Mara Turner is adventurous, all she wanted was go on an adventure but was cut short when she came across Neverland with Captain Hook. Mara chooses to be left behind so Captain Hook along with his crew can go home. With Mara being stuck in Neverland...
In the middle of the meadow was where they stopped, James had another staff hidden within the grasses which Mara has to use to train. "Alright then, shall we begin?" James took his cloak off and toss it aside.
"No" Mara whined as she sighed.
James laughed, "We won't need to fight much, you're going to practice swinging, guard yourself and learn to fight with a staff"
She heaved then exhaled sharply, "Fine"
James approached her until he was close, drawing his staff and she followed, "We'll start slow . . . Left--" it was her left when their staffs smacked together, "--right, left, right, left, right, down, up, down, right, push--" he gave her a slight push on her staff guarding her chest that made her take a step back.
She swallowed a groan, taking a deep breath before they continued.
On and on, they went on with the swinging for full hour, they went from slow, quick then faster. He always told her to keep her eyes on the enemy and she would able to see the weapon in the corners of her eyes. In near the end of the hour, James needn't to warn or say where to swing as Mara was getting used to it until he aimed down which went behind her ankles and threw her down.
The first hour of training was finished and that's when they took a break.
While they were having snacks as they both sat on the grass few feet from each other. It was quiet for the first few moments of the break, no sound but their chewing, distant howls from the boys in the camp and the moving trees caused by the breeze.
"What happened to your family? Your parents" she asked.
"Long gone I suppose" he responded, "I suspect they're dead, I believe every parents of Lost Boys are all dead"
"Right" she replied quietly. She wondered about about Pan for some odd reason, "You know Pan much? You two close or something?"
He didn't say quickly, "He didn't found this place alone, he doesn't speak about the person he was with long time ago even if I tried to get him to talk but I assume whoever this person was is dead" sensing pity in his tone, "he was once a lonely boy, I guess that's why he brought the Lost Boys into this place, he found Felix, Rufio, Thomas and Slightly"
It almost made sense where Peter Pan got the word 'lost' from to call his boys because he was the first Lost Boy.
"Pan may seem cold and cruel, but he does care, he cares about the boys. Them and this place is all he's got, I suppose that's why he never leaves this place and never intents to ever"
"He's got a funny way to show that he cares" Mara mumbled, "I mean, these games we play, the rules and punishments... That seems...torture"
"Playing games is how we learn to survive, we learn from games, we learn from punishments and the rules, all of it is merely training because of the incoming wars we might not expect"
"Wars?" Mara was confused.
"There are men out there that know of this place, most of them desire eternal life, staying young and they're going to want to this place" James explained, "Some men are afraid of death and they believe that this place is the key. They're gonna want to take the place all to themselves. So all these games is how we train to grow stronger, smarter and better and be prepared for the war. We protect the place from the people who do not deserve this place"
Neverland can't fall in the wrong hands, Mara thought but there were still things she doesn't quite understand. "But...why are we not allowed to leave? Why does Pan keep us here?"
James furrowed his brows as he looked at her "He's not" looking very confused, "No one ever said you're being kept here, you're not a prisoner or anything. If Pan has you here, he has a good reason, you're lost like him, like me and like the boys. You're a Lost Boy, or in that case, Lost Girl"
"So... I can leave when I want to?" Mara was stunned.
"That is your decision you're going have to make in the end, but first, you're being tested then in the end, it's your choice whether you leave or stay" James explained, "but they all always chose to stay, even I did"
"What am I tested for?" Mara stood up, "I mean, when do I start the test?"
James half laughed, stood up, glanced at her with a small smile, "It already started days ago when the Pirates left you here"
Then she had nothing else to say. She wasn't looking at him anymore but at the ground.
"I advise that you should give this place a chance, you've been here barely even a week, you're not fond to this place at all but give it a chance" James had his hands on his hips, "and give Pan a chance, it's not him that's being a pain in the arse, you are"
She then glared at him, but thinking of how she's been acting around Pan from the start, the day Killian Jones left her, it wasn't Pan that was being such contemptible and reprehensible, it was her. She sighed as she changed expression. She gave a weak shrug before looking up at James again, "Fine" she replied softly.
"That's good to hear" he half smiled, "Now, let's continue"
They picked up their wooden staffs then proceeded training.
***
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
