The First Lost Girl

Chapter Eleven: Princess

Rufio's P.O.V.
I can hardly believe that I got that shot! And I beat Devin! That disgusting, little, tramp. How dare he even mention betting on something like that? I'm glad he'll be a whole mile away from me tonight, I hope he enjoys the company of the night owls.
I could barely wipe the grin off of my face for the rest of the game. Beau and Tootles were up next. Tootles was close to Beau's age it looked like. He was maybe eight or nine. He had short brown hair and beautiful blue eyes that I was taken aback by even from where I stood at their strikingly shining glow. Tootles won. I couldn't tell what it was that he had won but I'm pretty sure it was some sort of utensil. Tootles a weapon. But probably just a trinket. I'll ask him later.
Peter went last. Or maybe it was Pan. He told me that his name was Peter Pan so I thought it was Peter. But everyone calls him Pan. Maybe it was some sort of way to show his authority, calling him by his last name. Anyway, he challenged Felix.
Beau sat down next to me.
"Felix is the first person to ever beat Pan at this game." He explained.
"Is he that good? Pan?"
He nodded and continued with his story.
"Pan had gone first, using a cross bow, his favorite by the way. He struck dead center, like what you just did."
I felt my cheeks go warm, I'm still not used to being recognized for an accomplishment.
"Felix used a regular bow. He got dead center."
My eyes went wide. They both got center, how did that work?
"Then-"
"He split Pan's arrow in half."
"Wow." I whispered as I watched them both talking to each other while picking out weapons.
"So now they compete, two out of three."
"What did they bet on?" I asked Nibs, who was crouched behind me.
"They don't bet with each other, winning is enough satisfaction apparently." He said chuckling.
I turned back around and watched the rest of the competition, but my thoughts drifted away from the current game.
I wondered what it would be like to live here for the rest of my life. Where I didn't have to work from sun up to sun down. Where I could have fun, playing games. To be honest I've never really played. I've watched other children play before, but...I've never had the chance.
Before I knew it the boys had started whooping and clapping. I looked up. Pan had won, but they were both grinning. They shook hands and put their weapons away.
"For the next game, we'll play hide and seek." Pan was saying. The boys were standing up and talking excitedly.
Felix walked over to me.
"You'll probably be competing against me and Pan the way you're shooting."
He said grinning.
"Oh, that was just beginner's luck. I'll never make it up to you guys' level of accuracy."
"Of course you will. You just a have to train. You ever done hand to hand combat?"
"What?"
"I'll take that as a no." He said chuckling.
I started picking at my nails.
"Don't worry, you'll learn. You'll be just as good as the boys if I have anything to do with it."
"Thank you Felix." I said looking up into the tall boy's face. He smirked and turned to Pan, who was currently talking to the boys, explaining rules.
"And for our dear Rufio, the rules of the game: you have the whole island to hide. Stay out of the water though, the mermaids aren't very friendly." He said with a chuckle, the other boys grinned too. I didn't understand the obvious joke, but he continued.
"And boys, you do know the rules. No killing each other alright? And stay off of Dead Man's Peak. I don't want any of you dying on our first game with Rufio." He chuckled again. "Now, we'll break up into two teams. Hiders and Seekers."
The boys went quickly into their groups, Felix pulled me into his, a great relief to me. I was sure the other boys would leave me in the middle of the jungle. I had no idea what it was like out there and was sure to get lost. But I think Felix will stay with me, after all he has been very kind. Sure enough, after Pan sent us Hiders off we all dashed off together but once we were farther away from camp we separated.
"Stick with me." Felix said grabbing my hand and keeping me in tow. "I've got a good place to hide."
Again I was trotting to keep up with him as he went along with his long strided walk. He let go of my hand to push away some vines. "What's Dead Man's Peak?" I asked him, keeping my voice low so as to not attract any of the seekers in our direction.
"It's the top of one of the mountains here in Neverland where there's a big patch of DreamShade, a deadly poison."
