Part Two
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Cassia dug her head deeper into the pillow while tightening her grip on the quilt, letting it engulf her in its warmth. However, she soon realized that she never got under the covers last night.
Blinking rapidly, she sat up as her eyes adjusting to the daylight piercing through the sheer curtains. When she removed the sheets from her body, she noticed that she was no longer in the clothes she arrived in. Instead, she was in a nightgown similar to what she wore back in Adella. Cassia didn't want to think about her change of attire too much, magic was the explanation she stuck with. Neverland magic took care of her last night, nobody else.
She stepped out of the bed and felt a chill rush over her shoulders. Reaching over for her cloak, which was neatly hung over the dresser, Cassia wrapped it around her body and headed outside. But she nearly jumped when she found Theo waiting for her on the balcony.
"Morning," he greeted, not noticing her surprise, "How was your first night on Neverland?"
Cassia struggled to find her words, "It was... everything, but yet at the same time, nothing I expected."
Theo let out a laugh as they descended the stairs and trekked down the path back to the campsite. She wanted to know more about Neverland, the other boys, Pan, but she kept her mouth shut. It was only her first day, she had plenty of time to figure them out. Until then, there was Theo. Pan was first in command, so Theo had to be second since he practically put him in charge of her.
Now that it was day, she could see how see how similar he was to Pan. They both had the same build and sandy-brown hair, but it was something about his eyes that had her so entranced. Cassia could catch the sunlight dance in their pools of dark brown. She quickly turned away to keep herself from staring for too long.
"So how did you find out about this place?" Theo asked, breaking the silence.
Cassia smiled to herself, "Reading."
"Reading?" he tilted his head at her, "And what did they exactly write?"
"There are... differing takes on Neverland," she slowly started, "There are stories that call it a prison for children, who are doomed to suffering for the rest of their lives."
Theo stopped at the entrance of the campsite. "And do you believe that?"
"Do you?" she asked as she walked past him.
Cassia pulled her cloak closer to her body then noticed Zach heading to the large, open tent. He saw Theo trailing close behind her and gave them a small eye roll before entering the tent. She followed after him and was instantly hit with the smell of toasted bread and honey. Her stomach rumbled in response; the last meal she ate was a small brunch the afternoon before.
Cyrus was setting plates on a long, wooden table in the center of the tent. A platter of bread sat in the middle accompanying a jar of honey and a bowl of wild berries. She could feel her mouth starting to water and became eager to sit down. Theo took his seat next to the head of the table, where she automatically assumed Pan sat. Cassia sat next to him, earning a subtle glare from Zach as he pulled out the chair across from her. If she had blinked, she would've missed it. She picked at her plate, ignoring his snubbing.
While Cyrus placed an egg-in-a-basket on everyone's plates, Theo gestured to the empty chair next to Zach, "Aden?"
Cyrus shrugged as he took the seat on Pan's left. He turned to Cassia, "Sleep well?"
"It was surprisingly more comfortable than I thought it would be," she nodded, remembering how quickly she'd fallen sleep, "But it was a bit chilly."
"Blame the weather on Pan. He controls it," Zach spoke up in between bites of bread.
"Along with everything else on Neverland," Cyrus added coldly.
Cassia mentally noted that Cyrus probably looked down on Pan. Maybe Zach too, but it was too early to confirm. However, she could tell he had something against her for some reason. He seemed fine with her last night, what changed? Cassia took a bite of her bread, shoving away the thought. Like she told herself earlier, it was only day one, she had time figure him out later. For now, she indulged in the most normal meal she's ever had.
"I remember my first night in Neverland. Couldn't sleep at all because I kept hearing strange noises," Zach continued the conversation as he raised his fork. "Pan says there are no bears on Neverland, but I say otherwise."
"I said there were no bears on Neverland, Zach. Doesn't mean that there're not other creatures on this island."
Everyone's head turned toward the opening of the tent where Pan suddenly stood. Zach dropped his fork with a loud thud; Cyrus quietly kicked him under the table. In the moments Pan took his seat the head of the table, no one talked, no one ate. There was just silence. Cassia picked at her cuticles in her lap, uncomfortable with the atmosphere he created.
The chair next to Zach was still empty, and she was about to speak up until Pan beat her to it, "Where's Aden?"
"Probably slept in, again," Zach answered as he throws a blueberry in his mouth.
As if on cue, Aden rushed into the tent. His eyes widened in shock when they set on Pan. Aden stumbled on his words, trying to apologize for being late. Angry and annoyed, Pan opened his mouth, but when his eyes met Cassia's, he quickly shut it. Instead, he simply put a hand up to silence Aden and proceeded to eat his breakfast.
...
If Pan truly controlled the weather, Cassia was going to have a talk with him. Sweat had built at her brow from being out in the afternoon sun for so long. After a very quiet breakfast, she had to go change before meeting the rest of the boys in the 'training area'. Cyrus had put it to her shortly that the boys spent most of their day training. For what, they had no clue, but Pan insisted that they prepare themselves for anything.
Cassia couldn't be more confused, but she then remembered rule number two: do everything Pan asks, no questions. She had no choice if she didn't want to get on his bad side on only day one. Especially after the look he gave Aden when he was merely seconds late to breakfast. That was another thing on her mind, but she didn't voice her thoughts out loud.
She went up to her treehouse and found an assortment of clothes in the trunk. When she pulled a simple blouse over her head, she caught a whiff of the ocean laced in the threads. Questions ran through her head but again, she chose to push them aside. Cassia was buttoning the collar of the blouse as she walked into the training area until an arrow zipped by her head, landing in a thorn bush.
"Damn! I missed!" Zach groaned as Aden scrunched his eyebrows.
