Pan

Chapter 15

A week had passed since that night.

At least, I think it's been a week.

I've been doing my best to keep up with the time I've spent here on Neverland, but as the sun continues to rise and fall, I found it harder to count the days.

Although it was a vast island with hundreds of places to explore, in a way it still felt like a prison.

In whatever time that had passed, Ross and I had naturally grown much closer to each other.

He would help me whenever we were training, perfecting my bow and arrow skills until I finally hit my first bullseye. He took me on long walks through the woods, showing me things like how they hunted different wildlife and where they grew a variety of fruits and vegetables.

He also used that time to steal a kiss or two, each one just as exciting and nerve-racking as the first.

Peter, on the other hand, was becoming less and less apparent.

He was constantly slipping into the woods, once for an entire day. I had interrogated Levi looking for an explanation as to why, but was met with an "I have no idea.", as per usual.

The times he was at camp, I learned that as long as I stayed out of his way and he stayed out of mine, the days were just slightly more peaceful.

One particularly hot afternoon, Ross took me to what was now possibly my favorite spot on Neverland.

A small lagoon, where the boys bathed.

The area was decorated with bright, vivid plants, enhanced by all the different spectrums of the rainbow. Moss-covered rocks and boulders varying in size rested on the edge of the water, carefully climbing higher and higher to hold the waterfall that adorned it.

It was filled with water that was a stunning shade of blue, unlike the murky water that flowed in the rivers of London.

One of the few things I remembered about my past before I showed up here.

I could no longer picture my room, and whenever I tried to imagine my parents, their faces were blurred. Deep down I knew they were still out there, and that I did have a home outside of Neverland.

But I didn't yearn for it the way I thought I should.

I decided to return to the lagoon today, as it was blistering outside and I wanted nothing more than to submerge myself in the cool embrace of the beautiful water.

It was midday and all of the boys were still out checking traps, hoping for fauna that would soon end up in our stomachs.

I had yet to see Peter anywhere, so I figured I would seize the moment to enjoy some time alone.

I swatted leaves out of the way as I pushed through the forest's thick vegetation, doing my best to remember the way there as Ross had shown me.

The bright sun forced its way through the treetops, causing heaps of sweat to trickle down my back. I couldn't wait for the water to rid me of the uncomfortable stickiness.

Eventually I reached the clearing that sheltered the lagoon. I smiled to myself, proud that I didn't manage to get lost.

The sparkling blue water broke into a white mist where the waterfall crashed into its still surface. As I walked up to the edge of the water, I slid my boots off and began to eagerly unbutton my shirt. I was ready to escape the sweat-inducing heat.

But a sudden movement in the water caused me to briskly stop what I was doing.

Fear started to crawl its way down my spine, my eyes studying the water's line as ripples formed.