The Dark Days

Ten.

Neither of us speak until we reach the hideout. I try my best not to explode, but it's kind of hard.

"What. The. Heck?" I demand as soon as I cross the room's threshold. "Why did you try to stop me from helping those people?!"

"I didn't want you to get hurt," he says quietly, not looking at me.

"I would have been fine if you were the one trying to help them instead of me!" I snap. "If you would have been in my place and told me to run, I would have!"

"We both know you wouldn't have," he mumbles, now looking at the floor in between us.

"The point is, you were you going to let them die," I say, trying to calm myself.

He doesn't reply.

"Peter, look at me," I order.

He doesn't move.

I step forward and lift his chin with my fingers. "Look. At. Me."

His eyes slowly look up to meet mine, looking nervous and even afraid.

"You almost left them..." I cup his face with my hands, "...but you didn't."

His brows draw together in confusion.

"Don't you understand?" I brush some of his hair out of his face. "You may have been evil before, but sometimes evil can turn good." I smile. "You could have let those people die. But you didn't. You're not 100% evil. There's a part of you that's good, I know it, I can see it." I rest my forehead on his. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to kill these people. I of all people know that change isn't a good thing, but this? This is... wrong."

Peter sighs and his hands rest on my waist. "Kasey, please, try to understand -"

I release his face and take three steps back, turning around. I feel like I'm about to go nutters. I drag my hands through my hair and grip it, trying as hard as I can not to rip it out. My breathing is quickening and I know I'm about to explode.

Peter needs to go. I could never live with myself if I physically hurt him.

"Get... out," I say through clenched teeth.

"Kasey, please -"

"GET OUT!" I scream as I whirl to face him. "JUST GET OUT!"

Peter looks like he's about to cry. I'm about to cry as well. A few tears go down my face as his expression turns angry and he stomps back to the door. Just before the door closes, he stops, and looks back at me. He's crying.

In that moment I just want to run to him, wrap my arms around him, kiss the ever-living daylights out of him. I want him to stay, I want him to hold me, I want him to tell me everything will be okay. To say he won't use that stupid curse. But he doesn't; Instead, he looks away and closes the door, leaving me standing and crying and regretting being so mean to him.

"Peter, I love you, I need you," I whimper as I run to the door and lean against it. "Please come back. Please...."

I turn onto my back against the door, my feet slowly sliding out from under me. As soon as I touch the floor I begin to sob. I curl my legs into my chest and wrap my arms around them, placing my forehead on my knees. I cry until I hear a noise on the other side of the door. Out in the hall. I immediately stand, hoping it's Peter, and look out the square of one-way glass. My hopes die as soon as I see the strange man with a cane coming towards the door. And he's looking right at me.

I instantly back up and look around the room for a weapon of some sort. I run to my backpack and dig around for my uncle's knife, but it isn't there. I drop my bag and look again for something I can use as a weapon. The door knob turns one way, then the other. It's locked. I hear what sounds like the lock being turned and dash to the bed, hiding behind it and hoping the man won't find me. The door slowly creaks open and I tense, fear encasing my mind and body. The man's footsteps and the noise of his cane make my heart, mind and breathing stop. A tear slides down my cheek, but I barely notice it. The footsteps stop, making another tear stream down my cheek. I squeeze my eyes closed, gripping my necklace and silently praying to Peter. When I open my eyes, I automatically scream. My screams are cut off by a wave of the short man's hand. I slump to the floor. I'm paralyzed - both body and mind.

The man chuckles. "And that was much easier than I thought. So it appears the rumors are true. Oh, yes, just wait until we tell the others about you, dearie." Another man appears and lifts my body from the floor, draping me over his shoulder and following the shorter man out.

Peter, where are you?!

****

"Pan, relax, she's fine," Felix insists for the millionth time. "She just needs space, that's all."

"But how much space?" he demands worriedly. "And for how long?"

"Well with Kasey, there's no telling," he says. "It could be a couple of hours, or it could be a couple of days."

"I'm just so paranoid," he confesses, running his hand through his hair. "I took the cloaking spell off her necklace. Now anyone can see her, which means anyone can find her and hurt her."

"So you can just secretly check up on her every few hours," Felix suggested. "She would never know. You'd be in and out in less than three seconds."

"I know, it's just...." Peter sighs and sits down. "I just have this really bad feeling." It's quiet for a moment, then Peter stands up again. "I'm going to go check on her."

"Pan, it's literally been like ten minutes. What could have possibly happened already?"