Possessive ∞ Peter Pan

Chapter 3

Iris was suddenly awake and sat up, breathing heavily. She grasped at her chest, as though clawing at something to get off. Her mind was racing. The nightmare was subsiding and she couldn't even really remember what she was so scared of. It suddenly felt so far away.

After rubbing her forehead to ease the stress, she placed her hand down and felt a soft and fluffy cover beneath her. It didn't feel like her usual one. Her eyes drifted towards it and her face scrunched into confusion as she was met with an array of browns and greys, a similar colour to that of a rabbit. It was nothing like she'd ever owned and, now she was thinking about it, the bed below her even felt different.

Turning her head to the room around her, she realised nothing was familiar. She pulled at the cover and wrapped it up over her shoulders, anxious about the unfamiliar surroundings she was in. Her thoughts wandered back to the night before and the mysterious brunette boy who claimed to be Peter Pan. 'This isn't a dream,' she thought to herself as she slowly realised where she was.

She thought of many questions but wasn't quite sure who to ask. Or where to go from there. She felt disorientated and not quite sure what to do.

The tent door opened and Peter stepped in. He looked over to Iris immediately and smiled, "Oh, you're awake."

"Mhm, I didn't go to sleep long ago I think," she mumbled, slightly anxious.

"Well, come on. You've got to meet the lost boys properly." Peter grinned at her and stood boldly, making him look bigger than he was. Iris could tell he was very confident.

Iris stood up and looked down at herself, then touched her tattered hair. Her mouth felt dry and she could only think about getting ready. "Um, do you mind if I get sorted? I... I feel disgusting."

Peter nodded, pointing to the corner of the room. "That should have everything you need."

"Oh, great. Thank you," Iris smiled as she looked at a big dark brown chest and then back to Peter. She hadn't noticed it being there before and wondered if Peter had just used magic to pluck it out of thin air.

"Come outside when you're done," he demanded and Iris stayed quiet as he turned away and left.

Iris quickly made her way over and opened the chest. The lid was heavy and creaked slightly, showing its age. Her eyes were met with all the clothes and toiletries she would need for now, neatly placed in their own compartments. She got changed and pulled the brush through her hair, so she could look slightly presentable meeting all the Lost Boys for the first time.

Her breathing started to get heavy again as she walked out of her tent. Meeting new people was never on Iris's 'fun things to do' list. She found it difficult and always became quickly nervous when she had to. Especially a group of mean-looking teenage boys who could easily tear her apart if they wanted to.

"Iris," Peter said happily, causing her to look up and over in his direction. "These are the Lost Boys." He declared it proudly and even smiled over at them, as though he's brought them up to be the best people ever to live. 

Iris smiled awkwardly at them all and held tightly onto her wrist, her nails digging in. The boys stared intently at her for a couple of moments, before their faces began to beam with smiles and they all started talking at once. They walked over, bumping into each other, and crowded her.

They showered her with handshakes and pats on the back. She tried remembering all their names and saying hello back, but the boys were adamant about greeting her all at once so she quickly lost track.

There was another boy next to Peter that caught Iris's eye, a tall blonde boy. He stood completely still and expressionless. She tried to get a better look, but the boys were bombarding her way too much for her to focus properly on him.

"Okay, boys," Peter laughs walking over. "Leave the poor girl alone and get to training."

"Is she going to be our first proper lost girl?" The twins asked, pushing each other afterwards for speaking at the same time.

Peter tilted his head slightly and pursed his lips, "I like the sound of that. Iris, will you be a lost girl?"

"Of course," she beamed. 

Iris felt accepted there, but there was still something unsettling to her about this place. As she watched the boys sluggishly walk away she saw the looks on their faces. They didn't seem like fully happy boys, but overworked soldiers that needed a good night's sleep.