Peter's POV
The clean up after the storm was one of the worst ones I've had to endure. Of course I did very little, but the boys worked all day trying to put the camp and training area back together. Most of the tents were reduced to crumpled layers of wood and blankets, with their belongings caught up inside. Even mine was lopsided from a beam caving in, but luckily I spent the night in my thinking tree that's protected with a spell.
I had barely noticed the chaos that went on around me, but I'm guessing I was too focused on the storm that was brewing in my head. Everything felt off and out of balance in Neverland, which is why I think a storm attacked the island out of no where. Usually, we could tell if one is about to creep up on us a while before it actually hits. But this time it was different. It came unexpectedly, like it knew we wouldn't be prepared and it wanted to attack our vulnerability quickly.
Looking at the mess around me at the camp made me feel angry. Nothing had been right since... well, for a while. Our luck with hunting had decreased and the lost boys were going hungry, then they had to deal with a lack of sleep. Trees and bushes that provided snacks and energy began oozing poison and rotting ten times the rate they should have. The fish population in the streams seemed to almost vanish within a few days which didn't help the food situation either. It was nothing but frustrating and, even with my brilliant mind, I didn't know what to do. It was like the land was trying to torture us.
Then, something interesting happened that took my mind off of it completely. I heard pounding feet coming a me at some speed and the rustling of branches being pushed out of the way. Turning on my heel, I saw two of the Lost Boys run up to me and stop for a moment to catch their breath. I crossed my arms as I examined them, waiting for whatever they had to tell me.
"We- We found a girl, Pan," the older one, Richard, stated through heavy breathes. My mind went immediately blank and my throat dried out. A girl?
The other, Jack, rubbed sweat from his brow and moved his matted blonde hair out of the way. He was visibly a little bit excited, "She's pretty too. Just like Ir-"
"Where?" I interrupted quickly, knowing I would blow a fuse at the sound of her name.
"Well, she was on the beach," Richard started, looking between Jack and I with his hazel eyes as if he was unsure to continue. "But then we moved her," he paused. "Into one of the cages." He was clearly worried whether they had done the right thing, because they knew they could be easily punished. But part of me was almost proud of them, as I would have done the same.
The side of my mouth curled up into a smirk, I was still unsure what to think but I knew I had to keep up my confident exterior. None of the boys could know that their leader faltered because they wouldn't have one-hundred percent trust in me, which is vital for me to be in complete control. "Well, well, well boys. Seems like you've taken the right course of action for now. We do love to give our visitors a warm welcome," I said with a grin. "Maybe I should go introduce myself, who is she?"
"We don't know, Pan. She was passed out and has only just woke up in the cage so we came straight here," Jack explained quickly.
"I can imagine she wasn't much of a struggle to take as prisoner then," I chuckled dryly and the boys each offered an awkward laugh in return.
I waved them both off as I began marching in the direction of the cages. My mind raced with so many thoughts of who it could be or what they would be doing in Neverland. A girl being on Neverland was a rare occurrence and for it to happen so soon again seemed unlikely. What if it really was her and she came back to me? I had only myself to blame for getting my hopes up so high.
Through an opening in the trees and bushes, my eyes landed on the girl. It wasn't my girl at all, she was too different. Her hair was a long jet black mess that drooped down her back and around her shoulders. It was matted and sticking up in every direction. Her skin was fair but sun kissed, like she spent her time underneath the sun a lot, and she had patches of dried mud on her face, legs and arms. The clothes that hung on her body were slightly baggy and seemed like they weren't supposed to be hers, as if she borrowed them of off an older family member. Her head lifted and as she searched around her, I caught her eyes. Through her squinting in the harsh sun light I could see they were deeply blue, with hints of darker green specs. Definitely not who I've been waiting for.
"And who is this we have here?" I said to clear the silence, clearly my throat afterwards. Her head shot towards me and I could see the fear boring out of her. She jumped back in attempt to get away from me, but she had no where to go. My patience wore thin pretty quickly. I do not like to be kept waiting. I flashed quicker to the bars and gripped them tightly. "Who are you?"
"Marna," she blurted, almost looking confused at the sound of it. "I'm Marna."
I raised an eyebrow as I looked her over, trying to remember if I'd ever heard of or seen her before. I've met many people in my time and, usually, I would recognise them immediately. Nothing rang a bell with her, but her eyes... they made the back of my mind twinge with a suppressed memory. Something about her was bothering me, like I'd met her in a past life. My mind hadn't thought of what to do with her yet and I felt like I drew a blank. She was just watching me as well, like a scared puppy that would try to fight if I got too close, and it certainly wasn't helpful. Maybe she could be helpful?
"So, Marna," I started. "How did you get here?"
"I-I don't even know where I am," she mumbled. Her head dropped slightly, making her dark hair fall around her.
"This is Neverland. You know, where all the Lost Boys come to live happily and freely," I explained in a fake happy voice stretching my arms out, like a presenter at a circus.
Marna's eyebrows scrunched together as her head raised back up again, showing that she seemingly had no idea what I was going on about. "Neverland? I don't think I've ever heard of it."
Now it was my turn to scrunch up my eyebrows as my head shook slightly, taken a little bit back in surprise. "You don't think you have? As in it doesn't ring a bell or you're incapable of remembering?"
"Well - I," she took a deep and unsteady breath, trying to collect her thoughts. "I don't know, I can't remember much. I-I think I hit my head." She brought her hand to the side of her temple, wincing slightly as her fingertips brushed over it.
"This whole no memory cliché is a bit boring to be honest," I said in a monotone voice, losing interest nearly all together. How can someone with little memory be of any help to me? She stayed silent and a forced a huff through my lips, crossing my arms over my chest. This really was getting tedious. "Well, if you've got nothing of interest for me I guess you'll have to stay here until you do."
Her pained eyes shot me a look of desperation and I knew she didn't want to stay another second in that cage. But, it's what she needed in order to give me what I wanted. A grin plastered itself across my lips and I turned on my heel, marching back the way I came without looking back. Part of me felt like I was getting my stride back, having this was somewhat energising me and I was loving the sense of actual control again. I was ready to be me again.
