Hey guys, sorry i haven't introduced Peter and Felix yet, but i just wanted to develop a bit of the story first and fill you in one their lives first. I promise next chapter we get to see him. And if you have any ideas you'd like to share just review. :)

Sorry this is long, it wasn't meant to be but it just happened!

Thank You!

Charlie's POV

*flashback*

The fire in front of us crackles lower as the night draws on, and i huddle up to my sister for warmth. We've been in this section of the woods for two months, and Ellie says we need to move on tomorrow. So as a celebration we decided to risk a fire. Like a birthday treat, she'd said to me, and i smile at the memory. Ellie puts her arms around me as she leans backwards to lie down, pulling me down with her, head resting on the small burlap sack we share. She strokes my hair and begins to sing, and although i know I'm 13 now, and i shouldn't need Ellie to sing for me, its a comfort like you wouldn't believe.

The song she sings is a slow, melodious lullaby our mother used to sing for us. She doesn't talk about our mother often. Whenever i asked she'd just say they're dead, both of them. As for Felix, all she said was 'he left, he doesn't love us'. And so it was just the two of us, living in the woods, rationing the last mushrooms and apples before Ellie caught something. It wasn't the best life, far from it, but we were together, and that's all i cared about.

As she finishes her song i smile up at the stars, noticing the brightness of one of them. Ellie seems so content at the moment, so i decide to take advantage of that to ask her about our family, why Felix left. It's nights like these were she hums absentmindedly that i can get an answer out of her. "Ellie?"

"Yeah, Charlie?"

"Why did Felix leave?"

Ellie stiffens as she lays there and her hand stops stroking my hair. After a tension filled pause, her hand resumes stroking my hair, but the tension in her shoulders doesn't release. "I told you, he didn't love us."

"But Felix did love us, he told you to take care of me. So why did he leave?"

Ellie sighs and shifts up into a sitting position, pulling me up with her as she begins to pick at her pants. "It's complicated okay. Yes... Felix loved us... but momma and papa didn't treat him well, and so he left us. He abandoned us and started this mess."

"How did momma and papa die?"

"It's complicated as well Charlie, i don't want to talk about it right now, just go to sleep."

"But Momma was upset when Felix left, and you said they didn't care about him."

I hear Ellie breathe an exasperated sigh before answering. "Charles, I'm warning you. Enough."

The mere mention of my proper first name was a clear indication that Ellie had had enough of this topic. But i wanted to understand. So i pressed onwards.

"But Ellie, i just want to understand. If Momma cared about Felix then why did Felix think-"

"That's enough Charlie! I already told you i don't want to talk about it! Now go to sleep!" Ellie shouted. I flinched, she was really worked up about this, and i didn't know what was the cause of this, but looking up into my sisters wet eyes, i had a feeling that there was something she wasn't telling me.

Before either of us could say anymore on the matter a bone-chilling roar shook the clearing we had set up camp in. Ellie shot up to her feet and turned in a wide circle, her face paling to paper white before my eyes. Then she tossed a bucket of dirt onto the fire, before grabbing up our meager supplies, and yanking my hand, dragging me out of the clearing at a run.

My shock hindered me for a moment, but once that was over i took off along side her, feet pounding across the grass as we reached the tree line and shot into the undergrowth. Soon enough i was pulling Ellie along as we ran. Last summer I'd overtaken her in height. But that didn't change the fact that she viewed me as a little boy still. And although i had picked up some skills of my own, Ellie was still my protector, like she'd always been for the past 6 years.

Ellie yanked me sideways and took off in another direction diagonally away from the clearing, probably hoping to escape the monster that now trails us. Ogre... a voice whispers into my head. We attracted the attention of an ogre, and now it's coming for us. "Oh god what have i done?" i hear Ellie whispering to herself as we pound through the shrubbery. Her eyes are wet with tears of terror as she grips my hand tighter and continues running, but i can hear the ogre catching up to us. Just our luck, there aren't many ogres left in this world, but figures that we found one.

