Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Living in Neverland can be great; most of the time. Or it can be your worst nightmare. It depends. It isn't how the stories portray it. Or, at least most of it isn't. There are fairies, yes, and there are mermaids and lost boys and talking animals. But there are also ogres and evil mermaids and and hateful fairies there is darkness. It's not always rainbows and butterflies, like most people would think. Sadness and sickness do exist, just like growing up at some point; it may take a very long time, but staying at a certain age is a privilege only creatures with immense imagination have. Unless you turn to dark magic, something that only the most selfish creatures do.
The dark side of Neverland is on the opposite side of the island. It is where all the graves are placed; short, round tombstones with all the names of Lost Boys and Girls who had lived in Neverland since they were young and had died here.
Most died happily. Others did by the hands of the Dark Ones.
And as Harry flies over the tombstones, he can't help but shed a minuscule tear for the ones who died in vain. He knows there's another war coming; the little buzzing in his glimmering transparent wings lets him know that, the problem is that he just doesn't know when. The only thing he actually knows at the moment is that there's a newbie coming and since he's the only pixie without a mentee, there most probable thing that will happen is that they will be his. The problem is that he's a little bit late.
The moment his tiny body escapes the Darkness, the tension immediately leaves his muscles and he lets out a quiet sigh of relief. Harry doesn't like it there. The only reasons he goes is because Peter sends him to place flowers on the graves. That's his only job. Pixies over there are not nice at all. They're always scowling at him when his bright Pixie self flies by, giving the place a little light so he can see where he's going. You can't blame him, though. The place is darker than the mermaid's territory. And that's saying something.
"Harry!" A Water pixie flies over to him, her blue dress flowing behind her as she moves.
"Yes, Crystal?" He politely asks, stopping his movements so he can turn to her, a bright smile etched onto his face.
Crystal's dark blue eyes soften instantly at the boy's grin and she smiles back at him softly, small dimples appearing on her dark skin. "You're late." Harry juts his bottom lip out in a childish pout while shrugging his shoulders and she tries not to laugh but he can see the her cheeks puffing out a little bit. "You should consider yourself lucky they haven't arrived yet. Just go to where you're supposed to be, yeah?"
"Aye, captain." He salutes mockingly and she rolls her eyes fondly, quickly flying back to her mentee who waves at him enthusiastically.
Harry laughs under his breath while giving him a small wave in return and resumes his flying, emerald eyes looking around the place happily. He's lived here his entire life and yet every time he returns from his duties, he's awed by the sight.
Fairy Oak is perched on a cliff, next to a narrow, clear river that leads to a beautiful waterfall for the Water pixies to practice with their mentees or by themselves when they need to. Thanks to the Nature pixies, branches are never hanging over their little place so they can always see the sun rise and set every day. Most Pixies hate that small thing, since they have days off and they would like to have at least one day without waking up to the sun shining on their faces, but others like Harry love waking up really early to admire the Light pixies do their magic on plants and animals to wake them up, making light shine on the dark corners of their home. It's something he will never get tired of, if he's being honest. The small houses all over the forest were built by the Tinker pixies, when they were sure there were enough fairies to live here, but while they waited for new fairies to arrive, they lived with the first generation of Lost Boys close to the lake. That was before the Primo Bellum, the First War.
"Haz!" His thoughts are interrupted once more and Harry sighs to himself, stopping once again and turning over to the source of the voice.
"Niall." Harry crosses his arms over his chest and waits for his best friend to catch up to him, tapping his bare foot on air.
"Mate, I'm in love!" Niall exclaims with shining blue eyes, grey and purple sparks coming out of his fingertips. "I'm tellin' ya, she's perfect."
They float down to sit by the waterfall, on the edge of the cliff. Harry tilts his head to the side, waiting for Niall to continue.
"Ni, I don't mean to be rude, but you've been in love a million times since I met you. And most of them were because they were really good cooks. Or they were extremely clingy," he points out.
"Shut it, wanker." Niall rolls his eyes playfully and bumps his shoulder against Harry's, electricity running all over his body. "But seriously. She's the most perfect person in all the universe. Her laugh is so contagious and she is — or well, was — blonde like me and— "
"Your hair isn't even blonde."
"—and she's always smiling, Harry! Her smile is my favourite thing about her." Niall sighs dreamily, resting his chin on his hand. "She's a Light pixie, though."
"She's a what?" Harry widens his eyes at his best friend, fighting the urge to slap him across the head. Lightning and Light pixies are and have never ever been a good combination.
"I know, Harry. I know," Niall mumbles sadly, playing with the hem of his grey-purpleish jumper. "But I'm in love with her and I can't help it."
"Stop being so dramatic, this is not Romeo and Juliet," Harry murmurs to himself, his eyes following two Winter pixies as they hold hands and laugh, small snowflakes floating all around them.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Right. Harry sometimes forgets he's one of the few pixies who can actually go from land to land and sometimes blend in with the humans.
"Nothing, I'll tell you later." He watches as Niall nods slowly in confusement and takes a deep breath. "This is going to end badly, Ni. Nothing good has come out of—"
"I know, Harry. But there's gotta be something we can do." Niall groans frustratedly. "I mean—"
He's cut off by the horns being blown from the wooden auditorium in front of the Dust Tree and pixies flying past them excitedly, some of them bumping quite rudely into Harry. They both glance at each other, bright, animated grins appearing on their faces.
