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────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐒

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Unlike most days on Neverland, it had been pretty quiet and Everly was hoping it would stay that way so she and the boys could actually relax. The six of them were hanging around the cove either swimming in the small pool of water or trying to take a nap in the sand that surrounded it. Just as the blonde girl was about to doze off, a loud chirping cut through the peaceful silence before she slowly opened her eyes to see one of the messenger birds she and Tinker Bell had flying around above her.

After letting out a quiet sigh and rubbing her hands down the side of her face, Everly sat up in the sand and held her hand out in front of her just in time to catch the small scroll that the bird dropped before it flew away. The blonde girl ignored all of the boys' eyes on her as she carefully took off the string that kept the scroll rolled up before reading the letter from Tinker Bell.

Pan has a new Lost Boy on the island but this one is very special to Pan for a reason I haven't discovered yet. For the time being, I would avoid saving this one because it may cause more harm than good but it's completely up to you and your boys. Attached is a picture of the boy.

The final decision is on you but you also have to be the one to answer the question I know you dread. Is he worth saving?

Don't go in blind.

After reading and rereading the letter, Everly looked over to Sam, who was sitting on a rock nearby with curiosity on his face. As soon as he saw the look on her face, the second-in-command of the Saved Boys got to his feet and made his way over to the blonde girl before she handed him the letter. Her eyes stayed glued on him as she read the letter while a million questions that will most likely remain unanswered ran through her mind.

Once she finished watching Sam rereading the words on the parchment for the third time, Everly's eyes left his scrunched-up face before looking at the picture in her hand. Her blood ran cold at the familiarity of the boy before shivers went up and down her spine as a feeling in her chest grew like it was struck with an arrow. After studying every feature of the boy in the picture's face one last time, Everly looked up at the group of boys in front of her with one thought running through her head.

Is he worth saving?

"What are we going to do, Everly?" Adam asked, snapping the girl out of her daze before he got up from his place next to J.P. and made his way over to her and Sam.

"I...I don't know yet. I just need a second. I'll be right back," the former Lost Girl responded then got to her feet and left the two boys then made her way to the small cave at the other end of the cove. Once she was away from the others, Everly sat down on one of the rocks before staring at the picture in her hand once again while one of her hands runs through her hair a few times.

"What's wrong?" The voice cutting through the silence caused Everly to jump and almost fall of the rock before she turned around to see Sam standing at the entrance of the cave with a concerned look on his face. After staring at the blonde boy for a long moment, she muttered "nothing" to him before turning her back to him once again.

Just as she thought he left her alone, footsteps bounced off the walls of the cave before the blonde boy appeared in front of her and sat down on the rock across from her. "You're a terrible liar. What's going through that head of yours, Ev?"

"Remember when I told you about the boy who left me here and escaped off this island," Everly sighed before she broke her gaze away from him and turned her attention back to the floor near my feet, "I think this new boy might be his son and-"

"You're trying to figure out if the boy's worth saving."

"I feel like a terrible person for second-guessing everything. What do you think we should do, Sammy?"

"I think that everyone's worth saving despite where they come from," he told her, causing the girl's eyes to meet his once again before he continued speaking, "but it's your decision. You're the leader here."

"I hate when you're right."

"Then you must feel hatred a lot in your life," he responded, making a scoff escape Everly's lips before her eyes fell back on the picture in her hands.

"If I try to save him, I'm going alone. If Tink's right and this kid is important to Pan, then this is too dangerous for the whole group."

"But-"

At his attempt to argue, the leader of the Saved Ones looked back up at her best friend with determination in her eyes before she quirked an eyebrow at him. As soon as he saw the look on her face, Sam paused before studying every inch of the girl in front of him before coming to the conclusion that this was the most serious he had ever seen her.

"Okay, but don't expect me to be happy about it," he grunted while rolling his eyes in her direction.

"Sam, if anything happens-"

"Nothing will happen."

As soon as the words hit her, Everly's mind raced with the memory of her last conversation with Baelfire before they attempted to escape this island together. Her thoughts quickly snapped to the moment of him vanishing and leaving her to fend for herself on Neverland before the former Lost girl quickly shoot it off and looked back to the boy in front of her.

"I know, but if something does happen, keep the boys safe and don't let Pan find them."

"Nothing's gonna happen, Ev. But I promise I'll find a way to get them off this island if something does."

Once he finished speaking, Sam sent Everly one last smile before getting to his feet and making his way out of the cave, leaving the latter alone with her thoughts once again. Her attention went back to the picture in her hands before her mind raced with possible ways to get this special boy away from the Demon King.