We reach another clearing and i can see a path leading up a hillside, there are lights on there that hint towards a village. My hand tightens painfully on Ellie's as i make for the path, when suddenly Ellie stops running, releasing my hand and grabbing the sword out of the bag i carry on my back. She turns to face me and tears are streaming down her face, and i look at her with dread beginning to pool in my stomach.

"Go," she whispers, looking up at me and gripping the sword tighter to her side. "I'll hold it off, get to the village and call for help. I'll see you soon." Her voice strengthening as she continues to talk.

I shake my head at her, tears burning the back of my eyes. "No," i pant, still struggling to see properly as my lungs scream for more oxygen. "I'm not leaving you, give me the sword and I'll fight." It was a brave conquest on my behalf, but i knew it was no use. Ellie had begun training me to fight two years ago, and i was good, but she could still get me down within seconds. I didn't know where she learned to fight, but she was good.

Ellie smiled sadly, and lent up to place a kiss on my forehead. "Nice try, berry boy, but don't worry, I'll see you soon. I promise." She says, then she turns from me and walks slowly to the other side of the clearing. Not faltering as she watches the trees bend and break as the ogre approaches. And so i do the thing that i know I'll regret for years to come. I run. I turn and sprint out of the clearing as my sister calmly walks towards a monster that could possibly kill her.

Berry boy, a voice in my head whispers, with a sad smile on it's face. She called me berry boy. I remember that afternoon, it was the end of winter and we were starving and freezing, searching for any type of food. I was walking around crunching through the frost covered leaves when something hit me in the back of the head. I turned around, searching for the cause when i was hit by something from a different direction. Deciding that i was imagining it, i turned and continued looking for food, but the hits persisted, from a range of directions. After 5 minutes, one hit me in the forehead, and i looked down and saw what hit me, it was a blueberry. I grinned, realizing what was happening. "Come on Ellie, you can come out now" i had called, staring into the treetops. And sure enough not a moment later i heard someone push off a branch behind me and turned to see my sister gracefully land on the ice covered ground, grinning from ear to ear. "Took you long enough, Berry boy," she said.

I continued my trek up the hill, legs screaming in protest until i reached the top, and was about to continue to the village, but then something made me look back. And when i turned to look back down the hill i couldn't have torn my eyes off the sight even if i wanted to. Ellie was down there, battered and bruised, already limping as she deflected a strike from the ogre and its huge sword. It roared in protest when she stabbed him in the leg. And i stood there on the hill, frozen, shaking, unable to move.

And then the unthinkable happened. The ogre swatted my sisters blade aside and backhanded her across the clearing. She crashed into a tree with enough force to make it shake, and i watched in horror as the ogre advanced on my sister, blade raised.

And then it stabbed her through the chest.

"NO!" I screamed. And my trembling reached its crest as i fell to my knees in agony. Unable to comprehend what I'd just seen.

My sister.

My sister is gone.

I sat there, numb, too shocked to even cry, for hours. And then i heard something. Music... beautiful pipe music that sung family and second chances. I got to my feet, and slowly dragged my self across the hillside, following the music, hoping for a new start in life.

*End Flashback*

And that is the biggest regret of my life. For 80 years, I've gone to sleep every night, and screamed for my sister, told her to run. But i knew she wouldn't, she never would, she was too brave. I'd wake from my nightmares to someone comforting me, and each time this happened i couldn't help but feel guilty for my happiness. Because Ellie had always told me that he never cared. But he did. I saw it when i first arrived here. Our brother does care.

*Flashback*

I dropped to my knees in the dirt and looked up, surprised by the faces in front of me. A fire roared in the center of a circle of boys dancing, and the music continued as i unsteadily got to my feet, observing my surroundings. We were in a camp, not unlike the ones my sister and I had made, but this one was bigger, much bigger. My heart ached as i thought of Ellie, i had been unable to grieve for her death that had occurred only ours ago. But i was snapped out of my thoughts by a voice calling out.

