Daughter of Neverland

Chapter 4

 He takes me all the way back to where we met. This time the setting is different. It's set up in a way that will train you to fight back if something, or someone, were to attack. There's a stand holding at least twelve swords. The net that caught me the other day has been pulled higher up and above it is a piece of rope. Long pieces of rope hang from the trees. All the Lost Boys are lined up against the shoreline, all of them hold a weapon in their hand. He walks me over to a small platform in front of the boys. He raises his sword and the boys follow.

"You're gonna fight all of them till you beat every last one." He motions to all of them then points to himself, "Then you'll fight me."

I don't even get to respond.

The first of the boys runs at me waving a sword around like a madman. Pan steps to the side as the tip of the boy's weapon of choice catches the flowing sleeve of my shirt. The blade cuts half of the sleeve and nicks my wrist. My heart skips a beat. Run! Screams a voice in my head. I bolt in the opposite direction and throw myself at one of the trees, climbing up it as fast as I can. I pull myself onto the platform at the top, scramble to my feet, and look down. The boy doesn't seem to know how to climb up. He struggles with the rope and without it. He looks back at Pan. Have I already beaten my first fight just like this? Surely my fight is not this simple. Pan waves his hand and the boy starts to fly up toward me. No! I scramble back. There's no way out of this, unless. I suck in a deep breath and leap off the platform. Flying across is the worst part. My limbs flail around like crazy. I'm not gonna make it! I'm gonna die! This was stupid! Doubt screams at me. I close my eyes and wait to hit the ground, the tips of my fingers catch the next platform. I laugh in shock and pull myself up. I shakily rise to my feet and look at the platform I just came from. It's at least a five-foot jump. I can't believe I made it. It's as if I flew across. The boy's eyes are narrowed in a glare. Whatever magic Pan used to help him get to the top has run out. The boy swears and pulls something out of his pocket. Three shining silver darts. He tosses it and flies past my head. The boy swears again tries to throw another dart and misses. He sticks the third dart back in his pocket and gets down on one knee.

"I surrender." He says barely loud enough for me to hear.

There's a clapping sound in my ears. Pan suddenly stands beside me. I jump back in shock nearly falling off the edge. Pan grins wickedly and grabs my wrist, tugging me forward. He bends his head down to my ear.

"That one was easy. You outwitted him only because of your size. Don't expect the next fight to be as easy." he hisses.

I shove away from him. "Oh. I thought I was training him." Sarcasm leaks from my words like lemon juice, bitter and awful.

Pan raises his hand as if he's gonna slap me. Then again with a dagger in the other hand, he could just as easily stab me. I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for the sting. But all I hear is laughter.

"Do you honestly think that I'd hit you?" He scoffs.

I cross my arms and roll my eyes, "Can I go back to my prison now?"

"Wh-what? No. Now you fight the next boy. You'll fight three each day. Get ready for the next round."

He walks off the edge and hovers in the air as if it's normal. My arms fall back down to my side and my shoulders fall forward. I can't believe this. He's having me fight a bunch of children till I beat every last one. This is so wrong. I . . .

"Remember to use your weapon next time." He says with his back to me before he floats down to the ground.

"Whatever," I yell back. I sound five and I don't care.

The next two rounds don't go so well. I win both but the cost is a major loss of blood and lightheadedness.

When the hilt of my blade slams into the gut of the "bonus" fourth lost boy he stabs me. Not in the arm or the leg but in the gut. I fall forward clutching my stomach. The boy holds his hand to his head. Two boys, who I haven't seen till now, pick him up and carry him away when he paces out. I lay left on the ground. A pool of blood is slowly forming around me. This is how I'm gonna die. I just know it. I've thought that I would die several times but this is it. My vision darkens. I just wanna close my eyes and sleep. All the Lost Boys walk away. How could they leave me here? I'm so obviously dying. I roll over into a rock. Well, I think it's a rock. Since when do rocks move? I blink and see the rock is not a rock but a boy. Pan is at my side bending down towards me.

"Hold on, Ari." He lifts me as if I weigh nothing and starts walking. "He'll be punished for that." Is that supposed to make me feel better?

I cough and a new flow of blood pours from the wound. I stare up at the sky trying to forget the pain. It's an impossible task. My head and stomach ache so bad. I'd rather die right now than keep feeling this pain. Tears start to fall from my eyes.

"Don't hurt him, Pan." I wince when he readjusts his grip on me. I close my eyes and pray that it helps my aching head, "Where are we going?"

"To the most powerful healers Neverland has."

We walk for what seems like ages. I can feel his magic running through my veins trying to help me but it doesn't feel like it's doing much. He doesn't make me speak to him and I don't think that I can. I can't feel anything now. I open my mouth but no words come out. I can't move my fingers or my legs. My breathing feels slower. I can only move my eyes. Time seems to be slowing down and yet at the same time speeding up. Stars dance in front of me and my eyes keep going in and out of focus. What has he done? What did Pan do to me?

"Calm down, love. I know it might feel scary at the moment but I'm helping you. Trust me."

That's just it, I will never trust him. Never in a million years would I trust him. I can't trust someone I hardly know. I can't trust someone who uses his words and strength to get what he wants. I don't trust liars and this immortal teenage boy has lied his whole life and then some.

My vision goes dark and a slight ringing fills my ears.

>⚔<⚔>⚔<⚔>⚔<

I scream and the hands pull away. The hands that have been pulling me down into the ocean for the past hour finally leave.

"Woah. Calm down there, Two." Says a honeyed female voice.

What?! Who does the voice belong to? Where am I? Where did Pan go? Did she heal me, I don't feel the pain anymore. Who is the girl?!

"Who are you?"

"Who do you think I am?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked." I look at her.

She has long dark hair with feathers braided into it. Her amber eyes are almost the exact color of gold. She looks to be my age if not a little bit older or maybe a lot, I'll never know in Neverland, and . . . And . . . Why is she looking at me like that? Why does everyone give me so many odd looks here? It's like I am a stranger or something. Yet everyone seems to know more about me than I do.

"Well, who do you think I am?" She sounds impatient, her Native American accent strong.

Oh. Oh, I know who she is. Wow, she's not how I pictured her from the stories Father would tell me. She always wore dresses made of leather in the stories and in my dreams. In-person, she wears black pants and a flowing blue and orange shirt.

"You Tiger Lily. Daughter of The Chief of Neverland."

"She's a clever one." Tiger Lily says to someone behind me.

"That she is. Figures out schemes quite quickly." Pan laughs.

"She is also still here. Fill her in now!"

"And she's got fire." Tiger Lily laughs.

"That she does."

"Right here." I wave my hand as I sit up.

Both of them laugh. I'm getting tired of this. I'm not someone who likes to be in the background. I swing my legs over the side of the bed. The second my toes touch the ground Pan's hand is on my shoulder.

"Easy there, love."

Grr. Why won't he listen?! How many times will I have to correct him before he gets it through his thick skull?

"I may not have been able to correct you earlier but I am not your love." I shrug his hand off my shoulder and stand up, "Now shut up and tell me what happened."

Pan gives me an odd look, "You mean you don't remember?"

"Of course, I remember. I, uh, I . . ." I can't remember anymore. I cross my arms and look at the ground. Why can't I remember anymore?