𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐀, peter pan

Chapter Twelve

Her fingers, and wrists bruised, she felt some parts around her torso and legs growing bruises as each time she's been hit by a wooden sword. Practice fighting with Tootles was long but not painful, Mara only wanted the training to be done already. Throughout the training, she'd hear soft and quiet laughs from the boys around the training grounds, watching how much of a sloppy and terrible fighter she was.

"Stop" James called, Tootles had raised his wooden sword as Mara prepared to defend herself but both halted. Both heads turned to Pan's left-hand boy, "Take a break"

Mara was relieved that she heaved a sigh, she sat down on a steep hill and tossed the wooden sword away. She hated training but maybe it was better to train than to do whatever else they do around here. James brought her a canteen of water, she took it but didn't drink right away. She massaged her fingers and wrists and two of her fingernails were bleeding.

"What happened there?" James sat down beside, meeting his gaze but he was glancing at her hands.

"Well, I just fought Tootles so--" she shrugged.

"No, the scar on your hand, it looks recent"

Mara looked at the back of her hand, a barely-healed scar long from her wrist to the middle of her hand. "I was practice sword fighting with Killian about couple weeks ago, he cut me on accident" she finally drank the water from the canteen.

"How did you wind up on Captain Hook's ship anyway?" James was curious.

"I needed a ride" she replied simply, she pour a bit of the water on her bloodied nails then rubbed off the dried blood. "Killian kindly offered me a spot on his ship and to repay the spot, I'd clean up his ship"

"And where were you off to?"

"See the world" she didn't sound sad but she felt it anyway because of how disappointing it was when her adventure was cut short. Out of all places in the sea, she ended up in a place where no child grows.

"The world is too big, seemingly impossible to see it all" the boy muttered.

Mara said nothing to that, instead she was curious about him, "How did you wind up here in Neverland?"

James didn't respond right away, "Kinda like you wind up here. Few years ago, I was in a ship that was run by Captain Black Beard, vile pirate he was. We came here, he came here for something, a poison called Dream Shade, nasty stuff-- then he met Peter Pan, somehow Black Beard seemed to knew of him already. He needed the Magic Bean, so he sold me for it since Pan collects the boys who are Lost and here I am"

She wondered if he ever hated this place as much as she does at the moment, "Were you glad?"

"Honestly, I didn't like the sound of this place in the beginning but I got used to it, better than out there where I'll be alone for the rest of my life"

"And better by living out here forever and ever as you never grow old?"

"Who wouldn't think it's better?" he looked at her with his brows furrowed.

She wanted to say something, something that could possibly be offensive to him, bash about Neverland to him but instead, she said nothing and looked away.

"Anyway, continue"

"Who're you to order a girl to do something?" she didn't say it too harshly.

"Just doing what Pan ordered me to do, watch over you and guide you, whatsoever" he shrugged.

Mara sighed, stood up, and picked up her wooden sword as James called Tootles to continue.

Tootles wasn't that terrible as she was, the shy boy kept stumbling, not always, just sometime during the practice, almost tripped on his own feet or barely kept his balance and such. Tootles was a bit clumsy, Mara can see why James chose Tootles to practice fighting with her. She only hit him half a dozen times before James informed them to take another break. The other boy in charge was Pan's right-hand boy, Felix, who was watching over the other half of the boys and at the same time, practice shooting with a crossbow. James, however, Mara had never seen him fighting or practice with any weapon despite carrying a wooden staff.