Free(PanxOC)

Chapter 4 Tinkerbell

I stumbled for what seemed like the twentieth time over another fallen tree limp that laid across the other wise fairly clear path. The trees were everywhere, making it impossible to see anything else on either side of us.

We'd passed by at least fifteen different kinds of plants that I've never encountered before, each bringing some new color to lively forest, even in the dark. The moon light reached the forest floor in little slivers, slipping it's way through the tree tops.

"Are we almost there?" I asked, somewhat startled by my own voice, seeing as neither of us had spoken since we entered the thick brush.

"Shouldn't be much further." He replied in a slightly annoyed tone, as though I had been pestering him about the distance to this Tinkerbells house the entire time.

I opened my mouth to comment on his tone when his arm jutted out in front of me, catching my waist easily. My hands raised up on their own accord and planted themselves firmly on his forearm causing him to turn his head towards me, meeting my eyes with his own. He gazed at me for a moment before roughly pushing my arms away and clearing his throat.

"What happened?" I squeaked out, not trusting my voice to be steady just yet. It seemed as though every single time we had any sort of physical contact whatsoever my whole being reacted in some top secret way that my brain was not able to comprehend.

"This plant." He placed his hand on my back, pushing me forward so that I was standing beside him rather behind him, pointing to an oddly shaped plant off on the left side of the path. The large bush resembled an ordinary rose bush, only instead of roses there were small bulb shaped leaves that dipped in the middle, forming a little bowl that contained a dark liquid. "This is Dreamshade. It's the deadliest poison on the island. No one is allowed near it without my permission."

"What do you mean 'without your permission'? Why would you want to be around it if its so deadly?" I peered closely at the plant, leaning a tad bit closer to get a better view, only to be yanked back by my arm.

"We lace the tips of our arrows with it on occasion when we have un-welcomed guests. A concentrated dose can kill you within hours, but the tiniest amount in its rawest form will kill you far more slowly and far more painfully. I suggest you keep your distance." He turned from the plant and continued down the path with me jogging to catch up with his fast pace.

"But there's a cure , right?" He nodded, not bothering to turn around. "So then I don't need to worry about being around it." I replied, sounding more forceful than usual as I spoke and tripped at the same time.

He froze mid step, spinning around to face me, and causing me to slam into his chest. Before I could even react he had a death grip on my upper arms, holding me just far enough away so that he could see every inch of my face.

A sliver of silvery moon light shone down from a break in the trees above, grazing his face and illuminating the scowl that rested upon it. "Did I not make myself clear enough princess? Do. Not. Touch. The. Plant. You'll find me to be most unpleasant when I have to repeat myself more than once, so heed this with much awareness. Do you understand?"

I stared at the fire behind his forest green eyes, nodding numbly and wincing lightly as his fingers pushed roughly into my flesh. Something other than aggravation and annoyance flashed in his eyes as he noticed my reaction to his grip and he released his hold on me in a second flat. I stumbled back at the urgent motion and quickly dug my heel into the dirt to prevent myself from falling.

"Tinkerbells is right up ahead."

I nodded once at his nonchalant statement, following closely behind him, careful not to step on his heels. We rounded the corner and I stepped back a bit as he parted a few tree branches, revealing a quaint tree house nestled a little ways up in the tallest tree. A few lanterns rested in the four little windows, illuminating the area around it just enough so that the ladder leading up to the door was visible.

"Pan?" I jumped visibly as a female voice rang out in a thick New Zealand accent. "What are you doing here? Who is this?" A blonde girl about my height walked out of the bushes nearby with a bucket of water under arm. She wore a dirty, light green dress that reached mid thigh and was made out of leaves and some sort of material that closely resembled burlap. Her blonde hair was covered in dirt and mud and was resting on the top of her head in a messy bun, a few fallen strands stuck to her forehead. She rested the other hand on her cocked hip and eyed me up and down a few times, her scowl growing each time she did so.

"Always a pleasure Tink." He rolled his eyes sarcastically, placing his hand on my back once more. "This is Anna, our newest and first ever lost girl."

"And what would you call me then?" She exclaimed, making her way over to the ladder, stomping lightly as a toddler would do when upset. "I'm here as much as she is."

"What? Is the title of a 'poor excuse for a fairy with a bad attitude' not good enough for you?" She paused, glaring over shoulder before placing the bucket down and sighing loudly. "I was wondering if you would mind-"

"Giving her clothes, let me guess. And you weren't 'wondering', you were ordering, the only thing you do on a regular basis. Come on then, we haven't got all night." She began to lift up the bucket once more when it disappeared, only to reappear on the small balcony attached the right side of the tree house. She mumbled a sarcastic reply to Pans actions, one that was so low it wasn't even audible, and motioned for me to follow her up the ladder.

She pushed opened the small square under the tree house, climbing inside with me following closely behind, mimicking her actions and pulling my legs up as well. I barely had time to look around at the nearly empty room before she shoved some clothes into my hands, demanding that I change quickly and get out of her house.

I obliged as soon as she made her way out on the balcony, closing the door behind her to give me a little privacy. I glanced around, making sure that I couldn't be seen from the windows before slipping off my old clothes and into the borrowed ones. The black trousers were a bit tighter than my ones before, but they were the same material and felt just as good.

I tucked the black button up shirt in the bottoms, buttoning all but the top three buttons, and pulling on the dark green vest, securing it in the middle with a large brown belt. I wore the same shoes as before, seeing as Tinkerbell didn't offer me any new ones, and as soon I had checked over myself in the cracked mirror I called to the fairy, letting her know I was done.

She stomped back in seconds later, eyeing me once more, plopping down the pallet of blankets in the corner of the room near the small makeshift desk. I placed my hand on the trunk of the tree that the tree house was built around and glanced down at my outfit. "Do I look alright?"

Tinkerbell's eyes flew up to meet mine in confusion before her gaze softened the tiniest bit and she almost smiled. "You look fine. Don't bother with bringing them back. They look better on you than they ever did me, besides I probably won't be here when you return anyway."

"Why not?" I asked, feeling my stomach drop at the thought of the only other girl I had come in contact with on the island of boys leaving.

"I move around a lot. Don't like to stay in one place for too long."

I frowned, but nodded at her answer. I opened my mouth to thank her, but before I could she was across the room, gripping my wrist in her hands and staring down at the light brown birthmark, tracing the odd shape with one finger. "What is this?"

"Um- a birthmark. Why?"

She stared at it for a few more moments before glancing out of the window at Pan, letting her confused and shocked gaze rest on his unknowing figure for a few moments. She snapped out of her trance, shoving me towards the door and motioning for me to leave.

I did so without another word, looking back up at the blonde headed fairy one last time before exiting the tree house and watching the door slam shut.