OUAT: Never Happy, Ever After - Peter Pan and Wendy Darling

Chapter 4: ☀

When I arrived in Neverland for the second time, the sun was shining up in the sky. It always was really warm in Neverland, so that I didn't freeze at all in my nightgown. The shadow put me down on the beach, where a group of Lost Boys seemed to be waiting for me. Soon they stood in a circle around me with selfmade weapons in their hands while I just sat on the ground unable to protect myself. They looked nicer from the far last time. A very tall and blond boy with a big scar in his face finally moved and kneeled down in front of me.
"It's the girl - again", he said and rolled his eyes.
"What are we supposed to do with her, Felix?", a smaller boy with brown hair asked the older one.
"Nothing", Felix said. "We're going to take her to the camp."
He stood up and shortly after that two boys pulled me up and shackled my hands on my back.
"What are you doing? Let me go!", I said angrily as they dragged me along with them.
"Fighting back won't be any use for you."
"What's gonna happen to me?"
"That's nothing we're gonna decide."
"I want to talk to Peter!"
"Oh, you wanna see Pan? That's cute", Felix laughed. "Well, you might actually. Depends on him wanting to be bothered by you. Sorry, but I doubt that."
The rest of our journey proceeded quietly. I could only hear some of the Lost Boys whispering into each others ears.

We arrived at the camp and the Lost Boys sat me down on a tree trunk. I was still struggling to free my hands, but Felix was right: it was no use.
"So who is it?", I heard a familiar voice say. I turned around as far as possible and saw who I was expecting to see, who I wanted to see so badly.
"Peter", I whispered, but he didn't notice me yet.
"It's the girl again", Felix said.
"The girl?" He finally looked at me. In his eyes I saw a lot of emotions at once. There was worry, surprise and something else I couldn't read.
"And who told you to shackle her?"
"We thought..."
"Don't tell me you can't handle one girl."
Some of the boys looked to the ground ashamed of themselves or even scared of Peter's dangerous sounding voice. Felix just followed Peter with his eyes, when he came to me and freed my arms.
"You're back", Peter whispered and pulled me up.
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to."
"You can go now, boys", he called out loudly to the Lost Boys. "Follow me", he said more quiet to me and we walked into the woods.
"You need to know that this isn't the right place for you to be."
"Because of the Lost Boys? Why are they acting like that?"
"No, that's not it. They're just following my rules."
"Oh, they do?"
"Yes. Of course I didn't tell them to captivate you"
"So what do you want them to do?"
Peter freezed and looked towards the direction we came from. We almost reached the beach by now.
"I can't tell you. Not now."
"But when?"
"It's getting dark. Meet me at the beach in half an hour. I need to do something important, but then we can talk." He looked into my eyes intensely as he waited for my answer.
"Okay."
Then he walked away.

It only took me ten minutes to reach the beach. After that I just waited and looked at the wide blue sea and at the sun setting at the horizon. Soon the night has arrived and suddenly I heard children cry. Where did that come from?
The sound of footsteps made me turn around.
"Peter?", I asked, but it wasn't him. It was Felix, who walked up to me. What does he want know? "Where does that crying come from?"
"These are the chidren, who miss their family."
"Why are you here?"
"He sent me. Peter", he said at my puzzled expression.
"Why?"
"I'm supposed to send you home, but before that I have to tell you something that he couldn't tell you himself."
"You're lying, aren't you? You want to get rid of me!"
"Do you really think I'd do anything that's against Pan's rules?"
No, he wouldn't. The Lost Boys were scared of Peter. But I wasn't. I was angry that he would dump me like that.
"Say what you need to say."
"I definetly don't need your permission for that."
"Just tell me."
"Pan doesn't want you here. The only visitors that are welcomed on this island are boys."
"Why is that?"
"Because Pan is looking for a very special boy. A boy with the heart of the truest believer. He has been searching for that boy since many years and he wasn't lucky yet. But he will be, because Peter Pan never fails."
"What does he need that boy for?"
"That's not important for you. Important is that you leave the island. Pan doesn't need you. He doesn't want you here!"
"But the shadow came back!"
"Because you called it."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It doesn't? What if it just was the wrong person who came to Neverland?"
Suddenly the shadow appeared next to us and gribbed my hand.
"No!", I exclaimed as I understood what Felix was trying to tell me. "I need to see him! That needs to stop!"
"Goodbye, Wendy", Felix said and turned around.

I arrived in the morning and saw Bae sleeping on the window seat. He looked quiet cute lying there like that. When he heard me he jumped up and looked horrified.
"It's alright", I said as calmly as possible. "It's just me. "
"I thought I'd never see you again."
I climbed down into the room and asked: "How long was I gone?"
"Just the night."
"It felt like so much longer. The time works differently in Neverland." I sat down on the bed and Bae sat next to me.
"So...what was it like over there?"
"It's an island, where no grownups tell you what to do, but there are mermaids and faries and all sorts of mystical creatures."
"Then why did you return?"
"Because...when night fell that's when all the children started to miss their parents. And they cried through the night."
"Why don't they go home?"
"The shadow won't let them." I was too terrified to speak out Peter's name. "There's a reason it's called Neverland, because once you sat foot on its soil, the shadow never lets you leave."
"How did you escape?"
"He let me go. Cause he didn't want me. He wanted a boy", I said nodding my head towards my brothers. Tears started to fill my eyes.
"He's coming back tonight to take one of my brothers in my place." Bae looked at me in shock.
"You said magic was bad and you were right, Bae", I admitted. "It's going to destroy my family..."
"No!", Bae interrupted me. "I won't let anything bad happen to you or this family."
He offered his hand and I took it. I hoped he was right. If not, it would be all my fault.

After my mother said goodnight to us that evening, we were prepared. As soon as she closed the door Bae, John, Michael and I got up to secure the room. We lit candles and grabbed a weapon each. They weren't real weapons, but enough to defend ourselves. Bae made sure the window was closed tightly and than we stood in the middle of our room.
"Okay", Bae said, especially to my little brothers. "Don't worry. The shadow is not taking anyone tonight."
"Thank you, Bae", I sighed hugging him.
"You can thank me in the morning. Okay, everyone to the beds."
We did as he told us, but suddenly all the candles went out.
"Bae?", I heard Michael's little voice say.
"Don't be frightened."
The window was shaking and Nana woke up as well and barked.
"The shadow is here." Just as he said that the window burst open.
"Get in the crawlspace!"
The shadow flew into the room, but Michael was still outside.
"Where's Michael?"
"Michael!"
I saw how the shadow offered his hand to Michael and I began to panick.
"Don't do it! Don't go with him!", I screamed.
Bae got out of the crawlspace and stood in front of Michael.
"Come on! Take me instead."
"Bae, no!" I couldn't believe he was doing that. I quickly got out of the crawlspace as well.
"You have to promise never to bother this family again", Bae said to the shadow and reached for its black hand, but I grabbed Bae's arm and pulled it back.
"No, Bae, don't!", I pleaded desperated.
"I won't let magic destroy this family! This is the only way. You have to let me go!"
I shook my head. Bae was much too important for me. He took the shadow's hand and they got up in the air. I quickly grabbed Bae's other hand to pull him back.
"Thank you,Wendy, for making me part of this family."
Then his hand left mine and the shadow took him away from me.
I didn't know how often I shouted his name.