"Well well, boys, we've got ourselves some new ones" The voice called, and i turned to see the boy with the pipe lower his hood, he had wicked eyes that spoke mischief and he tucked the pipe into a loop in his pants as he spoke again. All of the camp had gone quiet to stare at the boy as he regarded me and the few other boys surrounding me that had heard the pipes song.

"So, who will be first to introduce themselves? Go on, pick one Felix."

Felix? A voice whispered in my head. Surely not, that is just too cruel, lose one, gain another. But as I turned to survey the boy that walked towards us the nagging voice in my head grew stronger. He had a slow lope as he strolled towards us, with what looked to be a club on a wooden stick, held on his shoulder. He slowly walked along the line of us, and when he came to me I got a good look at his face, and saw what i'd been both hoping and dreading to see.

My brother.

I let out a strangled gasp as i looked at him and he glanced at me, locking eyes. Recognition flickered across his face as he looked at me, before disappearing, he thought i was familiar, just not how familiar. He walked up to me and stared into my eyes. "What's your name, boy?" he asked me, in a slow drawl. And even though it now had a sinister edge to it, it was still the second most comforting sound to me. But the first most was gone. I looked up at him, and remembered he'd asked me a question, but all i could do was stare at him. And when i finally spoke, it wasn't to answer his question, it was to confirm my suspicions.

"Felix," i whispered. And was greated by a facial expression that proved once and for all, that i had finally found my brother again. My stomach dropped through my feet as i watched Felix's face alight with recognition again before becoming emotionless, with only a small amount of confusion present in his eyes.

"That's not your name now is it boy? Come on, you can trust us." He spoke. Suddenly i was ablaze with fury, my hands clenched at my sides. This boy had left my sister and I. Left us to fend for ourselves, and suddenly, I couldn't bear the sight of him without doing what my sister had always said she'd do if she saw him again. Punch him.

So i did exactly that. I punched him in the face.

I felt his nose break beneath my hand as it collided with his face and he stared at me in shock before i punched him again and tackled him to the ground.

"You bastard!" I screamed as i pummeled every inch of flesh i could see, the boys surrounding us did nothing but gape in shock and stare, even the piper was looking at us, eyes wide. "You!" I screamed. "You-!" And so it went on, me, punching and screaming obsenities at my brother that my sister had taught me, although not on purpose. She'd be proud if she saw me now. But she couldn't, because she's dead.

I felt hands grip me below my arms and lift me off, holding me back as Felix climbed to unsteadily to his feet. I dimly noticed that he had not laid a hand on me, just tried to avoid my flailing limbs as i punched him. And now he stares at me. Face alight with further recognition. But still not enough.

"She's dead!" I yell at him. And i can feel my voice getting heavy as tears burn my throat and threaten to leave my eyes. "She's dead! Because of you!"

Now he's looking at me with nothing but shock. "Who's dead? Who are you?" He asks me, and his voice seems a bit unsteady.

"Who do you think I am you moron! I'm Charlie! Now let me go!"

Felix looks at me as it finally sinks in, and i can see his face drain of color before he looks me up and down. "Charlie? Is it really you? But... how?" And then the second part of my ramblings occurs to him as he snaps his head up to look at me. "Charlie, who's dead? Who's dead Charlie?" He snaps at me as he advances and stands right in front of me, looking down into my eyes. And that's when the tears overflow as I look down, away from his face. We stand there for a minute before he grips my chin with rough, calloused hands and raises my head to look at him. "Who, Charlie?" He commands.

I stare up into his face and whisper the words i never wanted to say out loud, or believe at all. "Ellie." I whisper hoarsely, and my voice shakes with tears as they finally cascade down my face. "Ellie's dead."

