Louis

I tossed and turned all night. I couldn't stop thinking about how Mar had looked at me. For a split second she had looked at me the way I had been looking at her for years. The only wished I had kissed her. I had had the perfect opportunity to do it, but I hadn't taken it. I was so conflicted about how last night had gone, but I knew I could make up for it today. With the magic been I'd kept over the last twenty years, Mar would get back to her father and I'd be the one she'd have to thank for it. I knew it was beyond time for me to finally tell her how I felt about her, I hoped now I'd finally have the chance to do it.

I made my way down to Mar's room, excited for what could come out of the day. We were going back to Neverland, and she was finally going to get to see her dad again. I'd finally work up the courage to tell her how I feel and if last night meant anything, she'd hopefully feel the same about me. Today was going to be good.

But of course Isaac had made it to Mar's room before me. He was sticking his head out of her room as I approached it.

"Didn't you say Mar was waiting for us?" He looked both worried and annoyed.

"Yea, why? She's not here?" I jogged the rest of the way to the room to find it empty. "She isn't downstairs eating breakfast?"

"Nope, and Will said he hasn't seen her since they got back last night." I wandered over to her bed as Zac talked. The bag she had been packing was gone. I turned to the corner where she kept her swords; they were gone too. I turned back to Zac, who was realizing what I just had. "You don't think she…"

"Damn it Mar."

Mara

I landed in the old hut Bae and I had lived in while we were in Neverland. I hit the dirt floor on my hands and knees, retching onto the floor of my old home from vertigo. I got up, looking around the hut. It was just how I'd left it. My bed sat on the left of the small space, still disheveled from Louis and Bae's wrestling match. I smiled to myself, remembering how protective Bae always was of me, remembering how protective Louis and Isaac were of me.

I slipped down onto the bed. Thinking about Louis; about what had happened last night, about how mad he was going to be when he woke up tomorrow and I was gone. Maybe I should have waited. My body felt like it weighed a ton. I thought for a split second that maybe I should have waited like Louis told me.

I leaned back, resting my head on the wall. I didn't know what to think about what had happened last night. I'd lived with Louis most of my life and never looked at him, or thought of him as more than just a friend before. But something had happened last night. Something that I knew would change things between us. Will was right; I was going to have to choose between either Louis or Isaac.

I pushed the thoughts of what was sure to be an impossible decision out of my mind and sat up. I could tell people had been in here. While the hut looked mostly the same, things had been moved. The coconut that Bae had fixed to trap the shadow and keep it away from me was gone. Bae must have needed to trap the shadow to help get his son back.

I wandered around the small hut, looking for clues as to where I might find Bae or my daddy. But besides the missing coconut nothing else seemed to be touched, or taken. I decided my best bet was to find Tinkerbell. She always seemed to know everyone and everything about the island; if she had seen them, I'd know where to find who I was looking for.

I made my way through the forest, guided by the bright moonlight above me. I felt sadly nostalgic as I pushed overgrown palms out of my face. The last time I'd walked these paths I'd been short enough to avoid them, but now I was tall enough to be walking through them. I smiled remembering daddy swearing at them as he cut through them when we would meet with Pan.

I quickly journeyed through the jungle to Tink's tree house, not wasting any time. It had taken several hours to get there when I was younger but I was able to make it in much less time now.

"Tink? Tinkerbell!" I called out to her as I climbed the ladder up into her tree house. I fumbled around in the dark trying to find a candle and something to light it with.

Finally getting a candle lit, I looked through the tree house, finding it empty as well. I slipped down to the floor, sitting with my legs crossed. I tried thinking where on earth Tink could be at this time of night. She wouldn't be with Pan or the Lost boys. She could be in a camp with my daddy and the people he'd come with, but not knowing where that was I was at a loss.

I sat there in the candlelight, wishing desperately that I had waited and brought Louis and Isaac with me, or at least talked them into leaving right away. I realized how naïve I had been diving head first into this by myself. I let out a cry as I dropped my head into my hands a wept. I wept until my throat burned and my eyes were swollen. I had come so far and I had missed him. I had missed my father and what was worse is I had hurt my friends in the process. I didn't know what I was supposed to do next, or how I was even going to get off this island.

