Emily's POV

I couldn't see or breathe. I could only hear the panicked voices of the boys around me struggling to fight against the thick green smoke that surrounded us. No one had the chance to react before the cloud of green engulfed the entire training area. The sounds of the boys around me were frightening enough that my body remained still, my legs unable to lift from the ground. But that all seemed to get worse which I heard an all too familiar voice against my ear.

"I would hold my breath if I were you." Pan's spoke calmly, his presence lingering for a moment before he pulled away.

Hold my breath?

I was already breathing in the smoke.

Why would I need to hold my breath?

My questions were soon answered once I felt my feet slip from under me. That comforting flat surface had now disappeared as I looked down, horrified to see nothing under my feet. I felt any breath I could take come to a forced halt as my stomach sank to the point that I dreaded knowing what would come next. A strong gush of wind whipped my hair out of my face also causing the green smoke to vanish throughout the air giving me the perfect view that made me understand why my insides were turning.

I was falling.

I didn't even have the nerve to scream. Pan once dropped me from a height but that was nothing compared to what I was experiencing now. I could see the entire island, endless jungle surrounded by the thin white line of sand that cut to the ocean's edge. The wind hurt as its cold air wiped at my skin, moving through my clothes as I continued to fall. It didn't matter where I'd look; it was all the same, it was all terrifying. This test had not even begun and I was already going to die.

Was Pan really going to let me die?

Did he really have no reason for me to stay at all?

No, he had to. I was here for a reason. Pan brought me to Neverland, or as I would call it by its much more suitable name...hell on an island, for a reason. Pan said we would be tested; it seemed almost impossible but there had to be some way to survive this fall.

I ignored the turning in my stomach and levelled my arms and legs out allowing the wind to give me some form of balance to see clearly. As I thought, I wasn't falling straight over the island. The ocean was right under me. Even still, at this height, judging by how close I am to the island, if I were to fall into the ocean, I would still die hitting the ocean floor. At this point the water was getting closer that I couldn't think straight. I knew I was being tested and had to figure out how to save myself but was it even possible?

There was nothing I could do.

It was out of my control. The water was getting closer and I was running out of time. I thought this was going to be it until I noticed a faint green shimmering across my skin. My eyes widened as I noticed it covering my entire body. I had no idea what it was and I had no time to figure it out as I braced myself to hit the water. I pulled my arms and legs together before taking a short breath feeling the cold water submerge around me, pulling me under the surface. I slowly opened my eyes in confusion, letting the salted water adjust as my eyes instantly began to sing. I could see streaks of sunlight shining through the water and not only that, I could see the surface too as waves of water moved.

It couldn't be possible…

I was sure that from that height I would be dead. That was until I remembered the shimmering green that coated my skin. I could only think of thing and that was magic; Pan's magic. He let me live from the drop. I had so many questions but my mind was giving me every signal that this one chance can't be wasted on drowning. I had barely taken a breath as I was falling and now my lungs felt as if they were caving in, ready to tear apart at any moment. I kicked and pulled the water behind me, shutting my burning eyes as I reached my hand up to break the surface.

I instantly coughed up the water that was trapped in my lungs before lying on my back, drifting for a moment to take in as much air as I could. I could feel my body slightly trembling as I let the adrenaline leave my system. I did have a fear of heights, Pan knew that but this couldn't be the end, the test has only just begun. It was too easy, knowing Pan this was probably only the start of his plans. But then again, I couldn't even imagine what he's planning if making me fall from the sky was his first strike. There was no way I could prepare myself for my darkest fear. I didn't help that I had no idea what my darkest fear was.

This was crazy...

Pan has lost his mind.

The sun was beating down on my face and I could feel the salt starting to stick against my skin. I ducked under the water one last time to cool off before I decided I had to make my way to shore otherwise I would be exhausted to face whatever Pan had planned next. I wiped my salt burned eyes trying to find the direction of the island but my eye caught something in the complete opposite direction. It was so tiny I would think it wasn't there, but it was indeed...a ship.

My eyes lit up as I focused on it more closely. It had to be a ship! What else could it be? I found a sense of hope that maybe I could get away from this place. I was about to take a stroke towards it but stopped short as my rational thoughts took over.