Right as she was about to start coming up with an actual plan to help this boy, two sets of footsteps came racing into the cave before the twins appeared in front of the blonde girl with panic looks plastered onto their faces.

"There's a group of people near Dead Man's Peak!" Bobby shouted before Everly even had a chance to ask them what the problem was.

"Lost Boys?"

"Adults!" Robby yelled, causing the concern that was flowing through the girl's veins to vanish before she looked between the boys with confusion in her eyes.

"Adults?"

In response to her question, Bobby and Robby nodded with small smiles on their faces and hope in their eyes. Everly's heart began to race before got to her feet and ran out of the cave and towards the corner of the Safe Haven where they kept their equipment. The blonde girl slid on her quiver of arrows and grabbed her bow without a second thought then shoved a dagger into the inner part of her left boot.

Once she was prepared for her small journey, she began to make her towards the exit of the cove with the twins on her tail while receiving confused looks from the rest of the Saved Boys.

"I'm going to check out what the twins found. I want the rest of you to stay safe and stay hidden. Watch out for each other," Everly told them just as she reached the exit of the cove before she turned around to face them once again.

As soon as she received nods in response from all of the boys, the leader of the Saved Ones spun around and ran as fast as her legs could go towards Dead Man's Peak before thoughts as to why Pan would allow adults on Neverland began to consume her head. When she reached a clearing near her destination, the answer hit Everly so hard that she had to stop to comprehend the thoughts running through her head. Once she was able to shake away the panic of Pan finding the Truest Believer, the blonde girl continued running through the dark forest before finding the adults' camp. Her eyes stayed glued to the fresh smoke emitting from their firepit for a moment then she quickly climbed a nearby tree to wait for them to return.

After sitting up in the branches for what felt like hours, Everly began to lose hope of them coming back when the sound of bushes rustling met her ears. Her eyes scanned the empty clearing beneath her before a shrub is forced apart to reveal three women; a blonde and two brunettes. While one carried a sword and the other a bow and arrow, the last one carries nothing at all, which sent a wave of confusion throughout the girl's body before she quickly dismissed it.

Another moment passed of them talking to each other before Everly quietly climbed down the tree to get a closer look. However, as soon as her feet hit the forest floor, a loud snapping sound cut through the stillness of the dark forest. The leader of the Saved Ones mentally cursed herself as the three women's attention turned toward where she stood. As they began to come closer to her, the slight stress of being outnumbered filled her body before Everly brushed it off. A sigh passed over her lips as she loaded an arrow onto her bow before she came out of her hiding spot once she was prepared while silently hoping for a good outcome from their encounter.

"Who are you?" the blonde woman asked while unsheathing her sword after Everly came into the clearing before the former aimed the shining object at the former Lost Girl's chest.

"Did Pan send you?" the short-haired woman questioned when the girl in front of them made no move to respond before she matched her companion's movements and aimed her bow at Everly.

"I don't work for Pan," the leader of the Saved Ones scoffed before glancing over at the woman who had yet to speak, "did he send the three of you?"

"Do you really think that boy would work with us?" she retaliated while quirking an eyebrow in the girl's direction.

"If he didn't send you, then what are you doing here? Neverland isn't a place for adults."

"This isn't a place for kids," said the short-haired woman in a motherly tone, making another scoff pass over Everly's lips as she rolled her eyes.

The trio of women continued to walk towards Everly, who kept her fingers tightly wrapped around her bowstring while she tried to decide who was the most threatening out of the three. Surprisingly, the one without any means of protection is the one who was causing the former Lost Girl the most anxiety.

"You know, you're not going to win," the blonde woman stated as if reading the younger girl's thoughts before a small smirk began to form on her face, "there are five of us and one of you."

"I might have been here a long time but I know how to count," Everly retaliated with a hint of venom in her voice while sending a glare in the speaker's direction, "there's only three of you."

"No, there's five."

At the sound of the new voice, the blonde girl's body froze and her eyes widen before she slowly turned around to see two men. All her previous emotions faded and were replaced with shock as soon as her eyes met a set of familiar blue eyes. Before her brain could fully process the world around her, Everly's bow slipped from her hands and fell to the ground before she rushed toward Killian. The pirate captain quickly pulled her in for the tightest hug she had ever received as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Who's this?" the blonde woman asked, causing Everly and Killian to end their reunion before they turned to face everyone behind them.

"This is Everly," Killian told his companions before placing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side, "Pan took her from me a long time ago."

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