Chapter One
About 200 years ago...
It was just another dream for Peter, he was flying around the land he had come to call Neverland. He just loved everything about Neverland, he could never be tired of it, everyday there was a new adventure, a new place to find, and treasures to be uncovered.
He stopped at a lagoon, the colors of the underwater life were mesmerizing. He only saw a tail at first, thinking it was fish, until his eyes saw the change from gills to pale skin. He jumped back at first, not sure what it was.
She showed herself, just as scared as he was. Her pale fingers gripped the bay before she pulled her head out of the water to see what was watching her.
He saw a head of dark hair rising from the water, her eyes were grey but somehow filled with warmth. He leaned closer to take a look at her. They were both caught, looking at each other in shock.
"W-what are you?" Peter asked her his voice faltering.
It took a minute, he began to think she didn't understand him. "I'm a mermaid." she told him with a weak voice. "What are you?"
"I'm a boy." he said, not knowing what she meant.
"I can see that," she said uneasy. "But what are you here?"
"Wait, does that mean you are a girl?" he asked her, ideas falling into place.
"Yes. When I'm not a mermaid." she said, her voice still soft. "What are you?" she asked again.
"Well, I-I can fly." he said trying to find the words for what something like him might be called. "Is there a name for something like that?"
"Maybe you're a fairy." the girl suggested. "Do you have powers too?"
"I don't think so." he said, thinking about it, and looking distressed. "Do you really think I'm a fairy?"
"I don't know, but you can fly. Maybe you can more things too."
"Can you do other things?"
"I can swim really fast and breath underwater."
"Can't all mermaids?"
"I haven't met any other mermaids before."
"Neither have I."
"I never met a fairy either."
"Maybe you're not a mermaid."
"Maybe you're not a fairy."
The two kids looked at each other, not knowing what to say. "Do you have a name?" Peter asked her.
"My name is Vissa." Vissa said. "What's yours?"
"Peter." he said, extending his hand to her.
She took it. "It's nice to meet you, Peter." she said smiling.
"You too, Vissa." he said smiling too. He let go of her hand. "Do you want to see me fly?" he asked her.
"Yes!" she said excited.
Peter smiled brightly, he had never shown this to anyone. "Okay." he said. He started by concentrating, next thing, he was floating.
"Wow!" Vissa said amazed as he floated from the bay of the lagoon and to the rocks in the water. "That's amazing!"
"What about you?" he asked her grinning. "How fast can you swim?"
She smiled, pointing at the bottom of the lagoon. "You see that treasure chest?" she asked him. He nodded. "I'm going to get it."
"You can't!" he said concerned. "That's too deep."
"I'm mermaid." she told before diving into the water.
Peter watched his new friend plunge into the water to a certain death, if she weren't a mermaid. He didn't believe that, thought. Not until his heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to pop out of his chest. He couldn't swim, he wouldn't be able to save her if she drowned.
Relief came with a smile as he saw her emerging from the water. She was carrying the treasure chest behind her, setting it next to him on the rock.
"I'm impressed." he told her, being more excited that she was alive than the fact she brought a treasure chest from the bottom of the lagoon.
"I told you, I'm a mermaid." she told him. "Do you want to be the one to open it?"
"What?" he asked her confused.
"The treasure chest." she said.
"Oh, yes!" he said looking at the chest for the first time. "What do you think is in it?"
"Gold and silver." she said.
"Rubies and diamonds." he continued.
"Pearls and emeralds."
"Crowns and rings."
"Open it!" she said excited.
"Okay, okay." he said pulling the lid off, inside was everything they had listed off. Their eyes sparkled as they saw it, they smiled at each other.
They spent hours on playing with the treasure, pretending they were royals. The moon was at its highest peak, it was almost time to wake up.
"How long have come to Neverland?" he asked her.
"I don't know." she said. "It hard to tell time here."
"It feels like it's been forever." he said sighing. "I've never dreamt of anything else."
"Me either." she said. "I hope you're real."
"You think I'm not?" he asked her.
"I've never seen anyone else in Neverland."
"It's a first for me too."
"Are you real too?"
"I think so."
"Then how old are you?"
"I'll be ten soon."
"I'm nine."
"Do you think we'll meet in the real world?" Peter asked her.
"I hope so." Vissa said. "I've never had a friend like you."
"I'm your friend?" he asked, surprised. "I've never had a friend before."
"Then I'll be your best friend!" she said excited.
"Okay!" he said matching her excitement. "What do friends do?" he asked confused.
"Well," she said, confused too. "I think we just spend time together, like we did today."
"Really?" he asked. "Everyday can be like this?"
