VICIOUS (II) : peter pan ouat

How to Splash a Boy

Chapter 6

The beach is very nice, especially at night. It wasn't difficult to convince Robert to bring me there after he bandaged my leg, but it was much harder to convince him to leave me. All he wants to do now is fix the broken, since he can't fix his broken mind or his dead friend.

In retrospect, I should've let him stay. Not only to ensure his safety, but because it's an hour walk back to camp and I've got no idea how I plan on returning. I still can't walk.

The ocean doesn't dare make a sound. Neither do any birds or crickets. The wind that normally plagues the beaches is gone, and the trees do not even rustle. It's so very quiet. Which is nice, because if there was a sound in the forest, I couldn't fight whatever was coming.

"It's late to be alone," Pan remarks, sitting down across from me. He leans forward, his shoulders hunched over his crossed legs.

Seeing Pan at night is much different than seeing him during the day. At night, he's more relaxed, more intimidating. It's much easier to concentrate with him at this hour of the day than at sunset. At sunset, every feature of his face glows, and sometimes I catch myself staring. Here, there's no threat of light.

I struggle to lean forward. It hurts to cross my legs, but once they're stationary the pain slips away.

"I'm surprised you found me." I tell him. "You've been hard to reach the past couple days."

My hand subconsciously curls up in the sand. So many cuts from so many days of calling for him.

"It's lucky you ran in to us, or else you'd still be stuck back in the forest." He tells me.

I pause, lifting an eyebrow at him. "It's lucky I found you or Robert would be dead."

"What happened?" He asks, his face suddenly stern.

"He almost jumped off a cliff, but that's beside the point." I rush through the words. "You didn't know he was on the cliff?"

He purses his lips together, pausing. I can hear his breath through the silent night, and he looks down. "It's complicated."

"Your magic's leaving." I realise.

"It's not leaving." He looks up at me, defensive. "I'm saving it for the war. Constantly keeping tabs on everyone is so exhausting you know."

He does have eyes on 15 people at once, never mind the Natives as well. That's quite a lot to pay attention to at once. I never really give him the credit he's due. Even if he is an all-powerful being, he is still a boy.

"It'd be easier if you showed me how to keep track of you." I tell him. "Then I could always find you."

"It's a little bit more difficult than stopping the wind Charlotte."

I shake my head to the side, tisking him. "Peter, Peter, when are you going to learn to not call me Charlotte?"

"It's your name." He asks, looking around. "Or am I missing something?"

I roll my eyes, pulling myself up off the ground. Struggling to move, I walk into the water. It's not as uncomfortable as it once was, so long as I keep my ankle completely straight.

"Remember that time you made it rain?" I ask, thinking of a little prank.

He chuckles. "That was nowhere near here."

"I didn't ask if it was here," I retort, "I forgot you get confused so easily. Talking to you is often like trying to have a conversation with a toddler."

"That's what you think." He grins slyly.

"You don't fool me Peter." I correct him.

He used to, but he doesn't. Not anymore. My ability to smell out bullshit has gotten much better since I got here.