Chapter 1

No one ever prepares you for what happens when you die. In the movies there is often a white light that surrounds you, and your body no longer feels cold or pain. You drift away from the world around you and rise up into the heavens, where everyone who has passed before you is there waiting for you with open arms. This is what I've always thought my whole life.

"I was wrong."


"Jessica! Jessica hurry up!"

Jessica Harper shot out of bed with a start, her head hitting the bottom of her bunk bed. She groaned as she rubbed the bump that was quickly beginning to form at the top of her head. She turned and squinted at the clock across the room. The clock was flashing a bright red 7:45. "Shit!"

Why didn't the alarm go off? I know I set it right before I went to be last night!

Jessica tumbled out of bed, grabbing her pale pink hooded pullover lying on the foot of the bed and put it over her white tank top she wore to bed. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She glanced at the top bunk and saw that the covers were made and Miranda was out of bed already. She groaned as she ran towards her closet. "Great! Just freakin' great!" She grabbed the first pair of clean pants she found in the pile of laundry in front of the closet, the winner today was a pair of grey yoga pants, and hopped out the door as she put them on one leg at a time.

As Jessica stumbled down the stairs she saw Miranda looking at her watch as she stood by the door, her reddish brown hair held back by a bright green headband. Her outfit was a lot more polished than her thrown together laundry pile of clothes and sleepwear. Her pale green cardigan and pale orange skirt almost sparkled at the sight of it. She wondered how long she had been up and awake. She obviously had enough time to wake up, make her bed, and put on the perfect outfit for school. With the faint smell of bacon in the air, Jessica assumed that she had time for breakfast as well. Her stomach growled at the thought of bacon and eggs and a nice fluffy stack of buttermilk pancakes. She mentally hit herself as she knew that she would, once again, not have time to make herself anything to eat for lunch. She felt her stomach growl louder as she told herself that the only thing she will be eating today will be the leftover Snickers bar she had at the bottom of her bag.

As Miranda wrinkled her freckled nose at the sight of Jessica stumbling to a stop at the foot of the stairs, Helen, her foster mother huffed as she grabbed her car keys off the hall table. She grabbed her briefcase on the floor and then stood in front of the hall mirror and began to straighten her collar on her button down light-blue blouse. "God dammit Jessica. This is the third time this week that this happened."

Jessica cringed as she grabbed her backpack that was on the floor at the foot of the stairs. She walked to the door and slipped on her tennis shoes. "I'm sorry… I don't know why my alarm didn't go off again. I thought I set…"

Madeline raised her hand and shook her head. "I don't want to hear it. Just get in the car…" She turned and opened the door. When Jessica paused, about to say another thing, Helen looked at Jessica with fire in her eyes. "NOW!"

As Jessica walked out of the door, her head held low with embarrassment, she could see out of the corner of her eye her foster sister Miranda smirking. Faintly Jessica thought she heard Miranda whisper, "Way to go loser…"


"Jessica… get your things ready." As social worker Andrea Jimenez walked into Sunnydale Youth Home, she looked around the home, her eyes scanning the faces of the children walking by her slowly. As each one of the children walked by her, they slowed as they looked up into her eyes, searching for those words they so desperately wanted to hear. As Andrea smiled sadly at the children around her, she felt sadness as she saw how lost all these boys and girls were.

As she walked into the girls room on the east side of the house, Andrea paused as she saw 11 year old Jessica Harper sitting Indian style on her bed, her dark brown hair pulled into a braid that hung over her shoulder. Her eyes were looking down at her hands that were slowly running her finger over the front of an old book.

Andrea sighed as she pulled her purse off her shoulder and leaned against the door jam. As she looked at the 3 other beds in the room Andrea couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu she began to feel. She wasn't surprised since she had been in this same situation twice before. 5 years ago, Andrea was a fresh social worker on the scene. She was determined to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged and neglected children. She felt drawn to the lives of these kids and went to college with the mission of working in CPS. When she was given her very first file, she never thought that 5 years later she would still be standing here, laying her eyes on a lost girl who had no place in the world.

