"Okay. Are you ready?"
I nodded, focused intently on Pan standing opposite me. We were in the depths of the Pixie Woods, away from the camp and the Lost Boys so that we could concentrate on what we were doing and not be prone to any distractions. Peter had left Felix in charge while we were gone, and so here we were, about to start using magic. That word had never meant that much or seemed that much to me until now, when I was on the breach of learning it.
I snapped out of my thoughts and tried to even out my breathing and stay calm.
"This is the first thing you need to know about magic. It's not some mythical power that you can easily conjure up. You don't need to be in a certain family, you don't need to be a certain age or type. You don't need a gene. You just need to believe in it, believe in yourself, and put your all into learning. The more you practise and use magic, the easier it'll be."
I nodded again, biting the inside of my lip.
"The second thing is that there are three restrictions with magic. There's no way to do these three things in any circumstances. Not even the most powerful of magic can accomplish them."
I frowned slightly, intrigued.
"Really? What?"
"You can't bring back the dead," he answered slowly, looking seriously into my eyes, "you can't change the past and... and you can't force someone to fall in love." He stuttered on the last rule a little, but I overlooked it and nodded, my thoughts wandering slightly. Peter noticed my hesitation and frowned, confused.
"What?"
"Well, can't you, like, break rules of magic, or-"
"No. It's been tried before, with no success. The name for that is manipulation, and it only works in very rare cases. But those three are the only firm limitations to magic, Celeste."
"Okay."
"Good. Now we can start."
"What are we starting with?" I asked, and he gave me a slight smirk.
"Pyrokinesis. Which, in simple terms, is the ability to make and control fire. One of the most basic forms of magic."
My eyes lit up in excitement, and I nodded.
"Okay, how do I do it?"
"You've got a choice of two things to focus on," Pan started, approaching me. "Love, or anger."
I frowned at the last choice.
"I'm not focusing on anger. That's the type of magic that makes you dark and evil, isn't it?"
Pan shrugged, confidence oozing from him.
"In most cases, yeah. But not necessarily. Just channel the emotion by reliving a moment where you felt the most love, and protecting people that are close to you. Then it'll just... come."
"Oh, uh..." I bit down on my lip again, unsure. "I don't- I don't know if I can do that..."
"Of course you can do it, Celeste," Peter insisted, walking up behind me. "Close your eyes and focus on that time. When did you feel the most love in your life? When was the moment that you began to care for someone or someones, determined to protect them as much as you're able. Relive it. Feel it."
I sighed and obeyed, shutting my eyes and trying to think of that time. Before dad had started to drift away, before mum had left us alone, before the day everything started to go wrong. What was one moment when I was the happiest... when I was filled with love?
A vivid memory suddenly sparked in my mind, and I concentrated as hard as I could on it. I was very young, maybe four or five. Mum and dad were still together, and we were still a proper family. I'd had another nightmare, which was and still is pretty common. I was most afraid of being alone, by myself, where no one could see me or hear me or remember who I was. I'd crawl out of bed and run into my parents' bedroom, and once they saw my tearstained face I'd be lifted onto the bed, my mum and dad either side of me, the soft scent of lavender on the pillows calming my nerves slightly already.
"Another nightmare?" Dad shook his head in sympathy and mum would hug me close, wiping my cheeks with her thumbs.
"The same one," I replied, my breathing shaky.
"Listen, Celeste. It was just a dream, okay? We're never, ever going to leave you. You're never alone. Even at the times where we're not here, right beside you, we're still with you. You're never alone. We love you." Mum said to me, and I smiled. That was what safe felt like. That was what true love felt like.
I heard I slight noise, like a gust of warm air, and I opened my eyes, noticing a large dancing flame flickering and glowing above my palm. My eyes widened and I gasped, shocked.
"It's working! I actually did it!"
Peter gave me a smile, his forest green eyes shining in the light.
"Of course you did. You're a natural. Well done, Celeste."
I smiled back, my memory still vivid in my head. But then my smile wavered, and the flame flickered and dimmed for a moment.
I thought of what mum had said. That she was never going to leave me. I would never be alone.
She broke two promises in less than two years. And dad came close after.
Pan frowned, watching as the fire flickered again and dissipated into curling smoke.
"Hey, you were doing really well. What happened?"
