Chapter 1: The Beginning
The soft ocean waves crashed against the sand in a deceptively calm manner. The clear blue sky stretched for seemingly forever and the sun shined down onto the fresh greenery and foliage of the forest making it seem as if the water glowed against the creamy white sand.
It was a paradise setting, but it was far from that when you are an adult.
It was Neverland, the place where the lonely and abandoned children came to have fun and be free. A place that was ruled by the mischievous Peter Pan with the help of his shadow. A place where Adira had just washed up.
Her auburn locks, which was in a loose bun, was damp with salt water and her body limp against the grains of sand that surrounded her. She had appeared on the beach washed up on shore by the current or another force. After a few moments, her eyebrows pulled together in concentration before shooting open with a sharp intake of breath, revealing strikingly grey eyes.
Her expression was bewildered and confused before it morphed into a mix of excitement, and relief. She stood up immediately, despite the weakness of her legs from the lack of use, all the while laughing hysterically.
She was finally free. The notion came to her causing overflowing amounts of excitement to fill her head and body. It was as if the chains that bounded her for what felt like an eternity were finally lifted once she came here.
Unbeknownst to her, in the foliage was two boys watching her every move, analyzing who she was and why she was here. One was the infamous Peter Pan and the other, his second in command, Felix. Felix waited for what Pan wanted him to do, it was unusual for visitors to arrive in on the island without a motive that Pan knows.
Peter was with his lost boys when he felt a presence on his island. He was certainly curious due to the fact the shadow hadn't been out to collect anymore lost boys so it couldn't be another one. Maybe it was more pirates or maybe even a lone adventurer hoping to find something new in Neverland. Pan decided to see who it was in person since he had nothing better to do.
He made eye contact with Felix, sending a silent message to follow him, leaving the other lost boys to have fun or practice sword fighting like usual.
They tread through the foliage silently with Felix swinging his club around until they reached where it broke off into the beach. There, they found the girl on the beach still unconscious but alive. "Who is she?" Felix asked. "Should we go get her?"
"We don't know." Peter replied. "No, she'll be up soon." He said knowingly. A few seconds later, the girl sprang up from the sand alarmed and confused. Felix's am twitched towards his club thinking that he might use it, but Peter raised his hand up to stop him then put his finger to his lips telling him to be quiet.
The girl shakily stood up untied her hair out of her bun letting it loose and threw her head back laughing; Felix raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "Has she gone mad?" He asked.
"Maybe it's the heat getting to her brain." Peter said dryly, they made brief eye contact before turning back to the girl.
"Felix, go back to the camp. I'll deal with her by myself." Peter said.
"Deal with her how?" Felix replied.
In response Peter just mischievously grinned back.
Adira was carefreely running through the forest with a huge grin on her face when she was interrupted by someone tsking. She looked up and in a tree she saw a boy dressed in a dark green shirt with a brown belt with dark pants paired with dark boots. He had a mysterious aura surrounding him with a hint of mischief, this intrigued Adira, she wasn't very social back where she was from.
"Who might you be?" She asked turning serious and facing him. They were in somewhat of a circular clearing.
"My name is Pan, Peter Pan, and I'm the owner of this island." He charmingly replied jumping down from the tree branch.
Skeptically, she questioned him, "You? A mere eighteen year old boy owning this gigantic island?"
"That is true." He said, "What I am curious about is how you got onto my island, no boat, perhaps a portal?" He circled around her like a predator eyeing its prey.
She laughed. "Frankly I don't know myself and besides, I don't give away all my secrets at the first meeting."
"Clever." He commented, "Well if that's the case, then trespassers without a good enough reason do get punished here. I could just kick you off my island and back to where you came from."
A brief panic flashed in her eyes. "I'm not going back," She said, her voice defensive, "you can't make me."
"Oh love, but I can." He said with a hint of darkness in his eyes, she didn't appear to have noticed.
"Maybe I could change your mind." Adira said with mischief in her eyes after a pause of contemplation. She stepped closer invading his personal space in a way that would feel uncomfortable or threatening for any other person.
Peter cocked his eyebrow in piqued interest. "Oh? And how do you suggest so?"
"Let's play a game." She challenged, "I win, I stay and you win, you can do whatever you'd like." Peter, with a renewed interest, thought over his options for a few seconds.
"And what is this game?" Peter asked, leaning against a tree.
"If I can surprise you, than I would win, if I fail to do so, then I lose." She explained basically. "Pretty simple."
"Sounds like a deal." He agreed.
"But, there's one rule: no magic." She continued, looking up at him and making eye contact. "Understand?" He paused again.
"Why magic?"
"I'm not stupid." She said, "A boy with magic would be more likely to own a huge island like this than one without it. If I am correct, you must be very powerful." He smirked at her assumption. "What do you say?" He pretended to think before replying.
"Let's play." He said, commencing the 'game'.
At that, she grinned up at him playfully before abruptly sprinting off into the forest.
"Catch me!" She screamed along the way and Pan took after her. He knew that he could easily catch up with magic but was curious to what the girl would do. After minutes of running, Adira stopped at the cliff that she had passed by but remembered both out of breath and tired but paid no attention to it.
Peter slowed down next to her seeing that she stopped.
Turning her body to him, she said, "If what I do next surprises you, then would I win?" She grinned. Pretending to think for a bit, Peter hummed yes. There wasn't much that could surprise Pan though, he was usually one step ahead, but the dark-haired girl had an unpredictable aura about her that he was intrigued about. Besides, he was not in a hurry to get rid of her, he needed a new distraction.
Her grin widened and stepped closer to the edge of the cliff until her was at the very edge and her back was facing the horizon.
Playing along, Pan intervened indifferently. "Now love, killing yourself would be quite the surprise, but that seems a bit unnecessary and redundant. "
She ignored his comment. "Remember, the rules of the game say no magic, and cheaters never win." She said smiling and then freefell down the high cliff and into the waters below. Peter resisted the urge to prevent her from hitting the ocean by flying or using magic, due to the promise he made earlier even though all his instincts told him to save her. Cursing, he rushed over the edge thinking to see her body floating on the surface, but saw nothing.