Potential for Darkness (Peter Pan)//(Robbie Kay)

46 ~ Cave of Mirrors

Okayyyyy many announcements:

• THE MONSTER INSIDE PETER PAN HAS REACHED MORE THAN 200K READS WOW GUYS I NEVER DREAMED OF HAVING SO MANY READS WHEN I FIRST STARTED WRITING IT SO I MAY BE CRYING RIGHT NOW

• I'm sorry for how long it took me to post this chapter, but I'm hoping its length kind of makes up for it a little

• I've got a few questions for you at the end of the chapter so if you have the time I would really appreciate the feedback :)

• Sadly, I started med school three weeks ago which means that I will be a complete and utter mess for the rest of the year because I'll have to be working my ass off. I'm so sorry and I hate that I won't be able to write as often because this story has been a huge source of happiness for me this summer and I hate to leave you hanging all the time. I promise I will try to write as much as I can but you have to understand that university does come first so please be patient with me :)

• Lastly, I'd just like to issue a warning that this chapter gets pretty violent and descriptive so if you have any issues with that please proceed with caution

<<<Day 174>>>

The jungle was silent, all of the animals having been scared off by the sounds of heavy, numerous pairs of feet trampling the dirt path. Pan marched towards the camp, irritated, the dozen of boys following him mutely, their backs stiff with fear. Where the hell was Ryan? The second in command was in charge of bringing the new recruits back to camp, not him. Pan had a lot on his plate, without having to deal with scared, crying children that resembled in nothing the ruthless warriors that they would be trained to become.

He had to admit, he'd been quite harsh with the newcomers, barking commands and threatening them, giving the poor teenagers no time to adjust to the sudden upheaval that was going to change their lives forever. He'd even killed the dark-haired one with a loose mouth that had been giving him trouble, having had no patience to deal with rebels and deciding that the boy would better serve as an example. No one had spoken since, not daring to even look him right in the eyes.

Pan knew some of the boys were tiring from his restless pace, yet he didn't slow down, they were almost there. As awaited, the jungle opened up in front of them. They were finally arriving at camp, which meant that Pan could rid himself of the newest pack of frightened children and toss the burden over to someone else. Behind him, he heard a few sharp intakes of breath, even a couple of murmurs as the soon-to-be lost boys took in the sight of their new home. Pan allowed them this moment, Neverland truly was a beautiful sight, and it pleased him to have people appreciate the beauty of his creation. Across the clearing, he spotted Ryan just as the boy spotted him. As if Pan's glare had burned him, the second in command stood up abruptly, almost toppling the log he'd been sitting on, hurrying over to his leader. Pan's eyes narrowed as they followed him; a warning of his displeasure.

"Where the hell have you been?" Pan demanded harshly, his voice sharp enough to cut through glass. Behind him, the newcomers flinched, already terrified of his flaring temper. "Need I remind you that the boys brought to Neverland are your responsibility?"

Ryan's hazel eyes shifted to look at the most recent recruits, then back to his leader, yet his face held no fear. "I was busy," he replied blankly, not giving up any more information.