Chapter 16: Target Practice

Hannah's Perspective:

The curtains were closed shut on all of the windows in my hut, leaving the room nearly pitch black except for a few beams of light that shone through the exposed cracks. It was a relatively comfortable room to sleep in. It wasn't hot, nor was it cold, but the perfect temperature to just doze off. All seemed relatively nice and cozy. Or, that was until a loud knock sounded from the door. I ignored it and shut my eyes even tighter. I was in that mindset of being half asleep, half awake, but I hoped to fall back under to recover from last night's rendezvous. When the knocking continued, I shouted aloud in a raspy voice, "go away!" For a moment, the knocking stopped. I figured that I was finally left in peace. Suddenly, the door swung open, light pouring into my hut all at once. I hissed as the light shone into my sensitive eyes. Several boys piled into my hut, all screaming and shouting things like "good morning!" and "rise 'n shine, princess!" Quite obnoxious if you ask me. My voice still groggy, I shouted.

"What the hell is going on?!" I raised my hand to cover my eyes and quickly enclosed myself in my blankets like a suit of armor. "Don't you know you can't barge in on a girl? I could've been naked for God's sake!" The boys chuckled as I heard the voice of Brett speak.

"We wouldn't mind," he said cheekily. "You could put on a show for us." Lifting my head above the blanket, I stared daggers into Brett's yellow eyes. I contemplated firing back a sarcastic comment, but I was too tired, and frankly too annoyed, to think of one. "Training starts in fifteen minutes, darling. So why don't ya get up from your cave and get something to eat?" Brett continued. I rubbed my eyes with my closed fists and sighed.

"Mother of—"

"Ah, ah, ah," Brett cut me off. "I don't believe that's how a proper lady would talk now, is it?" My fists tightened even more as I released an annoyed and exhausted groan. Standing up from my bed I began to raise my voice.

"Would it be too much to ask for some privacy?" I spoke through gritted teeth. Acting as though they had no idea they overstepped a boundary, the Lost Boys stepped back towards the door.

"Well, of course. We didn't mean to get all up in your space. We just figured it would be nice to wish you good luck on your first day of training, that's all." I narrowed my eyes. Yeah, sure it was, right after they throw a snake on my bed or something to scare me. I gotta remind myself to make a lock for that door, or I'll never survive here. One by one, the boys fled from my hut, laughing and snickering as they did so. The last one to leave my hut was Felix, the boy with long, shaggy blonde hair and a quite defined scar that was stretched along his face from his brow bone to his chin. We locked eyes for a short, yet uncomfortable moment. It wasn't a hateful, nor friendly glance, but it definitely felt peculiar. Sure, I was probably overanalyzing it, like I always do, but it just gave me a weird and unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. He broke eye contact and left my hut, shutting the door behind him. I rested my eyes and exhaled a heavy sigh. For once, I was actually feeling kind of hungry this morning. I hadn't really eaten breakfast since I got here, but at the moment I felt like it would do me a lot of good.

After I had gotten dressed, I left my hut and walked out toward the fire where there were several baskets sitting on the ground, filled with things like apples and berries. Reaching toward the basket with the apples, I pulled one out, shining it with the bottom of my shirt. The apple's outer skin was a deep crimson red with the early morning sun shining onto its surface. It was so shiny I could see my reflection in it. Looking at myself in the reflection of the apple, I realized that I'm really not a morning person. I looked like a heroin slash meth addict, and not in the cool, gangster way either. Bringing the apple to my lips, I bit into its hard exterior, the sweet smell entering my nose. Raising a brow, I scoffed in surprise. It was a Macintosh red apple. Macintosh's had always been my mom's favorite, though I never particularly cared for them. I like the sweetness of Gala apples, whereas my mom loved the tart taste of Macintosh's, even though you're not really supposed to eat them on their own without cooking them into something. But for some reason, I liked the taste of the apple as I continued to bite into it. It sort of reminded me of home in a strange way.

"What are you talking about? She's totally into me" a Lost Boys' voice said from around the fire. As I looked over to the fire I saw about four boys talking to each other.

"You are so full of crap. She would never be able to pass up on all of this" a boy with dark hair and freckles spoke, gesturing to his entire being with his hands. Are they talking about me?

"Both of you are complete bimbos. She's way too hot for you guys. Plus, she could totally beat you guys up, whereas I at least have a fighting chance in a duel against her" another brunette boy spoke cockily with a raised brow. Did the Lost Boys actually think I was a good fighter? I mean, them talking about me being hot is just plain gross, but did they actually think highly of me?