This was Neverland...

I had never seen a boat here before, let alone a ship. I shook my head and pulled the water around me to face the island. Pan was probably just messing with my head. With everything that's happened so far, I wouldn't be surprised if I was hallucinating. What was I thinking; escaping this place, escaping Pan...it couldn't be possible.

I also made a promise to a friend that I would never leave him behind and to look after one another. I made a mistake that I need to fix, and that's what I am going to do. I won't leave him. I'll stay with you Will, even if we both have to suffer here. I cleared my head and made up my mind as I faced the island and started to swim back to shore.

Will's POV

"I'm just glad we were only paralysed for a couple hours." I said back to Ben who was slowly trailing behind.

My leg still felt a little numb but we had to keep moving. Who knows what could be waiting to kill us next. Pan was definitely not going easy on us and if smoke monsters were only the beginning, I didn't even want to think about what my biggest fear could be.

"How do you think Ethan's doing right now?" Ben asked with concern as he walked beside me, his face holding a saddened look as he looked down to his feet.

I could hear how anxious he was which was usual when Pan would make us separate. Ethan had first arrived to the island only a couple days before Ben had, they were both new and they got along well. I had helped them quickly adjust when the other boys left them to fend for themselves. I would usually do the same if another boy had arrived on the island but they were different. I guess I was surprised that they adjusted so quickly. I wasn't sure why I did; maybe it was because they reminded me of myself, that I was the complete opposite. All I remember was being miserable, I couldn't even remember when the shadow took me to the island, and it was so long ago that my memory of it was clouded. All I do remember was that I was one of the firsts of boys. Ethan and Ben were the first of boys that I had made friends with on the island. We all helped one another and made sure to keep each other safe. They were always close, they relied on each other, well mostly Ben relying on Ethan but they suck like brothers since.

"I'm sure he's probably relaxing by a fire. You know Ethan." I smiled and nudged Ben playfully. "If anyone can survive out here on their own, it would be Ethan. With his hunting and survival skills he'll breeze through this test easy." I reassured Ben.

I wasn't just saying that to make Ben feel better, it was the truth. Ethan is probably the best at surviving out of all of the boys. He could navigate his way through parts of the island where other boys hadn't even set foot in or seen. Pan would always trust Ethan to lead a group of boys to retrieve supplies that were need for food or rare plants that we used for wounds or medicine. He knew it all. Pan rarely sends boys into the jungle on their own, but he knew Ethan would be able to handle himself. He would be back before you knew he was gone.

I pulled my dagger out of my belt and sliced through the tangled vines that blocked our way.

"What about Emily?" Ben asked, his voice softer, almost in a whisper.

I clenched my jaw and stopped slicing through the vines before pulling the rest to one side that weren't cut on the ground.

"What about her." I replied more bluntly then I intended.

Ben groaned, "Yes, we all know Connor was an asshole but I'm talking about Emily right now."

"She wanted to be with him!" I shot back to Ben, already getting annoyed that Ben was bringing this up when I had asked him not to.

"Seriously Will, I'm pissed off too but you can't believe she actually wanted to leave without us-"

"I know she did! She even admitted it herself!" I shouted back.

"She didn't-" Ben paused as a sharp sigh escaped his mouth. "I don't care; the Emily we know wouldn't do something like that."

I gritted my teeth, "If she wants to leave the island so badly then she should just go. I don't care what she does anymore." I spat.

Ben stopped walking but I kept going.

"I know you didn't mean that, even if you think differently now. I know you would miss her the most if she really was gone."

"I may have before but not anymore, it doesn't change what she did."

I hated when Ben was right. I know I'm still angry at her, but this test was basically deciding who could live or die. Even if I was mad now, a part of me still wanted to know if she is okay. I hated this feeling. I want to protect her; I want to see her but after what she did...

"It was her decision to leave with Connor in the first place."

I curled my fists tightly and swung my dagger at the jungle leaves that were tangled in the way.

Why...

Why did she want to go with him? Why would she want to leave us behind...leave me behind.

