The Real Neverland // WATTYS 2015

1. Before the fall

**Authors note** This story does not go off of the Once Upon a Time theme. Meaning things will be different from the TV show and this story. I hope you still like it though. (I own none of the characters this is purely fanfiction!)

Hello there. My name is Wendy, Wendy Darling. I'm here to tell you of what really happened in Neverland.

I was only ten when my parents died. It was an electric fire that killed them. After that I was put into the foster care system. I was in there for about two years. Then a family from London came over seas and adopted me. I rarely said a word to them. They believed "in time" that I would warm up to them, but I never did.

Along with a new set of parents, came two new older brothers, John and Michael. John was two years older and Michael was only one. I lived with this family for 3 years until the tragedy happened. Everything seemed so nice and peaceful. Everyone got along well. Why did Pan have to come and mess it all up?

One October night, I woke up to the sound of the door opening and closing. I switched on my bed side lamp only to find that John and Michael were gone. I quickly headed to the window to see if they where the ones headed outside, but they were no where to be seen. The other boys of the village were walking toward a bright light in the square. I decided to follow them. I put on my house coat and slippers then headed downstairs. I was almost at the door when Ms. Darling (or my new "mum") caught me.

"Where are you off to at such a late hour?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"No where," I lied,"out for some fresh air?"

"Not at midnight you're not." She shook her head. "Now go back upstairs and go back to bed."

I had no choice in the matter. I slowly went back upstairs and looked out my window the light in the square was gone. John and Michael still hadn't returned. I feared that they were never coming back. I couldn't sleep at all that night. I waited for them to return, but they never did.

That morning the maid came in to wake up the boys and I, as per usal, but when she when to wake John he wasn't there, neither was Michael. She came to my bed and sighed in relief that I was still present.

"Where are your brothers?" she asked. But i couldn't answer her all I could do was cry. After the maid saw this she ran down to the Darlings and told them the horrible news. The police came soon after. I got asked many questions by many people. I answered some, but others I couldn't because I didn't know what truly happened to my brothers. After that my adopted parents blamed me for the disappearance of their two lovely boys. They abused me, denied meals. I went to the police for help, but they knew the Darlings to well. They said that those two people could never do such a thing. So I went home hungry and alone.

Three years had past and nothing from John or Michael and the two "saints" gave up looking for them after about a half a year. They still treated me like trash. I had to wear long sleeves to school everyday to cover up the bruises on my arms. The Darlings were very careful never to injure what couldn't be covered up.

As the days past I got more and more depressed. I never cut my self or self harmed. I never needed to, my parents would do that for me. I finally had enough. That night when everyone was asleep, I went to the window and looked up. The stars were not there, they were hideing behind the clouds. Then I shut my eyes thinking of the island in my dreams, the place I would fly to. I thought that if the island was the last thing on my mind, death wouldn't hurt so much. I opened my eyes to a black figure with yellow eyes and a stretched out hand. I've gone nuts. It's not real. You're just trying to make death better, I thought to myself. So I reached for the figures hand and jumped.

**edited by @silentivy**