Chapter Six:
I felt so utterly disgusting when I woke up the next day it wasn't even funny. My hair is in crazy tangles, I have salt all over my skin, my clothes are ripped, and the makeup I had on before I was whisked away by the shadow is smeared all over my face. All I can think of is taking a hot shower, but that's really an option here.
My guards have been switched and Felix isn't present so I don't feel comfortable asking them to go to the bathroom so I have to hold it. This morning is definitely on my top five worst.
"Here's your breakfast," a Lost Boy with curly brown hair hands me another pomegranate like the one Peter brought me my first morning in Neverland.
"Thanks," I take it. He nods. "What's your name?" I ask before he can walk away.
"Devin," he answers. He looks younger than me and for a moment I almost feel foolish that he's in charge of me. Just another thing to add to how terrible this morning is.
After I eat my pomegranate I sit back on my bed and begin to count to see how long it will take before I absolutely have to go to the bathroom. Before I reach that uncomfortable feeling Felix arrives. Thank God.
"Felix," I begin. He holds his hand up to stop me.
"You two," he points to some Lost Boys. They nod. "Go on," he nods to me. "I know you must need to." I smile at him.
"Thanks," I actually find myself tempted to give him a hug. I decide against it and just hurry into the woods.
When I return I feel better, but I still feel like I look disgusting. "Is there anyway I could like take a shower or just freshen up or something?" I ask.
"You probably shouldn't do that yet," Peter suddenly appears. I almost scream, but luckily I manage to hold it in.
"And why not?" I ask him coldly. His eyes flash with annoyance at the cold edge in my voice, but he makes no comment about it.
"Well you're probably going to just get dirty again. It's pretty much impossible to stay clean when you're running through the jungle," he says. I raise my eyebrows.
"I don't plan on running through the jungle today," I point out. Peter and Felix exchange looks and I feel my stomach spin with nerves.
"Well you can't exactly play ambush just sitting on the ground. At least you can't play it and win," he gives me a look. He looks pretty good with his eyebrows raised and his crooked grin, but I try to ignore it.
"I don't want to play ambush," I grumble. "I'm tired," I fall back onto my bed and close my eyes. Felix chuckles. I can hear Peter walking towards me, but I ignore him.
"Come on Elley. It'll be fun," he whispers, crouching down next to me.
"Can't I just watch you play it?" I whine like a kid trying to get out of school. I feel Peter's breath on my ear and know he's moved closer.
"It won't be the same without you," he says. Suddenly I sit up and Peter jumps backwards to avoid getting knocked over.
"Why do you even want to play ambush?" I ask.
"Well I was thinking. It must be awfully boring to just sit here all day. That was probably why you ran away. If we play ambush, it won't be so boring," Peter explains. I glare at him. "Come on," he raises his eyebrows again. I sigh and slowly stand up. "That a girl," he grins. I roll my eyes.
"Felix why don't you explain the rules?" Peter turns to his most loyal Lost Boy. I struggle to pull my hair into a ponytail as Felix begins.
"We'll be divided into three groups. Peter's group, my group, and Elizabeth's group," he turns to each of us as he says our name. "The object is to get all of the other team's members out. To get someone out you must hit them with this." Felix pulls out a crossbow already loaded with an arrow. The tip of the arrow is covered in rags so it won't kill you when you get hit. "After you're out you can get back in if one of your teammates gives you this." Felix reveals some strange looking plant. As he's talking more Lost Boys step out of the woods until I'm surrounded by a fairly large group of people.
"Any questions?" he asks. I raise my hand. "Elizabeth?"
"Will Henry be joining the game?" I ask staring directly at Peter. He narrows his eyes.
"Henry is currently preoccupied," Peter says. I feel a rush of worry. What did he do to him? Before I can say anything else Felix starts talking again.
"It's time to choose our teams," Felix states. "Peter first," he allows his master to start. Peter looks over the Lost Boys before deciding on a tall ginger. Felix picks out a bulky blonde. I choose Devin. We keep going back in forth until all the Lost Boys are filled into the three groups.
