Peter ✶ [Lost Boy Series #1]

03: Finn's Inner Thoughts

 Crossing my arms over my chest, my eyes stared straight at my blushing little brother. At this point in time, he didn't dare to make eye contact with me.

"Just curious, I thought Em was a pretty bright girl. Matter of fact, I thought she was one of the top students in your grade."

Finn toyed with the edge of the rug he was sitting on, not uttering a single word.

"Am I wrong?" Said my voice as more of a demand than an actual question. Finn's eyes peeked up at mine as his cheeks were still a rosy pink.

"No...," he uttered.

"So just curious," I said, resting my chin on my hand. The corners of my lips pulled into a teasing smirk. "Why in the world would Ember Frost need help with homework when she already has great grades?"

Forget the pale pink blush on his face because Finnegan Pan had now reached the state where he was tomato red. Chuckling, my head shook from side to side.

"You may have mom and dad fooled, but you cannot fool me," I said staring at him as he shamefully avoided looking at me.

Out of nowhere frustrated, angry tears slipped down his face. "It's not my fault. It just happened!" He protested as guilt ate away at him. Hopping down from his bed, I kneeled before him and placed both hands on his shoulders. He wiped his few tears away as he tried to wiggle away from my grasp.

"Look at me, Finn," I said. As much as he wanted to avoid my gaze, he averted his attention and locked eyes with me. Just through his little irises I could see the guilt, the fear that was seeping into his very system. He was scared of what The Council would do if they found out about his feelings for her.

"You cannot tell anyone about this- not mom, not dad, not Em. And whatever you do, never say either of the L words out loud," I told him, referring to the words like and love. Legend has it that it if you said either of those words referring to another person, The Council would strip you of your powers and then lock you away somewhere that no one has ever escaped from. Why they were so afraid of feelings, I had no clue. I had always assumed it was because each of us in Neverland had a job to carry out and if we were too occupied with each other, we would forget all about that.

Finn nodded in understanding, an expression of fear creeping up on his adolescent face. "How am I supposed to hide it?"

I shrugged, " You don't have to necessarily hide it. You can still be nice to her. Just don't act upon it. You know, no hand holding. No cute gestures."

Finn's eyebrow cocked to the side. "Why do I feel like you're talking from experience? Is something going on between you and Belle that I don't know about?"

My face morphed into an expression of disgust. "Ew, no! Why do you always assume that?"

"Because she seems to enjoy your company a little too much and you don't seem to mind it," he stated as he nonchalently shrugged.

"Because I don't mind it," I stated. "But I've always seen her as a sister figure."

Finn smirked. "Then who is this Laney girl?"

My heart dropped into my stomach. Staring at him with widened eyes, all I could do was blink. "Say what?"

Finn shook his head in laugh. "I didn't even think you had the guts to go that far! Dude, she's a mortal! What are you thinking?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"Mmmhmm, that's why when you were talking about stealing those Poptarts at her house, your eyes lit up."

"That's no factual evidence, my eyes light up at the sight of Poptarts anywhere," I protested.

"Yeah, but it's not just that...." he continued, his emerald eyes mischievioiusly looking for any sign of discomfort coming from me.

"What do you mean?" Struggling to play it cool, Finn knew that he had me on the edge. He knew that any second now, he would corner me and I would give in. What a sly little puppy of a brother I had.

"You seem....lonely. You've had this sad vibe coming off of you since you came back....is she.....is she the reason why?"

Was this boy a freaking mind reader? I knew he was going to figure me out, but I didn't expect him to figure anything out this fast.

Debating whether it would be best to come clean or to let things be, I decided to spill the beans to the one person that wouldn't dare to spill my secret. As frustrated as I was over the whole situation, it was best if I talked it out with someone. Since Finn had never uttered my secrets to a single soul, it would probably be best if I informed him of my feelings.

Clasping my hands over my lap, my body leaned forward and our eyes locked in a serious manner. "You swear you won't tell a soul?"

Making a zipper motion over his lips, Finn's cheeks pushed up as he smiled. "You have a Pan's sincere promise."

Nodding in understanding, it felt as though a giant weight was lifted off my chest. Suddenly, I felt as though all the walls that were surrounding my secrets finally tumbled down. "Laney Riverdale is probably the most amazing thing to exist since Poptarts were invented."

With that cheesy comparison, Finn let out a youthful chuckle. And I felt safe knowing that he understood just how much she meant to me.

© Lightning_Stryker 2017

Thoughts?

Chapter 4 coming soon!