Wicked Game

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 2: Peek-A-Boo

Third Person P.O.V

It was a day just like any other. The ship was docked while Katelyn's parents were in town buying some supplies before the Jolly Roger set sail once more. While crewmembers socialized or snoozed, young Katelyn ran along the deck, chasing after a stray cat that had hopped aboard.

Despite the sunny skies, the mood seemed to dramatically darken when her parents finally returned. She wasn't able to see much over the crowd of men, but she did see her father clutching his side as her mother helped him onto the ship. After taking a bit of effort to slip between the crowd, Katelyn finally reached her parents.

"What happened, Father?" she asked, unable to look away from his bloodstained shirt.

Killian looked up at his daughter in alarm. He didn't want her to see him like this, fearing that she might get scared. He beckoned her over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Listen carefully, Katie. Go down to the sleeping quarters and stay there. Do not come back up here until I come get you, understand?"

She nodded silently before retreating to the lower level of the ship. As she passed by, she heard her mother summoning a prisoner from the dungeon. She wished that she could've stayed there with everyone in the midst of the tension and excitement, but still did as she was told.

Curiosity eventually got the better of her. Knowing of a loose floorboard above her parents' bed, she stood on the mattress and popped the board upward so she could catch a glimpse of what was happening above her.

A scaly, horrific-looking man came aboard the ship and addressed Milah. Katelyn wasn't sure how her mother could've ever been associated with such a terrifying creature.

"Well, well. Seems like you finally found the family you could never have with me," he said in a high-pitched, taunting voice.

His features scrunched into an ugly expression after Milah responded. All the sudden, everyone was shouting. Katelyn's view was blocked in the chaos, but she could've sworn she saw her father being flung across the ship. When the crew scattered a little more, Milah was lying in Killian's arms and the monstrous man was holding a glowing, beating heart in his hands.

With a little squeeze, the heart was crushed to dust.

My eyes snapped open as a rush of air flew into my lungs. The immediate panic slowly dissipated as I took in my surroundings. I was in a room with walls and floors made from wood and bamboo. A canopy of leaves served as a roof.

A thin layer of sweat coated my skin as I realized it was all just a horrible nightmare. But how could it have felt so real?

I can hardly remember the day my mother died all those years ago. Surely that couldn't have been a memory. Besides, Father told me that a crocodile – not some crazed heart-squashing monster – killed her and bit off his hand.

Tears blurred my vision as I pulled my knees up to my chest. Everything changed that day. Even though my father survived, he was never the same after losing her. He was reckless in everything that he did; yet, he acted overly cautious where I was concerned. Suddenly, I wasn't allowed to accompany him during raids or certain "dangerous" journeys.

That's why I had to participate in this rescue mission. Once I prove to him I can protect myself, he'll get over his fear of losing me. Then we can be a family again – sailing the seas and exploring new worlds…

"Bad dream, darling?"

Just as my heartbeat started to return to its normal pace, it quickened once more at the sound of someone's voice coming from the corner of the room.

"W-who's there?" I asked, tossing the blanket aside and crouching in a defensive position.

He laughed as he stepped out of the shadows. "Don't be scared. I'm a friend."

Unlike the wild boys from yesterday, this one wasn't wearing a cloak and didn't appear to have any weapons, save for a small dagger strapped to his belt. He looked to be about my age, though he had an air of maturity that made him seem so much older.

Snapping out of my shock, I crawled out of bed and faced him with what I hoped was an indifferent expression. "I wasn't scared. I just had a painful ordeal yesterday on this godforsaken island…woke up in some strange tree house…and had this really bad dream –." Knowing that I was rambling, I cut myself off with a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Peter," he said with an innocent smile that quickly turned mischievous. "Peter Pan."

Any amount of polite kindness I was displaying was abandoned. This was the guy Blondie said he was bringing me to, presumably the ringleader of that circus of boys and the one who had Henry kidnapped. Consumed with anger and a twinge of fear, I wasn't able to think of anything to say in response.

Peter dropped the smile and said, "This is usually when you tell me your name."

"It would be, if this were a normal social situation. But there's nothing normal about you."

He tried to look confused, but I could tell that he was far from it. In fact, I'd say he was pleasantly surprised by my lack of instant respect or acknowledgement. "How can you say that when you don't even know me yet?"

Getting bored with this conversation, I sat back down on the bed and gave him a dirty look. He knew damn well why I wouldn't care for him, let alone want to get to know him. "You're the one who had Henry kidnapped. You're the reason I'm stuck on this island…"

An ounce of surprise shone through his façade. Didn't his minion tell him anything? "From what I've heard Henry already has a rescue party. What does that make you?"

I didn't care for the way he was making me look insignificant in the scope of the rescue. "I'm here to save him, too," I said, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "Separate from the others."

"Yet you arrived here on the same ship. Surely you must've known someone to get on there?"

"So he did tell you something. Aye, I was aboard that ship, but not because the captain allowed it. I stowed away with the cargo."

Apparently, that was all he needed to know. Mild interest reverted back to contained amusement as he smiled once more. The gesture, intended to make him appear friendly, had quite the opposite effect.

"In that case, allow me to escort you to the camp. That's where Henry's staying."

He approached the bed and held out a hand for me to take. I glanced between his outstretched hand and his innocently pleading expression. He's just begging not to be trusted, yet I couldn't stop myself from letting him help me to my feet.

"Why would you do that?"

"Are you not a friend of his? He's still adjusting to his new surroundings. A familiar face would do him some good."

"Um…I think he'd prefer one of his mothers for comfort. I've only known him a short while."

