Chapter 8
-- Talia's FULL Past --
Talia's POV---
Should I tell him? Should I tell him?
I've never told anyone my whole past, I never trusted anyone enough for that.
Not even Ranger, not even Ariadne.
I take a deep breath, and begin..
--Peter Pan's POV--
She takes a deep breath, and dives into her story. "I wasn't always an orphan, like I choose to believe and tell people." She says. "My mother really did die giving birth to me, but my father was alright. Unfortunetly." She swallowed hard, and I could tell it was hard for her.
"You know, if it's to hard for you-" She shook her head. "No. I need to say it. I need someone to know." I nod, and let her continue.
"For three years, I lived with him. He was always drinking, and was always away. I didn't miss him. He never hit me, but came very close to it once. I was glad when he didn't come back." She says. "My neighbors brought me to the orphanage. I was almost happy there, almost." She looks sad. "I was never adopted, no one ever wanted me. Just like my father, none of the families who came to look at the children ever wanted to bring me home. Not one considered, not one talked to me or even spared me a long glance. I had a, history.... A history of troublemaking and frequent escape plans."
"It was only me and Ariadne, really. None of the other girls really liked me, no one really cared. Except for Adriadne. But then she left. she left me, alone. I only ever met one other person who actually cared before coming here." She says.
"Who was it?" I ask.
She sighed, the tears in her beautiful, silvery gray eyes starting to dry. "She told me her name was Ranger. I asked if she was actually named that, but she said no. She said she didn't have a real name, her parents never bothered to name her, and if they did, she never knew." I nod.
She looks at me, with those amazing, silver eyes. "No one really cares Peter. No one really cares about me. When I came here, when Felix called me.. what he did, I remembered that was what the other orphans called and treated me like."
"An outcast. A lonely, miserable outcast, that would never fit in, never find someone to care about her." A single tear fell from her eye, and streaked down her cheek.
I gasped, the broken look in her eyes, her hunched shoulders and teary eyes.
This was not Talia. This was not the girl I met on the beach, the girl who had killed her first deer on the island.
Not the girl who had fearlessly jumped out of the oak tree today.
Then I remembered.
Felix brought these feelings back.
Felix.
Felix.
Felix.
Felix was gonna get it.
I hugged her tight to me, and I felt the tears from her face seep into my clothing. I pulled away from her slowly, and lifted her chin up, so she was looking straight into my eyes. "Felix." I said slowly. "Felix is gonna get it."
-- Talia's POV --
"Felix." He says slowly, with menace in his voice. "Felix is gonna get it." He let go of my chin, and stormed out of the tent. I sat on the edge of the bed, stunned. Then I blushed.
Did Peter really care that much for me?
Then I realized.
What did Peter mean by 'gonna get it?' I shot off the bed, and charged out of the tent, just in time to see Peter's fist conect with Felix's jaw.
My jaw went slack as I saw the pure fury in Peter's eyes. "Take it back!" He yelled. Felix's eyes wide. "Take what back! Peter! What are you talking about?" I ran over to them. "What you said to her!" Peter said, pointing at me. Everything went silent as I came to a screeching halt beside Peter, just in time to stop him from punching Felix again.
My hand stung, but Felix was fine. Peter and Felix both looked at me in surprise. "Don't Peter. Don't." I said simply.
"I feel bad already for beating him up as much as I did. I think he has had enough." I say quietly, so only Peter, Felix, and I can hear. I'm still holding Peter's fist in my hand, and Felix and Peter are still staring at me in awe.
I drop Peter's hand, but turn to Felix. "But yes. Take. It. BACK." I say, menacingly quiet. Felix's eyes widen, and his hands fly up near his face. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I take it back, I promise! I TAKE IT BACK!" I smiled satisfied. I grabbed Felix's arm, and pulled him up to his feet. "Apology accepted." I say lightly. I turn away from them, and head back towards the tent.
