When you're in Neverland, try to avoid people. Especially people named Peter Pan.

"Welcome home, Uriel. We'll see you soon."

I woke up, breathing hard.

"Where am I?" I asked nobody in particular. "Who am I?"

I looked around and saw a forest. Just a forest, nothing fancy or abnormal about it. I had been lying down on a little bed of leaves. I remembered the voice with yellow eyes saying, "Welcome home, Uriel."

How could this place be considered home, though? Who drops a girl in the middle of the woods with no memory of who or where they are and thinks they'll consider it home?

Yeah, you heard me. Girl. Yes, Uriel is a boy name, and yes, I am a girl. I would explain it to you, but wait, I don't remember!

Anyway, I checked my supplies as soon as I was sure that there was no one around to bother me.

"Just like I thought," I sighed. I didn't have anything in the way of food, water, or clothes. Just a spiral notebook and... "Is that a knife or a sword?" I muttered, even though I already knew. It was a steel hunting knife the length of my forearm, and it was wickedly sharp.

Well, there's that, I thought, setting it aside and checking the book out. I would need to figure out how to use the knife later.

The first page of the book said Be careful what you wish for. It had a sketch of two stars at the bottom of the page. The next page said Rule #1: When you're in Neverland, try to avoid people. Especially people named Peter Pan.

Peter Pan? What the hell? What kind of a name is that? And what's Neverland? Is that where I am? I thought. I wasn't sure I could trust this book, but for the moment it was all I had. I started to look through the rest of the book when my stomach growled. I hadn't eaten in... however long I'd been passed out. The page I'd stopped on had something about some plant called Dreamshade, and how I should stay away from it.

"Alright, no Dreamshade. I do need food, though." I stood up and shook out my legs, trying to wake them up. When I was stable, I grabbed the book and knife and delved deeper into the forest. About twenty minutes of mindless wandering later, I stumbled upon a clearing full of berry bushes. There was no sign of any Dreamshade (there was a sketch in the book), but there were some strawberries and blackberries. I instinctively stayed away from the strawberries.

Maybe I'm allergic.

I pricked myself repeatedly on the thorns, but managed to get enough blackberries to stop my stomach from growling so much. As I tried to pry another one loose, I heard leaves rustling and branches snapping.

Someone's coming.

I hid in the blackberry bushes, ignoring the thorns and branches pulling on my hair and clothes. As the noises got closer, I heard two boys talking.

"--Come on, Felix. He could be anywhere!"

"Well then I guess we're searching everywhere, aren't we Sammy? Because Pan's orders were to find the new boy and bring him home, and we follow Pan's orders," another boy snapped.

I peered at them between the branches. The angry one- Felix? -was a little older, with blonde hair. The other one was brunette and a few inches shorter.

They kept arguing as they walked through the clearing and disappeared into the trees again. I let out a breath and got up, dusting myself off and not at all expecting to have a boy in a green shirt hold a knife to my throat with a grin.

"Well hello there, love. I don't recall inviting a girl to the island recently. Who are you?" he asked cheerfully.

I glared at him. "I don't know."

He sighed, exasperated. "Your name? I expect even a girl would know her own name?"

I glared at him silently. Just who did this guy think he was, demanding to know my name while he held a knife to my throat?

He pressed the blade a but harder to my skin, drawing blood. "I asked you a question, love," he said softly. "And when I ask a question, I expect an answer. Otherwise, my wrist might... Just... Slip. Now, since you're new, I'll repeat myself. Just this once, ok? What. Is. Your. Name?"

"Uriel. And don't call me love," I spat. I may be sassy, but I don't have a death wish. Ok, maybe I did. Just a little.

He raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I see now. Uriel. Shadow made a mistake. Well, Uriel, today's your lucky day. Wanna know why?"

I nodded as best as I could without cutting my own throat open.

"Because you're coming with me." He took the knife off my neck, but before I had time to even think about moving, he had a piece of rope tied around my wrists.

Where did he even get it?

He marched me like a trophy through the forest. I guessed there weren't very many girls in this place. Eventually, we made it to a clearing, much bigger than the first. There was a fire pit in the centre of a log circle and some tents scattered around.

"Boys!" The boy behind me called. "Let's play."

Immediately, around twenty five kids ran up or dropped out of trees, giving the boy their undivided attention. The ones that didn't glare at me looked at me confusedly.

One of the boys from earlier, Felix, was one of the glaring ones. "What is there a girl here, Pan?"

I glared back. He said the word 'girl' like it was a disease, but Pan didn't even act surprised.

"Keep your pants on, Felix. This is Uriel," Pan said easily.

Every single boy's eyes widened.

"The new boy?" Felix asked, not believing him. "But you said--"

"What I said was that the newcomer would be disoriented and wandering around, Felix. I didn't lie, did I?" Pan snapped.

"Then how--"

"Shadow made a mistake. She's staying until we figure out what to do with her, got it boys?"

They all nodded but froze when a deep voice said, "I didn't make a mistake. She is here because you willed it, Pan."

That voice... Welcome home,Uriel. We'll see you soon.

It was Pan's shadow?

Pan looked bored. "Boys, training time. Felix, make sure our little guest doesn't escape, alright?"

Felix nodded. I was herded away with the boys to what looked like forest boot camp. Felix sat me down on a log roughly.

"Don't even think about trying to escape, girl," he sneered.

I should've kept my mouth shut, but I couldn't. "I have a name, little Lost Boy."

He whirled and grabbed my face roughly with one hand. "I couldn't give less of a damn. You're a girl on Neverland. You don't belong, so I'll call you whatever I want."

"Unless Pan says otherwise."

He smirked. "Of course." He leaned in close, putting his lips to my ear. "But you know what? He won't."

He released my face and spun on his heel, telling something to the boys. I just sat on the log and glared at the ground, pretending to be really interested in my shoelaces.

*Pan's POV*

I was livid, even though I didn't show it to the boys. "I told you that I wanted the most capable boy! Not some short, skinny girl."

"You said only that you wanted the most capable. I got you the most capable in the Enchanted Forest."

"I doubt that, Shadow."

"Then test it yourself. Have her fight Felix. If she loses, I will take her home and find another. If she even survives."

"We both know that Felix will crush her," I said, warming up to the idea.

Shadow shrugged. "One less girl on Neverland, then."

I nosed thoughtfully. "That could work out well. Yes... I like it."

*Uriel's POV*

I hated this. I hated it with every fiber of my being. Every cell in my body was screaming at me to get up and train with those boys, as if I wasn't used to being forced to sit things out.

Hm. At least I wasn't lazy. It was a start.

Stupid Felix. Stupid Pan. Stupid Shadow. Stupid amnesia. Stupid--

Someone cleared his throat and brought me out of my tiny insult spree.

"Uriel."

"Pan. Are you here to insult me about being a girl again? Gloat? Maybe do a little torture before dinner?" I didn't know where that came from, but as soon as I said it, I knew that he'd tortured before. More than once.

He snickered, not even looking fazed. "None of the above. I'm here to offer you a deal."