The Jewel of Neverland

Chapter 4

As a little girl, I'd always wondered what it would be like if I were to visit Neverland.  I imagined it'd be all kinds of fun and adventure: playing with the Lost Boys, pulling pranks on Captain Hook, and becoming best friends with Peter Pan.

Oh what a dreamer I had been.

The Island was dark and terrifying. As I ran, noises burped from the bushes, loud caws echoed from the tops of trees, howls of the night slithered through the air. Whether from animals, or the Lost Boys, I would never know; I didn't stick around to find out. I just kept running. I had to find the most buried little nook of a hiding spot on the island.

As I ran past an oozing pit of mud, a puzzling thought popped into my head. Was there a time limit? When would Pan begin "seeking" me?  Why didn't we set a time limit?

I groaned and slowed my running to a jog in an effort to catch my breath. My chances of winning were slim, but that didn't mean I would give up now. I slowed to a walk and began to look around me for inspiration on how to beat Pan, but none of my surroundings looked any different from where I had been ten minutes ago, it was all trees and mud as far as I could see. I only had twenty minutes left to find a place where Pan couldn't find me.

With the thought of him finding me, another jolt of adrenaline hit my veins and I took off into a sprint, speeding my way through the woods. As I passed tree after tree, I looked around desperately for something unique. To my right, I noticed an unusual cluster of plants. I darted for it and squeezed my way in-between the colossal leaves that only reminded me of Jurassic Park. As I made my way through the barrier of leaves, I collided with a Lost Boy.

I bounced off of him and struggled to keep from falling to the ground while he didn't even flinch. The guy was hard as a rock. It was the tall one with the haunting cheek scar that rested above his piercing cheek bones.

"Well hello again." I said, catching my breath.  He said nothing in response.

As he met my gaze, my mind raced back to the task at hand, "While I've got you here, would you happen to know of any dark, unknown, corners of the forest?" I asked hopefully, my breath still heaving in and out at a quick pace.

"Are you asking me to help you cheat?" The boy smirked, "Peter wouldn't like that."

"No," I said quickly. The last thing I needed was to lose by default. "Not at all," My voice lingered as I didn't know what to call the boy.

"My name is Felix, and if I were you I wouldn't waste your breath. He'll find you wherever you go."

"Well, Felix," I replied, using his name, "You don't know me or what I can do."

Behind Felix, I noticed a large cliff  in the distance shining in the light of the stars. I narrowed my gaze and identified what seemed to be a collection of caves, brush, and rocks. Perfect for hiding.  Plus, I doubted that Pan would believe me strong enough to climb my way up, that would give me an advantage.

"So long." I said with a smile, pushing past the Lost Boy.

After awhile of running, I came upon the cliff to realize that it wasn't a cliff at all, but a cove that fed into a lagoon, surrounded by large rocks.

I jumped over the dew covered rocks, careful not to slip that.  I increased my pace and ran to the water's edge.

The lagoon was other-worldly and I immediately felt drawn to it. The star's reflection ignited the water with a celestial surface.  The sand was unusually black, glistening and dark.  The shore was littered with patches of green grass that shot up through the darkness. White snowdrops hung against the rocks and trickled their way down into the water. My heart melted at the beauty and I couldn't recall ever feeling so at ease.