"And in the end, we're all just humans... Drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness.

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Peter's P.O.V

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    "How's The Game going?" Felix asks. "Is Alice winning it too?"
    "Haha," I say sarcastically. "Very funny, Felix."
    Felix has been taunting me ever since he found out that Alice had beaten me in "Hide And Seek".
    "Let's just count the times Alice has managed to beat you," Felix says, grinning. "Dueling. Hand To Hand Combat. Knife Throwing—"

    "Shut up, Felix," I say, playfully shoving him to the side.
    He stumbles but laughs, swinging his mace over his shoulder as we walk down the path. "I can't believe she managed to beat you in "Hide And Seek". You're getting soft."
    "Are you going to be like this the entire night?" I ask.

    "Yes. Don't worry, you only have a couple more hours until our patrols are up."
    I roll my eyes. "Oh joy."
    "Okay, all jokes aside, how's The Game going?" Felix asks.
    "It's only a matter of time until I win," I say confidently.
    "If all goes well, we can check immortality off the list. But what about power?" Felix asks.

    "The Truest Believer will solve that problem, we just need to wait until he gets here," I say.
    "Good," Felix says. The silence that follows is deafening.
    "Okay, that's it," I say, stopping in my tracks. I turn to face him. "What aren't you telling me?"
    "What makes you think I have anything to tell you?" Felix asks, refusing to make eye contact with me.

    That confirms my suspicion.
    "You aren't looking at me in the eye when we talk," I state. "And your body language screams anxiety."
    Felix scratches his neck with his free hand. "I was hoping to keep this burden from you a bit longer."
    "What do you mean?" I ask. "What burden?"

    He sighs and shakes his head. "Alice's friend, Will, is close to cracking the code that'll bring the two boys to Neverland."
    "That can't be. It's way too hard to solve," I say.
    "The boy, Will, proves to be smarter than we expected him to be," Felix says. "He's just one step away from figuring out the message behind the book."

    I clench my fists in frustration, but can't help at being slightly impressed that he managed to get so close to cracking the code. I underestimated him.
    "That boy is beginning to get on my nerves," I say, gritting my teeth.
    "But you've gotta admit," Felix says. "He would make a brilliant Lost Boy."
    "Not helping, Felix."

    "Sorry. But you can't deny that it's true," he says.
    "Believe me, I know," I say, looking up at the night sky. "I've been wanting to recruit him ever since Alice told me about him, but she's made it clear to me that I'm not allowed to bring him to Neverland."

    "What if we let the boy solve the code?" Felix suggests. "You aren't technically bringing him to the island that way. He'll be coming here on this own."
    I nod my head. "That's a good idea. What would I do without you, Felix?"
    He smirks.
    I point my forefinger at him. "Don't answer that."

    "I don't need to," he says, his smirk widening. "You already know the answer to that."
    I shove him. Again. "Oh, shut up."
    Felix laughs. "Fine. Come on, let's just finish our tour and go back to our chambers. I'm sure that you're just dying to get back to Alice."
    "Not funny," I say.
    "It is to me," he says, walking past me.

    "I can't believe I managed to tolerate that guy for centuries," I mutter, following him down the path.

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Alice's P.O.V

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    I feel something gently tugging on my hair. I open my eyes to see Peter, playing with my hair.
    "Peter, what in the world are you doing?" I ask, my voice still thick with sleep.
    "I'm playing with your hair," he replies matter-of-factly.
    "Why?"
    "Is it uncomfortable? Do you want me to stop?" he asks.

    As much as I'd love to say yes. I can't. What Peter's hands are doing to my hair is relaxing, and comforting.
    "No," I reply without missing a beat. "Don't stop, it feels nice."
    I silently curse myself for saying that outloud.
    Peter chuckles, then leans down and presses his lips on mine.

    I don't hesitate to kiss him back, wrapping my arm around his neck as I do so. Peter continues playing with my hair as we kiss. After awhile, we pull back for air.
    "As much as I'd love to stay here with you all day, we still have to go for training," Peter says.
    I sigh, running my hand through my hair. "Do we have to?"

    "Yes," Peter replies, walking over to the dresser. He rummages through it until he finds the gear that he's looking for.
    "Here," he says, throwing the bundle of clothes at me. "Get dressed."
    "What will we be doing today?" I ask.
    "You'll see," he replies, padding out the door.

    I bring my fingers to my lips. I can't believe that I kissed Peter. That was not how I was expecting my first kiss to go. And I definitely didn't expect myself to enjoy it.
    I feel my cheeks heat up as I recall my lips on his. I suppose that means I'm slowly growing on him. I'm one step closer to getting back home.

    To be honest, Peter's starting to grow on me too. The words we say to each other might not be genuine, but how much of that kiss was real?

****

    "Where are we going?" I ask.
    "To the middle of the forest," he says. "There's more cover there."
    "Are we going hunting?"
    That would explain the clothes that we're both wearing. But the fact that we might have to face a wild animal is unnerving. I tighten my grip on the longbow in my hand.
    "Yes." Peter replies over his shoulder.

