3: Prisoner to Prison Chase

I had my poisonous dagger out and ready to attack. We had a stare off and no one was going to be the first to break it.

The boy who seemed to be their leader stepped forward. He had shaggy blond hair and a scar on his face. He held a club over his shoulder and his eyes held nothing but cruelty. He motioned to his cohorts to draw their arrows. They drew back their arrows and Tink leaned into me and whispered "They're tipped with Dreamshade. Be careful." 

I nodded my head to her as the Lost Boy spoke. 

"What do we have here?" He asked and another one answered, 

"Looks like we might have found the person we were looking for." 

A third Lost Boy said softly, "Could she be the one he sent us to look for after the Shadow dropped her?" 

The head Lost Boy silenced the group and he pulled out a scroll. He examined it and looked at me. 

"It's the one. Get them." The Lost Boys began to close in.

Tink braced herself for battle and so did I. The head Lost Boy signalled the group to draw back their arrows at me. 

Tink whispered to me "It's no use Jessica. They don't only outnumber us, they also have us in a life-threatening situation. The best thing we can do is play prisoner and find a way to escape." 

I frowned at Tink muttering "If that is what we have to do." 

I sighed and put my dagger back in my belt as Tink did the same. Together, we raised our hands in surrender.

They lowered their bow and as they approached, I mustered the courage to disarm some of the Lost Boys. The others froze at me and the leader smirked, "I guess you chose the hard way."

He swung his club around and approached cautiously. He kept his cocky grin, "He said that you'd be a fighter. All the more satisfying to stand over you in defeat."

His foot made contact with my stomach and I felt my body roll across the ground. I coughed and gasped for air. The blonde stalked closer. Tinker Bell stood in front of me, "Stay back, Lost Boy."

"Tinker Bell," the boy mused, "I thought that we were closer than that. Why the cold tone?"

"Things have changed, Felix. I no longer work for him," Tinker Bell glared, "What does he even want with her?"

"What he wants is none of your business," Felix snapped at the fairy, "All you need to know is that fighting will be futile."

Tinker Bell and I were surrounded by Lost Boys who were armed to the teeth. I felt the tip of a spear pokes my back. I reacted and felt my fist get caught. Felix was behind me, "Get moving."

He pushed me forward and I took a look at my surroundings. All I could see was a jungle with no chance to escape. My attention turned to two Lost Boys up ahead of me who were speaking in hushed voices. 

"What does he want with her anyways?" The first boy muttered to the other.

"Beats me. Maybe he wants to recruit her into the Lost Boys," The second proposed.

"Has there ever been a Lost Girl?"

"I've only heard legends of a girl long ago. I don't know what happened to her. The older boy never told me. I heard this one beat Finn, though. She even managed to overpower some of us."

"Shut up and keep walking," Felix ordered the two boys.

Their breath hitched as they fell silent. I couldn't hold back my snort, "Some leader you are. A little kindness goes a long way, don't you know."

"Are you trying to convince me to kill you?" Felix said annoyed. 

"Well, I know that if you do, whoever he is isn't going to like that," I said unfazed.

"Believe me, little girl," Felix tightens his hold on me, "Once I hand you off to him, you will wish that I had ended your pathetic life."

"We shall wait see," I state, "You should warn your so-called leader now about the storm that is fast approaching him. I won't go down without a fight."

"We're here," one of the boys at the head of the line announced.

A smug grin appeared on my face as I got the last word.  My eyes widened to see a camp in the clearing. Tents were set up as well as a fire pit. There was a section where fruit and other foods were stored while the other end showed hunting spears and other weapons. That wasn't all. Boys were going about their business. Some sparred with each other while others hone in on their archery skills. It was like a small society. 

A few of them acknowledged their arrival. I saw many of them were young boys under ten while others appeared in their mid-teens. A group of older ones approached them.

"Where is he?" Felix demanded one of them.

"He's out on business," a brown-haired teenager answered, "Said he won't be back till nightfall. He also said to take her to the cages and keep the fairy away."

"Let's go," Felix pushed me through the camp.

Tinker Bell was dragged off in a different direction and I saw the cage in the distance.

"Maybe I had better chances with the pirates," I muttered under my breath.

I was shoved in and the door was shut. Felix left without another word and I crossed my arms. For a wooden cage, I was surprised at how functional it was. 

As I sat in the cage, I thought about the reality of the situation. How did I get here and what is the quickest way back to civilization?

Footsteps interrupted my thinking and I saw a figure approach. I turned my head to the side, "Visiting hours already? Does that mean my parole is coming up?"

Green eyes stared into my own. The boy didn't say anything and stood there. He held a spear in his hand and was dressed in a brown cloak. 

"Be quiet," the boy whispered, catching her attention.

