neverland no more || tpn shots (2)

learning to live • oliver • pt. 2

The shelter's morning starts with a clang of pots and pans- courtesy of the little boy Chris. Everyone arose and yawned, early morning chatter and happy smiles filling the halls. People of varying ages and different personalities bond together as they gather and eat breakfast. There were now 64 people living in the shelter. It's been a month and a half that they've been living there. Despite being from different farms, everyone's getting along. Everyone has a task. Cooking, cleaning, gathering food, and plenty more. It may be a bit cramped, with less food, but everyone's still happy nonetheless.

But behind the mask of a small smile, there is one child who hides themselves in a corner. Ever since she lost her foot, Y/n was rendered useless for a while. She made herself a temporary peg leg out of carved wood to let her walk. However, it never worked out as it got stuck in a lot of places almost all the time. She couldn't run with it either- which is why Oliver always told her to go hide. Y/n could do a lot of things except go out for hunts as she is unable to run properly. Despite everything that she could do to help around, she still feels useless.

"I didn't think it'd come to this... but I need a foot."

"What?"

"Ah! O-Oliver?"

That morning, the teen was looking for his friend when he turned the corner and caught what she said. Y/n explained her predicament and was wondering if she could do something to replace her prosthetic with something more useful and metal. So she and Oliver went to Nigel to see if he could make something. But alas, the mechanic had no idea.

"I'd love to help you, Y/n," he says. "But we've never dealt with prosthetics before." The boy had gone on to scratching his head in confusion, pointing out that Y/n was the first person in the whole group to have one real foot and the first prosthetic they've ever seen.

"Now that I think about it," Oliver says, "Lucas doesn't have an arm, right? Nobody ever thought to make a prosthetic one for him?"

By that time, Lucas had actually appeared as he was passing by. Yuugo also walked by after hearing the three teenagers talking. Before Y/n could realize it, other children had already joined in the conversation. Different voices piped up about missing body parts and making prosthetics for it. Some of them were now only noticing that Y/n had a wooden peg. It didn't surprise her, nobody would ever think to look down at her feet in the first place.

"I don't think you guys had the right materials to construct a makeshift arm anyway."

Y/n's eyes land on Lucas and his nonexistent arm. She bit her lip, knowing that if a metal foot is hopeless she thought of having to use that. Before anything else could happen, two screams came from one of the rooms. Everyone rushed to the scene to see Lani and Thoma hugging each other with scrunched up expressions. Y/n flinched. They found it.

"What is it? What happened?" Emma asked.

The boys pointed to a bag that was slightly open, a weird stench oozing out. Y/n stepped out of the crowd and picked up the bag. Sighing, she awkwardly brought out a severed foot and showed it to the group. Everyone's faces flinched in disgust.

"Is that..." Oliver gulped. "Your foot?"

Y/n nods. She tells the group about how one Luce's servants sliced her foot off when she was trying to rescue another child. Fortunately for her, the music ended and gave her time to hide. The demon left and Y/n had to hop and crawl her way to relief aid. Zack helped with wrapping up her leg that day. After that, the girl refused to receive any more help and made her way back to the forest. There, she picked her foot back up and decided to clean and keep it.

"I know what you're thinking. You can't reattach that foot anymore, Y/n." Zack states. "It's been rotting for three years."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just keeping it as a reminder." She sighs. "I'm still learning to live."

After that, everyone dispersed and went back to whatever they were doing. There's no way they can get that foot out of their head now. In the end, Y/n decided to find ways to improve her fake foot. All this time, it was unbelievable that a part of a thick branch managed to support her body. If it took her two days to make one, it should take her two days to make another too. But with the help of her friends, they made it in just a day.

Later that afternoon, Oliver peeks into the room. He smiles and walks over to her bed, watching as she adjusted her new prosthetic. The creaky, old peg leg was now made out of hardwood, attached to a metal ring that held the comfortable sock that can safely support enough weight. She adjusts the straps to make sure that her lower calf can hold on to the peg.

"How do you like the new foot?"

"I love it." Y/n smiles for the first time in years.

The boy sits beside her, admiring the good work that he and their friends have done. He'd never seen Y/n smile like this before. He's glad that she's happy now.

"Thanks for the help, Ollie." Y/n kisses him on the cheek, catching him off guard. The girl giggles, standing up to leave the boy and show off her new prosthetic. Oliver was left alone, a blushing mess.

Outside, Y/n let everyone touch and admire the hardwork put in by her family. They began to notice how she was smiling a lot. It was a new sight. After threatening to kick Yuugo with her new peg, Y/n came across Emma. The two girls talk for a while, mainly about whatever topic arose. Y/n was never familiar with the redhead before, but she guessed Emma was very important. The heart of the family.

"Oh, by the way, what did you mean earlier?"

"Huh?"

"When you said you're still learning to live, what did you mean by that?"

Y/n pauses to form an answer.

"It means I'm glad I'm alive. As long as I breathe, I'll learn to live. Ever since my brother and sister died, I began waiting for a reason. A reason why I'm still alive. Once I found the reason, I opened my eyes and finally learned to keep living."

Emma smiled at the other girl's response.

"And what was the reason?"

"Everyone. Oliver, Lucas, you, and even those who have departed. Everyone I've met and loved is the reason I'm still alive. The reason I keep going."

As long as Y/n is alive, she'll always come to realize the many reasons to not die and not give up.

"By the way, Emma, don't tell this to anyone."

"What is it?"

"Obviously, I'm angry at the demons. They killed and ate everyone I love. But, somehow, I think I'm the only one who's kinda sorry for them."

"H-Huh?"

"Can you imagine being born, and the only way to stay alive is to eat other people?"

Y/n and Emma went dead silent.

"Oh, well," Y/n broke the quietness, "I'm going to go annoy Oliver. See you."

The end.

a/n:
Hi, sorry, that wasn't as good as I expected but uh I hope you like it...?
Ugh don't vote for this, it sucks.
I suck.
Bleh...