"You have thirty minutes to set up a base before the game starts. You should also form a game plan in that time," Felix advises.
"How long does this last?" I ask.
"Until we have a winner," Peter answers.
After that we head into the forest. I call Devin up to the front. "Where's a good place for a base?" I ask. He gives me a look, but answers me none the less.
"We could go to Dead Man's Cove, or the Mermaid Lagoon," he offers.
"Felix always chooses Dead Man's Cove," another Lost Boy pipes up. He looks to be the same age as Devin with sandy colored hair and sea green eyes.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Tyler," he answers.
"Well where do you suggest we go Tyler?" I ask.
"Breezy Brooke is easy to defend," he says.
"How does everyone feel about Breezy Brooke?" I ask the other boys in our group. They all shrug and mumble. I narrow my eyes. "Okay listen here boys," I climb onto a tree stump so I'm standing above them. "I don't want to be doing this anymore than you all, but I've got to anyways. I also realize that you probably would rather be on Felix's team or on Peter's team, but you're stuck with me so you might as well make the best of it. Now I don't know this island so I'm gonna need help. If you wanna beat them you better suck it up and give me some information," I snap. They shuffle their feet and look at each other.
"Are you in?" I ask. Tyler nods enthusiastically. Several others follow his lead. I notice Devin hesitates before finally agreeing to help. Eventually they all join up. "Alright, now which way to Breezy Brooke?"
*Thirty Minute Later*
"They'll be coming for us now. Simon, you're in charge of the defenses. Alec, you keep looking for those plants. Devin," I look at him last. He meets my eyes with a challenging gaze. "Take some of the best shooters and try to pick off a few, but don't get close enough to get shot yourself," I finish ordering. The boys I've named get to work on their jobs.
"What can I do?" Tyler asks.
"You are going to take me on a tour of the island," I say. Tyler smiles. I notice some of the Lost Boys giving me odd looks. "I don't want to be going out blind," I explain. They shrug and get back to work. "Ready?" I ask Tyler. He nods.
Together we leave the safety of our base and head into the jungle. My mind races. What if we stumble across Emma or Henry? What if Peter decides to take the rags off of his arrow and just shoot me? What if? What if? I push the thoughts away. Right now I need to focus on the game.
Tyler pushes through some trees and we stumble along. I keep my senses alert for any sign of Peter or Felix. I hear a twig snap ahead of us and grab Tyler's shoulder. "Shhh," I whisper. Crouching down I crawl under a nearby bush and motion for him to follow. We ready our crossbows and wait.
The tall ginger from Peter's team struts out of the woods. He's followed by three other Lost Boys on Felix's team. What are they doing together?
"I guarantee they made their base at Breezy Brooke. It's the easiest place for people of their skills to defend," the ginger snorts. The other boys nod. I feel my anger rise and long to pull the trigger, but I let them get closer first.
Taking a deep breath I try to aim the crossbow Felix gave me. I've had no real experience, but I fire anyways. It hits one of the Lost Boys in the ankle.
"Owe," he gasps in surprise and falls down. Tyler fires his crossbow and hits another one square in the chest.
"Good shot," I whisper as I reload my crossbow. By now the two remaining Lost Boys are pointing their crossbows at our hiding spot. When they fire they miss us by mere inches. I shoot again, but the ginger side steps it. Tyler takes down the other one. Seeing he's the only one left the ginger takes off into the woods.
We crawl out of the bush and grin at the three Lost Boys we shot. "I can't believe we got shot by Tyler and you," one of them glowers. I kick him in the gut and he groans.
"Shut-up," I snap. He rubs his stomach and glares at me. "So wanna give us any information?" I ask. They remain mute. "That's what I thought," I turn away. Tyler is smiling brightly like he didn't just shoot a deadly weapon at some other boys. "So what do we do with them?" I ask.
"They have to stay here until one of their teammates saves them or the game is over," Tyler answers. I nod.
