Chapter Text
Neverland was a place for boys and only boys. That is not to say girls never came there, they did, they just were not allowed to stay there for very long. Every so often a girl would arrive on the shores of Neverland, lead there by the shadow just like the boys were. Though the boys came there full of loneliness looking for a place they could call home, the girls came full of hope. Girls came to Neverland looking for a place where all their dreams would come true. No one really knew why Peter Pan didn’t allow the girls to stay in Neverland. Some believed he despised the hope they brought to the island, others believed he hated them because they were weak, but he would never say why every girl who arrived in Neverland had to die. Pan didn’t kill the girls himself; he hated getting his hands dirty. He had a clever and in his mind fun way of disposing of them. When a girl arrived in Neverland he was always there on the beach to welcome them. He was very kind to them and many of the girls thought of him as their Prince Charming in the fairy tale world they had just entered into. Pan of course took advantage of the girls’ silly infatuation with him. He would whisper in their ears enchanting promises of fairies and mermaids. Before they knew it he was taking their hand leading them to the lagoon to see the beautiful mermaids they thought only existed in storybooks. Of course Neverland mermaids are not like the ones in storybooks, they are jealous and evil creatures. Before long the mermaids would grab the girl ripping at her hair, her clothes, and her skin. Trying to either rip her apart or drown her, which ever was easiest. Pan would watch from the rocks, laughing and egging them on. Before long the mermaids would kill the girl. Pan would go back to the lost boys without a thought of the girl he had just lead to her death. So you see the reason there were no girls in Neverland was not because none ever came to the island, but because Pan killed them all.
Then one day things changed. Wendy arrived on the shores of Neverland.
Wendy loved stories. She loved to read them, listen to them, and more than anything tell them. Stories provided her with the one thing her comfortable London life did not, adventure. Wendy was desperate for an adventure of her own, one just like in her stories. So when one night a shadow appeared at her window beckoning her towards the adventure she had always wanted she took its hand without a second thought. It wasn’t until the shadow was carrying her over the streets of London that she thought of what she left behind. She thought of her parents and her brothers, John and Michael, and her newly adopted brother Baelfire, still back in her London home with regret. They would miss her and she would miss them, but the thought of the adventure that awaited her kept her from struggling as the shadow carried her up into the night sky towards the second star to the right. She was excited. This is what she had been waiting for all of her 16 years. She was going to have an adventure and then someday maybe people would write stories about her.
The Shadow dropped Wendy gently on the beach of a beautiful tropical island. There was a boy standing there waiting for her. He saw her and he smiled the most charming smile Wendy had ever seen. He was incredibly handsome, tall and lean with sculpted features. He wore dark green clothes, as dark as the jungle behind him. To Wendy he looked just like a Prince out of one of her storybooks.
“Welcome to Neverland” said the boy with a grin. “A place of dreams”
“Well I dream of adventure” said Wendy returning his grin. “Do you have any here?”
“Why, of course we do” replied the boy. “Every day in Neverland is an adventure. The islands full of fairies, pirates, Indians, and of course magic. In Neverland children can do fantastic things. Anything you want can be right in front of you if you just believe that it’s there. You can even fly here once I teach you how. If you’re searching for an adventure you came to the right place. In fact I can take you on one right now. Do you like mermaids by any chance? Because I know where some live. How about we make finding one our first adventure together?”
Wendy felt uneasy. There was something wrong with this situation, with this boy. He was offering her exactly what she had been longing for, but it didn’t feel right. There was something dark and sinister about the glint in his eye. His smirk seemed less playful and charming than she first thought. There was something dark about this boy. She did not know why but she could sense it the moment he touched her. Yet, as much as she feared the darkness she sensed there was still something enticing about him. Not just in his handsome face and enchanting words, but also in that hidden darkness. Her instincts told her to run from this boy, but her sense of adventure told her to run with him. She did not know which was correct. The boy was tugging on her hand, ready to take her to the mermaids, but she held back, unsure of whether or not to follow him.
“Wait,” she said as the boy began to lead her away from the beach. “You haven’t even told me your name yet.”
“Oh your right” the boy stopped and cocked an eyebrow. “It’s Peter, Peter Pan.”
That’s when Wendy knew why she had felt uneasy.
When Wendy was about 10 years old her mother sat her down and told her she had a very important story to tell her. She said it was a scary story, but it was also an important warning. Wendy was excited. She loved stories, even scary ones. Her mother was the best storyteller she knew. She knew how to change her tone of voice to show a characters longing or create suspense. Everything Wendy learned about storytelling she got from listening to her mother. This story in particular was one that always stayed with Wendy.
