A Twist of Fate

Chapter Three

Henry lay fast asleep under a tree. Peter Pan walked over to him and stared at him for a bit. This was what he had been after for so long. Now, it was right in front of him. He suddenly made a strange noise as if attempting to imitate a roster. Henry opened his eyes, startled.

"Catch," Pan said tossing him an apple. Henry simply stared at it.

"I don't like apples," he said. Pan scoffed.

"Who doesn't like apples?" he said.

"I don't," Amanda, who had returned to wearing the outfit you first met her in, called from a few yards away.

"It's a family thing," Henry claimed, ignoring the fairy.

"Well, don't worry," Pan said with a chuckle. He bent his knees so he was face to face with Henry. "They're not for eating. It's for a kind of game. A really fun game." He held up a crossbow. "I call it target practice."

Pan stood up and dipped the arrow into a container filled with dreamshade.

"What's that?" Henry asked.

"Dreamshade," Pan said. "It's a nasty poison. We have a story here of a man who once shot an apple off his son's head with an arrow. Let's find out if it's possible."

"Felix," you whispered, "Pan is going to have Amanda put the apple on her head. Volunteer to do it instead." He nodded.

"If you're shooting at the apple, what's the poison for?" Henry asked.

"Motivation not to miss," Pan said. "Alright Miss I don't like apples, get over here." Amanda stood up.

"Wait! I-I'll do it," Felix said.

"Alright then, Felix," Pan said. "As long as someone does it."

"Way to ruin a girl's fun," Amanda said sitting back down. She looked genuinely annoyed. You cringed, regretting having Felix do what he did.

"I-is Felix good? Is his aim good?" Henry questioned.

"Doesn't matter," Pan said handing him the crossbow. "You're the one doing the shooting."

"But I-I don't wanna shoot," Henry said. Felix took the apple and backed up, then placed it on his head.

"Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" you started chanting. The other boys and Amanda joined in. Henry aimed the bow at Felix, but at the last minute, turned to Pan and shot at him. Pan caught the arrow before it could hit him. Everyone cheered.

~Later~

Pan was about to make his way over to Henry when a Lost Boy stopped him and whispered something to him. He sighed in annoyance, knowing it would interfere with his plan. He spotted Amanda returning from a walk and got an idea.

"Amanda, I need you to take my place in the first phase of convincing Henry he's saving magic," Pan said to her.

"Yes, sir," she said. She started toward Henry.

"You don't have to call me sir," he said. Amanda turned around and shrugged, then continued toward Henry. You noticed Amanda going near Henry and decided to casually stand near them to listen in.

"Hey, Henry," Amanda said taking a seat next to him. She looked at the boys. "Look at all the fun they're having. The thing about this place is that no one ever tells you 'no'. You can do whatever you want."

"They never hurt themselves?" Henry asked. Amanda gave him a small chuckle. It wasn't like her normal laugh at all. It mimicked Peter Pan's.

"All the time," she said. "At one point, Peter had four boys with missing fingers. Cost of the game. They didn't mind."