I own nothing except my characters.
Chapter Five: Her first day
"Where were you?" Felix asks and Piper stays silent. After a moment, he nods curtly, his eyebrows smoothing out into an apathetic mask. "Just remember, you will not be able to escape and if you try, that will be punished by Pan. And it will not be pleasant." Felix warned and Piper's shoulders stiffened but she didn't comment.
After another moment, Felix turned and began walking away. Raising her head the slightest bit, Piper narrowed her dark eyes at him, a small spark appearing before she smothered it and followed behind him to the fire.
"Hey Felix!" A bouncing little boy called, his head of wild copper curls bouncing with him as he skidded to a stop in front of the larger male. Felix nodded, stepping around the little boy and continuing on. Unfazed, he bounced along at Felix's side. He had bronzed skin, a few shades darker than Piper's and gleaming dark green eyes that matched the mischievous look about the little boy. With his sharp little nose and faint freckles across his nose, Piper could tell he was a trouble maker. What startled her, is that he seemed to be the youngest. If she had to guess, she would say he was around eight years old, give or take a little. "So, what patrol am I going on today?" The little boy asked brightly, dropping his hand down to rest it on the dagger he had stuck through his belt.
"You know that you only guard the camp. There are no patrols for you, not until you get better at fighting." Felix answered and the little boy pouted, beginning to open his mouth to say something, never once paying attention to Piper as she shadowed them. "Don't argue, Salazar. If you have a problem with the rules, take it up with Pan or go away." The boy snapped his mouth shut, storming away and muttering something under his breath as he shot a few dirty glances over his shoulder at Felix.
A sense of amusement glittered in Piper's dark eyes but other than that, no emotion showed from her.
"Until you can be trusted, you are going to be assigned a mentor. Yours is going to be Angelo." Stopping by a boy with hazel eyes, light brown hair and pale skin, Felix nodded at him. The boy looked startled but friendly as he grinned at the two of them. "Angelo, this is Pierce. He is going to be your student. Pan wants you to teach him how to fight before he gets to leave camp. Pan gets the final decision on when he gets to be granted privileges on leaving. Remember, Pierce's infractions are your infractions from now on. Understood?" Felix reeled off, somehow managing to hold onto his emotionless voice through the mini-speech he gave.
"Uh, yeah! Sure, I get it." Angelo nodded and Felix nodded curtly in return before stalking away. "Uh, so I'm your mentor." Angelo waved awkwardly from his seat on the log. "You hungry?" He asks and she gazed at him emotionlessly, dark eyes scanning him over until he fidgeted, uncomfortable with the new kid's scary intense eyes. Finally breaking her stare, Piper noded once and he grinned, bouncing to his feet and gesturing to the fire. "Right, let's get you a bowl." He lead her over to the boiling pot and stepped away, returning a second later with a steaming bowl.
Piper accepted it, gazing into the bowl soulfully as she wished for something that looked a bit more appetizing than this...whatever it is. It is dark and has the substance of grits.
"You should try it, it is better than it looks." Angelo said, laughing a little as he sat on the log. Cocking her head to the side, Piper sat down, making sure to put some distance between them. From her spot on the log, her back was to three of the exit paths and she tensed up, not liking it. A muscle in her jaw flexed for a moment before she picked up the roughly carved wooden spoon, some of the food dropping from it stickily.
Tired of being a stickler about it (considering she has eaten much worse than what this looks like in the past), Piper eats the mouthful. Surprisingly, despite the look, the taste is fairly decent. It tastes like some sort of meat mixed with something a little spicy with the slightest taste of something sweet.
"See?" Angelo teased and Piper raised her head, looking him over with the same distant look as before. He fidgets a little, smiling uncomfortably and shrugging his shoulders before returning to his meal. Without his gaze on her, Piper was able to relax the tiniest bit even with the paths at her back. Wolfing down the food, she sat back, feeling a little better without her stomache clawing at her insides as it begged and roared for food. "Better?" Angelo asked, smiling a little as she sat down the bowl.
Piper gave a short nod, glancing wearily around the rest of the camp as she waited for him to finish eating. Seeing her waiting on him, Angelo ate faster and picked up her bowl, gesturing for her to follow after him. Handing off the bowls to the adorably grumpy looking Salazar, Angelo ruffled the kid's hair, smirking as Salazar ducked away from his hand, glaring darkly.
He turned the glare on Piper and she met his gaze evenly, cocking a dark eyebrow before allowing the slightest of smirks to cross her face.
There is something about him that reminds her of a little boy she once knew. That little boy had been someone she was looking out for on the streets. He had been found and taken away, never to be seen by Piper again. For a couple of years before that, he had been her protected little brother and every time she saw a mop of curly hair, she often kept an eye out for him, even if the chances of it really being him were beyond slim.
"So, since you can't be cleared to be taken out of camp yet, we are going to have to train back here." Angelo said to Piper, leading her to a path and turning to the left after a few steps. Piper tried to look around with interests but it was hard, considering she had already scanned it earlier when she was trekking around the camp. Angelo watched her curiously before walking to the center and beckoning her. "I don't know if you can tell but you are my first student assigned by Pan." Angelo said nervously as Piper watched him with her dark eyes. He shifted nervously before forcing a bright smile. "Right, so...come at me." Piper stared at his abrupt words, tensing up automatically at his expectant face and gesturing hands. "Well? Come on." Angelo said insistently and Piper scoffed, rolling her dark eyes and leaning back on her heels. As predicted, it riled him up. "Fine then, I'll attack you." And then he rushed her.