"You heard him. Don't move," I order. They give me blank looks. "Moving on," I say. Tyler and I head on into the woods. Before we get too far I turn back and take the Lost Boys' arrows and crossbows.
For the most part all Tyler has shown me is woods and I'm beginning to regret my decision to come out here. For all I know the rest of our team has been wiped out and we're just walking into a trap. After a few more feet I stop.
"Let's go back," I suggest. Tyler nods. We start to head back when I hear someone approaching. Once again Tyler and I hide in a bush. The person is running and we don't have to wait long for them to crash in front of us. It's Devin.
"Devin, wait," I call out. He glances at me in surprise as I crawl out of the bush.
"What are you doing?" he looks confused.
"We were trying to ambush you," Tyler answers. Devin raises his eyebrows.
"What are you doing?" I change the subject.
"Peter and Felix have formed an alliance. They ambushed us when we were trying to find their bases. I was the only one who got out. I've been trying to find you," he explains. My heart sinks.
"Cheaters," I hiss. "If they wanna gang up on us then we're gonna give them a reason to gang up on us." Devin and Tyler glance at each other. "Come on. Let's get back to the others."
*Ten Minutes Later*
"Do we all understand the plan?" I check.
"Surround the base, attack one side at a time so they focus on the one side, then we all jump out," Tyler repeats enthusiastically. I nod. The other Lost Boys look excited with gleaming eyes and bright smiles.
"Any last minute preparations?" I ask. They shake their heads. "Remember, it's now or never. We have to give it all we got," I say.
"Let's do this," Devin exclaims. I grin. As one we all stand up and head towards the base. Devin had also brought the news that since the two groups had joined forces they decided to use one base at one of Peter's old campsite. I personally thought is lacked originality on Pan's half, but that didn't matter.
I lead the way through the jungle with Tyler and Devin on either side of me. We have our crossbows at the ready and our pockets are stuffed with the strange plant that revives any fallen teammates.
Soon we're standing just before the enemy base. Silently we surround the base so the sentries won't hear or see us. I can just make out the base through the thick foliage. There's a fire burning in the middle of the camp and several Lost Boys are gathered around it. I can't see Peter or Felix, but I have a feeling they're there.
"Give the signal," I order Devin. He gives a low croak like a bullfrog. It's creepy how much he really sounds like the animal.
On his que the Lost Boys on the other side of the base raise up and begin to fire arrows into the base. Immediately Felix and Peter's team turn their backs on us and start firing at the other half of my group. Devin aims his crossbow, but I wait to give the signal.
After a few minutes I can feel my Lost Boys getting restless. I'm still waiting for Peter and Felix to appear. "Fire," I cry, deciding not to wait anymore. The Lost boys in the clearing are completely defenseless against the down pour of arrows that rains down on their backs. Several are knocked out.
We duck down as the remaining Lost Boys retaliate. A few arrows strike home, but not that many. Lost Boys in the clearing rush to help their fallen teammates. "Don't let them revive them," I scream. Arrows fall down, keeping any of the 'out' Lost Boys from receiving the strange plant. My own Lost Boys revive their fallen teammates.
Just then I recognize two familiar forms in the clearing below. Grinning I load my crossbow and take aim. Peter's chest is perfectly aligned with my arrow as I let it go. I hold my breath in anticipation.
Right before my arrow hits him, Peter's hand flashes forward and grabs the shaft of the arrow. "Nice try Elley," he looks directly at me. "But you'll have to try better than that." He throws the arrow to the side and loads his own crossbow. Crap. I roll out of the way just in time.
"The rules have been altered," I hear Felix yell. "You can use swords and knives now." There's the sound of metal being pulled from leather. Devin hands me a knife.
"I trust you know how to use it," he says.
"Have you seen Felix's elbow?" I ask. He grins and nods. "Let's do this," I shout. With a mighty battle cry we race down into the enemy base. I bypass as many Lost Boys as I can, I only want Peter. I can see him fighting Simon and I start making my way towards him. When I arrive he shoves Simon out of the way and smirks at me.
