Grim (A Peter Pan Fanfic)

Chapter 16: The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was

                  

"Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect." –Margaret Mitchell

***       

Everyone's magic is going okay. Just okay. Okay enough to defend themselves, but not okay enough to defeat a shadow. It took Elly nearly a year to get as skilled with it as she is now (which isn't very), and now the others are expected to pick it up in less than a week.

            "We'll keep working," Peter says in between lessons. "We'll defeat Hook."

            "We need to work harder," Elly protests. "We don't have a lot of time. I propose that the next time Hook's shadow shows himself, we fight."          

            The Lost Boys and the Wayward Women are on the Women's side, practicing near the shore. Devin is still recovering; he can walk, but he can't fight. Peter continues the lesson, and once they've practiced a few more times, Elly calls it quits.

            "We need to train in combat, too," Elly says. "Hook isn't a shadow. He'll have magic and other strategies."

            "She's right," Peter says. "Boys, file out. We'll be back tomorrow morning."

            Once they're out of sight, the Women regroup.

            "They're not as bad as I imagined," Joro says. "Some are nice."

            "Yeah, it could be worse," Sahara agrees. "But I can't help wondering where this will go once this problem is resolved. Will we be enemies again?"

            "I can't see us going back to the way we were," Elly says. "I think we'll at least be acquaintances."

            Menthol grins. "You and Peter might be a little more than acquaintances. Cyanide and Felix are already pretty comfortable." Cyanide pulls Menthol's hair playfully.

            Elly rolls her eyes. "I don't know where that ship is going."

            Bubbles giggles. "You two would be so adorable." The others agree full heartedly. "Fighting side by side," she sighs, "I love it."

            "Don't get any ideas," Elly says. "I'm not sure it will happen. I don't know how I feel."

            Cyanide says, "No pressure."

*** 

            A crashing sound wakes up the Wayward Women in the middle of the night. They rush onto the deck, searching for the cause of the noise. 

            "What was that?" Bubbles wonders. "It sounded like a tree falling." There's no storm or winds tonight, so nothing could constitute a falling tree besides a menace.

            "Look!" Cyanide points in the sky. Hook's shadow looms over them, his face promising mayhem despite being blank. Elly now notices that Hook's shadow is big. Bigger than the man surely is. That speaks levels about how much magic it possesses.

            "Hey!" someone shouts from below. The Lost Boys are already below, wielding magic and swords alike. "Over here!" The shadow chases after them as they start running, and the Women hurry after them, each grabbing a weapon on the way down.

            The shadow is making trees fall and causing the ground to explode wherever it passes. Everyone is throwing magic towards it, but it doesn't seem to be affected at all. Even ten spells hitting it at once is nothing.