Of Curses and Wishes

The Second Sunset

I stay crouched behind the aged oak for a long time after the leader boy and the other one, Pan, have left. My legs are numb as I unfurl myself from my crouching position. The ruined black cloak in my hand slides to the forest floor, there's no point in keeping it since the gash in its shoulder completely defeats the purpose of it to keep me warm. In the now full light I can see that the tree that I was resting against is one of many lining a well trodden path. The path has less pine needles littering it than the surrounding forest and the ground is a dusty brown. Faint footprints dot the path going to my left and I turn the other way, making sure my footfalls are as quiet as possible even though my dress hisses behind me, disturbing the dust of the path.

Silence fills every crevice around me and I relax slightly, letting my footsteps be heavier as I step off the path and onto the pine needle carpet of the forest. The birds are still not singing as I walk through the forest for god knows how long. A fallen branch lies across my path  and I duck to walk under it, I miss judge how low the branch is and my skirt snags on it. I pull and pull at my skirt, the thick fabric doesn't move an inch and… my skirt rips completely from my bodice, leaving me with a red shirt and black leather trousers. My skirt still hangs from the fallen branch, absolutely stuck, so I turn and walk away. Maybe if I keep moving it'll put the boys off my trail, maybe.

The wolf boys don't find me anytime soon, maybe they are all together and nowhere near me, completely baffled about my whereabouts or maybe they are right behind me, quietly stalking me until I am relaxed enough for them to pounce. I don't know if either are correct but as I keep walking my suspicions grow with the sinking sun, why haven't they found me? Have they already found me and are just waiting? Are they all just a figment of my imagination? Are they surrounding me, waiting for me to give up? My head turns from left to right more and more frequently as fear creeps all over me once again. The trees thicken and then thin and then thicken again as I continue to walk. My steps become more frantic and I find myself running, the trees a blur in the corner of my eye and then another blur joins them. A dark shape, growing, growing, growing, a club, a cloak, a hood, a face... WHAM! I tumble sideways, slamming into a large tree. In a chance of luck I keep my footing but the person still looms over me.
"Gotcha." The leader boy says, smirking. His gravelly voice racking down my spine. My breath gets caught in my throat as the boy assesses me. His club comes down from his shoulder, he swings it once, twice. I step back, golden light spilling over me as I step past the tree line. Another swing of his club, another step, swing, step, swing, step.
"I would stop if I where you." I hesitate at the remark. The leader boy jerks his chin over my shoulder and I dare a glance behind. A cliff falls off into oblivion just a few steps behind me, trapped. I turn back to the boy but I was looking away for too long, he stands right in front of me as that same piece of grass hangs from his mouth. He doesn't wait a second as his club raises, comes down. But the leader boy slows his weapon before it destroys my shoulder. It rests gently on my shoulder, the leader boy looks at it as he casually rolls his club back and forth. It seems to ease a tension...
"Stop." I say, stronger than I expected. The boy ignores me as he continues to roll his club.
"What's your name?" He turns his face to me and I swallow, finding my throat drier than I thought it was.
"What's yours?" I turn the question back to him, hoping it would buy me a few seconds of time but he answers almost immediately.
"Felix, you." No escaping the question, no running from it either. He's caught me, I've lost. Lost quicker than I expected to, but... the sky suddenly is cast in all shades of gold and I realise, I've been walking all day. Somehow time had escaped me and now the sun was setting. Buy time, buy time. If I could keep him talking and then run as the sun sinks bellow the horizon I would have won. Technically he hasn't caught me yet. All he has done is put his club on my shoulder, not his hand. I can win!
"Fia Rose." I answer simply. A lie, my old handmaid's name and a flower that grew in my garden but still a name.
"Well then, Fia." The leader boy, Felix, takes his club from my shoulder, making it feel too light. The sky opposite the sunset is a dark navy, if I look behind me to see how long until the sun completes its decent Felix might catch on to what I'm doing, "Let's take you to Pan and see what he wants to do with the loser." Felix swings his club back over his shoulder and reaches out his hand to grab my arm. I take a big step back and his fingers only graze the red fabric of my now shirt. He frowns at me before saying, "You've lost, there's no point in trying to run." He reaches out his hand again waiting for me to give him my arm. This time I dare a glance behind me, only a slither of the sun peeks over the horizon... and it's sinking fast. Felix follows my gaze and his sudden realization flashes over his face but it quickly settles back into his cocky smirk, "No point in stalling until the sun sets Fia." Felix takes an unhurried step forward, his hand now at his side again. One step back from me and I'll go tumbling off the cliff edge, the pain from hitting the ground would be maddening, "I've caught you, you've lost already." I look at him, he's talking as if he knows I know the rules. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not.
"I'm afraid, Felix." I say, taking a tentative look behind me, "That you haven't caught me."
"What?" Felix growls, he makes no attempt to hide the raging confusion on his face.
"You haven't laid a hand on me, nor have you stopped me from running or escaping so," I look him right in the eye, "You haven't caught me." The sky turns an inky black as millions of stars begin to dot the sky. I've won.
"You little," footsteps cut off Felix's remark and a small boy, no older than eight, emerges from the tree line.
"Pan wants us all to return to camp immediately." The boy announces. Shrinking away slightly from Felix's glare.
"Fine," Felix mutters, taking a step back from me and turning his back, "Come with me." He indicated with his head to the boy to go back into the forest and most likely to 'camp'.
"Why would I come with you?" I scowl at the back of his head. He loses a bitter laugh and looks back at me.
"Pan wants to see you, if I hurt you before he sees you there would be hell to pay."
"And why would I want to see 'Pan'" I have no idea who this Pan is. He is inevitably the leader of the wolf boys but what else is he? What else can do other than give orders? Hurt? Maim? Kill? God, if he could kill me I would try to find him, not the other way around.
"There's no point in hiding from Pan." Felix answers with his back still turned to me, "If he wants to see you, he sees you. If he wants you to do something, you do it and if you don't he'll kill you or worse."
"Worse?" I turn my head to the side and Felix looks me in the eye.
"You grow up." Fear slices through his eyes in a flash, "Run if you wish, he'll find you within seconds. There's no place to hide from Pan on this island." Felix begins to slowly walk away, Island? There really is no running is there? Shadows darker than the night leak over Felix as he disappears into the forest. No running, no escape.

