Lost Girl || Complete

Chapter 5: Glen

    "What was that?" 

    "What was what?" 

    "The shadow," I persisted, grabbing his arm. Felix turned around annoyedly, but I continued, "It turned the tide of the battle back there. You know what it was; tell me." 

    He just flashed a know-it-all grin back and answered, "Haven't you ever heard of Peter Pan's shadow?" 

    I took a step back in disbelief. "Wait!" I called, but he was already marching ahead. 

    No way am I letting him get away that easily. 

    This time I ran and stepped directly in front of him. "So was Pan there?" 

    "Look, girl, if you don't get out of the way," he revoked gruffly, "I'll cut you down myself like you're no more than another sleazy pirate." 

    I cowered down at his threat, half-believing he'd actually fill it out. Thankfully, an opposing voice came to my rescue. 

    "Felix," Pan called, "now is that how we treat the captives we've just saved?" 

    The commander, never breaking forceful eye contact, backed down in submission to Pan's command. 

    Appearing from behind a cluster of trees to the right, the brown-haired boy slid casually into conversation as though he'd only left the room for a few minutes. "No, Leona," he continued, "my shadow did the dirty work this time. But we needn’t tell the pirates that, now do we?" He threw his hands in the air. "Now I know, I know what you're going to say - yes, it does sound a bit crazy - but it's entirely true." 

    I was still confused. "So… so were you there too?" 

    "You have heard, haven't you?" he inquired, glancing around at the boys behind him. "Oh, I suppose I forgot to mention," he said as they snickered, "my shadow isn't like most; we can be in two different places at once." 

    I knew he was waiting for a comeback, but I couldn't even muster up anything creative. "How is that possible?" 

    "The thing you'll learn about Neverland," he said, stepping closer, "is that anything's possible… if you believe. My shadow is a separate entity. All of ours are, in fact; mine's just detached from me and does my bidding. But you needn't worry yourself with that right now." Turning to Felix, he asked, "How did we do against the scallywags today?" 

    "Pirates to boys, four to one," Felix proudly reported. "We left them begging for mercy." 

    “Ay, boys!” Pan punched the air triumphantly and held up his fist. "Once again the Lost Boys dominated Hook and his crew in a grand show of who’re really the victors of Neverland!" 

    Whoops and Indian shouts rang out as the band jumped in victory. It was all like some mad game - each insignificant battle a determination of who'd control what hung in the balance.

    Pan lowered his fist and smiled proudly at the scene. His boys had won the power to tip that balance whichever way they wished. 

   His face grew solemn, however, as he turned to me. "You…" he stepped closer, lowering his voice so the others couldn't hear. "Stay clear of those pirates. They may just be smuggling rats, but you don't know what they're capable of; you were lucky to get out alive. This is one crossfire you don't want to be caught in again." 

    A nod was apparently the only response he needed. He pumped the air and shouted above the glorious chaos, "Back to camp, boys! Those sea dogs have seen the last of Peter Pan's crew today." 

    Looking back on the incident later, I mulled over why the Lost Boys saved me without question. Pan hadn't even acknowledged it, and he never did henceforth. 

    Talk about a reality check - literally. As though it weren't crazy enough, Captain Hook was in the mix now. If what Pan said was true - that I had to believe before I could even think about going home - I might be in for a longer stay than I'd imagined. 

    And the pirate? I wasn't sure what to make of him. He certainly knew the island; there was no question there (nor that he and Pan were long enemies). If anyone had answers for how to get off the island, he did. But I wasn't about to ask Hook for answers - not yet, anyway. 

    Something he said did catch my attention, however; "There's been talk among the trees and shore-folk..." Who was he referring to? The only people I'd ever seen in this forsaken land were the Lost Boys and now pirates. But there must be others. They were my way off. 

    The sound of crackling leaves pulled me out of my thoughts. Looking over, I spotted one of the boys creeping after a pheasant (or something of the sort), too focused to notice me.

    Hm… I slowly reached for the knife in my pocket (I'd, uh, taken the liberty of borrowing small items from the boys' stash - this one after my run-in with the pirates). As silent as he, I raised my arm to hurl it through the air… 

    Thud! 

    The boy's arrow hit the bird before I could even try. Attempting to make my position not look suspicious, I shoved the knife back in my pocket and looked as though I hadn’t noticed his presence for long. The cloaked boy picked up his prize by the arrow in its chest and glanced about. 

    "Nice shot." 

    He whipped around, finally giving me a glimpse of his face. 

    Oh no... it's him...

    Immediately recognizing me, the smug, red-headed boy from yesterday pulled back the hood and revealed both a confused and humored smile. "It's you." 

    "Yeah," I chuckled uncomfortably. I motioned to the bird hanging at his side. "Where you taking that guy?" 

    "First, it's a female," he stated, rolling his eyes. "Second, I'm takin' her back to camp; Pan always gives a reward to the boys who bring back game for the day" 

    "And what's the reward?" 

    "First in line at dinner," he replied eagerly.

    I didn't question it. Instead I decided to change the subject and gear towards something else. "Hey, you're one of Pan's scouts, right?" 

    He looked back at me as though trying to figure out what I was getting at. "Yeah, so?" 

    "So you must know what the deal is with his shadow. Is it true?" 

    A mischievous look flickered across his eyes as he replied, "Oh yes, miss, every word. I've seen it -" -he waved his hands in emphasis- "- with my own two eyes." 

    He chuckled to himself and kept walking, apparently content with no more closure than that. I, however, was not. 

    "Don’t you ever wonder what he does with that thing? If it really were true, what’s to stop him from calling it on you?” 

    He looked at me with disgust. “They were right; you really do stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.” 

    “Who gave you boys such a blatant dose of undying loyalty?!” I exploded. 

    “You should know better than to question Pan’s motives!” he exclaimed, red with anger. “I know you’re new here and you’re special for whatever reason, but don’t think for a second you carry any weight; you’d be tossed to the pirates like week-old rum if they ever heard you back-talking Pan like that.” 

    Unbelievable. 

    He finally marched off. I just stood there trying to figure out how a teenage boy, not much older than any of the others, had gained such unwavering loyalty and trust from these independent boys. 

    Much to my surprise, the scout stopped just before rounding the corner. He looked back at my confused gaze with an expression I couldn’t quite understand and said four shocking words. “Glen. My name’s Glen.” 

    With that, he was off.