Today felt different for Mara, like it was a brand new day, today felt new and strange but all so right. Despite the gloomy weather, it was going to rain today but for her, it was different. She wasn't sure if she should be happy or worried.
Happy for what happened last night, yet she wasn't sure she should be. And also worried for it, what was she worried about anyway? About Pan? Because he was far different than any boy she had met, he seemed to be this kind of boy who shouldn't be interested in her. Yet, that happened last night. Then there's James, she was worried about him more because he's in love with her. She'll hurt him, she knew that or she already hurt him when she told him she didn't love him like the way he does.
James loves her, and she loves him in her own way. About Pan, she wasn't sure at all. She remembered what James said that night, You love him instead. Him, did James meant Pan? She couldn't think of anyone else. She was certain it wasn't Curly, Tootles or Slightly. She loved those three boys like they were brothers to her. But then there's Pan, does she love him? Is that why she kissed him? Maybe that's what the tingling in her heart is for.
"Did you ever sleep?" Tootles yawned, he was sitting beside her.
No, she never slept last night, she was awake all night and she was unable to sleep at all. After what happened, Pan took her back here without a saying a word, the moment she tried to look at him, he was gone.
"Just a bit" she lied.
"Heard you coming in" the clumsy boy said in a low voice, "I even heard you leaving with Pan. Where did you two go anyway?"
"You're a bit nosy sometimes, Tootles" Mara replied.
"Well I'm just a bit curious" He shrugged, "You and Pan being close friends, I never seen him quite attached with anyone, least in the past thirty years— its how long I've been here by the way"
"We're just good friends" that felt near as difficult to say for some reason, "just like you, Curly and Slightly" she smiled a little.
"And like with James?" Tootles looked at her, he flashed a half smirk and hinting he was teasing.
Like with James, James loves her, but she does not. Like with James, as in like when they were friends? Like with James, as in romantic way? Mara assumed Tootles knows about James, does Tootles really know about James's feelings?
"Have you talked to him?" She asked, ignoring Tootles's question.
"Yesterday" he nodded, "He's been quite off lately. Honestly, it's sad to see him like that"
Still they spoke in low voices while the boys on the cave were chatting and all ignoring her and Tootles. Maybe if they knew what they were talking about, they'd be curious and listen.
"Then I presume you know that he's—" she stopped when she spotted Pan entering the cave with the rest of the boys following him. Just within' seconds, she found James walking in with Slightly.
Her heart tingled by the moment Pan walked in, she turned her head and looked at Tootles. "I presume that he what—?"
She shook her head, "Nothing" she whispered.
They both stayed on their seats as they watched the rest of the boys making their way in and find a spot to sit and stand before waiting for Pan to speak.
As Mara was sitting on the spot she slept and her back against the wall with her legs crossed. One of her knees shook, the nervousness and also a bit of stress were both striking her and made her knee shake. She glanced around but at Pan and James, as much as she wanted to, she still couldn't take a look at either of them. The nervousness was from Pan and the stress was from James.
"I see I have everyone's attention now" Pan began.
Mara shifted a little, her legs bent up, knees up and feet on the ground. Her hand found a small stick near her, her hands rested on her knees and both gripped on a twig.
"Been a while since we played a hunting game, have we?"
We, he said, even though he doesn't play, he just watches. Tootles and Mara exchanged unamused looks, she knew Tootles hated playing hunting games, when he's the prey, he always gets caught.
Pan took a moment to set up some stones on the table and Tootles let out a low groan. It was more of a concern groaned. "Why you so worried?" She asked him.
"I don't think it's the usual hunting game, like one of the team based on who we living with are the hunters, this time it'll be random and also a bit of mystery"
Mara was a little confused. "Random?"
"Pan is lining up the stone, and under those stones will tell us who we'll be as, Hunter or Prey" Tootles explained, "the usual, there will be only seven hunters and we can't reveal to one another who we are. Hunters can pretend to be Preys to fool them, Preys can't tell which is the Hunter, we have to figure that out ourselves and if you're a Prey, you can't trust anyone because anyone might be a Hunter"
Mara had to admit that it sounded interesting, "Sounds kinda fun"
"Alright, pick up a stone then" Pan stepped away from the table. No one rushed, Curly was one of the firsts to pick a stone, he didn't look at it until he was away from anyone, his expression was unreadable, if he was a Prey, he'd frown and if he was a Hunter, he flash a smug but neither of those he revealed.
Like those who already had stones, their expressions were unreadable, all of them either confident and bit of confusion. No one of the boys showed their stone to another because it seems to be one of the rules for the game.
Tootles nudged her, he stood up, so did she and followed him to the table. Tootles took a few seconds to decide which stone to pick, the stone were small and oval shaped and all of dark grey. The clumsy boy took one on the left down corner, there were about ten stones left and ten more boys including Mara to pick one. She almost took the one that next to Tootles's stone had been, she hesitated, she was nervous, nervous because she could feel Pan's eyes on her. She then picked one of the centres then went back to her spot without looking at the stone.
She looked at it until she stood on her spot, under the stone was a carved "H".
Hunter, she thought. She's playing as Hunter. She swallowed and slowly sighed as she showed no smirked. She bit her bottom lip before she could and glanced up. She could spot a few boys looking at her as if awaiting of how she'll react. She met Tootles' gaze and both shrugged. She can't tell who he is, he could be a Prey or a Hunter.
She has to pretend to be a Prey, how can she tell which one is the Prey, she'll may figure it out. There are only seven Hunters and she's one of the seven. It was a relief that she is.
"If you get caught by a Hunter and you're a Prey, you'll have to give them your stone and come back here" Tootles added.
She nodded as she understood.
As soon as everyone got their own stone, "You know how this games works" said Pan, "Preys are not allowed to hide but to run and trust no one even if they're your friends... You can go now"
With that, everyone left the cave, Mara followed. She climbed down the slope like some of the boys while the rest just slide down the slippery rocky slope all the way to the main ground.
"Everyone has to split up first, go any direction" Tootles said and he was right in front of her as they both climbed. The boys who slides down reached the ground and they all started running in various directions. Just ten more feet she climbed down and then reached the ground "Start running" the boy said but with only couple steps he took, he tripped but quickly got up, "I'm good!" He continued running.
Mara glanced left to right and took a second to decide which way to run. She ran to her right and into the woods towards west.
***
Please stop with the "Please update" or "update" comments, I delete those kind of comments for a few reasons. One, I find them demanding and two, they pretty much suck out of my motivation to write and I feel pressured by these comments, that's not a good thing. I take my time to update, so please, let me take my time to update and please don't tell me to "update"
I'm sorry for taking long but these comments were just taking out my motivation and felt being rushed by these comments, I tried to update sooner but I couldn't.
Anyway, hope you all had a good Halloween and stay weird :)