My pencil curves along with the outline of the apple. I glance up at the bowl for a reference on how the light is hitting the fruit. Shading is my favorite part of sketching. It never ceases to amaze me how different a drawing can look with just a few extra strokes of a pen.

The still life is almost done. I’m filling in the last of the shading for the table when the floorboard creaks from beside me.

“That looks better than the actual fruit." Aaron has his hands folded behind his back as he peers over my shoulder. I'm instantly glad I decided to draw the fruits and not continue my sketch of Charlie. Now that he's coming onto the island I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.

"Thanks." I tuck my pencil into the spine of the sketchbook and rub at the led stains on the side of my pinky. “What’s up?”

He places himself in front of me, leaning against the dining table. He looks really good in this lighting. “There’s this spot out in the forest I’d like to show you, if you’re up for it.”

“A spot in the forest?”

“Logan’s train cart hideout is nothing in comparison.” The sentence oozes with confidence. Aaron oozes with confidence.

I never thought I would be the kind of person to enjoy nature but this island has been changing my mind. Hanging out with Aaron is always exciting and not only because he can fly.

I can’t believe he can fly . . . or that I flew. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since it happened.

I put my sketch book down. “Lead the way.”

We cross the archway that guides us into the garden. He hops on and off the borders of the planters to test his balance, encouraging me to try. He acts as my spotter, as we call it in cheerleading, staying on the ground to catch me if I should fall.  

My eyes take in the changing sky. The sun has set and like curtains of a stage, the night is overtaking the sun. As its light dwindles, the stars become more vivid.

I have no clue what Aaron is going to show me when it’s getting dark out. We didn’t bring any flashlights and unless he developed night vision along with his flight, I don't think we'll see anything.

“You’ve got good balance,” he says, taking my hand to help me leap off the edge.

“I was a flyer on the cheer team. It’s helpful to know how to stay upright when you're being thrown in the air.”

“No wonder you were such a natural at flying the other day.”

It’s a playful comment but it makes me deflate a little.

“I wish I would have laid off my school work a little. If I did, I might have gotten a chance to compete at nationals.” I don’t know why I’m confessing this. We’re not playing the lightning game. Maybe playing it did what it was supposed to do: break the ice. Now I'm telling him about an inner heartache I didn't realize I had.

“You must have put a lot of time into your school work then.”

“Yeah, maybe too much.” We've made it through the clearing and now trees consume our figures. The light from the castle is not doing much to pave our path anymore. Soon, I won’t be able to see my hand if I hold it in front of me. There’s something thrilling about that.

“You couldn’t have known that your time to do that was limited,” he says. His voice tells me he’s floating above me. All I see is his shadow. “How were you supposed to know you’d injure your leg?”

He has a point. Life didn't go the way I thought it would. “I guess you're right.”

“Woah!” Aaron lands directly in my path. His chest bounces as he laughs. “You almost walked right into a tree.”

My face fills with heat. “My eyes aren't adjusted to the dark. I can hardly see you!”

Aaron has been reduced to a silhouette. I wonder how much of me he can see.

“Give it some more time.” He takes my hand in his and leads me around the tree. As we walk and talk, he continuously pauses to pluck flowers out of the ground. He must stroll through the forest at night often for his vision to pick anything up. He wasn’t wrong though. The further we continue, the more I can make out - like the reds in his hair and the vibrant colored leaves.

“What are the flowers for?” I ask, gesturing to the growing bouquet.

“Hmm. Ask me another question.”

“Okay . . .” I bite the inside of my cheek as I think. “Luka said you’ll be turning eighteen this year. Have you ever thought about what career you might want to pursue? Once all of this research facility stuff is behind you?”

I say ‘once’ like this is bound to pass - like the destruction of the Jolly Roger is inevitable. I know that it's far from the truth but optimism is all I have sometimes. Sometimes I have to cling onto hope even when it seems ridiculous.

“I don’t think about that kind of stuff."

“Because it takes away from your focus on what’s going on now?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t like the idea of having to take so much responsibility.” 

I try not to laugh because he sounds serious. I have to know if he's joking or not. I tug on his hand to get him to face me.

"What?" He laughs but it's a nervous one.

He is being serious.

"Do you realize that there are about a dozen people on this island who are very much dependent on you?" It’s one of the reasons he shouldn’t be planning to go back on the Jolly Roger but I’ll save bringing that up for another time.

He scrunches up his face in thought. "I guess you're right."

Making a sharp turn, he directs us down a steep hill. In this part of the forest, the grass grows higher. It's so high that I don't see the rock sticking out of the dirt up ahead. My foot catches on it and I flail my limbs out to grab hold of something. All that's available to grasp onto is air which doesn't stop me from falling forward.

