────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟖
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒

────── ★★★ ──────

Two days of careful planning and strategically avoiding the Lost Boys passed before Everly finally decided that she was going to make her first attempt at rescuing the next new boy from becoming one of Pan's minions. Knowing that the only Lost One she could trust on this island was Felix, the blonde girl concluded that the best time to infiltrate their camp was when they were playing one of their games. After gathering everything she needed for her journey, which included her quiver and bow, the former Lost Girl cautiously exited her safe haven then raced into the cover of the forest and towards Pan's camp.

Once she reached the outskirts of their camp, Everly quietly climbed up the largest tree on the north side of the clearing. She settled on the largest branch with enough leaves to keep her covered then she peered down to see Pan talking a boy. As she studied the new boy more, the blonde girl found herself growing concerned at the blank expression on the new boy's face, making it seem like he was a shell of his former self.

Everly's attention turned to Felix as he made his way towards the boy before Pan's right hand tied his legs together to match his wrists. After a moment of exchanging a few words that the girl couldn't hear, Pan and his Lost Boys walked out of camp, leaving the new boy alone on the log.

As soon as the sound of the Lost One's footsteps vanished, the former Lost Girl took the note she prepared out of the pocket of her cloak before tossing it on the ground next to the boy. Her eyes followed him as he leaned forward and picked it up from the ground before he read the words written. Her anticipation continued to grow while she waited for him to do one of the signals she wrote down but all he did was look around.

After a long moment passes of him not doing anything, Everly caught him stomping his foot once before she waited to see if he would repeat the action, only for his foot to stay planted on the ground in front of him. Once she was certain that he wasn't going to lift his foot again, the former Lost Girl took the pebble she had been carrying with the note out of her pocket before tossing it at the back of his head. Her actions caused the boy to turn his attention towards her before a hopeful smile appeared on his face. Before he could react any further, Everly placed her finger against her lips then she slid down the tree and quietly made her way over to the new boy.

"I saw you when I landed here. You were running from some of the boys," he whispered as soon as Everly was close enough to him, "how did you get away? Who are you?"

"Stop talking," was all the girl said at first as a bit of irritation made its way through her before she let out a quiet sigh, "do you want Pan and his minions to know I'm here?"

A moment of silence passed between them as the boy stared at the girl in front of him like a lost puppy. The two of them just studied each other before Everly found herself glancing over at Felix, who was beginning to stir.

"Who are you?" the boy asked once again, drawing the girl's attention away from Felix and back to the blonde boy in front of her.

"A friend and someone Pan hates so, again. Be quiet," Everly responded before she squatted down and untied the ropes around his ankles and wrists. After letting the ropes fall to the floor below us, the former Lost Girl grabbed his wrist and forced him to his feet before they both froze when a male voice cut through the silence that surrounded them.

"You're actually doing it," Felix sighed while rubbing his hands against his temples as Everly and the new boy turn around to face him, "it's a good thing you have your looks going for you because your ideas are crazy."

"Be grateful I'm taking that as a compliment. I'll see you later," the blonde girl smirked while the boy next to her was looking between the pair with a confused look on his face.

The only response she received from the Lost Boy was an eye roll before Everly's grip on the boy's wrist tightened then she dragged him out of Pan's camp and into the forest. After a few minutes of jumping over tree roots and avoiding random holes in the earth, the scent in the air changed from the natural forest smell to the saltiness of the beach. As soon as she felt the sand beneath her feet, the former Lost Girl's grip becomes so tight around the boy's arm that her knuckles begin to turn a ghostly white before she sprinted straight towards the vines against the rock wall.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted as soon as he realized where they were heading.

"Just trust me!" was the only response he received before they ran straight through the vines into the cove that Everly had grown to call home.

As soon as they were greeted by the familiar space, the girl released her grip on the blonde boy's wrist before she began her journey to the center of the clearing and next to a small pool of water. Everly sat down on the sand that surrounded the pond before turning her attention back to the boy she rescued to find him staring at her with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"What is this place?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of her as if he was expecting her to attack him at any second.

"I call it the Safe Haven," Everly responded, only for confusion to replace the curiosity on his face before the blonde girl continued speaking, "I call it that because it's the only place on this island that gives me a sense of security. Up until now, this is the only place where Pan hasn't found me and I'd like it to stay that way."

"Samuel," he replied, causing the blonde girl to quirk an eyebrow in his direction before she caught a flash of sadness cross his face as he let out a sigh, "Samuel Wilbert. But you can just call me Sam."

"Nice to meet you, Sam. I'm Everly Jones."

After he took in his surroundings one last time, Sam slowly walked towards Everly and sat down next to her on the sand. The pair just stayed in silence for another moment or two before it became too much to bear for the girl. The former Lost Girl broke through the stillness and began to tell the blonde boy next to her about how she ended up on Neverland and the tale of how she escaped Pan with the help of Felix. She then went on about how important it was for him to steer clear of Peter Pan and his Lost Boys unless he wanted to go back and stay with them instead.

"I was a knight before I was brought here," Sam told Everly as soon as she finished speaking before curiosity began to fill his eyes once again, "so, what's with you and that tall kid that was back at the camp?"

"It's kinda complicated," the blonde girl responded as she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them while trying her best to not let the awkward tension get to her, "after he helped me escape, we would meet up so he could tell me what parts of the island to avoid that day. After a while, things just kinda clicked."

A smile made its way onto her face to match the one on his before Everly's quickly fell once she built up the courage to ask the question she had been dreading as soon as she brought Sam back here. "What about your family?"

"I don't have one," the blonde boy answered before he looked away from her and to the sand beneath her feet.

After letting the silence of the cove surround them once again, a small smile formed on Everly's face before she placed her hand on his shoulder, causing Sam to look up at her before she caught the unshed tears in his eyes.

"You do now," the Jones girl told the boy, causing him to glance back up at her with a blank expression on his face before she continued to speak, "we're gonna need all the friends we can get if we're surviving this island. If there's one thing I learned, it's that his games are rigged so that only he can win. If you wanna beat him, you need to change the rules. So are you with me?"

"I'm with you."

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Twenty-eight years have passed since Everly first decided to go against Pan and free as many boys he took as possible. Which also meant that she'd been on Neverland for a total of thirty years.

In addition to Sam, the former Lost Girl saved four others and let them reside in her Safe Haven. Everly only failed once at rescuing a boy from becoming one of Pan's minions throughout the twenty-eight years. Ever since then, she and Sam were more careful with their planning and would secretly work with Felix to figure out the best time to get the new boys out.

The four boys' ages ranged from ten to fourteen and they all helped Everly with her mission of rescuing as many boys as possible to get them all off the island as soon as they could. First, there was fourteen-year-old J.P. who was their fisherman and was the main person to go out and get food for everyone. Then there was Adam, who was only a year younger than J.P. but had the intelligence of someone well beyond his age, which came in handy when they were making their plans and figuring out Pan's next move. Lastly, there were Bobby and Robby, ten-year-old twins taken from a place no one had ever heard of called Dallas, Texas.

After a few years of working together to make the Lost Boys as miserable as possible, they officially declared Everly their leader and named themselves "the Saved Ones." A name that the blonde girl found silly but it also summed up their group pretty well.

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