Andrea walked over to Jessica and slowly sat down on the bed next to her, placing her purse on the floor next to her feet. She looked down at the book in the child's lap, already knowing what she would find. She smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind the girl's ear.

"Are they nice?" Jessica spoke, barely above a whisper.

Andrea nodded as she smiled at the girl. "Yes mija. They're a good family. They already have successfully raised a foster son." She reached into her bag and pulled out a photo. She handed it over to Jessica and watched as she let go of her book and take the photo into both of her hands. Together they looked down at the photo of a tall beautiful woman with fiery red hair, sitting next to a handsome dark haired man on the footsteps of a gorgeous two-story white farmhouse. The couple wore matching sweaters as they smiled wide into the camera. To their right stood a teenage boy who had his arms crossed over his chest. He smiled lightly as he leaned against the railing of the stairwell. To the left of the couple sat a young girl with shoulder length red hair.

"I'll have a sister?"

Andrea nodded as she stood from the bed. "Yes… she is the same age as you. You'll have a family. A real family this time." When Andrea heard that this upper-middle class family was looking to adopt an older child, she thought that a miracle was placed in her lap. Parents never wanted an older child. Prospective parents thought of these kids as cars in a lot. They only went for the new models with practically no mileage on them. No one wanted the older and dependable car that had a few miles. She saw more and more kids go through this system and become overlooked, to rust away. When this family came into her office looking for a child, Andrea knew immediately who would be the best fit for their family. Andrea pushed and pushed until she was able to make sure that Jessica was the one that would go to this family. If any child deserved it… then this one did.

Jessica looked up at Andrea, she smiled as she felt a tear fall down her cheek. "It worked."

Andrea tilted her head as she looked at Jessica in confusion. "What worked, mija?"

"Every night… every night I would say to myself, 'Think lovely thoughts,' and I would imagine myself in a good home… a home with a mother and a father and a brother and a sister. I kept thinking of the family I wanted to have…"

Andrea felt her vision start to blur as it became harder to swallow. She took a deep breath and smiled at the young girl. She looked up at Andrea, before grabbing her and pulling her into a tight embrace. And for the first time... Andrea felt that she finally made a difference.


As the Mercedes SUV pulled up to John Adams high school, Helen turned towards Miranda, who was sitting in the front seat, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Have a great day at school my love." Jessica cringed as she watched the exchange between mother and daughter. Everyday since she was 11 years old, ever since she was first dropped off at the Turner household, Jessica watched as mother and father doted upon their child… their real child.

Since the day Andrea Jimenez closed the door and walked out of her life, Jessica soon found out what purpose she served with her new family. Her new father, Michael Turner, was the Channing county supervisor and had his sights on making his way to the state senate. They had already had one successful foster child that was already a sophomore at the local university and they soon thought that going full with an adoption would look good with sponsors and make him into a pillar in the community. Michael was able to convince his wife, against her better judgement, to go forward and officially adopt a daughter. When Michael walked into the center and laid his eyes on Jessica, he knew that she was the one.

All she had to do was keep up appearances and they would provide for her… give her the best education… feed her only the healthiest foods… give her all the clothes she could ever need. All she had to do was keep a smile on her face and show the world how taken care of she was. Show how loved she was by this extraordinary family that decided to take her in and turn her into a modern Cinderella story. While the local papers ate up the story…

Inside Jessica was screaming.

Miranda smiled as she grabbed her backpack and opened the car door. "Goodbye mother." As the door shut Jessica rolled her eyes as she went to open her car door. As her fingertips reached the handle, she paused as she heard Helen clear her throat. She looked at Jessica through the rearview mirror, her sunglasses masking the icy look Jessica knew was behind the dark lenses. "Things are going to be different when your father…"

"Michael." Jessica looked up and met Helen's gaze in the rearview mirror. "He is not my father." Jessica felt her skin crawl at the mention of Michael Turner. That was one man that she never wanted to call father. She always kept her distance from that man since the first day she moved into her new home. She was not immune to the passing glances or his lingering pats on her back. From the way Helen treated her... she was sure that she was not blind to it either.

