Never

Chapter Four

Lily had been in the cage for a week when it happened. The next seven days of her stay in Neverland had been as torturous as her first one. Each day had been the same; waking up; having a tiny meal; watching enviously as the Lost Boys ran off to do whatever it was they did each day. She detested the idea of joining their poisonous group, but Lily was sure running wild was much better than sitting idle all day, locked in her miniscule cage.

In addition to that, the gouge on Lily's wrist was getting worse. Apparently it was much deeper than she'd believed at first, and with each passing hour, her hand seemed to grow heavier. It occasionally bled when she moved too much, and Lily often found herself biting her lips to keep in a scream. On the seventh day, when Lily awoke from a nap around dusk, the skin around the slit was dark pink, blue veins standing out. Lily let out a cry of horror, attracting Pan's attention.

He stalked towards her cage, one hand on his hip, other swinging casually at his side.

"Did you call, Tiger?"

Lily merely glared at him, clenching her jaw. She tried in vain to hide her wound from view. She'd learned quickly to never show weakness around Pan; for the past week she'd acted strong and defiant, often sassing him and disobeying orders.

"What have you got there?" his green eyes glinted as he strained to see.

"I... nothing."

"Yeah, right. What happened?"

"Nothing." Lily growled.

Pan's eyes narrowed. He crouched down, casting a malicious smirk into her eyes.

"Listen, girl. You can sit there in pain, or you can get some help. I like to keep my captives... healthy. You can't possibly be this stupid?"

"I don't want your help. I want you to take me home." Lily felt hatred coursing through her body, intense and powerful, stabbing through her consciousness like a knife.

"Yeah, I can't see that happening anytime soon." Peter laughed, raising an eyebrow.

Lily turned her back to him.

"Tiger Lily!" Pan's tone was startlingly sharp, all civility gone. "Turn around now!"

Lily whirled around, blazing eyes meeting Pan's own.

"What do you want?"

Pan smirked, his anger once again in control. "You know, Lily, you continue to sass me day after day, to disobey me. You need to learn to respect your superiors." He leaned in until his face was inches from her own, his harsh whisper barely audible. "Are you forgetting which of us is in a cage?"

Lily struck at the bars, forgetting momentarily about her injury. The second her arm connected with the cage, Lily gasped. Pan's eyes filled with that strange emotion again- a mix of fear and anger. Surely he had no reason to be fearful, for what could he ever be afraid of?

"Don't need my help, do you?" He growled, pure hatred in his eyes now. "You just wait,"

He turned, stalking away, head held high, shoulders flexed, posture impeccable to emphasize his wiry, muscular build. Lily threw herself against the bars of the cage, refusing to let her building tears fall. Her body struck the walls, causing a cry of pain to escape her lips. She flung herself forward again and again, pounding at the wooden bars, concious of the Lost Boys staring, stopping their dance once more. Lily timed her shouts to match the beat of her falls, scarlet blood pouring down her wrist.