Chapter 38; Where's Google Translate When You Need It?

"If you don't know where you're going, any road'll take you there."

~ George Harrison

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Lewis's P.O.V

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    "Alright, boys, that's enough for today. I expect you guys to meet at the same time and same place tomorrow, is that clear?" Felix announces.    "Yes, sir!" the boys shout in one voice.    "You are dismissed."

    I push through the crowd of Lost Boys, making my way to the caves for a much needed shower. I'm barely twenty feet away from the caves when it suddenly starts pouring. The weather here reminds me of London, one minute it's sunny and the next it's raining like cats and dogs. Ray once said that the weather in Neverland is controlled by Pan.

    I yawn, wiping the perspiration off my forehead with the back of my hand.

    I rub my sore shoulder, silently cursing Felix for pairing me up with Jerome when we were training for hand to hand combat earlier.    "Damn you, Jerome," I mutter under my breath, wincing at every step I take. Even though Ray, Will and I are kind of on good terms with The Bloodlust Trio, Jerome still hasn't stopped trying to make our lives here a living hell.

    The trio doesn't really bother us much, but when one of us are alone, Jerome always finds a way to hurt us. Be it verbally, or physically, like today. I don't know what that prick's problem is. I've never offended him or humiliated him before. Well, other than the time Will and I kicked the trio's asses when we first arrived on this godforsaken island. That's most likely what made him hate us.

    That and us getting Pan to temporarily disband the trio. In my defense, it wasn't my fault, Andrew provoked me by abducting my friends and trying to kill them. They were asking for it. I run my hand though my hair as I enter the cave. Sighing, I peel off my dirty clothes, stepping into the cold water. This cave is huge! I've only taken five steps forward and the water is already at my chest level.

    I used to be weary of showering in unknown waters but I'm used to it now. The water here is safe to bathe in, unless for some reason you find yourself in Mermaid Lagoon. I shudder, thinking of how close Ray and Will were to dying. My thoughts can't help but go to Alice as I think of that day. How is she? I know I should hate her after what she did, but I just can't find it in myself to hate her.

    I love her too much for me to be able to do that. I guess it's true what they say, it's hard to tell your mind to stop loving someone when your heart still does. Ray and I are living proof of that. I never realized how much I loved her until I saw her with Pan. I wanted to kill that bastard on the spot, but knowing that Alice snogged him willingly made me rethink that.

    I used to think that the only reason why Alice spent time with the demon was because of his stupid game, but it's not. It's so much more. I've seen the look on Alice's face whenever she's with him. It's an expression I've never seen on her before. She looked like she didn't have a care in the world, as if his presence took a weight off her shoulders.

    That look on her face. That's the look I always imagined she'd have if we were a couple. It was the look of pure euphoria -and if I didn't know better I'd say that she was in love with him- But the question is, how much of that was real?

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Alice's P.O.V

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    "Hey, Alice where are you going?"    "I'm going to the cave," I say, slinging a drawstring bag over my shoulder. "I want to take a quick rinse before I go to bed."    Peter smirks. "Can I Slytherin?"    I roll my eyes. "In your dreams."    "How do you know that we're not dreaming?" he asks me.

    "Can you prove to me that this is real and it's not all happening in my head?"    "No?"    "Then there's a possibility that the both of us could be dreaming."    "So you're saying that we're lucid dreamers?"    "Maybe."    I blink. "Why am I even bothering with this conversation?"

    "I don't know," he replies, shrugging. "You tell me."    "Okay, I'm leaving now," I say, climbing down the wooden ladder.    "Don't be back too late!"    "I'll try not to!" I yell. I glance up at the sky, I'd better get to the caves soon, it's almost nightfall. I make my way down the path, humming the lyrics to "Strange Love" by Halsey as I go.

    I don't know why, but that song has been stuck in my head. Probably cause it reminds me of the strange relationship Peter and I have.    "They think I'm insane, they think my lover is strange, but I don't have to f-ing tell them anything, anything," I sing, walking into the cave as I do so. At the corner of my eye, I notice a pair clothes lying on the floor. One of the Lost Boys probably left this here when they were showering earlier.

    I rummage though my bag and pull out my towel. "That's the beauty of a secret, you know you're supposed to keep it," I sing, placing the towel on top of the bag. I hum the rest of the chorus as I take off my clothes.    "Everybody's waiting up to hear if I dare speak your name," I sing, stepping into the cool water. "Put it deep beneath the track, like the hole you left in me."

    "Everybody wants to know 'bout how it felt to hear you scream. They know you walk like you're a God, they can't believe I made you weak..."

****

    I step out of the water, drying myself with my towel. The soft, fluffy fabric reminds me of the blanket I had back at home. Home. It feels like an eternity ago since I last thought of it. I remember how I would always hide under my blanket when I was scared and how my parents would always comfort me. I blink my tears away, pushing the memory to the back of my mind.