Helen removed her sunglasses and turned to look at Jessica. If looks could kill then Jessica would be incinerated into a hot, smoky pile of ash. Jessica sat back in her seat as she hugged her backpack against her chest. "When your father is finished with his campaign and the votes are in… you better be changing your tune. Otherwise you'll be 18 in a couple years…"

"1 year… 7 months… 19 days…" Jessica clenched her jaw as she looked out the passenger window and saw Miranda standing out in front of the school. She was laughing with her group of friends as she pulled out her new bright pink coach purse. As the girls around her gasped and ran their fingers along the fabric of the bag as if it was made of gold, Miranda glanced at Jessica sitting in the back seat of the SUV.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Jessica shook herself out of her concentration and looked back at Helen. She nodded slowly. She had heard her. She heard her loud and clear.


Jessica stood in front of her floor-length mirror as she looked over her knew outfit that her new mother gave her to wear to their first family Christmas dinner. The bright red dress sparkled with tiny sequins as the fabric seemed to float against her skin. Her fingers feathered her soft curls that she spent an hour making sure were completely perfect. Her hands lifted and straightened the red bow in her hair. She felt her body begin to cover in goose bumps as she felt her nerves overtake her. Down the hall she could hear the sounds of people coming into the home, pleasantries being exchanged as family members were reunited for the year. Jessica took a deep breath as she felt her heart begin to race.

"Get a grip Jess…" Jessica stood up straight as she took a deep breath. She smoothed her hair with her hands before smiling in the mirror. "Let's go meet your family."

As Jessica raced down the hall she stopped as she reached the top of the steps. As she could hear the voices in the living room, Jessica closed her eyes and counted to three. "One… Two…"

"Get down here now!"

Jessica opened her eyes and saw her mother, Helen, standing at the foot of the steps. Jessica smiled as she jaunted down the steps. "Sorry… I was…."

Jessica stopped when she felt her new mother grab her arm hard and drag her the rest of the way down the steps. Jessica struggled to keep from tripping over her feet down the stairs. "Where were you? I told you to be down her a half hour ago. You were supposed to be at the door greeting everyone."

Jessica winced as she tried to wrench her arm out of her mother's grasp. "I'm sorry… I just wanted to look perfect for…"

Helen squeezed Jessica's arm tighter, causing Jessica to cry lightly in pain. "Perfect? You think you're so special that you get to make your own private entrance?"

"Ouch… you're hurting me." Jessica felt her eyes begin to swell with tears.

Helen leaned down so that her head was level with Jessica's. "You listen to me… you are going to go in there… smile and keep quiet. You need to know your place in this family. If you don't then you need to realize that you can be replaced."

Jessica's lip quivered as she looked at the woman standing in front of her… the woman she so desperately wanted to call 'mom'. "How could you say such mean things?"

Helen stood up straight as she let go of Jessica's arm. "It's the truth. The sooner you realize it the better." Helen took one last look at Jessica before her eyes glanced at the doorway. Helen immediately did a 180 and smiled as she placed her hand on Jessica's shoulder and turned her to face an older couple standing at the doorway. "Martha! John! It's about time you meet Jessica… the newest member of our family."

The older couple smiled as the went to the girl and kissed her on the cheek. They doted on the girl and told her how happy they were that she found a wonderful family, and so close to Christmas! When Jessica walked into the dining room and saw all of the guests laughing as they gathered around the large dining table, she could hear Michael calling out her name. She looked over at her new father and saw him pat his lap and hold out his hand for her to come to him.

She smiled as she bounced over to him and placed herself on his lap. As Michael greeted his guests and made toasts to his friends and family and how he was looking forward to such a wonderful Christmas. "With this newest addition to our family..." He placed his hand along the side of Jessica's arm. "I see an addition of hope..." his hand trailed down her arm went down her hip slowly. "And an addition to great things ahead." He lifted his glass to the table. "Merry Christmas everyone! Onwards and upwards!"


