The First Lost Boy (Wattys 2017) ON HOLD

t w e n t y

Gwen walked back with Tristan towards camp after their swimming lesson, the sound of Tristan happily humming filling the air. He floated without the help of Gwen and his laps across the lake were becoming more fluid. He was definitely improving and he's had a smile on his face ever since Gwen had told him so. The boy was always eager to hear feedback and having Gwen praise him whenever he did something right, always put him in a good mood.

"Do you think I'll be able to swim in the ocean with the others next time?" He asked hopefully once they finally reached camp, walking alongside Gwen with his small hand wrapped around her bigger one.

"Maybe, if you do just as well in our next lesson then yes, I think so." She smiled down at him and he did this sort of jump in excitement before he released her hand.

"Oh I will! Just you see Gwen!" He called before running off to follow a group of boys that looked like they were playing a game of tag. Gwen grinned at his retreating figure, shaking her head as she walked towards her hut. Her eyes swept over all the passing boys and she noticed Peter a few feet away, sitting on a log beside Earl. He was looking down at the ground but as if feeling Gwen's gaze, he looked up at her with a stormy look in his eye. Gwen faltered at the anger she could clearly see portrayed over his face and quickly looked away. She knew Peter didn't like her but he seemed so hostile towards her. He hadn't been that way before she left him and Harry to talk and she wondered what is was they spoke about. Whatever it was, she had a feeling that it upset Peter.

Thinking of hers and Harry's short encounter before Peter showed up, her cheeks flushed at the reminder of what she had been just about to do to him. She was going to touch him, touch a boy for the first time and admittedly, she was disappointed that they had been interrupted. She wanted to make him feel good and she still did, which was why she glanced around camp again in hopes that she would spot Harry. But he was no where in sight.

It had to have been over an hour since she'd left him in the forest with Peter and she wondered when he'd come back. She wanted to see him again, so she decided to  head to her hut where she'd wait for him to return. Once she was inside, she laid atop her bed and braided three bamboo strips to pass the time. She'd already made four of them by the time the sun had long ago set and she was quickly becoming tired of it. Tossing the four strips off to the side, she sighed and sat back up. The room was darker due to the loss of light and her stomach was growling in hunger. She thought about going out to go scavenge the camp for food but she didn't want to miss Harry if he happened to stop by her hut. Maybe he's already out there, she thought to herself and stood up from the possibility.

Walking back out of her hut, her eyes adjusted to the darkness that now surrounded her. The camp had quieted from earlier and she looked around to see some of the lost boys sitting on the ground and calmly conversing. They glanced up at her as she passed and she was surprised to see them smile at her. She paused momentarily in shock then returned their smiles, sheepishly waving to them before continuing her way to the center of camp. When she got there, she noticed Will, Earl, Tristan, and two other lost boys sitting around a campfire but there was no sign of Harry.

Still, she went up to the group gathered around the fire and plopped herself on the floor beside Tristan. He looked up at her, smiling and immediately pushing the leaves in front of him that held half of a cooked fish. "Will cooked it." He told her, thinking that she might not eat it if she thought he had been the one to cook it. Though Gwen still would have. She wouldn't want to hurt Tristan's feelings.

"Are you not going to eat it?" She asked him, lightly running her fingers through the back of his hair in affection. He leant into the crook of her arm and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I ate already. You can have it." He yawned and Gwen grinned down at him, reaching for the fish he had pushed towards her. She took small bites, trying to ignore the taste of the sea that still lingered. She held her breath when it became too much, quickly finishing off the last of the fish and scrunching her nose once she was done. There was a bowl of water in front of her and she reached for it, swallowing some of it down before swishing it around her mouth. She spat it back out off to the side and mentally told herself to grab a dab of the coconut butter to swish around her mouth as well when she got back to her hut.