"You three stooges have got it all wrong. Lea wouldn't go for boys younger than her. She wants a real man, like me" a red-headed boy declared. Of course. They were talking about Lea, also known as "Little Miss Perfect". How do they not see right through her? I rolled my eyes and groaned. Their hormones are probably so off the wall that they wouldn't know the difference between a woman and a stuffed bear. I continued to eavesdrop on their conversation. The dark haired boy spoke up.

"Dude, you're only a year older than us." The three boys all shared a speculative look toward the red-head as he stood up.

"That's one more year of experience I have with the ladies. Watch, she'll be all over me in no time. I bet I'll have her wrapped around my finger before lunch. You'll see." The red-head walked away from the fire and joined up with a few other boys walking into the forest. One of those boys included Julian, who locked eyes with me within a few seconds. His blue irises stared directly into mine. I shot him a snarky expression, not forgetting that the last time I trusted him he set me up for humiliation. His facial expression grew somber as the red-head shoved him in the arm, causing him to break eye contact. They disappeared into the forest. More boys began to follow shortly behind them. As I finished up my apple, I threw the core into the fire and followed the boys into the forest.

They traveled along a narrow trail covered in leaves and twigs. I followed shortly behind them, feeling slightly anxious as to what to expect. After only a few minutes of walking, I noticed a large huddle of boys congregating in a clearing just ahead of me. There were large tufts of tall grass and archery targets hanging in rows on trees. It was a quite impressive training area if I did say so myself. Boys chattered and joked all around until suddenly the crowd began to shush each other.

"Look who showed up for training" a familiar voice spoke behind me. When I turned my head I was greeted by Sam's hazel eyes and shining grin.

"I figured it was about time to start integrating myself into the group. You know, try to be more friendly" I explained. With a raised brow, Sam eyed me.

"Well, this is definitely a good opportunity to challenge yourself. Who knows, maybe you'll find out more things you didn't know about yourself." My brows raised in confusion.

"How so?" Sam shrugged his shoulders as he looked off into the group of boys.

"Your strengths, weaknesses, motivators, anything really. You'd be surprised what you'd find out about yourself" he spoke, his grin fading into a soft smile. I grinned lightly back at him, only for our attention to be drawn to the boys before us. Their rowdiness started to die down. The crowd of boys began to split for the person of importance making their way through the mass.

"Looks like our trainer is here," Sam said as he nudged my shoulder. I glanced over, trying to see beyond the group of boys watching in awe. When they stepped aside, before my eyes was the cloaked Lea, walking through the crowd with a powerful stance. Her bow was wrapped across her body and over her shoulder. Her eyes locked with mine until I pressed my palm to my forehead.

"You have got to be kidding me" I groaned aloud. She raised a brunette brow and eyed me.

"This isn't my idea of fun either" she scoffed, her hand resting on her hip. "Tell me, what do you know about defending yourself against pirates? What's the golden rule?" She questioned. I felt dozens of pairs of eyes on me, waiting for me to answer her question. Every boy had fallen silent as they observed our conversation.

"Punch them in the throat?" I answered more like a question. I could hear faint snickers and chuckles as Lea turned away from me.

"Wrong" she declared as she spoke with authority. I began to speak.

"How is that—"

"'Don't get caught' is the golden rule…If you get caught, you're already dead" Lea said as she turned to look me in the eye. "Say they don't kill you immediately or take you hostage, what's the next step?" She interrogated. Lea had now stepped toward me, her face only a few inches away from mine. I exhaled and thought for a moment.

"Pull your weapon" I responded, fairly confident in my answer. Lea chuckled.

"You better hope you don't come face to face with a pirate" she scoffed. The Lost Boys continued to observe our conversation with the utmost attention. I exhaled heavily and clenched my jaw.

"Always have a plan before acting. If you blindly draw your weapon without any sort of clue as to what you're doing—" she paused. "You're already dead."

The forest fell silent except for the chirps of robins in the distance. As much as I think Lea is about as likable as sandpaper, she was right about having a plan before acting. But there isn't anything in the world that would convince me to say that out loud. Lea finished her lesson. "Get the picture?" She said, her dark eyes fixated on me. With a clenched jaw and closed fists, I shook my head. A smirk appeared in the corner of her mouth where she turned and spoke to everyone. "Today will be about accuracy" she announced. "One arrow could make the difference between you being dead or alive. And it's my job to prepare you to always be accurate without question." She eyed all of the boys until she raised her voice. "Alright ladies, grab a bow and partner up."

At that moment, boys scrambled to partner with their best friends. I was afraid at first that I'd have to partner up with someone new, but Sam turned to me with a raised brow.

"Whatya say, partner?" He said with a grin. I rolled my eyes and chuckled and we both grabbed a bow from the trees nearby.