"Are you even listening to me?"

She was... well vaguely. She didn't have to hear her to know what she was saying to her. It had been the same routine everyday since she was 11 years old. Nothing had changed over the years, nor would they ever change. Jessica looked out the window and saw that her friend Jasmine had pulled up with her father in his slightly beat up Toyota. Jasmine was an only child of a military father, Sgt. Damon Jackson. Her mother ran out on them when she was about 8 years old. She bounced around from state to state until she landed in Channing county. It was on the first day of middle school that the two of them met and Jessica and Jasmine bonded and became best friends ever since.

Jessica heard Helen slam her fist on the steering wheel. "Damnit Jessica!"

"Yeah… yeah… I heard you." Jessica got out of the car and slammed the door to the SUV, causing a few students and a couple teachers to turn their heads and watched as Helen sped away. She didn't mean to be late getting up this morning. She never meant to make her upset. But the thought of her going into her accounting office upset and reeling made Jessica smile just a little.

"What was that about?" Jasmine walked up to Jessica and nodded her head towards the speeding Mercedes.

Jessica shrugged as she pulled her backpack over her shoulder. "You know… just the same old song and dance. She is just pissed that I ruined her perfect morning yet again."

Jasmine shook her head as her and Jessica began walking towards the school as the bell rang. "How can you even put up with that shit?"

Jessica shrugged as she quickened her step. "I just think happy thoughts…"


Jessica sat outside of her school on the front lawn after school let out for the day. Her back was rested against the large oak tree that provided the much-needed shade on the warm summer day. She wished that her alarm had gone off, giving her extra time to get ready. She wasn't about to take off her sweatshirt and show the entire student body her Hello Kitty tank top that she wore to bed. As her friend Jasmine went over in detail how unfair it is making students go through gym at school.

"What the hell good is it that we can do a mile in under 8 minutes? My GPA shouldn't suffer because it took me twice as long to run the mile."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Well... you were the one who decided to take a break and make out with Justin Kelly behind the bleachers."

Jasmine ignored her friend and continued to rant. "What I'm saying is that this school has more important things to worry about than how fast we can run 100 yards or how many pushups we can do in a row."

"And do what Jazz... focus on reading, writing, math, science and social studies? You're already getting shit grades in that as well."

Jasmine held her head high as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well... maybe if that was the case them maybe I wouldn't be getting shit grades! Besides... not all of us can be as smart and as athletic as you."

Jessica shook her head as she pulled out her book. "Well that's because Helen would rip me a new asshole if I got anything less." She remembered when she brought home her first report card and she had gotten a C in Science. Let's just say that her ears wouldn't stop ringing and her butt hurt for a week. Jessica sighed as she opened to a page that was bookmarked from where she left off.

"Very well," she said, "I will do my best. Come inside at once, you naughty children;
I am sure your feet are damp. And before I put you to bed I have just time to finish the story of Cinderella."

As Jessica absorbed the words, over and over again, she began to let herself drift in the words of the book. As she continued to lose herself in the book, she also began to be pulled into another memory.


"Mommy! Read me a story!" Jessica sat up in her bed as she bounced up and down in excitement. Megan Harper walked into the room, a wrapped present in her hands. As Megan sat down next to her 5 year old daughter, Jessica couldn't stop herself from reaching out and grabbing the present with her tiny, plump little hands. "Mommy! Is it for me? Gimme! Gimme!"

Megan smiled as she handed Jessica the wrapped present. "Yes, my angel. It is for you." Megan watched as Jessica's little hands ripped open the paper, smiling as she would graciously help her young daughter get the last of the wrapping off of.

When she fully uncovered the gift, Jessica held up the book in her hands and squealed with excitement. "Read me a story! Read me a story!"

