VOLATILE (I) : peter pan ouat

When Being Ready Happened

When Being Ready Happened

"You went through a nasty shock, didn't you?" The words reach my ears.

Pan is in front of me. I'm in my tent, in my hammock. Harry left just a while ago, leaving me with a bucket of water and new clothing.

I clean myself and changed, but kept my hat. Even this cloak is new, and it's nice and soft. He must have given it to me from his personal pile. It even has a pocket on the inside for keeping my dagger, which I'm always thankful for.

"Not as nasty as Johnny." I say, standing up. "That's what happened, right? He went through shock?"

He nods. "Apparently the boy can't even handle simple cuts. Not the bravest of the bunch."

I shrug. Johnny seems pretty brave to me, but he can't even handle simple injuries.

"You did well." He tells me.

I scoff. "I went into shock too."

He shakes his head. "Being shocked and being in shock are different things Charlie. You of all boys should know that."

"I could've done more." I say. "I would've still been there."

"You think Johnny needed you?" Pan asks. "The friend who hit you?"

Johnny may be many things, and after watching what I thought was his death, I've decided I don't need to add an enemy to the list. Something about our mortality makes me more forgiving of his mistakes. I don't know what I'd do if he was gone.

He still shouldn't have hit me, but I also shouldn't have hit him. Does it always feel this awful to admit I'm wrong? It's not something I do often, and whenever I do it, it leaves a pit in my stomach.

"Johnny's not a problem." I say.

He chuckles. "I'm nothing if not fair. Remember I warned you about him."

I won't forget it.

"I know something you don't." He adds.

"Which is?" I ask.

He smiles. "Something."

Does he know I'm a girl? Oh no.

"You give me a hint and I'll guess." I grin. "It's a game."

A smile flashes from cheek to cheek.

"You are ready."

With that he disappears. I roll my eyes, getting back into the hammock. It's already dark outside, and soon enough I'll fall asleep.

Day: 19

It's late but everyone is waking up around me. I hear whispers in my tent and chanting outside. There is no way the sun has begun to touch the horizon, yet outside my tent there is a soft glow.

I walk out, and more and more people follow suit, trailing along behind me. The other tents are emptying out. Eventually, all 35 of us standing together in the clearing. There are no tables today. No food, no fire pit, just the tents surrounding the clearing.

The only thing here are the flames that dance off the torches. The fire lines the clearing, its soft hum of light casting more shadows across the other boys' features than doing any good.

The small amount of light only emphasizes how dark it is.

It's not often we all gather in one place. It's very uncommon in fact, normally we are scattered about across the island. I scan across the crowd. Everyone is here. Devin, Alex, Harry, Jared, Robert and James, all standing outside the tent I'm assuming they all share. Keaton, Samuel and Gregory stand together across the crowd, their arms crossed in stoic silence. Max clings next to me, with Lyle and Thomas next to him. I even spot Wilbur and Caleb poking their heads out of the med tent, which has become their residence. I wasn't even aware Caleb was out of his coma, or that Wilbur had regained his sanity.

It's odd how I know so few boys here, and so few about the boys here. Everything happens without me, and it makes me realise how small I really am in this whole system.

Pan is up high, as always. He's standing on a bench, with Felix next to him, peering down over us.

"Our numbers are the biggest they've ever been." Pan smiles down. "We are at full force."

Boys begin cheering around me.

"I thought we might celebrate, with a game." He grins. "Hide-and-Go-Seek. Familiar?"

Cheering and whooping erupts all around me.

"Only this time, things are a little different." Everyone is silent while he talks. "It's three full days long, which means tomorrow night and the next night, and the boundaries are the shores."

No one cheers this time.

Three days alone in the woods? All I can think about is the tiger that lurks about.

Pan's grin is evil.

"That seems to be all hide," Dominique begins, "and not much seek."

He's a conspirator.

"For those of you who aren't inclined to spend three nights out alone in the woods, you can kill a boy. Bring his thumb back to camp, and you get to spend the next few day safe in your hammock, eating feasts and having bonfires." He smiles. "Did you really think you were hiding from the animals?"

No one talks still.

Murder?

"I take it no one has any more questions?" He asks.

I have so many questions, but as they try to fit themselves out my throat they get stuck and jumbled together. I feel like I'm choking on my own thoughts.

No one else asks a question either.

He kneels, looking over across the ground. His eyes find mine.

"Go." He nearly whispers.

Everyone is bustling around me, knocking me back and forth, and scrambling left and right.

He stands up and grins, shooting his fist up in the air. He chuckles before his eyes find mine again. I hear his voice laugh, but as he speaks it feels like a whisper in my ear.

"The Game is on."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok, so I know I said Monday, but I got so much positive feedback over the last chapter that I just had to post again. Sue me.

Anyway, so that's the Game. This is the final chapter before season 1A's finale, a three-part installment. I'm going to have a preview for it up Monday, then I'll update the installments of the Game on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

If you have any questions, or don't quite get what's happening, let me know and I'll clarify.

If not, stay positive and I'll see you Monday.