I just wanted things to go back to how they were. When we would both get in trouble together and piss off Pan. When she would get frustrated at Pan's rules and want to break them. When she would smile and make others laugh that made being here bearable. I wanted Emily back, but I guess she doesn't feel the same way.

It would have been at least an hour since Ben and I have been slowly moving our way through the jungle. I had no clue where we were going and Ben sure as hell didn't. Ben if anything was slowly us down more, especially since he had to stop every couple of minutes to show me the flowers or animals he found on our endless walk. Thankfully we haven't been attacked since those smoke monsters but we did have our weapons ready in case Pan wanted to pull something out of nowhere.

I heard a groan and thump against the ground and I quickly turned to look behind me. I relaxed and couldn't help but laugh as Ben rolled helplessly on the ground, tangling himself in the vines that were already wrapped around his body.

"I told you to stop touching random plants."

"Stop laughing and help me!" Ben groaned as he tried to reach for his sword.

"Oh come on princess can't you get out of a little tangle." I teased knowing it would annoy Ben.

Ben scoffed and glared at me. "If anything, you're talking to a queen and I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't get me out of this right now!"

I laughed as he aggressively tugged and pulled against the vines before even placing one between his teeth, trying to munch through it which got him nowhere.

"Alright, calm down."

I squatted down and used my dagger to start cutting at the thick vines. Once they were all cut I stood up and turned around to continue walking but Ben stopped me mid-step.

"Uh Will?"

I turned around shocked to see Ben wrapped in vines again. What the hell?

Ben winced and I noticed the vines slowly constricting around his limbs as if they were live snakes. My grip tightened around my dagger as I held it in front of me while cautiously approaching Ben. These were no ordinary vines, Ben was in serious trouble. My eyes widened as a vine suddenly wrapped around Ben's neck, his face instantly loosing it's colour.

"Ben!" I rushed to him and quickly cut the vines one after but it was no use as they only curled back around his body, now getting tighter than the last time I had cut them.

"Will h-hurry, I can't b-breathe!" Ben chocked as he clawed his nails at the vine that were strangling around his neck.

I panicked as I kept cutting them but they continued to grow back.

"I'm trying!"

Ben's neck started to turn red while his face was almost white. I tried to pull the vines away from his neck but they were too strong. I looked at my dagger worriedly but Ben's eyes told me I had to do it. I started to cut the vines from under his neck, careful not to touch his skin.

"H-Hurry!" Ben wheezed.

My hand started to shake as I cut one and placed the blade the next. Before I could cut the last vine around his neck another had wrapped around my wrist and flung the dagger into the air. I watched as it stabbed into the ground not too far away from Ben. I had no choice as I left Ben to retrieve my dagger but once I reached it, Ben's cry out for help made me regret my decision.

"Will help me!"

I quickly looked back to see the tangled vines now alive and moving, pulling Ben along the ground faster than I could run as they began to drag him away.

"Ben!" I yelled as I sprinted after him.

I tried to grab him but whenever I would get close he would only get pulled further away. This was all Pan's doing, he was controlling these plants and he was trying to split us apart!

I ran as fast as I could before jumping for Ben, grabbing hold of his ankle only to be pulled along with him. I could hear my clothes ripping from under me as my body dragged along broken branches and rocks. I ignored the newly formed grazes to my skin and tried to pull apart the vines that were tangled around his legs but they were too thick and too strong. One covered over Ben's mouth just as he began to yell out to me. I looked at him with confusion only for his muffled yells to get louder. I wasn't until I looked up ahead that I noticed a drop off the cliff.

Ben's sword was still in his hand but stuck to the side of his body. I didn't have anything to cut the vines except for my bow and arrows but they weren't going to be of any use. I looked around helplessly but my eyes only widened as I watched the drop approaching quickly.

"Ben I can't do anything! You need to push the sword up and cut through the vines yourself!"

Ben nodded and his face tensed as he used all the strength that he had left to push the sword up. I didn't think it was going to work until the sword cut through the roots of the plant all at once as they dropped dead to either side. We slid against the ground before coming to a painful stop which left only half of Ben's body to hang off the edge of the cliff. I quickly pulled him to the side and away from the edge before lying next to him on the ground. The two of us exhausted as we tried to get our breath back.

