In the morning, when the sun sneaks its way into your eyes, you found yourself alone laying under the warm covers. Pan was not present, and you were relieved by that. It meant you could finally dress up without having his eyes constantly on you and you could choose whatever you wanted to wear. You chose simple clothes: a white blouse, brown pants and leather laced boots.
When you stepped outside, you were almost shocked about how silent the camp was. Only a few boys walked over the clearing and after a while you heard steps walking behind you.
"Well well, the Lady is finally awake, everyone!" A boy with a thick voice mocked. "And she is walking among us, the people!"
You stayed quiet at his antics. He had the same icy blue eyes than Felix but that's all you could see. He was wearing a heavy fur coat and you almost gagged at the hood: it was made of a tiger's head, something you only have seen in books.
"Leave her alone Léonard." Another chubby boy spoke. "Or Pan will punish you." He voiced quietly and looked nervously down.
"Pan can suck my dick!" The other boy yelled, but nobody seemed to take that in account.
His eyes remained on you and you were feeling scared already. It was clear that the boys didn't appreciate you and without Pan or even Felix by your side you weren't sure that they would hold back their threats or actions. Finally, the boy smiled and offered you his hand.
"Like Andy said, I am Léonard. Best hunter of all the island."
You hesitated but shook his hand and offered him a light smile.
"I am (Y/N)."
"I would lie if I say you're welcome here. All the girls who came here either caused problems or tried to escape which made us chase them all around the island and let me tell you, it was horrible." The boy said and pressed his bushy eyebrows together.
So there were other girls on the island before you? You observed Léonard again, waiting for more explanations but something behind you cut him off.
You spun around and watched Felix entering the camp, holding a pale girl. Her hair hung wet downwards to the ground as she laid motionless in the lanky boy's arms.
He nodded with his head for you to meet him halfways and you hurried in curiosity, almost sprinted towards him
"Who is that?" You asked and raised your eyebrows at the sight of her beauty, letting out a small gasp.
"I don't know."
You immediately offered to put the poor girl in your own tent which Felix immediately did. He laid her on your bed and asked you if you would be able to take care of her.
"I think so. We just need to warm her up and not let her clothes stick to her skin."
"So we have to... undress her?" Felix asked hesitantly and gave you a nervous glance.
"Not us! Me." You replied giggling. "I don't think any girl would want a boy to undress them while she is asleep."
You watched him blush a little from under his hood, causing your lips to form into a shy smile.
You needed to start working to help the girl, the poor one's lips started to turn blueish from the cold and you didn't have to ask if Felix had fished her out of the water. You hurried to gently push Felix out of your tent and started removing the girl's clothes. She wasn't wearing anything extravagant: just a light green gown which was strangely ripped at some places and you believed her shoes were gone. Unfortunately, you had to cut the fabric to make it easier for you. Then you put some of your own clothes on her and put many blankets on her body. When your last task was done, you sat down next to her and contemplated her face: she truly was beautiful, like one of those princesses you had in your country. She had long and slightly curly red hair and her skin was close to marble, plump lips and beautiful long lashes. It made you wonder what happened to her. You treated a nasty wound she had on her leg when you heard some steps nearing the tent.
"How is she?" A voice asked from behind you.
You recognized Felix's voice and you turned to look at him. He looked a little worried, then you saw how his hair was wet. You frowned and wondered why he cared so much. Your yes switched between those two and for a moment your heart felt unexplainable heavy.
"Where did you find her?" You mumbled and focused back onto the wound
"I was patrolling around the island when I heard screaming.' He said in a low tone. ' I... I thought it was you at first, so I rushed to see what was going on." He explained with a faint blush on his cheeks. "That's when I saw her getting drowned by mermaids."
You hummed and nodded. That explained her injury and why she was so wet. But you didn't understand why the mermaids did that. You didn't meet any of them but Felix told you they usually didn't attack anyone like that. It was strange.
Some hours passed and you remained at the side of the strange girl. She finally showed signs of waking up and you were relieved by that. When she opened her eyes, you gasped at how it was beautiful: a colour similar to the sea. She looked very panicked and glanced around the room urgently. You put your hand softly on her arm.
"Hey it's okay, you don't have anything to fear anymore." You smiled, in an attempt to make her feel welcomed.
"Really? I thought... I don't know what happened... My head hurts..." She whined and looked hysterically around.
"Shhh!" You jumped up and tried to calm her down by placing your hand on her shoulder. She wore that dress Peter gave you and you didn't need to argue with yourself about the fact that she wore it way better than you.
"Felix saved you from the mermaids." You explained to her while you glanced over to the door as if the lanky blonde boy would appear every moment.
"Felix?" She asked, caughting your attention back.
