JT/SD: This is our new attempt; because the first one sucked so badly we almost had an aneurism. Yes, a collective aneurism. It can happen.
Anyway, hopefully you will enjoy this fic. Please review once you've read it—that way we can make it better maybe the first one sucked because NO ONE TOLD US IT SUCKED. For the most part, Jem writes for Tam, Aerial writes for Akil, and Samoso is a conglomerated effort.
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Tam was the school's biggest discipline case. She had been fine up through grade school, but soon as she had hit sixth grade, something happened. She started becoming increasingly defiant, not doing her homework, and just generally causing trouble.
She had lost her parents when she was only 6 years old, and in first grade. But at this time, her life continued on normally, or as normally as it could. She was passed to a foster family in the same area she had been living in before, so she didn't have to transfer schools.
And then sixth grade hit. There was no real explanation for what happened to her. Some people attributed it to her parents' death—maybe she was finally finding out how much she missed them. But overall, no one knew the real problem.
Except for her. She knew, obviously. But it's not like she had anyone to tell. No friends, not since she had changed. And no family, clearly. Her foster family was nice, but not the kind of people she'd go tell her problems to, really. She was on her own.
It was a particularly bad day for Tam when she was taken away to Neverland. She had received a number of detentions, successfully booking her time after school for the next two months. She didn't even want to think about it. At the same time, hadn't her teachers learned that detention didn't work on her? Adults were just stupid that way.
Her least favorite teacher, Mr. Maclow, had been particularly nasty and given her no less than three detentions that day, mostly for insubordination. After the third slip, she just decided to walk out of the classroom, and that was exactly what she did. She stalked up, took her slip, and stomped out of the room, deciding then and there she'd never come back.
She ran through the main hall of the school, knowing no one would try to stop her. This was Tam, after all—and it seemed almost everyone was scared of her. Racing through the front doors, she breathed a sigh of relief at her decision. She was going to be on her own from now on, but how different was that?
And it was then that it started to happen. She felt herself being lifted off the stairs of the school. She shouted out, but no one seemed to see or hear her. Suddenly, the world blurred, shifting into the silhouette of a single star that then kaleidoscoped into a thousand different bits of color. She was gripped with terror, not sure what was happening, all sense of elation at her freedom lost. And then, at the last second, as she felt herself speeding through space, she felt herself lose consciousness.
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A tall, gangly silhouette stood out against the stark barrenness of the plains. A hot wind whipped the draped clothes the boy wore, churning the faded fabric around his thin form. He stopped beneath a straggling tree, looking up at its thin, pathetic branches. Frowning lightly, he put his small brown hand against the rather withered trunk and closed his eyes.
A few moments passed, and only the thick, tall grasses moved, whispering in the slight wind. Suddenly, a greenish glitter started to appear at his fingertips. The flow strengthened, defining itself in a stream into the dying tree. The flow didn't stop, but the tree began to change – the leaves filling out and turning green from brown. The trunk grew straighter, larger, the branches straighter and longer.
The boy opened his eyes, revealing dark blue irises hidden before by the delicate chocolate lids. A grin split his face, and white teeth flashed in the African sunlight. Turning, he began walking away. The leaves on the tree rustled, though the wind had stilled. The grin widened.
"You're welcome," the boy said to no one anyone else could hear, and continued on his way.
Akil had always been a quiet child, even growing up with the other rambunctious children in his tribe. His family had survived on the plains of Africa for generations, and was thriving. His father, a prominent hunter in the tribe, was not often at home, and had no time for a boy of 10. After his mother died of a wasting fever, Akil had been fostered with a family with a young girl about his age. For a time, Akil was as happy as he had ever been.
But one day all of that changed. Akil had been playing with the other children when they stopped to rest under a tree. Under the branches, Akil stumbled across a clearly dying flower amongst the grass. Bending down, he reached out to the brown, wilted thing, sorrowful for the death of something so vibrant and alive. When he touched the plant, a fierce tingle jolted up his arm, and his fingers began to glow with a green light. Akil cried out, and jerked back, and the glow died. Calling the other children over, he touched the plant again, letting the contact remain. The plant began to grow until it was once again a healthy blossom.
