The Never Boy

|9

I'm just now realizing that I only have one boot. That water must have really gotten to my brain. We had only been walking for about 10 minutes before the large tree that the hideout enclosed came into view. So turns out I really do have no idea how to navigate.

"Pan. . ."

"Yes?" She answers pushing more branches out of the way.

"Was the hideout always this close to the shore?" I ask.

She ignores me for a moment as she stops at a random tree and sticks her hand in a woodpecker hole. She tugs on something and a  large basket drops down from the tree. It is covered in vines and I hadn't even realized it was there until now.

"Get in," she tells me. "I would go across the clearing but with the pirates snooping around I can't take the chance."

I climb into the basket and she sticks her foot in one of the holds on the outer rim and tugs on another vine. While I'm standing in the basket she's holding on with one hand balancing on the outside. I have no idea how she cant be afraid of falling as we slowly move upward.

"And yes, it was always this close to the shore. The trees were making you go around in circles."

"The trees? You're kidding?" I ask just as we reach the top.

The basket comes to a halt and Pan jumps off onto a wooden platform. I regretfully glance over the side of the basket and see that I couldn't even see the ground. I jump back and quickly jump onto the platform as well.

"We aren't that far up don't worry. The trees love to play tricks." She says tugging on the vine again and the baskets starts its decent back to the ground.

"You're saying the tree's do this on purpose." I say looking out to the huge system of wooden platforms that connect the tree tops. All the platforms were connected by wooden bridges or rope. I could see some boys swinging across from platform to platform with hand holds.

"Yeah, they're assholes."

She begins to walk across one of the bridges and I follow close behind. All these structures and systems where truly amazing. It was really hard to believe that a 17 year old girl and a bunch of pre-schooler's had build all of this.

"So here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna come hunting with me. I've ordered all the lost boys to stay in the hideout. But we've still gotta eat."

We reach the next platform and there is stairs leading down back into the tree. She walks down them slowly talking to some of the lost boys as she went. 

"But if its too dangerous to go out there then why are we going?" I ask her as we reach the bottom of the stairs. She spins around and pokes me in the chest.

"Because," She pokes me again.

"You" and again.

"Are" and again.

"Expendable."

Just as she about to do it again I grab her hand. We stand like that for a moment and I'm holding her hand in mine.

Her hands are really small. And soft. Yet ruff. Weird.

"Well, now thats just rude." I state.

She rolls her eyes like she does and glances down at my hand still holding her's in-between us.

"Do you mind? I kinda need that to go hunting." She says. I realize that I had been holding it a little long and release her. Dammit James. Why do you always have to do weird stuff around pretty girls.