"Hey Elley. How's it going?" he asks.
"Oh I'm just about to beat a cheater," I say. He raises his eyebrows.
"Are you sure about that?" In an instant he's directly in front of me. I hide my shock and raise my knife.
"Positive," I breath. Peter swings his knife and I deflect it. I swing my own knife and he grabs my wrist then throws it to the side.
"Come on Elley, you can do better than that," he taunts.
"I know," I swing my knife again. He grabs my arms with both hands just as I expected. I kick his stomach and he stumbles backwards. "Come on Peter, you can do better than that," I mock him. He smiles mischievously.
Suddenly he's on my right and I turn to face him. To my surprise he's gone. "Gotta be quicker than that." I whip around again, but he's gone. "Elley," he laughs. I throw my elbow backwards, but it just sails through the air. The force of it throws me off balance and I fall backwards. Peter catches me before I hit the ground. "Not quite," he sighs.
I narrow my eyes. An idea strikes me and I wrap my arms around his neck and drag him down to the ground. "Hey," Peter gasps. My idea backfires as he lands on top of me, trapping me on the ground.
"This is nice," he smiles down at me.
"You're squishing me," I gasp.
"You're the one who pulled me down," he laughs. I struggle for air and Peter leans up so I can get free.
He stands back up and waits for me to regain my breath. When I can breathe normally I stand back up too. We face each other again. This time I swing first. Peter deflects it and makes his own move. I narrowly dodge it and make a quick retaliation.
Peter raises his knife so that they meet and clang together loudly. They form an x in the air as we both push on them, trying to gain the upper hand. He's a lot stronger than I expected and I'm doing all I can to keep him from pushing both of the knives into my chest.
Suddenly something hits me in the back and I fall forwards. I slam against Peter's chest and he drops the knives and catches me in a hug. Losing his balance we fall on the ground again. This time I'm on top. I can see my own surprise echoed in his eyes and for a moment we just lay there recovering our breath.
He has really pretty eyes. I find myself slightly captivated by their stormy depths and struggle to look away. He doesn't seem to mind, but that only bothers me further.
"Elizabeth is out," someone calls. "That means Peter's team wins." I turn away from Peter's eyes and roll of his chest. We sit up and look around. The Lost Boys are covered in bruises and some have cuts dripping with blood.
"Congratulations," I say without looking at Peter.
"Thanks," he chuckles. I notice Felix raise his eyebrows at me and I struggle to hold back a blush. Peter stands up next to me and holds out his hand. I ignore it and stand up on my own.
"Tyler, Devin," I start to search for my two new friends. I can feel Peter's eyes watch me leave so I walk a little faster. Tyler and Devin appear, both covered with cuts and bruises, but also with bright eyes.
"We beat Felix's team," Devin pants.
"I thought he was working with Peter," I look at them in confusion.
"In the middle of the fight they turned on each other so it was team against team. Felix's team got out before us. You were the last person," Devin explains.
"Who got me out?" I ask.
"Someone shot you," Tyler exclaims. I recall something shoving me into Peter. Must have been the padded arrow.
"Good job you two," I congratulate them. They smile then move on to talk to some other Lost Boys. I can see Felix approaching me so I turn to face him. "Yes?"
"Do you still want to freshen up?" he asks.
"Please," I say. He smiles.
"This way," he leads me away from the battle ground. I follow him, feeling lighter than I had in days.
A/N:
So I'm not sure how this chapter turned out. Hmmmm what do you think? Well anyways I just saw the new episode and omgggg it was so good! I've got new ideas now! So I saw how they've like only been on Neverland for five days and that is not so in this story. Let's just pretend it takes them longer to find stuff out or something so it takes them longer than five days. Yeah. It seems like there was something else…oh well. If I think of it I'll just review it or something so keep a look out for if I review. Speaking of reviews, this story has 55 reviews, 105 followers, and 54 favorites. OMG, I've never had a story get so popular so fast. This is like so awesome. Thanks so much! Please keep up the amazing work.