Author's Note:

Thank you so much to another-silly-girl, Hildebrant, sarah0406, the Guest, and MusicLover500 for your reviews! I love hearing from you. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading!

~ladykikyo1792

Chapter 6: Let's Play

Wendy couldn't begin to fathom what Tink had told her. Peter was here? Where? How could he possibly hide in a town touched by magic? How could no one have noticed how very different his magic was? Perhaps more importantly, in a town so small that everyone knew each other, how had no one noticed the boy who was so obviously out of place?

Apparently, no one had, and that scared her most of all. Because if no one had noticed, that meant Peter could be anywhere.

At first, she hadn't been sure what to do with the information. Emma had already made it clear that she didn't believe her. Regina wanted to blame her, despite the fact Felix was in jail. Mary Margaret would put it up to her being traumatized, and David would agree with his wife. Perhaps Hook could talk some sense into them, but when could she ever get him alone to tell him that they had been right?

Still, Wendy knew there was at least one Lost Boy she had to warn: Tootles. She had always cared for him, out of all the Lost Boys. He was constantly bumbling and stumbling about after the others, trying desperately to be involved in games that he was so unequipped to play. He was a mediocre hunter, at best, and was best known for "shooting" Wendy out of the sky when she first came to Neverland. His arrow had grazed her hand, causing her to flinch in pain- and let go of the Shadow. When she realized what was happening, she had futilely thrown her arms out in an attempt to imitate the Shadow and fly. Of course, it didn't work- she had no pixie dust and hadn't been taught yet -and she plummeted towards the waves.

Peter, though she didn't know he was Peter then, swooped in, and at the last second, caught her. He held her in his arms easily, as if she was weightless. Her mouth dropped open, stunned by the beautiful, bronze-haired boy who had rescued her. She couldn't seem to stop herself from staring into his fey green eyes. They glowed with an eerie light.

"Hello, Bird," he'd said, grinning at her.

That moment, the very first moment they'd met, had been burned into her mind forever.

She saw a hint of his darkness shortly afterwards. Peter flew her to the shore, and set her down on the warm sand. The Lost Boys emerged from the jungle as one (Neverland had been a jungle when she first arrived; it had changed drastically on her second visit), each toting bows and arrows. They stared at her, open-mouthed, unable to understand the anomaly of a girl in a white nightgown. She was undeniably pretty, and they felt they had never seen something so pretty before.

Nibs blurted, "Who are you?"

"She's a lady!" Slightly admonished, "Be nice!" Slightly thought he knew everything, and claimed to remember parts of his life before he arrived at the island. The other boys remembered certain things, of course, but unlike Slightly, they never claimed to remember anything good.

Unable to suppress a smile, Wendy said, "I'm Wendy. Wendy Moira Angela Darling." She curtsied, and the boys murmured their names in an incoherent blur. It was if they couldn't introduce themselves fast enough.

Peter's voice, though, rang out loud and clear, "I'm Peter. Peter Pan." He swept her an elegant bow, eyes dancing. Wendy blushed and looked away. She fingered the sides of her gown, shy in the presence of such a handsome boy.

Suddenly, Peter stepped forward and grabbed her hand, "You're hurt." He held it up and examined it. Sure enough, she had a cut on the inside of her palm, and it was bleeding. The injury had first come to his attention because he noticed the blood on the skirt of her nightgown.

At once, he spun around and demanded, "Who did it?" He glared at each boy in turn, and they faced him, pale and silent. None dared speak.

"I said," Peter repeated himself, his tone like ice, "Who did it?"

When he was met by silence once again, he said, "It's an arrow wound. You are the only ones hunting in this area of the island right now. It was one of you. Tell me who. Now."

That was the first time Wendy had ever heard of his omniscience on the island- he knew where every single person was at all times -but she didn't notice it then. She was more preoccupied with the cut on on her hand, which now that Peter had pointed it out, she realized hurt. She was also more preoccupied with Peter's reaction.

"Very well," Peter sighed, "One of you took blood from her, and one of you must give it back. That's only playing fair. And if you won't tell me," he shrugged nonchalantly, "I'll just pick." He began to unsheath his dagger and start towards the end of the line, where the newest Lost Boy- who at the time was Curly -was white as a ghost.

At that, Tootles, who was the most kind-hearted of them all, stepped forward, "The arrow was mine, Peter." He tried to stand tall and unafraid, but his voice trembled. Nevertheless, he looked Peter straight in the eyes.

"Well then," Peter said, "You will die." This time, he unsheathed his dagger fully. The silver blade glinted in the sunlight, and the dagger swept in a graceful arc towards Tootles' throat.

"Wait!" Wendy shouted, "Peter, wait!" She ran forward, placing her hand on his sword arm. The boy turned to her, surprised less at her reaction and more that she had dared to stop him. He gazed at her, absolutely fascinated.

Heart pounding, Wendy said, "It's okay. You don't need to kill him. You shouldn't, actually. He didn't mean to take blood from me." She didn't move a muscle, though she subtly saw Tootles start to sidle backwards.

Peter was confused, "But he did. And the rules say blood for blood."

"The rules?" This time, it was Wendy's turn to be confused. She didn't understand.

"Yes, the rules. This place," he gestured to the island around him, "runs on dreams, and imagination-"

"Neverland's wonderful!" Slightly interjected, his smile a little too bright, "We play games all day-" It was obvious he was trying to lessen the tension.

Peter quickly cut him off, "We do play games, and we always have fun. But in a place that runs on dreams and imagination, you can't have too many dreams competing with each other. It would ruin them." He looked at her expectantly, as though she should have seen this logic was obvious.

"I see," Wendy replied, though she really didn't.

"So to keep them from ruining each other, one imagination runs the island above all other's."