Megan took the book in her hands and pulled back the covers of the bed and climbed in. Jessica quickly burrowed herself until she was snuggled up against her mother. It was a routine that both mother and daughter had grown accustomed to every night. Megan opened the book and flipped to the title page. As Jessica giggled with excitement, Megan looked down at her daughter. "You know Jessica... This was my favorite book growing up."

Jessica shook her head as she snuggled closer to her mother. She looked up at her with her big round eyes. "Really?"

Megan nodded as she kissed the top of Jessica's head. "Yep. And you know what's really special about this book?" Jessica shook her head as she looked up at her mother. "This book was mine growing up. Now I'm giving it to you."

Jessica reached her hand out and touched the pages of the book lightly, as if the book was made out of precious material. Megan smiled as she watched her daughter stare at this book in wonder. "Want me to read it to you?"

The young girl nodded and bounced up and down next to her mother. Megan laughed as she flipped to the first page of the book. She waited for her daughter to settle down before she cleared her throat. "Chapter one. All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this…"


Jessica closed the book and turned the book so that her fingertips were tracing over the imprinted titled on the book. As her fingers began to trace along the words, "Peter Pan," Jessica began to hear the sound of a melody playing softly in the distance. She thought that it as a curious sound, for it was nothing that she had heard before. Frequently band students would be practicing with their instruments, trying to get caught up in their studies, and the occasional douchebag with an acoustic guitar would be playing on the outskirts of school, singing to no one in particular but out in the open where everyone could see.

To Jessica, this unknown music began to call to her. Her body felt compelled to move with the music… to search high and low until she found the source. She looked at her friend Jasmine. She had changed topics to the winter dance and how she was debating between going and spiking the punch or staying at home while the two of them snuck a couple drinks out of her father's liquor cabinet.

"Last I saw he had a half bottle of Jameson in the back. There is a tiny bit of Hennessey left… Anyways I think there is going to be a shark disaster movie marathon on SyFy…"

"Jazz… do you hear that?"

Jasmine stopped talking so that she could listen to the sounds around her. All she could hear were the sounds of distant murmurings and the sounds of bird chirping in the tree above her. "Hear what?"

Jessica stood from her spot, powerless to stop her body from moving. "That… music…" Her eyes searched the parking lot for the source of the music. She closed her eyes and let her hearing focus on the sweet hypnotic melodies.

"Unless you're talking about the shitty Beiber music coming from Jules' car…"

Jessica felt her body turn towards the left of the school and she smiled softly.

"Theeeeeennn I don't hear anything." Jasmine pulled out her phone from her bag and began scrolling through her music playlist. "If you want to listen to some good music… you know my love Beyonce came out with a whole new CD last night…"

Jessica's eyes opened and she focused on an oak tree in the back of the parking lot, by the main street. She could see a pair of feet lying casually in front of the boy hidden from sight, one leg was stretched out in front of him while the other was bent at the knee. Jessica began to walk swiftly over to the boy, her feet and her heart guiding her. Behind her she could hear Jasmine calling her name in the distance.

Jessica was unfazed by what her friend was yelling to her. She found that the world around her began to blacken as she felt herself being drawn closer and closer to this boy and his haunting melody. The closer she got to the tree, the faster her heart began to beat. With every step her consciousness became afraid that her heart would thump right out of her chest.

As she approached the boy, she saw that he had his head covered by his hooded sweatshirt. His eyes, down casted in the shadows as his lips became one with the flute he was playing. As Jessica inched closer to the boy, she could see the corner of his mouth lift into the littlest hint of a smile. His beautiful song began to change slightly… the pace quickened and her body began to involuntarily sway to the music. She moaned softly as she could feel the music penetrate her body and flow through her veins with hot electricity.

"What is that music? It feels… it feeeeels…" Her body began to vibrate with ever note that came out of the flute. She began to feel warmth in places that she had never felt before. Her lips parted as another soft moan left her lips.