I watch as the little emotion and color that had remained on Felix's face vanishes and he drops to his knees on the ground. "Ellie," he whispers, staring down at his hands in his lap. "Ellie's dead." Through my blurred vision I can see the piper sitting on a long with his elbows resting on his knees. And he looks vaguely shocked and upset by the news. But i don't care right now, because my anger is returning as i look down on my brothers defeated figure.

"Its your fault" I whisper, and Felix's head snaps up to look at me, I can see the tears in his eyes, but he hasn't let them fall yet. Unlike me with my steady stream of saltiness down my grimy cheeks. "Its your fault she's gone." I say again, and my voice is gaining strength and volume as I look down at him. "You left, you left us, you weren't there when papa died, or mother, you weren't their when we were forced to run to the forest. You weren't there when we were starving through the winter with nothing to eat. You weren't there tonight. When she gave up her life for me! You weren't there! It should have been you!" And by this point i was screaming again as the tears came down unrelenting and Felix looked up at me with nothing but guilt and agony on his face. "It should have been you fighting that ogre! Not her! She deserved better! And now shes gone! She's gone!"

And with that my voice cracks and i drop to my knees crying. The boys holding me release me, obviously believing me to not be a threat anymore as i rock back on my haunches and sob into my arms. I feel, rather then see Felix stand abruptly and stride out of the clearing, and i notice the other boys watch his departure in shock. Obviously Felix is someone who doesn't show emotion. But i couldn't care less as i sit there on the ground. I can hear someone talking about doing initiation later, and i look up to see the boys returning to dancing, and the piper making his way over to me before crouching in the dirt next to me.

"Who's Ellie?" he asks, looking at the space between the trees from which Felix left.

"My sister," i reply weakly, looking down at the dirt as i slowly move into a sitting position, legs tucked beneath me. "Our sister," i correct myself, and there's a bitter note in my voice, that can't get passed the irony of losing one sibling and gaining the other.

The pipers eyes flicker down to me before returning to watch the boys dancing. "How did she die?" He asks me, still watching the boys revolve around the fire, yelling and cheering, its an odd mix against my emotions.

"Ogre," i tell him, and i still wont move my eyes from the dirt in front of me. "We were camping, and gained the attention of an ogre, it chased us, and we weren't fast enough, Ellie took the sword, told me to leave her and find safety, get aid." I swallow before continuing my story and notice that the boys eyes are now glued onto me, listening with avid attention."So I did, i ran to the top of the hill, and watched her fight it, she was doing so well, and then it hit her, she flew into a tree, and it stabbed her. I don't remember much after that, i was numb, i couldn't grip what had happened. And then i heard your music, the pipe, and it saved me. She's gone, but your music. There was something about it, it made me feel less... lost." I tell him, and finally look up at him.

"Well Charlie," the piper says as he looks down at me, "We've all lost someone here, that's what makes us a family, welcome to the lost boys." He tells me, and i see a flicker of something cross his face as he talks of losing someone. I look up into the faces of the boys surrounding me, dancing and cheering with smiles on their faces and i see Felix returning to the clearing. He's right. This is my new home. I'm a lost boy.

*End Flashback*

Our dancing is cut off when Peter pulls his face up from his pipe to stare up into the sky. We all stop to watch him as a small smirk finally makes an appearance on his face, before he stands and brushes the front of his clothes off and ties his pipe into his pants loop. "Well boys," he says to us, looking up with the smirk slowly turning into a grin on his face. "It appears we've got ourselves a new one, now, lets go find our new lost boy shall we?" He says, before turning to leave the clearing, i feel a grin form on my face as i make my way to my sword. Its only been two days since that Henry boy got here, and I'm curious to see who was oh so important for the shadow to retrieve. Making my way to my brothers side, we grin at each other as we run from the clearing. I hear Peter's voice ring clear through the forest ahead of us as we break into sprints, yelling and cheering as we leave to find the new recruit.

"Lets play!"