Charlie came every day after that, bringing food and water aplenty and Amily's strength gradually began to return. She felt stronger every day. Charlie also bought news of whatever was happening back at the camp. Pan kept on lashing out, There were fewer Lost Boys everyday.
But surprisingly Charlie remained. He had cuts and bruises all over his face but he managed to survive Peter Pan's rage.
"I fink even Felix is noticing Pan's behavya. But he doesn't do a damn thing about it" Charlie spoke fast because he didn't have time to say much.
The whole camp was leaving for a game of Capture the Flag in ten minutes and he had to hurry. Amily knew it was difficult for him to come everyday as well as sneaking food and water and she wished she had someway to protect him from inside the cage. There was a sinking feeling in her heart that knew that Pan would kill Charlie some day. Charlie was a good hunter and he kept to himself and didn't get in much trouble. But he was still some what a threat to Pan's strict disciples that were his Lost Boys.
"I've gotta go now, Ammi. I'll be back tomorrow" Amily wasn't sure if he spoke too fast to say Amily properly or that they had gotten to the nicknames stage of their friendship. Charlie clasped her hand before running back down the beaten path from the cages.
Amily was left alone and she did the only thing that she could really do anymore. She slept.
Running footsteps woke her and Amily looked around in alarm.
"Hello?" Her voice was less croaky now and she almost sounded intimidating.
The footsteps quickened. They didn't sound very far away.
"Who's there?" Amily's voice was frantic now. Who was running to her?
"Charlie, is that you?" As if on cue, Charlie emerged from the bushes and ran toward her cage skidding to a stop on his knees.
"Amily- I - I tried to stop them. I couldn't- I'm sorry-" He was out of breath from running so much. Amily was confused and concerned.
"What? Charlie, what's wrong?"
"They're coming Amily! Pan's coming with Felix and two other Boys. Them cruel ones they are, I know it. I don't know what they're going to do to you, but it ain't good" Charlie was almost in hysterical tears, he was so frightened.
"Did they follow you?" Amily's only concern was her guardian angel. If they hurt Charlie, she didn't know what she'd do.
"I dun fink so. But they're coming for you, Amily! We've got to get you out of here" Charlie began rummaging in his cloak.
"How, Charlie? The cage is locked. Pan has the key" Amily looked at Charlie's concentrating face as he studied the cage. He looked down at her with a crazed look.
"Not anymore" Fron beneath his cloak, he pulled out a key with a twine cord for putting it around the owner's neck.
Amily spoke slowly, "Charlie. Where did you get that?"
"Swiped it from Pan while he was sleepin'. Now, come on" Charlie fumbled with the lock with shaking hands.
"They'll kill you!" shrieked Amily.
"Not if I outrun them" Charlie sounded determined but not convinced that his plan would actually work.
The cage door swung open and Amily was frozen with the thought that freedom was right in front of her. After being locked up for so long, she was free. Just like that. Despite the current situation, Amily emerged from the cage slowly. She took her time remembering the feeling of it all. The feeling of dirt beneath her was wonderful. The feeling of air that wasn't stuffed in a cage was fabulous. The first thing she did once she was out of the cage was pull Charlie into her arms.
"Oh Charlie. Thank you" She hugged him tightly and he returned the hug, if a little hesitantly.
They were both on their knees now. Amily was still in the clothes she wore when she was locked up. She leant back on her knees to look at Charlie. His face was still concerned but there was a bit more hope in his eyes.
"Listen, we don't have much time. Do you have a plan?" She didn't but now was the opportune time to think of one.
"We'll have to split up, Charlie. Pan will come after me first, I'm what he wants the most. As soon as you're away, stay hidden. Okay?" It wasn't a good plan but she would do everything she could to keep Charlie safe.
"I'll run to the Echo Caves, I fink I know my way around them pre'y well. You'll have to head the other way" Amily tried to think about the opposite direction to the Echo Caves. Jungle, cliffs and right below that, Mermaid Lagoon.
"Okay, sounds like a plan" Amily tried to smile convincingly but she wasn't sure how this night would play out. "Where do you want to meet after we've led them away?" She continued.
"I don't think that would be the best idea" Charlie looked sad, like he was thinking the same thing Amily was.
A rustle in the bushes made them both jump suddenly. Amily realized that so much time had been wasted while they sat on the ground in silence. She stood up abruptly. Or at least, attempted to. With the loud cry her legs gave out from beneath her and she was back on her knees.
"Oh, my legs! Damn" After being locked up for so long, Amily's legs weren't used to their sudden usage.
"Just try to stand up first. Slowly" Charlie was on his feet now, looking down at her. Amily could tell that he was anxious to get away as quickly as he could. Neither of them knew how far away Pan really was.
Amily forced her legs to support her and she could practically hear them crying out in pain. They were stiff and once she could stand she tried taking a few steps. Each muscle felt rusty, like it needed to good oiling.
"I- I think I can walk. Running could be a problem if I'm chased, but I should manage" Amily bent her legs a couple of times to stretch the muscles. They each felt like they were on fire.