The boy paused as he chuckled softly. "Amazing isn't it?" He resumed playing the music and Jessica let her head fall back as she let her body freely move with the music. The boy closed his eyes as he lifted his head, allowing Jessica a better look at the boy playing the enchanting music. His features we soft and young… but the way the boy sat casually against the tree… and the way his mouth moved over the flute with such delicate and almost sensuous movement… Jessica could sense that this boy was older than he looked. She found him more than attractive. She found the boy completely alluring and magnetic. As she watched his fingers feather the instrument, she began to feel a sense of familiarity in the boy. As her body began to slow with the more she studied his all too familiar features, Jessica began to reach out towards the boy. "Do I…? Have we met before?"

The boy lowered his head once more, shielding his eyes from view. "You and I… we seem to be one in the same."

Jessica felt a shiver run down her spine as she listened to the boy speak. He spoke in such a cold and mischievous voice that seemed filled with dark thoughts and cruel intentions. She began to imagine that if snakes had voices then they would sound like the boy sitting in front of her. She felt that if he wanted, he could ensnare her and crush her into dust, with little to no effort. Although she felt afraid... she couldn't help but be drawn to him. She looked around and saw that the students around her seemed to be completely unaware of her talking with this strange boy. They walked past her as if she was nothing but a leaf in the wind. Jessica's eye's narrowed. "Why can no one else hear your music?"

She could see his smile appear on the corner of his lips once more. "You see… this instrument." He ran his fingertips along the smooth edges of his flute slowly. "It calls to people. It calls to special people who only want one thing in this world."

Jessica took a step closer to the boy. God why do I feel like I've met him before? "And what is it that they want?"

The boy put the flute back up against his mouth, his tongue lightly moistening his lips. Jessica felt her back arch and her mouth part slightly at the tantalizing sight. The boy seemed to be aware of his affect on her and seemed to smile wider. "To not be filled with loneliness…" The flute pressed against his lips and his music began to play, this time with more fervor. As the melody quickened and the music became more electric, Jessica began to fill with laughter as she found herself twirling around in circles. The faster the boy played… the faster she spun. She felt her head begin to spin but she could not stop her feet from moving. She spun and spun until she fell to the ground right in front of the boy's feet. Jessica began to bubble with laughter. She giggled and laughed until she felt the air begin to leave her lungs. As she began to calm and her heart began to slow down she noticed that the music had stopped. She turned and looked up at the boy and saw that his eyes were no longer hidden from his hood. When he looked down at her, his bright green eyes bore into her core. She felt her body begin to tingle as the boy stared at her with a mixture of shock and confusion.

He let his flute fall to his lap and she felt herself sit up so that she was sitting face to face with the boy in front of her. She felt herself begin to turn red from the burning look he was giving her. Jessica cleared her throat. "Are… are you okay?"

The boy lifted his hand and reached out to her. He paused, as his skin was about to touch the side of her face. Jessica glanced down at his hand and saw that the boy had begun to shake slightly. His snakelike demeanor had slithered away and in its place she could see the look of a mournful and scared boy—the look of a boy who had seen a ghost. Jessica could feel his calloused fingertips trail against her cheek softly before trailing along the side of her neck to take a few strands of her hair into his hand. His rough hands were barely a whisper against her soft, smooth skin. With every move, the boy's hand would shutter with apprehension, as if she was a porcelain doll that would break with the slightest touch. The boy's hand trailed back up to her cheek as he took a deep breath. "Katarina?"

Jessica furrowed her brow. "Who?"

"Jessica!"

Jessica turned and saw her friend Jasmine running towards her. She had both of their backpacks slung over her shoulder. "Jessica! What the hell are you doing? You just left me with all your stuff!"

Jessica shook her head and turned back towards the boy sitting at the tree, completely ignoring her friend. "Who is..." She turned and saw that she was now alone in front of the tree. The boy completely vanished into thin air. "…Katarina?"

Jasmine shook her head as she tossed Jessica her backpack. "Why the hell did you run off like that?"

