Lost In Neverland

Into the Shadows Pt 2

The forest grew darker as we moved deeper, the trees closing in around us like silent sentinels. The laughter of the Lost Boys had faded for now, but I knew better than to believe we were safe. They were always watching, always hunting. Gwen walked close behind me, her steps hesitant but determined.

"Peter," she whispered, her voice cutting through the stillness. "What happened to them? The Lost Boys, I mean. Why are they... like this?"

I stopped, turning to face her. The moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting silver streaks across her face. "The magic changed them," I said. "It’s not the same magic you’ve heard about in stories. This place is alive. It feeds on us, twists us. The Lost Boys couldn’t fight it."

Her lips parted, her brows drawing together. "But you did?"

"Barely," I admitted, my voice lower. "And not without a price."

Her gaze searched mine, the silence stretching between us. "Do you ever think about leaving?"

I exhaled, shaking my head. "There’s nowhere to go. Neverland holds on tight. And even if I could leave, what would be left of me on the other side?"

Her hand brushed against mine, tentative and light, but it sent a jolt through me. "Maybe you’re wrong," she said softly. "Maybe there’s more for you."

I stared at her, the weight of her words settling in my chest. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to believe her. But belief was dangerous here. It gave the island something to use against you.

"Come on," I said, stepping back. "We need to keep moving."

She hesitated, her hand lingering in the air where mine had been, before nodding and following me into the shadows. The forest loomed around us, but her presence beside me was a reminder that even in a place as dark as this, there was still something worth protecting.

The forest was swallowing us whole. Every step deeper into the woods felt like a descent into something darker, something alive. The trees loomed overhead, their twisted branches clawing at the sky, and the air was so thick with damp earth and magic that it felt like breathing through a wet cloth. My body ached, my legs burned, but I didn’t complain. Peter’s presence was the only thing anchoring me in this place, and I wasn’t about to give him a reason to leave me behind.

"This trek is giving me way too much time to think," I muttered, breaking the silence.

Peter glanced back at me, his brow furrowing. "Like what?"

"Like about how I caught my boyfriend cheating on me last week," I answered.

“What is cheating?” he asked.

"Umm," I said, kicking at a stray root. "He was kissing and doing things he promised to only do with me with some other girl behind my back. Everyone told me he was bad news, but I ignored them. Guess I was wrong."

"Why did you stay with him?" Peter asked, his tone genuinely curious.

I shrugged. "I guess I thought he cared. Turns out, I was just convenient."

Peter’s jaw tightened, his pace slowing slightly. "Sounds like he was a fool."

The unexpected warmth in his voice caught me off guard. I blinked, my steps faltering. "Thanks. I guess he was just with me because I was an influencer, and it would boost his brand."

"And what’s this about influencer and what’s a brand?" he asked after a moment.

I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound almost foreign in the heavy stillness of the forest. "Oh, right. Brand is how you present yourself in a good way to an audience and get recognition."

His expression remained blank. "What does Influencer mean?"

I sighed, realizing how ridiculous it would sound to someone like him. "Okay, so I post pictures and videos online, and people follow me. Companies pay me to promote their stuff because I have a lot of followers."

Peter stopped in his tracks, turning to face me. "People follow you? Like... literally?"

I laughed again, shaking my head. "No, not literally. It’s all online. The internet connects people all over the world."

His brows furrowed as he tried to process my words. "The internet?"

"It’s like... a giant web of information," I explained. "You can share things, talk to people, learn about anything instantly."

His eyes widened slightly. "That sounds... impossible."

"It’s real," I said, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "And it’s kind of amazing when you think about it."

"What year is it in your world?" he asked suddenly, his voice quieter now.

"2025," I said, watching his reaction closely. "Why?"

He looked away, his jaw clenching. "The last time I went to Earth, it was 1912."

My stomach dropped. "That’s over a hundred years ago."

"Time works differently here," he said, his voice heavy. "When I left Wendy, the world was... simpler."

"You’d probably hate it now," I said, half-joking. "Everything’s fast and loud and overwhelming."