"That was fun." Ben said sarcastically as he laughed.

Leave it up to Ben to laugh in a situation like this.

Ben got off the ground faster than I thought he would have, his laughter soon fading. I looked up at him with confusion to see his face change to a look of anger. Ben scoffed and grabbed one of the many rocks that were lying around before throwing it off the cliff.

"Can you believe Pan! Using a plant to try kill me... a PLANT!" Ben shouted leaving me to give him a blank look. "Who does he think he is!"

Is he serious right now...

"Mm what should I use to take Ben down? Oh I know, a plant sounds reasonable." Ben said as he mocked Pan.

Ben's angry because Pan tried to kill him...with a plant.

"Ben, I have no idea why you're complaining. You should be glad you didn't get killed by anything but a plant." I said as I rolled my eyes.

I got off the ground and wiped my clothes down before staring at the gazes and cuts that were now across my legs and stomach. Perfect.

"Will, I'm worth more than a plant." Ben said confidently while running his hand through his blonde hair.

Alright then...

"I'll tell Pan to kill you with a tree next time then." I said bluntly before my eyes widened as I caught something moving against the ground by Ben's feet.

Another vine began curling around Ben's ankle. Before I could open my mouth to warn Ben the vine shot over the edge of the cliff and pulled Ben over with it. A gasp left Ben's mouth as he got pulled over the edge with it. My breath got caught in my throat and my stomach instantly sunk as I heard him hit something hard.

Please no.

I quickly ran to the edge and looked down to see Ben lying flat on a bolder that stuck out of the side of the cliff. He wasn't too far down but there was no way I could get to him.

"Ben!" I yelled.

I felt a wave of relief as his body slowly moved.

"Ben can you get up!" I yelled down at him.

"Yeah, I'm definitely gonna feel that tomorrow." Ben said as he managed to somehow stand on two feet. He grabbed the side of the cliff for support, his back hunched over.

"You scared the hell out of me!" I shouted at him. "What were you thinking? You should know better than to tempt Pan!"

Idiot almost got himself killed.

"I'll have to find a way down just wait there." I said but Ben shook his head.

"We don't have time. I'll be fine, you need to keep going." Ben shouted back.

I had a bad feeling to leave him behind but he did have a point. It would take me the rest of the day to find a way down this cliff then climb back up to get him. I think Pan wanted us separated for a reason.

"Are you sure your fine?" I questioned again.

"I'll rest for an hour then try to climb down, don't worry." Ben said confidently.

"Try not to get killed. I better see your ass at campus tomorrow evening."

"You will." Ben laughed. "Now hurry up and go before you get pushed off too."

I nodded and stepped away from the edge of the cliff. I walked back in the direction to retrieve my dagger back and hopefully make it out of this jungle before my time runs out, or even worse, before I run into my darkest fear.

Emily's POV

My eyes never left the deer as I carefully watched the animals' movements. I had to pay close attention to its breathing and where it shifted its eyes as I moved closer to shoot. I moved between the undergrowth of ferns as I silently and carefully pulled an arrow over my head before placing it against my bow. My eyes never left the animal as I pulled the thin string back extending my arm along with it. I waited patiently as the deer looked around. Once it dropped its head down and resumed eating I knew now was the right time to shoot while it was distracted.

I pulled the string against the side of my cheek and exhaled slowly letting my heartbeat slow to a steady pace to the point that I was able to count the beats in my head. I had to get a clear shot. This could be the only food source I was going to find. I had to take the deer out now in case one of the other boys took the shot before I did. That was one of Pan's rules after all. When we would hunt, unless he would say otherwise, the person who shoots gets the kill.

I never liked hunting, even if it was the only way to survive on this island. I never volunteered to shoot; I would always hang back and let the other boys run ahead. In these circumstances I don't have much of a choice. I'm dehydrated from swimming back to shore and walking around in a hot jungle for hours wasn't helping me one bit.

I counted the heartbeats, making sure each one was synchronized and steady. I could only make a clear shot between heartbeats. If I learnt anything from hours of target practice I knew that a single heartbeat could be the only thing stopping you from hitting your target, one beat off and your target slips away before you're ready to grab the next arrow.

