Regardless of my decision on whether or not to surrender to Pan, the next day, they let me out. By 'let me out', I mean I was forced to congregate with their band of circus freaks and pretend I was part of the routine. Early in the morning, when the lost boy's noise pollution finally drew me out of my sleep, a scrawny, angry looking boy came over and cut me loose. I'm not gonna lie, I fucking booked it on out of there the second I had the chance, but it took them less than 10 minutes to bring me back to camp. To my surprise, Peter didn't tie me back to the tree. He grinned, chattered off something about me not knowing my place yet, and stalked off into the woods to do whatever evil little demons do.
I was terrified. After a good week of feeling like a caged animal, I was released into the wild, and I didn't know what to do with myself. Running was out of the question – I'd already tried. In all honesty, suicide was on my list of options at this point. It would probably be better for my health in the long run. For now, though, it was also out of the question. I had a funny feeling that if Pan really wanted me stuck here, not even death could save me. Nonetheless, I kept fumbling around my head for a plan.
I'd come to realize that the reigning king of the lost boys was rarely around. He came and went when he pleased, but seemed to be away a majority of the time. Just like a spider, though, I felt more comfortable if I knew where he was. Nobody gave me the time to sink into myself anymore, now. I was put to work. Whatever the boys were doing, I traipsed around with them and did menial tasks. I carried buckets of water, carved out new bowls for them, gathered firewood – whatever Pan's underlings didn't feel like doing.
Suddenly, being tied to a tree didn't sound too bad. I was too close to these little dweebs. Some even knew me by name at this point – others had already picked out a fresh nickname.
"Hey, ginger, I need your help!"
The frown on my face deepened, and I rose from my resting position, turning towards the direction of the voice. A lanky boy beckoned me over, a toothy grin spread across his dirty features. Withholding a few curses from leaving my lips, I trudged across the camp to his side.
He handed me a rather poorly-weaved basket, holding a second one to his side for himself. "We're going gathering – you're coming with," The boy announced – I believe his name was Franky – and he immediately turned tail and marched into the woods.
I hesitated at the edge of camp. Was it really safe for me to go beyond this boundary? What if I end up with an arrow wedged between my shoulder blades? After another quick moment of deliberating, I decided that ignoring one of Pan's precious lost boy's orders wouldn't go unpunished. At this point, I just wanted to be left alone as much as possible. With a heavy sigh, I pressed forward, already being left in the dust by Franky.
We spent what felt like hours picking stupid fucking berries, him checking each one I picked to make sure I hadn't picked the wrong ones. After that, we had to go gather plants and other various fruits to bring back to camp, which only increased the time length I spent away from my solitude. This boy talked like no tomorrow, and it was starting to grate on my ears. A groan snuck out from between my clenched teeth, and the incessant boy looked a little hurt that I was tired of being around him.
In typical arrogant-boy fashion, he upturned his nose and began to criticize me. "What are you so upset about? You're the one who came here in the first place – why do you want to leave so badly?"
My eyebrows knit together, and I looked up from my fruit-picking, which wasn't going too well anyways. "Why would you want to stay here? Pan is a tyrant, you can never get any older, and you're stuck here until eternity ends." I just didn't understand these brats. What did they have here that was so golden and precious that they were willing to sell their souls to the devil to get their grubby hands on it?
"Why would we want to go back? There's nothing there for us. We're here, because this is the only place we belong," Franky defended, a cross look on his face that didn't fit his youth, "What has growing older done for you, huh? Is it everything you ever dreamed it would be?"
The boy's mocking tone pissed me off, but I restrained myself, focusing solely on my gathering. What sent me over the edge, though, was that he was right. I was supposed to be an adult, but I didn't feel any stronger than I did when I was 13. It dawned on me that I wasn't really experiencing maturity; so much as I was experiencing life. Life was unpredictable, and left even the wisest defenseless. Too bad I hadn't realized this before coming to Neverland. That would've left an arsenal of mind games off Peter's weapon list.
By the time the sun started going down, we quit in our endeavors, lugging heavy things of food back to the camp. The fire pit was already crowding with boys, as if waiting for fearless leader to show up and commence their usual antics and festivities. They swatted at each other with sticks, raced up trees, and chased each other around the woods. Of course, dear Felix sat off to the side, looking as pensive and serious as I'd ever seen him. I suppose I wasn't much better, hiding towards the outskirts of the clearing in an effort to look small and avoid being spotted. I'd done pretty well avoiding getting sucked into their 'fun', but today just didn't feel as safe as usual.