I cried for well over an hour before deciding I needed to go out and try to find someone on the island. I almost let myself fall asleep on Tink's floor, but my desire to find my father overpowered my exhaustion.

I slipped down the ladder, stopping at the bottom to catch myself from falling; my head was spinning so badly.

"She's gone." I spun around, to find a girl my age standing a few feet away from me. Her long black braids shone in the moonlight, making me recognize her right away.

"You're the girl I kept seeing when I was a kid." She smiled and nodded. "Who are you? Where is everyone?"

Her smile faded when I asked my last question.

"I'm Tigerlily. My tribe has inhabited this island for many centuries." She paused and stepped over to where I was standing. She took my hands, closing hers tightly around them. "They've all gone. They left early today."

I felt like I couldn't breath. I had run away in hopes that I wouldn't miss my daddy and I did anyways.

"How did they leave? How did they get off the island?" Tigerlily released one of my hands, turned away from me, and pulled me away from the tree house. We walked off the trail and into the forest, pushing our way through bushes and trees. "Are you going to tell me anything?"

She didn't speak as she dragged me through the moonlit forest. I struggled to keep up with her, tripping over roots and branches. We went along for about ten minutes before the smell of fire and cooking meat caught the attention of my nostrils.

We stepped into a large clearing, illuminated by the light of several campfires. There were clusters of people surrounding the fires, cooking, eating and chatting. There were long buildings lining the edges of the clearing, dogs ran around barking and chasing each other. I stood and stared, taking in all of the sights and smells of the encampment. I had lived on this island for two decades and never known this camp existed.

"How long have you people been here?" I turned to Tigerlily who was smiling at me. I looked back out into the camp, many of the groups had stopped what they were doing and were staring at us. An older man stood up from the fire he was sitting at and made his way over to us. He had a stern look on his old, wrinkled face.

He spoke in a tongue I had never heard of before. His voice was gruff, and I could tell that he was upset by his tone. Tigerlily rolled her eyes and scoffed back at the old man. I stood uncomfortably watching the argument, not sure if I should interject. They went back and forth for several minutes before the old man huffed a sigh. He gestured for me to follow him and walked back over to his fire. I turned to Tigerlily who waved for me to follow the old man. I started slowly, making sure that she was following me before setting a normal pace.

I felt anxious. I had never known that there was anyone other than the Lost boys, Tink and Bae and I on the island. I felt like an alien in my old home. All eyes were on me as I walked over the fire. It was strange.

I sat next to the old man, and Tigerlily sat beside me, holding my hand in hers. The old man looked intently into the fire before speaking.

"Tigerlily has been watching over you for several decades. She has always felt very protective of you. I don't know why I'm surprised she brought you here." He shook his head, looking exasperated and tired. I turned to Tigerlily who was smiling brightly at me. Her eyes glittered in the light of the fire.

"Why? I only saw you twice when I was a child, and nobody believed me when I told them." I was so confused and overwhelmed. Tigerlily's smile changed, turning from joyous to sad.

"My mother was taken from me as well." My breath caught in my throat. I squeezed Tigerlily's hand. Her eyes glistened, welling up with tears.

"We've hid away in the forest, unknown to the other inhabitants, but Lily always felt drawn to you because of what had happened to your mother." The old man spoke more towards the fire than me. "She was always a curious soul, the reason for my winkled face, despite the centuries of not aging. She would sit near the water, wishing for someone to fill the hole left by her mother's loss. That was where she was when your father's ship arrived her for the first time."

"I hid amongst the bushes while the crew came ashore. You were wiggling around in your father's arms." She smiled to herself, reliving the memory. "He looked exhausted. I remember him saying to his first mate that he didn't know how he would be able to raise you without your mother."

"She came back to the camp as fast as her feet could carry her. She begged me to let her expose herself to the pirates. She wanted to badly to know you. Wanted you to have a mother figure in your life." The old man sighed.

"Did Pan know you were here? He just let you stay here?" I felt heavy. Tigerlily had kept her eyes on me because she wanted to be sure I'd be okay without my mother.

"He knew, but we have been here long before he and his so called lost boys." The old man stood to stoke the fire as he spoke. I looked around at the other fires around the camp. The groups around them had continued with their conversations, but some were giving me dirty looks while they spoke in hushed tones amongst themselves.