"We need to split up" Charlie sounded like he was reminding himself and Amily turned her attention from her legs to him.
"We'll see each other again. I promise" She pulled him into another hug.
He barely came up to her shoulder and she was reminded with a blurred memory of her brother Timothy. She hadn't thought of him in so long and the feeling of it was foreign to her. Amily was so convinced she had forgotten everything about her past. That her future with Pan could possibly replace it.
"You're the closest thing I've had to family, Amily" Charlie spoke slowly, enunciating everything perfectly.
"Don't, Charlie. This isn't goodbye okay?" Her voice was high now, frantic. It cracked on the last word.
"I'll cover you until you get to the copse, alright?" It was the least Amily could do. Charlie was her saving grace and she'd risk her life.
So off they went, trudging through the jungle, Amily's legs groaning in pain the entire time. Charlie went first to be the one to look around corners and behind trees for hidden scouts. They found none and reached the copse unscathed.
"You'll be okay, right?"
Amily smiled to make it look like she was confident. Inside, she was screaming.
"I'll be fine. We'll see each other soon" She said again. Charlie nodded and just like that, he disappeared into the jungle. Amily was alone.
That was when the real fear set in. Any noise that she heard made her flinch. It was like the whole jungle was living to scare her... and watch her.
Amily began to hike uphill away from the Echo Caves. Along the way she had time to think about everything. Her time in a cage, Charlie, Pan and how this night could go. She was determined to not let Pan touch neither her nor Charlie. It was just the two of them now.
Once Amily reached Dead Man's Peak she decided to rest. She looked up at the cliff in awe and wondered how many a soul had been left to die right at the top. What a horrible way to die. She walked over to the creek nearby and dipped her face in the water, gulping it down heavily.
Once she was finished, Amily just sat on the ground. Desperately trying to catch her breath. She was exhausted.
"Congratulations" a voice said from nearby. Amily knew that voice from her nightmares and her wildest dreams. That silkily smooth voice that dripped persuasion and seduction. She raised her chin and closed her eyes. Pan had found her.
"For what?" she said confidently. Amily wasn't afraid anymore. She was angry.
"You passed my test" Pan still hadn't emerged from his hiding place but his voice sounded like it was right next to her.
"Locking me up was your test? Starving me? That was all a test?" Amily tried to control her temper and succeeded. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
"Come out now, Pan. I'm not afraid of you"
"Oh but you should be, Amily. You really should be" His voice was a whisper in her ear and she could feel his breath on her neck.
Amily turned and looked Pan in the eyes. They were empty and she felt nothing toward them. They was no pull. Just dull, empty, green pits of evil.
"Yeah? But I'm not. So, what do you want? Are you here to take me back to my cage?" The rage inside of her was insatiable and it showed on Amily's face. Peter Pan just smirked.
"Oh, of course not. I want to play a game. You know how I like games" Amily could swear Pan was almost purring.
"What kind of game?" she asked, not giving in to his seductive playfulness.
"Hide and seek" Pan offered his game plainly as if it really was that simple.
"You have an unfair advantage. You can fly, therefore you can see everything on the island" Amily knew there was no way out of this game but she wanted to slow Pan down as much as possible. She knew how much that pestered him.
"I'm prepared to stay on hard ground if you play"
"What's in it for me? I win, there's still no way off. You win, you get me and I lose my only chance at a free life"
"You could have a life with me Amily. You know that don't you? We could be free together, you and I" Everything about Pan's little act was as fake as his feelings were for her. She didn't believe one word of it.
"You're a liar and a monster. I will never come back to you" she spoke slowly, drawing out every word.
"So is the game on or not?" Pan was above pretending now. He knew it was a lost cause.
"Depends... what are the stakes?" Amily was playing with him now. Whatever rules he was laying down or bribes he could offer, she wouldn't accept.
"Well my version of Hide and Seek is a little different" Pan was circling her now and Amily watched him, amused.
"Felix has found Charlie" Pan said bluntly.
The words took a long time to sink in but when they did, Amily resisted the urge to fall to her knees.
"Please, don't hurt him" she said, shakily.
"Well that's the point isn't it? He's hidden and you have to find him before I, or any other of the Boys, find you. Are you up for it?" Pan said slyly.
Amily thought it over in her head. It couldn't be easy to find Charlie and escape at the same time. But she owed it to Charlie to try.
"Fine. Start counting" Amily watched Pan cautiously as he grinned at her wickedly. He knew she would accept, it was all part of the plan.
"One... two...three..."
Amily retreated into the bushes, Pan's voice becoming fainter with each step.
She knew that they held Charlie at the camp. Amily didn't know how she knew but she did. She guessed it could have something to do with the fact that Pan wanted to set the stage perfectly for his new game and at the camp, everyone could see how powerful he truly was.
She ran as fast as she could on her tired and sore legs and soon the smell of burning wood filled her nose and stung her eyes.
But that wasn't what stopped her from walking.
Screams. And not just anyone's. These screams were from her saving grace, her guardian angel. Charlie. Screaming her name.
