The Captive (First Book in the Neverland Bound Series)

Chapter 7 (Catherine)

I am sitting on the log that I had occupied earlier that morning when Pan had first proposed the idea of giving me magic lessons. Unfortunately, he had failed to specify where to meet him and had strolled out of camp earlier without even a backwards glance in my direction.

So here I am, sitting on a log in the middle of a forest on some godforsaken island, waiting for a seriously bipolar boy to show up and give me magic lessons.

Good grief. Had it all really come to this?

Just as I am beginning to believe he stood me up, a voice sounds from behind me.

"Good. You came," Pan says, and I whirl around to face him. He's smirking. "Thought I stood you up didn't you?"

His accuracy at guessing my thoughts both intrigues and terrifies me. "Yes, actually, I thought you had," I reply smoothly, rising from the log I had been sitting on. "You're late."

"Oh, Catherine. You really should know that Peter Pan is never late. Especially when he never gave a designated time to meet in the first place," he says, smirk ever present on his face.

I open my mouth to reply, but immediately close it, realizing that he has a point.

"Besides," he continues, "your first test was on patience."

"You made that up on the spot just now, didn't you?" I ask, giving him a pointed look.

A look of surprise crosses his face and I smirk at his reaction. He quickly schools his face into one of indifference and shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't think it really matters because either way it was a test."

I roll my eyes at him and after a long moment of silence, he finally speaks up. "Now, on to more fun things."

I sigh and shrug. "Alright, then, what's first?"

"First, I want to see what you can do so," he answers disappearing. He reappears a little closer to the tree line, and says, "Let's play."

He smirks. Before I can think of a good retort, a huge blast of magic bursts forth from his hands and crashes into me, sending me flying. My back hits the trunk of the tree behind me and I feel the wind get knocked from my lungs.

"Come on, dearie. You can do better than that," he scolds. Just as I regain a standing position, the log I had been sitting on earlier collides with the backs of my legs. I am once again knocked off my feet and am now sprawled on my back. I can hear him laughing from where he still stands by the tree line.

I grunt and throw a glare in his direction. As I pull myself to my feet, I summon all of the strength that I can manage and aim all of my magic at him. He disappears before it ever leaves my palms, causing the blast to slam into the trunk of the tree that was behind him. I scan the clearing for any sign of him.

"Over here, love," he taunts, purposefully trying to provoke me while waving from where he leans casually against another tree.

I prepare myself for another attack, but when nothing happens I take the opportunity to make my own move. I fire at him once again, but this time my attack bounces off some kind of protective wall he has placed around himself. He smirks and disappears again.

Then it hits me. He's not trying to teach me, he's trying to intimidate me. Well I'm sorry to tell him, but its not going to work. I've seen a lot of magic in my time and this is nothing compared to some of the stuff I've seen.

I close my eyes and try to zero in on his aura. After a moment I feel it emanating from directly behind me. I glance slightly over my shoulder, just enough to tell that he is holding two fireballs, one in each hand.

I prepare a little counter attack of my own by creating a whirling ball of water between my palms. I turn around to face him, hands behind my back and I find him smirking cockily at me.

Without a word the two balls of fire are hurled in my direction. Just before they collide with me, however, I pull the water I conjured from behind my back and create a small wave with it, dousing the flames.

His smirk from earlier is gone and in its place is a look of irritation and I can't refrain from smiling sweetly at him.

"Nicely done, Catherine," he praises somewhat sarcastically. "But your powers are weak."

"Oh really? Says the guy who performs card tricks," I spit out at him, my mood drastically deteriorating.

His face contorts into a snarl and his posture has gone rigid, giving off a frustrated air, but I don't really care. If he thinks he can push me around just because I'm a girl who needs a little more practice time, then he's got another thing coming.

I return his stare with one equally as frustrated. He is the first one to break eye contact.

"We will continue your lessons tomorrow," he states coldly and disappears from the clearing, leaving me completely alone and utterly drained.