From there, Akil's situation worsened by far. Upon return to the village, he showed the elders and the rest of his tribe his newfound power. But instead of being congratulated and celebrated, the people he knew and loved exiled him, under the hopes that he and his alien ability would shrivel and, like that flower would have, die.
It had been four years, and Akil had survived through his access to the world of plants. He had traveled far and wide across the plains, and had explored the limits and expanses of his powers. He could communicate and heal plants, and they would help him in times of need, as he would them.
After his run-in with the dying tree, Akil continued on his way. Yet after a short while, an odd sight gave him cause to stop. Two trees stood in his path, with their branches intertwined to form a gateway, with the almost defined shape of a star within the branches. Akil tipped his head at the strange sight, and paused. After a moment, Akil grinned a small, crooked grin and stepped calmly between the two trunks.
Suddenly the world blurred. No longer were there the arid plains of Africa, but a swirling space, and Akil hurtling through it, alone. An incredible pressure crushed him from all sides, forcing the air from his lungs, and keeping him from moving or shouting out. The spinning colors swam in front of his eyes, and the last thing he saw was a brilliant star growing larger and larger before he lost consciousness.
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Samoso was a shy boy of few words. He was, impossibly, born in Neverland, and aged until he was thirteen in the real world. He never really knew his parents, but they must have been something special. Sam was always a little odd, his pale skin tinged a sparkling blue topped by wild, green hair that came down to his earlobe and no further. He had bright, intelligent-looking purple eyes that always seemed just a little too large for his face. Sam was a slight boy, and short on top of that, leaving him target of bullying in the real world.
Neverland was his refuge, the place where he always felt at home. No one teased him there. Unfortunately, his parents—whoever they were—didn't allow him to come back very often. They were afraid that others would notice he wasn't getting older like the rest of them, which was important in his early years. But Sam didn't want to live in a world of concrete and glass. He knew that one way or another, he would have to go to Neverland and stay there, sooner or later.
It was one day after school, on his way home, that he decided this world wasn't the one for him. He didn't hear the footsteps behind him until it was too late. Then his knees had already hit the wet pavement, the dampness soaking through his clothes to his skin. Behind him, he heard the familiar voices of his tormenters.
"All right, ten points!" one of them cheered.
"Good shot, Josh," another one called.
Sam sat there, not daring to get up or turn around. By now he knew their tactics—the moment he stood up, they'd hit him harder, until he was down for good. If they thought they had him on the first try, they were more likely not to try again.
A foot planted itself on his back, pushing until he felt the pavement against his forehead. He still tried to keep still, not to react.
"Nah, it's not worth it anymore," one said. "Seems like he's down for the count. He's not going anywhere for a while."
Sam closed his eyes, waiting to hear them leave.
Their footsteps receded and then, faded. He breathed a sigh of relief.
He stood up, not even bothering to dust off his knees. The marks would be there for a while, especially if the bullies had anything to say about it. He wished they would just leave them alone.
He continued along the alley for a bit, when he saw a door. It was open, which was odd on a day that could warrant rain at any time. He walked up to it, figuring that the least he could do was close it.
"Hello?" he called in, but no one answered. It seemed dark, but he could see something glittering inside, which caught his attention.
He tried again. "Hello?" Still, there was no answer.
The glittering object seemed to flash and dance, almost in the shape of a star. It seemed to be calling him, in a way. One last time he called into the darkened room, but, of course, it was still silent. He stepped through the entryway, carefully, against his better judgment.
The door swung shut behind him, leaving him in complete darkness, except for the object in front of him, which was slowly growing in size, coming towards him, yet seeming to shed no more light than it had a first.
He reached out toward the shimmering object, and felt his hand brush against it. He was immediately plunged into darkness and knew no more.
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JT: Well, hope you enjoyed it. And even if you didn't, you read it. Ha. So here's a reminder: review, please!
SD: Review or die! MUWAHAHAHA. Hope you like the story, I know there's not really any connection to canon yet except for frequent Neverland references, but that's okay really! Keep reading, and I'll draw some pictures of the characters. You'll know when I'm finished. Byeas for now!