"Yes." she said smiling. "I think so."
"This is going to be great!" he said smiling from ear to ear.
"We'll meet here." she said, her grey eyes were sparkling. "Every night, when we drift off to sleep and find ourselves here, this is where we'll meet."
"Okay," he said. "This is going to be fun."
"Yes. Yes, it will be." she said.
"Promise?" he asked, his voice getting sleepier.
"Promise." she said, her eyes closing.
They were both slowly falling asleep, waking up to their real lives. Both of them anticipating the next moment they would dream of Neverland again.
Being true to their promise, they rushed to the lagoon to met up. Everyday was new adventure: they explored Skull Island and its dangers, they were kidnapped by the native tribe on the Neverland Plains, they found fairies (and discovered that Peter was not, in fact, a fairy), and they were happy.
It was, give or take, six years after they met each other. The full moon had just risen when Peter and Vissa ran out of the Neverland Plains, dodging the arrows that the natives were shooting at them.
"Capture Pan Peter and Van Vissa!" the chief commanded his warriors.
Peter and Vissa just laughed as they ran into Neverwood, a place where the natives would never follow them inside. At least not yet, Vissa and Peter had won this time. They finally stopped running when they reached Peter's cabin, they collapsed on the cabin floor laughing.
"That was so much fun!" Peter said, trying to catch his breath.
"Did you get it?" she asked him, laying on the floor and breathing heavily.
"Yes." he said waving the red flag. "We did!"
"Good job!" she said excitedly hugging him.
"Me? What about you?" he said. "How did you manage to get the guards to look away?"
"Mermaid magic." she winked at him.
"Come on, tell me." he said propping himself on his elbows curious.
"No." she said laughing.
"Tell me." he said a wicked grin crossing his face.
"No." she refused again.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Yes…" she said unsure of what he was planning. It a second for her to get it and another for her to move, but it was too late for that. He jumped on top of her before she could get up and pinned her arms, his wicked grin still plastered on his face.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell me?" he asked grinning knowingly.
"Yes." she said defiantly, and it was a very stupid decision. He lowered his head to her stomach. "Don't-" whatever she was going to say was drowned out by her frantic laughs as he pressed his lips to her stomach and started to blow.
Zubert was a very childish approach to Peter's attempt at an interrogation, though it was very effective. She squirmed underneath him, laughing, her lungs running out of breath.
"S-s-stop." she tried to say between laughs.
"Are you going to tell me?" he asked her, removing his face from her skin.
"No!" she said, trying not to give in. He smiled, knowing she was going to give in as he lowered his head back down. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you."
He pulled himself up to look her in the eyes, trying to see if she was telling the truth. "Good." he said.
He didn't quite let go of her. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to let go of her. He liked the feeling of holding her, he looked at her lips, not knowing why.
Peter had a predatory look in his eyes, Vissa noticed it, very confused about it. Why was he looking at her like that? Better yet, why did she like it?
This was all new to them, they were not nine anymore.
"Peter?" she said, trying to bring him back to normal.
"Right," he said letting her go. "How did you distract the guards?"
"I'll show you." she said standing up and walking to the door, waiting for him to follow. He smiled at her, grabbing the flag and following her out the door.
"Where do you think we should hide it this time?" he asked her as they walked in the Neverwood.
"Maybe at the lagoon?" she suggested. "Near the rocks."
"Good idea." he said. "You'll be able to sense it if they get near it."
"That's the plan." she said as they arrived at the lagoon.
They set the flag on the rocks before they jumped in the water. "So what did you want to show me?" Peter asked her swimming to the rocks.
"You're getting better at this." Vissa said referring to his swimming.
"I had a mermaid as a teacher." he told her smiling.
She laughed. "I've been learning a few new tricks." she said. "Like you, with your magic."
"What kind of tricks?" Peter asked interested.
"Like this." she said holding her hand above the water before slowly moving it up. A small sphere of water rose from the lagoon, following her hand. She looked at Peter, trying to see his reaction.
He was impressed, moving his hand underneath the sphere in shock. "How did you do it?" he asked her.
"I don't know, but it's not just that." she said, letting the sphere drop. "Every first full moon I feel so much stronger."
"Like when you have legs?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I think it only happens on that first night." she said. "Unlike your magic."
"Having magic isn't that great." he told her.
"Really?" she asked him unconvinced. "You don't enjoy making food pop out of nowhere? Or whatever weapon you chose?"
"Okay, maybe magic is great." he agreed with her.
"Do you want to see what I've been working on?" she asked him.
"Yes." he said excited. Still, after many years, they still found everything about each other exciting.
