Warning: This chapter can get a bit gruesome.
Groaning, Faith sits up while holding her head.
"Careful, don't push yourself," a familiar voice mocks, and a few snickers follow.
"Peter? Is that you?" Faith asks, groaning still. As she massages her head, memories of the night before rush through her head. No longer relaxed, Faith jumps in her spot and whips her head around to scan her surroundings. Next to her are brown boots that soon lead up to the face of the boy from last night. Since she heard snickers earlier, she tries to find the others. Behind them is a group of boys that range from the ages of 5-17. Their menacing grins cause her to clutch the hem of her night gown in fear. "Peter, where are we?"
"Welcome to Neverland, princess," Peter taunts, roughly pulling her by her arm to force her to her feet.
"What's going on?" she asks, fear evident in her voice. He continues teasing her by quirking an eyebrow as he pretends to think.
"Well, last night you begged me to take you away," he answers casually. "So I did."
"I know that, but I mean why did you save me?" asks Faith. Then something hits her. "Oh god, my mother! Peter please! We have to go back and save my mother!" Not even thinking, she grabs the leg of his trousers and grips them tightly, which seems amusing to the boys surrounding them since they begin to laugh. "Please Peter, take my mother away from that world too!" Her requests seem to have made him mad, for his eyes narrow with anger.
"Adults are not welcome here," he hisses, and Faith lets out a whimper when he drags her up to her feet again. The fear gets worse when Peter puts on a fake smile and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Forget that life, forget who was with you. Here, you can be free! Just like you've always wanted!"
"I'm sure there's a catch somewhere," she replies, trying to get out from under her arm.
"Smart girl," he chuckles. "But not smart enough. You followed a complete stranger to another realm, did not think about your choices at all, and you never expected danger." Peter circles her as he lists her idiotic mistakes, making her feel like a sheep being pushed in by a wolf. "But yes, there is a catch. The catch is that you will stay here in Neverland as my princess."
"Why would you want me as your princess?" asks Faith, wearily. "I'm nothing special, why would you want some poor girl from the Enchanted Forest?" However when Peter turns to her with a wolfish grin, she could feel her stomach drop, wishing she didn't ask.
"My dear, you have a very special heart," answers Peter. "And that is why I chose you to be my princess."
"W-what are you talking a-about?" she stutters. Smirking, Peter rolls past her question as if she never asked at all.
"So what do you say? Would you like to stay and become princess?" he asks again, trying to charm her. Becoming princess does sound tempting, but this Peter seems way more dangerous than the one she thought she knew. Not only did her mind say no, but even her heart told her to return home, and that will be her answer.
"N-no, I'm sorry but I should go back," Faith answers slowly. "I-I don't know you." She braces herself, fearing he would become angry, but his smirk grows even wider at her answer.
"Oh?" he asks, as if challenging her. "Then would you follow me if someone you do know tells you to?" This time Faith narrows her eyes at him.
"What are you talking about?" she asks. Peter merely shrugs silently as the group of boys move to make way for another boy. She finally notices the appearance of the new boy when Pan's gaze shifts from her to him. "F-Felix?!"
"Hello, little sister," Felix says in a monotone voice with a smirk.
"There, now you do have someone you know," Peter adds. "If you stay, you can be reunited with your brother." He strolls up to her side and tilts her chin to force her to look at him. "Isn't that what you wished for these past years?" She nods, looking at her brother with a longing look. Oh how she missed him so, but is staying here worth it?
"P-please take m-me b-back," she stutters without realizing. Her eyes widen in horror when the words make their way to her ears and Peter's smirk warps to a snarl. Peter pushes her to the ground, causing her to shriek.
"Boys! Head back to camp!" orders Peter. "I'll take care of our little princess." Felix begins leading the boys back as Peter kneels down next to Faith, taking out his dagger. "You made me waste my time and magic bringing you here, and now you want to leave? Faith, you must be even more stupid than I thought! No one wastes my time!" She gasps, feeling the cold blade against her neck. All she can do is follow the dagger's direction. As it gets closer and closer to her, Faith leans back until she is lying fully on the ground with Peter straddling her, one hand holding him up and one with the dagger on her neck.
