Peter's POV
"No."
Its amazing how much impact one word can have on a person.
"No."
Just one little word.
"No."
And my entire world fell apart.
I lie there on my bed, just staring at the ceiling, contemplating everything that had occurred that afternoon. I feel a kind of emptiness when I remember the look of pain in Cat's eyes just before she turned her back on me and disappeared.
I shut my eyes tight and attempt to push down both the anger and hurt I feel. I miss her. I miss her so much. I have regretted sending her away from the very moment she exited my tent. I had been trying to find her for days, but was unsuccessful. That is until today. I had felt so relieved when I was finally able to feel her aura again; I transported myself to her immediately. I wanted to touch her, hold her, kiss her, see her again.
When I arrived at her location, however, I saw a sight I thought I'd never see. Catherine with Lance's arms wrapped tightly around her, their lips touching. And the worst part was that she looked as if she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
It was just too much to bear, seeing her enjoying someone else's attention especially his attention. So I lashed out and ripped Lance from her grasp with every intention of draining his black heart. When she had stopped me, I was extremely irate and only partially grateful to her for interference.
I then attempted to reign in my emotions, and once that was accomplished I admitted to her how I truly felt.
I wince at the pain in my chest as I remember the tightness her voice had held as she then went on to lecture me about my hypocrisy. Before I could get another word out, she had stiffly turned her back on me, and disappeared to where ever it is on the island she has decided to live despite my last-ditch effort at seduction.
I tried desperately once again to find her, but to no avail. She must have placed another Concealment Spell upon herself, and after a while, I gave up my search and returned to camp in defeat.
Now I find myself staring at the ceiling, rightfully blaming myself for all the pain I've put both myself and Catherine through.
"I was a fool to think that you'd ever change. You're a heartless monster and I'm glad to be rid of you," she had said.
"I know. I was wrong, and I'm sorry," I whisper to no one.
Then suddenly, without warning, a huge blast of magic overtakes me. The power of the blast knocks me off of my bed and the room begins to swim before my eyes. I moan, holding my head and squeezing my eyes shut in an attempt to stop the spinning.
Since I'm the technical ruler of the island, whenever any kind of magic is used, I'm able to feel how powerful it is and where its coming from. This particular blast seems to have originated from Blind Man's Bluff and whoever is responsible for it is in apparent emotional pain.
But this magic is different. Normally, even if large acts of magic are performed on the island, I can feel it, but it has never nearly knocked me out before.
I take a deep breath and slowly try to stand up. I grip my bed frame for support and try to lock onto the source of the magic. The effort only serves to make me more dizzy so I stop. But one thing is for certain. She is the one who is causing this power surge.
I dash from my tent and take off into the forest. I have to get to her. She's in trouble, and whether she wants to admit it or not, she needs me.
Some of the boys, including Curly, attempt to follow me, but I immediately tell them to stay behind.
"The best way you can help, is by staying here at camp," I order.
They all start to head back, when I call, "Curly!"
"Yes, sir," he replies.
"I'm going to need your help," I say.
He nods with a small smirk on his face and we dash off into the forest.
"What are we looking for exactly, Pan?" Curly asks from beside me.
"Your sister," I reply.
"Haven't we already tried that, though?"
"Yes, we have, but I just felt her give off a huge blast of magic that hasn't ceased for over the past five minutes."
"Does that mean-"
"Yes. She's in trouble."
"Well, then why don't you transport yourself to her? Do you even know where she is? Where the heck are we going anyway?" he peppers me with questions.
"Yes, I know where she is. No, I can't transport myself to her because her powers are giving off so much magic that I can't lock onto her without getting extremely dizzy."
Just as I finish saying that, another huge surge of magic courses through me and I stumble.
"Whoa, Pan! Are you alright?" Curly asks, taking a firm hold on my arm to steady me.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine, but we've got to hurry," I say and we pick up speed. "And to answer your last question, we are headed to Blind Man's Bluff."
When we finally reach our destination, we can't believe the sight that reaches our eyes. The entire forest area surrounding the bluff is aflame, but its unlike any fire I've ever witnessed. Instead of spreading to the surrounding areas like it should, this fire is concentrated, refusing to lash out and consume the surrounding areas.
Just then, a blood curdling scream penetrates the evening air and wrenches me from my puzzlement. They are her screams. But they aren't screams of physical pain, they are cries of internal agony.
"Pan, you have to get to her," Curly exclaims desperately.
"I already told you, I can't!" I yell.
"You have to try!" he says. He then grabs my shoulders and turns me around to face him straight on. "Pan, I've seen you perform greater feats than this. You can do this. You just have to try."
His words awaken a determination in me that I didn't think I had, and I turn to face the flames. I take a deep breath and focus hard. The strength of her magic causes me to feel nauseous, and I lose my focus. I try again with no success.
