Always

                                    

                                          
She didn't see Devin again for several days. At first she thought he was just avoiding her, as Lucian did, but eventually she grew suspicious. When she broached the subject at last to Pan, thinking he'd done something he shouldn't have, he waved her off.
                          
"Seems I wasn't the only one who wanted to have a chat with him." He remarked dryly. The two were sitting by her favourite meadow, taking turns believing up fantastical sights to decorate it. Sarah had made a magnificent opalescent oak tree, which Pan had morphed into a gleaming silver tower, and Sarah had in turn changed it to a fountain of what looked like pure moonlight. It was then that she'd found the courage to ask him.
                          
 She furrowed her brows at his unexpected response. "As it happens, it seems he's banished from the camp until he apologises." Her gaze turned sharp, and Pan held his hands up in defense. "Wasn't my doing," He promised. "I'd have just tossed him in the cages." His look turned thoughtful. "Or maybe thrown him to the mermaids. They do get cranky when there are no pirates around to eat." Her look now turned to horror, even as Pan changed her fountain to a gleaming crystalline structure woven through with knot-worked gems. Having seen their teeth up close and personal herself, she didn't want to imagine them tearing into flesh.
                          
Pan rolled his eyes at her expression. "Don't look at me like that," He accused, "You're the one that almost burned him to a crisp. Anyway," He pressed on before Sarah could interrupt to argue, "It seems your friends were quite persuasive – I understand they promised to make things rather difficult for him if he didn't meet their demands." Sarah sat a moment, open-mouthed. The Lost Boys had done that...for her? Her heart beat faster, and Pan was annoyed to see the gratitude welling up in her eyes. He frowned.
                          
"You didn't seem nearly so happy when I was the one trying to fight for your honour." Sarah shot him an annoyed look.
                          
"You were acting possessive." She admonished. "Not protective." He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again – he was, in fact, known for his possessiveness. "The Lost Boys just see me as one of them." She frowned. "Or maybe they're just worried he'll send you on a rampage." That was a decidedly less flattering option, and Pan rolled his eyes at the idea.
                          
"They like you, Lost Girl." She smiled – he sounded annoyed. "Look, enough about Devin – it's your turn."
                          
Buoyed by this confirmation of affection from the boys she was so fond of, Sarah closed her eyes. Pan's crystalline net was beautiful, and she would need something truly amazing to outshine it. In her mind she saw the ropes of jewels unfurling, twisting up and outwards as the petals of a flower, with the crystal coming in to fill the gaps. That wasn't enough.  She pictured the crystals hollowing out, until instead of solid they stretched as spindly rods in the petal-like structures, and she saw golden strings interspersed between them. Vines grew out from the gemstone flower's base, plucking at the strings and striking the crystalline rods to create a soft and delicate music, like the kind she heard when her mind was just starting to drift into sleep.
                          
As she heard the notes begin to play, she opened her eyes – and swayed backwards, her vision browning out. "Sarah!" Pan's voice sounded far away, and it took her a moment to realise he was gripping her arm. She blinked, hard, to clear the static from her vision. Pan came into focus, anxious concern evident on his face. She felt a little nauseous. "Sarah." She could hear his voice clearly again, at least. "What was that?" He covered his concern with a tone of annoyance.
                          
Sarah took a deep breath, steadying herself against the ground. "I'm not sure," She said carefully. "I guess I Believed a bit too hard." Pan glanced from her to her creation, playing merrily away on its petals. "It's happened before, I'll be fine." His expression darkened.
                          
"What do you mean, it's happened before?" Did he have to speak so loudly? Sarah winced.
                          
"Not quite this bad, I think – but sometimes, it does make me woozy." She tried a chuckle. "Guess that will teach me not to try and beat you, huh?" His jaw tightened. She shouldn't be laughing about this. This shouldn't be happening – Believing never made him sick, no matter how big or small he went. Maybe she wasn't as strongly connected to the island as they thought. Or maybe...he stood abruptly. Sarah looked up at him, confused.