The Monster Inside Peter Pan (ouat)//(Robbie Kay)

Chapter Seventeen

10th day in Neverland

Alianna's point of view

"Oh come on Ali! Even Jake can do better than that!" said Derek after my pitiful knife throw. He was standing right next to me, arms crossed in mock desperation.

"Hey!" Shouted Jake from the nearest target, "I heard that!"

"Shut up," I told Derek, laughing. "It's my first time throwing knives in my whole life, you've been doing that for decades! Not my fault if I can't get the hang of it immediately."

I grabbed another knife, aimed and let it fly. It flew right past the target and stuck, quivering, into a tree on the border of the forest.

"No, you're still weighing too much on the tip." Derek said, trying to help.

"Maybe I was aiming for that tree." I said innocently, teasing him as I looked up at him.

"And why would you aim for a tree when you have a perfectly good target at your disposal?" He grinned, an adorable dimple forming on his left cheek.

"Maybe it's because the target's too easy and the tree was further and harder to aim for? Making it a challenge?" I enjoyed those conversations with Derek where he would answer my sarcasm with even more sarcasm.

"Riiiiight.... I'll believe you if you manage to stick your next knife in the bullseye." He chuckled.

I clutched the knife I had in my hand, readied my stance. I focused on what Derek had taught me, I adjusted my grip on the knife, looking strait at the red circle that so far I'd never managed to reach. I exhaled, then let the knife fly.

And of course it landed in the grass, a couple of feet next to the target. Derek laughed, ruffling my hair. Grinning up at him, I said, "I did that on purpose..." Before joining his laughter.

Jake was looking at us with a bemused expression. Talking about Jake... I remembered that he'd been supposed to ask questions about the you-know-what to Sam two days ago and I'd completely forgot about it.

How could I have forgotten about it? Simple really, I felt happy here for the first time. Being with Derek always made me forget my pain and anger, and I'd been s caught up in enjoying our time together that I'd forgotten about our search for the you-know-what.

"Jake?" I called out and he came over, "Did you manage to get anything out of Sam about the you-know-what?"

He shook his head. "Nah, when I asked him-"

I cut him off. "You asked him? But he can't be trusted!" I was bewildered, how could he trust Sam? The one who wouldn't hesitate to get someone in trouble just to stay Pan's favorite, after Felix of course.

Jake sighed patiently. "Ali, he may be a jerk to you, but he's still my brother. I still love him and I'd trust him with my life. He's only a dick when it comes to you. Sorry." He adds with an apologetic shrug.

I looked down at my feet, ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply it that way, but if he knows that I'm the reason you're asking..."

"That's why I didn't mention you. And anyways, when I asked him, he simply said that he didn't know what I was talking about. He was telling the truth." He said pointedly when I opened my mouth, seriously doubting the fact that Sam wasn't lying. "I know him, he's my- my twin brother. I'm able to tell when he's lying, but this isn't the case." There still was a tiny moment of hesitation as he said twin, like if it hurt him to say it. I had no idea what that was about. What was he hiding?

"Okay then... We'll just have to find another way to find out." Derek said. "Jake, why don't you go around the camp asking the other Lost Boys? Don't ask like, bluntly, but just subtle hints."