Before I enter, I stop, and turn. All the Lost Boys stare at me. "Um, Talia?" Peter asks, suddenly nervous. "Do you want to finish your second trial tonight?" He asks. I raise an eyebrow. "Sure, but, I already beat all the Lost Boys." I say. Peter's face breaks into a grin. His smile reaches the mischevious twinkle in his eye. "Not quite Tali."
Then I remember.
Peter Pan is the original Lost Boy.
I gulp, but smirk. "When your ready Pan."
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-- Peter Pan's POV --
The very first Lost Boy, against the future first Lost Girl.
Oh, how poetic it sounds.
I stand across from Talia. She holds the silver sword at the same angle her slender leg is slanting. Her shiny brown hair is swept into a high ponytail, reaching gracefully down her arched back. Her stormy gray eyes had a look of hard determination in them.
So beautiful....
I shake my head, trying to get myself to focus.
Focus Pan, focus.
It's not like she likes you anyway.
I hold my sword at my side, and wait for Felix to say the word.
"Ready, and GO!" Felix backs up quickly, and good for it, because I launch myself in the air just as he says GO!
Apparently, Talia had the same intention, because we meet, dead center of the campsite, the ashes of the fire pit beneath our boots. Our swords clash, and we struggle against each other, until Talia gracefully pulls back and spins around, driving a hard blow back at me.
All in less than two seconds.
Dang, this girl was gonna be the end of me if I don't stay alert, I thought.
We danced around the clearing, blade against blade, struggling to push the other away, finally backing away and looking for another way to strike.
A deadly dance, a whirl of sharpened blades.
But dang it, I enjoyed it.
Talia really was a good fighter, one of the best, considering she was a girl.
I pulled away from another struggle, panting for breath. "Not bad," I say, standing ready.
"For a girl, at least."
Her eyes widen, and she stops dead in her tracks. "What do you mean?" She asks slowly, and quietly. "Um, um, I mean for a girl, you know? I thought girls were like afraid of dirt, and getting hurt, and blood, and stuff like that." I said nervously, seeing the new evil glint in her eye. "Just because I'm a girl you think I'm afraid of DIRT?!" She yelled, and charged. She angrily cut across, and knocked the sword from my hands.
"Because I'm a girl you think I'm afraid of getting a little SCRATCH?!" This time, she smacked me with the flat side of her sword, causing, well, ironically actually, a scratch on my cheek.
"And because I'm a girl, I'm afraid of BLOOD?!" She yelled. Then suddenly, she stopped. She smiled thinly at me. "I'm not afraid of drawing blood, seeing blood, or being near it." She said, and something in her voice made me a little nervous.
Or, a lot nervous, depending on how you looked at it...
She yelled so loud and sudden, it made all of us jump. She cut across again, this time, across the right forearm. I yelped despite myself, and looked down. "I'm not afraid to draw blood." She said, pointing at it. "Nor am I afraid to see it." She threw her sword in the dust of the campsite. She walked slowly towards me, and leaned in really, really close to me, the whole time, her mezmorizing silver eyes trained on my intense green ones. "Nor am I," she said softly, gently. "Afraid of being near it." I looked, wide eyed, at her, my eyes darting from her eyes to her lips, and back again.
I remembered the kiss we had, below Tink's tree house, and wanted to do something like that again. But she whirled around, and walked away from the whole scene, and she was almost at the tent before she turned and said, "Don't you dare, Peter Pan, stereotype me. EVER." She spat the last part out so viciously, it made a chill run up my back.
She violently threw the flap to my tent open, and stormed inside. I blinked a few times before slowly pushing myself away from the tree. I walked slowly towards the tent. I realized all the Lost Boys were staring at me, but I didn't care. I turned around and said, "Boys, don't stereotype the Lost Girls."
I walked, slightly nervous and a little more afraid, than I usually was, going in to see Talia.
Talia was sitting on the edge of the bed when I walked in. I opened my mouth to apologize, but before I could, she burst out laughing.