"P-lease Peter, you're scaring me," she whimpers. The terror on her face simply fascinated him. It thrilled him to see the fear in her eyes.
"Good," he smirks. Faith lets out a sigh of relief when Peter finally gets off her, but the fear would not leave her chest. "Look Faith, I like you." Had anyone else said it, it would sound sweet, from Peter it sounded like a full threat. "So I'm going to give you one more chance."
"T-thank you," she stutters, but mentally face palms. Why is she thanking him? He's the reason she's here in the first place! But the way he glares at her just sent chills down her spine. In fact, her nervousness seems to amuse him, for he chuckles darkly again.
"We'll play a game," he states, walking behind her. A game? This sounds way too easy. She lets out a gasp of surprise when he suddenly kneels down behind her and places his hands on her shoulders. "Hide and seek." Such a simple game, but this is Peter. Who knows what he's capable of?
"What's the catch?" she questions. "Please, I just want to go home."
"Oh, you don't trust me, love?" Peter mocks, frowning. Seeing her doubtful look, he drops it and smirks again. "Well at least you're learning to be smarter. The catch is if you manage to hide from me for half an hour, you're free to go." He prances back to the front and sits down in front of her.
"And if you find me before that?" asks Faith, trembling while her heartbeat grows louder at their closeness.
"Then you will give up on your ridiculous wish to go home and stay in Neverland with me," Peter states, as if it's a simple thing to do. "Just like I offered you before, you will stay and become my princess."
"Then I don't want to play," Faith states, and begins standing up until Peter pulls her back down.
"That's no fun!" he exclaims, pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her. "Not playing is the same as forfeiting. I mean, I'm fine with that too, but where's the thrill in simply giving up?"
"But you have magic!" she protests, trying to get out of his grip. "You'll find me in less than two seconds!"
"Fine, then no magic and no Lost Boys, " Peter finalizes. Faith could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks when Peter begins whispering in her ear. "It'll be just you and me." His breath caresses her cheek softly and a chill runs up her spine when she feels her back against his chest.
"You can be lying for all I know," she whimpers, shivering as Peter rests his chin on a place between her neck and her shoulder. In fact, she can feel him trembling against her when he chuckles at her discomfort.
"I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, princess," he replies, "but I always keep my promises." Not even waiting for her to respond, Peter pushes her off his lap and forces her to stand. "Now go, dear little Faith, you have five minutes to hide. Run." Without another word or thought, Faith lets her feet take her where they wanted. However despite how fast she runs, she cannot escape the sounds of Peter's cackle through the night.
Faith finally reaches the mid section of a tree, panting from her fatigue.
"That boy is psycho!" she gasps, trying to regain her breath. If she's correct, Peter should finish his counting any time soon, meaning she better be on guard. Faith remains in the tree for a good ten minutes before she hears footsteps. How did he find her so fast?! Faith grasps the branch in fear of him spotting her. Silence follows soon after and she holds her breath. Is he gone?
"Got you," a voice whispers in her ear and Faith shrieks as two arms wrap around her waist. "That was too easy, dearest." Disappointment runs through her body, realizing she's lost.
"Please, give me another chance," she begs, desperately trying to get away. A chuckle follows.
"I'm having fun, so why not?" Peter smirks and releases her from his 'hug'. Carefully, he helps her get down from the tree. "But first..." Before she can ask, Peter slashes Faith across the arm.