"Ah, ah, ah," Lea stopped me, walking up from behind. "Only one of you will need a bow" she claimed. I eyed her suspiciously, wondering if she was actually considering to do what I suspected. I groaned as I put my bow back and walked toward the targets with Sam.

"Those of you with bows will stand fifteen feet from your designated targets." Lea walked along the row of boys holding a basket on her arm, pulling out apples and handing them to the boys who didn't have a bow. My eyes widened as I turned to Sam, who didn't seem overly worried. I guess I would much rather have to rely on Sam than have to have Sam rely on me. He has way experience with this kind of stuff. I'm fairly confident he's an accurate shot. Lea now stepped in front of Sam and I with the basket swinging on her forearm. She reached into it, pulling a shiny red Macintosh apple and tossing it up and down in the palm of her hand. When I reached out to take it from her she caught the apple and pulled it away from me. I shot a confused look her way as she turned to Sam. She extended the apple out to him.

"You're gonna be the target today, Sam. Wouldn't be fair for her to have two apples today…" with an eyebrow raised and a tiny smirk Lea handed the apple over to Sam, who then handed the bow to me. Lea moved on to the other boys as Sam turned to me.

"Did you eat an apple out of one those baskets this morning?" He asked in a hushed tone. I shrugged.

"Yeah, so? What's the big deal? There wasn't food anywhere else" I said. Sam sighed and shook his head.

"Look, it's just one of her pet peeves. She picks those apples every morning for training and hates it when we get into them. I know it sounds stupid but just trust me" Sam explained. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Okay, whatever. I won't do it again. Why you guys just let her boss you around is beyond me." Sam shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head.

"She's very respected. She knows what she's doing. Just give her a chance, will ya?" Shaking my head in distaste I heard Lea call out.

"Alright, if you have the apple, stand in front of the wooden target. If you have the bow, just stay put." The boys did as she instructed. Sam turned toward the target but I grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Sam, I don't think I can do this. I literally have zero experience with this—"

"Hannah," Sam cut me off. "Relax. This is what you're here for; to get better. It will all be fine." Sam pulled away from me and walked towards the target. Though he was trying to encourage me, I could tell he was about ten times more nervous than I was by the sweat accumulating in his palms. As I looked down the line all of the boys had placed their apples on their heads. By the time all the boys stood in front of their targets Lea had begun to call out once more.

"Alright Danny, you're up first." Out of her quiver, Lea pulled a handmade arrow and handed it to Danny, who stood far down at the end of the line. He swiftly drew the string back to his cheek and eyed his target.

This literally isn't happening right now…

I watched as he exhaled a heavy breath and released the string, the arrow flying through the air. An audible whoosh of the arrow rang throughout the forest. It pierced the apple and wedged itself into the tree. Boys all-around cheered and celebrated Danny's impeccable accuracy, for it was quite gut-wrenching. Lea continued down the row, handing each boy an arrow and expecting them to fire at the apple on their partner's head. Every once in a while I would glance over at Sam, displaying my obvious fear of what was to come. But he continued to assure me from a distance that everything would be fine. Before long, Lea stepped toward me holding an arrow in her hand.

"Think you've got what it takes to be a Lost Girl?" She questioned me, her brows arched and a slight smirk forming in the corner of her mouth. She held the arrow out toward me tip-first. I opened my hand, allowing her to lay it in my palm. The wood felt smooth and sturdy as if it was specially crafted with time. Lea stepped back from me and folded her arms. Eyes were locked on us as I stared at the apple sitting on Sam's head. With a slightly shaky hand, I held up the boy and pulled the arrow back on the string. The apple seemed a million miles away now that the arrow was close to being released. I exhaled and waited a moment for the shakiness in my body to stop. I adjusted the bow to the best of my ability and began to release the string. When I did so, I felt a rush of wind swish past my cheek. I observed the arrow as it flew through the air. When I blinked, however, I heard a scraping sound ring through my ears. The arrow had scraped the side of the tree and was lost in the bushes. I sighed heavily. I missed, but at least I didn't hit Sam, right?

The boys surrounding us stayed silent. I glanced over at Lea who just had a blank expression. She pulled another arrow from her quiver. "Try again" she instructed, handing me another arrow. Taking it from her, I put the arrow on the string and pulled it back to my cheek. In the distance, I could hear slight murmurs and chuckles from a few Lost Boys that seemed to find humor in my frustration. Peeking out from the corner of my eye, I saw that it was two boys, one with black hair and the other with blonde. Both had dark eyes and had faces similar to that of a chipmunk. I tried to shake them out of my head, but their quiet, snarky comments echoed in my head as if they were being blasted through a microphone. My jaw clenched. They find this so funny? Let's see if they find this funny.

