The Girl From the Sea

1 - The Real World

(Serina's point of view)

I felt a humid forest breeze whipping through the unusual greenery that made up the jungle of Neverland. The breeze rushed past me and through my long dark hair as I ran as fast as I could. The bottom of my bare feet stung as they slammed down on all sorts of twigs and grasses.

I glanced to my left to see a boy, my best friend actually, running along side me. He was dressed in different shades of greens and browns with cuffs that wrapped around his wrists that his...I think dad?...had given him long before he came to this land. His longer dark brown hair blew wild as the wind tousled through it. He looked back at me and gave me a mischievous grin and howled in the excitement of our race. I laughed and tried to run even faster, my heart pounding with adrenaline and happiness. I was truly where I belonged.

***

My name is Serina and I believe I'm about...13 years old? I can't be too sure because I have been apart of Neverland for a long time now and time moves differently here than it does in the real world. The real world is what we call the land we all came from before we came to Neverland.

Uck the real world. Just the thought of that harsh bitter place made my face twist into a frown for a moment in disgust. I hardly remember it thank God, but I still do remember some and from what I do remember it was hell. I faintly recall bullies, being moved from family to family, the foster homes and whispers of how my parents never cared for me and will never come for me.

Yup, I was an orphane. A lost girl if you will. Some fishermen found me in a basket that had washed ashore when I was just a wee baby. It was a miracle I had survived the tossing and turning of the ocean. The fishermen were the ones that took the liberty into naming me Serina. Everyone knew me as the girl from the sea. It was stamped across all the newspapers across the nation. Some were hoping with the publicity I got that maybe my parents would find me, would come for me and claim me. But no one ever came.

As I ran with the leaves swatting at my face I pondered back to a very significant night when I still was apart of that cold-hearted "real world". The night my real life finally began. I was living in a foster home at the time with lots of other boys and girls. There was a taller older boy there who seemed to have made it his mission to make me miserable. The boy had long shaggy blond hair and never kept his face clean shaven. He was always attempting to grow out his patchy strawberry blonde beard. I rolled my eyes at the memory. I was fairly new to this foster home and he had taunted me over and over while I stayed there saying that no one will ever want me. That it would have been better if I had drowned in the sea that day. One specific day his teasing dragged on and on making it feel like the longest dreadful day I'm pretty sure anyone has ever had.

I was heading up the old rickety stairs to my room. My room was my only sanctuary where I could read books and tales of such wonderful adventures. I would often daydream of something more than this life. I glanced out the small framed window as I quietly strode up the steps to my room. It was becoming dusk as the sun left the sky saying goodbye with a beautiful aray of colors.

I heard one of the older ladies in charge of the orphanage sing out to me from downstairs, "Serina, don't go sneaking off to your room now! I'd still like you to take out that foul garbage to the dumpster!"

My shoulders slumped in defeat. I was just nearing the top of the stairs. So close to escaping...

I slowly turned back around and trampled down the stairs rather loudly. No one liked these old hags that ran the orphanage. They were cruel and never showed even an ounce of affection.

"you better put a stop to that attitude right now you demon child or you'll get triple the chores for a month!"
I kept silent.

"Did you hear me child?! Or do I need to box those ears of yours to start them back up again?!"