~Peter~
"But first..." he says. As quick as lightening, Peter unsheathes his dagger and slashes it across her forearm. Hearing that beautifully pained scream, Peter's smirk grows. That fear in her eyes is irresistible. Once she becomes his, he will definitely play games with her every day. He wanted her to stay and he needed her to stay. Another whimper escapes her lips and Peter could feel joy emitting inside him. Her trembling voice made him feel so content. Faith's submissiveness made him feel so powerful, and he loved it. Before he can understand his own actions, Peter presses her against the tree and firmly presses his lips on hers, only to be slapped off a few seconds later. The previous joy is now replaced by anger as he slashes her across the arm again.
Faith lets out another scream. There's that beautiful scream again. He's the predator and she is his prey. Seeing that fear in her eyes excited him. Currently Faith in on the ground, glaring at him despite the fear in her eyes as the blood spills on her white gown. For some reason to him, she looks so innocent yet the fear made him feel like she is seducing him. Now it's too fun for him to end the night. To give her another game, he quickly heals the scars on her arms, but leaves the pain.
"One, two, three, four," he begins counting and Faith doesn't waste a second before running off. "Run princess!" With that, he resumes counting.
~Faith~
Ignoring the pain on her arms and the strange feelings from Peter's kiss, Faith pushes herself past her limit. She uses the fear for him to fuel her energy, running to the end of the island.
"I have to escape," she whispers to herself. And that one line acts as her mantra as Faith scans the area for a hiding place.
"My, what's gotten you so frightened?" a feminine voice asks.
"Who's there?!" gasps Faith. Is it possible for Peter to transform himself into a woman? Then again, he said no magic, so this can't be him. Lost in her thoughts, Faith lets out a startled shriek when a hand wraps itself around her ankle.
"I'm right here, sweetheart," the lady in the water says sweetly. Faith rubs her eyes when she sees what looks like a fin in the water, making sure she isn't hallucinating. She's heard of mermaids before but to see on in person is so magical. This mermaid is beautiful. Her brown hair cascades down her back and seems so smooth. The mermaid's tail looks blue, but that is probably because of the water. "Hello?" Snapping out of her trance, Faith apologizes.
"I-I'm sorry!" she stutters. "It's just you're so beautiful and I forgot to think." Faith twiddles with her fingers as the mermaid giggles.
"That's fine," the mermaid replies sweetly. "Now what's wrong, darling? You seem flushed."
"Ready or not, here I come!" Peter's voice echoes through the forest. That's when Faith remembers their game.
"I'm being hunted down by Peter Pan! Please help me!" Faith pleads. The mermaid's eyes nearly pop out of her head.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" she asks sympathetically. "Come with me underwater, I can make sure you won't die by Pan's hands!" Worry bubbles in Faith's stomach as the mermaid frantically tries to pull her in. She must know Peter or is very kind to try to save a stranger like Faith. Then something hits her.
"Wait, how will I breathe down there?" asks Faith, frowning. Suddenly the mermaid's kind smile morphs into a look of hunger. Her heart drops at the sight. What has she done?
"You won't," the mermaid retorts, smirking. "Sisters!" At her call, Faith gasps and fights the mermaid harder when three other mermaids emerge. Beautiful yet deadly.
"Drown her!" one of the cries, grabbing her other ankle. Faith begins comparing her choices right now. If Peter finds her, she'll be stuck here for who knows how long. However if she gives in to the mermaids, at least she'll be granted an escape route, a possibly long and painful escape route.
'Death is worth it,' Faith decides, and releases her hold on a boulder, allowing the four mermaids to drag her into the water slowly. However as the water rises to her head, she decides to take it back. "No, wait, I don't want to die yet! Someone help!" From past experience, Faith is loudest when she simply screams a high pitch, so that is what she does, hoping someone will hear. Before her mouth goes underwater, Faith cries out for the only person she can think of. "Felix!" Even under water, Faith continues to struggle. She wiggles around and manages to kick one of the mermaids in the face, releasing its hold on her arm. However there are still three left, and whenever she gets one to release her, the other three would swarm. Faith hears a noise from above, but at this rate, she can't tell where the sky is or which way is the bottom, for her struggle's caused her to be flipped around. The water burns her lungs and Faith can feel herself slowly losing consciousness.
