The hunt game lasted all day before evening arrived. Mara ended up bringing in four stones from the preys she caught. From Rufio's, Nibs', and two others. The boys had thought she wasn't a hunter and all she did was to play the role of prey and lied that Curly was the hunter, James, Slightly, any of the boys she thought of and that convinced them that she was a prey.

She didn't think she'd catch anyone, she was surprised how okay she did in this game. She had to fight Nibs to get the stone when he refused to give it to her when she caught him. She barely got it off of his hand, she got lucky when he loosened his grip and dropped the stone then she got on her hands on it first.

There was a whistle by Peter Pan echoed through the forest which signalled everyone that the game was over, it wasn't even sun down and that meant that hunters caught every prey.

Once everyone were back in the caves, Pan called out the hunters to hand in the stones. There was Slightly, she had no idea he was a hunter, he had three stones and tossed them on the table. There was Ace with two stones, Twin Two with three, a boy named Luvic had only one, Devin had three and Ezekiel had two. All of them had less than Mara and that surprised her.

When she handed in her's without looking at Pan, it seems difficult to look at him after last night, or she was merely avoiding eye contact with him. "It looks like Turner caught the most" Pan said aloud and Mara heard a proudness in his tone.

There were murmurs and looks of surprises. She tried not to smile but pursed her lips and had a little smug smile on her face as she sat down on her ground.

Night was calm and quiet as the Lost Boys were getting ready to sleep for the night. "Okay, but how?" Curly asked her. "How did you catch four of them?"

Mara shrugged, "Just pretended and lied, they seemed easily convinced and probably because a girl can't be a hunter"

"It's like the game was easy for you"

"Wouldn't say it was easy" She was looking at a bruise on her where Nibs had gripped on with a stone against it as he pressed his palm too hard. "Had to fight Nibs for it"

"Well, he wasn't supposed to fight, supposedly once you're caught, you're out and you're not allowed to fight"

"Is that cheating?" She rubbed her wrist around the bruise.

"Doesn't matter, you beat him anyways" Curly laughed. He then looked across cave toward the back "Hey Nibs!" He called.

Nibs turned around and looked toward them.

"Is it true she beat you?!" Curly teasedj.

"Piss off, Curly" Nibs replied.

The blonde boy chuckled "anyway, I'm gonna hit the hay, big day tomorrow, mate. Have good dreams" he stood up and went to his spot.

Not long before the boys quieted down and went to sleep. Some were sleeping already while the rest were whispering to one another and Mara was trying to sleep. She still wasn't used to the ground, how solid and uneven it was, she missed sleeping in the camp, on her hammock. When she couldn't sleep, she began counting sheep like what Curly does when he can't sleep. She closed her eyes, then started to count. She didn't even reach three hundred before she fell into a dream.

The dream was peaceful and happy. With her mother and father, the three of them living in a farm, all happy like nothing bad ever happened to either of them. No death took her mother when she brought her daughter into the world, no war swept her father away from her, no illness took her guardian from her. And no adventure or world took Mara from her home.

Then something happened in the dream. A dream turned into a nightmare. Death took her mother, war took her father, sickness took her guardian and she left home. She was in Neverland, only to be filled with flames. There were men, pirates, these pirates took the Lost Boys and slaughtered them all.

That's when Mara woke up, instantly her head was up from the ground. It was all dark, barely a light from outside and the moon wasn't showing but shaded by dark clouds. The sky was completely covered by clouds. She heard something that almost frightened her, the moaning and the crying. Like it was haunting. It took her a second to realize that it was from the boys. They were moaning and crying in their sleep like they're all having nightmares.

Mara got on her knees and hands and crawled to closest Lost Boy which was Tootles, he was crying softly "Mama... don't"

"Tootles?" She shook his shoulder. She shook him until he finally woke up, he jumped as he startled and gasped out a cry. "Tootles, it's okay, it was just a nightmare"

She comforted him by holding him, "Mara?"

"Yeah, it's fine, it was just a nightmare, Tootles"

"Nightmare?" He startled, "nightmare?... we don't... we don't get nightmares, Mara" She could barely see his frightened face.

She remembered, he mentioned it once, he said they don't get nightmares when they're asleep in Neverland. Not once he said, not once he had ever had a nightmare and assumed nor the others have had one. That's why they all say have good dreams before they sleep, they always have good dreams.

Until now, they're all having nightmares at the same time.

Mara went up to wake up Curly, Slightly, Rufio, almost all of them in the cave she's in, she woke them up from their nightmares. More cries she heard from another cave which she went to. First person she woke up in the second cave was James, who too was having a nightmare. He was tossing and turning around, murmuring one word "Stop".

"James" She had her hands both on his shoulders and shook him, "James, wake up. Wake up"

Just a moment later, he shot up in sitting position and ended up in Mara's arms. He was gasping.

