VICIOUS (II) : peter pan ouat

How to Find a Killer

When we arrive back at camp, Pan lets go of Alex. He drops my arm from his hand, and disappears once more. Great, just fantastic. It's not like I had half a dozen questions stirring around my head, my thoughts jumbled up like the letters in an alphabet soup.

The camp is quiet, I expect the sun to rise any minute now. I'm tired, and hungry, and I want to go to bed. I take a swig from my canteen, thankful it's bottomless. Otherwise my throat would be raw. Thankful I have magic.

Harry runs up to me and Alex, pulling Alex into a tight embrace. He momentarily buries his head in Alex's shoulder, before he shoves Alex back.

"Where have you two been?" He looks from me to Alex. "It's been hours. Christ, it's the middle of the night."

"We were ambushed by the Natives." Alex tells him.

I scoff, of course Alex answers Harry's questions. Harry can be as inquisitive as he wants, no backlash. Double standard.

He steps back, looking at me. "Why?"

"They want me." I say. "An eye for an eye. A girl for a girl."

He purses his lips at the word girl. He looks down at the ground, before breathing out slowly. Harry pulls out two apples from inside his cloak, which he hands to Alex and me.

The sweet juice drips down my lips, and the white inside is cold against my teeth.

"So, you're a girl?" He asks, sitting down.

I follow him to the ground. I manage to keep the apple in my mouth as I chuckle. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner."

Alex sits down next to us. "You weren't good at hiding it."

"You knew and didn't tell me?" Harry demands, turning to Alex. "You knew and you didn't tell me."

He stands up, anger spread across his face. Alex stands up next to him, but I stay on the ground. I'm so hungry, and this isn't really my fight anyway.

"It's dangerous to know." Alex jumps in. "Pan could've killed you and her."

Harry crosses his arms. It may not be what he wants to here, but it's the truth. Johnny is the only living soul who I told. Thomas is dead and Jared is dead, and both of those things may be a coincidence. They also might not be either.

Johnny. I haven't seen him since the day of the fire. The fire that killed so many, that he indirectly had a hand in. In a way though, I could've stopped it too. Maybe I had a hand in it then.

"I don't need protecting." Harry says, and storms off.

Alex trails after him.

As I finish the apple, I begin to feel the exhaustion from today invading me. It's so very late, and I'm so very tired.

Not quite sure which tent I'm supposed to sleep in, I head over to the forest. Finding a tree low to the ground, I lift myself into it.

I've slept in trees before, and I'll do it again.

At least for the night.

My back hurts as I sit up. The early morning sun is just cracking over the trees. Night is much longer than the day now, I guess. Time has been off for a while, but now it's just ridiculous. There couldn't have been more than six hours of sun yesterday.

The night's nice, deadly but nice. Hopefully if it stays, the moon will be brighter than it is right now. I'd lose my mind if I tripped and feel in the dark. That would be so embarrassing.

Heading down into the clearing, I look for a long table with food. This clearing is smaller. There's only room for a fire pit and a couple tents huddled together in the corner. Along a log by the fire-pit are a few plates filled with food.