When Deafness Happened

Day: 7

I wake up on the cold forest floor. Sleep must have crawled up and taken me into its arms after I escaped Pan. I don't know where I am.

I slowly stand up, stretching my back and looking around. I am so hungry. I've got to find food soon.

I take a step forward, yawning. My own stench fills my mouth; so strong I can taste it. I haven't brush my teeth in a week, nor have I bathed. I understand why all the clothing in the tent smells awful now. It's because the boys haven't bathed in hundreds of years.

I look around, trying to spot any source of food. There's a lump in my side so I reach in my cloak and pull out my dagger. I don't remember picking it up when I ran from him. I don't remember anything from when I ran from him, other than his eerie green glare.

I stop walking and collapse onto the forest floor, dry-heaving. The dagger is cold in my hands. I wonder if it felt cold against his throat. I wonder if he was scared. I wonder if he is even capable of being scared. I'm scared.

I throw the dagger away from me, as I lie back on the ground. I breathe in and out heavily. I almost killed someone. I am Pan.

I stand up, and pick the sickly dagger up and place it back in my cloak. I continue walking through the forest, my feet hitting stone and roots as I trudge along. I'm not scared anymore. I'm just very tired. I need to find food.

I continue to walk, searching for anything. I see some berries on a bush. I quickly scarf them down, starving. The berries dye my hands a bright red. Blood.

I continue walking.

I reach the beach. Somehow, every time I am at the shore it seems that I am at a different part of the island. The sand here is pink. Tall rocks surround the area, making a circular sort of circular wall between me and the sea. I walk forward, into the circle. In the center of the water there are a few boulders. I trudge up and into the circle, and sit myself down on one of the boulders.

I scream.

It echoes along the walls and is sent out to sea. I wonder if the mermaids heard me, or if Captain Hook did. Pan Flute said there were no pirates; and Tiger Lily was a tiger after all, so I doubt she did.

A head bobs up in the water and smiles at me. She has long blonde hair, and a beautiful grin. Eerily beautiful.

Mermaid.

I back up immediately, centering myself on the boulder. All I have learned about the mermaids on this island leads me to believe they are going to drown me.

She continues to smile, almost like she's giggling silently. The waves crash against the rock but she manages to stay stationary in the water.

"Are you going to drown me?" I ask.

She doesn't answer, just continues to smile. I catch a glance back to the shore. I won't make it back; that is if she is trying to kill me.

She cocks her head to the side, then turns around to face the sea. She looks out at it for a few seconds before turning back to me, grinning, and bobbing back underwater.

I stand up on the rock, and spin around, looking for her in the water. She is not there. I can't figure out if she is good or evil.

"Do come down from there." Pan Flute behind me demands.

I violently turn to face him, my feet slipping on the rock.

I pause and stare at him. "No."

He struts closer to me. "Don't tell me I broke you already. Come down now, it's not safe up there."

"The mermaids, they'll kill me?"

He runs his hand along his chin. "Not unless I tell them to. They tend to listen to me."

"Like you said, things tend to go your way." I almost laugh.

He stares back at me, before grinning. "It feels like that's an insult."

I shrug my shoulders, not daring to break my stare with him. "I didn't know you could feel things."

"I have many feelings," he says. "There's a tree here, if you find it, that means a lot to me. My boys mean a lot to me."

"That's why you let them die." I pretend to understand him. Sarcasm. "It all makes sense now."

"I can explain why they die, but not today." He says. "I came to let you know you've been readmitted to the hunt."

"I don't want to be a part of your stupid elite group." I spit. "I want to go back to my home, where I belong."

He shrugs. "Give me fifty days. If in fifty days you want to leave I will let you."

"No you won't." I correct.

"What other choice do you have?" He asks.

"You're all about games, not about losing."

He pauses. "We will make it a game then. If I find out your deepest, darkest secret, without magic, then you will have to stay."

I don't have a deepest darkest secret. Other than my genitals. "And if I win."

"I will let you go home." He explains.

"You don't behave like this with the Lost Boys."

"I think you've proven over the past few days that you are nothing like the other boys."

"I'm not a special snowflake." I argue.

He shakes his head. "I didn't mean to say you were. I just meant that it's only fair that you fight fire with fire. They all seem to listen to me, or at least they don't openly defy me."

"I tried to kill you." I yell. I don't know why, but I need to say it.

