Free(PanxOC)

Chapter 17 Tate

My feet crunched over twigs and leaves as I walked through camp, smiling occasionally to the boys as I passed by. Twenty tents formed a large circle around the fire pit in the middle of the clearing, one for each boy, but I knew which one was Tate's.

I approached the very last tent, the one right near the trail leading out of camp, and stopped just outside of the flap. Sucking in a deep breath I glanced around as nonchalantly as possible, searching for Pan, but not seeing him.

"Are you going to come in today, or are you waiting for an invitation?" A voice sounding like it belonged to a thirteen year old called out causing me to gasp and jump.

I pushed open the flap and bent down a bit as I stepped inside, straightening up as the inside was larger than the entrance. There wasn't much other than a bed against the back wall and a small collection of logs to the left side that seemed to act as a chair.

His cloak was thrown to floor near the entrance along with other articles of clothing and a few pieces of paper. I lifted my gaze from the floor and finally rested my eyes on the boy that sat atop of the bed. His legs were crossed Indian style and he wore a smirk that said he already knew why I was there.

His clothes were the same as all the other boys, black pants and a shirt made from different types of leaves and vines. His hair was shaggy and brown, matching his eyes perfectly, and he appeared to be the age his voice suggested.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, letting his legs hang off the side of the bed, patting the spot beside him.

"I haven't seen you around much before." I stated, making light conversation.

"No, I suppose we haven't had a proper introduction, but I know who you are and you know who I am, so let's get to the point shall we?"

My eyebrows shot up so high they nearly mixed with my hairline as I finally took a seat, nodding slightly. "Word around camp is you know quite a bit about certain things."

"I know quite a bit everything." He corrected.

"Do you know about the girl in the cage?"

He chuckled. "Wendy Darling. Pretty little thing, isn't she? I knew it was just a matter of time before you ran into her."

"Why is she here? I mean, why is he keeping her here?"

"One story suggests that the shadow made a mistake and grabbed her instead of one of her brothers, and Pan just doesn't like letting people get away regardless of their relevance."

"And the other?" I leaned forward a bit, unable to help myself.

"The others gonna' cost you." He replied, meeting my eyes with his for the first time.

"Cost me what? I don't have anything, incase you haven't been paying attention lately." I crossed my arms over my chest as he shrugged. "What do you want?"

"How bad do you want to hear the story?" He challenged.

"Just tell me what you want." I replied, feeling myself get agitated at his smugness.

"A kiss."

"What?" I exclaimed, scrambling off of the bed and backing away a few steps. "I'm not going to kiss you! You're like twelve!"

"I'm older than I look princess."

"Don't call me that." I growled out, clenching and unclenching my fists.

"Why not?" He rose up slowly off of the bed, moving similar to the way a predator who was stalking prey would move on the hunt. "Only he can call you that, is that it?" He approached me slowly, but I held my ground, not flinching away even though my mind was screaming at me to. "He's using you." He chanted in a sing song voice.

"He's not." I replied in a whisper. "I'm using him."

"And now we're getting somewhere." He stepped back suddenly. "Now I have something on you. You have to do what I want."

I held back for as long as possible, but the moment his hands grasped my waist, something inside me snapped. I raised my palms, slamming them into his chest as I let out a shriek. His back slammed into the ground with a loud smack, and a groan escaped his lips.

I glanced around, swiping a knife off of the pile of wood and dropping down, pressing my knee into his gut while simultaneously pressing the knife into his neck. "That's it. You are going to tell me about the girl regardless of what I do or don't do, got it? You may have been here for a while, but I have been through way too much to be pushed around by a ten year old. Now get.up."

I eased myself up, watching as he coughed a bit, rising to his feet with his hand on his chest. I let out a sigh, turning my back for two seconds before hearing the cling of metal being unsheathed, spinning back around just in time to see him pulling out another dagger. He lunged at me suddenly, swiping through the air just above my head. I ducked and side stepped him quickly, turning around and slamming the butt of the knife into his forehead.

He staggered backwards before collapsing to the ground, completely passed out. I placed my hands on my hips, blowing a strand of hair out of my eyes as I stared down at the unconscious boy.

"You know what?" I spoke aloud, tossing the knife down beside him and walking out of the tent. "I'll ask her myself."