Innocence (OUAT/Peter Pan)

Chapter 29: Save Our Souls

Hello! So....short author's note I can't find much to say except it finally rained/snowed!! I'm so excited!! I live in California and we've been in a pretty serious drought.

Multimedia in the external link:)

I dedicate this chapter to the awesome, Robbie-Kay-loving, country-singing, amazing @vanessa5836! Check out her story Second Star to the Right!!

Also, again, check out Seatleslew21's collection of beginngins, Story Starts! She's doing more of my favorite and I'm so excited but she needs your help for ideas/motivation!:)

Please read, vote and comment! I love them so much you guys are so amazing! Anything at all: compliments, critiques, a random fact about yourself, I love 'em all! Enjoy my lovies<3 :)

ELLE’S POV

            Elle sat cross-legged in a corner of the campsite, with Felix crouched next to her drawing letters in the dirt. He was writing a list of all the places on the island. And he was doing very well. While she waited and watched, she sketched her own list in Arabic letters.

            She looked up when she saw shuffling feet ahead of her, but Felix was too engrossed in his work. Her lips quirked up when she saw Colin and Joshua standing a few steps away, looking down at the letters they were etching with expressions of curiosity.

            “Sit,” Felix grunted, earning gasps from the two and a smirk from Elle. So he had noticed. Nevertheless the boys sat in front of them and Elle grabbed two more sticks.

            “Do you know anything about how to read or write?” she asked. Joshua grimaced and shook his head. But Colin perked up excitedly.

            “I know how to read!” he gloated, then frowned. “Well, short words anyway. But I can’t write.”

            “Well, this is the alphabet, it has all the letters you need,” Elle began. “A, like the beginning of ‘apple’ or ‘arrow’,” she sketched out a capital ‘A’. That was the next two hours: she gave Felix more complicated things to write, while teaching Joshua and Colin their letters.

            “Boys,” the loud burst of Pan’s gleeful, sinister voice jerked all four of their faces to him. The boys immediately sprung up, or climbed out of the forest, and made a circle around him. Elle stood and stepped carefully over the drawn letters, standing next to Felix who was, as always, at Pan’s side. “We have visitors, dress your best,” Pan chuckled darkly. The boys matched his smirk and scattered around the campsite.

            “What?” Elle turned to Pan, who stood watching the boys eagerly gather and load themselves with weapons.

            He looked down at her, humorless smirk still in place. “Some people are here. I don’t like or want them here,” he explained simply. Elle raised here eyebrows.

            “Who? The pirates left, you said.”

            “They did,” Pan nodded simply. “It seems my dear friend Hook has decided he hasn’t learnt his lesson yet. Pity he didn’t come himself, but no matter,” Pan’s voice was low, he seemed to be talking to himself by now. Elle took a step back. She’d seen the boys fight pirates multiple times—especially during her exile, they’d been fighting almost daily—but Pan seemed different. More sinister, he didn’t just want a good fight like the boys did.

            “Why are you immediately acting now? Last time he came, you waited—” Elle started, but bit her lip when Pan winced. He didn’t speak, so she finished. “Even when you sensed them arrive.”