"Yes, he is the second in command. He saved me too." You felt your heart beat fastening when you thought of him.
"I am Hannah." The red haired girl smiled and slowly rose from the bed.
"I am Y/N." You smiled back and led the way outside of the tent. The second you stepped outside all eyes were fixed on you two. You heard them gossiping about something and you wished to understand some of them almost inaudible words.
"Who is that?"
You felt goosebumps all over your body when Pan suddenly strutted towards you, his eyes glowing like jewels in the sun as he scanned the new girl curious. Felix was not far away, busy with sharpening his weapons. Hannah didn't seem to be scared of Peter, yet. You wondered if he was going to treat her the same way he was to you. He stopped in front of both of you, trying to be intimidating, his hands on his hips. Surprisingly, Hannah smiled, took and shook Pan's hand warmly.
"My name is Hannah, I was drowning and someone called Felix saved me."
The way she said his name made you feel nervous for some reasons. Her eyes seemed to search for the blond haired boy. Peter raised his eyebrows and smiled too.
"Damn... Lady over there wasn't so talkative when she was brought there. You two seem to be very different from one and another."
"I thought your name was (Y/N)?"
"They nicknamed me Lady." You shortly explained, not wanting to go into the details.
"Well, I have some important matters I can't ignore... (Y/N) will show you the rest of the camp, tell her about the rules too if you feel like it. I hope you don't mind that our new member stays in your tent? I think she wouldn't be too comfortable sharing one..." The green eyed boy trailed off.
"Of course not Pan."
He nodded before turning to leave. Felix rose from his seat, and followed Pan into the thick jungle around the camp. Hannah then stared at you, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
"So... Which one was Felix again?"
You were taken aback by her question. Why does she want to see Felix? It made you uneasy and a little angry. You knew you really loved the second in command and you wanted to be his special one. You hoped that Hannah wouldn't take your spotlight in his heart. Nevertheless, you knew you had to respond to her question or else she will suspect something.
"He was the boy who left with Pan." You mimicked Felix's scar with your finger on your face. "He has a scar on his face."
"Well he is kinda cute." She replied with a giggle.
She started walking around the camp so you decided to follow her. You couldn't tell her about your little secret romance with Felix but you had to tell her the rules. She seemed to be the kind of girl who didn't like following instructions. Even if she seemed to like Felix which was weird considering she saw him for a few minutes, you hoped she would stick around and not get killed or punished.
"Well... Sorry to disappoint you, but... We aren't allowed to even mess with the boys." You said, walking behind her as she looked around. "Technically girls aren't even allowed on Neverland."
"Then how did you get there?" She asked curiously.
The memories of your abduction by the pirates that day in your village, the ship, the cramped cell and the horrible crew stopped you completely. You nervously scratched your arms, trying to get those memories to disappear. Hannah looked worried when she saw you doing that, and she moved to touch your shoulder in an attempt to comfort you.
"Don't worry you don't have to tell me." She smiled.
You returned her smile and decided to show her everything in the camp. Some of the boys left to hunt dinner, and the other half stayed to play games or train with each other. You saw Léonard sparing with another boy rather roughly. When he spoke to you earlier you didn't realise how dangerous he was. He was fighting like a beast. Over your short stay in Neverland, you had realised a lot of boys had their own unique skills and fighting style. You wondered why he wasn't hunting with the others, considering he introduced himself as being the best of all of them. Hannah was looking at the oldest boys with a strange interest.
"I know you asked me the question but... How did you get here?" You asked timidly. "It's okay if you wish to not speak about it."
"I don't mind! I remember walking in the forest near my home then falling through a hole!" She exclaimed.
It took you a few seconds to acknowledge and understand what she just told you. You didn't know anything about magic but you doubted it was true. Still you wondered if it was possible, maybe you could ask Pan about it in a subtle way. She was surely a strange girl.
Some boys watched the both of you walking around, they were whispering among themselves and possibly snickering. Those boys were definitely scary and odd but Hannah didn't seem to mind them. Quite the contrary: when she realised that boys were looking at you two, she waved at them and approached them. They must have gotten scared because they quickly decided to run away.
You tried not to laugh when you saw Hannah's confused face. She was definitely an odd girl. She seemed sad that the boys walked away when she went to them. As she stopped next to you, she asked you about their behaviours.
"Don't take it personally. They are... They are boys." You tried to explain, but couldn't find the right words. "They think they are almighty around there, they don't know how to act around girls."
Hannah giggled when she heard that and hooked her arm with yours. She smiled and her eyes seemed to twinkle in excitement. You weren't sure why but something about her was definitely strange. You could feel something was off about her.
"I am glad there is another girl then! We can spend time together and... gossip!" She whispered with a giggle. "I have a feeling that we will become great friends!"
