Dear Readers!

I'm so sorry for the wait. Good news through – in my absence I have finished 'Welcome Back to Neverland.' I went back and re-wrote most of it to help the flow of the story. This includes the addition of the prologue to introduce Mira. For those of you that are returning readers, it is more or less the same as the original; it just adds a little more information. Thank you for your patience. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Peter Pan universe. Mira is an original character.

PROLOGUE

Mira had never known a world outside the walls of the Saint Nicholas' Home for Children where she was taken after the death of her mother, twelve years ago. Mira had no memory of her parents, but no one could fill the role of a loving mother and father. The residential support workers fulfilled their duties by the book, the living quarters were clean, the children were fed (even if the food was tasteless), and there were always bandages to patch up any adventurous childhood mishaps. However, there was no one to tuck them into bed, or kiss their heads so they had good dreams through the night. The patrolling adult that crept down the corridor, checking that there were no lights seeping from underneath the doors, didn't quite fit that endearing role. The only thing she had to remember them were her bright green eyes, which must have seen them at one point of her young life. If only she could remember.

Alice, however, was the best part Mira' childhood. She had arrived as a newborn from the hospital four years after Mira had arrived herself. Alice would cry through the night and keep Miss Mavis awake. This was a problem for everyone because Miss Mavis didn't like children at the best of times, let alone when she was sleep deprived. Miss Mavis was a giant of a woman. Her arms were long and lanky with bony fingers. Her eyes were thin and squinted, probably caused by the tight bun her hair was always pulled into. But her most distinctive feature was her nose which was just a little too big for the rest of her face.

One night Mira woke to the sound of a thud followed by cries in the room above hers, Alice's room. Mira had crept out of her room, checking the hallways and staircases for no passing sentries, and poked her head through the door that had been left ajar. Miss Mavis was screaming at the baby Alice to stop crying. The door creaked, causing Miss Mavis to whip around with a stony glare at Mira, now in the line of sight of not only Miss Mavis, but baby Alice as well. The baby's innocent blue eyes, surrounded by red blotches, locked to Mira's and the baby instantly ceased her crying. Miss Mavis was in the midst of redirecting her anger towards Mira when she noticed the baby's wailing had become small, infrequent whimpers. The woman looked between Mira and the baby a few more times before walking towards Mira, handing Alice to her, and walking out of the door without another word.

The next day, Mira's few possessions and bed were moved into the attic which Alice. The attic had been the room farthest away from Miss Mavis as possible. There, neither the crying nor any other noise two little girls might make, would interrupt her slumber. It was also the place where Alice learned to walk, Mira read her books and pages she had found, kissed her head and turned out the light. For years the girls were closer than friends, their relationship resembled something like inseparable sisters.

One day, nine years after Alice had arrived, a man and his wife appeared at their attic door. They smiled down at Alice and introduced themselves as family. The glamorous woman began to cry as she knelt down and embraced Alice in the type of hug Mira couldn't remember ever receiving. Within the next few minutes, Alice was swept away and Mira never saw her again. Mira kept to the attic after that, not sure what to do with herself now that there wasn't someone who needed her. Eventually, the Saint Nicholas' came under new management. Mira, didn't like the new staff any more than the old ones. She often evaded the adults whom entered the attic in search of her by climbing high up into the rafters. Eventually, they assumed she had run away. So once again, she was left alone.

1 - Ghosts

Mira was woken by a creaking floorboard during the early hours of the morning. She sat bolt upright to scan the dark room, straining her eyes to focus on the shadowed corners. As quietly as possible, she leant over and flipped the switch on the lamp to illuminate the room. She scanned around the room again, this time confident there were no prowling silhouettes in the space. Mira sighed with relief as she eased off the mattress and padded over to the small window overlooking the street below. Quiet and still; the scene was only disrupted by a stray cat wandering in her direction between each pool of light baring down from the uniform street lamps. Another creak sounded in the room behind Mira. Her stomach clenched and she spun around, sure to find someone coming towards her. But there wasn't. The room was as empty as it had been before.

She shook her head free of the paranoid thoughts and walked over to the door which isolated her from the rest of the building. Ever since Alice had left, she had kept to this room. She didn't bother anyone and no one bothered her. On nights like this however, when the room was especially dark and the draft breathed down her neck, Mira would take one of the old chairs and wedge it between the door handle and the floor, securing the door shut. If she didn't, the door would creak open and Mira thought it sounded like a ghost playing tricks on her. Mira checked that the chair was still tightly secured before returning to bed.

But Mira couldn't help but turn her attention towards the open window. It was apparently too early for rational observation because she hadn't noticed that earlier. Rising once more, she crossed the room and forced the window shut. Mira looked down at the scene and noted that the cat had abandoned the street, sprinting off in the opposite direction. Just as Mira began to question the cat's actions, she felt a prick in her upper arm. She winced and looked down at the offending object and observed a small tuft of feathers protruding from her skin. Mira stumbled as her head became heavy and her vision blurred. She reached forward in an effort to find the wall and stabilise herself but instead collapsed into the harsh welcome of the floor. She looked up to see someone standing over her. Through her compromised vision, she could just make out a glimmer from a belt buckle and the glide of a hat brim.