Emerald

Chapter 4: Camp

Lea's Perspective:

I followed the boys as they hesitantly made their way through the forest. Lagging behind just a bit I stayed hidden in the trees. When I looked up to the night sky I was met with the sight as well as scent of smoke. It filled the air around me, making me feel as though I was on another camping trip with my father. At this moment I knew we had to be close. I could smell the fire along with a burnt smell of some sort of meat. My stomach growled at the smell, even though it smelled like burnt charcoal, due to the fact that I hadn't eaten in hours. Nearby I could hear the voices of boys yelling and laughing. However, it was strange...It sounded like a lot more than only eight boys...It was now that Felix and Hunter had really slowed down their pace. I had now noticed the large gate-like opening of their camp. Though after they walked through said opening, I was no longer able to see anything beside the trees around me. The current tree I stood in was quite tall and sturdy. Instead of trying to get closer I decided I needed to climb up to get a better view of what was going on. I carefully grabbed onto a thick branch, and then another, pulling my weight up the tree. I kept climbing until I could finally see into this camp of theirs. The first thing my eyes were drawn to was a roaring fire at the center of the very large campus. It projected long shadows upon the surrounding area. The flames cast a light that danced across the unlit trunks of the trees, twisting in peculiar shapes. It provided a relatively small radius of light as it illuminated only the faces of the boys. The fire itself was pulsating while the glowing embers moved in rhythm with the flames, matching every twist and turn. It was actually quite mesmerizing to watch. Shades of orange, red, and yellow danced within the flames. Surrounding the fire was a large number of small huts or cabins. However one stuck out among the others. It was larger and seemingly more grand considering they lived out in the middle of a forest. May I just say that this camp was different than what I expected given the details from the description in the fairy tale. The boys here...weren't young like they were in the story. The only exception was a boy outside of the crowd who looked about eight years old. There were most definitely more than eight boys. There were at the very least thirty teenage boys from the ones I could count. I knew that the boys I saw earlier weren't young, but I just assumed they were some of the older boys. The oldest boys I could spot looked around the age of seventeen. I scanned over the camp looking for a sign of which boy could've been Pan, but it was no use. The boys blended in with each other so well that I could even pick out Felix or Hunter anywhere. But my ears perked when I suddenly hear Felix's voice.

"Lost Boys! Meeting around the fire in ten!" Felix called out to everyone.

Almost instantly the boys started piling near the fire after finishing their conversations with each other. I've come to realize that I'm almost sixteen and I feel threatened by these twelves year olds. That really says something about yourself when you fear a toothpick boy that hasn't even finished middle school.

I drew my attention towards the larger hut where a teenage boy around the age of sixteen or seventeen walked out. From what I could see from this far away his eyes were a very deep shade of green and his hair was a light, rich brunette color. From far away he doesn't seem like someone to mess with and I knew I was about to witness hell when he comes to find out Felix's news in the next few minutes. Pan strolled over to the fire and stood front end center waiting for Felix and Hunter. They walked in front of everyone, slightly fidgety and shaky.

Pan authoritatively began;

"Well, well, well, back from your journey? I must say you returned a little later than I would've expected...But that's not a problem...Now where's the new arrival? I've been waiting eagerly to welcome him..."

I could already tell that Pan was playing them. He knew exactly what was going on. He just wanted to feed off of the boys' fear.

Hunter started to speak but began to stutter;