"How long have you all been here?" I turned away from harsh looks of the other campers and back to Tigerlily and the Old Man. Tigerlily was still holding my hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Many centuries." The Old Man stoked the fire again; sending sparks fluttering up into the night sky. Someone brought an armload of logs into the circle and tossed them on top. The flames shrunk beneath the fresh wood before absorbing them completely.

"But how did you get here?" I pulled my gaze away from the licking flames to continue questioning the Old Man. He smiled softly to himself. His dark eyes reflected the glowing fire. His old, weathered face showed sorrow despite the slight smile on his mouth. He stared intently into the fire before finally answering my question.

"When the Sky Woman fell to the earth, she brought with her a number of magic beans, making it possible for the her children to travel between realms. Her children separated, moving throughout the world that she had fallen upon, populating it." He paused a moment, his expression changed as he pondered his next words. "Many of her children turned away from her. Centuries passed; children were born, wars were fought. Many of us forgot about our brothers and sisters living throughout the rest of the world. However, legend said that one day we would be reunited, and when we were, it would be disastrous.

Generation to generation three of the Sky Woman's beans had been passed down. She had foreseen the tragedies that awaited her children and wished them an escape if they needed one.

When our brother's and sister's arrived from across the sea we welcomed them with open arms. They did not see us as their equals, but as inferior; as savages. They brought with them disease, death and destruction."

Tigerlily squeezed my hand a little harder. I turned to her, understanding that she had seen the destruction first hand. A cool breeze blew through the camp, blowing smoke through our faces. The whole camp was silent, listening to the Old Man's tale.

"They had decimated almost half of the tribe before they had been there for a full moon cycle. The Elder's and I met in secret to decide what we should do. We had kept the beans safe, and it was decided it was time to use them, as the Sky Woman had wanted us to.

We waited until the white men had moved to a new settlement to gather our things and go. We wished to go to a land that had been untouched by man, so that we may live in peace once again. The bean brought us here.

Because the island had been untouched since the beginning, time stood still. No one has aged, or passed on since we arrived. Even when Pan arrived, we were able to live peacefully. We kept to ourselves, hiding away as the island became more populated. We were never bothered, but we didn't want to risk what had happened in the old world."

The whole camp sat in silence as the wind blew. Clouds passed overhead, covering the bright moon and stars. Tigerlily sat, holding my hands still, staring into the fire. Slowly murmurs began again. Some people got up and went into the long buildings that surrounded the camp. I wondered if there were beds inside. I couldn't tell what time it was, but I knew I was exhausted.

Tigerlily seemed to be able to tell that, and got up, leading me into one of the long buildings. It was impossibly big inside. There were parts sectioned off that held family units; mothers, fathers and children watched me wide eyed as Tigerlily led me down the hall. We walked to the opposite end of the building, where she let go of my hand and climbed up into the small bunk like bed. She patted the hard looking surface, encouraging me to join her.

I climbed up into her little cabin and tried to make myself comfortable. It was solid wood, but I didn't have a difficult time falling asleep. I was exhausted. The smells and sounds of the island lulled me to sleep, along with the Tigerlily humming to herself and playing with my hair. If we had been rocking around, I would have thought I was back on the Jolly Roger with my daddy.

I woke up alone and refreshed. The hard boards of the bunk had left me stiff, but I had slept soundly and dreamlessly. My belly rumbled, encouraging me to actually get up. The clouds hung low in the sky, covering the sun. Tigerlily was sitting by a fire with her back to me. I wandered over and sat next to her. She was deep in discussion with the Old Man, who was cooking some squirrels over the fire. The meat scented smoke wafted up into the air, making my stomach rumble again.

Tigerlily turned her attention to me then.

"I can tell that slept well, the dark circles under your eyes are almost all gone" She caressed my cheek lovingly. She knelt down and plucked a fruit out of a basket at her feet. "To hold you over until the squirrels are ready. I remembered these were your favourite."

I smiled down at the pink fruit in my hand. It was soft in ripeness, and easy to peel.

"Why are you doing all of this? We barely know each other." I bit into the fruit, making sticky juice run down my chin. A small cluster of children sitting outside the circle giggled and pointed at my dripping face. Tigerlily looked down at her hands as I ate my fruit.

