^The video above is Shelter by Porter Robinson and Madeon. The video is so pretty and I just love the message! :D 

I turned to Pan the second everything calmed down. It wasn't long after the other boys had scattered about the room, many to make themselves as comfortable as possible.

They were lazed about, many flung across their beds as they drifted off to sleep.

How they could be so casual about the events they just witnessed, I had no idea. They acted like it was all completely natural for something like this to happen.

Only Josh remained near Pan and me. He was once more a ghost at my side, willing to defend me even against his own leader if the situation demanded it. Yet, instead of talking, he still shyly shuffled his feet around the dirt floor.

"That was not my brother." My words came out in a rushed blur as I tried to defend the odd actions of Daniel. I had to show the man before me the truth about my brother.

A single red brow arched above Pan's inquisitive eyes. Skepticism lived within their blue depths. "Was that an imposter, then?" Sarcasm laced his words in thick lines, blurring the question into a statement.

I wiped his sarcastic comment away with a small gesture of my hand. "No," I said incredulously. "Of course not. But my brother would never be so harsh. Not towards me."

Sure, Danny had never shown love towards one of the things that brought me such joy. He had stomped my love for fairy tales into the ground, but that never meant he would destroy my confidence as well.

Danny had used his words against me many times, but always as a childish last resort. He always made sure to apologize afterward and to make up for it with humorous gestures and silly games.

In other words, Daniel wasn't the best older brother, but he at least tried. He made sure to include me in his random adventures and rarely left me by myself. He was the best any younger sibling could ask for while still remaining as humanly real as possible. I wouldn't have wanted him any other way.

And the boy who had so boldly insulted me was nothing like the older brother I remembered fondly. That teenager was willing to destroy me even at the cost of his own life.

A shudder passed along my spine.

Shock or no, Daniel would never say such things.

And I needed a way to ensure Pan of this. He didn't know my brother's character like I did.

So I tried again. "Danny wouldn't do this, Pan." Desperation echoed from my words and bounced around Pan's head.

The man stared at me for a long moment, gauging my certainty with a calm focus. "Alright," he said softly, "But if what you are suggesting is true, then I'm afraid of what will happen to the brother you did know."

Confusion crashed over me like a wave, casting me adrift with nothing to keep me from drowning. "Why?" Was my singular response to his crypticness.

Pan turned away then and gazed across the cavern towards an empty bed. No words left his mouth, yet such emotion flowed from him. Guilt, sorrow, regret. Things that left a hole in one's heart.

It was the bed that Fin had previously been hunkered beside. Now that he was gone, the spot was left vacant, and the other children seemed to be avoiding it at all costs. They observed it reverently, as one would a deceased relative's spot at the table.

"Because," Pan began quietly, "This island will finally sink its claws into him. Then no one, including you and I, will be able to help him. The Daniel you knew will be as lost to you as this island is to the world."

Pan had barely finished his sentence before another was blurted out against his.

"But that's not true!" The red-haired boy interrupted rather abruptly from the spot beside me. It was rare for Josh to interrupt, but since I had joined this adventure, he seemed to be experiencing more brasher behavior.

Pan's head whipped around in Josh's direction. His blue eyes narrowed dangerously. He waited silently as if sensing that this was not all the small boy had to say.

"Wyn can save him! She can save all of us! It's why Gwen sent her in the first place! Gwen believes in her, and so should we. She's the sole reason any of this has happened!" At the end of his small speech, Josh took a deep breath before blowing it out through his nose. Exasperation lined his face.

He grabbed my hand before pulling me close. "This girl, this girl right here is the reason any of us have hope. What's faith, trust, and pixie dust without a little hope to hold it all together? Without hope, the other three are simply meaningless."

Pan and I watched the distraught boy as his chest rose rapidly with emotion. It was easy to tell he felt strongly about this subject.

I felt a thick blush burn across my cheeks. Josh put so much faith in me. I wasn't sure I was comfortable living up to his expectations, though. I was just a little girl and he was putting the weight of the world on my shoulders. I could barely hold my own world up.

But another boy had an opinion just as equally important and devastating as Josh's.

"If she's supposed to save us, then explain to me why Fin just stormed off into the forest? Face it, Josh! We're all done for, and nothing we do or say can stop that."

The boy was the dark haired Zac, his usually bright cheerful mood dimmed into a shade darker than even his midnight hair.

I watched in horror as some of the other boys behind him began to agree in hushed whispers. They soon grew into full out comments and debates.

"It's time we accepted our fate, Josh. Let the girl go back home. At least she has a future waiting for her there," stated a now somber looking Eli, "Zac's right. Just face it."

None of their conversation made any sense to me. Why would Josh just give up? Fin and Daniel were out running by themselves, where they could be snatched up by any of Pan's enemies!

We needed to find them, not give up when the first obstacle jumped into our path! And going back to London without my brother was not an option!

Throughout this entire integration and demolition, their leader had remained a silent figure that towered above all. He didn't step in to either defend Josh or to degrade him like all the rest. He simply observed with a silent tongue.

I nudged him gently with my elbow.

He started slightly as if lost in a world far from our own. One where memories lived and nightmares stalked.

"Pan," I inquired softly, "What are they rambling on about?"

Pan turned to me then, a mournful look taking root within his eyes, turning the cerulean into a deep sapphire. He knelt beside me, completely bypassing the arguments being thrown between the boys.

"Wyn, I need you to go search around the island. Maybe you'll find something that none of us have." He stared into my eyes, capturing my attention within his blue one. They silently begged me to do the man's bidding.

I gave a single, slow nod.

Pan gave a sharp nod back before rising to face the boys.

A hush fell over them like a thick blanket.

"It's been decided, then," Pan announced with a clap of his hands, "Wyn is leaving. But not to travel back to that dreadful London. She's going to find Fin and Daniel to bring them back." Then, with a pointed look thrown a certain copper-haired boy's way, he added the word alone onto his sentence with an air of finality.

I watched, transfixed, as every one of the boys fixed an almost reverent stare onto me. I stared back for a moment before deciding to do as Pan said.

I crossed the room in a silent cloud, the stares of the boys chasing me up the rough stairs.

Step after step I passed in a haze. How would I find them on an island as large as Neverland? They could be anywhere by now!

Surely one of the lost boys would be way more effective at finding them?

At the top, I broke out into the fading sunlight of the Never forest, my head swimming with possibilities. It was time to begin, whether I was ready or not.   

Hey, guys! :D

It's been a while! 

And it is once again time for camp nanowrimo, which means I'll be updating a lot more in the upcoming months! :D 

I hope you all liked this and enjoyed! :D

Thank you so much for reading!Have a great day/night! 

-Anna

P.S. This chapter is dedicated to @KevinaOyatedor!Thank you for being such an amazing person, friend, and reader! (And writer, you're so great at that!) :D