Lost In The Heart Of Neverland

Chapter Eleven

We entered the camp, Pan still dragging me by the arm. I had seriously thought about breaking his grip and running again. I kew I could do it. But it was also very apparant that he could catch me no matter how fast I ran. I knew that, in the end, it would only result in a more severe punishment. No point in running from the innevitible. So I let him drag me to what looked to be a training field. There were targets and ropes. Spikes protruded from trees, and there was a small tent to the side that could very well be a weaponry. Good. That might come in handy sometime.
He pushed me against a tree and tied me to it with a rope that seemed to appear out of nowhere. How-?
He finished knotting the rope, being sure I could only breath just enough to keep from passing out. Shank.
Walking back around the tree, he glared at me. I glared back with just as much conviction. If he wanted to intimidate me it was going to take a lot more than dirty looks.
"Alright, Aya. If you don't want to talk peacefully, I can create a more, persuasive tactic to getting that pretty mouth of yours to speak."
"How's that?" I asked.
Pan grinned.
"Well, I call it Target Practice."
He stepped away from me and called into the forest.
"Beck!"
A boy of about seventeen stepped out from behind the tent I had seen earlier and walked toward us, a devilish smirk on his face. He was carrying a crossbow, and he had a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder.

This can't be good.

Pan placed a hand on Beck's shoulder.
"Aalya, this is Beck. He's the best shot we have, next to my right hand man, and myself, of course. If he wants to shoot something, he hits it. No doubts."
He walked over to me, his face inches from mine. I never faltered from his gaze, being sure to put as much fire into my own as possible.
"And you, Aya, will be his target."
My eyes widened and he backed away, smirking.
"Are you serious?" I shouted. "All I did was escape a cage, and now you want to KILL me?"
"Oh, no. You didn't just escape that cage. You also refused to tell me how. You broke the rules, Aya. And now you have to pay the price."
What had I gotten myself into? I just wanted out of the mess I was in, and now I was living on an island with a psychopath.
"Here are the rules," Pan continued. "I ask you a question, you answer it. If you don't - or if you lie - Beck will shoot an arrow at you. Each time you don't play by the rules, Beck gets closer with his shots. If you answer correctly, you won't have to be shot at. Got it?"
"Tell me," I said. "Did it hurt when your mother dropped you on your head as a child?"
Pan laughed, and Beck stepped into position, having already loaded the crossbow. His hand was steady, and his stance was perfect. His expression calm and confident. He stood there, waiting for Pan's signal.
"Alright, Aya," Pan began. "First question. Why are you here in Neverland?"
I was taken aback a bit. This wasn't exactly the type of question I was expecting, but there were sure to be worse ones to come.
"I'm here because you told me I could come."
"And why did you choose to accept my offer?" he asked.
"Because I figured it couldn't be worse than what I was already living with," I responded.
"And is it?"
"Honestly? No."
Pan raised his eyebrows, but didn't question my response.
"So you chose to come here?"
"Technically, yes."
He nodded, pacing slowly between Beck and I. He must really have faith in this kid's aim if he was standing within bow range. But he shouldn't have anything to worry about. No question Pan asked me was worth getting shot over.
"So, in choosing to come here, you chose to accept the rules as they are. Just as if you were to follow the rules at your friends parents house? Or, did you not have any friends?"
I didn't answer. I heard the twang of a bowstring, and an arrow stuck in the tree just a few inches above my head.
"Remember the rules, Aya."
I rolled my eyes. Probably not something most people would do in this type of situation, but hey, everyone copes differently.
"Fine. Yes, I suppose I should have expected to follow the rules. As for how many friends I have, you would have to ask them that question."
"Social problems?"
"Well, in another life, I think I was in a mental institution, if that answers your question."
Pan chuckled, then looked over at Beck.
"I like this girl."
Beck just smirked.
"So, now that you've agreed that the rules should be followed, tell me, why did you break out of the cage?"
"Simple," I responded. "No one likes being boxed up."
"And, HOW, may I ask, DID you escape it? It was, in fact, no easy task."
I really didn't want to give up my knife, so I gave him half the story, hoping he would accept it.
"I wished for a rope ladder and climbed down."
"Clever," Pan responded. "Most people don't figure out the magical properties of Neverland so soon. But how did you get the door open?"
"I - I cut the hinges."
"Cut the hinges, did you? With what?"
"A knife."
"And how did you get that knife?"
"I... I wished for it as well."
Thud. Another arrow struck the tree, colser this time.
"What was that you said?" Pan questioned.
"Okay, I had it when I got here, but I lost it in the woods."
Thunk.
Pan whistled.
"Ooo, now. If I were you I would rethink my answer. You might not survive the next arrow."
I huffed and glared at the glowing green eyes in front of me.
"Fine. I still have it. It's on my skirtwaist."
So much for a weapon.
"Good girl."
The ropes loosened, and I stumbled, trying to catch my breath. Those ropes were way too tight. I was sure to be bruised or at least have some pretty severe rope burn.
Pan held out his hand, and my knife appeard in his palm. He smiled, an evil glint in his eyes. I felt to see if he had truly taken my knife. Sure enough, it was gone.