I knock into Aaron's back which makes him lose his balance too. We both let out a shout as we tip over. Luckily, he's quick and lifts us both in the air. Gravity can't make us fall if we defy it.

This hike could have ended up awfully painful for me if it wasn't for his powers.

He sets us down at the base of the hill. "I say this kindly but you're a bit of a klutz, darling."

I smoothen out my skirt while disguising my smile with a phony straight face. "I didn't know we were going on a walk in the dark. I would have brought my night vision glasses."

"No worries. We're almost there."

We continue in a comfortable silence. I'm blindly following Aaron since the trees block out most of the starlight in this area. It's a little bit strange that I feel so tranquil, that I can easily melt into the crisp air of the night and the smell of pine trees. It's what I imagine a stroll through an enchanted forest would be like. No fear of wolves or creeping things or bad people.

I have never seen fireflies before. Up ahead are a group of them dancing about a row of flowers. Aaron stops to pick a white daisy and adds it to his bouquet. With the extra light the insects provide, I see that Aaron is being impressively strategic with his floral arrangement. It's not a random collection but a color and flower type coordinated mosaic. He has an eye for art - even when his eyesight should be impaired.

The fireflies follow us as we go as if they are standing in as replacement for the temporary absence of the stars.

Aaron turns around, the light of the bugs uncovering slivers of his figure. His expression is almost as bright. "You have to promise you won't look up until I tell you to. You have to keep your eyes down until I say."

"Are we almost at this spot of yours?"

"Yes but if you look up you'll spoil it. Promise you won't?"

"Promise."

The trees that had previously blocked out the stars have disappeared. I can tell because I can actually make out my shoes as I walk with my head down. We're passing through a meadow with flowers that reach up to our shoulders. They are a vibrant orange. Sure enough, Aaron picks one of them.

"Watch your step."

The flowers have peeled away and in front of me are three white painted steps. Holding onto Aaron's arm, I ascend them. He leads me over to some kind of a railing. The man made structure being placed boldly among nature surprises me. My curiosity is peaked. I want to know where we are.

“You can look up now.”

Breath escapes my lungs.

The stars are pretty back at the castle and even back at home. But out here, from under this gazebo? They are magnificent.

They are luminous. They light up the sky around them, painting shades of blue and purple that melt together in perfect strokes. There are hundreds of them - thousands, millions. They are nothing more than tiny specs but in the same thought, I think they are much more than that.

The sky has never looked more glorious. To think that the wondrous mural created itself, that the beauty was all an accident, never seemed more absurd. These stars were made to glorify something, someone, greater than them.

The memory of the stars coming down to dance around me when I laid broken and bruised on the deck of the ship is fresh in my mind. There are probably a million different manners in which I could have died after taking that fall. Yet, I didn’t. There is a reason for that. I remain here because there is still more for me to do. I have to discover what that is.

It takes me a minute to detach my gaze from the masterpiece. When I do, Aaron is holding out the bouquet of flowers to me.

“What is this for?” The arrangement is more stunning with the moonlight washing over it. It’s better than the ones sold at shops. They never sell anything this fresh or this customized.

“A friendly welcome to Neverland.”

I bring the flowers up to my nose. They smell of rich perfumes, sweet enough to entice but not enough to stifle.

“This is really kind of you. I have to ask, did you welcome all the boys like this?”

The skin underneath his freckles tints pink. “Not exactly like this.”

I bit my lip. “So, this is all a little extra special?”

“I might have put a bit more work into this welcome. The boys wouldn't appreciate something this romantic.”

I can’t help but notice how he is looking at me like I’m more fascinating than the scenery before him. It sends a chill down my spine.

“Romantic, huh?”

We stand with our shoulders brushing as we watch the cloudless sky. It’s astonishing to think that it was only days ago that I had felt hopelessly isolated. There was no attending school because I was in the hospital, no seeing Charlie since he was forbidden to be anywhere near me, and no time with my parents because they loathe my existence. Prior to then, that same sensation of being alone was ever present. There was no one that understood what it was like to live my double life. No one knew what it was to be signed off to people who view you as an item to be used, to have no one in your corner to fight for your freedom.

Everyone on this island - they get it. They’ve been there. They see me.

Aaron sees me.

Surrounded by the children of Neverland and the stars of the night sky, I have never felt less alone.

It might be minutes or hours when he finally asks if I want to fly or walk back. Flying is - ironically - the practical option. It will take more time to get back if we walk and there really is no reason to waste all of that energy when something more efficient is available.

However, I don’t want the night to end. I like Aaron. I want to spend more time with him.

When I suggest we walk, I expect him to be confused. He pleasantly surprises me by flashing me a grin and taking my hand in his again. His teeth shine like the stars.

“Good answer, darling.”

Forget movie theater dates, who's taking me on a moonlit stroll? Vote and comment! :)