I run after Felix as my legs shake from the resent sprint. I find Felix leaning against a tree, seemingly waiting for me.
"You didn't waste a second did you?" He smirks as he pushes off the tree, his head at a jaunty angle. So he was waiting for me, knowing I would run after him, "This way." His smirk still held strong as he looked me up and down, his eyes taking in everything as he turned without another word and began to walk off into the forest. I scamper after him, always keeping a few places behind. The faint whisper of raucous laughter floats over to us and soon I see a glow coming through the trees. The soft crackle of fire sounds but the laughter quietens as me and Felix step into the firelight. A group of boys who were playing on the other side of the large clearing still and turn to us. That is except from one boy, seemingly older than the rest, who was watching the playing boys and is still turned towards where they were climbing a tree, his back to us. His shirt is a muted green and his beaten boots aren't laced all the way up, falling sideways slightly. He doesn't wear a cloak like the other boys, all of which are now looking to him, expectant.
"I was wondering when you would turn up, a bit hesitant is she." Sarcasm laces his voice as he takes his arms from where they were crossed over his chest. The wolf boys seem to be holding their breath, their eyes darting from me to the boy, to me again and back to him. He slowly turns towards us, his moss green eyes immediately going to me. A soft breeze rustles his mouse brown hair as if on command.
"She won." Felix says clearly but the boy with green eyes ignores him as he raises a brow at me, a silent question written there 'You did?'. I dip my chin a fraction but that was all the answer that he needed as he starts to stride towards me. He walks with such confidence, power, purpose. Each step imposing power and dominance. As he walks he looks me over, my clothes, my messy hair, my frail frame. He comes to a stop right in front of me.
"What's your name?" The third time someone has asked me this recently and the same answer they will get as everyone else,
"Fia Rose." I can't look him in the eye, he's not like the rest of the boys. I don't know how and I don't know why but he just isn't.
"Peter, Peter Pan." He repays my answer with his own as he opens his arms to indicate to the clearing, island, world. An unreadable smile spreads across his face, "Welcome to Neverland." Neverland.

AN- I'm not sure if I've gotten Peter Pan right. If I haven't comment or DM me with some tips to help me improve him! 💖