"Why should I do that?" I snapped.

"Don't you want to escape?" The boy offered. 

"I'm listening."

"I can let you out and we can leave this prison together," the boy informed her, "But you have to do everything I say."

I made a face at the fact, "How do I know I can trust you? You very well could be leading me into a trap."

"It's called trust," the boy responded, "Like how I trust that when I let you out of this cage, you won't stab me in the back with the dagger hidden under your shirt."

My face pales. How did he catch onto that? I sighed, "Fine."

The boy grinned, "Good."

He broke the lock to the cage and helped me out, "Come on, they are off on a hunt. Now is the best time to leave camp."

"What about Tinker Bell?" I protested, "We have to take her with us."

"Remember," the boy warned, his grip on my hand tightening, "You said you would do everything I said."

"What a bossy boy you are," I glared, "I will not leave a friend behind. Unlike you, I still have a heart."

Without waiting to hear the boy's response, I slipped deeper into the camp looking for the blonde fairy. After a few minutes of searching, I came up with nothing. Voices could be heard in the distance and I felt my body tense.

"Now you've wasted our time," the boy said annoyed.

He threw me over his shoulder and took off running. I pounded his back, "Let me down, I can walk you know."

"I know," the boy smirked, "But you would have slowed us down. This is much easier."

"Put. Me. Down," I say threateningly.

"Not a chance," the boy laughed, "You're cute when you're upset."

"Is that your attempt at flattery?" I reply dryly, "I've heard better."

"Can you blame me?" The boy answered, "There haven't been any girls on the island."

"That's not true," I say without thinking.

The boy stopped walking and put me back on the ground. His green eyes darkened slightly. 

"What makes you say that?" He asked me. 

I swallowed and avoided his gaze, "When I was captured, I overheard two boys speaking about there being a girl before me."

"There's a reason why it's called the Lost Boys," the boy told her, "You can't believe everything you hear."

"I suppose your words hold some truth to them," I reply as we trek through the jungle, "However, isn't it also safe to say that one can't still dream? It is Neverland after all. Anything is possible."

"How did Felix not kill you?" The boy stated. 

I smirked, "Well, my personality is unique. If he killed me now, well it would be his loss."

In the back of my mind, I knew it was because of his orders. It only tempted me to defy them even more. I wondered how far I could push before being faced with consequences. The thrill of it all brought a smile to my face. 

"Where are we even heading?" I asked him.

"We're going as far as we can from that camp," the boy told her, "No doubt that the Lost Boys have caught onto your escape and more importantly, my betrayal."

We continued walking through the dense jungle when I spotted something in the distance. Instinctively I grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him back. he looked at me with an annoyed face, "What did you do that for?"

I punched his shoulder, "I just saved your life. Where's my thank you?"

"What are you talking about?"

I pointed to the thorny-looking plant. The boy's eyes went wide before relaxing. His tone was slightly bitter, "How do you know what that is?"

"You'd be surprised what you can learn in the short amount of time on this island," I comment. 

"Thank you," the boy said taking me by surprise. 

"Oh," I scratched my head, "It's nothing. I'm sure you would have done the same for me."

The boy just gave a silent nod and pressed onward. Neither of them spoke for the next length. I took advantage of the silence and thought about what else could exist on this island. In the books, there was magic, tribes and fairies. So far, the real thing had failed to live up to her expectations. She encountered Lost Boys who were anything but sweet and fairies who lost their wings. The only thing that remained the same was the pirates who filled the stereotype from the book. 

The boy who saved me was taller by a couple of inches and under the cloak, he had strong arms and a lean build. He wasn't unattractive, but there was much that I didn't know about him. Talk about having blind faith in a stranger. That revelation seemed to snap me back to my senses. 

My eyes travelled to his hand that still held onto my wrist. He noticed and immediately let go. He started to walk when he noticed that I wasn't following behind.

"What now?" He asked me, "We can't afford you being sluggish at a time like this."

My eye twitched, "I think if we are going to continue on this hike through the jungle, we need to establish some names. Otherwise, I think it is pointless to continue like this."

"You can't be serious," the boy exhaled, "We are being tracked right now and you want us to have an icebreaker activity?"

"It doesn't have to be an icebreaker. Quit being melodramatic," I clench my fist, "All I need is a name. Is that not common courtesy to you? Gees, I thought your attempts at flattery were terrible."

"Why should I bother with that?" the boy asked, getting angry, "Besides you didn't introduce yourself to me."

We locked eyes and neither broke contact. After realizing we weren't getting anywhere like this, the boy scratched the back of his head and sighed, "If I tell you my name, then can we keep going without any other delays?"

I nod my head awaiting his answer. 

"My name is Jack."

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