Leo -

I sat alone in the food court, wondering why I had acted like that. It felt so strange. And I had bitten Alex… I shake my head, worried about what would happen to him. Would he really have burned me? He looked so… scared. I walk up to a sign and order some food. Food I probably won’t eat. I shrug and fill up my flask. My head pounds as I try to understand what had just happened. I look around at the giant food court and wonder what Neverland really is. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and start to run. I only have a limited amount of stamina, but I need to do this. The ‘fresh’ air fills my lungs. My shoes crunch against the slightly frosted grass. I smile, running feels so good.

Opening my eyes, I realize that I’m in the middle of a forest. I ran farther than I thought I would. I look around and see so many trees. No one is around, I am alone. Half a smile falls across my face and I walk up to a tree. It’s just a baby, still small and weak. I close my eyes and rest my palm and forehead against it. “We’ll find out the reason for all this, right?” I ask quietly. Then I sigh and shake my head. Why would I talk to a tree? I decide that Neverland is making me certifiably crazy. I open my eyes and am greeted with a sight that makes me sure I’m hallucinating now. There are little green people where each tree stood a moment before. Where the sapling had stood moments before there was now a young child. They looked about my age, maybe younger. They wore a dress made of maple leaves and had syrup-colored skin. Their hair was little more than a buzz cut, a brownish hue around the same shade of maple tree bark. “I can’t tell you that, Leo,” They say with a smile. I shake my head, but the hallucination is still there. “Can’t tell me what?” I ask. They smile, “My name is Syrup,” they let out a laugh that sounds like the ringing of fairy bells. “You asked me a question, did you not?” I stare at Syrup, “When, exactly, did I ask this question?” They laugh, “You asked if we’d find the reason for all this. That, I cannot tell you. If you want to know the future, go ask Chris. I may see time differently, but I cannot reveal it.” I stare at the tree (for that had to be what they were) and shake my head. They reach out a small arm and put their hand on my forehead. I close my eyes, and when I open them again I am standing back in the forest. Around the young maple sapling sat a circle of mushrooms. The blades of grass around my feet were a bit taller than I thought they had been… I shake my head and sigh. “What just happened?” I ask myself. I hear a whisper through the trees as if they’re saying something, but it’s gone quick enough for me to pretend it was just the wind.