He grins. "That's precisely my point."

"I'm not going back to your camp."

Suddenly, the tide picks up and begins to hit the boulder harder. I turn to see the mermaid. She looks at me, and points to him.

"You're controlling her?" I ask.

"I don't control people, at least not directly. The mermaids and I have a deal." He says. "They listen to me. Come down Charlie."

"You aren't going to drown me." I tell him flatly.

"I would never," he answers. "She might."

"Why did you even call her up?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I suppose I wanted more leverage in the situation."

I look down at the mermaid. She's thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Call her off." I shout to Pan Flute.

"Get off the r-"

"Call. Her. Off. Now."

He sighs. "I don't like to be told what do to."

"I don't like to be threatened." I answer.

I look down at the mermaid and stick my tongue out at her. She frowns.

A wave hits me, and I'm screaming, and my body is in the water. I should not have insulted that mermaid. I thrash about, trying to reach the surface. I'm not a bad swimmer, but the tides are much better at drowning then I am at staying afloat.

I feel arm around me. I continue to thrash at them. She's dragging me deeper. I stop moving, conserve my breath until I figure out what to do. My lungs are burning.

Someone once told me that when we hold our breath we only use a third of the breath we have. I don't know if it's true, but I convince myself to keep holding my breath.

That is, until I can't anymore.

Day: 8

I wake up on a bed. I'm on a bed. I stare up at the brown ceiling above me. I must be in the hospital. I must've hit my head on the way to the bonfire. I must've been in a coma, because that wasn't a dream. I know what dreams are like. I don't know what comas are like.

I sit up and peak around. I'm not in the hospital, I'm in a room. It's entirely made out of rock; from the floor to the ceiling to the walls. The bed thankfully has a mattress and sheets, and is in fact not rock at all. I look around the room. Not much else is in here. A few books here and there, some clothing in neat piles, but otherwise it's empty.

Standing up, I wobble forward. I seem to be inside a cave. This could not get any better. I hear footsteps and someone walks in through the whole in the floor. Pan.

I back up, and sit on the bed. I most definitely was not in a coma, or hopefully I still am. Do people have nightmares while in comas?

"How long was I out for?" I ask.

He doesn't answer me.

I nod, curling my feet up into my body. I tuck my head into my lap. I think back on the days I've been here, realising I have been knocked unconscious on every single one of them. I've been here eight days.

"Where am I?" I ask.

He still doesn't say anything.

"You had your mermaid attack me," I whisper out.

I'm not going to cry.

I roll my eyes. Suddenly I realise. My cap. I reach my hands up to my head and feel it still on my head.

"But, that's impossible." I whisper.

I will never be going near a beach again, that was an awful idea. Being drowned was awful, and being underwater is just generally a bad idea when my entire life depends on if at hat remains on my head. As for my hat, I've got no idea how it stayed on my head while I was submerged underwater, and most likely dragged back to camp.

"I don't understand." I whisper.

Pan Flute offers no answer.

I stand up and walk past him. I climb down a ladder and begin to follow the path. This entire island is path after path. If I follow them somehow I will get to camp. And I do.

I spot Harry and Alex first, sitting at the table together. Dinner has already happened. I haven't eaten since the berries yesterday, but I don't feel hungry.

There are arms around me. Two arms. Two hands. They spin me around to face them. Johnny.

He's talking to me but I can't hear him. He's shaking me. He must be yelling now. I think I've gone deaf. For heaven's sake will he let go of me?

Suddenly there are four arms and six arms and they are pulling us apart. He's screaming now. He must be so mad at me. He's charging out of the boy's grips, but not at me. He's charging at Pan. He's mad at Pan.

I wish I was mad at him.

I'm simply just tired now.

There are two arms around me. They are bringing me somewhere. Jared's tent. Harry is pulling me. Jared looks at me. He's talking to me. It sounds like he's underwater.

I'm underwater.

I begin to thrash and claw. I'm being dragged underwater. I'm being drowned. It's not just one mermaid now, it's three. I can't breathe. I can't see underwater. I can't hear underwater. All I can do underwater, is die.

~~~~

A little bit short, but introduced this seasons biggest plot point (and yes there are seasons). Halfway through Season 1A! Exciting.

If you liked this, let me know, I love hearing from you.

As always, continue to amaze the world. I'll see you Wednesday.