Lost Boy, Stolen Memories

Chapter 3

Pan's POV

"I really hope my parents let you stay with us. They're kind of strict when it comes to boys," Erin informs me as we walk home from school.

"I hope so too," I say, "I don't have anywhere else to go, as far as I know."

"No offense, but that isn't much," Erin laughs, "but I'll be happy to let you stay with us until your memory comes back. Let's hope my parents feel the same. You'll have to use some of your British charm to convince them."

"Thank you so much," I say. I sound so pitiful and I hate it. I feel like I'm depending on Erin for everything, and I guess I am. I like her though, and she seems trustworthy enough. She seems truly concerned about me and cares about my memories. I think all her friends cared about was when they could get their lips on mine.

"It's this house right here," Erin says, sweeping her arm towards a house and turning up the drive. I vaguely remember passing it this morning before I met Erin. She keeps talking, "My mom is home right now, and my dad is at work. That's a good thing, because my Dad is way more protective over me."

We enter the house and Erin hollers, "MOM! I need to talk to you!"

A woman who looks almost identical to Erin, except with shoulder length hair and slight wrinkles around her eyes, walks down the stairs and towards us. She doesn't look very happy to see me.

"Erin, who's this?" she says, her voice deadly calm and her eyes rock hard.

"This is Peter. He's an exchange student at school. He started today and I was his guide around the school," Erin explains nervously.

I start, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Newman. it's nice to meet-"

"Why did you bring him back here?" mother asks daughter, blatantly ignoring my comment.

"Well," Erin fidgets under her mom's death stare, "Principal Bruner asked if I could host him, since I've been showing him around and stuff."

"And you didn't bother to consult with me before you accepted?" she says icily.

"No," Erin says meekly, "but it isn't a done deal until you and dad sign this form." She fishes the permission form out of her book bag.

I try to win her over by saying, "I could find somewhere else to stay... it's no trouble, really. But Erin told me such good things about you and her father and I was really looking forward to staying here."

Mrs.Newman sighs, "Since this boy is so nice, I will let him stay here. As for you, Erin, no phone for a week. As a bonus, I'll let you explain this to your father."

Erin rolls her eyes in annoyance, ripping her phone out of her pocket and placing it into her mother's outstretched hand. Then she turns to me, almost buzzing with enthusiasm, saying "Yay! C'mon I'll take you on a tour!"

She grabs my wrist and tugs me toward the staircase. Like I said, I don't think I'll ever understand girls.

Mrs.Newman calls after us, "Your room and my room are off limits!"

She shows me every room in the house. Minus the bedrooms, because she didn't want to risk her phone being taken for any longer.

By the time she's exhausted everything to do with the house, we go sit on the couch in the living room. We hear the garage door as it whirs upward and Erin tells me her dad is home. She said her dad is more protective than her mom, and Mrs. Newman was pretty intransigent. I grow nervous about what he might say or do.

He comes into the living room and says, "Your mom says you have something to talk to me about. I'm guessing it has something to do with the boy sitting next to you."