The Third Star

Chapter 10: A Happy Thought

In the past...

Tiger Lily had to run.  She had to run or he would find her.

 Her feet pounded the earth as she flew through the trees like a frightened deer.  The blood flushed rapidly through her veins, and her skin radiated animalistic heat.  Over the buried boulders, around the sturdy trunks, ducking under half fallen trees.  Years of racing her childhood friends through this very same mossy emerald maze had nearly perfected her natural agility and sure-footed strides, and she cleanly bypassed any obstacle as she rocketed away from the treehouse.  She ran until she could no longer hear his pursuit, until there was no sound except the buzz of the branches narrowly missing her ears.

 Finally she slowed to a stop, searching the trees intently.  Her heart thudded heavily, her breaths quick and silent.  The woods were quiet and motionless, except for the occasional shriek from the birds hidden among the forest canopy.  She cautiously peered back in the direction she had come from.  As far as she could see, she was utterly alone; yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.

 "You're making this too easy, you know."

 Tiger Lily whirled around. "Peter! How did you find me so quickly?"

 Peter was lounging on a tree branch, his feet dangling nearly ten feet off the ground.  He rolled his eyes. "Magic, of course," he said, dropping gracefully to the ground.  To prove his point, he waved his hand, and a small cloud of green smoke curled around it.  When the smoke cleared, a small, beautiful lily flower rested in his palm.

 "For you, my lady," he said dramatically, sweeping an elegant bow and extending the flower to her.

 Tiger Lily smiled and plucked the flower from his fingers, tucking it into her dark hair.  "Thank you, kind sir."

 Peter grinned and straightened up.  "Now, we could play again, but winning gets exhausting, you see."

 Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, it does, does it?"

He nodded, his face serious.  "Not that you would know, of course."

 "Was that a challenge?" her eyes widened.

 Peter winked. "It is if you want it to be."

 "How about I find you this time?" she suggested, crossing her arms.  As much as she hated to admit it, he was right.  She was tired of losing their little cat and mouse game.

 "That's not fair.  You would never find me."

 "And why's that?"

 "Lily, how many times must we go over this? Magic," he sighed impatiently, as if that explained everything.

 "Don't use magic. Simple."

 He looked at her sideways.  "That's not how it works. I can't just turn it off."

 "Fine,” Tiger Lily said evenly.  “Then teach me."

 "What?"

 "Teach me, Peter," she said, suddenly serious.  "Teach me how to do magic, like you do."

 Peter started to laugh, but his smile faded when he sensed that she was no longer teasing.  He shook his head in disbelief.  “Please tell me this is a joke.”