Cassia trailed where the arrow went back to Zach. He stood there smugly, arms crossed against his chest, silently taunting her. "You almost shot off my head."
He smirked as he walked past her, "That was the whole point, princess."
Did he know? Was that why he acted this way with her, because she was royalty? Did everyone else know too? Did they all feel the same way as well? Cassia looked over at Aden; he seemed just as confused as she was. Maybe he didn't know, she couldn't say the same about the rest of the boys yet.
Zach knelt down at a thorn bush, where the feather of the arrow was sticking out. "Careful, Zach, that's dreamshade!" Aden warned, pointing at a dark colored plant.
"You don't think I know that!" Zach snapped as he cautiously freed the arrow from the thicket.
"What's dreamshade?" she asked, peering closer at the black thorns.
"A deadly poison," Cassia turned to see Cyrus pulling a throwing star out of a tree, "Just pray that you never have to come into contact with it."
He twirled the star between his index fingers as he approached them, "C'mon, let's get you acquainted."
Cyrus put a gentle hand on her shoulder, leading her away from Zach. She almost missed him giving Zach a cautious glare before completely turning away. Cyrus was the peacekeeper when it came to the boys, Cassia caught on. Like an older brother, he made sure they kept out trouble, probably to protect them from Pan. She was thankful that he kindly extended that protection to her as well.
He took her to a small tent with baskets full of different makeshift weapons including bows and arrows, throwing knives and stars, maces and clubs. "Choose one," Cyrus gestured toward the baskets.
Cassia bit the inside of her cheek as she carefully inspected each weapon. She was immediately attracted to the bow but then remembered her incident with Zach. He already didn't like her for some odd reason, she decided there was no need to challenge him any further. Instead, she went for the crossbow. While getting a feel for it and checking it's aim, she noticed the same carving that she found on her trunk: 'BC'.
Brandon.
Again?
Suddenly the crossbow was taken from her grasp. She looked up to see Theo tucking it away under his arm, "This one is pretty old. If you want a crossbow, there's a better one near the back."
Cyrus lifted one of the baskets to reveal another crossbow leaning against the tent's post. Cassia reached for it and blew away the thin layer of dirt on the trigger. She watched from the corner of her eye as Theo shoved Brandon's crossbow into Cyrus' chest and whisper something to him. Cassia was never one to read lips, but she was able to recognize one word: Pan.
They headed back toward the rest of the boys. She found an unoccupied target, far from Zach, and readied her stance. Cassia focused on the bullseye and imagined the arrow slicing through the air in one swift motion, piercing the red circle ending its flight. She'd had some experience with a bow and arrow, she even participated in some competitions when she was younger, but it had been awhile since she's been in this position. Taking a deep, slow breath, Cassia let go of the trigger.
It flew past the tree and straight into the ground. She frowned in disappointment as she heard a nearby snicker. Cassia turned to see Zach whispering to Aden, with a grin on his face.
"Something funny, Zach?" she asked mockingly.
"It's nothing, Cass," he replied as he past her, reaching down for her arrow, "Might wanna work on your aim though."
Zach walked off with the arrow, bending it slightly in his hands. Cassia opened her mouth to yell after him until another arrow was held up to her face. She gratefully took it and smiled up at Aden.
"Don't let Zach get to you," he assured her, "He's not a total dick."
Cassia placed the arrow in the crossbow, "I find that hard to believe. You do remember that he tried to kill me earlier?"
Aden pursed his lips as he looked around, "I'm not really allowed to mention this but ever since Brandon took his life, it took a toll on all of us, but Zach's never really been the same."
Cassia's brows furrowed. Brandon took his life? But that couldn't be right. Neverland was meant to be an escape. What could've made Brandon so miserable that it lead him to end his own life? Maybe Adella's take on Neverland wasn't as off as she thought.
"It's ironic actually," Aden continued, snapping her out of her head, "Brandon was more of the cocky rule breaker while Zach stood at the sidelines and watched the action. It's like they completely switched personalities."
Theo wouldn't tell her about Brandon, but Aden might; he'd already told her more than she'd asked for. Pretending to not seem too intrigued, Cassia aimed the arrow at the bullseye once more, "What happened to Brandon?"
"Pan."
Just as she released the trigger, a series of gasps broke out through the training area. Aden and Cassia quickly spun around to see Pan catching an arrow right before it hit his chest. A thud followed after and their gaze shifted to a wide-eyed Zach and his bow at his feet.
"Pan," Zach slightly quivered, "I'm so sorry."
Pan let go of the arrow, but it remained in the air. With a flick of his hand, the arrow pivoted back toward Zach. His eyes filled with horror, never once leaving the arrow. Everyone watched them carefully, darting back and forth between the two. With one swift movement, Pan could easily end Zach's life, or, best case scenario, cause a major injury.
Cassia saw that Pan displayed the same anger during breakfast, except it was more sinister. His eyes lit up as if he wanted to hurt and found joy in Zach's terror. Never in her life has she'd seen anything like it. Cassia stepped forward only to be held back by Cyrus, who shook his head at her.
Before he let the arrow fly, she caught Pan's attention. Then when he saw the discontent on her face, his eyes immediately softened. The arrow dropped onto the ground as his hand fell back to his side. Pan cleared his throat, "It's alright, Zach, just be more careful next time."
Left utterly speechless, Zach simply nodded.
Everyone watched Pan disappear back into the forest. Once he was out of sight, they quietly continued what they were doing, all while trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"Was he about to kill you?" Aden exclaimed to Zach, breaking the silence in the camp. He shook his head, nervously laughing it off as nothing.
Cassia looked over to the target to see her arrow pierced right into the center. Her lips curled into a triumphant smile as she pulled it out.
"He would've," Cyrus whispered so only she could hear.
And her smile instantly vanished.