I noticed, that her laugh was alive and full and bubbly, bursting forth from her full, red lips. She put a slender hand over her mouth, trying to stop the beautiful sound known to me as her laughter.
Woah, woah. Where did those thoughts come from? This, this way I think about her, the way she makes me feel, I need to figure this out. Need to figure out what's going on with me.
She stopped laughing after another moment or two. "Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, I really was mad when you tried to stereotype me, but when you came in, you looked so scared and, and nervous, oh, oh, it was just hilarious!" She burst out laughing barely after she said the word 'hilarious'.
I started laughing. "You were absolutely frightening out there." I say, sitting beside her.
I turn to say something, but she does the exact same thing, and the exact same time as me.
I'm caught by her eyes again. I'm gazing at them when I realize just how close we are.
She must notice too, because I hear her gasp softly.
I lean in, slowly, gently, until my lips meet hers. I hold her closer by her waist, and she wraps her arms around my neck. I feel her tug at my unruly golden brown hair, and I moan into her lips. I pull her tighter to me, and I hear her gasp.
She pulls away after a moment, and presses her forehead to mine. "I want you to know, Talia." I say. "That you were wrong." She looks confused. "About what?" She asks. "When you said no one cares about you." I say. "I care about you." I say softly. "And so do the Lost Boys but Tali, I care about you so much." I breath.
I open my eyes, and see her smiling, her smile so wide, it reaches her eyes, her tear filled eyes. "I care so much about you to Peter. And I'm just so happy that my feelings aren't one-sided." She says.
I smile, genuinely smile, and pull her in for another kiss.
I don't know how long we're there, but we're interupted by the breeze from the flap of our tent being opened. "Peter, Talia, we-" Talia and I break apart suddenly, only to find Nibs staring shocked at us. "We, we uh, we, we just um..." He trails off. "I'm gonna, I'm gonna go..." He said suddenly, and left the tent in a rush. I look at Talia, her cheeks bright red, probably just like mine.
"Oh I almost forgot!" I say, and grab her hand. I pull her ut of the tent, despite her objections and struggles.
"Boys!" I yell. Everyone lines up in single file line. "I am very pleased to inform you al, that Talia has passed all of her trials, and can become our very first, honorary, Lost Girl!" I say. All the Lost Boys cheer, and even Felix smiles and claps profusely.
I turn to Talia, suddenly worried. "You will become a Lost Girl, won't you?" I asked her. She smiles gently at me. "Of course!" She says, and her response is greeted with loud cheering and applause.
I smile joyously. "Well then!" I exclaim. "To celebrate our one and only Lost Girl, we're going to have a party!" I yell, smiling at Talia. She grins back at me.
I turn my attention to the boys. "Boys! Set up the party. I'll take Talia away for a few moments while you do." I turn to Talia, and grab her hand. I turn back to the boys. "Better make it quick!" And launch into the air, Talia behind me.
I fly Talia away, and bring her to a place she'll need to see if she is to be our vey first honorary, Lost Girl.
We fly past Mermaid Lagoon, and past even Skull Rock, when we reach a little isle, which is hard to get to, and easy secluded.
A small cave sits on the little isle, and we fly in. Before the whole view of the cave is in view, I cover Talia's eyes.
She squeals, but I whisper quietly, "It's a surprise. Close your eyes." "Okay.." she trails off. I remove my hand slowly, but her eyes remain closed.
For a moment, I just stare at her, her wavy, mid-back length shiny brown, and her shabby clothes.
I realize she may want new clothes..
Dang it! Why didn't I think of this sooner?
Oh well, time to show her the surprise...
A/N---
I'm back to my BEAUTIFUL laptop!!!! I am FINALLY going to be able to write properly!! So here, is your update!
Also, I'm having a hard time finding an actress that may resemble Talia. If you have any suggestions, write it in the comment section, and I'll look it up!
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