"It's okay, it's okay" She hushed, "Just a bad dream, James"

She felt his arms wrapped her tightly. She felt cold sweats around him against her bare arms. All she cared was comforting James as she forgot about her nightmare. She held him the longest time before he calmed and let go.

Afterwards, she went to wake up the rest with the help from James. It was still dark outside, very late too, she wasn't sure how until dawn comes. Everyone were quiet, all seemed to be a bit shock from their bad dreams. She didn't want to question why it was happening all in the same time, why they all didn't have good dreams like they do every night.

These questions were for Peter Pan, he's the one she needed to talk to and ask him. And yet, he's not around and has not yet to show up.

No one was talking, Some were still laying down, but not attempting to sleep, torches were lit, some looked confused while the rest looked miserable. She found James outside of the caves, sitting outside on a rock, his head down, leaning forward, arms on his lap and hands together. Despite what's been happening between them, she went to sit down next to him.

"You okay?" She asked.

He didn't answer right away, he nodded in response. "You?" He looked at her.

She nodded weakly. There was light in the sky, it was merely a moonlight, they could see it's light through the clouds, they seemed to be passing by. "The Lost Boys haven't had any nightmares for so long, do they?"

"They haven't, I haven't" He murmured.

"Has it ever happened before?"

"Not once when I came here"

Tootles said he hasn't had one either. Not once. And he's been here for decades. Decades without a bad dream. "Any idea why now?" She questioned.

James didn't answer, he seemed to be thinking, "I may have a thought" he got up, went into the cave but came back a moment later with a torch. He was leaving.

"Where are you going?" Mara stood up.

He turned his head, "His place" he said quietly then went on.

Mara wanted to see Pan, it was odd of him that he hasn't shown up, he would've, would he? With the Lost Boys waking up in the middle of the night and all of them having nightmares at the same time which never happened. She wondered why, so she went to follow James.

After all the nightmares they all woke up from, the woods seem somehow terrifying as she and James walked. The boy suddenly halted, and was glancing up, "You hear that?"

Mara stood still and listened, for a moment she thought he meant it would be the ghosts of the deceased whispering to them but it wasn't. There was small faint of cries and screams, children crying in the distance, they all sounded far away, and their cries echoed across Neverland. "Who?" She asked.

"Looks like we're not the only ones having nightmares" James muttered sadly.

She realized who, "Natives" she said under her breath. He nodded weakly then both proceeded to Pan's place.

It's been almost half hour since they began walking, "Is it far?"

"We're almost there, just about a few hundred paces ahead, I think"

They kept walking until James stopped in the middle of an open spot, then looked around as if he was looking for something. "What are you looking for?"

He kept looking as he replied, "A butterfly... it's blue and it should be...glowing"

Mara recalled the day he arrived Neverland with Killian Jones, they were looking for the camp, while they were looking, she saw a butterfly and followed it. That's when she first encountered Peter Pan.

"There it is" He found it on the left side within the bushes. The trees around them were very tall and very close to one another, the bushes around them were tall and towering over Mara and James. "Come on"

He went into the bushes and Mara followed. She remembered that's where she went, they kept going ahead, the blue butterfly was fluttering and flying as if it was guiding them both. It didn't stop until it found it's home. On a blue rose.

It was the exact spot where she first saw Pan.

She chuckled softly all of sudden.

James looked at her, "What?"

"Nothing it's just..." she paused for a second, "I've been here before, once"

"When was that?" He continued ahead and she followed, passing by the butterfly and the rose.

"When I arrived, I was with Killian and we were looking for the camp, I came across the butterfly and followed it" she recalled, "that's when I saw Pan"

"You would've come across his place" James stated, "I assumed he attempt to stop you from finding it"

"So you can't find it without following that butterfly?"

"Yes"

"How did he even—?" She stopped, but she sort of knew the answer, "never mind"

Not far ahead they went, they found Pan's own camp site. The area was open, a bonfire that seemed died out not long before, the charcoal were still burning and glowing in red and orange. The place was surrounded by the tallest trees, they were more thicker, standing close to each other looking like they were walls surrounding the place. There was a treehouse, a squared house between the trees and it stood about almost twenty feet high.

"Pan?" James called out as he glanced up at the treehouse.

There was no answer.

"Odd, he usually answers right away"

"Sleeping?" She wondered.

He shrugged, "Maybe"

Mara sighed, she decided to go in.

"Hey, Mara!" James uttered. "We don't ever go in!"

She ignored him, she began climbing up the ladder.

"Mara, don't"

She kept climbing up.

"Dammit" James gave up and decided to follow her.

There was a squared entranceway under the house where she climbed in. In the house, it was almost dark, she heard familiar soft noises, she could barely see as she stood up, she couldn't see what was on the walls or in the treehouse. There were shapes like a table with sheets and parchments, there was a bed. She heard Pan murmuring and muttering and the noises of him tossing and turning.

He's having a nightmare too, she realized.

***

Didn't think the chapter would be a bit long *L

Stay weird :)