The Twisted Tale of Peter Pan (being edited)

Chapter 1

A/N: (This chapter has been edited).

Chapter 1: Welcome to NeverLand

I sit hunched over in a dark alleyway trying to stay warm. It’s hard living like this everyday, the cold of the night nipping at any open skin it can find. I’m a kid on the streets with barely enough food to eat and definitely no place to call home.

“Hey kid! How many times do I have to tell ya’? Stay away from my shop!” screams the bakery owner. He’s a short, fat man, and he and I don’t really get along well.

I stand up quickly and tip my baseball cap so he won't see my face. That man has threatened to call social services to many times so I am not taking any chances.

I run to the sidewalk not paying attention to my surroundings. With my head down I turn the corner and bump into someone.

I see the person drop something and bend down to help pick it up. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. I should have been more careful.” I apologize and look up at the person.

He’s about my age, sixteen, and he’s giving me that wide eyed look like everyone does whenever they see me. I’m a homeless kid covered in dirt and my clothes are ripped, he thinks I’m going to try to steal his things.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to take anything.” I assure him and his face relaxes just a bit. I’m not the kind of person to steal, even if my life depended on it, my parents raised me better than that. That is when they were still alive.

“Here.” I say as I hand him a weird looking gold talisman.

He releases a sigh of relief as he takes it from my hand. Just then I hear a shout. The guy looks over his shoulder and swears. He quickly grabs his things and runs down the street. I don’t know why but he reminds me of a pirate.

I look down the street watching the guy run when something catches my eye. I look down on the sidewalk where he dropped his things and see a small pouch.

I bend down and pick it up. “Hey!” I yell after the guy. “You forgot this!”

The streets are crowded with people so he couldn’t hear me. I run down the street after him. I have to push my way through the crowd of people. Stupid L.A. why are you such a tourist attraction?

I just see his shoe disappear behind a building and try to quickly catch up. I put the pouch in my pocket and when I look up I don’t recognize where I am.

“Where the hell am I...?” I ask in an uneasy voice.

Just then I hear a crack and I look down just in time to see the ground split beneath my feet. I try to grab on to something but there is nothing. I fall into the darkness in the ground. Why does this remind me of Alice in Wonderland? Oh right, I’m falling down a hole. Now where’s the rabbit with the pocket watch?

I quickly stick my hand back in my pocket, wrapping my fingers around the pouch.

When I plunge into the water I start to panic. Here’s the first thing you should know about me; I can’t swim.

I try to keep my head above the water but a giant wave comes and knocks me completely under. When I resurface I have to cough up the salty water and I have just inhaled when the next wave comes. The wave hits me so hard that all the air in my lungs gets forced out and I struggle to find the surface.

The lack of oxygen in my lungs burns and I start to feel light-headed.

Just then I feel something scaly wrap around my waist and pull me to the surface. I hear shouts and I feel the scales release me just as someone grabs my arms and lift me up upon something wooden.