    "Why do we need to hunt for our food?" I ask. "Can't you just use your magic for that?"
    "We hunt because it's a good practice. I won't have any of my Lost Boys, or Girls in this case, be foreign to the art of hunting."
    "What's with the bows? Can't we just use snares instead?" I ask.

    "We can, but any idiot could make a snare. It's hunting people don't know."
    "Okay, then whats with the cloaks?"
    "They'll help us blend into our surroundings, so that our prey won't be able to see us," he explains.
    "Are you sure that our cloaks will keep us hidden?" I question, eying my cloak. It's mostly made of dark green material, but it's dotted with black patches of fabric.

    "The first lesson you'll lean is to trust the cloak," Peter says, walking up to a thicket of trees. "Close your eyes for thirty seconds. Your first test is to find me."
    "Piece of cake," I say.
    "You won't be saying that when the thirty seconds are up."

    "We'll see."
    "Close your eyes," Peter says. "Don't open them until the thirty seconds are up."
    I adjust the quiver strapped on my back.
    "Ready?" Peter asks, pulling the cowl over his head, making him almost invisible.

    I already regret thinking that this would be easy. "Yup," I reply closing my eyes.
    "Let the thirty seconds begin," Peter says.

    30 seconds.
    I hear rustling behind me.
    25 seconds.
    Something brushes my shoulder.
    20 seconds.
    I feel him breathing down my neck.
    15 seconds.
    A twig snaps a few meters away from me.

    10 seconds.
    More rustling.
    5 seconds.
    Everything is still. Nothing moves.
    0 seconds.
    I open my eyes.

    Peter is nowhere to be seen.

    I slowly make my way towards the spot where I last saw him. I get down on all fours, looking for his tracks.

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Peter's P.O.V

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    I watch in silence as Alice follows the tracks I made. I purposely made them leading away from me. I have to admit, I'm impressed. I didn't think that she would be able to identify my tracks, let alone notice them. No doubt her friend taught her how to. Alice drops down on all fours, studying the tracks that I left. She furrows her eyebrows in confusion, muttering to herself.

    She then stands up and pulls the cowl over her head, probably so that I won't be able to see her. Smart girl. She's caught on to my tactic.

    Ten minutes have passed by and she still hasn't found me yet. She looks like she's about to give up, which is a shame. She's really close to finding me as she's literally standing in front of me. I make a mental note to compliment her for her tracking skills. I didn't think that she'd be able to get so close to finding me. She proves to be smarter than I give her credit for.

    Like her friend, Will, she has all the qualities of being a good Lost One. Alice is the most ambitious person I've ever met. She never gives in to failure. She always tries to find a way to best me, to beat me at my own games. There's just one game I refuse to let her beat me at.

    "Alright!" Alice exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. "I give up, you win. Where are you?"
    "Right here," I say, causing her to jump.
    "Holy mother— don't ever do that again," she says, clutching her chest.
    I laugh at her response.
    "How did I not see you?" she asks.

    "The trick is to not move," I say. "You'd be surprised at the number of people who wouldn't notice you if you stood still," I say.
    "I can't believe I didn't see you," she says, disappointment evident in her voice.
    "Actually, you were pretty good," I tell her. "I wasn't expecting you to get so close to finding me on your first try."

    She smiles. "Thanks."
    "Okay, now that we've covered camouflage we'll work on hunting." I say. "I trust your friend taught you how to hunt?"
    "Yup, he brought Lewis and I on a hunting trip a few years back," Alice says.
    I nock my bow. "That's good. If you don't have any questions, let's start hunting."

****

    Our hunting lesson was quite successful. We managed to catch two rabbits and five quails. I use my magic to teleport us back to our room. I wave my hand over the burlap sack, sending it to the Lost Boys to cook for tomorrow's breakfast.
    "You're a pretty good shot with the bow," I say to Alice.
    "Thanks. You aren't so bad yourself."

    She grabs her nightwear and makes her way to the makeshift bathroom to freshen up for bed. Alice comes out of the bathroom dressed in my green shirt. Due to her small size, the hem of my shirt falls just above her knees. She throws her dirty clothes in the bamboo basket. I strip out of my hunting gear and throw on a pair of green breeches.

    "I'd ask you to change in the bathroom, but I can't be bothered," Alice says, getting into bed.

    "Don't pretend you didn't like the show," I say.
    She rolls her eyes but doesn't say anything. I get under the covers, I wrap my arms around her
    "Goodnight, love," I say, kissing her temple.
    Alice yawns and nuzzles her face in my shoulder. "Goodnight, Peter."

    She must've been exhausted because she fell asleep the second her head hit her pillow. I play with her hair, listening to her soft breathing. I'll never forget the feeling of her lips on mine. I smile, caressing her cheek. I've always known that I was a good actor. But this time, I can't tell how much of that was acting. Was that kiss real or not real?

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What did you guys think of this chapter?

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Do you guys ship Panlix (Pan and Felix)? I ship them as best friends and/or brothers.

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Vote, comment, rate, do whatever you want <3

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Edited: 23.11.2017