𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐀, peter pan

Chapter Forty

As the short days went on and long nights passed. Some days and nights were cloudy, warm and brisk. It was all the same, the weather, the calmness in the forest, the wind in the shores, the winds would sometimes blow into the forest, into the camp and the leaves whisper and dance in the wind.

Then the rain finally came after a month of Mara's arrival in Neverland.

Curly was right with the rain season, walking through the woods of Neverland was difficult, all the slippery slope, muddy and wet grounds. The weather was always gloomy, barely a sun would shine down the island and the moon hid behind the clouds making the nights darker as black. In this season, the first day it rained, Pan announced it was time to move to the caves.

There were two caves, both hollow and big. The Lost Boys and the Lost Girl separated in two groups, half-half in each cave. They all slept on the sheets they used as hammocks they slept on in the tents, use their cloaks or ponchos as blankets. Torches were always lit when dusk fell, the bonfires were only for to cook food or to get the caves warm.

Still, they played the games, they still hunted, rain or not, they still did their usual activities and even training. Even Pan proceeded training Mara how to fight, how to wield the sword better, with staff, with spear, daggers and a bow. They train at the beach when it's not raining, and in another cave that was far from the Lost Boys' caves but where Mara was training was located somewhere in the mountain.

She had improved a lot while training with Pan, even the fight with Thomas had gotten intense, frustrating and long. She even gave him bruises, made him hurt and bleed, yet she hasn't beat him.

Throughout those weeks, she made more friends on the way, the other Twin, she calls Twin One "One" and Twin Two "Two". Strange names but it was all they had. Nibs was less rude around her then, same for Felix. She spoke more to Ace too despite of his intentions and she'd avoid and walk away from him when she gets too uncomfortable around him. She had grown closer to Curly, Slightly and mostly Tootles. They were the only ones who called her "Mara" and the rest calls her "Turner".

As for James, he and Mara haven't spoken to each other for weeks. It was difficult for her at the start but then it got easy, more friends she made, it got easy, and the more she drew closer to her tentmates made it easier. There are times where she'd catch him looking at her, he'd look away a second later. He looked sulky all the time and his looks are the same every time Mara gazed at him. She would able to go on a few days without looking at him. He was the one who didn't want to talk to her anymore in the first place so she gave him that. Mara does think if James wants to speak to her, then he can, if he wants to be friends again, she'd definitely say yes. She doesn't really blame him despite how painful it was of him avoiding her, most of the times she actually blames herself instead.

As it was midday, it was grey and raining since morning, thunder can be heard in the distance, it'll either hit Neverland or pass by. There wasn't anything to do today, since storm season started, they've been getting break days quite often, it is difficult to play under this weather and to train.

During break days, they would stay in the caves all day, the one time they would come out was to go another cave and play small games with their friends. They'd practice with their swords and staffs, they'd wrestle each other, the usual they do in the camp. There are also nights where they'd dance.

Mara sat by the entrance, legs crossed, carving a wood to attempt to make an arrow, make the tip sharp enough to go into a tree, Slightly was teaching her, he had been teaching how to make arrows since yesterday, even getting the feathers on it's end.

"Make sure those feathers are apart from each other" Slightly told her.

She nodded, it was hard to get the feathers stuck onto the arrow together and the same time while getting a string to tied them together. After she finished them, she sliced the feathers' ends to make them small and even them.