It was Pan.

"What's got you all worked up young lady? Shouldn't you be back at camp making friendship bracelets or something?" he snarled as his eyes met mine.

Lord…

I would have preferred the bear.

"Well, I already weaved a noose out of string for myself but I figured that training would probably be a little more beneficial and entertaining" I responded back coldly.

Pan raised a brow.

"Oh I see, someone's trying to be cute. But let's just remember who exactly pulled you out of that lagoon and saved your life" he remarked bitterly.

As he walked past me he roughly bumped into my shoulder.

"Well, why are you out here then?" I questioned.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around only to glare at me.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're quite nosey?" He asked not so innocently.

I responded in a light tone;

"Many. Now go on. Fill me in on the gossip."

"The only gossip here is that you don't deserve to be alive" he shot back distastefully, his eyes growing darker.

What a charmer…

I fake hissed in pain;

"Ooh, ouch. That really stung me mate. I thought Australians were supposed to be nice…"

As he heard my comment he narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not Australian you little—"

He paused as he noticed the grin plastered across my face.

Finally, something that I can use to get under his skin.

I snickered;

"British. Australian. What's the difference mate?"

Pan rolled his eyes as he wasn't humored by my mockery.

"Don't call me mate" he muttered.

I cocked a brow in pleasure and victory. I interrupted Pan as he began to turn away from me.

"But we all know that you kept me around for a reason. So do tell" I spoke confidently.

He stopped and turned his head toward me with narrowed, dark eyes.

"You're really just asking to be thrown off a cliff, aren't you?" he said in an annoyed tone.

I grinned with a sarcastic chuckle;

"Well, when you say it like that then the whole drowning thing sounds a lot more original."

Pan eyed me as a small smirk crept upon his face.

"You have my sense of humor, I'll give you that."

He turned back and started in the opposite direction of me.

Was that…a compliment?

Shortly after I began to follow in his footsteps.

A few moments passed before I was startled.

"What? Are you my shadow now?" he scorned without turning around.

Rolling my eyes I scoffed;

"Give me a break, this whole island looks the same. It would be nice to just be able to get back to camp."

Pan quickly snapped as he began to speed up his pace;

"How do you know I won't lead you astray? I could lead you into a pit of crocodiles for all you know."

How stupid does he think I am?

I noticed him begin to walk even faster, presumably to get away from me.

"Haven't you ever heard of the element of surprise?" I questioned.

He stopped suddenly and turned to me with a vicious expression proliferating across his face.

"You seemed pretty surprised when I pushed you into that lagoon" he snarled as his dark eyes glared at me.

My lips were left dry and open as I couldn't gather words to shoot back even a snarky remark. My mind was blank.

"And I was damn near close to leaving you in there to rot" he exclaimed fiercely.

My mouth began to speak before my mind could tell me to shut up.

"But why didn't you?" I blurted loud enough for blue jays to hear me from the opposite side of the island.

Pan's eyes were narrowed, rigid, and harsh. His aura reflected a bitter, freezing sort of coldness, similar to a sheet of ice that consumes the roads and highways of winter climates. It made me wonder if anyone had ever attempted to thaw the thick sheet of ice that consumed him, keeping him from ever experiencing any real warmth from anybody. He took a step toward me, leaving our faces only inches apart.

He gritted his teeth;

"Because like it or not I'm the boss. I do whatever I damn please. If I wish to keep you around to do my bidding then that is what will transpire. If I wish to keep you around to be a maid then that is what will transpire. If I wish to keep you around so that I can feed you to a pack of hungry wolves—"

His dark green eyes sharpened.

"Then that is what will transpire."

For the first time, I felt slightly intimidated by Pan. Being that it only took one smart ass comment to set him off, I don't know how long I'll last here.

He turned away from me as he exhaled a harsh breath. I allowed him to walk a good distance ahead of me before I carefully and subtly followed behind him. I had never seen such a moody teenage boy in my life. He's so arrogant that it makes me question his upbringing. Like, how did his parents manage to raise him to be such a little snot? I knew that Peter Pan was portrayed as being sort of cynical and conniving, but the books never included the fact that though he may be a child, he acts like a complete teenage girl. After some walking, I was no longer able to see where Pan was, but I recognized the surrounding area and knew I was close to camp. It wasn't until I heard the clashing of two swords that I experienced music to my ears. Intrigued, I jogged toward the entrance of camp when I glanced up at the two towers that held the boys that were supposedly supposed to be guarding the gate. But to my chagrin, they weren't paying any attention towards me. They were turned in the opposite direction as they intently watched something going on inside the camp. Their eyes were still and unmoving. Assuming it was okay to enter I walked through the gate and was shocked to see a large group of Lost Boys huddled up around something. Many of them were shouting and had their eyes glued to whatever they were surveying. Engaged by the excitement emitted from the boys I jogged over towards the large huddle of boys in hopes to see what they were watching. Being as some of these boys were ridiculously tall I sort of had to push and shove my way through the crowd to get to the front. When I reached the front I was astounded to see two Lost Boys, one of a large build and one of a small build, dueling each other. But not only were they dueling each other, they were really into it. They were jumping, rolling, and attacking with such swiftness and ease. It was incredibly entertaining to watch, and I could definitely see why the boys found this amusing. Suddenly the boy with the smaller build outwitted the boy with a larger build and knocked him to the ground. As the boy on the ground admitted defeat all of the boys around them began to hoot and holler. They cheered and celebrated for the victor as he was greatly praised. A boy with dark brown hair and blue eyes stepped out from the crowd and help up the victor's hand.

"And the reigning victor of the tournament is…Trent!" He announced aloud to the boys.

They all continued to shout in excitement.

From that moment I was motivated and driven. If there's one hell of a way I could earn some respect here—

It would be to win one of those tournaments.

—

A.N:

Hey guys! Long time no see! I'm sorry for not being able to update as quickly as I had hoped. I've been having to deal with some health things so it's been kinda hard to write, but alas I was able to finish another chapter after staying up late! Anyway, what do y'all think? What's going on with Pan? Do you guys think that Hannah would ever be able to win a tournament? Let me know your thoughts and predictions in the comments because I always enjoy reading them! See you in the next update!

-Agm3