For several days, I didn't sleep in the cave on top of the mountain.

When you got to exploring the island, you found that it was actually quite beautiful. The forest was a lush green, the mountains teased the clouds, the clear waters sparkled in the sunlight and the energy of magic hummed in the ground like a volcano waiting to erupt.

Of course, this was all a figment of mine and Peter's imagination. It was almost poetic that something so beautiful could be created by something so broken, but I suppose that's what created the harmony we'd established.

At least, I thought we had established.

The ship rocked lightly in the wind as it remained anchored to the land; a young sailor that hungered for the ocean. I could almost taste the bite of salt from where I stood on its deck.

Ever since discovering Peter's secret, I'd been sleeping on the ship. Admittedly, it was lonely and I missed my best friend, but what he had done was unforgivable.

Peter had begged me not to be mad at him but I'm not sure that I couldn't be. He had brought another child to Neverland. He had taken a child from their home. What about his parents? Did the boy not want to grow up?

"Why was that such a bad thing?" Ambrosia questioned. "Didn't you create Neverland for children?"

"Unknowingly," I replied. "Yes. But we never agreed on stealing children from their homes in the middle of the night."

"I thought the children came willingly?"

"For a while, they did."

Was it such a terrible idea? Taking children from their homes and bringing them here was wrong, but maybe there was an upside.

"This is what we wanted, James." Peter had said. "A kingdom for you and me." He has held my hands in his, gently placing it flat on his chest as he looked up at me. "Do you not want that anymore?"

"It's not real, Peter. None of this is."

"We make it real."

"We pretend. None of this would be here if it weren't for us."

His eyes had sparkled. "It's here because of us."

There was light in Peter's eyes, but slowly over time I had begun to notice it fade. With each day, they were a little darker. A little more lost. Peter Pan loved dreams so much he was starting to become one.

The sun beamed down on the island, a scene of mocking hope. Hopping the rails, I landed on the sand beside the enormous ship.

Trailing my hand against its wooden structure, I traced it all the way to the bow and up to the bowsprit. The wood was warm under my hand, gleaming in the bright sunlight. A distinct shine radiated off the surface from the bow to the stem.

I stepped forward and leaned my forehead against the body, closing my eyes. The ship really was magnificent in all of its glory. Large and built with a fighting spirit, it was a vessel of damnation. I longed to hunt the seas on it.

As a child, I would only ever watch the ships coming in and out of the harbour from the bedroom window in the orphanage. Between chores and meal times, I would sit and watch for hours, knowing only in my wildest dreams would I ever get to sail the high seas.

It was almost a cruel twist of fate; to have a ship only ever anchored to shore and not be able to set sail. It was fighting a desire inside me that was getting harder and harder to suppress with each day. Part of me longed for a crew to set sail.

I clung to the little moments the world gave me. The sun on my skin, the wind through my hair, the taste of salt on my tongue and the crashing of waves beneath my feet. That feeling, I needed it. I would die for it. I hungered for it the way the island fed on dreams for vitality. Maybe this is what Peter meant when he said the island and I were alike.

The sun chased the heavens through the sky. Soon enough, it began to sink lower on the horizon and I sat on the beach watching it, a fleeting serenity in a world of chaos.

Suddenly, a darkness loomed over the beach in front of me. Startled, I looked up and gasped.

Much like Peter's, a dark shadow hovered above me in the air, staring down intently at where I sat on the sand.

"W-what do you want?" I asked, somewhat nervously.

The Shadow didn't speak. Instead, it descended slowly in the air until it hovered a foot above the ground in front of me.

We stared at each other. It looked exactly the same as Peter's Shadow, however this one was slightly taller. It made sense given that I was taller than Peter.

"Why are you here?" I asked it.

The Shadow didn't reply. Instead, it slowly pointed behind me and I turned to see what it was looking at. Crowned in light, the ship gleamed in the dying sunset behind me.

I looked back to the Shadow. "It's a ship."

Staring at me blankly, the Shadow moved forward towards me. I stepped back in reflex, but the Shadow only outstretched it's hand and reached for me. My heart pounded in my chest as I stood frozen.

The Shadow's hand came to a stop before me, hovering over my heart in a silent gesture. Suddenly, I understood.

"Peter's Shadow came because he wanted to rule the island." I said. "That's why you're here, isn't it? Because I wanted something."

The Shadow didn't move, and I took it's silence as agreement. "You're my Shadow." I said.

Suddenly, my Shadow swept itself into the air and flew high over the ship, disappearing behind the stern. I ran after it in excitement.

"Wait!" I called as I threw myself over the railing and onto the deck. "What does this mean? How can you help me?"

I expected no reply, but my Shadow appeared in front of the main sail and soared down to meet me on the deck. A wind chased its tail and I ran after it across the ship.

Coming to a stop behind the helm, the Shadow waited for me to catch up. Beside me, it lifted its arm and pointed out at the sea.

I shook my head. "I don't have a crew."

The Shadow gestured to my chest once more and I shook my head again. "Yes, I want it, but I'm not going to steal children from their homes. I won't be like Peter."

For the first time since I'd been on this island, the Shadow made a movement that turned it's mouth into an upward curl. Confused, I stared at it.

The Shadow only tapped its head before pointing up at the mountain in the distance. I followed its gaze, confused until realisation flooded through me.

"I'm never going to be able to stop Peter from bringing children here, am I?" I asked.

My Shadow tapped its head again impatiently and I understood.

Turning, I looked out over the sea again and smirked to myself. "But that doesn't mean I have to either."

***

Mystery is building...

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