Chapter 1

Peter's POV

It's been days since she left, and I've been searching ever since. There has been no trace of her anywhere. Not in the few human towns or their jails, not in the two Elven cities on this island, and not in any caves that I could find. It is becoming unbearable. This pain I feel in the center of my chest. Nothing can get rid of this pain; not adventuring, not the Lost Boys, not Tinkerbell, just nothing.

I come close to the eastern human town to check on the jail cells once again. The jail is outside the town limits and has high towering windows in each cell. I peer inside, calling out her name in loud whispers. Tinkerbell wiggles in between the windows bars and looks around. She turns back to me and shakes her head. Lahona isn't here either.

Sighing, I hover up to the slanted roof of the jail and sit exhausted by the front edge. I can see the ocean from here with nothing but water on the horizon. This island is far from any other, like Neverland was. An icy breeze blows from the sea and sends chills down through my bones. The sky is full of dark gray clouds that have threatened rain for days. It's been like this since she disappeared. Tinkerbell huddles down next to me, but we rarely talk now a day.

"She can make you a love potion," some man says from down below.

I crawl to the edge of the roof and peek over to see two guards standing by the front door. They are wearing green jackets and pants, and hold muskets at their sides.

"The sea witch? But how can you trust her?" The other guard questions. He's a tall fellow with a curved mustache.

"She was able to heal my sister when she was sick. I have enough trust in that," the original guard says.

"Yeah, but what did you have to give up?"

"She didn't ask for anything. Just be careful, her cave is surrounded by powerful waves and deadly currents."

I have yet to see a cave surrounded by waves. Did I miss an area?

I lean back and place a finger on my chin. A sea witch that can heal and make potions? My mind fills with desperation. Maybe she can heal my broken heart?

I stand up; the roof tiles buckling a little under my weight, earning the attention of the guards.

"Hey! What are you doing up there? Get down!" yelled the one with the mustache.

I roll my eyes and turn my back to them, scanning the island and its border to figure out what I could have missed. I've traveled all over this island. I can't imagine missing something. Lifting off the roof, I fly my way along the border of the island, searching for a small island surrounded by waves off its shores. Tinkerbell isn't too far behind, lingering by my feet, out of my focus. After several minutes, I finally find a single island surrounded by water. The guard wasn't wrong. The waves hit against the shore roughly, spraying white foam into the air. In the middle of the small island is a large hill with a cave entrance facing the main island. I land on the beach, sprinkles of water hitting my back and hair, but I couldn't care.

I step closer to the cave, and a hot breeze rushes out from the inside. The only other cave that has hot air coming from it is the lagoon. All the rest has stale, damp, and sometimes chilly air. It makes me wonder why these two caves are so different.

"Who is it that comes to my home?" An unsettling cackle of a voice comes from the cave.

Tinkerbell jingles and hides behind me but I am not afraid. I am never afraid.

"Peter Pan," I place my fists on my hips but the pride I normally would feel doesn't exist. My hands fall from my hips and my shoulders slump. "Can you heal a broken heart?"

Out from the darkness of the cave appears an elderly-looking woman. She has long gray hair, matted all the way down to her knees with a pair of long ears sticking out from the mass. Her eyes are as yellow as the sun and she's covered in thick, black rags. Though she looks old because of her gray hair, her face appears young and untouched by wrinkles.

"That's powerful magic, Peter Pan. Who is it that harmed you, so?" Her voice comes off a little sweeter now that she's made an appearance.

Can I truly blame Lahona for causing me this pain? The crushed look on her face a few days back is all I can see. Did she truly leave me? Was she taken? Where is she now? And who hurt who?

"Her name is Lahona."

The hag's face twists at the mention of her name. A brief moment of hope fills me.

"Do you know her?"

"I knew a Lahona."

"Do you know where she is?" I step forward, reaching out for the answer I wish to have.

"I knew her when she was a babe."

I cringe back. "Oh."

She closes her eyes and silence passes through us, except for the colliding of waves breaching the beach. After a minute of this, she opens her eyes and a small smile curls the corner of her lips.

"In order for you to go forward, you must go back."

"What do you mean?" So many questions pile in my mind. Do I go back to the hideout? Do I go back to the cave? To Neverland? "Where do I go?"

"That is all I can give," she drifts back into the darkness of her cave.

"Wait!" I rush head-on into the darkness, leaving Tinkerbell behind. Heat drenches me with sweat, but the ground is freezing below my bare feet. I lift off the ground and fly on through the abyss. It goes on for a good minute before a dim light breaks through. When I reach the light, I come across a fire pit that has been lit. It's the end of the cave. A chamber filled with fishing nets, potions, ingredients, and an assortment of weapons.

The hag is nowhere in sight.

"In order to go forward, you must go back," I repeat.

But what answer will I get if I go back? Will the pain go away? Will she return? How do I go back?

I float lazily out of the cave; a thousand different thoughts fight in my mind. My head falls back and I gaze up at the sky. One single star sticks out from all of them. It gleams brightly.

The star that'd take me back to Wendy.