Piper waited expectantly for him and at the last possible second, stepped to the side, twisting her body so it avoided touching his altogether. Angelo landed on the ground harshly with a muffled thump. He groaned, twisting on the ground as he struggled to climb to his feet, clutching a hand to his stomach.
"What the hell was that?!" He exclaimed angrily, glaring irritably at her. Piper shrugged innocently, a gleam to her dark eyes as she rocked back on her heels again, seemingly as relaxed as before, a hidden smirk tugging at her lips. Angelo scrambled to his feet, his light brown hair mussed up and his hazel eyes indignant as he stares at her. Then he sets his jaw, squares his shoulders and settles into a battle stance. "Fine. Again." He demanded and Piper grinned wickedly sharp as he lunged again.
~Unbowed-and-Unbroken~
Angelo stormed into the center of camp, glaring viciously and muttering cusses under his breath until he reached the log he was sitting on before. Piper sauntered at a slower pace behind him, seemingly as bored as an innocent could be.
Still, were Dolly or Cortez with her, both of them would instantly see the wicked gleam in her dark eyes and the smug smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. As it was, a passing by Salazar recognized the look of a fellow troublemaker, causing him to be instantly curious so he changed his track, plopping down beside an irate Angelo.
"That bad, huh?" Salazar asked cheerfully, grinning at the sour look Angelo shot him in response.
"Right." Angelo said shortly, causing a brief grin to flash across her face before it was gone. Curiosity flared in Salazar and he scooted in closer, pressing for more answers.
"Well? How was he?" Salazar asked, causing Piper to feel a sense of momentary shock at being referred to as a 'he.' It was really going to be hard to get used to that.
"He was fine." Angelo ground out and Piper had to fight hard against the urge to laugh before mentally shrugging and letting out a short bark of laughter. Startled, Angelo turned to look at her but her face was as impassive as before in a second.
"Fine? Come on, Angelo! You gotta tell me more!" Salazar pried, grinning as he saw a few other boys gathering around. "It's the new kid. We're all curious." Salazar said pointedly, flicking his gaze to the side.
Following the trail, Angelo and Piper both saw Pan leaning against a tree, partially hidden in the shadows as he twirled a dagger in his fingers. Piper stiffened up, closing off completely, surprised at herself for not noticing him before now.
In marked contrast, Angelo perked up, giving Piper the impression of an eager puppy. She half expected him to sprout an enthusiastically wagging tail and his tongue to loll out of his mouth. She had to muffle a disparaging smile from spreading across her face.
"Alright, since you won't leave me alone, I suppose I must tell you what you want to know." Angelo sighed, trying to act like it was a bother. Piper rolled her dark eyes, seeing right through the act instantly. To be fair, Angelo wasn't just a terrible actor, she had seen Pan and it was apparent to her that all the Lost Boys enjoyed showing off, if only to catch Pan's attention. "The new kid is actually pretty good. We were sparring and he didn't land a hit once." Angelo said.
"How is that really good?" Salazar asked, shooting an annoyed look at another of the boys, who was nodding in agreement. "Doesn't that mean the new kid is terrible?" Piper glanced over at Pan, stiffening when she noticed his eyes locked on her. Narrowing her eyes, she dipped her head to him, her fists balled under her armpits. After a moment of watching her blankly, Pan suddenly smirked knowingly at her. Panic flashed through Piper but she knew better than to show it.
Instead, she turned her gaze to the discussion still going on, making sure to keep Pan in her peripheral vision.
"It is good because I kept rushing him and each time, he managed to evade me until I was worn out. By the end, not only was I exhausted but he hadn't had to lay a single finger on me. He looked as cool as though he were lounging around all day and just stood up to exercise his legs. It was annoying and I was pissed at the end but, I think I learned a few things from him." Angelo said, glancing at Pan.
Piper fought the urge to snort. He certainly hadn't been of that attitude after she had knocked his ass down a few times in the clearing.
Piper isn't the biggest fan of touch and so when she fights, she goes out of her way to use as little contact as possible. Essentially, she allows them to beat themselves up, just adding a guiding hand when it was needed. Something that Angelo wasn't all too fond of during the day but apparently loves now that Pan is watching and listening.
"Awesome!" Salazar lit up, glancing over at her with a contemplative look that was quickly hidden behind a mask of childish innocence. "Hey Pierce!" He called and she straightened, cocking her head to the side as she trained dark eyes on him. A little wary but still very much determined, Salazar continued speaking. "Could you teach me?" He asked, getting up and taking a step forward. Piper cocked her head to the other side, quirking an eyebrow and raising her hand, the dried blood flaking off as she rubbed her fingers together. "Oh, does that mean what will you get for it?" Salazar asked and a satisfied smile crossed her face for seconds before it disappeared. "Uh...I can teach you how to fight with a dagger?" Salazar bargained uncertainly, a few of the boys snickering as they glanced back and forth between the two. The arrogant looks sent a lick of flame through Piper and she took a swaggering step forward, danger in her smooth movements as she shot the two boys a dark glare. They shut up, the bully boy and the injured boy before stalking away.
Returning her gaze to Salazar, Piper gave a quick, sharp little nod that had the beaming boy bouncing on his heels.
"Yes!" He hissed happily, pumping his fists in the air. "I'll start tomorrow! Felix! I'm gonna need some more daggers!" Salazar darted off after the blonde, grinning enthusiastically as he began babbling. Piper smirked the slightest bit as she watched the little boy before turning her gaze to Peter Pan.
But he was no longer there.
How did he do that?
Thanks so much to all of my new followers and favers!