I shook my head, smiling a little.
"Nothing. It's just... no, nothing."
He raised a brow, unconvinced.
"I'll let it go if you promise to tell me what it was later on."
I nodded, and he smirked, nodding back.
"Should I keep going, or...?"
"No, keep working on that. Just don't set anything on fire," he responded, and I rolled my eyes.
"I won't."
Suddenly, Pan looked up and into the distance, frowning a little as curiosity crept onto his features.
"What?"
"Someone's arrived in Neverland," he said, looking back to me. "I need to see who it is. Here, take my hand."
I frowned, puzzled.
"What? Why?"
He smirked at me then, raising a brow in amusement.
"Well, do you want me to teleport us or not?"
I dithered for a moment, then took his hand. In an instant, red smoke engulfed us and then drifted away, revealing the strip of beach that outlined the land and the wide ocean. There was a large ship floating in it, and two men dressed in royal, navy sailor's clothes stood together, looking down at something in one of the man's hand. The man on the right had curly brown hair, the other straight, dark brown that was tied back neatly. They were talking quietly together, and Peter came near them, who stood with their backs to us obliviously. He still hadn't let go of my hand, so I followed him and nibbled the inside of my lip in slight nervousness and curiosity, listening to them talk.
"...Potent enough to heal any injury."
The man who stood beside him looked slightly taken aback, looking up at him.
"So we'd never have to bury another sailor at sea again," he commented, and the man nodded.
"Now you understand the importance of our mission."
Pan rolled his eyes and spoke up suddenly.
"Are you two lost?"
The two men whipped around and drew their swords, pointing them at us. I jumped slightly, alarmed, but Peter stood looking at them with the same confident posture.
"You look lost to me," he said, and I eyed their swords and then back to them.
"Identify yourself boy," the man with curly brown hair said, glancing at me. "And you, girl."
I stalled, not knowing how to answer as I looked at Peter. He gave no sign of worry or uncertainty away, answering them willingly.
"I'm Peter Pan, and this is Celeste. We live here." He raised a brow, looking between them in slight contempt and judgement. "Who are you?"
"Captain Jones," the man answered, putting his sword back in its place, and the man behind him copied, "and my lieutenant." The man with dark hair looked at us both in uncertainty, as the other kept speaking.
"We're here by order of the King!"
Pan raised his brows, smirking slightly.
"The King, huh? We don't have any Kings in Neverland," Peter told them smugly, "just me."
I scoffed slightly then, and he glanced at me from the side, a brow raised and a slight smirk on his face.
"That's funny," Captain Jones responded, seemingly uninterested. He took out a drawing and handed it to me, which I took and looked at in interest. Pan looked over my shoulder, his fingers still intertwined with mine. 'Dreamshade' was in the top corner, with an image of a dark, spiky branch and leaves coming off it neatly.
"We seek this plant," the man told us, then looked at me with a kind smile. "Now tell me, young lady, when can we find it?"
I shook my head slightly, looking to Peter. He looked up at him with his brows raised.
"The King sent you for this plant?" Pan questioned, and the Captain stared at him in interest.
"You know it?"
"Dreamshade. It's the deadliest plant on the island," Peter answered him. The dark-haired man standing behind looked surprised, but the other unconvinced. "Your King is really ruthless."
"Nonsense," the Captain said, frowning.
"It's medicine," the lieutenant told us but seemed unsure.
"It's doom," Pan snapped, and the Captain rolled his eyes and looked to the side impatiently. The other listened to him intently, taking in every word. "Why fight a messy battle when you can kill an entire army with the sap of one plant?"
The lieutenant pulled the Captain to the side, murmuring worriedly to him while Peter watched them with a smile. They turned to us again after a few moments, looking to me.
"Is what this boy says true?"
My eyes widened a fraction as I was caught off guard, and I nodded.
"He knows the island better than anyone, so yeah. I haven't... I haven't been here for that long, so..."
The Captain nodded, still not convinced.
"I don't believe it. This boy is playing games with us, and I'm quickly tiring of them," he said, taking back the picture. He looked to his partner, nodding. "Come. We should keep moving," he told him, as he walked away. The lieutenant nodded at us before following, and we watched them leave.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Peter called, waving as the lieutenant looked back for a moment, then continued walking.