Neverland

Chapter Four

"I don't kill people," I insist. "It's not really something I do."

"But you are supposed to," the boy argues. "Tinkerbell obviously wants you out of the way. In this land, it's not all fun and games."

I look at the withered tree. The bark is now a shining dark brown, the leaves soft and green with pink blossoms peeking out. Liam was right, magic revives the tree. What else is possible, other than me coming back from the dead?

Something rustles behind me. I whip around, hands raised, ready to surrender.

"Wait!" Liam hisses. He removes a woven pile of leaves and uncovers two handmade spears. Branch and sharp rock are tied together. He hands one to me. I look at him questioningly.

"What?" he says defensively. "I knew I would need a weapon if I ever got out." I shrug and get in a prepared stance. Two boys appear from behind the trees. Both carry bows with arrows nocked and ready to fire. Liam falters and lowers his spear.

"Samuel, James," Liam says. "What are you doing?"

"Tinkerbell's orders, Liam," one says. "We're sorry." The boys start to release the bowstring. In a second, Liam flips up the spear and whacks Samuel and James with the bottom of his spear. Both slip to the earth, unconscious. I have to hand it to Liam. He's calm and collected, cool under pressure, ready to strike at any moment.

"I have to get you close to Tinkerbell!" he says, motioning for me to follow.

"I can't kill anyone," I say. Rushing to keep up, I trip and almost impale myself. Liam doesn't answer. He picks up the pace. I can barely follow. After being in the pit for a few days, my muscles are sore and unused. At least, Liam says it's been a few days, even though it only felt like a few hours. That's probably the most reasonable explanation to why I'm not hungry. I make a note to ask Liam about it as soon as this little "adventure" is over.

I stop at a cleared area in the jungle. I look around, but I can't see Liam. I decide to move forward when I hear a voice.

"Hello, Peter Pan."

I freeze, then rotate slowly. There is the enemy herself, Tinkerbell. Seeing her makes me wonder why she's come. Liam said I'm the one who will end her life. Fear is literally radiating of Tinkerbell, making my blood run cold.

"I see you've escaped my prison," she says. She rushes up to me and grabs the front of my shirt. Her magic lifts her up a few centimeters, floating her up to hare the same eye level as me.

"Too bad you won't get time to enjoy it." She slams her hands into my chest, sending me flying. I hit a tree, hard, and see stars for several seconds. My vision clears, and Tinkerbell is the first thing I see. I scramble backwards as fast as I can, then push aside my fear. I stand defiantly.

"How did you get here?" I am stalling. "How did you become to be the leader of the Lost?" Her blue eyes were like a rusty dagger, staring deep into me. Then she blinks, and gives a creepy half-smile.

"Since you're almost dead, I'll answer your question," she says. Instinctively, I look down to make sure I am not a corpse. I am not, at least, not yet. But my skin is a little gray, and my veins have turned green. The blow from Tinkerbell must injected something.

"I was a fairy," she says, kicking aside a rock.

"A fairy?" I choke out. "You don't have wings." She gives me another dagger glare. I can feel myself dying.

"I said, was. I lost my wings," Tinkerbell says. "Apparently the other fairies do not appreciate my violent nature." She gives me another disturbing smile that makes me want to curl up in a ball.

"You don't care about the Lost, do you?" I accuse.

"Oh, Peter," Tinkerbell says. "We could've been such good friends. No, I do not care about the Lost, but I do care about my life. And you, Peter Pan, you are the one who might end it." Her eyes widen.

"I almost forgot," she says. Tinkerbell strides over to me. I stiffen. She reaches up and rips out some hair from my head. I stifle the reflex to slap her. The light brown hairs lay in her hand. Tinkerbell pockets them in her small dark pouch.

"You see, you're very powerful, whether you know it or not," Tinkerbell says. "Powerful enough to defeat me, as Liam told you."

"Where is he?" I hope that the former Lost will find freedom.

"No concern of yours, but he soon will be dead," Tinkerbell promises. "Before I kill you, I had to make sure that I had some of your magic in my possession. No one will be able to destroy me." My veins are now a bright green, glowing against my skin. My chest is on fire. I tear off my shirt and stare in horror at the green coursing towards my heart. If only I killed Tinkerbell, like Liam told me to. The Lost don't deserve to be under someone like this.

"You have only a few seconds left to live," Tinkerbell says. "Any last words? I'd hate to be inconsiderate." I start to shake my head, then stop. I smile my wicked grin.

"Yes, actually," I say. Tinkerbell folds her arms with her eyebrows raised.

"I prefer the color blue," I say. "And I believe." At that instant, blue magic returns to me, and I send it to Tinkerbell. Her body lights up with blue, and she goes into shock. The blue magic ripples through her body like lightning bolts. My magic rises her up, and she starts convulsing. Tinkerbell goes limp, but not before she says her last words, "Everything will fall. I give my gift to you." Tinkerbell's body drops to the floor.

The former fairy leader of the Lost is dead.