"Charlie! CHARLIE!" She ran towards the scream and straight into the camp, pushing past the crowding group of Lost Boys.
"Amily!" Charlie saw her before she could take in the sight in front of her.
Felix held Charlie against him with a knife to his throat. From what Amily could see Felix was pushing hard. A thin line of blood trickled down his neck and down his shirt.
"Shhh, Charlie. Don't move" she reassured him that everything would be okay, to the amusement of the Lost Boys around them. Charlie's face was sad. He knew what came next and Amily wished she knew how to prevent it.
Amily turned her face to the sky and, not caring who was watching, screamed at the top of her lungs. Not a scream of terror or fear. Amily screamed in frustration.
"ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? I'M HERE, PAN. COME AND TAKE ME. JUST LET CHARLIE GO"
"No need to shout" said a voice behind her.
Amily whirled to see Peter Pan standing calmly behind her. His Lost Boys flanked him like the loyal followers they were.
"Is was never a game, was it? You were never chasing me to begin with!"
"I knew you'd figure it out" Pan said smoothly.
"You've got me now. What are you going to do with me?" asked Amily angrily.
"You know," Pan walked toward her now, saying a word every step. "There was once a time when I would've killed to hear you say that to me. Just ina different context" many Lost Boys snickered.
"Look, Pan. This is between us. So let's settle it. Right now" She met him face to face, looking him right in the eyes.
"Okay then" In one fluid motion, Pan swept Amily into his arms and flew into the sky.
Struggling was pointless so she just gave up and lied there in his arms while Pan flew them to a place where they could talk.
He settled on a cliff overlooking Mermaid Lagoon.
Pan set Amily down right at the edge so that she could see the steep drop to the water and felt dizzy. She wondered if whether he was using this cliff as a threat. Like he might actually push her off it.
"This is where you want to talk?" Amily's voice was shaking and she was ashamed.
"You know I'll kill him right?" He ignored what she had said and got straight to the point. "I will. Unless you do what I say" There was no emotion in Pan's voice. It was as empty as the Echo Caves.
A plan had formed in the back of Amily's mind but she wasn't sure if she was brave enough to actually enact it. It was better than nothing but she couldn't help but weigh the consequences in her mind.
"I want you, Amily. More then I've ever wanted anyone before. We can be young together. Join me. Be with me"
Amily thought she was stalling for time but really, she wanted answers.
"But you have no heart, Pan. I know that now. You cannot love, you only want and hate. And that is why, when it comes down to it, you're weak. Deep down you know, you will never find what you seek" She could see Pan trying to take in what she said. It was an unusual moment, like she could see him thinking.
"But I know that I need you Amily. Please, we can start again. Come back to me" Amily could see through it all. Every last dressed-up lie.
"Peter, I will never come back to you. But I've realized something" Amily ignored the hopeful look on Pan's face.
"I've realized that I don't hate you. I pity you. You will never know love. Never"
With those parting words and one last playful smile, Amily turned to look down the cliff. She could've hesitated but there was no time for it. She didn't remember jumping, but in an instant, she was flying down the cliff toward the black water below.
The last thing she heard before she hit the water was her guardian angel calling her name in a blood-curdling scream.
The Mermaid Lagoon sure was a sight. From above it was a black abyss. But below the surface, Amily could see an entire colony. Mermaid's circled her with curious gazes on their fierce faces. There was nothing human about them. They were alien to her.
Before she had the chance to swim to the surface, a mermaid swam in front of her to stare at her peculiarly. She was awfully beautiful and she looked at Amily with the oddest of gazes before she grinned and held out her hand.
Amily could not draw her eyes away from the creatures violet eyes. They were hypnotic and beautiful. With a mind of it's own, her hand slid into the mermaids and she grasped it tightly.
Suddenly everything was blurred as she was pulled down deeper into the black abyss. Sharp blades of seaweed scratched at her face and stung her eyes and Amily fought the tightness of the mermaid's grasp.
Everything was getting darker and Amily could feel herself slipping. This was how it ended. She'd see Charlie again soon.
Through her dazed consciousness Amily was aware that the mermaid had let go of her but she hadn't the strength to swim away. Everything in the sea was so peaceful it would be so easy to let go right now.
Amily was hauled over the shoulder of her savior and rushed to the surface. A panicked thought flickered at the back of her mind. Maybe Pan had dived in to pull her out and torture her some more back at the camp.
But when oxygen filled her lungs once more, Amily realized she was still at sea but whoever had hold of her was swimming against the tide. Suddenly she was thrown upwards. Amily knew that somehow she was dreaming. Maybe this is what the ascent to heaven was like.
But it was not white clouds or soft sand that her body landed on. Something hard and smelled of sea-salt. Planks of wood. A wooden surface beneath her.
Amily rolled over and coughed up some water. She rubbed her eyes to free them of water and looked around. At least five men surrounded her. Not boys, but men.
Captain Hook emerged from behind them and knelt down to look at Amily intently before holding out his hand for her to take.
"Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger, mi'lady"