Escaping Neverland

The Fight

Lying on my bed, tears streaming down my face, I grappled with the two choices that lay before me. Should I resign myself to this never-ending cycle of watching everyone I care about perish until my eventual demise, or should I take matters into my own hands and put an end to all of this? The weight of the decision bore down on me until I was interrupted by a persistent knocking on my door. Taking a moment to compose myself, I tried to identify the visitor, but the knocking grew louder, more insistent. Reluctantly, I got up and opened the door, only to be greeted by the shadow brothers, Greg and James.

Letting out a weary sigh, I looked at them and asked, "What could you two possibly want?" as I wiped away my tears. They didn't respond but pushed past me into the room, forcefully shutting the door behind them. Anger welled up within me, and I raised my hand to slap Greg, but James swiftly intervened, stepping between us and restraining my hands."I don't think we need permission, especially now that you're part of the family," James asserted, his grip firm.Taking a deep breath, I met his gaze and spoke with determination, "Release me, James. I have important matters to attend to, and I don't have time for your antics." With a laugh, he finally let go, but Greg stepped forward, seizing my hand."Actually, Janice, we have things to do together," he proclaimed, chuckling. "Starting today, you and I will be partners in everything. It's an order from the boss, so you don't get a say anymore." The room seemed to freeze at his words, but the spell was broken when I felt his hand abruptly ripped away from mine. Coming back to my senses, I saw Carson in the room, engaged in a scuffle with Greg. As they wrestled, James joined in, delivering kicks to Carson's body. When I tried to intervene, James restrained me, preventing me from helping. I screamed at them to stop, the commotion attracting other children until Damien arrived and dispersed the crowd."You two, cease this at once!" Damien growled, seizing both Greg and James by their shirts and lifting them to their feet. They obediently stood, heads lowered, awaiting further instructions, knowing better than to speak out of turn. "Carson, return to your room. I don't want to see you anywhere else unless I say so. Your food will be delivered until further notice. Now, leave!" Turning to me, Damien firmly guided me back to the bed, making me sit down. "I expect you to compose yourself. Do you understand?" I nodded in response. "Good. Trina's departure is approaching sooner than anticipated, and I want you to ensure she's ready. But for now, you'll stay here since you've already had one outburst, and I can't afford another." With that, Damien left the room, followed by James, understanding the consequences of provoking Damien further. Once things had calmed down, Greg approached and sprawled on the bed, poking my leg playfully until I swatted his hand away, standing up and moving toward my desk."Oh, come on, Janice. I'm not that unbearable, am I?" he teased.

I shot him a glare before turning back to my desk, retrieving a notebook to start jotting down my thoughts. How could I fix this mess? How could I save everyone, especially now that I had acquired a shadow? The shadow brothers were a hindrance, even when separated. They were assigned as my babysitters because they knew I would attempt something, even though they were unsure of what that something might be. Having been here since the beginning, I had witnessed it all—the escape attempts, the suicides, the murders. There was no darkness I hadn't seen before, and the only certain ending was death. Strangely, I wasn't afraid of that outcome. After years of fearing death, I had come to realize that it wasn't death itself that scared me, but rather the prospect of being spiritually dead while still alive. Even my mother couldn't withstand it. How could I endure? Sighing, I began scrutinizing the flaws in the Neverland system, writing out the daily schedule and highlighting the moments with minimal supervision and the times allotted for outdoor play. There had to be a way to escape with everyone—I was determined to find it. After hours of analysis, I suddenly felt a shiver down my spine and closed my notebook, turning around to find Greg looming over my shoulder.

"Can I help you?" I asked, and he smiled, nodding his head."Yes. First, you can tell me what you're up to over here. Secondly, you could pay attention to me. It's so dull in here, I can't stand it.""I'm planning a celebration for Trina. I want to choose a time when neither you nor your brother nor the guards can spoil it. You're a pain, you know? I'll give you at most an hour of attention every day until you're out of my room. This sleepover isn't my idea of fun, but here's the deal: if you promise to keep yourself and your brother away from the celebration, I'll entertain you within appropriate limits."His grin widened rapidly, and he eagerly took the deal. "Deal. I'll even ensure that the celebration takes place at the gazebo. How does that sound?"Knowing he was true to his word, as he had never broken a deal before, I nodded and turned fully toward him. "You have my undivided attention."For the next five days, I played whatever games he concocted, relieved when Damien informed us that our room arrest would be lifted after the weekend. I was even more elated when Greg informed Damien of our deal and my plan for Trina's celebration, and it was approved with minimal supervision. A glimmer of hope began to emerge—a small ray of sunshine filling my room. Just two more days with Greg, and then two weeks to plan our escape. Next, I would need to sit down with Carson, explain the truth about this place, and share my plan, all without the shadow brothers present.