Runners of Neverland

Straight on Till Morning

Y/n had never seen Matron Blackwell look any uglier than she did at this very moment. Her grey straggly hair hung loose around her face, for once, not in its painfully tight bun. Her face, usually sour and grumpy held a twisted smile of triumph, savouring the victory of catching someone awake after lights out. Her face was illuminated by the silver glow of the moon and the golden glow of the map, and while on most other faces, this may have looked nice, Matron Blackwell looked positively witchlike. 

"Y/l/n!" She barked, authoritatively. "Out of bed, past bedtime! Oh, you'll be on bathroom cleaning duty for weeks!" She licked her lips in anticipation. 

"Come on, Y/n! What the shuck are you waiting for?" called Minho. 

"Who on earth are they?" Matron Blackwell demanded, pointing at the window where Minho and Newt stood outside.

Y/n glanced between the boys, Matron Blackwell, and Emily. She had to leave, she knew it. How could she not? But looking at Emily, her oldest and dearest friend, she couldn't bear to leave without her. 

"Could we take her too?" Y/n called to the boys, who were still frantically urging her to run.

Sombre expressions briefly flickered across the boys' faces, and Y/n knew the answer.

"What in the Lord's name is going on?" Matron Blackwell demanded. All of the girls in the dormitory were awake now, looking upon the scene in shock and confusion. Two flying boys outside the window, a girl with her clothes wrapped in her blanket, a witchlike matron. The two boys would have been enough on their own. The girls of Serenity House had never really seen boys. 

"Please, come with us, Y/n," Newt pleaded, "you have to. We wish we could take your friend, we really do, but we can only bring the person shown by the map. Believe me, we've tried taking others, it just doesn't work."

"A lot of us had to leave good friends behind to go to Neverland too," Minho added, "C'mon, Y/n, please."

Y/n stood by her bedside, clutching her bundle of clothes, wrapped up in her wants and desires. How she wanted to bring Emily with her! But she knew she could not, and that Newt and Minho were right. However, it didn't make it any less difficult. 

Matron Blackwell seemed to get over the initial shock of seeing two boys hovering outside the second floor window and lunged for Y/n, grabbing at her with her bony hand, and snapping her out of her confliction. 

Filled with adrenaline, Y/n turned and ran for the window, where Newt and Minho waited. 

"I'll come back for you, Emily!" she yelled, "I won't forget about you, I promise!"

And with that, Y/n threw herself out the window and into the cold night.

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The moon hung low in the night sky as Y/n, Newt, and Minho gathered near the open window, preparing for the journey to Neverland. The air crackled with anticipation, and the soft glow of the moon illuminated the city below.

Y/n, however excited she was, was still getting over her loss of Emily. She'd never wanted to leave her behind, because Y/n knew, deep in her heart, that Emily, more than anyone, deserved to fly.

Minho led the way, his confidence unwavering as he headed up towards the stars. "Second to the right and straight on till morning," he had said, "The only way to move between Neverland and here."

Newt flew beside Y/n, making sure she got the hang of flying and didn't veer off course. Eventually, her flying became relatively stable, and she began enjoying it more. The cool breeze on her face, the wind in her hair, the feeling of freedom and weightlessness... Looking down, she saw the orphanage and the town around it from above. There were quaint shops she never knew existed, and fountains in some places too. In a way, she wished she could have explored the town she grew up in before she left. 

As they continued to fly towards the second star to the right, the world around them began to blur, the boundaries between reality and Neverland growing fainter. The landscape changed gradually as the trio flew through the sparse clouds towards the star, and they found themselves enveloped in a swirling vortex of colors, like how Y/n had imagined the northern lights would have looked like. Streaks of colour painted the space around them, and stars flickered and shimmered in every direction, casting a mesmerizing glow upon their faces.

Y/n's eyes widened as she stared at the glowing lights around them. She couldn't remember seeing this much colour since... well, forever.

Newt grinned as he gestured to their surroundings,  "Welcome to the in-between, where the threads of reality intertwine with the fabric of fantasy--"

"Oh, slim it," Minho interrupted, rolling his eyes in amusement and falling back to join Newt and Y/n, "It's not that deep. The in-between is just the bit in between Neverland and the Real World."

Newt chuckled good-naturedly at Minho's interruption, "Alright, fair enough," he admitted. "But you have to admit, it's still pretty magical."

Minho shrugged, his grin widening as he glanced around at the swirling colors. "Yeah, yeah, I suppose it's not too shabby," he admitted, his tone light-hearted. "But let's not get too carried away. We've still got a ways to go before we reach Neverland." He glanced at Y/n with a playful smirk, "Ready to leave this trippy light show behind and get to the real fun?"

"Definitely," Y/n smiled, feeling free for the first time in her life.

As they approached the island, the scenery transformed once again. The ribbons of colour from the in-between melted away, replaced by a light sunrise painted in hues of purples and pinks. The island itself appeared on the horizon, lush and mysterious, surrounded by a turquoise ocean that seemed to glisten with magic. 

Gently, they landed on the shore of Neverland. The air was alive with the scent of adventure and the promise of good times ahead. The sound of distant laughter and music carried through the breeze.

"Welcome to Neverland, Greenie," Minho smiled, his eyes alight with a warmth that mirrored the sunlit sky. "This is where dreams come to life, and you're now a part of it."

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Author's Note:

This chapter is probably? the average length of the chapters coming up.

Again, thank you for reading this story!