~Peter~
"Faith!" he shouts and dives head first into the ocean. He had seen four mermaids attempting to drown her. How can she be so stupid as to trust a mermaid? Then again, she was probably desperate to get away from him. Peter sends an orb of magic at the five figures, sending the four mermaids away from his Faith.
"It's Pan! Swim!" gasps one of the mermaids, and the other three flee behind her. He smirks. If they think they're getting away that easily, they must be stupid. He casts another spell, sending all four to shore. With that settled, Peter kicks his way to Faith and pulls her to shore. He magically removes the excess water from her lungs before turning toward the mermaids with a glare. Without their defense in the water, the four are completely defenseless, just as he likes.
"Who's the one that targeted her?" he demands, walking toward them. His smirk is no longer there, but replaced with a horrifying snarl.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" one of the mermaids retorts with sass, but gasps in pain when Peter roughly holds her by the hair.
"Your tail is quite lovely, be a shame if something happened to it," Peter innocently threatens, trailing his knife up her scales. His fake smile strikes fear into her heart. "I won't ask again, who started this?" Fearing for her life, the mermaid in his hands points to her sister.
"It was Crystal!" she shouts. "Please, don't hurt us!" He pretends to think, dropping her hair.
"Hm, since you are the only truthful one, I'll let you die in a less painful way," Peter says, as if he's doing her a favor. Ignoring her pleads, Peter stalks behind her and rips her shadow out. The other three watch in horror as their sister lets out a blood curling scream before dropping limp. "Now, as for the one who started this, Crystal was it? You get the honor of returning to my camp with me."
"No please, please don't!" begs Crystal.
"Oh now you're afraid?" he mocks. "You should know better than touching something that belongs to me." Peter snaps his fingers and she is teleported to the Lost Boys' camp, leaving the last two sisters with Peter.
"What have you done to her?" one of the remaining girls demands, clawing at his leg. "Return her to us! Your girl is alive, give her back to us!"
"She's alive because I saved her," Peter points out, kicking her off. "If you want her back, go rescue her yourself. Now, it wouldn't be fun if I killed all of you and I need you to be a warning for any other mermaids who would even think about laying a finger on my princess." He stares at the blonde mermaid and kneels down next to her. "Congratulations. You two get to live, let me give you a gift before you leave." Their blood runs cold at his words. The blonde mermaid begins screaming as Peter begins cutting off several scales from her tail and slashing her arms.
"Please! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" the last mermaid begs. "Please! You can kill my sister, just please don't hurt me!" Peter can't help but chuckle at her betrayal.
"I have a better idea," he tells her and shoves a hand into her chest. The mermaid groans and pants as he pulls out a darken heart. Peter then proceeds to mock her. "You know, if Faith is to die, my heart would be crushed, you know if I had one." He pretends to think as he squeezes the heart slightly, causing her to groan in pain. "Let me show you how I'd feel." He begins crushing her heart slowly, prolonging it as long as possible. Finally the heart becomes dust and Peter wipes his hand of the disgusting filth on his hands. He turns back to the blonde mermaid again. "Go back to your home and warn all your worthless fish that if any of them dare to lay a finger on Faith, they will meet fates worse than your sisters today." The final mermaid nods and begins clawing her way through the sand to get back to the ocean, enduring every grain that gets stuck in her wounds.
Forgetting the mermaids, Peter picks up Faith and blinks them both back to his tree house. He sets her gently on the bed and waves his hand over her, healing any injuries she could've gotten from the mermaids. While he loved seeing her in pain or in fear, it had to be caused by him. If anyone else hurts her, they'd have hell to pay. She belongs to him, and only him. Faith was taught to hide her emotions, but Peter will be the one who can get her to see every kind of emotion on her face. No one is allowed to see her emotions except him.
"You're mine, princess." Peter pecks Faith's cheek softly before exiting his tree house.