The Huntress

Chapter 34

"Can't catch me!" one taunts as he hovers just out of one of the pirate's reach. 

"Pan!" Hook screeches loudly and I cover my ears to block the noise for a moment. 

I look around as they all quickly forget about me. There are about six boys flying around us taunting, kicking, tripping, and slapping the pirates as they hurry out of their reach. A giggle escapes my lips as I watch it all. Honestly, the men look like little children as they scurry around the ship trying to catch one of the boys, which they have no hope in doing. 

Of course, the guy closest hears the noise and completely forgets the flying boy he was chasing a second ago. I gulp and back up into the side of the ship. Frustrated at being trapped I glare at the man as he takes another step toward me. I let out a growl and try to close the tiny gap between myself and the rail. Of course I trip over the rope sitting in the middle of nowhere and go toppling off the side of the ship. Screaming, I try to reach for the edge but miss and all I can do is shut my eyes and pray that stupid Crocodile doesn't get me.  

Suddenly, I feel someone catch me and we start rising upward.  

"Hold on, there!" a voice says teasingly in my ear. 

My eyes snap open and I come face to face with a boy about seventeen years old. I gasp at how pretty he is. Yes, I said he's pretty....like a young god, he's mesmerizing. Where Archer is rugged, this one is refined. His pale blond hair, bright blue eyes, and porcelain skin look so delicate. I'm almost afraid of breaking him if I move even an inch.  

"Well, hello." he says with a smirk and I hear screaming. 

Looking down I find Captain Hook watching us, his fist tightly clenched and shaking at us. I don't have a clue what he's saying - it's definitely something I wouldn't expect these boys to hear. Oh well...they must have heard it before. Of course, one sentence rings through loud and clear. 

"You'll pay for this one, Peter Pan!" Hook shouts as his fist moves faster in the air above his head. 

"Only in your dreams, Hook!" Peter says with a laugh and I take note he's only trying to goad Hook. "Hang tight pretty girl." 

I wrap my arms tightly around Peter's neck as he takes off. He laughs and keeps going faster. When I finally get used to the speed, he plummets toward the ground and I let out a horrifying scream. Just before we splatter into an oozy puddle on the ground, he lifts up slightly and we fly through the trees before coming out above the treeline.  

I gasp in fear as we take another plummet, following a waterfall and barely missing the bottom again. I squeeze my eyes tight, earning another trickling laugh from the boy carrying me.  

"Now, don't do that! You'll miss the best part." he says and I feel him shake his head as his jaw tickles my ear.  

Cautiously I open my eyes as we fly over toward a cliff. "You want me to watch as you splatter me into the cliff as some sort of weirdo art experiment?" 

He laughs and shakes his head. "Just wait."  

Our course suddenly shifts upward and I tense as we barely miss the edge. I know he's still laughing at me, but I don't care anymore. What I see right now is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. There are valleys of wildflowers and trees that remind me of Robin...just three times as large.  

And in the middle of it all is a large tree with six little boys standing around outside. 

After we land, I step onto the ground with shaky legs.  

"We have something for you to see but first let me introduce you to everyone. There's Slightly, Tootles, Curly, Nibs, and the Twins - Krisp and Keeper. These are the Lost Boys!" Peter says triumphantly spreading his arms wide with pride. 

"And that means?" I ask, looking around at the boys. 

"It means that whenever a boy decides he no longer wants to grow up and gets lost - they are found by a fairy who brings them here to Peter Pan. Usually that fairy is Tink...but there are others as well." Slightly says, pushing his glasses up on his nose. 

I smile at him, knowing he could be a lot like my father if he'd let himself grow up. "How long have you all been here?" 

"About a hundred years." Nibs says. 

My jaw drops and I'm about to stutter some kind of weird nonsense when a door creaks open. "Skye, thank goodness they found you!"

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Yay, Peter Pan to save the day! What did you think? Was he just a tad too daring? And why do you think the Lost Boys have stayed so long?

Vote and comment.

Always yours,

Kera