Chapter One: Coming of Age

Ava has never been what most of today's society would have called a normal adolescent. In fact, she could not be further from that. No matter how much she had grown inside as well as out, there has always been a part of her heart, her soul, that has remained innocent and fascinated by fantasy and myth. Of course, she loves to be a young woman but a part of her has always longed to stay a young teen and never grow up into an adult. The stories of Peter Pan are what fascinated her the most, the tale of a boy, his friend Wendy and her siblings that flew to Never Neverland and defeated the evil Captain Hook, amazed her. Although nothing in the real world like this ever happened, it was all just pretend. The thought of anything like that ever happening was a one in a million, and if she had ever uttered her secret wish to anyone other than herself, she would have been put in the crazy house. Little did she know that that this same boy who never wants to grow up, is coming for her.

"Ava did you get your dinner?" Her mother Mrs. Lovely can be heard from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes Mom don't worry I'm leaving in five minutes I promise," Ava replied. A small wisp of wind passed her as she walked away from her window. Looking she saw nothing and thought nothing of it.

Mrs. Lovely checking on her soon to be seventeen-year-old daughter smiled as she finished her hair. "Oh mija how you've grown up so much,"

"Mom, don't ever say that!" Ava snapped.

"But it's true don't you want to grow up and become a woman?" Mrs. Lovely asked unsure of her daughters' response.

"No what I want is to not have to become a middle aged woman with bills like a car and house payment. I want to be able to go out with my friends and have fun, and that's exactly what I intend to do tonight," Ava let out long sigh.

"Oh mija when you get to be my age you'll see things differently" was all her mother said before kissing her daughters cheek.

On the window ledge, the boy watched intently, never taking his eyes off the beautiful young girl. Her long raven hair and bronze skin, his smile grew when she turned to the mirror and smile to herself reminding him of Wendy Darling the girl that he had lost all those years ago. He vowed to himself that he would never loose another or yearn for one either. His tall stature bronze skin and dirty blonde hair made him attractive; his blue eyes were the most beautiful physical thing about him. Ava looking one last time in the mirror smiled at how her dress fit perfectly now, looking up and down she smiled even bigger when she saw her shoes, a gift from her mother. Looking back up her reflection was now not the only one she saw.

Letting out a scream and was quickly silenced by his hand. "Sh...be quiet I've come for you" removing his hand she screams once more and his hand silences her once again. "You know who I am, it's me Peter Pan I have been watching you these past years wondering if you were ever going to choose to grow up and now I know for sure ," he removed his hand once more.

"You can't be Peter Pan he was only a myth made by people and sold by millions for a profit," Ava said in disbelief.

"I can prove it here, the kiss that Wendy gave me the day that the lost boys shot her down." Peter pulled out the small gold thimble.

"It really is you isn't it, you really are Peter Pan" outlining his face with her finger Ava smiles as a small tear runs down her cheek.

"Come with me Ava, come to Never Neverland and I promise you'll never see this place again if you wish it." His hand held out to her own.

"Wait let me leave a note for my mother," Ava runs over to her desk grabbing a pen and paper she leaves the only thing she can behind to her mother.

"Now come, and here" Peter said sprinkling dust over her head. Ava's body quickly floating up in the air. "So you have heard of my stories?" He crowed loudly.

"I have all of them memorized," She blushed brightly.

"I will have you make no promise to stay with me in Neverland, Wendy promised never to leave me and she did, and now she is dead so are Michael, Jon and the Lost Boys," Peter allowed Ava to see him cry. She felt sympathetic for him and hugged him tightly.

"Can we leave now, my mother is coming and I don't want to be here anymore she's already started drinking and I don't want to be around when she gets angry," Ava said clutching Peter's hand.

The truth is Mrs. Lovely is the loveliest person you could ever meet, when she is sober. She started drinking shortly after the death of the late Mr. Lovely two years ago. Ava can clearly remember the day that her mother first hit her, as if it was yesterday. Ava had come home late from school, she had missed the bus and could get a hold of her mother, so she walked the ten blocks home. Mrs. Lovely's breath reeked of brandy with a glass in her hand full of it. She had asked Ava why she was so late coming home, but before Ava could explain, the fire hot hand of her mother was against her flawless bronze skin. However, that would not be the first or the last time it happened. The second time it was Ava's arm smothered in broken glass, the result was thirty six stitches on her left arm and a nasty scar, from time to time the arm is still tender.

Unknown to him Peter he grabs this arm firmly not meaning to hurt her but Ava cries out in pain. Trying to hide the ugly scar Ava pulls away but her fear becomes reality when Peter sees the once stitched wound; a fire grows in his eyes.

"Who did this to you?" He asked angrily.

"No one it's nothing now can we leave please?" Her voice pleads with him, he knows that it's Ava's mother or at least he suspects.

"It was your mother wasn't it? That's why you want to leave so badly isn't it, because she hurts you, doesn't she?" Peter asked cupping the cusp of her chin.

"Yeah she does," is all she said and it was enough for him. The night sky is so beautiful Ava has never seen the stars so up close and burning so bright. Before she left her room, Ava shut the window she that she could never get back, Peter made sure that this is what she wanted, and after her answer remained the same for ten minutes. The boy, who never wants to grow up, locked the window and barred it down. Ava Lovely and Peter Pan fly off into the midnight sky, the young girl never looking back.

"Oh Peter can we just fly around Rancho Cordova once more so I can see everything, please" Ava said her eyes beginning to water.

Peter agreed Ava flew past the park, a special place for her father, as well as her mother. The church where her parents where married all those years ago before her birth. Ava began to cry because truth be told she didn't want to leave her friends behind just her abusive mother. Nevertheless, she had already made her decision and being with Peter for all eternity was a dream come true. Peter had told her that they must leave. Ava nodded and smiled, his thumb brushed away a small tear left on her cheek.

