Yoohoo! Guys, this first chapter doesn't include Neverland yet. It kind of introduces the main character and her life. Although, pay attention. It'll help if you do read it. I'll put up the real good chapter later. Enjoy!


The sword bounced in the palm of my hand. I stabbed my opponent in the chest with the protected sword, and he groaned, tearing off his fencing helmet.

"Why do you always win? God, I'm trying here." I laughed, taking mine off as well.

"Stephen, you've only been fencing for 2 months. You aren't even advanced yet." He put his helmet aside and began packing up his equipment. Stephen was my best friend.

"Keep saying that. One day, I'll be the one pinning you down. Look, I'll see you tomorrow. Dad wants me to go to my cousin's wedding. She's about 4'10 and horribly pathetic. You should come with me." I smiled to myself. For the past year, I fancied Stephen a little—just a bit though. He was cute and very stubborn. So, he was a hard person to teach fencing to.

"Alright, I'll come." He paused and glanced at me.

"Wait, really? You'll come?" He asked, doubtful.

"Sure. What time are you leaving?"

"Around 5. I'll pick you up at 6. Is...Is that alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you tonight." I replied, throwing my bag over my shoulder. He nodded, and I walked out of the school gymnasium alone.

When I was 15 years old, I bought a dress that I promised to wear the day of my first prom. Unfortunately, I didn't wear it for that prom. I never wore it...until the wedding. It was a loose, pale yellow dress that as short in the front and long in the back. A thin leather belt hung at my waist. I blushed in the mirror, thinking of the evening to come. My hair was curled in long orange beach waves. I was a ginger and nearly everyone on my south side of Winchester knew it. I stared at myself, not bothering to look in a mirror. It would have to do for a wedding. I wasn't expecting some huge leap of faith to come from Stephen. I just wanted a sign that he had mutual feelings. The alarm clock read 5:49.

I sucked in my nerves and trailed down to the living room. We moved from Rhode Island to Winchester 4 years ago. I lived with my sister, Vendetta, in an apartment that just got us by. Mom was in Ecuador searching for a cure for her rare disease. Dad accompanied her there. So, Vendetta got a job and started actually doing something with her life. She didn't like my choice of a career. I loved fencing but I knew that wouldn't ever soar as a career with me. Vendetta thought of me as a great writer but I really wanted to travel the world and pick up odd jobs.

Exploring was my second nature, and who can blame me for picking up fencing? A girl needs to know how to kick a**. Vendetta had red hair but much lighter than mine—almost blonde. She called it "orange cream". I preferred it to be "creamy blood". Somehow that sounded much better than orange cream...at least to me.

"Are you going to kiss him?" I whipped my head around towards her.

"Why would you ask that?!" I snapped.

"You didn't answer my question. Are you?" A blush creeped up to my cheeks.

"I don't know. I don't think so." She smirked, pulling her knees up and grabbing her diet Coke.

"Fine. I don't know why you get like this whenever I bring up the other sex." She remarked. I shrugged my sister off, rubbing my sweaty palms on the couch. 5:54.

"Are you going out tonight?" I asked. Vendetta shook her head, her curls bobbing like fishing lures.

"Oh. I'll be home around 11, I think. Stephen said he'd drive me back."

"Great. See you tonight, love." A knock on the door silenced everyone. Vendetta clawed her way off the couch, spilling her soda.

"Vendetta!" I yelled, hauling myself off as well. My sister wasn't the best person to make first impressions. Yes, she'd talked to Stephen before, but I never said she was good at talking. The door swung open at her fingertips.

"Hello Stephanie," Vendetta remarked. I shoved her out of the way. Stephen was a tall 17-year old boy who still sucked at fencing and driving any vehicle. But, he was absolutely gorgeous in my eyes. He was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 12 and had made 2 trips to the hospital upon seizures. Yet, he was still smiling like a young lad. His blonde hair fell in his eyes frequently, so he wore beanies a lot. Instead, his hair was combed and somewhat neat except for the apparent, obsessive fingers-running-through-hair episode that went on before. His eyes were as clear as glass and milky to the core. Yet, his skin was rough and bumpy from past acne. Stephen was still a prince to me. I smiled cheekily.

"You look really...good," I blushed, thinking about the away I said good. It as weird and stalker-like. He smirked.

"Thanks. You look beautiful, m'lady. Shall we be off to the ball?" He teased, bowing and holding out his arm in invitation.

"Indeed, we shall." I latched onto his arm and left without a second look towards Vendetta.

With a driving struggle on the way there, we finally made it to his cousin's wedding in a small chapel that I'd never seen or heard of. It was white like snow and, frankly, cheesy. Stephen was right about his predictions on the way there—how the cake would be overly iced, the bride would comment about her favorite sports team in her wedding vows, and the guy would stutter like hell. It wasn't too bad for a wedding though. It was simple and to the point. It wasn't immaturely themed or stocked up on desserts like most weddings you hear about. I liked it until the dance music came on. That was when. I wanted to crawl into a tiny hole and engrave my own tombstone.

"Cadence, get over here. Please?" Stephen asked, pulling my arm to the dance floor.

"Are you kidding? No way. I'm not good at dancing." He rolled his eyes.

"You fight like a graceful antelope. Dancing is just the same. Come with me, please?" He asked again.

"No...Can you just wait for a slow song?" His grumpy frown turned into a soft smirk.

"Yeah, of course." He sat next to me.

"Cadence Dixon? You know why I brought you here, right?" He asked.

"Because it's your cousin's big day. There isn't any other reason." I said, hoping he'd prove me wrong.

"Yes...and no. I wanted you here because I don't have anyone else that will be willing to come with me or be friends with me or walk down that isle with-" he began.

"What?" His face turned a shade or dark red.

"Never mind. Hey, can that slow song wait? I want to talk to you outside?" I hesitated before nodding. He led me out of the back door and into the cool summer air.

"What's wrong?" I asked, a bit hesitant.

"I kind of had a plan for tonight." Stephen said.

"What was that?" I asked, hiding my hands. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I wanted us to come in this wedding as friends and...and to leave as a bit more." My stomach left at his little words.

"Stephen, what are you saying?"

"I'm...I'm asking, Cadence, would you like to be...my girlfriend?" My heart climbed up my throat. Another person's wedding probably wasn't the best place for a new relationship, but I wasn't going to pass it up.

"Yes, yes, Stephen." His unsure face lit up in surprise. He actually doubted my answer.

"Are you joking?" He asked, still shocked.

"No, I'm not joking." He smiled so wide and wrapped me in a huge bear hug.

"Thank you, Cadence." His lips softly kissed my forehead and my eyelids, and my night was truly made. Yes, it was very cliché that it turned out how I wished it would, but sometimes people are that lucky. For me, I was very...until 3:09 a.m. I stayed with Stephen longer than 11. Vendetta was asleep on the couch with Sex and the City reruns still playing on the TV. I crept past her and raced up to my room. My excitement was unbearable. It felt like a big bomb of hormones forming up to explode at the right time. I put on a long tee shirt and shorts. Then, I climbed into to bed and stared at the window—at all those beautiful city lights. Winchester wasn't too bad. It had its perks—like cute boys and hopeless romances that got broken at 3:09 a.m.