Mara never left Peter Pan's side, she stayed with him all night. They talked at times, Pan talked a lot about Neverland, the Natives, things Mara had never heard of. She'd talk about her past, about the people she met, about her father as well. They laughed sometimes. She would be sitting on the bed, on the floor with Pan, facing each other, she would sat on the table while they both talked. When they finally fell silent, Mara fell asleep on his bed while Pan sat on the edge of the bed. He had gotten up, put a blanket on her and went outside.

The moon was sharp like a curved knife, millions of stars visible in the sky. Peter Pan had been going place to place all over Neverland, from the mountain to Skull Rock, from the beach to the Cove, from the Lagoon to the Hanging Man Tree, gazing at the ocean and awaiting for a sight of any ship. Warm breaths escapes from his mouth and nose when he breathes out but felt no cold despite wearing a half-sleeved tunic with another layer of clothe under.

The boy who wouldn't grow had a lot in his mind. Wondering and worrying. Not only for Neverland, the Lost Boys, the Natives, and the future war. Mostly it was Mara Turner who he thought of, the Lost Girl had truly grew on him, it was unexpected. But there was a part of him that he never should've let her in. All of the adventure she spoke of, the true adventure she had wanted, an adventure where she can smile for, where she'd feel truly free and see the entire world. Neverland was an island and not enough world for her to see. He had brought her into a place where she's to fight for her life soon. How cruel it is of him to do that to her?

Morning arrived and darkness stayed like it has been the past week. The ground crusted and froze like the cold morning in fall seasons. The grass and the green plants were partly covered by frost. The morning cold grows day by day. Could winter be near? Could winter come sooner? It is fall season and near it's passing. But no snow had ever fallen onto Neverland and no snow was mentioned in the prophecy.

Mara woke up, warm in bed, warm in Pan's treehouse, Pan wasn't in the house and she was alone. She pulled off  the blanket, set her feet down on the floor, grabbed her boots and put them on. She walked to the exit and began to climb down the ladder.

A bonfire was in the middle of the camp, recently lit, but Pan wasn't around. Mara was half disappointed that he left her alone. Unable to tell what time it is, wondering if it is morning, still she had to go back to the Lost Boys Camp before they notice her out of her bed. She grabbed a wood from the fire, held it up like a torch then walked into the woods.

The woods were dark, the air was cold, warmth breath escaped through her lips as she walked and the fire kept her warm from the cold. She could barely recognize the trails, where they lead, which of them that leads to the camp. There wasn't really any trail, but Mara could see it, James had told her once that there may be no trails seen but once they used to these grounds, they'll able to see the trails.

Still, Mara wasn't sure where she was going. She'd stop for a moment and listen; only to hear silence, the frogs were part of the silence, so were crickets and the wind blowing through the trees. She was trying to listen to the river or the waterfalls, if she could hear it then she'll know where she is.

"Cold" there was a whisper somewhere. "It's... cold"

Mara did not stop. When James mentioned of the whispers from the dead, it is true what he said about it. Terrifying as it sounds, but they do nothing but whisper, the dead don't attack at all, except to sent chills into Mara's spine and her skin crawls. The whispers were still very haunting.

"Fire... give me... fire" another voice said. "It's cold... girl... very cold"

Mara ignored them and continued walking. If she hears the whispers then she is truly alone.

"Lost girl?" A new whispering voice called, "Girl?... Lost?"

Mara said nothing, she half stumbled when she walked down a steep hill, almost tripped on her own foot and almost dropped the torch.

"Lost Boys... hate them" this voice sounded like a child, like a boy, "hate...them... all"

These voices, Mara remembered these voices are from the dead, those who lost their lives within Neverland.

"Cold, girl—"

"Fire, warm, give me—"

"Girl... alone—"

"The boy who wouldn't grow... hates me—"

"Listen to us—"

The whispers began speaking all at once, they were almost loud as well, almost like they were all crawling onto her head and trying to attack her. It made the trip to the camp hard because she can't hear anything else, unable to escape the dead and unable to hear the waterfalls.

She eventually found the waterfalls where the whispers finally faded away, she knew where to go and where the camp was. The torch was dying when she left the waterfalls and made her way to the camp.

Mara walked almost blindly to the camp, tripped a few times on the way and stumbled. When she finally arrived the camp, two camp fires were lit, torches stood around the camp to warm the area. Half of the Lost Boys were already awake, including Slightly. Only Slightly from her tent was awake.

"Where'd you go?" Slightly asked her as she sat down beside him.

"Went for a stroll" she answered.

"Very, very early for a stroll" Slightly looked up the sky, "Too cold as well"

"Had a torch with me. Just another sleepless night" Mara said, "James, Curly and Tootles still sleeping?"

"I think so. They might be up any moment"

After Mara feed her empty stomach, James came out of the tent, then Tootles moments later. Both boys went to get food before they joined Mara and Slightly.

When James sat down on a log, he glanced at Mara for a moment before saying, "Did you even sleep last night?"

"Just a little while, few hours possibly" she shrugged.

"Heard you leaving the tent"

"Went for a stroll to exhaust myself"

Slightly looked at Mara, giving her a perplexed look, "So you went for a stroll all night?"

She looked at them both, "What's it to you both if I go out for a stroll? It's not like I'm doing anything dumb"

Both boys looked at her until they both exchanged glances then shrugged.

