Runners of Neverland

Neverland

The trio headed inland aas the sun continued to rise, bathing Neverland in its golden light.

"We have something cool to show you," Minho announced, casting a playful glance over his shoulders.

"What?"

"It's a surprise..."

Y/n rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. Every second since she'd left Serenity House had been so exciting, and she couldn't wait to see more.

"Not as cool as his hair though," teased Newt, his playful smirk mirroring the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Oi, watch it Newt," Minho retorted, feigning offence and running a hand over his perfectly styled hair, "My hair is the envy of every glader on this island. And the pirates too. And the mermaids..."

"Puh-lease, you spend more time primping in front of the mirror than exploring the island."

Minho scoffed playfully, "Hey, a guy's gotta look good. Can't let the wilds of Neverland dull my sense of style. Hey look! A dreamweaver!"

Minho pointed up to a tree, and Y/n's eyes followed, she scanned the treetops for a while, trying to spot what what he was pointing at. Her eyes eventually found a large spider web. It looked strikingly different to the cobwebs back at Serenity House. This one glistened iridescently, many colours reflecting off its threads. In the centre sat a glossy black spider with a few opalescent markings along its body and legs. As she examined the flawless web structure, she began to see events playing out in the web. The colours were pale, but she definitely saw what seemed like glimpses of memory in the web. And she began to hear it too.

"The webs are infused with dreams." Newt's voice broke through the sounds emanating from the web. "People can spend hours watching those."

"Wow," she breathed, "That's so cool."

"We don't have hours to waste right now," Minho announced, "That's not even the coolest thing on this island, I am."

"Wow, so modest," Y/n smiled, playfully punching him in the shoulder.

"Well," Minho grinned, "someone's gotta keep the spirits high and the hair higher in this place. But seriously, this place is awesome, we've barely scratched the surface."

The trio continued to trek through the forests of Neverland, coming across more interesting forms of life. Luminous mushrooms clustered around the bases of trees, and foxes with tails that seemed like they were made of real fire darted through the foliage. 

"Here we are!" Minho announced approaching a serene silver lake. Most of the lake was shadowed by the dense foliage surrounding it, but the sunlight that did manage to pass the thick canopy of leaves cast spots of gold across the sparkling silver pool.

The pool seemed still at first, but then Y/n noticed shadows flicking around just below the surface. However hard she squinted, Y/n couldn't make out what exactly was under there. The lake rang with melody too, the beautifully haunting sounds echoing off the rocks at the end of the pool. As Y/n looked towards the rocks which were uncovered by trees and bathed by sunlight, she finally realised what was under the water this whole time.

"Oh my gods, they're real," she breathed.

Several mermaids sat on the rocks sunbathing, their shining tails lapping the water. They sang a beautiful melody that sounded otherworldly, but then again, she was in another world.

"Mermaids," said Minho, smiling, "I told you I was going to show you something cool."

"Woah," was all she could manage. She stepped towards the edge of the lake. "They're beautiful."