"When we reach home you will cry no more, alright?" he said his innocence even clearer than before from his simple thought of home.

"Second star to the right and straight on till morning, right Peter?" Ava smiled sincerely. He blushed at her smile, and felt that same feeling he had felt so long ago returning, and he pushed it back.

Peter Pan also known as the boy who never grew up, he is Ava's age yet still very innocent to lots of things, all but his heart. An evil stirs on the island of Never Neverland and an even greater evil stirs in the world of Neverland, Peter has been unaware of it, and now that Ava is with him that evil will be more obvious. Lurking in the heart of Never Neverland lays an evil force. This force seeks Ava; it yearns for her touch and her love.

"Peter you're going to fast slow down I can't keep up!" Ava yelled as they neared Neverland but he does not slow down instead of that he tightly holds her hand.

"Here we go!" Peter yells before the bright light of the morning sun surrounds them, and they enter the land of Neverland.

The island is even more beautiful and more colorful than Ava could have imagined, wild tropical flowers grow everywhere, waterfalls as far as the eye can see. The ocean as blue as the sky and the mountains as tall as Mt. Everest with greens covering them. Ava's breath is caught in her throat the beauty of it all is amazing.

"Peter can I meet the Lost Boys oh they would be so," looking down in shame Ava had forgotten that the boys had gone back with Wendy and her brothers. "I am so sorry Peter, I forgot it must have been lonely all those years alone," Ava apologized but he did not even move he just stared off into the sky as they sat on the cloud.

"No not at all, they were just boys, hunter's, followers of mine, they meant nothing to me. Now come we shall speak of this no more" Reaching for her hand once more, he took her down into the heart of the island where his home is.

His house built by the lost boys, but now in his mind they really were lost, because he does not remember them. Often he finds it hard to remember Wendy, let alone the lost boys. However, he remembers how he felt about Wendy and the pain that it gave him when she left him forever, leaving only her kiss to him never her heart. Ava is in awe of Peter's house made purely of brush and other plants, the floor made of all types of tropical flowers, and the petals as soft as silk.

"Come I wish for you to meet the new lost boys," Peter said leading her away from the small house. "A ten hut," Peter yelled. "Fall in!"

"Tweak here sir, calling all lost boys!" The small grungy little boy yelled. His call heeded when five other boys ran from out of the bushes.

"Ava I want you to meet the new lost boys, this is Tweak, Kyo, Fox, Jibs, Dibs, and Dils. Boys this is Ava and you had better treat her well, or I will feed you to the crocodile, just like I did to Hooks hand."

"Hullo Ava if you need anything, just ask me and I'll fetch it for you right quick alright." Tweak said smiling and bowing before her ever so politely.

"If you don't mind would you be as kind as to show me where I could get a change of clothes?" Ava said looking at her tattered dress.

"Of course, here this should do just fine for your size, the fairies made as soon as they heard you were coming." From wooden chest, Tweak pulls out the most beautiful dress that Ava has ever seen, with mixtures of green, blue, pink, gold and silver beads woven into the silky cloth. However, that was not the only thing that the beautiful pixies made, the lost boy also pulled out a hair tie, made of the same material and beads. Slipping away into another room, Ava changes into her new dress, throwing up her hair into a messy bun; she glances in the mirror and finds herself impressed. Walking out to find the boys arguing over something, they all stop including Peter. Staring at their newest friend, they find her beautiful beyond words.

"Ava will you please join me I wish to show you something," Peter said, reaching for her hand they take flight off into the night sky. The moon is beautifully shining upon the ocean and the island.

"Peter, where are we going?" Ava asked curiously. With each passing moment, she finds herself falling in love with Peter.

"This is an honor we have been invited to watch the Princess Carita and the Prince Gentry wed in the kingdom of all fairies." He said as they landed in a nearby tree, stooping low to the stump Ava peeks into the tree just in time to see the prince and his bride dancing, their wings glowing of gold and silver.

Peter remembers this moment all too clearly, he had done the same with Wendy all those years ago, and now he is doing it to Ava. Looking at her smiling face, he gets up just as he did with Wendy and asks her to dance. Taking flight once again, they dance in the sky, Ava loving every moment of it. Peter leads her out to of the forest higher into the sky and stops in front of the full moon, just as he had done with Wendy.

"Ava it isn't all make believe is it? How we feel about each other I mean," Peter said with such compassion in his eyes.

"No it isn't but it should be, because you and I could never be. I have heard all the stories; you did all this with Wendy all those years ago. Now it is my turn, you would never have feelings for me let alone anyone, you are too afraid. So rather than leave you because you refuse to love, I'll stay with you even if it means not having you." Ava said her unhappy thoughts causing her to sink.

"No Ava I am not, I loved Wendy and I know that deep down she loved me too. Nevertheless, she chose to go back and grow up. I let her go because that was what she wished. I have never loved another until I met you. I have known you for the longest time Ava ever since you heard the first story about me when you turned six, and I've loved you ever since" Peter said leaning in kissing Ava her first real kiss.

Pulling away Peter smiles, as does Ava. Ava's feelings all bottled up shoot out of her body like a rocket; she flies high into the air raising her arms into the heavens, smiling still. Peter smiled and laughed remembering how he felt with his first kiss, although Ava was only his second real kiss he has never felt more happy in all his life. Ava floats back down, but never reaches the ground a hooded figure grabs her, a dagger at the hilt of her neck. Peter becomes infuriated, flying as fast as he can to catch her, but he is too late, and all that can be heard are Ava's screams and pleas for help.