Forever - A Peter Pan Retelling

Pan

Winter Darling:

"Ready?" Ty's deep voice sounds through my ears as I huddle close to him.

I'm nestled in his arms, holding on for dear life since he's about to fly us to the treehouse. Heights have always been my greatest fear. Like a giant monster that I can't face. Not on my own at least...

"Ready..." my voice is shaky but before I know it, I'm up in the air.

I feel the soft breeze from the nearby ocean blowing through my hair as I breathe in the salty air. I manage to open my eyes very slightly to see the beautiful sight that is Neverland. Even though I'm still partially in denial about being in a fairytale land, I have to appreciate its appearance. It's exactly like the books: pale white sand, a clear ocean and a golden sun that beams through the blue sky.

Ty's grip on me never loosens, making me feel slightly safer.

Ever since I was a child, I've had this irrational fear of heights. I don't remember how or when it manifested but it's been torturing me for so long.

Eventually, he lands us on the ground and I feel as though a boulder has been lifted off my chest and I can breathe freely once again.

"What's your name? Pan will want to know" He watches me with those piercing eyes of his as if he's staring straight through me.

He takes a packet out of his pocket, resting a cigarette between his lips before pulling out a lighter. His finger flicks the wheel, creating a spark and lighting the end of the cigarette. The sizzle of the burning paper echoes through my ears.

"Winter Darling..." I respond but my voice is still quiet from the fear I was just in.

"Darling?" Ty raises his brows before letting out a sigh of desperation. "Pan's going to love that..." His tone is thick with sarcasm as he turns to walk to the treehouse.

I quickly follow behind as he takes us up some wooden decking. It's creaky with mold stuffed beneath some of the crevices and leads into the main part of the treehouse.

Ty walks in front of me, his large shimmering wings covering the view in front. His head is held up high as if every person we pass is below him.

We walk through halls upon halls of residents of the treehouse: lost boys. They stare at me in wonder as if I'm some kind of attraction. They whisper about me like I'm some kind of freak. I can't tell if it's because they've never seen me before or if it's because there looks to be something wrong with me. Either way, it makes me feel uncomfortable and I want to crawl out of my skin like a snake that needs to shed.

"Stay behind me and stay quiet. It's easier if I do the talking" Ty's tone is cold as if his instructions aren't only for my safety but also his.

We reach a large wooden door at the end of the hall and he bangs his fist against it. The door creaks on its rusty hinges as we wait for an answer.

When nobody opens the door, Ty bursts inside."Get out, girls" The angry rumble in the back of his throat sends 3 girls running out of the room. They're all barefoot, dressed in just their panties and clutching their clothes. Each of them has a head of thick, brown hair that bounces on their shoulders as they run past me.

I peek inside the room as I stay behind Ty and that's when I see him: Peter Pan.

Unlike everything else in this place, he's nothing like the fairytale. His hair is jet black and he looks much older than he was described as. He's sat on the bed, shirtless, showing off the lean muscles of his body and the tattoos running across it.

"Come to ruin the fun already, Tyler?" Pan grumbles and I watch as his abs tense up when he gets off the bed.

Beneath him is his shadow. The Neverland shadow, just as the books described. They state that Peter Pan holds "The Shadow of Life", which is ironic because currently, he seems to be the furthest thing from alive.

As Ty steps further into the room, the smell of cigars and liquor fills my nostrils. My eyes skim the dark room and I notice that all the windows of the room are bordered up with wooden planks but they're nailed down unevenly making it look like they were put up in a panic.

"I told you to not call me that" Ty's voice suddenly grows stern.

"And I thought I told you to not smoke." Pan gave Ty a cold glare and even though it was directed at him, I seemed to be more phased by it.

Pan's hand reached over and snatched the cigarette from between his lips before pressing it out into an ashtray that was already overflowing with cigar butts. A frustrated huff escapes Ty but Pan doesn't seem to care.

Suddenly, his gaze snaps down to me as I keep hiding behind Ty's wings.

"What's this? Another stray?" Ty reaches an arm around me and propels me forward, letting Pan take a look at me.

"She's human" Ty's words seem to catch Pan's attention because when I look up, all I see is the cold man peering over me.

It's hard to see what colour his eyes are when the room is so dark but they seem to have a dark green tint. Like one of those gloomy forests that kids always think are haunted.

"What's your name, girl" Pan says the word like he's spitting something disgusting out of his mouth.

"Winter Darling..." As soon as I say those words, I immediately regret them.

Pan glares at me and suddenly grabs my wrist. His grip is strong as I hold back a groan from the pain that's stinging my skin. Pan yanks me forward and grabs a fist full of my hair, using it to pull my head back.

He pushes and pulls at me and I start to feel like a mouse being tossed around and played with by a cat. It's only a matter of time before the cat gets bored and the mouse is swallowed whole.

"Darling? You are not a Darling. You look nothing like her. Look at you!" His expression grows dark as he examines me. "Take her back. She's nothing like my Darling" He pushes me away and I feel Ty's solid chest on my back, keeping me upright.

"She's not for you, Pan" I hear the frustration build more and more in Ty's voice every time he speaks.

What mess have I gotten myself into? I think to myself.