Foreverland

Chapter IX

Chapter IX

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Iris walked back through the forest, still disappointed in the information she got, or lack thereof. However, she was satisfied with the information relayed to her about the reapers. She at least wasn't completely in the dark on that subject anymore. 

As she walked, she twisted her dagger around in her palm, thinking about everything she'd learned since she was there, trying to fit pieces together and make sense of everything. That didn't help her much; there was really no way to make sense of anything. She shook her head, and stopped trying so hard to understand. Iris knew she needed to learn about the place she was in before she could do that. 

She felt that she had a new outlook on everything for the mere reason that she was trying to understand it all. Her eyes danced across everything, and she felt herself appreciating it all. In a way, not having her memory made it easier to absorb everything, because she did not have anything to compare it to. At that moment, she realized that she wanted to belong here. Iris did not have anything, not even memories, so she would make this island and everything on it her home.

Iris took the pouch of fairy dust she was carrying from her pocket and opened the bag. She reached inside and when she brought her fingers back out, the tips were powdered with a golden, grainy substance. She rubbed the substance between her fingers, examining it. It seemed nothing more than a golden powder. She wondered what it could do, and why it protected them from the fairies. Instead of investigating further, she decided it was time to get back. 

"Where have you been?" a stern voice asked as Iris entered the den. 

The boys were sitting, all their eyes focused on Iris. Peter stood in front of her, looking her straight in the eyes. 

"I went into the forest," she replied. 

Peter's expression wasn't necessarily one of anger, but of confusion and exhaustion. "Do you know what could've happened? You don't even know what's out there."

Iris looked up at him. "I went to find out what's out there."

Peter gingerly took her wrist and led her into the back room, and then behind a curtain. She presumed it was his room. He closed the curtain, and turned to her with a serious look on his face.

"Iris, I know you want answers, and I know I haven't given any to you," he started. "I know this is all terrifying, but," Peter paused, trying to find the right words, "I'm supposed to protect you. I need to protect you. It's the only thing I care about."

Iris wanted to ask why, but she kept quiet. She'd been expecting him to be angry with her for leaving, but instead, Peter seemed so sincere, and for once he was explaining something to her. 

"If you want to leave- to find answers, I won't stop you," he continued. "But I need to go with you. You can never go out into that forest alone."

Iris suddenly realized how close they were. Her back was against the wall, and Peter was standing in front of her, his intent gaze set directly on her eyes. 

She matched his gaze. "Okay, Peter. I won't go into the forest alone."

Peter didn't react. He stayed where he was, and kept his eyes on hers. She felt scared, but tried to hide it. Her only protection was this boy standing in front of her- not that she felt that he was not capable of protecting her, but she was afraid of what could happen if he wasn't there to protect her. 

Iris felt her mask slipping as she became increasingly more uneasy about it. "I'm going to go to sleep," she told him quietly. The last thing she wanted right now was to break in front of Peter.