Peter eventually waltzed into camp, a satisfied look on his face. This place seemed to run nearly perfectly, save for the obvious dictator nobody seemed to notice. I suspected Pan would be a successful mafia member if he wasn't too busy being 17 all the time. How old was he anyways? 500? 600? Am I getting hotter, or colder?
Dinner was passed around, and I poked and nibbled at various things, slowly eating through it. If I looked occupied, nobody tried to bother me as much. Tonight the fates weren't with me. I'd long since finished eating, and was watching the wild happenings of the lost boys as our resident evil bastard blew silently into a pan flute. The first night, I was a little concerned about my lack of hearing the pipes, but now it was just annoying. What the fuck was everyone else so excited about?
A pomegranate flew towards me, and I barely managed to catch it before it hit me in the face. Pan stood above me, looking mildly amused at my serious case of butterfingers. I frowned at him, tossing the purple-ish fruit back and forth in my hands.
"Don't look so excited to see me, now, Melinda," he cooed, leaning against the tree I sat under. "I imagine you're still bitter about this "bullshit", as you so eloquently put it?" Peter tore up some oak leaves, ceremoniously dropping them on my head once he finished.
I ignored it, choosing to work on prying open the pomegranate. "Don't look so proud, asshole," I grumbled, digging my overgrown fingernails into the fruit and ripping it apart, "I was bitter before I came to this place." Staring down at the messy red seeds, I contemplated eating it. Wasn't Persephone the one who ate 6 pomegranate seeds in the underworld and now she's trapped there for 6 months a year? Not to mention I was technically just handed this food by the devil... I digress…
The brown-haired little shit scoffed lightly, blowing small puffs of air into his flute. "Don't worry. You'll get over it sooner than later. Everyone does." There was a thick moment of silence between us as we watched the raving crowd of boys. Is this what he did every night? Just watch them have fun in the world he plunged them into?
Deciding it was high time to crack the silence, I carefully picked out some words. "You never explained…" I grumbled, "What do you need girls here for? I'd be much less trouble dead, or back home, you know."
Pan rubbed my currently ratty and gross, golden-orange hair with his free hand, a gesture more demeaning than it was affectionate. "I don't know that I owe you an explanation. You never said a word about why you came here, and I respected your privacy."
"Your definition of respect and my definition of respect are two widely different things, you know."
He ignored me. "I'm playing a great game here in Neverland, and sometimes, leverage is needed. That's where you come in."
"… What if I refuse?" I questioned seriously, picking at my extra snack.
Peter laughed at me. For whatever reason, it was absolutely hilarious to him that I even dared to defy his holy reign. "Trust me, when the time comes, you'll be too far gone." Pushing himself off the tree, he started making his way around the campfire. He turned to me one last time, shaking his pan flute in my direction. "Just listen for the music, Melinda. You're getting closer every day, now."
"There are children standing here, arms outstretched into the sky. Tears drying on their face - he has been here. Brothers lie in shallow graves, fathers lost without a trace. A nation blind to their disgrace, since he's been here." – James Blunt: No Bravery
AN: Franky – yay or nay? Not really ever going to be reappearing, I just want to know what you think of him. I kinda like this chapter. Not really important, but I just like it… It is the longest one by far though – so there's something. Sorry I didn't post this weekend. I started reading Percy Jackson and it has become a poison in my life. I'm on the third book. Anyone familiar with the series? Anyways… Who else watched 'Good Form'? It was fantastic, if not a little upsetting. Fucking David, man. Tell yo' family that you is screwed to high heaven. Snow is gonna beat yo' white ass when she finds out. I'm kidding, but seriously. Not to mention Robbie Kay killed it, as per usual. His creepy standing in the shadow thing is weirding me out, dude. Did you hear Marilyn Manson is going to voice his shadow in an upcoming episode? That's dope as hell. Hook's brother is a dumbass. End of story. This has gone on too long. Thanks to theshadowwithinyoursoul, my-beloved-monster, ANNEROOS, SweetMoonPrincess, and Msballetdiva for reviewing! Means a lot to me! See ya'!