I fall to my knees landing hard of the ground. I've no idea how Wendy managed to keep a hold on me and block my magic but it doesn't matter anymore. She's gone...
And there is no way to get her back.
I sit there staring at the spot of the ground where the portal used to be, waiting for it to re-open and for Kyla to come back through the portal. Hoping she'll come back.
I hear an evil laugh sound from in front of me. I snap my head up and find Jinx standing directly in front of me.
Seeing his face makes my anger explode and I wrench my arm from Wendy's grip. I swing my arm at Jinx with all my force...
And it goes straight through him. As if I had just punched a ghost or a shadow. I stare at my hand in shock and then at Jinx in complete shock. This can't be real.
Jinx places his hands roughly on my shoulders, ensuring he causes me pain. I hold back a grunt, not letting him have the satisfaction of seeing me in pain.
"How far you have fallen in such a short time," Jinx says with a smug and satisfied grin on his face. " I'm going to revel in this. Too long have I've lived in your shadow, allowing you to have all fame that should have always been mine."
I stay silent, merely staring at him and allowing him to talk. I have nothing to say to him.
"A pity I had to kill Kyla," he continues. " I would have liked to have claimed her for myself as you still hadn't. It would have made this that much sweeter."
I do my best to hold down my anger as there seems to be nothing I can do to harm him. I've nearly lost everything I care about. All I have left now are my boys and every minute I'm here with Jinx is another minute that I'm not protecting them from him.
I twist my hand in front of my face with a flick and my green smoke surrounds me.
I reappear in the Lost Boys camp 8n front of a crowd of my boys. Some run straight to me knowing instantly that something is wrong.
"Pan, what's happened? Where's Kyla?" I hear Slightly ask from beside me.
"She's... gone," I force out. "But we have to get all the boys and get them out now. We need to figure out a way to leave Neverland. It's not safe for any of us anymore."
Slightly nods and pounces straight into action along with who ever else was around me. They start rounding up the boys, gathering them all in one place. Each of them is fully equipped with weapons and many of them have gathered up food rations in make shift packs. It doesn't take them long at all to be ready to move out. I've trained them well.
"Aren't you sweet Pan," says the voice I've been dreading. "You've gathered up all my new recruits into the one place for me. I'll take it from here."
"Like hell you will Jinx," I answer, whirling to face the voice. He took his time arrive here to change he apparel to that of a king. A long red cloak is draped over his shoulders, covering his usual clothing and his head is topped with a crown that looks to be made of golden sticks and twigs. Wendy, however, is nowhere to be seen.
"Bow to your true king of Neverland, boys," he says. None of my boys budge at first and then some of them beginning to bend the knee. Jinx's face is awfully smug and I want to knock him out, though I know it would be unwise.
I turn to find most of my boys have dropped onto one knee with their heads bowed towards Jinx. He must be doing this with his magic though a few of my strongest boys have resisted him and remain on their feet.
"As the new king, I'm going to offer you all a choice," Jinx says to them all. "You are offered a place here under my rule, under my protection. You will be given the freedom to do as you please as long as you follow me. What say you boys?"
Jinx holds out his hand, geaturing for the boys to walk over to him to take him up on his offer. I keep my gaze forward as I don't want to see who decides on self preservation rather than loyalty.
"What about Pan?" Asks Slightly from beside me.
"Pan, doesn't belong here," Jinx replies with a harsh tone. "He has been posing as the king here under a false pretense. He will be punished accordingly. Execution. Those who choose to follow him will share his fate."
A few gasp go off in the crowd but I'm in no way suprised. Much to my disappointment, I see many of my boys start to move towards Jinx and stand behind him. He heart drops and I close my eyes, not wanting to see who.
I feel someone clasp my shoulder and then a hand grabs the other one. I open my eyes and look to either side of me. Slightly on one side and Felix on the other. I glance behind me and see all of my main circle as well as several other boys still standing behind me with hard expressions on their faces. It causes me to smile a little. It's nice to see these boys are still loyal to me but I don't want them to share my fate.
"Last chance boys. You can still save yourselves," calls Jinx. It forces me to look at him and I look around at all the faces behind him. A lot of them are new, many are older boys that I've known for years. Even little Tyson.
One more person moves around us and I feel even more betrayed because of who it is.
Crash doesn't stand behind Jinx but in front of him. Jinx crosses his arms and looks Crash up and down, a little shocked that he has swapped allegiances.
"Well this is..." Jinx goes to say but is cut off.
"Shut up," Crash says abruptly. Jinx does so but seems pissed off that he's being told what to do. Crash doesn't care. "You will never be the king on Neverland. Peter is the real leader here and has been for centuries."
"We all respect and follow him for a reason. In our own way, we all love him and will stand by him until the end. I will never turn my back on him like you have Jinx. Never!"
Then Crash does something incredibly stupid that causes my heart to clench and stomach fall to my feet. He pulls his sword and plunges it into Jinx's chest in one swift motion.
All the boys stare in shock and Jinx falls to his knees with a wound in his chest. I'd have been proud of Crash were if not for his lunacy. He has no idea what he's just done.
Crash turns around to face me with a stone cold look in his eye. He catches my eye and I realize that he knew exactly what he was doing. He gives me a slight nod and mouths the word Go to me.
I turn around and gather up all the boys in a circle making them put their hands in the middle. I turn back around but I hear the horrible sound of steel piercing flesh and bone followed by a thud on the ground before anything else.
Crash falls to his knees with blood pouring down his body and spurting from the top of his neck. His body is being held up by Jinx's hand on his shoulder before he pushes the headless body forward into the dirt. He has a most wicked grin on his face that says he is satisfied with what he has down here.
A few of the boys cry out in grief and shock both on my side and Jinx's. I freeze for a few seconds myself as I didn't think Jinx would be as gruesome as to behead Crash. I snap myself out of it quickly and race over to the boys plunging my hand into the pile of hands, teleporting all of remaining of my boys out of the Lost Boy's camp.
As soon as we reappear, I slump to the ground, feeling completely drained from both the day and from using so much magic to get us all here.
Some of my boys all slump to the ground, in grief over losing so many friends today. Especially after the scarring scene we all just witnessed back at the camp.
"What do we do now Peter?"asks Slightly from beside me. He called me Peter... I haven't heard him call me Peter in such a long time but I'm glad for the familiarity.
I can't bring myself to look at him or anyone. I failed them. All of them. I promised I would protect them when they came to me and I've failed. Crash just lost his life, most of my boys are following a madman and the dozen or so that have stayed are now of the run and their very lives are in danger.
All because of me.
I feel a tear fall down my cheek and I don't bother wiping it away. I've tried to be strong for centuries and not show when things bother me but I just can't hide this anymore. I've lost the girl I love and one of my closest friend all in the same day. Both of them killed by someone I used to consider my best friend.
"Pan, snap out of it," Slightly says, shaking me by the shoulders. "We may have lost most of our numbers but we still have boys we need to protect. They need us. They need you Peter!"
"It's been too long since I've heard you or anyone else call me Peter," I say letting Slightly's words sink in. I shake my head and close my eyes, trying to clear my grief and refocus myself.
"So... what do we do now?" Asks Mick, one of our new recruits that stayed with me.
"First things first, enough of this Pan business. My name is Peter and I rather be called Peter than Pan," I say as more of an order than a request.
"Secondly, we need to find a way off this island."