I jerked myself to the side and released the arrow in their direction. Before I could even think about the possible consequences the arrow was already soaring through the air. For a moment, the boys' faces lit up with utter disbelief and fear. That was, until another arrow shot through the air, shattering the one I had fired just before it could impale them. The arrow launched into the tree beside their heads. Several of the boys gasped in surprise. I turned my head and witnessed Lea standing with her bow in her hands, an expression of rage consuming her. Her footsteps were loud as she stormed over toward me. Taking me off guard, she threw me against a nearby tree and held her forearm across my throat. My bow had fallen to the ground and I found myself defenseless. I began gasping for air.

"Is this some kind of joke to you?" She hissed at me. Her eyes were almost black as night at this point. Her forearm pushed tighter against my throat. "You have got to learn to control yourself, you hear me?!" She shouted. "We do not fire at our own! Not under any circumstances!"

"They were being complete assholes" I barely choked out. "You can't blame me for standing up for myself—"

"Standing up for yourself isn't firing at anyone that judges you! If you just did things right they wouldn't judge you. And whether you like it or not they are your family. They are all you've gotten. We are all you've got. You're here for us, we're here for you." I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Just because your family dumped you doesn't mean my family dumped me. At least they care about me" I snarled. And at that moment a look of hesitation and confusion crossed Lea's face. She furrowed her brows and threw her arm off of me. I choked on the fresh air and inhaled deeply. With her back turned to all of us Lea called out.

"Training's done for today boys." She stormed into the woods without another word. Boys watched as she walked away from us and they suddenly turned to me, eyeing me with confusion and distaste. The boys I had fired at looked at me with fear and discomfort. It wasn't long before all of the boys dispersed and headed back towards camp. I felt a tap on my shoulder, making me turn around. Behind me was Sam who handed me the apple and held his head low toward the ground. He walked past me and disappeared into the forest. So there I stood all alone. I was the villain. I was the bad guy. Exhaling another breath, I shut my eyes tightly and reopened them to see Julian standing off to the side.

"What do you want, to embarrass me again?" I spoke distastefully. My eyes looked to him for a moment but fell back to the ground. I began to hear his voice quietly speak.

"Will you please just give me five minutes?" He paused. "That's all I ask. Then you can decide whether or not you want to talk to me ever again." He looked to me, his bright blue eyes emanating in desperation. "Please." I thought to myself for a moment. I guess what do I really have to lose at this point. Everyone else hates me because they think I'm a psycho. I shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head. It wasn't long before Julian and I began to walk along a narrow path through the woods, the green vegetation and bright sunlight shining through the trees. I wasn't quite sure what kind of excuses Julian would make up, but I knew that no matter what, I needed to keep my guard up. Because trusting anyone here is probably the most difficult challenge of all.

—

Hello all. I know it's been such a long time since I last updated, and I sincerely apologize for that. It makes me so sad that I haven't updated in five months. There's been a lot of stuff going on in my life recently. Heck, I'm graduating in a week, I've been taking care of health stuff, I've been auditioning to get into college, and overall I've just been trying to survive senior year. Again, I can't express how disappointed I am with myself that I haven't updated in so long. I know personally I get super annoyed at writers that don't update in forever and you wonder whether or not they abandoned their book. I am here to say that I have not and will never abandon this book, period. This story has a wonderful place in my heart and I desperately want to share it with all of you. I would never give up on you guys. I absolutely adore writing this story and I will stop at nothing to create an escape for you all to just get lost in a happy place of Lost Boys and Peter Pan. I will do my absolute best to make up for all of the lost time. Thank you all so much for sticking with me throughout all this. Maybe I can explain the craziness of my life someday haha. Also, thank you all for the positive messages you send me. It really gets my butt into gear. If you notice it's been a few weeks since I've updated FRICKEN BUG THE HECK OUT OF ME. Like I give you all full permission to just spam me because I can guarantee it will get my busy butt to work. Also, it's just super nice having all of your support and I appreciate it so much. Anyhoo, what do y'all think of this chapter? Sorry if you have to go back and reread a chapter or two since it's been so long. Honestly, I have to do that too sometimes. What did you think about Hannah firing her arrow at those boys? Do you think she was right? Do you think she will forgive Julian? Let me know in the comments. Don't forget to let me know if you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you all can forgive me on taking forever to finish this chapter up. Remember, KICK MY BUTT INTO GEAR IF YOU HAVE TO. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I will see you all in the next update! It's great to be back!

-Agm3