Greatest challenge/Peter Pan (Completed)

Chapter 9: Hooked

"You want to what?" Zeke asked. 

"Find this Hook, which if you maybe have forgotten, is also a villain?" Penelope questioned.

I shrugged. "Look, Peter Pan has it out for me, especially considering I still owe him a fight."

"You don't owe him anything," Quinton said. "What, you can't face down Peter Pan so you go after the second best option?"

I shook my head. "Look, we need to find this pixie dust, we need to get more than we have, or we won't have a way home...the pixie dust is our means home, and sure, there is enough in the bag for maybe two of us...but Peter Pan, is going to sabotage any attempts to retrieve any more until he has his fight."

Zeke looked at Quinton, and Quinton's shoulders slumped. "She's right. It was a deal struck...and what he wants..."

"He gets," I said. 

"We can't split up though," Quinton said. "After what happened..."

"No, not all of us, just me," I said.

"No," Quinton ordered.

"Quinton, you need to stick to the rest of the group. I may owe Peter Pan a fight, but that isn't the death sentence that is hanging over your neck," I said. "You've started to understand how the Lost Boys work, maybe with Peter Pan distracted at what I'm doing..."

"He won't be focusing on us retrieving the dust," Zeke added. "Makes sense."

I grabbed another bag that was provided for me. "Can you handle a crossbow?" Nova asked as she handed the weapon. 

"Pretty much," I said. I took it gratefully.

"I'm going with you," Quinton insisted.

"No," I said. "I'm still somewhat expendable, but you guys need to make it out." 

Quinton wanted to protest, but I motioned subtly towards Zeke. "We agreed to have each other's backs," I said. "Maybe, in some way, you can have mine, even if you're not with me." I rubbed my neck as if there was an itch, and Quinton's eyes widened. It was up to him to get the killer switch. I had much more important things to focus on.

"Be careful,"

I nodded and started walking. I made sure the crossbow was armed, and Penelope had given me a quiver that I could strap along my belt. I was walking for another two hours, and all I could hear was the leaves rustling, the birds singing in choirs and the ocean crashing against the sand. 

"Interesting tactic, leaving them behind," 

I kept on walking, ignoring Peter Pan. If he wanted to attack me, I'd stab him with an arrow. After all, he just catches the stupid stuff if I shoot it at him. 

"Don't you ever give up?" I asked him and stopped. I took a step back, startled. He was very close.

"I only stop, when I win," Peter Pan said. 

I shook my head. "Don't you see? You already have, every time, every life you take! All we wanted is some pixie dust which grows on trees!" I throw my hands up, exasperated. "Instead, you throw me into a cage, killed Maddox, nearly had Quinton die, and threaten to keep me locked up for eternity. You may have helped with finding the Pixie dust and the truth about my neck, but other than that? You've made my life a living hell!"

"I did not refer to be careful of your teammates because of the thing in your neck...which is, by the way, an interesting thing to know," Peter Pan chuckled. "You truly have no idea what pixie dust does...do you?"