The First Lost Boy (Wattys 2017) ON HOLD

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The next morning Gwen woke hours after the sun had already rose. The sound of voices drifting to her ears from far outside the hut stirred her awake and her eyes fluttered open to stare up at the roof above her. Her hazel eyes blinked several times to clear her blurry vision before she rolled on her side, settling her eyes on the floor where she had expected to find Harry lying where he always was. He wasn't though, and instead she saw a blanket of leaves thrown carelessly there. She frowned, slowly getting up and stretching her stiff limbs out. She didn't think she could feel any worse than she had yesterday when Harry practically dismissed her but then she saw the bowl of coconut butter sitting on the table beside her. She knew Harry must have left it there for her use before he took off and the fact he hadn't bothered to give it to her himself made her stomach sink even more. He's avoiding me, she suspected.

Begrudgingly she took the bowl in her hands and stood up from the makeshift bed, brushing her gown until it fell back down to her ankles. She patted her tangled hair down, knowing there was not much else for her to do until she bathed before she walked out the door of the hut. Her feet met the dirt and she looked around the camp, seeing a few lost boys walking by but they were in too deep conversation to notice her. Deciding she would go wash up now, she turned in the direction where she memorized where the lake was. She only took maybe about five steps before she felt a hand on her shoulder and she stopped, expecting to find Harry considering he was the only one besides Tristan who acknowledged her. But her eyes widened in surprise when instead of the green eyes she was expecting, she was met with Peter's blue ones.

"Gwenevieve," he nodded in greeting and let his hand on her shoulder drop to his side. "Harry told me to show you to your hut."

"Right now?" She asked in surprise. He had barely told her yesterday that he'd have her hit ready for her soon but she didn't expect him to literally be done with it this quickly. He must really want me out of his way, she thought sadly.

"Yes. He told me to take you to it the moment you were up."

"Oh," she glanced in the direction the lake was in and sighed. Her bath would have to wait. "Okay."

Peter said nothing else as he jerked his head for her to follow him before turning on his heel and walking off in the opposite direction. Gwen followed him, still holding the bowl in her hands as they passed about five huts down from Harry's. Once they reached the fifth one, Peter moved across the way and walked to the front of another hut that was not as close to the other huts. It was off to the side a little, more private and secluded compared to the rest. There was a door similar to the one on Harry's hut and Peter pushed it open once they reached it, gesturing inside for Gwen to take a look.

"It's not much but it's better than the rest of ours." Peter said a little bitterly. Gwen tentatively stepped through and though it was a little smaller than Harry's they setup looked almost identical to his. He even managed to leave a bowl on the table near the makeshift bed with cut up pieces of bark and wood for her to light during the night when she needed it. Gwen walked around the small room and took a look at the bed, her lip tugging up slightly when she saw the large rock beneath the mattress that was made out of bamboo and leaves. She had her own blanket as well.

"There's a latch on the door," Peter said and Gwen looked over to see him pointing to it. A small hook made out of wood connected to a thick band of bamboo string. Peter picked it up and showed her how to latch it, by connecting the hook to something that looked like once was a nail but was now stoned into a circular shape with the pointed end sunk into the opposite wall. "It is not that sturdy but it will give warning to anyone from coming in if you're dressing." Peter pursed his lips, unsure if he should share what he was going to say but he said it anyways. "It was my idea."