You laughed alongside her, realising that maybe she wasn't that strange or off. Perhaps you were too judgemental now that you lived in Neverland.
Some hours passed and night time was already settling in. You shuddered when Pan appeared out of nowhere next to you and Hannah, he didn't look happy. When you turned your head you realised that Felix was the object of that unhappiness of Pan's and you looked down at your hands. You couldn't help but be afraid for Felix. He was walking on eggs around Pan because of you and maybe because he saved Hannah.
The other girl must have noticed your worry because she took your hands in hers and smiled sweetly at you, a look that your siblings had when you were worried at home or when you were feeling like things were extremely difficult.
"Why is Pan mad at Felix?" She asked in a hushed tone as she watched the leader of the lost boys talking almost angrily to the blond haired boy.
"Well... I think it might be linked to you... and me." You replied, feeling sad.
Hannah frowned, and she seemed worried and confused. She looked at you like she was awaiting more explanations and you sighed, almost giving in. But it was not the place. You remembered that some boys were extremely loyal to Pan, Felix told you he called them "owls" because they were always watching and listening then coming back to their master to tell him everything.
Sometimes you forgot how Neverland was dangerous and you needed to focus on evolving into a tougher version of yourself instead of crying over some boys and their feuds. But again, you were worried about Felix, especially after what Pan told you some nights ago. You knew the threat was still in the air and that he won't hesitate.
You helped Hannah get settled up in your enormous tent. Pan had made a new bed appear across yours, with several pieces of furniture too. Hannah thanked Peter and you noticed how it boosted his ego. When she was done thanking him he was parading around like a peacock. You dressed up quickly into your nightgown and started brushing your hair, you hated to wake up with hair's tangles. Hannah was already in bed, looking at the ceiling absently. You wondered what she was thinking about.
Some minutes later, you decided it was time to go to bed and you happily slipped under the cover, feeling immediately warm under the heavy blankets and animal pelts. You heard some lost boys laughing and talking, probably the oldest ones. You hoped they weren't speaking about you and Hannah. You quickly learnt that they were, well, what your siblings called "creeps".
"So, what is it about with Felix and Pan?"
"I am sorry?" You asked.
The red haired girl turned to her side, her hand on her cheek and looked at you. You did the same and now you were both looking at each other.
"You said earlier that you knew the reason why Pan seemed furious with Felix... Well I thought you would know."
You closed your eyes. You realised you might have spoken too much about it to her. I mean, you only knew her for hardly a day. Could you trust someone that easily? You mentally slapped yourself, you had trusted and fallen in love with Felix within weeks of course you could tell Hannah. She was your friend after all. You didn't know how to tell her, but you wanted to try your best.
"Peter is mad with Felix because... he likes me." You revealed in a murmur.
You thought the eyes of Hannah grew up like sausages. She seemed shocked by that and you bite your lips, fearing you might have taken the wrong road with her. You avoided her look and decided to turn on the other side, your back facing her. Tears started to pearl at your eyes and you cursed yourself for not being brave or tough like Felix.
"Oh I see." She simply said. "I didn't expect that... But I guess... I should have known from the way he looks at you."
Butterflies flew in your stomach and you giggled as you turned back to see her again, your face blushing a bit. Hannah had a huge genuine smile on her face and you immediately regretted not trusting her again.
"He looks at me?"
"All the time. How haven't you noticed?" She replied with a little chuckle. "He looks so in love with you. That's romantic." She sighed. "I wish a boy could look at me the way he looks at you."
"I am sure one day, someone will." You reassured her. "You are very beautiful and kind."
"Yeah, not the kind of girls those boys would love. Isn't love forbidden on the island? Is this why Peter is angry too? What a loser." She cursed, catching you off guard. "He should allow the two of you to live that story."
"I am afraid it won't happen..."
"Don't worry! We will find a way!"
"Thank you so much Hannah." You said genuinely. "You're the first person around here who is kind and nice to me... I mean after Felix but... You get my point." You finished awkwardly.
She nodded with a smile.
"You can count on me anytime (Y/N)... Or should I say... Lady?" She smirked, watching you get embarrassed by your nickname. "What do you think they would nickname me?"
"I think "Princess" will fit you greatly." A new voice said.
You both gasped and you grasped your blankets so hard your knuckles turned white. You watched as Pan made his way inside the tent and pulled out a stool to sit on. He was smiling and you couldn't help but be scared of what he was going to do or say. Luckily, now you had Hannah with you and you were certain she would bite right back if Pan talked in a bad way about both of you.
"I always wanted lost girls to roam on my island, but I am afraid that you two would be the only ones. I hope it won't get lonely for you two, but you have to understand that some of the boys are... rowdy and rough." He explained, looking at Hannah.