"I already told you, I grew up without my mother, and I hated that you had to grow up the same. I've helped you out a lot over the years, but because my grandfather insisted we keep ourselves hidden I wasn't able to do so openly. I'm sorry if I've been too forward." She wrung her hands as she spoke.

"No, no. Thank you. I appreciate what you've done for me, even if I didn't know about it at the time." I paused to think about all the times I'd gotten out of mishaps on this island and didn't quite understand how; now I did.

"You're probably wondering how you're going to get home to your friends." The Old Man's voice brought me back from my ponderings. He was removing the squirrels from the fire and laying them down on a large palm leaf. The looked delicious.

"I guess it hadn't really crossed my mind. I've been so overwhelmed with all of this." I gestured around the huge camp. The Old Man chuckled as he pulled the squirrels off their spit.

"Will you go back to them, or go on trying to find your father?" Tigerlily asked as she handed me one of the squirrels. I thought hard about her question as I bit into the meat. It was juicy, and cooked to perfection.

"I have to go back to my friends. I left without them after promising to wait for them. I need to apologize to them before I do anything else. They didn't deserve that." Louis' bright eyes drifted into my mind; I didn't want to imagine how they'd look at me now. I could just imagine the earful Isaac and Will were going to give me. "I don't even know how I'm supposed to get back. I only had one bean."

I let my head fall back in frustration. I hadn't thought any of this through. I had been stupid and rash and I was probably stuck here forever because of it.

Tigerlily sighed and smiled at me. The Old Man turned away, looking somewhat disgruntled.

"What?" I was already so overwhelmed by everything that had happened and now there was something Tigerlily seemed to be avoiding telling me something.

"Did you not pay any attention to the story last night? We have magic beans." Tigerlily's eyes glistened as she spoke. She looked so happy to be able to help me.

"You don't want to give me any of your beans though. You might want them, or need them some day." I shook my head at her. I wouldn't be able to accept a bean from them, after what had happened to these people, I couldn't bring myself to take a possible escape route from them.

"We have been able to grow more. The magic of this land has allowed crops of the beans flourish." The Old Man faced me then. He had the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "If a time comes again, and we do need them, we will have all that we need. Go back to your friends, then find your father."

"You've had to live so long without your family. I wish you could have found him here, but now you have the opportunity to find him where ever he has gone to." Tigerlily grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. I felt my eyes start welling up with tears. This girl barely knew me, but was so willing to help me find my daddy.

The Old Man got up and walked over into one of the long houses. He emerged a few moments later with a small leather sack. He handed it to me gingerly.

"There are ten beans in here. Use them wisely, only when you desperately need them. Tigerlily trusts that you won't waste our hard work on frivolous travel." He grasped my free hand tightly in his. His tough leathery hands shook slightly, showing his age. He nodded his head before returning to his seat.

"I don't know how to thank you." I stood by the warm fire, astounded by their generosity.

"Find your father, you being with him will be thanks enough." Tigerlily smiled despite the tears in her eyes. I grabbed her hand and pulled her up into a hug.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I'll never be able to repay you for your generosity." I choked back my own tears as I hugged her.

We let go of each other and hands locked together walked out of the camp. Once we were a distance away from the camp we stopped, hugged each other one more time, tears streaming down our faces.

"I'll come back, once I've found him. So you know. So I can thank you, for real." I didn't understand how I could feel so close to someone I barely knew. My heart ached at the thought of leaving this place, but I knew I needed to get back to my friends, and finally find my daddy.

She held my face firmly in her hands, and kissed my forehead. I felt a wash of love that I had only ever left when my mother would kiss my forehead in my dreams.

"I'll be waiting for you." She gave my hands one last squeeze before taking a few steps back, away from me.

I reached into the small leather sack and pulled out a small, glittery bean. It didn't vibrate like it had last time. I turned back to Tigerlily one last time before giving the bean a squeeze and tossing it in front of me. A huge ball of magic exploded in front of my feet, it swirled just inches away from my ankles. I took one last deep breathe before jumping in. I thought hard about the Enchanted Forest, hoping I'd land at the Dark One's castle.

I landed on my hands and knees in the dirt in front of the Evil Queen's castle. I got up and dusted the damp dirt off my knees.

"Well, close enough I guess." I started walking down the trail, not sure if I was ready to face my friends.