Project: Neverland

Well, this is an old story i started at some point, and may continue someday, but it's on the back burner for now. I just thought my Neverland fans might like to see some of my writing, since I havent posted much of anything since I've been on here. You dont see much of it in what I have so far, but this book was meant to be slightly Dystopian-ish? 😂 Anyway, here's chapter One.

Project Neverland

Chapter One

The silent city night was disturbed by the crashing of a window. Peter's parents were gone,and now they were coming for him. He picked himself up and dusted the broken glass off his clothes, running with bare feet into the night. He looked back over his shoulder to see them standing in his window, their cold eyes watching him as he ran down the cobblestone streets with no purpose other than to get away. He had to find his parents. He knew the city well, but at night, everything seemed menacing. Every shadow, every corner and crevice, every dark window. His heart was racing and he willed himself to run past the dark places where someone might be hiding. He could hear them behind him now.

This shouldn't be happening. He shouldn't be out here. His parents shouldn't be missing. He should be in bed. On a normal night, he would probably be dancing around on his bed, playing pirate until his mother came in to tuck him in. But they were gone, those people were here, and he was quickly getting lost. And there was no one around to help a scared eleven year old. He couldn't even remember where his parents' friends lived, his mind was so scrambled from the adrenaline and fear that coursed through him.

“There's nowhere to go, Peter.” One of the voices called from behind him. He jumped as the shadow of a lamp post seemed to leap out at him and suddenly realized that none of them were lit. The only thing lighting his path was the moon and stars. As he was rounding a corner, he tripped on a loose cobblestone and rolled into the shadows of an alley. He lay stunned for a moment and started to get up when his pursues went running past. Then he realized that if they could hide in the shadows then so could he. He slowly got to his feet and looked towards the end of the alley. He could see the waterfront district. Maybe he could use a boat to escape. His father had taught him to row. He ran to the end of the alley and was promptly grabbed by a black gloved hand. He cried out and ripped free, running towards the dock, but they were on him now. They seemed to have multiplied. At first there had been only two, now there were five of them. He turned his attention back to the dock and saw one of them standing at the end of it, blocking his path to the small boat at the end.

“Nowhere to run, Peter,” he said. Peter looked around desperately for another means of escape. They were closing in on him. He saw the other boats, all lined up along the stone wall of the waterfront and got an idea. He made a dash for the line of boats and began running across them. It was harder than he thought, and he nearly tripped over the side of a boat multiple times, but he was able to keep going.

It had caught his pursuers by surprise, which had earned him a few extra seconds, but now they were after him again, running along the shorewall.

They were catching up. The one closest reached out his hand to grab Peter, inching closer and closer as they ran. Peter tripped again, but managed not to fall. There was no way out. The path continued out to the country on the shore, but if he leapt across, they would grab him for sure. Just as Peter was about to run out of boats, the stranger, completely focused on grabbing Peter, slammed into a lamppost, giving Peter the opening he needed. He leapt ashore as the stranger fell to the ground and took off down the misty path into the woods. One was out for the count, but there were still four more on his heels. Luckily they had been a few yards behind the first so he had more time to hide. He looked at the trees around him, looking for a suitable hiding place as he ran. He was getting tired. His legs ached, his chest was heaving, he was getting a stitch in his side, and all he wanted was to be asleep in his own bed, but these guys seemed to have endless energy. Even the fifth one was back up and chasing him now. Dried leaves from last autumn covered the forest floor beneath the trees, so if he strayed from the path, they would be able to hear him and find him immediately.

Once again, they were gaining on him. He tried to steady his breathing as he urged himself to run faster. A hand snagged the back of his shirt just for a moment, and he cried out in terror. What did they even want with him?

“Leave me alone!” he cried. He decided his only chance was to enter the woods now. Maybe he could climb a tree, or at least get lost among the lower branches. The leaves were unavoidable. He swerved to his left just as the stranger leapt for him and missed. The leaves crunched noisily under his feet and he stepped on a stick, which hurt, but he had to keep going. He could hear them crashing through the leaves as well and began zigzagging through the woods, desperately searching for a bush that could hide him or a tree with branches low enough to climb. His energy was nearly spent. He could barely breathe. His head ached. He tripped on a stick and crashed to his knees and considered for a moment just giving up. They would probably never stop chasing him. But then he remembered his parents, and how scared they had been just before they disappeared. No, he had to keep going. He staggered to his feet and headed to his right, where he could see moonlight seeping through the fog. Willing himself to forget the pain in his legs and side, he ran as fast as his body would allow. But his hesitation in getting up had cost him precious moments. His pursuers appeared behind him. Peter looked behind him as he emerged from the woods. Their faces all wore the same expression. Cold, calculating determination. Their eyes widened for a moment and Peter looked ahead, he gasped, but it was too late to stop. He tried to stop himself, but his momentum sent him flying over the edge of the cliff into open air. He screamed as he plummeted down to the ocean. He put his hands out so his face wouldn't be the first thing hitting the water and shut his eyes, but just before he crashed through, he swooped up so suddenly that it felt like his stomach had leapt into his throat. He opened his eyes and saw the moonlit water flashing by beneath him, as if something were holding him, but he was far away from the cliff, so they couldn't have grabbed him. He was flying.

Peter was flying! He laughed in disbelief and thought he must be dreaming. Maybe he would wake up to find it was all a dream and it was a regular Wednesday. That was the only explanation for all the strange things going on. Peter looked back at the rapidly shrinking cliff and saw his pursuers standing on the edge watching him, just as they had from his window. He laughed and swooped into the sky, looping and spinning and enjoying himself immensely. He looked up at the sky and saw the giant silver moon gleaming, surrounded by stars. He began to feel tired, his energy being completely spent, and began to dip towards the water. He knew he was probably going to crash, but it was a dream anyway. He would wake up in a minute. As he drifted off, the last thing he saw was three stars glittering brightly beside the moon, the largest being the second star on the right and closed his eyes on that image, a smile spread across his face.