I curse under my breath. "Calm down so I can help you, you little troublemaker," I say.
Almost as if she heard me, she immediately begins to calm down and I find my way in. I latch onto her aura and I feel myself being transported.
The next thing I know, I'm standing amidst the flames and just a few feet away from me, lies a weeping Catherine. Kneeling next to her is a panicked Tiger Lily and I can't help but be surprised at her presence.
Tiger Lily then looks up and sees me standing there. "You must do something!" she screams at me.
Her command brings me back to my present task. I quickly go to Catherine's side and gently take her tear-stained face in my hands. She immediately cries out and I bring my face close to hers.
"Love, I need you to listen to me," I try to whisper over the roars of the flames and she whimpers, signaling that she heard me. "Everything is going to be alright. You are fine. You just need to get control of your emotions," I instruct.
She says nothing, but her hands come up to grip my wrists. I know she hears me because she begins to take deep breaths, and the flaming inferno begins to weaken.
"Pan! Hurry!" Tiger Lily screams behind me.
Her shout causes Catherine to lose her focus and the fire regains its previous strength.
I turn to glare at Tiger Lily. "You're not helping!" I snap and she instantly quiets.
I then turn my attention back to Catherine. "It's okay, love. It's okay. Just look at me," I encourage.
She opens her eyes and they lock with mine. "That's it, love. Just look at me," I repeat.
She instantly begins to calm and her tears start to subside. "Yes, love. See? Everything is okay."
The flames then completely vanish and we all begin to relax. I smile down at my little warrior and say, "You did it, Cat. You beat your emotions."
She nods slightly, mumbling something that I can't quite understand, and then falls unconscious. I sigh and casually lean back on my heels. I look up to see Tiger Lily watching me cautiously and I return her stare.
"What happened?" I ask.
"I am not even entirely sure. One moment, we were sitting in her tent conversing and the next the whole forest erupts in flames," she replies.
"Were you talking about anything that could have made her get this upset?" I question.
She thinks for a moment and then answers quietly, "We were talking about you."
Her answer brings my guilt back anew and I look to the ground ashamed. Before I can ask another question, Curly bursts into the now quiet clearing. His eyes widen when he see's Catherine's unconscious form and he dashes to her side.
"Catey? Catey are you alright?" he asks, pulling her into his arms.
"She's fine, Curly. She just needs rest," I explain.
He sighs in relief and casually lifts her off the ground. "I'll bring her back to camp then," he says and starts off in the direction he came.
I rise to follow him when Tiger Lily stops us by asking, "She told me that you banished her from camp. Was that not true?"
Curly shoots me a hard and threatening stare, to which I reply, "We'll talk about it later, alright."
"No, we'll talk about it now. What is she talking about, Pan?" he asks angrily.
"Our first priority should be getting her someplace safe. We'll talk about it later," I repeat.
He throws a hostile glance my way and then walks away with Catherine in his arms.
"You never answered my question," Tiger Lily asks after a long silence.
"Yes, I did banish her, but it was a mistake. I'm bringing her back home now where she'll be safe, and will never be cast out again. I promise," I assure her.
"If anything happens to her," she threatens. "I will have your hide, Peter Pan."
"I'll be sure to remember that, princess," I reply curtly.
She shoots me one final glare and then takes of in the direction of her encampment.
After I know she's long gone, I breath a sigh of relief and take a look around the area to examine the damages. The island has already begun to repair itself, with new tree stalks pushing their way through the ashes.
Neverland's repairing process takes up much less time than normal forests, and after factoring in the scale of the fire and how it didn't spread, I conclude that the forest will be back to normal by sunrise the day after tomorrow.
"You can take care of yourself, right?" I quietly ask the island. As if in affirmation, some of the little saplings at my feet begins to grow a little larger.
Feeling satisfied, I then decide to return to camp to face interrogation from Curly that I most certainly will have to endure.
After a very long and tiring conversation with Curly, I head back to my own tent to get some sleep. I told Curly everything, down to the very last minute detail of what happened that night and how I have regretted the decision from the very moment it was made. It was only after my sincere apology and the promise to not send her away again, he finally seemed satisfied and I felt comfortable in leaving him.
We agreed to let Cat stay with Curly in his tent since she'd probably be more comfortable with her brother than with me at the moment. I hated having to leave her side again, but I considered it a fair enough punishment for all the pain I had caused both of us over the past week.
I lie down on my bed and stare at the ceiling for the second time today. I am still puzzling over how Catherine got so worked up in the first place. Tiger Lily's story just doesn't make sense, because if it really was me that had gotten Cat so upset, then why hadn't we had an episode like that earlier on this week? And furthermore, why would she have let me get as close to her as she did when I entered her flaming death trap to help her regain control over her emotions?
None of the facts seem to be adding up. Something is still missing from this little puzzle, and as soon as Cat wakes up, I'm going to find out what it is.