Neverland

Chapter One

Rough hands behind me shove me forward. I stumble for a moment before regaining balance. This land is unfamiliar to me. I want to tell myself this is just a dream, but no matter how much I will myself to wake, I can't.

The island I am on is strangely contrasted. On one side, the moonlight makes the clear water shimmer. Waterfalls spill off the mountainsides. The other side, however, is dark and gloomy. I can hear screams and growls. Unfortunately, this is where my captors are taking me.

I suppose I should not have uttered what seemed like such meaningless words at the time. At sixteen, who would be expected to believe in magic? Magic is only found in fairy tales, where all those stories have happy endings.

My story, though, will never have a happy ending.

When I was asleep on the ship, I dreamt of the night before.

"I don't believe," I said to Jack.

"Well, why not?" he asked.

"Because magic is not real," I said. Those were the last words I spoke to my brother.

That night, I fell asleep at ease, as comfortable as it is sleeping on the ground. I woke in a ship, my hands and ankles bound. I saw a bright light, and everything grew dark as I grew unconscious.

My lungs are heaving, my thighs and calves are burning, and my throat is dying of thirst. I am tempted to ask for water, or how long will it take to get to wherever we're headed, but I would rather not have another jarring blow to my back.

The moon is hidden behind the ceiling of trees above my head. This side of the island is so dark it's as if I'm moving blindly.

The guard in front of me stops. With this sudden change, I run into him. I sense my escort frowning at me. I mutter out an apology.

"Wait here," he says. He and the others who took me here leave, with me standing all alone. I wonder if they can see in the dark. Afraid to move, I listen to the sounds of night on this strange island.

My guards return with several burning sticks. One pushes me forward.

"Come," the one who shoved me says. "It's time for your trial."

"For what?" I ask. "I don't even know why I'm here." That's a lie. I am sure of the reason, but no, it's not possible...

"Silence!" The guards assemble themselves around me, one in the front, one at either side, and two in the back. Together, they march me forward. I can barely make out a dim light a little ways away. When we reach the source of light, I see a small crowd of people watching me. Embarrassed by this, I want to twist and kick and punch in attempt to free myself, but I am not that brave.

"Well, well," a voice says. "Looks like there's more cowardice in you than I thought." I hear laughter. My gaze rises to the speaker. This woman, this girl, is standing on a raised plank of wood. She is dressed entirely in light green, and her hair is piled on top of her head. She must be the leader of these people. Looking around, I see that the people who have gathered around me are all young. The youngest appears to be an eleven year old girl, and the oldest is a boy of about seventeen. Some of the boys have a similar look to me, dark hair, a little above average height.

"Let's begin your trial," the green girl says. Everyone around begins to crack their knuckles and stretch their arms. The girl holds up her hand.

"There is no need for violence," the girl says. "Yet." The way she speaks sends chills through me.

"Do you know why you are here?" the girl asks me. I am deathly scared when I answer, "No."

The green girl nods to the boy on the left. He clears his throat and says, "This boy does not believe in magic, even though he is the one." This causes argument among the boys and girls. The one? What is he saying? The girl in the green laughs.

"He's the one, yet he does not believe," the girl says.

"If you mean magic," I say timidly. "Then that is because it's not real, right?" Everyone gasps. What is going on? I don't believe in magic. Loads of people don't, and I don't see them being dragged away to this place. Maybe it's because they've fought to stay in the real world, and not this made-up land.

"Did you know," the girl says. "That for every time a person says those disgusting words about magic, one of us die. We used to be great, but as children don't believe, we are growing weaker." This girl doesn't look to good, herself.

"I don't understand," I say.

"Do you know where you are, boy?" the girl says. I shake my head in response. "You are on the very beginning of dreams, of hope, of magic. Every thought comes from here, and if it is destroyed, you very well could sentence multiple realms to destruction."

"I don't have any of that," I say. The girl smiles sadly.

"Maybe putting you away will change your heart," the girl says. "And for your faith..." The boy behind me starts making choking noises. I stare back at the girl, who is squeezing her fist. The boy behind me nearly lands on me after he breathes his last breath.

"Just to show you what I am capable of," the girl says. There must be some logical explanation for this. It is clear to me that the boys and girls here do not live in safety in comfort as the green girl made it sound. They live in fear.

The girl waves her hand. Two boys hoist me up from under my arms and drag me away. I am stunned with shock. This is like living a nightmare. All the boys and girls gathered begin to chant the green girl's name. Their eyes show complete terror. Through all the commotion, I can just decipher what they're saying.

"Tinkerbell."