I watched carefully, before letting my fingers slip from the string. The arrow shot through the trees and eventually hit the deer. I heard a shriek of pain before the deer collapsed to the ground before running over to it. I looked down at the dead animal feeling a sense of grief return.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as I pulled the arrow out.

My eyes stayed locked to where the arrow had now pierced its flesh. Blood began to flow out of the open wound and stain the deer's soft brown fur. I looked down at my hands that instantly began to shake once seeing the same horrifying red stain.

Dark blood covered in a circle around his body and I let go of the blade that was stuck fully into his chest. Blood covered his whole body; his clothes stained red and soaked through with the crimson red. My blood covered hands began to shake as looked down at Connor's horrific body.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as the nightmares I tried to sleep with for so many long nights in the cage were starting to fill my head again. I shut my eyes tightly, taking a deep breath out trying to calm myself before opening my eyes again. I had to concentrate on what needed to be done. I'm not going to be weak anymore; I had to be strong if I wanted to get through this test.

I skinned and cut the deer just as Pan had taught me to do. I only took what I needed before disposing the remains in the lake I passed earlier before leaving that area of the jungle to make camp. I spent the rest of the evening finding a safe spot to make a fire and sleep over night. I need a terrain that was sheltered and safe from the night predators of the island. The sun began to stream through the large trees as the evening slowly shortened.

I used some of the larger jungle leaves to carry up the dry branches I had collected, along with the deer meat. I wrapped it tightly and made sure it was secure before slicing a few pieces of river grass to make a loop strong enough to carry over my shoulder. Once everything was in place I began to climb the small cliff I found on my way back from the beach. I retraced my steps and climbed to the sheltered rocked ledge I found earlier. I made sure I wasn't too high in case I need to climb down quickly, and not too low for any animals to smell the deer meet.

Once I got a fire going and had cooked and eaten the meat, the day was finally reaching its end. Once the sun disappeared the whole island became pitch black. If I squinted I only could just see the tops of the tall trees that were close by, everything else was engulfed in darkness. The only things that held light were the moon and its surrounding starlit sky. I sighed as I kept shuffling the burnt out branches that were trying to keep my small fire alight that was soon to be burnt out since I had no energy left to collect more branches before nightfall.

I leaned against the hard rocks that surrounded me, feeling my eyes slowly drifting form exhaustion. The flames of the fire crackled while its shadows formed on the rocks. I was almost really to close my eyes to sleep but flinched as I saw a glimpse of a shadow in the silhouette of a man with bright glowing yellow eyes blending with the shadows of the fire on the rocks. I blinked quickly and closed my eyes before opening them again to see the shadow was gone.

Was that…the shadow that brought me here?

I leaned back and was soon forced to close my eyes as sleep instantly took over from my thoughts as my body lay flat against the ground.

? POV

"You know he will come for me and when he does, you still won't get what you want."

His cold icy blue eyes glared down at me as his sword placed under my chin, pressing down hard enough to almost cut through the skin.

"My men just cleaned these decks and I would hate to make a mess."

His sour breath reeked of alcohol but I still couldn't help but grin and release a daring chuckle.

"What's the matter Captain? Is your hook screwed on too tight?"

His nostrils flared and his fist collided against my face once again. I groaned as the gold and silver rings that covered his fingers left a swelling pain in my left cheek.

"Come on Captain, it's only been three years, is this how you now treat your guests?"

He grabbed me by the shirt.

"If by 'guest' you mean my prisoner, then you are certainly correct." He spat with a sarcastic smile before punching me straight to the face.

I winced as couple more punches followed after before his boot hit my ribs. His hard kick caused my body to fall back against the deck, now in too much pain to move.

"Take him below deck; get the package ready for Pan. I want this boy off of my ship as soon as possible."

I heard footsteps approaching me before a pair of old withered boots stood before my eyes. I was grabbed by my shirt and yanked off the deck before a sack was thrown over my head. I let out a groan of pain while my arms and legs got tied tightly. I could hear them carrying me below deck, their footsteps coming to a stop before throwing me against the hard floor.

I'll be waiting for you soon, Peter Pan...