The Devil's Game

Cruel Reality

Sleep wasn't something I had expected to get voluntarily on this island. I awoke to a stroking of my head, the familiar gesture of Killian. He used to come across to my bed to wake me up. The first few times he started me out of my nightmares I almost clubbed him with a wildly flying arm. After that he learned the best way was to stoke my head as my mother had done when I was growing up. It became the only thing that would calm me from the nightmares. His action was a cool water in the flames that engulfed my mind. Leaning into the hand, I hummed in satisfaction, as a well needed sense of safety and security washed over me. It was all nothing more that a bad dream. I was back on the Jolly Rodger, and Pan was nothing more the a flitting shadow in the vivid dream.

But as the sleep fog lifted from my mind, I jolted back railing against the chains holding me to the tree. A loud clanging of chains filled the silent night. Killian was no where to be found and my heart dropped. I was alone. More accurately I was with Pan. A monster that had slithered into the flesh of a teenage boy.

Pan laughed. "Oh love, how you wound me." He reached a pale hand out to touch my hair again, but I quickly dodged the attack, hugging the tree close to my body in order to avoid the offending appendage. My actions irked Pan because his eyebrows visibly dropped into a light scowl. In that moment I knew I f*cked up. He wasn't tolerant to my avoidant behavior anymore.

Reaching for the chains he undid they from the tree. Dragging me forcefully to my feet by my left wrist. I was yanked toward him until he held my wrists in his hands, just above the manacles, pulling me repulsively close to him, breathing in my face. I shifted my eyes to the ground in a submissive gesture in hopes of placating his anger. But it had the opposite effect. He growled, seizing my chin with bruising force and making it impossible to look away from him.

When he spoke his voice with shaking with barely contained fury, like a bomb about to explode. "You are mine." Pan had lost the arrogant velvet coating, the sound was raw with the first real emotion that has passed his lips. "Mine! Understand!" The volume grew ever so slightly but the intensity of the vocal increased tenfold.

Unable to move my head I whispered a soft "Yes." Just loud enough for him to hear.

"Yes, what?" Pan drew me even closer so that only a few centimeters separated our lips.

Bile built in my throat, but I answered none the less. "Yes Peter." He seemed to relax ever so slightly at the sound of his name, loosening his grip on my jaw ever so slightly.

"Now my Tiger Lily," the stress on the word "my" was enough to make her nauseous, "Don't ever react like that to me again, Hook's gone." The reminder of her lost friend was painful but I acknowledged his statement out of necessity. His name felt slimy and dead on my lips, like a week old fish left to rot in the sun.

Releasing her in an almost reluctant manner he unshackled her. Surprised, I rubbed the sore and irritated flesh. He dropped them unceremoniously in the dirt and stepped over them toward the fire. I followed without protest. My fight was buried deep and all that was left was an obedient shell of the once flaming and fierce girl that had coined the name Tiger Lily.  He sat down on a log before the fire. Warmth filled my chilled bones and I shivered slightly, ridding myself of the cold. I joined him, and he indicated toward the left over food. Several cuts of what looked to be rabbit meat were skewered on wooden sticks.

Knowing I didn't have a choice I picked up the first of the many pieces of meat. Raising it to my lips the scent infiltrated my nose and it was enough to want to fling it into the forest with all the might of a God. Swallowing my tongue I forced the first bite into my mouth. At any other point in time it would have been some of the most delicious food I had ever had, but at this very moment, it only tasted like beetles.

On a particularly long voyage across a large section of sea the crew had run out of food. Rather than resorting to starving the crew until the raid that would take place in the upcoming town Killian had turned to the only food source left on the godforsaken boat. An infestation of large fist sized  black beetles.

It was as if I could once again feel the crunching of the exoskeleton in my teeth, and the legs finding their way into the deepest crevices of my throat as I attempted to swallow the substance. Each bite became easier until the food no longer registered passing my lips. It wasn't until I reached for another piece and came up empty handed that I even realized I'd eaten every last morsel.

Pan seemed pleased with my actions as he rose to his feet. I followed suit and a smile broke through his stoney expression. He raised his arms to either side in an almost inviting motion. I stood for a long moment unsure of what he wanted. "Come here, and hold on to me." Pan ordered. Swallowing my pride I closed the distance between us and in a repugnant movement wrapping my arms around his neck. "So obedient, love." He proceeded to sweep my feet out from under my take off from the ground.

Flying above the trees I took the time to look around. The cursed island was surprisingly beautiful from this vantage point. Trees stretched out to the ends of the island where it faded into beach, then into the endless ocean. Something inside me cracked at the sight. Back on the ground I could delude myself into thinking this was nothing but a huge forest and if I ran far enough I could escape, but the reality was so much harsher. There was no escaping. I was trapped here with the demon of a man currently holding me. I was grateful for the silence that Pan allowed as we made our way back to his residence.

Floating in the door like structure of wood. Memories of the fight I put up rushed back and I wanted nothing more than to be left alone so I could curl up in a ball and cry. Normally I was one to suppress my emotions, but after losing everything I have ever cared about not once, but twice, I certainly think I have the right to a good long cry. Pan set me down and relief filled me as I was able to create some distance between the two of us. He strode through the door, expecting me to follow him. The last time I had been in the room I hadn't taken much time to notice the content of it. Set to one far wooden wall was a desk. Upon it were strewn papers, two half empty ink bottles and several quills. Something about the normalcy of the desk surprised me. Pan didn't strike me as the type to do paperwork. I looked over to him and noticed he wasn't paying any attention to me, enraptured in a task over by the dresser set in a different corner.

Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I carefully approached the desk just enough to examine the contents, but far enough that if noticed I could play it off. The papers weren't documents however, they were maps. And upon closer inspection, I realized they were maps of the enchanted forest. My home. X's were strune half hazardly across the page. I wondered if they were places where he had taken boys from. One X stood out among the rest. It was Glaendale, my small village home, the one that had burned to the ground. The discovery made me abandon the distance between me and the desk. Another X where Killian and I had first raided together. And yet another on the first island we explored. These maps weren't abduction points, they were a map of my life.

Gasping in horror she stepped back, only to be met my a solid warm surface behind me. Turning to face it I was met with the grinning face of a Pan. "Ah my little Tiger Lily, now you know, you were always destined to be mine." Pan reached up stroking my hair softly and the pieces began to click.

Pan had been Killian's enemy, so the assumption was that he had taken me as a strike toward Killian. But that theory wasn't holding up in the current circumstances. It was about me.

—_—

Hello lovely readers,

Finally after so long of working on this story the plot begins to thicken. If you have the inclination I'd love to hear a theory as to what is going on in the comments.

I also apologize this took so long to upload I rewrote it a few times. The next chapter should be up in a week or so.

Also I'm so sorry about my deplorable grammar, I'm usually writing in the middle of the night when I'm absolutely exhausted and barely lucid.

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