"Maybe," he said, his gaze distant. "Or maybe it’s incredible."

I hesitated, then smiled faintly. "It has its moments. Honestly, I wish I had my phone. I’d kill to record this. My followers would lose their minds."

"Followers again," he said, his lips twitching into a smirk. "Why does it matter so much?"

I shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "It’s silly, I guess. But it feels good to have people care about what I do. Even if it’s just online."

His smirk faded, replaced by something softer. "It doesn’t sound silly."

I looked away, a faint blush creeping up my neck. "Thanks."

"What else has changed?" he asked, his tone lighter now. "Tell me about your world."

I launched into a description of everything I could think of—technology, skyscrapers, cars, planes. His eyes widened as I spoke, and his face showed a mixture of awe and disbelief.

"You can fly without magic?" he asked, his voice tinged with wonder.

"Well, the planes do," I said, laughing. "But yeah. It’s pretty normal for us."

"Your world sounds... extraordinary," he said quietly.

"It has its downsides," I admitted. "But yeah, it’s pretty cool."

"And this?" he asked, gesturing around us. "Does this feel extraordinary to you?"

I looked around at the dark forest, the way the moonlight filtered through the branches, the hum of magic in the air. "It feels... unreal. Like I’m in a dream."

"Not a nightmare?" he asked, his tone teasing.

"Depends on what’s waiting for us," I said, glancing at him. "Does the crocodile exist?"

He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oh, he’s real. And he’s bigger than you think."

I shivered, both from his words and the way his grin made my heart skip a beat. "Great. Something else to look forward to."

He chuckled softly, the sound warm and low. "You’re braver than you look."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. "Thanks. I think."

"Do you want to know when I first noticed I wasn’t aging?" he asked suddenly, his voice quieter.

I nodded, my curiosity piqued. "Yeah."

"It was after Wendy left," he said, his gaze distant. "The days blurred together, and I realized... nothing was changing. I was, but not the island. Everything else stayed the same."

"That sounds... lonely," I said, my chest tightening.

He glanced at me, his eyes softening. "It was. Until now."

His words hung in the air, heavy and charged, and I felt my breath catch. But before I could respond, he turned away, his shoulders tense. "We should keep moving."

I followed him into the shadows, my heart racing for reasons I didn’t fully understand.

The air grew cooler as we pressed on, the trees closing in tighter around us. Peter walked ahead, his movements fluid and deliberate, as if he knew this place like the back of his hand. I trailed behind, my thoughts still circling everything we’d just talked about.

"You didn’t really tell me much about Wendy," I said, my voice breaking the stillness. "What was she like?"

Peter glanced back at me, his expression unreadable. "She was... curious. Brave. She didn’t fear the island the way others did."

"Did you love her?" I asked before I could stop myself.

He stopped walking, his gaze locking onto mine. "I don’t know what love is," he said, his voice quieter. "When I met Wendy, I was still a boy."

I frowned, stepping closer. "But you cared about her. Didn’t you?"

"She was my friend," he said, his tone softening. "Maybe that’s what love was supposed to feel like. But I didn’t know it at the time."

There was something raw in his voice, something that made my chest tighten. "It must’ve been hard when she left."

"It was," he admitted, his tone softer now. "But that’s the thing about people from your world. They always leave."

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I stayed silent, the weight of his words settling over me. But then he turned, his gaze sharp again. "What about you? Do you plan on leaving?"

"If I can," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "But... I don’t know. Something about this place feels like it won’t let me."

Peter’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might argue. But then he just nodded. "You’re right. The island doesn’t let go easily."

We fell into silence again, the tension between us crackling like static. As we moved deeper into the forest, I couldn’t shake the feeling that both of us were holding onto something we couldn’t quite name.

The forest eventually thinned, giving way to a clearing bathed in the pale glow of moonlight. In the center stood an ancient tree, its twisted roots sprawling across the ground like veins and its massive trunk hollowed into a dark, gaping opening.

My thoughts ran rampant for a moment, setting off warning alarms that things were going to get worse.