The Dark Days

One.

I don't ask why I'm here, for many reasons. One, I could very well get magic-slapped in the face (which is the least likely of the two). Two, I would get the answer I already have. "Because I want you to live on Neverland with me." "Because I love you." That sort of stuff. I know it's true. I believe it.  I'm just sort of afraid, you know?

It's a lot like online dating. You video chat with a guy and everything, you get to know him, then you decide to meet and he's everything you expected he would be, but you're still nervous. You hope that everything he said was as close to the truth as possible.

At least, that's how my relationship with Pan has been. I'm not afraid of him - I'm afraid for him. I don't want him to be a monster, and yet, there's nothing I can do to stop it. Like death, it is inevitable. But unlike death, I have a slim chance of stopping it. And when I say slim, I mean slim.

As we walk hand-in-hand down the street, I can't help feeling a bit creepy. I look a bit strange, the way I'm holding on to the boy's hand, who is no more than twelve (and I immediately recognize as Henry) like it's my life line and the way I keep glancing at him.

As if I expect him to do something. Something drastic. He notices. I know he does. But he doesn't say anything. Not yet.

We get to a bench and he offers to sit with me. I smile and nod, carefully sitting down. He sits next to me and asks how my day went. I shrug. "I guess it could have been better." I flinch at how bad my voice sounds. (If you must know, it sounds like nails on a chalkboard.)

"You sound terrible," he muses, and uses his hand to move the hair out of my face. "Are you thirsty?" I nod a bit and he offers me a bottle of water. I take about half the bottle and hand it back. He looks at it with a bit of shock and surprise, and then it disappears from his hand. "How much water have you drank today?" He cracks a grin halfway through the sentence.

I blush and smile, tilting my head down. "About two sips."

He shakes his head, chuckling, and slings his arm over my shoulder. We sit for a few more minutes and I try my best to stifle my yawns, but I can't really. I'm super tired and my eyes are droopy.

"Were you asleep when the portal appeared?" he asks gently, and I turn to him.

"Hmm?" I hum.

He strokes my cheek. "You look really tired. Do you want to sleep?"

I shake my head and sit up straighter. "I won't get much anyways."

"But you can still try," he insists. "Come on. Just an hour."

I stare at him for a moment and then reluctantly nod. "Fine." He smirks and grabs my hand again, pulling me off the bench and back down the street. After walking about ten feet an idea that makes me smile wickedly pops into my head. "Guess what," I whisper, releasing his hand and putting my own in my jacket pocket. He looks up at me.

"I'm taller," I sing out, and then start running, laughing as I do so. I hear him cursing behind me, but don't turn. It'll just slow me down.

Suddenly I only hear my footsteps and turn my head. I immediately regret it. Pan in Henry's form is flying right at me - and very quickly, too. I yelp and turn back, running faster - but my grin never leaves my face for a second. I feel arms around my waist and my feet are suddenly no longer touching the ground. I squeak and hold onto the arms like my life depends on it. I hear Pan chuckle and then grunt.

"Am I too heavy for you?" I ask, and can't help giggling.

He sighs. "Curse these weak child arms." That makes me laugh. "Have I ever told you how much I love your laugh?" he asks, making me blush.