"Whose imagination?" she asked, although she already knew the answer. It couldn't be anyone else's.

"Mine," Peter smirked again, confirming her suspicions, "and because my imagination runs the island...I make the rules for the games." There was something sinister about the way he said it. Involuntarily, she shivered. Then, she shook her head, refusing to be intimidated. She'd come here for adventures, after all! She couldn't start an adventure afraid, could she?

Gathering her courage, Wendy said boldly, "Then change the rules."

Peter cocked an eyebrow at her, "The rules aren't meant to be changed. The boys have always followed them. And we've had fun, haven't we, boys?" All the Lost Boys, with the exception of Tootles, cheered raucously. Wendy wasn't sure if it was genuine or if they didn't want Peter's anger directed at them. In retrospect, she would come to believe it was both.

"Yes, but I'm not a boy, Peter," Wendy said, "I'm a girl. From what I understand, you've never had a girl here before, have you?" She looked at the boys for confirmation, and they shook their heads.

"What about Tink?" Curly asked softly. He blinked, puzzled.

"She doesn't count," Slightly retorted. He rolled his eyes at the new boy, as if wondering how long it would take him to learn the ways of Neverland.

"Then you've never had a girl play. Let's make a new game, since there's a new player!" Wendy said conspiratorially. She looked Peter directly in the eyes, utterly fearless now. For his part, Peter was intrigued by her. Aside from the fact that she was an enigma anyway- the Shadow never brought girls -she was the only person who had challenged him in ages.

She was interesting.

"All right," Peter sheathed his dagger, "Tootles lives." Carelessly, he waved Tootles away. The boy let out a great breath he had been holding, and a few of the younger boys ran to him and hugged him.

Then Peter stepped towards Wendy. He was so close to her she could feel his breath on her lips. Then he smiled at her, all traces of menace gone. Instead he was the magnetic, mesmerizing boy she had first seen, and he announced:

"Let's play."

Forcing back the memories, Wendy made her way to room 306. She'd skipped her own class- the first time she'd ever done something so rebellious -to intercept Tootles before he left for lunch. She couldn't figure out how else to get him by himself and warn him. He lived with Felix (not by choice; it was merely the way Emma had ended up assigning them to various homes). Wendy knew she couldn't trust many people now, but Tootles- poor, Tootles, who after her, was the greatest traitor -she could. And Tootles would most certainly be dead if he didn't watch his back.

The bell rang a few seconds later, and freshmen streamed out of the classroom. Several of them gave her curious looks, and four briefly spoke to her (two even tried to ask her to the dance, who she politely declined), but she ignored them in favor of the boy she sought. As she expected, he was out last of all, lugging a ripped backpack along behind him.

"Wendy!" his eyes widened as he spotted her, "I mean, Gwen-" A few books dropped out of his bag, and he awkwardly rushed to retrieve them. Wendy caught one and quickly returned it, immediately launching into her warning:

"Tootles, that doesn't matter. Listen to me. You're in incredible danger-"

"So are you," he replied mirthlessly, "Wendy, why are you here? Why aren't you hiding with the sheriff?" He knew what she was to Pan, and he also knew that Pan would stop at nothing to find her.

"They don't believe me," the girl sighed, keeping her voice low, "They don't want to." She looked back and forth down the hallway, trying to ensure no one overheard them. There were maybe five people left, and they slammed their lockers shut. Oblivious to the pair, they chattered and headed towards the cafeteria.

"But he is back," Tootles said. He slumped against the wall, slowly sinking to the floor.

"Yes," Wendy confirmed, "and he's going after everyone who betrayed him. Tootles, it's only a matter of time before he goes after you, too. Please, promise me you won't go anywhere alone!" she slid down next to him, putting her own notebooks in a neat pile by her feet, "You've got to stay with someone, always."

"Who can I stay with?" Tootles said miserably. He put his head in his hands, ready to cry. He had always been the outcast, even in Neverland. Part of the group, but just on the fringes. He knew what it was like to be on the outside looking in. Normally it just hurt, but now, it could be deadly.

"Move in with Nibs and Slightly. They betrayed him too, and he'll go after them," she said, "but everyone who's died so far has been by themselves. Don't leave each other alone. And you're almost always in classes with each other. That way...hopefully...you each have a chance."

"And what about you, Wendy?" Tootles inquired, "You can't go with anyone. John and Michael can't protect you. No one at school knows him. Tink's a traitor and probably marked to die. Hook won't help you, not when he's got Emma and Henry to protect."

Wendy swallowed, for she had no answer to that. The truth was, she was probably the least safe out of everyone.

Just then, the lights flickered and dimmed. A strange fizzing sound came from them, and sparks appeared, but quickly faded. As the hallway became consumed by shadow, Wendy's heart slammed in her ribcage.

"He's here," Tootles whispered. He turned to her, his face beginning to perspire, "Wendy, he's here."

They were engulfed in darkness, though the lights let out a flurry of sparks one last time. In the afterglow, she saw the familiar silhouette that haunted her dreams. Then everything went black.

"Run, Tootles," Wendy said, softly at first. Then, panic started to grip her, and she screamed, "Tootles, run!" She yanked him to his feet, took his hand, and started to run to the left. Abruptly, she came up short. She was jerked backwards, and realized that Tootles had actually dug his feet into the ground.

"Wendy, we can't go together!" the boy insisted, "There's two of us, and one of him! If we run together, we'll both be killed! But if we split up-" he was panting.

"Absolutely not," Wendy hissed, "I am not letting you die!" She clamped her hand around his even more forcefully, but Tootles smiled sadly:

"You saved me once. I still owe you blood." Then, before she could stop him, he took off in the other direction.

Wendy had no choice but to muffle her tears as she ran down the hallway.

She swore she could hear laughter.

Author's Note:
I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think!

~ladykikyo1792