    "Stay focused, Alice," I tell myself. "You can't afford to break down now."    As if one cue, I hear rustling from outside the cave entrance. I wrap my towel around my body, the hem falling mid-thigh.    "Hello?" I call out, taking a step towards the cave entrance. "Who's there?"    I tighten my hold on my towel as the rustling gets louder.

    "I have a knife," I lie, taking a step closer to the entrance. The vines sway in the wind, and I can feel the light breeze on my face.    "I'm warning you-"    I'm cut off by someone knocking into me. I slip, but the figure catches me by the waist, preventing me from falling.

    "Oh! I'm so sorry, I was just-" the boy stops mid-sentence, looking up. The moonlight shining on him allows me to get a glimpse of his face.

    Ray.

    He lets go of me. "Alice," he says, flustered.    I wrap my arms around my torso. "Hi, Ray."    I'm suddenly aware that the both of us are only in towels. "Um, where are your clothes?"    He scratches the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. "Jerome stole my clothes while I was taking a bath. Typical."

    "I think I saw some clothes on the other side of the cave," I say, turning around. "I'll go get it."    I make my way over to the cave wall and kneel down. I stand up, grabbing Ray's clothes and mine as I do so.     "Here," I say, extending my hand towards him.    Ray takes the clothes from me, his eyes darting everywhere and anywhere but on me. "Thanks."

"Can I- Um, w-would you mind if I changed here?" he asks me. "The nearest cave is ten minutes away from here." I bite my lip. "I won't look, I swear," Ray quickly adds, blushing. "Go ahead. I'll take the right side." He nods, walking over to the left side of cave with his clothes in his hand.

I peel off my towel, my back facing Ray. I wouldn't trust any boy enough to be in the same room as him while I'm unarmed and naked; any boy save Lewis, Ray, Will, and maybe Peter. I slip into my undergarments, then throw on Peter's shirt. The hem falls just above my knee. "Are you decent, Alice?" Ray asks. "Yeah. Are you?" "I am now," he responds. "You can turn around now, Ray."

I walk over my bag, placing my towel and dirty clothes inside. I shrug the bag on, stopping at the entrance of the cave. "I can't imagine how much you must hate me for what I did," I say. "I don't blame you, though. I hate myself, too. If you see the boys, could you please them that I'm sorry, and that I understand if they never want to speak to me again?"

I push the vines aside. "Goodbye, Ray, it was nice seeing you." His voice stops me in my tracks. "Wo bu hen ni, wo conglai meiyou henguo ni. Wo ai ni. Wo ai ni, wo hui ai ni, zhidao you yitian wo si." "What does that mean?" I ask, turning around to face him. "I said, "It was nice seeing you, too. And sure, I'll help you tell the boys that."

"Thanks you," I say. "Goodnight, Alice." "Goodnight, Ray."

****

"What took you so long?" Peter asks. "I lost track of the time," I lie, crawling into bed with him. "Hmm." "How's Cassie?" I ask, changing the subject. "He's fine," Peter answers. "He isn't as active as he used to be but he'll get better soon." "That's good."

"You didn't lose track of time in that cave did you?" he inqiuires. "Don't start, Peter," I say. "It's alright, Alice, you can tell me anything." Not necessarily. "Can we talk in the morning? I'm a little tired now." "Alright, Alice. It's late, you should get some rest."

"Goodnight, Peter," I say. "Goodnight, love," he replies.

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"Wo bu hen ni, wo conglai meiyou henguo ni. Wo ai ni. Wo ai ni, wo hui ai ni, zhidao you yi tian wo si." means, "I don't hate you, I never hated you. I love you. I love you, and I will love you until I die."

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I'm so tired rn *yawn* Why did I think it was a good idea to write this chapter at twelve in the morning when I'm supposed to wake up at six am? I find it funny that I get less sleep during the holidays and weekends compared to school nights and weeknights.

Have you guys seen Allegiant yet? If you have, what did you think if it? And if you haven't, when are you planning on watching it/are you planning on watching it?

I just watched it yesterday, it was amazing! But I kinda have mixed feelings about it 'cause it was nothing like the book. It wasn't as bad as the PJO movies, but it wasn't that similar to the book. Feel free to dm me if you wanna rant and/or fangirl (or fanboy #genderequality) about the movie. For the love of pizza, please don't comment spoilers.

Other than watching Allegiant, I also bought Cassandra Clare's new book, Lady Midnight. I've only read the first few pages and I'm already in love 😍 I ship Emma and Julian so much, ugh, I hope their ship becomes cannon like Clace and Malec

Oh- I almost forgot (why do I keep forgetting all the important stuff? 😂😅) TYASM FOR 20K READS 🎉🎉🎉 WE'RE ONE STEP CLOSER TO 50K! WOOHOO! My goal for this book is to get 50K by the end of the year. I might update a Q&A chapter or a 50 facts about myself chapter when I hit 50K, I'm not sure about that yet, so no promises.

~ Alice xx

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Edited: 25/01/2018