Neverland [Lost Boy Series #3]

✶One of You✶

"I don't understand. If you are from Neverland, I should've been able to sense your powers. So explain to me how this all just kinda slipped under my radar because I should be able to sense any bit of power within a pretty big radius," commanded a husky voice, a very stern tone underlying his statement.

My hands dug at my sides where it was met with a soft, plush-like material. This specific material felt rugged at the surface but yet so silky when my nails plunged into its surface. Faltering out of my slumber, I wiggled side to side as an indecipherable noise escaped my lips from the hot, needle-like sensation throbbing in my side. Whether the pain was caused from the immense amount of emotional stress I was under, the physical toll of the accident I was just in, lack of sleep, or a combination of the three was beyond my current comprehension.

There was a heavy sigh released from what seemed like the depths of the woman's heart, locked away as a secret that had been kept for centuries. "I haven't used this form for ages and I've also been laying low. That's why, if you must know," replied a high pitched voice. "Oh, she's waking up."

My hands had a bad habit of rubbing my eyes whenever I was tired or arising out of slumber. Yet as they travelled elsewhere, the loud noise that erupted from my chest seemed to startle every sight in front of me- including the glittering, aqua wings before me.

"Laney, honey," Mei softly stated as she put her hands up to indicate she wouldn't hurt me. "It's me, Mei. You're at my house."

Blinking twice, there was absolutely no way that whatever I was staring at was real. She was a petite framed woman with a jet-black pixie cut. However, the scenery behind her was what sent a strong jolt of electricity through my body. Aqua, black-spotted wings sprouted out from her tiny being, taking up more surface area than what her body even did. And through their translucence, I could just make out the shape of the lamp that was in the background.

"W-What the hell is going on?"

Once again, the poor woman held out her hands in defense. "I'm so sorry to have startled you in this form. It's just-"

"Are you like half butterfly or something?"

Jack -whose face was as stone cold as his personality- managed to break out into an unexpected snort. Mei, whose expression softened, also couldn't help but break into a smile. "No, not a butterfly. I can understand why you would think so though. I've always thought my wings looked more like a butterfly's too."

There was a certain serenity to her, a calming notion of her voice that seemed to ease all of my senses and melt my worries away. Yet, I found myself searching for more answers than my brain had questions. There was so much information swimming about in my noggin that I just entirely blanked out on what to ask next.

"I'm a pixie. A Neverland pixie," she said as she shot Jack the side eye. There was a natural glow that took over her as the words rolled off her tongue, her wings fluttering to the sudden joy that must've erupted inside of her. "I apologize for having to tell this to you in such short notice, however, there is a reason to my timing. As I ha-"

Scoffing, Jack was in the background placing a blanket over Jenna who had passed out in a nearby beanbag. He did stay awfully far from her as he threw the blanket on her like someone had just tossed him a hot bowl of soup.

"I'm still not understanding all of this," Jack hissed. Taking a few steps forward, he stood beside Mei with his arms crossed over his chest. "If you knew you were a pixie all along, why didn't you say something earlier? I'm here, Pe-"

"Peter Pan is here," she nodded, knowingly. "I know."

Throwing his hands into the air, he grumbled. There was a short moment of silence awkwardly lingering in the air as Mei's eyebrows lowered a bit. " Great. So why are you here then?"

Mei took a crossed legged seat on her hardwood floor just before me. Leaning forward like a little kid, she sweetly grinned at me. "I've been here for most of my life, actually," she admitted.

"I was born as a Neverland pixie and took place in a loving home to an awfully loving family. When I was younger, my mother was given an assignment on earth and for some reason...just never returned. My father, who had loved her so so so much...well he was just devastated. I mean, who wouldn't be if the love of their life was just ripped away from them? So...he said he was going to the store one night. And I remember this night so clearly because it had seemed just like a normal, peaceful night between dad and I. He told me 'Mei, daddy's going out to get some tools from the store. You be a good girl and stay here and when I come back, I'll make sure to bring you a present'."

The cheerful gleam in Mei's eyes had washed away to just a lense of fear, of guilt. "So I listened. But later on had found out that he had tried transporting to earth without The Council's consent. He had actually gone as far as to go in and use their transportation device themselves. What a rebel he was." Her head shook back and forth as her eyes froze for a brief moment as if to tell a story of their own.

"To say the least, my father had been the talk of the town and I was now an orphan. My mother had mysteriously disappeared, my father had followed. And so as an eight year old pixie, I decided to follow his path. At this point, I had also been the talk of the town and I was in The Council's sole care...which wasn't much care to say the least. Anyway, while most people think there is only one transportation device up in Neverland, there are actually two- the second which most aren't aware of unless they've been with the head of The Council himself."

"Neverlend," Jack spit out, his voice poisoned with a dash of anger and a hint of hatred.

"That's right," Mei nodded. "The infamous Nigel Neverlend had a hold of me. And they were trying to figure out what to do with me, where to place me...if I was even worth the risk." As her voice neared a whisper, Jack raised an eyebrow at her to which she slowly nodded in response.

"You don't mean...?" I asked.

Mei's lips pursed together as she nodded once again. "Yeah. One of their plans was to rip the tiny wings off of me and just...be done. And since I was smarter than the average bear, one day I snuck into Neverlend's office and used the transportation machine myself. And that's how I ended up here, in sole custody of two scientists who had enough human decency to keep my little secret." The plumpness of her cheeks rose just a little as a gleam even more glittery than her wings overtook her expression.

"I owe my entire life to them. Laura and Frank Desantis were two scientists who worked at a research lab about forty five minutes up north from here. They were enjoying an afternoon at a park when they found me, wings out and everything. They adopted me and raised me to be the woman I am today. If it weren't for them and their hospitality, I wouldn't even be here."

"My thing is, how did you manage to just slip under Neverlend's radar like that? He's usually ruthless when it comes to people going against rules."

The smirk that grew on Mei's face was enough to give me a sense of inner satisfaction. "The same way you did. I didn't. He just let it happen."

As if it were even possible, Jack's face turned even paler than it was before. His mouth shaped words to say, but his tongue dared not to utter another word.

"Wait...what? Do you mean-"

Mei smiled. "You really thought that Jack was from Neverland this whole time?"

Jack's face now turned to a shade of tomato as he glared at Mei. She, on the other hand, started to giggle. "Laney, Jack's one of you."

© Lightning_Stryker 2022