She smiled. Suddenly, the water level began to drop as a wall of water surrounded them. Peter touched the water wall, his hand going straight through it. The walls went up until they formed a dome. Vissa's arms were stretched up high as she held the dome together.
"What do you think?" she asked him with a big smile on her face.
"This is amazing!" he said laughing, his voice echoing across the water dome. The water level started to go down as the lagoon returned to its original water level. "Did you know that you are amazing?" he asked her.
"Of course I do." she told him. "You tell me that everyday."
Vissa and Peter started at each other smiling as they swam closer to each other. The sparkling light of fairies brightened the lagoon, causing the two teenagers to look at them.
"Hello," Peter addressed the fairies with a charming smile. The fairies danced and giggled as they flew closer to Peter. They whispered kind words in his ears as he laughed with them.
Vissa's eyes widened in recognition as a fairy whispered in her ear. "I almost forgot." she said covering her mouth, hoping Peter hadn't heard.
"What did you forget?" he asked, raising his eyebrow and smirking. "You know you can't keep secrets from me."
"Bring it now, please." she whispered to the fairies as she smiled at him. "It's a surprise."
"What kind of surprise?" he asked her, swimming closer to her.
She jumped on the bay, her tail morphing into a pair of pale legs. "Come here and find out." she told him. He followed her in sitting at the bay. "Do you remember what today is?"
He gave her a confused look. "What day is today?" he asked her.
The fairies started to sing as his response. It was sweet and happy melody that had become known as the birthday celebration song. Five fairies flew in from the Neverwood carrying a cake. Peter's eyes brightened in recognition.
"It's my birthday." he said smiling at the cake as it was set in front of him.
"Happy birthday." the fairies whispered to him, and he thanked them.
His eyes looked to Vissa. "Thank you for remembering." he told her.
"It's nothing." she told him, shrugging. "How old are you now?"
"Sixteen." he said.
"You are getting quite old." she teased him.
"If I am, so are you." he teased her in return. He offered her his hand, she took it. "Let's dance."
The fairies giggled before they started to sing another song. Vissa and Peter danced a childish version of a waltz, laughing at their clumsy moves. Their dance was filled with mistakes, but they didn't care. To them, it didn't matter, all they cared about was the fun. Jumping until their legs hurt, spinning until they were dizzy, and sometimes Peter would make them float in the air.
Their laughter stopped as Peter pulled her closer to him as they looked at each other, like they were the only thing in the world. They didn't notice that the fairies had stopped singing and left the two alone.
"Is this what love is?" Peter asked Vissa, his face was confused. "Because I think I love you."
Vissa smiled brightly, her happiness was in clear display. "I think I love you too." she told him, he smiled her. Neither knew how to continue from there. Their eyes never left each other as they smiles melted from their faces.
Peter was feeling something, he didn't know what. It made his heart beat louder and faster, his palms were sweaty. For a second he thought he might have been poisoned, then his eyes traveled to her lips and everything stop. He couldn't even breath. He didn't understand why he wanted to press his lips to hers, all he knew was that he really wanted to do that.
Vissa was curious as to why Peter was staring at her so intently. Those were just initial thoughts, next came the thoughts of why she couldn't breath. Why she was feeling so comfortable and nervous at the same time.
They both might not have understood why, yet this was a part of growing up. The final stage that every child that visited Neverland had to face. However, this was a once in a lifetime event. They were never supposed to have met, or have fallen in love.
The following moment would define them, not only for the next few years, but for the rest of their lives.
Peter leaned his face closer to Vissa's and touched his lips with hers. His eyes were closed, hers were wide open in shock. What was this? She didn't know. Though she didn't know what she was doing, she pulled him closer to her, trying to figure it out.
Before anything could escalate, Peter felt something ripping itself from Peter. He yelled in pain as his shadow was ripped away from him. Vissa looked at Peter with worry and shock as she saw the scene in front of her, then she too felt the pain. She dropped to the ground as her shadow pulled itself out of her back.
Their shadows, now fully out of their bodies, hovered over their tired bodies. "What is this?" Vissa asked tired, lying on the grass.
"Your time has come to an end." the voice of Neverland said coming out of their shadows.
"What does that mean?" Peter asked.
"You will not come back to Neverland." the voice said. "Neverland is a place for children, which you are no longer."
"Will we see each other again?" Vissa asked, looking at Peter.
"That is not my concern." the voice said.
Peter reached out for her hand. "Even if I have to look for years," he said drifting off. "I will find you."
"Promise?" she asked him, her voice was desperate as her eyes started to close.
"Promise." he said.
They fell asleep, waking up with dread to their lives. Their only hope was that he would find her.