✓ | SHATTERED CHANCES ➸ PETER PAN

eleven ; motherly instincts

"Because girls can't fight. They're weak!" the lost boy explained.

She couldn't help but scoff at that. They were just boys, but she did have to withhold the urge not to teach him a lesson in manners. Ivy's influences were showing at it was almost as if Pan noticed. He buried his concerned expression, resisting the need to take a hold of her hand. Arabella looked the boy straight in the eye. "Females, darling, females. Not girls. And those females might surprise you." She turned to look at Pan. "Quite an example you're setting, Pan."

Pan smirked in response. He liked it when she was angry. He looked out to the sea of faces. "Arabella will be staying with us for a while. I expect you to treat her with respect."

The lost boys nodded and any evidence that they had ever doubted her was gone. Odd. It was replaced with what Arabella could only describe as acceptance. Somewhat. A few of them gave her a look but then as soon as Pan glanced at them, it was gone. He ruled out of fear she noticed. And she bet that he didn't consider himself lost either. Which would make him higher than them in his mind.

"Does this mean she has to shoot?" one of them asked.

"I suppose," Pan replied.

He grabbed a crossbow and made an apple appear in his hands. With a few strides, he moved away from her. She followed him with her eyes, drinking in the way he carried himself. Pan thought himself as a King though he had made that remark to Liam and Killian that there were no Kings on Neverland. It was so obvious about how confident he was. That pissed her off. She thought it was okay to be confident, but then it got to an extent where it was excessive. He was being cocky.

"What am I shooting at?" she questioned.

"Felix."

Felix — who Arabella recognized as the one she punched in the face — stepped forward with his club on his shoulders and went and put the apple on top of his head. There was a rather noticeable bruise on his cheek which made her smirk a tad. She had got him good. He didn't look upset about it though as he took his place in front of the tree. Arabella took note that his movements were almost robotic like. Did he do everything Pan told him to do?

Pan fixed the crossbow for Arabella. She watched as his fingers danced on it, fixing it so it was center. Unbeknownst to her, she had been the one who taught him this. And surveying his movements brought on a sense of familiarity. Then it disappeared when he turned back to her, holding it out for her to take. She took it warily, hesitant to take anything from him. Why should she trust him after what he's been doing? "So all I do is shoot at the apple?"

It wasn't like Arabella was worried about missing. She knew she wouldn't. But it was just the way their fingers skimmed when she grabbed the crossbow. Soft, gentle, and it affected her way more than it should've. Of course, she was unaware that he had felt the same thing she felt. He was the only one of the two who knew why. And it hurt to see her reactions. Impassive.

"Yes." He moved out of the way so she got into her position. A sigh escaped her lips at the loss of him being close but it was quiet so no one heard it. She moved it into her line of sight, seeing Felix's gray eyes blinking back at her. Everything went silent. Arabella always needed this to be quiet to focus when shooting. Pan had made a hand movement so the boys would keep it hush for her. She didn't see this though.

Her finger pressed lightly against the trigger and then she spun around and aimed right at Pan. Its destination was at the tree behind him, letting it graze his ear slightly before lodging into the bark. All of the boys gasped and Arabella smirked at Pan. He put a hand to his ear, removing it to see some blood. If it were anyone else, they would've been dead. But instead, he smirked at her.