Of course. I thought. The shank has magic.

"Now, Aya," Pan began. "What to do with you now?"
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Pan slung the tent door open and pulled me in. It was dark, but I could just make out some objects hanging from the tent supports. Animal furs, perhaps? A bed sat to the left, and a make-shift desk was stuffed in at the back of the small tent. A figure jumped up from what looked like a stump that resided in front of the desk. The boy stepped closer. His hair was brown, and he was just my height, maybe a bit taller. I couldn't see his eye color, but I could tell his skin was what one of my past friends would have called "the same hue of the night stars." It was surely an exaggeration, but it still sounded nice.
Pan pushed me over to the boy, and he caught my arm before I tripped and fell.
"This is our new lost girl," Pan stated. "She is your charge. If she escapes, that's on you. I would watch her closely. She's a clever one."
The boy looked at me, then nodded at Pan.
"Good then," Pan responded. "Get her set up, and be sure she doesn't escape."
"Yes, Pan," the boy affirmed.
"I'll check in tomorrow morning."
With that, he left, leaving me and the boy in a very awkward situation. We didn't even know each others names. I looked around the room, avoiding eye contact with the stranger beside me. He just looked at me with a confused expression on his face. I finally looked at him and gave a small smile.
"Hi," I said.
"Oh," he seemed to get a grip on himself, and I smiled a little more. "Hello.
"So, you're a girl."
I looked at him with a strange expression.
"Yes. I'm a girl."
"Oh, sorry. It's just, well, Pan has never brought a girl to the Island before. At least, not as a Lost Girl. It's a little bit of a strange action on his part. But that's not important right now. You must be tired. Here." He removed a few things from the bed and placed them on the corner desk.
"You can sleep in my bed for tonight. I'll be fine to stay up."
"That's really nice of you," I said, "but you don't need to do that."
"No, really," he insisted. "I usually stay up late anyway. One night without sleep won't hurt me."
I smiled and went to the bed. I sat down and leaned against the wall, pulling my knees in to my chest.
"To be honest," I said, "I don't think I'll sleep any tonight. Too much is going on right now. I don't think my insomnia will give me any peace tonight," I laughed.
The boy looked at me with confusion. "Insomnia. I'm sorry, I don't know that word."
"Oh," I replied. "It just means that I can't keep my mind quiet at night, and, as a result, I often don't sleep well, if at all."
"Huh," he countered. "Must be what my problem is. It's not a very fun experience."
"No," I replied. "It's not."
He smiled at me, and I returned it heartily. Perhaps I would have a friend afterall.
"Well," he began, sitting on the ground. "Since neither of us are going to sleep, would you like for me to tell you about Neverland?"
I sighed in releif. "Would you? It would be nice to know a bit about what's going on."
"Trust me," the boy said. "There is a lot more to it than you might expect."
"Oh, there always is," I reply.
"I'm Aya, by the way." I offered my hand, and he shook it.
"Baelfire."