Remember | A Peter Pan OUAT x OC Story

Backstory: Changing Neverland Part 2

Balancing between the crying children on the beach and the Lost Boys at night was difficult for Elena. She would spend all day with Pan and the Lost Boys, hunting, playing, exploring, and teaching them how to survive on their own with no rules. Then, she would make dinner back at camp, mainly with the help of Felix, they would dance to Pan's flute and their own instruments, and she would put them to bed. The crying would start, and she would go to the beach and help the kids there relax. Hours would pass, she would get back to camp, and some of the boys would be awake because of the crying so she would have to coax them back to sleep again. Felix stayed up later most nights and was able to help her. Pan, however, had just now started to get more involved in the lives of the boys. He had been preoccupied working with the shadow to help bring the lost boys together and make this a comfortable home for them by learning things about where they came from.

One day in particular was rough for Elena, and she was grateful Pan was there with them. This was their big hunt before the cold season. Even though it didn't get that cold on the island during the winter, it got cold enough to make animals sparce. They had done this every year, but this was the first time they had such a big group for it. It was also the first time Pan would be joining them since the very beginning. Elena saw the way the boys looked up to Pan, even though he hadn't been around much. He was free, and it was evident. It was something Elena admired about him. Something she admired about life.

When Pan was out there with the Lost Boys and her, slinging spells, and playing games, he was at his happiest. Him and Elena shared that trait. No matter how tired she was, her smile was biggest out there, running wild and free. The two of them seemed oblivious to it, but Felix most certainly was not. The benefit to being reserved and observational was that you picked up on things like how similar Elena and Pan really were.

Everything was fine, with Elena scouting from a nearby tree. They were tracking a big group of roughly 40 to 50 squirrels. With magic, they would last for more than enough time to last them through winter. Not many boys joined Elena when she was in the trees because most of them preferred to be on the ground. However, they all knew they were welcome to join, and Elena would help teach them to be safe, but still have fun a do a good job. One boy did just that this time. His name was Jacob. He was always quick on the ground, and from what Elena learned very quickly, the trees were no exception. They were getting close. Once they chased the squirrels to the dead end, their feast was made.

Jacob and Elena moved the squirrels quickly with the help of some boys on the ground. She was losing ground on Jacob because of how fast he was moving. Her body just couldn't keep up with his pace in the state she was in. They had just gotten the squirrels into the right position, Elena was slightly behind, and Jacob was trying to dismount, once again, very quickly. He slipped and Elena instinctually called upon her magic to try to gently float him to the ground. She managed to slow him down, but it was not a gentle fall and he still ended up with scrapes and bruises. Elena, with how exhausted she was, overexerted herself with the spell and fell into another nearby tree, barely catching herself and staying upright. She shook the experience off, got out of the tree, and went to help the boys, slightly fearful for what might happen if she didn't get rest soon.

That night, a big handful of the Lost Boys couldn't sleep. The crying started early, but Elena would always deal with the Lost Boys first. They had a home there. The others, they cried because they could never accept Neverland as their home. Many of them, as she had learned, wouldn't be able to leave without consequences even if she could get the shadow to take them back. They were stuck. So, they cried.

Elena spoke with a tired and stressed, but caring voice.

"Come on, boys, I know it's loud. If you just focus on something else, like the sounds of the forest, you'll drift off in no time. I promise."