"Don't worry about us Peter." She smiled.
"Of course I am worrying!" He said, faking it. "You are just two innocent and naive girls, not firing for such a life and not able to take down an enemy. Hannah, I hope you will respect the rules, unlike (Y/N) during her first weeks of living here. You must stay in the camp at all costs. It is always protected, either by my boys or by my magic."
"You have magic?!" The red haired girl gasped.
Peter Pan chuckled at that, and offered her his best smiles. You needed to warn her about Peter's tendency to manipulate people... Who could know what he will do to her? She seemed naivier than you and you were worried about her. But at least, you knew she wouldn't go down without a fight and you admired her for that.
"Yes I do. And I will use it to protect both of you and the island... whether you like it or not." He sternly added, staring at you. "Now, I am pretty sure you two girls are tired. I will leave you to sleep. Know that no one will ever enter in this tent -expect me of course- or harm you."
He closed the discussion by saying goodbye and you sighed in relief when you saw he was nowhere in sight. However, you were afraid he heard you speaking about your feelings for Felix. You hoped the blond haired boy won't be hurt for your foolishness.
"He doesn't seem that bad." Hannah commented.
"Maybe, but he is sometimes mean."
"Yeah, he definitely looks like a mad man. But he is charming and kind of cute..." She giggled a little.
You wanted to roll your eyes at her but you felt the need to fall asleep. You were tired after such that long day. You blew on the candle on the nightstand next to you, the room falling dark and silent.
You woke up, feeling a weight on your mouth. You fought the urge to scream but you realised it was Andy. You frowned and wondered what he was doing here. It was definitely weird, because boys weren't allowed here and Pan would literally kill him if he knew.
"Andy? What are you doing here?"
He made a motion to make you silent then rushed you out of your tent and told you to follow him. He wasn't even armed and you didn't know what to do. So you followed him. You didn't like the feeling of the dirt beneath your foot, but you knew that you could trust Andy. He wasn't like the others.
He led you to a secluded place in the Jungle and when you asked him about Pan, he huffed and rolled his eyes. It was strange because you thought every boy respected, or loved or feared the green eyed boy.
"Pan didn't tell you that there are some parts where he can't go or spy. The island belonged to the Shadow before handing it over to him because it was bored."
"The Shadow?" You asked, curious.
"I will tell you about it later. Now hurry or else he is going to kick my ass again!"
"But who are you talking about? Where are you taking me? I am tired..." You whined as you nearly fell for the tenth time.
Andy didn't reply and brought you to a mysterious person, who was playing with something and another one, who had his eyes closed, laying against a tree. You quickly realised it was Léonard playing with his knives but you didn't know about the other one. Who was he? Why were you here?
"Finally... You took your time." Léonard in a grungy voice said.
"I don't understand... Why am I here? Why are you three here?"
"Damn, you were right. She's a crybaby all right." The other boy spoke as he stood up slowly.
You noted that he was limping when he was walking. It was a slight one but you bet he mustn't take part of the games or the hunts that much. You thought Pan would have sent back a lost boy for that. He had the most beautiful and light eyes you ever saw. He extended a dirty hand and you shook it warily.
"I am Timotheos but they call me Tim for short because those idiots aren't educated and refused to just call me by my real name because it's apparently too long and complicated. I am the blacksmith of the lost ones and was one of the best fighters on this island before a bad fall." He introduced himself, as if it was easy to do that in a short time. "Now, Léo is going to tell you why you are here and let me tell you: it wasn't my idea and I would have been happier if I was in my bed, sleeping."
"Don't mind him, he is frustrated because he can't sleep." Andy quickly reassured you.
"So, for why you are here... Listen, we don't all appreciate you, okay? But you seem less worse than the other girl... What's her name again?"
"Hannah." You replied for him.
"Right. And we are... a little sad. We see that you want to participate but you can't because you are too weak." Léonard harshly explained.
"It's okay!" Andy cheerfully chimed in. "Everyone has to start somewhere."
"Our point is: we will train you so you don't annoy the other boys." Timotheos finished. "Some don't appreciate that no one is doing anything and since you are a girl... Maybe it will end badly. If we act now, you will be able to protect yourself from threats such as pirates, beasts and of course them. Does that sound okay for you?"
"Y... Yeah I guess." You stammered, feeling like you didn't have a choice in the matter anyway.
"Good. The lesson starts now." The limping boy said as he took a wooden sword and threw it at you.
You had some difficulty catching it but you did. You looked up at your three mentors with a small smile, feeling proud of yourself. Only Andy smiled at you back and the other two didn't seem impressed.
One thing was certain: it will be a long night and you won't get the most needed sleep you desired.