Neverland (OUAT/Peter Pan)

One

For as long as she could remember, Sofie was always afraid of the shadow that haunted her dreams. She tried everything to stop the nightmares; dream catchers, syrups to make her sleep soundly, her dog, Nanny stayed up by her side every night and nothing helped. The only option Sofie had left was to stay up, if she didn’t sleep, she wouldn’t dream, so she wouldn’t have another encounter with the shadow. She would stay up all night looking out at the stars, and when her mother or father would come and check on her she would hop in bed and pretend to be fast asleep with her brothers, Cal and Danny. This was a perfect solution until she started dozing off in school. Her teachers became worried, they wrote home to her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Watson, who were just as confused as to why Sofie was sleeping at school. That night when Sofie was supposed to be sleeping she heard her mother and father talking in hushed voices over tea.

“She’s a teenager, George. How are we going to expect her to keep sleeping with Cal and Danny?”

“What other options do we have Mary? Besides sending her to your sisters. There’s a wonderful school for girls in Surrey.” Sofie heard her mother sigh into a tea cup. “She’ll have to start learning her duties to be a wife soon. It’s time she starts acting like an adult, she practically is one.” Sofie wouldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her own parents wanted to ship her off to her awful aunts, to go to an awful school for girls. People had always said that Sofie had to control her imagination, so it didn’t run wild and control her life, but there is nothing wrong with a little pretend once and a while.

Sofie walked from behind the corner and into the drawing room. “You’re sending me away? Just like that? So I can become a wife?” Her parents stared at her wide eyed.

“Sofie,” her mother stood and walked to her, touching her cheek she spoke “it’s just what is best for right now. I’m sorry, you know we love you.”

“But I don’t want to go! I want to stay here, with you, and Papa, and Cal, and Danny. Why does anything have to change? I don’t need to grow up any time soon.

“You are 17 years old,” Her father finally spoke. “It is time you take some responsibility. Go to sleep you’re leaving in the morning.”

Sofie turned from the drawing room and ran up the stairs, tears threatening to spill over. When she got to her room she was as quiet as so could to not wake her brothers. Sofie opened her bedroom window and peered out at London all around and found the north star. “Please,” She whispered. “If anyone is listening please, please don’t make me go to my aunts.” She closed her eyes and tears raced down her cheeks. “I don’t want to grow up. I don’t want to grow up.” Sofie whispered the phrase over and over, before she started growing tired. Right as sleep was about to take her she felt a large gust of wind which immediately startled her, snapping her head up she thought she saw the shadow from her dreams. She looked out the window and saw nothing. “It must’ve just been my imagination.” She let out a sigh of relief.

“Your imagination Sofie,” She spun around, in her bedroom was a blonde haired boy dressed in a green hood and brown trousers, next to him, was the shadow. “is a powerful thing.”

“How did you get in my bedroom? Who are you? Why is that thing been in my dreams?” She gasped.

“All of your questions will be answered shortly, so as long as you come with me.” The boy grinned.

“Come with you? Why on Earth would I ever go with a boy who broke into my bedroom in the middle of the night?” Sofie moved closer to her desk, to try and grab the butter knife that was left from her lunch.

“You know why. To escape adulthood, just like you’ve always wanted.”

“C-come with you where?”