I wait for sunrise. But it never comes.

And that is when I know...the darkness truly has won.

I climb up Neverland's steepest cliffs. I could simply fly, but I want to feel the burn in my legs. I want to feel sore and tired. I want to feel anything besides hopelessness.

Right before I reach the top, I trip. I scream and tumble backwards.

Fly! Fly!

The command bursts through my mind, but I am falling too fast. I flail my arms and wait for the impact of the rocky ground. It never comes.

Arms wrap around my waist and yank me into the sky. My scream dies as we soar away from the cliff. Adrenaline still pounds through me.

The person lets me go. I know who saved me. He's the only one who could have gotten there in time.

I turn around, my legs wobbling in the air. I meet Peter's eyes and bite my lip. Why is he always the one who saves me? Didn't I already figure out that it was my turn to save him?

The silence whistles around us. I smile, but it doesn't reach my eyes. I touch the strap on my shoulder to ensure that my bag survived my fall. Fear slips away and I remember my wings. I can fly. I've done it before.

And I will do it again, so I can fly away from him.

"What? No thank you?"

I wince and float back towards him. "Thank you for saving me, although I'm not sure why you did."

"Why would I let you die? You are no threat to me. I've won."

"I know I cannot hurt you-" The dagger heats against my skin. Will not. "But that doesn't explain why you wouldn't kill me or let me die."

"I don't kill people." One corner of his mouth lifts. "I change them."

"Like the darkness changed you?"

Peter raises his eyebrow. "It has already touched you as well. You are not the same girl Felix found in an alley." He glances at my black outfit and shakes his head. "What happened to the dress?"

The smell of burning roses touches my memory. "I outgrew it."

"Really?" Peter folds his arms. "I guess you didn't realize that I can turn your clothes back into the blue dress. Or even into the rags you arrived in." He raises his hand. "But instead." He flicks his fingers and turns his own green outfit into a simple black shirt and pants that match mine. "Not bad...I like it. Very...comfortable."

I glare at him. He's mocking me. But that is nothing new. I close my eyes and imagine the clearing outside of the lost boys' hideout. Nothing happens.

"You learned the trick, so I changed the rules a bit. It won't work for you anymore."

I force a smile. "How thoughtful of you."

Peter laughs and stretches his arms. Pain twists his face.

I frown. His arrow wound must be bothering him. "She's good with the bow."

"Yep." He shakes his arm out. "She never misses. We used to practice ages ago. She was the only one who could beat me." He glances at me. "So, you've been busy. The spell, Tink's doing I imagine, prevented me from knowing that everyone had left. It was rather embarrassing."

"Sorry about that." I steady my voice. He seems fine about it now, but only a few hours ago he was angry.

Peter shrugs as he crosses his legs and fiddles with the pipe hung from his neck. "Ehh. No hard feelings. So you finally met the fairy queen."

How does everyone know? Did Felix tell him? But then how did Felix know in the first place? It can't just be my change of clothes-Tigerlily could have easily given them to me.

"I see she helped you. You've gotten me out of your head, but the fairies won't be able to protect your heart."

That is how he knows. He can no longer hear my thoughts. I lean back. It feels strange to hang in the air next to a boy I no longer trust. And his second in command who knows too much. "How did you meet Felix?"

Peter frowns. "Felix?" His words are measured, cautious and a tad confused. "I rescued him from an abusive home. He was one of the first I found. His family was a mess. Not all lost boys are orphans like Kelvin or you-not that you are a lost boy, I mean, you are lost, but a lost girl." Peter swallows "Anyway, his own father gave him that scar."

I flinch. How can a father do that to his own son? Then again, both my parents abandoned me. Felix has a story, like everyone else. Maybe a heart still beats under his tough skin.

"We became good friends. Back then the pirates still haunted this island. Their leader was the infamous Captain James."

"Hook?"

Peter grins. "Yes, but he wasn't Hook then. After a few run-ins, I cut off his hand. It was an accident, but I don't regret it. "

I gasp. How cruel! Of course, Hook is a pirate and this was a long time ago-but still. I think of Peter's daggers and Felix's scythe and the weapons the other lost boys carry. They aren't toys. They aren't playing pretend.

They have fought before and probably even killed a pirate or two.

I blanch at the idea of killing one boy. One boy who is threatening an entire world.

"Would you like to know how it happened?" Peter leans forward, his eyes bright.

"Not really..." But he ignores me. Clearly this is one of his favorite stories to tell.

"Hook was plundering different seas and tangled with some of the Indians. He kidnapped Tigerlily and almost killed her."

I think of the hardened warrior princess. "But you saved her."

"Of course." Peter shrugs.

I look away. I am only sixteen. Peter has lived for centuries of adventures and stories and people. Will he even remember me once all this is over?

He points at a strange rock a few miles into the ocean. "Skull Rock is where it all happened. Tigerlily was the bait. We were good friends then. They were about to drown her, but I managed to trick Hook-he was only known as Captain James then. I accidentally cut off his hand while we were fighting. The mermaids distracted the pirates and I rescued Tigerlily." Peter curls his left hand and holds it up. "The next time I encountered the captain, he had a silver hook where his hand used to be. I called him Hook. It started out as an insult, but eventually became his name. He should thank me. Too bad I got rid of him over a century ago. It would have been fun to show you their ship."

Fun? This is all a game in his mind, but it doesn't sound like it ever was a game to Hook. "Why did you banish him?"

"Well, our fights were mostly entertainment for me. Something to keep the boys out of trouble. But then Hook got darker. He messed around with Neverland's magic. He started casting dangerous curses. Tink sent me a message from the fairy queen. She warned me that it would soon get out of hand. Enough was enough. Felix and I confronted Hook and sent him away forever with his ship and filthy crew." Peter runs his hand throw his brown hair. "He was a scoundrel, that one. Almost killed Felix in our last battle. Felix has never been the same since. Facing death changes you."

"So when did the darkness start?"

"A bit after Hook left. It didn't happen overnight. Little by little we all started to change at night. It wasn't long before grumpiness turned into irrational anger. A few years later, anger became hate. Which became evil." He looks down. "And Felix was the one who figured it out. Someone had cursed us. The mermaids left, and the fairies soon followed. But most of the Indians stayed under the protection of a fairy spell."

I frown. "Doesn't it make sense that Hook might have cursed you?"

He shrugs. "Hook isn't powerful enough to cast a curse like this."

"Do you have any other enemies?"

"Not really. At least I didn't before the curse." He smirks. "But now there are many who want me dead."

My fingers hesitate over my hidden dagger. There are more than you know.