It's morning. It's definitely morning. But the sun, the sun did not rise.

It was still dark as the night, night has consumed Neverland. That means everything and everyone on the island will begin to grow anytime soon. That wasn't that scared Mara, but it's the fact of what's coming in the end and what's going to happen.

It was strange, very strange to see the entire camp waking up in the night, at this dark, they'd be sleeping but it's morning. Strange and somehow terrifying too. Mara saw this coming, surely everyone did as well but she never thought it would be so soon. The Lost Boys showed no panic or any frantic emotions, but Mara believed that they were actually scared and worried.

Breakfast wasn't ready, no one was making breakfast or prepared for it. Usually Pan does that but he wasn't anywhere in sight, he hasn't shown up in the camp.

"What happens then?" Mara asked, sitting down between Slightly and James.

"Slightly will finally grow a beard and some grey hairs, I suppose" Curly murmured. "You know that"

Ignoring his sarcasm remarks, "How can we suppose to tell if we're growing? Would take months to notice, don't you think?"

"We'll know" said James, nothing else then, his worried look told Mara there is something that he doesn't want to tell her.

Mara was waiting for breakfast, someone to bring meals to the camp but Pan still hasn't shown up. When seeing other Lost Boys who had left little while ago then brought breakfast for their own, that's when Mara left to find something to eat.

It took within half hour to find some, came into the camp with a bag full of different fruits, all for herself and her tentmates. She set the bag down in front of them, the boys thanked her for it and breakfast started for them.

It was so strange to have breakfast in the night, under the night sky, under the stars and under the full moon. With an owl hooting somewhere near the camp, crickets chirping in the bushes, wonder how long they'll notice that it's truly morning and the sun would've been out by now. They'll tire out eventually. The Lost Boys were sitting almost quietly, some were whispering to one another, exchanging conversations with a friend next to them while breaking their fast and waiting for their leader to come.

"Where the hell is Pan?" Nibs abruptly stood up and sounded angry. "Shouldn't he come by now and give us some speech?"

"Shut it, Nibs!" Thomas snapped, "Show some patience and sit your arse down!"

"Take a look up at the sky, Thomas! Where's the bloody sun? You know what this means, Pan would've come before we even woke up or notice the sky! Where is he?! Unless he's dead like he's supposed to!"

Mara was confused. Pan said he'd die when... when the sun is gone? Or when everyone begin to grow?

"You don't know that, that would be too soon. We knew this day would come..." Thomas reminded him. "Quit being an idiot or go cry somewhere else, you wimp!"

Nibs gave him a glare, and stared at him briefly before turning, walked away and went into his tent instead. There was an utterly silence for a long moment. No one said anything, Mara wanted to say something but couldn't find words.

"Looks like Pan isn't coming anytime soon—" there was a boy name, Uriah who stood up, "since we all know what's coming— I mean who's coming... Captain Blackbeard could be on his way here now, who knows. I think we all know we don't stand a chance from him. We know what he's capable of. No way, there's no way in hell we have a chance, he'll slaughter us all—"

"What the hell are you saying, Uriah?" This was Felix.

"I'm saying I think we should all just leave while we still can" Uriah implied

"You serious right now?" Felix stood up from his seat and approached the boy but halted few feet from him. "After everything we've all prepared for, all these years, and now you want to runaway?"

"I just want to survive," Uriah had a guilt look on his face, "When I first came here, Pan told us this place is meant for us where we could be free and where imaginations come true. Peace and all of that. But he lied! I came here to be free and not to go on some war and fight for someone's battle"

"It's yours too, you dimwit!" Thomas said abruptly, "It's all of ours. This is our home, this place is ours, it's meant be ours and we can't just abandon it and let someone else take it. Neverland is for us, for children like us, not for grown ups like Blackbeard and we cannot let him have this place and take it from us"

"But we'll all die!" Uriah yelled, he turned to Felix, "You saw it! You saw that we all die, even the runt Curly!"

"Hey, piss off, you coward!" Curly scowled and promptly stood up before Slightly grabbed his arm and sat him back down.

"I'm sorry, Curly" Uriah said half-heartedly before turning his eyes on Mara, "I'm sure you've seen it too, Turner. You were poisoned by Dreamgiver, you saw it right? We all die. First, Felix, then Curly and then Turner. Keep saying it's all just damn coincidence because you know that it's going to happen! You're all too stubborn to believe it and keep on believing that we'll win the war!"

Mara didn't say anything, neither did the rest of the boys because they all seemed to begin to believe that the boy was right. They're all going to die. All because of some visions that Mara had, that Felix had and so did Curly.

But as the moment of silence has past, Peter Pan suddenly stepped out of the shadows, Mara wondered if he had just appeared there or have been there the whole time. His look hinted that he have heard everything what the boy said. Pan looking a bit peevish with his arms folded as he approached the boy and stopped in front of him. Uriah didn't look too worried at all.

"Are you finished, Uriah?" Said Pan.

The auburn haired boy glanced down before turning away and went back to his seat.

Every eye in the camp laid upon their leader as he stood in the middle of the camp. "Maybe Uriah is right" Pan shrugged, "If that's what you all truly believe, if you really believe that we'll all die, then we will. You're all forgetting something... the most important thing... and that is believing. This place is also made for believing"

Mara glanced down at the ground, some did too. It is true, a lot of these boys had stopped believing long time ago, instead they all feared what was coming.

"You know what, forget about what Felix saw," Pan went on, "forget what Curly saw and forget what Turner saw in the visions because what we should all believe is that we have a chance... We do have a chance, if we all believe because the more we do, the longer we keep at it, we have hope. Blackbeard does not, he was never a believer like all of us, he was truly a coward"

Mara looked up at Pan again.

"If any of you want to leave, then you can" Pan was looking directly at Mara for a moment as if he was only talking to her before turning away, "I'm not going to stop you, I get that you just want to survive. You're free to leave now... and I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise about this place"

No one said anything at all, nor made any movements and kept on their seats. Mara wanted to say something, but still, she didn't find any words at all.

After a brief silence, Pan continued, "We have more time, more time to plan, more time to train, so if you want stay and fight for our home, go on to the training grounds" and with that, Pan dropped his arms to his sides before walking away and left the camp.

Another silence, no one made any movement or spoke. It's as if every one of them is waiting for someone to say something. Say something that could agree on. Or they all actually thinking about leaving or staying.

Pan says they can leave, they're free to leave and that means Mara can too. Or if they want to stay and fight for Neverland, all they have to do is head to the training grounds. Keep training until the war comes.

The decision was easy for Mara. It was an easy choice for her.

She let out a sharp sigh, she got up and she was about to go into her tent. Before James asked her "What're you doing, Mara?"

She halted, turned, glanced over at James, at Curly, at her friends then at every boy in the camp who were all looking at her. She shifted her gaze on James again then responded, "What do you think?... I'm getting my stuff before I head to the training grounds" she shrugged then went inside the tent to get her things.

James let out a smile before looking at Curly, Slightly and Tootles. The three smiled as well then got on their feet, going into the tent to get their stuff too.

With Mara's instant choice had encouraged the rest of the Lost Boys to do the same even though some had already thought of the same choice.

***

stay weird everyone and thanks for over 100k reads and thanks for sticking to this story even for my kind-of slow updates and for being patient! ❤️😊