Pan smirked. "I said he needed a friend, not someone hell bent on destroying my plans."

I laughed a little louder than intended. "You must be joking! What makes you think I won't try to do just that?"

"You're not quite an adult yet. Neverland's magic could still be appealing to you," he said, leaning in so close I could feel his breath billow across my face.

The proximity retrieved very unwanted memories from yesterday's encounter with that other boy. It was almost amusing to consider the stark differences between him and Pan. While he resorted straight to violence to get me to cooperate, Pan's not only having a conversation with me, but also offering to take me straight to Henry.

It almost seemed too good to be true.

"Guess I don't have much of a choice," I said, feeling defeated after a few moments of hopeless contemplation. "Can't do much saving from here. Wherever here is…"

"Excellent," he cheered. "It's been quite some time since we've had a lost girl in Neverland."

Trees surrounded the entire path. It felt like we had been walking for hours, but without seeing the sun or any other surroundings, it was difficult to determine just how far we really were.

At first, everything felt fine – just a walk in an endless, overgrown park. But the more we walked, the harsher the pain became. My muscles ached in protest and scattered scabs itched. But I refused to let him see any signs of suffering.

"What makes this place so magical?" I asked, surprised to hear such cynicism in my words.

"Aside from the fact that anyone who lives here never grows old or dies?" he replied, shooting me what appeared to be his signature smirk.

I tried to glance up at the sky, but the trees were too dense to give me even a tiny glimpse at sunlight or blue skies. I know that the sun was setting during my chase through the woods yesterday, and it obviously rose again this morning. Yet time felt as if it were nonexistent… The concept of immortality was a tempting proposition, but I masterfully concealed any signs of interest. "There has to be more than that."

Instead of answering, he stepped a few inches off the trail and reached for some fruit dangling from a low branch. When he turned back to face me, he had one in each hand. It looked like a combination of several fruits – it had the shape of a pear, the texture of an orange, and the yellow hue of a ripened banana.

Lost in my curiosity, I scrambled to catch it after he haphazardly tossed it to me and took a bite of his. Looking down at the bizarre fruit in my hands, I felt a sudden wave of hunger twist my gut. I'd been so preoccupied with surviving that I hadn't even thought about food since arriving here.

Unable to resist or consider any negative side effects, I peeled the skin and bit into the fruit, amazed by how wonderfully sweet it tasted.

We kept walking in silence. I had forgotten about learning the magical qualities of Neverland, until Pan so kindly continued the conversation.

"I'm not sure you're ready to know the rest of Neverland's secrets," he said, turning around so that he was walking backward and facing me.

I rolled my eyes. "How can you say that when you don't even know anything about me yet?"

He laughed, indicating that he recognized my jest. "Nicely done. If you must know, Neverland is a place for lost or unloved boys, with the occasional exception," he said, winking. "When they come here, all they have to do is imagine something, and it will appear right before their eyes."

If that were the case, why was this place so simplistic? Where were remarkable castles or fantastical animals? Either these boys had a limited imagination or he's lying.

"So why didn't you imagine some form of transportation instead of making me walk halfway across an island?"

"You're a tough girl. I thought you could handle it…"

Although there was minimal light, I was sure he could still see the damnable blush that crept across my cheeks. How could such a simple statement get under my skin so easily?

"Of course I can handle it," I said defiantly. "Would you want to trek through the woods after fighting ten boys at once? I mean look at me!" I paused to point out the various cuts and bruises that marred my skin.

He turned around and looked at my injuries as if he'd just noticed them. With a flick of his wrist and a spark of green smoke, my injuries completely vanished, save for the bloodstains.

"Still think there's no magic here?" he asked softly.

Gratitude outweighed pride. "That…that was pretty awesome," I said, stuttering over my words once I noticed how close we were standing. His bright green eyes bore into mine with such intensity that I had to look away. "We should probably keep going."

Once we arrived at the camp, we were greeted with a roaring fire and the sound of the boys cheering, laughing, or practicing combat. Some were still dressed in cloaks, while others wore torn bits of cloth stitched together to resemble shirts and pants.

Henry stood out quite obviously in the midst of the boys' playful chaos. Unlike the other boys, he wore normal clothes – jeans, a shirt, a jacket, and a scarf. He wasn't acting like a wild animal; rather, he was sitting alone on a log near the fire.

Alarmed by how depressed he looked and totally forgetting about Pan, I started to run to him, but came to a sudden stop when the menace from yesterday stepped in front of me. He wore his brown hood low over his face so that I could hardly see his eyes. Even so, I could still make out traces of resentment in his steely stare.

"I'm surprised to see you conscious so soon," he said in that flat, mocking tone of his. "I hit you pretty hard."

"Let's just say I have a surprising tolerance for pain," I shot back. I tried to step around him, but he mimicked my movement and laughed at my frustration.

"They why did you have Pan heal you?"

"Why didn't you?" I asked, noticing the scabbed remains of my infliction.

"I prefer to be reminded of my battles so that I can improve. I assure you, girl, you won't be able to strike me again."

My fingers balled into a fist at my side. I would've been more than happy to prove him wrong, but Pan stepped between us. "Come now, Felix. Is that any way to treat our new lost girl?"

A/N: I've gotta say...I was absolutely thrilled to see this story get such a strong start :) Thank you everyone who read, reviewed, or added this story to your favorites/alerts. Originally this chapter was a bit longer, but I decided to cut it before Katelyn surprises Henry. In the next chapter: more backstory will be revealed, Henry and Katelyn plot an escape, and Pan leads the Lost Boys in a surprise attack on Emma and the others.

Hope you all liked this chapter!

XoXo Amber