“One day when I was 18 years old, a debutante, I went to a very grand ball. It was held during the summer in a mansion by the sea shore. It was a lovely ball full of a lot of important people. I danced with a lot of handsome gentlemen and told stories with many of the fine ladies there as well. There was one girl in particular at the ball who told the most wonderful stories about magic creatures. Her name was Ariel and we quickly became friends. Late into the night she took me into an empty room and told me she had something important to tell me. She was only telling me because she knew I was the only one who believed in her stories. She said she was a mermaid and that once a year mermaids were allowed to walk on land. She came here on that one day a year to give an important warning to the people in our world. She came from another realm, one called Neverland that was ruled by an evil boy who never grew up. The boy had a shadow that came to our world and kidnapped children. The boys he would keep to work for him, but the girls he would kill. He would lead the girls to her sisters, who were not as kind as her and would kill the girl in their jealousy. For years Ariel had tried to stop her sisters and the boy but it was impossible. Instead she decided to travel to our world to warn as many people as she could to guard their children closely from the evil boy named Peter Pan.”
As Wendy recalled her mother’s story her eyes grew wide. She slowly let go of Pan’s hand and let her hand drop to her side. She felt a chill go up her back. All of the excitement she felt when she landed on the beach was gone. All that was left was fear, fear for her life.
“You’re going to kill me aren’t you?” she whispered, her voice shaking with every syllable.
Before she could even blink she suddenly felt him grab her hand and yank it behind her back, nearly pulling her shoulder out of its socket. Pan was now behind her. One of his large hands held her delicate wrists, bruising them in his grip, the other held a knife to her throat. The charming smile on his face was gone, replaced with an evil grin. His voice now took on a darker tone.
“Well aren’t you a clever one” he practically snarled into her ear. “You’re the first not to fall for my little game. For that I’m going to reward you. Normally I’d let you die a slow agonizing death at the hands of the mermaids, but instead I’ll make it quick and easy for you. You won my game and you get the prize of having me slit your throat.”
You would think that having a knife held to her throat would throw Wendy into a panic, but she was surprisingly calm. She was scared of course, more scared than she had ever been in her life, but she was still able to think clearly. While Pan threatened her she wracked her brain for anything that could possibly be used to keep her alive. Wendy was never sure why this came to mind, but she was suddenly reminded of a story she had read once, a tale called 1001 Nights. She remembered how the heroine of that story saved her life by telling stories to an evil king. This gave her an idea, it was hardly a logical plan for saving her life, but it was all she had. Before she knew it the words came bursting from her lips.
“Wait” she said. “Don’t kill me. Maybe there is some way I could be of use to you. Something I could offer you.”
“What could I possibly want from a girl”?” he pronounced the last word as if it was poison.
“I…I can tell stories” she began, aware of how useless the idea sounded. “You have a group of boys who live on the island with you don’t you? I’m sure they would love to have a good storyteller around to entertain them at night. I know lots of stories and I can make some up as well. If you want me to anyway…”
Wendy’s words started to come out in a rush. She knew how feeble of a reason for sparing her life this was. Yet, she felt if she just kept talking maybe she would find a way to justify it. She heard Pan laugh, a dark deep chuckle and thought this was the end. She looked up at the sky to have one last look at the stars before her life ended forever. Instead of slitting her throat though, the boy took the knife away, but kept Wendy’s arms firmly behind her back.
“You have spark.” He whispered into her ear with a chuckle. “I like spark. It takes a lot of bravery to try to convince me I’m wrong about anything. I may just take you up on your offer. After all the lost boys do love a good story. I think I’ll keep you around… for now. So what’s your name girl?”
Wendy’s heart was beating so loudly in her chest she could hardly understand what Pan was saying. He was letting her live? So she could tell stories? She had never thought her feeble attempt to save her life would work, but for some reason Pan was going to let her live. Slowly Pan’s words started to register in Wendy’s head and she realized he had asked her name.
“My name is Wendy Darling.” She said her tone a mixture of fear and relief.
“Well congratulations Wendy. You’re the first of your kind I’ve ever let live.”
Pan whistled and another boy came out of the jungle on the edge of the beach. He was about Wendy’s age but much taller. His face would have been handsome, had it not been for the large scar that ran
across his features. He walked across the beach and stood by Pan’s side, a servant ready to follow his master’s command.
“Felix,” said Pan with a smirk” take Wendy to the campsite. She’s going to tell us all a story.”
Before she knew it Felix was dragging her into the dark unknown of the Neverland jungle.