Prologue
Tiger Lily's Warning
It is a quiet night in Neverland.
The Jolly Roger is anchored offshore on the east side of the island, and Captain Hook paces his quarters, swinging a medallion necklace between his fingers while his crew of pirates finishes up their daily chores on the deck. Mermaids lie on the ocean floor, drifting off to sleep as the moon reflects through the waves above them, and Lost Boys run through the forest, laughing as they chase each other, paying no mind to the unknowns prowling in the shadows.
Tiger Lily sits in front of a dim fire, her waist-length black hair swept behind her shoulders, and her golden eyes reflecting the firelight. She is not frightened as she sits in the heart of the campsitea place where most do not survive long enough to count the tents.
Peter Pan sits across from her; his emerald eyes are focused and stern. He runs his hand through the waves of his hair as he tries to absorb the information she has just told him. The short flames dance between them as crickets chirp in the distance. Tiger Lily's eyes stay trained on the dagger Peter is fidgeting with in his hands, still stained with the blood of a pirate from an encounter earlier that day.
"A girl?" Peter asks, and she merely nods her head once. The flames rise along with the volume of his ire. "Where is she?"
Tiger Lily remains unfazed by his harsh tone—she is used to Pan being cruel to her. It is nothing to take personally; he treats everyone poorly. One is lucky if it is only his words that slice them.
"The Mainland. Her name is Kit."
He scoffs in disbelief. "You're telling me that a girl from the Mainland is destroying my island?"
"She's not what you think, Pan. She's controlling the entire island without realizing it; she's powerful." Her tone begs him to be patient, but his anger blinds him. The boy stands and paces back and forth, the gears in his mind turning. His boots kick up dust, and Tiger Lily begins to regret doing Pan this favor.
"I'll handle it," he says suddenly, and an uneasiness settles deep in Tiger Lily's stomach.
"We need to wait and see if it gets worse. You can't rush into this."
"You said yourself it's becoming more evident!" His intensity causes her to blink, but she knows better than to flinch. As if on cue, thunder rumbles in the distance. Both pause as they wait for the sound to fade away.
Tiger Lily speaks before he can. "She has no idea we exist; we are nothing but fairy tales to her. I'm warning you, if you rush into this, it could harm everyone on the island. You need to tread lightly."
Peter snaps his head in her direction, and the flames rise in temperature. "Tiger Lily, you know I won't hurt you, but that doesn't apply to your family, so I recommend you tread lightly. We've discussed this. She's a danger to Neverland. You can't expect me to change the plan now that we've found out it's a girl."
They both stare at each other for several moments, the fine line between friendship and rivalry beginning to blur. "You've given me the information I asked for, and I thank you for it. Now, get out of my campsite." He waves her away as if she is nothing but a young child.
Tiger Lily does not protest; she knows if she talks back it could put her family in danger. Instead, she bites her tongue and narrows her eyes before disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
Once she is out of sight, Peter sends a whistle across the island. As it echoes, it morphs from a whistle into the sound of an eagle.
Within moments, the Lost Boy of Peter's choice steps out from among the shadows. His dark brown eyes nearly blend in with his black skin, and his long legs carry him easily to Pan's side. A sword hangs limply by his side, ready to be used at any moment.
"You called," He hums as he ambles into the campsite.
"I'm going to be gone for a while, Lex. You're in charge until I return."
Lex knew this would be the command as soon as he heard the eagle's call. Pan and Tiger Lily had been meeting too often, and Neverland had been acting more unusual than normal lately. It all started the day an unexpected thunderstorm rolled over the island. There were never thunderstorms in Neverland. From that point on, it had been as if the island had been throwing a temper tantrum. It was only a matter of time before Pan figured out what was going on.
"Where are you going?" Lex asks plainly as he takes the open seat Tiger Lily has left behind. Peter Pan wipes the dried blood from his blade as a new game formulates in his mind.
"I'm going to solve a problem."
YOU ARE READING
Stolen By Pan
Fanfiction"Where am I?" I ask. The boy's smirk only grows as he begins to take slow steps towards me. As much as I want to back away when he comes close, I stand my ground. I notice that his eyes are a shade of green that is so dark they could almost be black...
