I felt emotionless, cold and I didn't know what to believe anymore. Neverland was a place of belief right? But I felt everything but hope and belief.

Attina and Adella helped heaved me onto the land, allowing me to cough and attempt to warm myself up as I violently rubbed my own arms. I remained quiet and the sadistic expression that Adella wore raised my interest...but she didn't say anything: the two mermaids swam off, a red-haired one that I hadn't seen before swimming towards me instead. Half of her face was below the water, her bright and beady eyes staring at mine.

"You're Serena," she said, delving herself up and down, rising only to speak; I nodded, dropping my gaze. I had a cluster of thoughts dancing in my head, like, 'why had Pan traded me?' and retaliation like, 'everything he does has a purpose, remember?' But then it all stopped, my mind becoming blank as it all got too much.

I meant nothing to him. I was right to be doubtful, I was right to stop and realise, but I was too caught up in a dream.

"I'm Ariel," she said and I remembered her name from the previous conversation. Narrowing my eyes, I shuffled back in my spot. "No, no, I'm – we're not here to hurt you."

"Then why have you all tried to kill me twice?"

"That poison was for Pan!" she exclaimed, her youthful expression showing only regret and sorrow, and I could tell she wasn't pulling tricks on me. I couldn't feel the pull I felt last time I got hypnotised by one of her sisters. "Serena, listen, please."

Dropping my gaze, I felt my bottom lip start to quiver. My chest ached, I was shivering and wet.

"I don't know what to believe anymore," I mumbled, wiping my eyes and sniffing. Great, here come the waterworks...

"Oh Serena..." Ariel said softly and in the corner of my eye, I saw her push herself onto the land beside me, her green tail slapping the water. "He's Peter Pan, you never should have trusted him."

"She's right."

Killian? Looking over my shoulder, I saw the pirate emerge from the shadows and take a seat beside me, the three of us on the cave's edge and looking out into the darkened abyss of Neverland's ocean; I didn't say anything at a

"We've tried to look out for you," Ariel said, heaving a sigh.

"At the ball," Killian started but I squinted my eyes shut, shaking my head.

"I don't want to hear it," I snapped, keeping my eyes closed as my lip continued to quiver. No, I'm dreaming. This is all a dream. I'll wake up with the lost boys soon enough. "Serena, I was going to expose his intentions but you were too caught up –"

"In being in love?" I snapped again.

"You're not in love!" Killian yelled and I clenched my jaw, my eyes dropping to the ocean as a single tear fell from my eye. "You're joining my crew."

"What?" I said, not bothering to wipe away tears. "I-I can't."

"If Pan finds out he can't control you anymore, he'll kill you," Ariel said anxiously, her eyes flickering between mine and Killian's. Can't control me? He's never been able to control me. What is she talking about?

"Just...trust me, I can handle him," I said quickly but the mermaid sighed.

"How can you say that when you've been blindly wrapped around his little finger?" Killian groaned, rubbing his forehead. I rolled back my lips, taking a deep breath. There was a part of me urging to be cautious around Pan, but there was a side to me that saw Pan for who he really was – I refused to disagree on that. Getting to my feet, I stared down at them in disgust.

"You're trying to turn me against him, aren't you?" I sneered and Ariel shook her head innocently, her bottom lip dropped.

"No, you must listen to –"

"I don't have to listen to any of this," I said, swallowing down the dryness in my throat. Killian just wants me so I can kill his pathetic nemesis, and Ariel probably wants me to poison Pan.

"She's right."

Speak of the devil...

"You little –" Killian sneered, getting to his feet and quickly unsheathing his sword. Pan hovered above the ocean before us, grinning with a tilted head. "Come 'ere and fight like a man."

"Or what? You'll kill me? We both know you don't have the guts," Pan chuckled, flying over and landing beside me, smirking right at me. "Hello, love. Miss me?"

But I only clenched my jaw, rolling back my lips in uncertainty. Yes, he came back for me but...no buts, Serena. Don't let them get to you.

I smiled, wrapping my arms around Pan's as he scooped me up, holding me close; he glared at the two, the mermaid diving into the water and disappearing from view. Killian held Pan's gaze, slowly sheathing away his weapon.

"You'll never win, Pan."

Pan just grinned before flying us out of the cave in silence.

+++

Pan gently landed on the grass, the campfire's glow in-sight. I dropped my legs onto the ground and unwrapped my arms from him, taking a deep breath. But he didn't say a single thing, not even to ask if I was okay. With an emotionless look, he turned on his heels and headed back to the camp. And so I followed, trailing behind him with a dry mouth. He's just tired...cut him some slack.

"Serena!" It was Jayden, smiling and running over to me from the campfire. I let out a "whoa" as he threw his arms over me and I smiled, hugging him back.

One by one, each lost boy came to greet me in some way: a hug, a hand shake and even a simple nod sufficed. But Pan disappeared into his tent when they had finished and my bottom lip dropped as I stared at the closed flap, the sound of the flute beginning to fill the night air.

"Oh cheer up, he's just in a mood," Ethan said, laughing and smacking my back twice. I forced a smile, nodding as I took a seat on one of the logs that surrounded the fire.

I sat in silence, listening to the boys' conversations, not really focusing on anything in-particular. But then my mind strayed from the current situation and reminded me of what had happened only moments ago.

Was Killian and Ariel telling the truth? They couldn't have been...Pan he...

But then I remembered how he had never said the words "I love you" back to me. But maybe he's just bad at saying them? I didn't know and I felt sick with all the thinking. Holding my arms closely to my chest, I thought, he can't be the bad guy. How many times has he saved my life?

But, again, I remembered his attitude towards the death of all of his boys. He acted so heartless and didn't seem to care about them in anyway. Stop, Serena, just focus on something else!

"Oi, someone's dropped their dagger," said Logan, a couple of the boys not paying attention and continued to roast food by the fire.

When I saw the weapon on the ground not too far from where we were sitting, I instantly recognised it as Pan's.

"Oh, that's Pan's," I said my thought aloud, getting to my feet. As I walked over to it, I saw that it wasn't clean like the rest of the weapons – there was dried blood, something I hadn't noticed. That's strange. It was clean a couple of days ago...I thought to myself, narrowing my eyes as I leaned down and picked up the dagger; I could feel eyes on me but I didn't care.

"Everything alright?" Felix said, noting my hesitance. Shaking my head, as if to snap out of a daydream, I forced a smile and replied.

"Yeah, it'll take it to Pan."

"It's probably just animal blood, you know," said James, winking. Yeah...but my stomach churned a bit and I kept my forced smile painted across my face.

I walked over to the tent, the pan flute filling the night air. I paused right before the flap, standing there with the dagger in my hand. I stared at the weapon, the blood only just dried over. I specifically remember him using this a couple of days ago when we were at the –

My stomach dropped, my throat tightening. Had he used the dagger on...someone while we were at the village? Surely not, right? Pan, he...

I sheathed the dagger for myself and headed back to my tent for the first time.