I'll Take You to Neverland

Chapter 16: Decision to be Made

Just a reminder that this is back in Cameron's point of view.

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Pan sends the boys and I to go to sleep. While they all head to their tents and I go off to my lean-to a hand grabs my arm. Not knowing who exactly to expect, I spin around, my face only inches from Pan's. His is hard, he doesn't look tired at all, just the same as always, a trace of bitterness and tons of freedom.

"If you would like, you can stay in a tent tonight." Pan offers. "I can't let you sleep in one with any of the younger boys- though I doubt any of them would have a problem taking you down- I still don't trust you. So I'll allow you to stay in my tent, Felix's, Slightly's or Xavier."

I don't know who the last person is, and I have to admit that staying with Felix sparked my interest, and well Slightly I don't know well at all-just that he gave me false hope- finally, there is Pan himself. I need to gain his trust, so I decide to go with him.

I don't tell him, just follow him to his tent when he goes. He lays out a cot piled high with furs from different animals, then goes to his own makeshift bed.

"You can sleep there." He says, pointing lazily to the cot beside me, his other hand covering his face.

"Thank you." I sit down on the cot, tucking my arms underneath the 'pillow' to keep them warm. I turn my head to the side to see and hear Pan already snoring. But I wait for at least an hour just to make sure he's asleep.

To pass the time I look around the tent, seeing different collected artifacts, more than just furs and animal skins. One item in particular catches my interest, a small silvery box sitting on Pan's bedside table. I focus on it for a moment, noticing the small red gem on the top, the delicate carvings on the box.

When it's time, I grab a cloak hanging by the doorway and put it on, tugging the hood over my face. I stop by Pan's bed where- sure enough he's fast asleep- his chest rising and falling at a steady pace. I look back over at the box sitting on his desk, the ruby- or whatever it is- seems to glow brighter the closer I get to it. I try to pick it up, reaching for the top and tugging at it, but it doesn't budge, or even move the slightest bit. I tug at it harder than before, but nothing I can do without waking Pan will work.

I domt know much about magic, but if this is valuable enough to Pan, he might have put some sort of enchantment to keep it safe.

I freeze, as Pan rolls over in his bed, mumbling non-sense about Neverland. The last thing I want to do is wake him, so I give up on the box. I quietly make my way to the door, pulling open the flaps as little as possible to keep the firelight from waking him up.

The area around the camp fire is bare and abandoned when I take my first step out. The only sound I can hear is the light crunch of a few leaves beneath my feet, the crackling of the fire, and animals of all sorts throughout the forest.

I take another step, careful not to step on any loose branches laying on the ground. Then another, and another, until I've made it to the edge of the camp. I look back, a tent- one that I think belongs to Michael or John- sits only inches away from me. I hold my breath, taking in everything around me and moving through my surroundings as silently as possible. I pull the cloak closer around my body, feeling something in the pocket.

I pull out a long dagger, the type that I've seen the boys use hundreds of times before. I hold it in front of me awkwardly, not exactly knowing how to use it. I feel like I'm being watched, but when I look around, on a few yards into the forest, I see nothing.

I make it only about a half mile out, when I hear a twig snap. I whip around, wielding the small dagger that I hold. My breathing gets deeper and heavier, still seeing nothing. I would normally assume that it was a raccoon or any other night time animal, but the noise stops immediatly. No scampering, nothing else, as if whatever made the noise knows that it made a mistake.

I actually consider turning around and heading back to camp. It wasn't so bad there. Pan definetly wasn't what he was cracked up to be, and the boys he lead were more threatening than fun, but it was better than my previous life. I had somewhere to stay, someone to watch over me-whether it was because they didn't trust me or not- food partially because I wasn't able to hunt for myself yet, and I have to admit that this place is interesting.

I keep going however. Maybe I was taking all of this for granted, maybe one day Pan would realize that whatever he saw in me, magic or no magic, wasn't what he thought it was, and by then, I'd have something to lose.

I hesitate, lowering my hood and looking up at the stars. If there was a few things that the stories got right it is, one- this place, Neverland, is beautiful and a place where you never grow up- and two, the stars, two of the brightest ones were there. The second star on the right was visible through the trees at this very moment.

I decide to take some time to think about leaving, climbing the nearest tree all while keeping my eyes on that star.

If the stories and movies were somewhat correct on parts of the actual thing, then I don't know what to think or expect. Maybe Pan could turn out to be a good person, maybe I won't grow up just like the lost boys, and maybe my dreams will come true. Maybe.

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Picture: The beautiful Robbie Kay, shirtless.

Cast:

Olivia Hussey as Cameron (Tiger) Lily

Robbie Kay as Peter Pan