"Oh. I see." I was quiet afterwards, just following him along as we walked through the thick brush of the jungle.
"You need to get to know the island more if you're gonna be staying here you know."
I looked up at him.
"You seem so sure that I can make it through the week."
"You seem to have potential. And all the Lost Boys do. There's no difference between you and them, we'll, except the obvious that is." He said smirking.
I couldn't help but blush.
"Pan doesn't like girls. I don't know why, but he doesn't. Even so, that doesn't mean that there's any difference in potential. You can make it as easily as the rest of the boys did."
I grinned, now happy that I actually had someone that believed in me.
"Thank you Felix. You've been so kind to me."
He turned and smiled, I couldn't help but smile too. He turned back around and continued walking.
"We should be almost there. Yep. We're here."
"What is it?" I asked peeking out from behind him. He chuckled and pointed upwards with his mace type weapon.
"A tree. But it's the best disguised with all of the moss and vines, that and the lost boys usually don't come this far, too lazy I guess." He said smirking.
I smiled and walked up to the big base of the tree, recalling that the hike here had been quite a distance. I bit my lip and chewed on it nervously. This tree looked like it would be difficult to climb, not to mention the fact that I've never really climbed a tree. Even the lowest branches were over my head, but Felix didn't seem to have that problem, in fact he was a whole head taller than me, and the branches were to his forehead.
"Here. I'll give you a boost." He said, kneeling and weaving his hands together so he could place them on his leg. I nervously stood on top of his hand and hoisted my self up into a standing position so that I could reach into the branch that was now in front of me and pull myself on. It was like getting on a horse, but just a bit harder, seeing how I didn't really have anything to grip onto. But I was up. The hard part was over and it was nothing but easy sailing from here, I hope.
I climbed to the next branch, which wasn't very hard seeing how it was only a couple feet higher than the last, and Felix climbed up behind me. We continued up the tree until we couldn't climb any farther due to the lack of strength of the branches now above us.
We sat parallel from each other, he on my left and I on his right. I dangled my legs over the side and he propped his leg up on the branch and allowed the other one to dangle off.
"Is this what you do in Neverland? Play games?" I asked him with a smile. He chuckled.
"Well it isn't all play around here. We do have to get food, and keep the camp in shape, along with ourselves. We hunt, cook, clean-"
"Clean? I find that hard to believe." I said sarcastically as I slung my legs up onto the branch and leaned back against the tree trunk, adding a bit of sassyness by crossing my arms and raising my chin. He chuckled more.
"Well, well, well, is our boys' camp not good enough for the princess?"
I looked over at him with wide eyes.
"No! No, it's just, I mean, a boys camp isn't too much for me, I mean it's not too messy, I mean-"
I was cut short by Felix's outburst of laughter. I felt my face burning with embarrassment. He had just been messing with me and I overreacted. I thought he had thought that I meant that the camp was too much for me to handle, and then he would tell Pan, and that would just give him another reason to send me back and....wow, that was a mouth full.
I scowled at Felix's little idea of humor, crossed my arms, and looked away.
"Aww, c'mon princess, I didn't mean to hurt you feelings. I was just messing."
I didn't answer. How could he even think of making such a joke? Have I not proved how much I fear going back to where I came from?
"Princess?" He asked again.
I looked back at him.
"I didn't mea-" He started but I interrupted.
"Princess?"
He stopped, smirking and leaning back against the tree again since he had sat forward while I was ignoring him.
"Oh. I thought it was kind of a catchy title, and it fits you perfectly."
"Why's that?" I asked curiously. I've never had someone call me princess before, or say that the title suited me.
"Well, you're a pretty girl, you seem like you can take charge of people, and you're pretty smart. That's what I think anyways."
"Oh, I guess."
He smirked and folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. I smiled and started combing my hair with my fingers.
"Princess." I whispered, smiling at the word. It did have a nice sound to it.