Neither of the boys knows about her and Pan, but James has his suspicions. He once implicated that Mara loves Peter Pan, that night when James confessed his love for Mara. There are times where she still thinks about that night, sometimes forgot about it, and those times were when she's with Pan. She wondered how it could've been like if she shared the same feelings, to have something with James, here in Neverland, it's unlikely that life on the island would difficult. But what of outside of Neverland? Out there in the world.

If James leaves Neverland, he'll have a life, a life that he wants, to see the entire world, to visit many place, have a normal adventure, meet someone special who he'd spend a life with and have family with her. Mara had to admit, she'd envy of that special person for James and to have a life that Mara can never get.

To have a life with Peter Pan will be different. To share a life with the boy who wouldn't grow. Pan is far different than James. Pan can never give Mara the possible life she might want, but James... James can give her the possible.

She needs to talk to Pan. She needs to talk to him and ask him.

When Mara went into the tent, finding Curly awake, getting up from his hammock. "Ah, damn this cold" he murmured groggily. He put on a cloak and his boots. "Is it still breakfast?"

"Yeah" she nodded, she grabbed her poncho that was hanging on a pole, a wooden pole was connecting her hammock and James's hammock. She put on her brown poncho, then tied her pouch onto her belt.

"You seem preparing for a trip" Curly yawned, "Wait, are we going somewhere? I still need to get ready and eat"

"No" she answered, "just me, I need to find Peter"

Curly expressed a funny look, "Peter? Since when you call him Peter?"

She didn't mean to call him Peter wen talking to Curly. She wasn't thinking straight but only feeling a bit of desperation to see the boy and speak with him. "That's his name, isn't it?" She replied.

"Uhm— yeah" Curly got on his feet, "it's just— no one ever calls him Peter"

"Well—" she paused, looked at her friend as she stood by the entrance, "get used to it then" then walked out of the tent.

Mara approached one of the campfires and grabbed a torch. Barely anyone in the camp noticed her, or they just didn't care that she was leaving. She walked out of the camp and went into the forest.

"Mara?" James called and was following her. "Mara, where you going?"

She didn't stop until they were further from the camp. "Just need to... just need to go find Pe— Pan" she turned around and faced James.

James furrowed his brows, "He could show up in the camp any moment, you know?"

"Yes but—" Mara sighed deeply, "it's something important that I need to speak about with him. It shouldn't concern you"

James glanced back, taking a moment to look as if to see if anyone else followed. But it's just him and her. "I'm a little concern, to be honest" he shifted his gaze back at her.

"It's honestly nothing" she tried to assured him.

James softly chuckled, "I'm pretty sure it's important. Mara, I may not know you that long but I know you're a terrible liar." His smile faded, his eyes dropped as his expressed a doleful look, "I know, Mara. I know you and Pan are... I've known for a while"

He didn't need to say more because Mara knew what he was talking about. It did surprised her, and at the same time, felt guilty. She let out a sigh, "I guess... I guess—" she didn't want to say it, afraid that she'll hurt him, "I guess you were right about what you said back in the waterfalls that night" she may have just admitted it. She just did.

It wasn't how she expected him how he'd react, "Well, I kind of knew so... it's no surprise" he let out a soft chuckle.

Mara wanted to smile, she wanted to smile for him, she even wants to tell him how sorry she is, she also wants to tell him that she loves him, how things would've been wonderful if it is him instead of Pan and the life they'd both share.

But before she could say anything, there was an odd faint noise in the distance. Sounded like something boomed. Somewhere in their south. Mara and James's attention were whisked to that noise that sounded seconds ago. Their sad smiles turned to confusion expressions as they looked up. The sound was followed by another strange noise, like a whooshing sound like it just flew by above them. Then boom. Somewhere in the mountain, something exploded, or collided. It was too dark to see what it was.

The camp was close to the mountain, they could hear it clearly, it sounded like something had been blasted and hit the mountain.

"What was that?" Mara questioned.

James didn't answer at all. They stayed quiet for a moment to see if the noise came back. Moments have past until they heard multiple people running towards them, coming from the camp, multiple torches coming at them and it was the Lost Boys running towards them.

"What's going on?!" James demanded.

Lost Boys began sprinting by the two and proceeded towards south. "The Cove! It's coming from the Cove!" Tootles answered as he stopped between the two, "Come on!"

No questions asked, the two just followed the Lost Boys to the Cove. All of them running and hurrying. None of them said a word besides panting and grunting as they ran, exhausting themselves like they already ran for miles.

Mara was getting tired, her mouth and throat began to dry and breathing also began to hurt. She could not stop and kept up the boys.

She was behind the boys when they finally reached the Cove. All of them stopped when they reached the shore, Mara stepped onto the shore and stopped. The Lost Boys all stood in a line or two as they all gazed at the sea. Mara went around the boys, found herself at the end and stood beside Thomas. To her surprise, Peter Pan was standing near the waters, seemed he had been there all along and like the Lost Boys, he was gazing at the sea.

It may be night, but there were many lights ahead like windows. The dark shapes, about four of them, Mara figured it out immediately.

It's the pirate ships.

They're here.

Captain Blackbeard is here.

***

The story has reached its finale
No more filler chapters and all that
Time to end this story I guess.

Things aren't going to go well at this point :/

Stay weird, everyone :)