Jessica stood and looked around the area. "Do you see him?" She watched as students would run to their parent's minivans and sedans and get into the passenger side. Some students stood in crowds at the front of the school as they laughed and continued to speak of the day's events. She saw Miranda walking down the steps of the school with her friends from earlier in the morning. She saw the same familiar faces that she saw on a daily basis. She just didn't see his.

Jasmine put her hands on her hips. "See who?"

"The boy… the one who was playing the music!" Jessica ran around the tree… hoping to see any signs of the mysterious boy with the flute. "He was right here!"

Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest. "I have no idea who you're talking about. One minute we were talkin' and the next you get up and run towards this tree!" She shook her head and pointed her finger at Jessica. "Girl… I need to hook you up. You can't be goin' around dreaming up imaginary men…"

"But he wasn't Jazz!" She exasperated. "I'm not imagining anything!" She pointed to the base of the tree. "He was right here!" Jessica ran her fingers through her hair as her mind puzzled over the last few minutes she spent with this mysterious boy. She knows she hadn't seen him before but she couldn't help but feel as if she had known him. It felt like it was from a dream.

Jasmine sighed as she walked up to her friend. "Jess… I didn't see anyone." As Jasmine ran her hand along her friend's back, the two of them were startled by the sound of a car horn in the distance.

"Jessica! Get in the car now!"

Jessica groaned in irritation and snatched up her bag and began to walk away towards the SUV. As Jessica passed Jasmine, she felt her best friend grab onto her arm lightly, stopping her mid-stride. "Jess... if you need a place to stay..."

Jessica shook her head as she smiled. "Nah..." She tilted her head towards the SUV and shrugged. "She doesn't phase me. I am perfectly fine..."

Suddenly she felt all the breath in her lungs leave her as Jasmine took her into a tight hug. As Jessica stood there awkwardly, her best friend continued to hold onto her friend tighter. After a moment, Jessica felt herself giving in to her friend and let herself melt into her friend's embrace. As the two of them stood there, all the words that either of them wanted to say to one another went completely unsaid. "I love you Jess..."

Jessica tried not to unravel as she held onto her best friend tighter. "I love you too Jazz..."

"JESSICA!" She turned and looked towards the car and saw that Miranda was sitting in the front seat of the car with a smug look on her face. She pulled away from Jasmine and smiled before saying goodbye to her friend and jogged to the SUV.


High up in the trees, a hooded figure watched as the girl opened the car door and hopped into the backseat. The sounds of the mother talking sharply to her made his blood buzz with a quiet anger. When he went to the world without magic, he went in the hopes of finding some new recruits. He was getting tired of the same boys... the same boys that provided no challenge. It had been a long time since he brought anyone new to Neverland and he felt that it was time for a change... and a challenge.

When he walked until he found the school, he felt compelled to sit by the tree and see what types of boys would fall into his net. To his surprise, however, he was not met with a young boy... but that of a girl. Although he was disappointed that this trip was a bust... he decided to take advantage of the situation and have a bit of fun. After all... being alone on an island with a bunch of boys made Peter a little wound tight.

When the tone of his music changed and the girl moaned with delight, he felt his own body begin to fill with excitement. With every note of his sensual melody, the woman swayed her body more and more. He smirked as the woman was definitely to his liking. As his tune sped up and the girl spun and spun until she collapsed by his feet, Peter knew that he had her within his trap.

That was until she looked up at him through her chestnut brown locks. Those familiar doe eyes looked up at him, her plump lips parted slightly as her breath came out in deep, shallow pulls. For the first time in over 50 years... Peter felt his heart sink into his stomach. He felt as if all the lost boys chained him up and in unison, punched his stomach.

If Peter didn't know any better... he would have assumed she was really Katarina. But he knew that she couldn't be. He watched the light leave her eyes all those years ago.

As he watched the SUV drive away, he felt a gust of wind blow up next to him. "Find her." Pan's shadow floated in the air next to him, looking down upon the car as it turned the corner and out of sight. Pan ran his fingertips along his pipe and like his mouth turn into a smirk, and a mischievous gleam in his eyes.