Thank fuschiaanne for nagging me to get these next few chapters up. Probably no updates for about two weeks because I'll be in the wilderness of the off-grid

My hair was still kind of damp when I woke, the world taking a moment to focus into vision. My head had a throbbing ache at the back of it, kind of like someone slammed it on a brick wall a couple of times but it didn't sustain any serious injury. I groaned closing my eyes and rubbing them. I needed to get out to the mermaids, I needed to get out of here, period.

Outside was dark, really dark. The only light was from the campfire, bordering on a bonfire. I picked myself up from the nest of blankets and pillows, grass already forming underfoot and slowly made my way to the tent flap. Curiosity overlaid my fear and urge to escape. I began to tenderly walk forwards, keeping to the shadows lingering around the tent.

"You're becoming too much like one anyway." A breath tickled the back of my neck, instead of spinning around, I froze. The accent matched Felix's.

"How?" I asked, cocking my head slightly.

"Your curiosity is controlling your desire to escape, soon you'll forget the world that you lived within. Tell me." Felix said, spinning me around, I felt slightly flustered, looking up into his eyes and took a second to regain my posture. "Do you remember the name of your parents, or even what they look like?"

I searched my mind frantically, trying to place colours to faces. I had a father, I was sure and a mother, no, a stepmother. They were distant... And their names... I was never good with names but this was slightly pathetic. I searched my mind frantically. "No," I spoke, hushed. "I don't remember."

"Then you need to make a deal with the mermaids, or pirates even, whatever you can do, get back to your world. Don't trust Pan with getting you back, he made a mistake with Wendy Darling, he won't make that same mistake again."

Bartering with mermaids and pirates wasn't at the top of my list and didn't sound that fun. "What if... I, uh, wooed, Pan?" I whispered, a blush spread rapidly across my cheeks, I was somewhat sure that I could achieve the feat, Tiger-Liky had voiced her theory on Pan's grab for power.

Felix shook his head furiously, "I'd rather you not do that, Pan can't have everything he wants on the island, especially you."

I looked at the ground and nodded, thinking over my options, mermaids sounded viscious, Pirates were dangerous, staying would be failure.

"Listen to me Maria." Felix spoke, pressing a hand to my cheek. "Pan wants you to forget, because in doing so, he'd win, he'd win this game that you're so hopelessly tangled up in."

A sweet and melodical sound filled the air. Pipes, it sounded like. Felix's head jerked up in fear, his eyes flickered down to me. "You can hear that?" I nodded, Felix cursed, "then we're failing already, run Maria, run, to the mermaids or the pirates but far away from here."

"Okay," I whispered, nodding. "Okay."

"Run!" The words were more urgent and I turned into the thick forestry and began to run. Ducking under branches and dodging the lapping forestry leaves. My heart thudded in my chest and my mind was wild and rampant. At the same time, I felt free. The breaths I dragged in were cool and crisp, my mind thudded, wild and free. I was free.

My feet slapped on the ground as I went on autopilot, my mind following the direction of the teal-aura mermaids. I grinned, Pan was moving further and further away. I'd been running for some time but my body was not tired, if anything, in all it' s dark history, Neverland felt like home, felt like freedom.

I began to laugh as I ran but I full, head-on slammed into a person. We were both knocked over, a lantern shattered on the ground and a long stream of curses entered the air. The other person got up before I did and with a telltale shing there was a blade at my throat. I gulped, looking into the charcoal-coloured eyes of a dark-haired boy. He had to be around my age, sixteen, seventeen perhaps? He wore a deep purple overcoat with brass buttons and golden stitching.

His blade was joined by other ones, I looked into a thick gathering of purple auras.

"And who may you be?" The boy asked carefully as I glared at the collection of blades, decorating my throat like an odd necklace. My eyes flickered up at his next words. "I'm Hook, Jace Hook."

Pirates.