Pan's Tiger

Chapter 35: Henry

'What are you doing?' I squealed, peering cautiously at Henry who was grabbing our hands and dragging us backwards before the edge of the forest.

'Getting a running start.' Henry answered, keeping his eyes fixated in front of him in determination.

'For what?' Pan asked, looking stressed.

'Everyone knows pixie dust is for flying.' He replied, sending me a small, warm smile. It was meant to be encouraging, but I had very little faith in his ability to fly and hated heights, particularly when my life was in the hands of someone else.

'Don't you remember? It doesn't work.' Pan says desperately.

'That's because you have to believe.' Henry said urgently, readying himself to run and then leap. I gripped onto Peter's hand, shutting my eyes tightly in fear. Knowing I hated flying without knowing I was even a little bit secure, Pan squeezed my hands encouragingly.

'I definitely do not.' Pan insisted.

'That's ok, because I do!' Henry exclaimed and ran forwards, leaping from the cliff edge, sprinkling the pixie dust as he soared through the air. I screamed, my knuckles turning white as I tightly grabbed onto Pan's hand and letting them lead me across the skies of Neverland.

Suddenly my feet collided with the ground and I stumbled to catch my footing. 'See, if you believe you can do anything, you can.' Henry smiled.

'You couldn't be more right, Henry.' Pan grinned and that was my cue. I turned away from them and knocked twice on a nearby tree, alerting the Lost Boys that we had found him and to await for Pan's further instruction.

Henry suddenly took a cautious step backwards, eyeing him suspiciously. 'I never told you my name... How did you know my name?'

'Let's make it a game, a puzzle to solve,' I murmured darkly and I glanced at Pan morosely, trying to show him that I was on their side and being just as obnoxious as he was.

'You lied to me...' Henry said softly, then the penny dropped and he exclaimed, looking at Peter, 'You're a Lost Boy! You work for Pan!'

'Not exactly,' Pan said and took a step forwards, walking around and stopping directly in front of Henry. 'I am Peter Pan.'

Henry took a few steps back, looking up at Pan, who was close to laughing maliciously in complete delight, terrified. 'But you told Greg and Tamara magic was bad, that you would help to destroy it, why?'

'Because we needed their help,' I shrugged, then turned to Pan who briefly glowered at my interference. His attention turned back to Henry, who didn't look less puzzled or terrified. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

'It's a lot easier to get people to hate something, than to believe.' Pan continued, scowling at Henry as he stood beside me, smirking down at Henry in triumph of the successful kidnapping.

'Why did you bring me here?' Henry asked curiously, his eyes wide with fear and confusion.

I looked sympathetically at Henry, before I spoke in turn for Pan, who was walking around the clearing confidently, 'For a long time we have sought something extremely important, Henry.'

'Something more allusive than the greatest of mysteries.' I added.

'What?' Henry asked, beginning to feel impatient with Pan.

'The Heart of the Truest Believer.' Pan finished, turning to smile at me and slipping his hand deep into my own. He looked very pleased with himself, but in reality it had been me who tracked Henry and not him. It made me feel even more guilty that Henry was away from his family and friends.

'And when you took that pixie dust, Henry, and jumped off that cliff, you proved yourself,' Pan said as he knocked on a tree stump three times.

'You are the lucky owner of that very special heart,' I explained for Henry, smiling down at him as reassuringly as possible when the person beside you looks so malicious and evil. Pan's smile was demonic.

'And now you, and it, belong to me,' Pan finished, smirking down in triumph, still delighted that he had succeeded.

We unsheathed our daggers simultaneously and I twirled mine confidently in my palm, allowing myself to feel the shape of the blade in the palm of my hand.

I twirled the dagger fastidiously in my hands, admiring the native's craft work, since it had been mine before I left and was recovered by the Lost Boys from the wreckage. It was of an excellent design, the wood carved perfectly to resemble a mermaid. Every detail lay scratched onto the surface, torn through the perfect, polished wood and slicing deep into the groves of her body. Every stand of hair was carved and every scale on her tail was exacting.

I weighed the dagger up in my hand, creating both a feel of its weight and size, but also creating the illusion that I knew what I was doing. Honestly, I knew very little about weaponry, let alone how to use it properly.

'Come on boys!' Pan screamed, raising his dagger in the air and smiling darkly down at Henry.

The Lost Boys, led by Felix, moved calmly and swiftly through the forest, having been waiting there for us and converging after Pan's signal. They surrounded Henry easily and the poor boy walked in a circle, his eyes wide with terror, looking at the Lost Boys in amazement and fear. I couldn't believe what I had done.

Just as the boys had encircled and held back Henry, Pan and I moved forward, tightly gripping our weapons and Pan lowered his voice, his demonic smile deepening, 'Let's play.'