37 ~ Kiss me

                                    

                                          
So I've updated earlier than usual because for once, I had the time to write, but I'm warning you that exams are coming up in a few weeks, so updating won't be my top priority then. Please be patient with me 
My flawed updating schedule aside, I'd like to thank all you wonderful readers for all the votes and the comments and support you give me, you guys give me so much inspiration and motivation to write more :)


                          
<<<Day 98>>>
                          
Pan wasn't one to interact with his lost boys. He'd always been content with ruling over them, training and preparing them for battle, and punishing them when he wasn't satisfied. He rarely ever spoke to anyone other than to give orders, except for Felix. So when Adelina spotted, from across the clearing, Pan talking to Gabriel, her heart lurched.
                          
"What's going on here?" she asked almost accusingly as she came up to Pan. He hadn't appeared angry or aggressive, and Gabriel hadn't seemed intimidated or afraid, yet Adelina couldn't help but interrupt. Nothing good could come out of their interaction.
                          
"I'm simply briefing Gabriel for his mission," Pan answered coolly, sparing her only a fleeting glance. "He'll be leaving with Connor and Travis in a few minutes."
                          
Her eyes widened. "Leaving where?"
                          
"I'm supposed to spy on the pirates," Gabriel informed her proudly, beaming up at her, his dark eyes shining. The pirates had been suspiciously silent for quite some time, and it was unnerving the entire camp. "Pan says I'm one of the best suited for this mission."
                          
Adelina gave him a small, wavering smile and ruffled his hair. She then focused a glare on Pan. "He's just a child!" she protested. "Can't you send someone else?"
                          
Pan was bizarrely calm as he answered. "Like Gabriel said, he is one of the best suited for the task. Besides," he added as Adelina rolled her eyes, ready to contradict him one more time, "he's been training for far longer than you have, so I do not reckon you should decide whether or not he is apt to complete this mission."
                          
Adelina was beaten and she knew it. Pan wasn't going to change his mind, so there was no use to further the debate any more. Instead she bent down to look at the child eye to eye. "You be careful, okay?" she worried as she cupped his face in her hands. He nodded bravely. "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you."
                          
"Don't worry," he smiled his sweet, angelic smile. "I'll be fine."
                          
"You better." She pulled him in for a hug which he gratefully accepted, burying his head in the crook of her neck while she kissed the top of his head. Pan cleared his throat impatiently and the two of them pulled back. "Stay safe," she whispered as a farewell, then watched as Pan lead Gabriel away from her, Connor and Travis soon joining them before entering the jungle.
                          
Worry and fear knotted themselves in her stomach, and she would've wanted to stay at camp all day to await their return, yet the pragmatic side of her mind insisted that this was her opportunity. Now that Pan was occupied with leading the boys towards the beach, that left her unsupervised, for the first time in more than two weeks. She patted the small lump hidden underneath her jacket, making sure it was still in place. Deciding that her training group would be able to manage a day without her, she dove into to forest, careful to avoid the paths Pan would be using. 
                          
Before long, now that she was getting used to the trail, she halted in front of the cottage's wooden door and knocked. Looking around, she noticed that the change of seasons that had altered the rest of Neverland didn't seem to affect the hallowed grounds, as the appeared as they always had, at the peak of their blossoming. There was a few shuffling sounds from behind the door, then it swung open to reveal Tinker Bell's surprised face.