I began to undress, Felix stood some ways away, working on a wooden carving of some sort. I slipped the strap of my dress down and undressed until I was in my underwear and bra. I put my towel on a jagged rock that outcropped over the glassy surface and tentatively made my way into the water.

My quickly darted around once more and I was tempted to unclip my bra.

I'd rather not. I thought to myself, wilderbeast could come running down, or Indians. Weren't there Indians in the Peter Pan story? And a girl named Tiger-Lily. Didn't she kiss Pan? And one of Wendy's brothers too?

I slowly inched into the water, hoping to go underneath quickly. Despite my slender frame, I had a rather round stomach, my skin was blotchy and irregularly coloured. Up and down my left leg was a birthmark that looked like a large collection of bruises. It was the subject of embarrassment and shame for me. Bare short shorts weren't a very good fashion item for me.

I shot a look back at Felix who was watching me carefully. His hood was down and his blonde hair spiked up. His jaw was angular and sharp. His eyes were stormy and I could tell he was deep in thought. They were focused on the area next to me, distantly.

"What?" I asked cautiously. Felix's eyes flickered up towards mine.

"You girls are so weird." He said.

"How so?" I asked, crossing my arms. The water lapped just under my breasts, the weird wisps brushed past me. My hair was just brushing the water.

"You're so... Secretive." He said, his eyes furrowing in thought.

"I don't know about you, but when I left, if we weren't, we'd be exploited for the things that we didn't cover up." I spoke, frowning. The whisps brushed my leg and a fuzzy pain like pins and needles shot up my leg. "Ah!" I cried, trying to pedal away and falling into the water.

I burst upwards, breaking the surface. My hair, a sopping curtain in front of my eyes. I coughed up water, and not wasting time, I started running to the edge. The whisps were more viscous, they started clinging to my skin, spreading a pain across my legs until they were numb. I splashed into the water, flailing with my arms, slowly moving to the shore while the whisps attached themselves to my skin, burning with intensity. I would've screamed if I wasn't completely almost underwater.

Felix was standing at the water's edge, a look of panic across his face. He looked back at the tree line for a second and then began to wade in. "Come on Ria!" He cried. "You can make it."

"Help!" I shrieked, Felix began to wade in further. A figure emerged from the tree line, two of the Lost boys, they dragged Felix back a Pan appeared, a smirk on his proud face. I was being tugged backwards, the wisps were attached up to my chin now.

"Today we witness the transformation of Maria." Peter smirked. I withheld a loud question. "May she never grow up."

"May she never grow up." The boys that had emerged from the tree line repeated.

Felix's eyes coasted downwards. "May she never grow up." He repeated in a quiet voice.

I ran to the shore and collapsed into the shallow pool. My breaths were heavy and short, my blonde hair hung in clumps, dangling in my face. Peter had a raised eyebrow when he was looking down at me, a cruel smirk played on his lips. "Welcome to immortality, Ria,"

"Ma-ria," I corrected, picking myself up from the water. I looked down and realised I was wearing a dress, extremely thin, I could see my bra and underwear. It was white and bunched around my midsection before spreading out. The hem of the dress was held down by the water.

I narrowed my eyes at Pan and he grinned, his dimples showing. "Neverland runs on imagination right?" I scowled at him and he laughed in amusement at my defiance. "Let us leave her boys, she might need a moment." Pan and the others retreated back into the woods. As soon as they were gone I hopped onto shore, pulling on my books. I clambered up the outcrop and pulled down my towel, shrugging it over my hair.

Felix lingered, his face contorted into pity and shame. "Maria I'm-"

"What the hell was that?" I cried.

"Lumen." Felix spoke. "Immortal parasites, I call them. They feed on mortality."

"Mortality? I'm immortal? But wouldn't the frozen time be enough?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"You may be able to function in still time, and you may not grow, but what about your cells, when your hurt? They won't grow back. You'd be bleeding out forever."

"So the Lumen stop that... Growing?" I asked, flowers twisting around my ankles, I took a few steps to the left and grass grew at my feet. Lumen sounded something out of a fairytale, perhaps a servant straight out of a story like the Wizard of Oz. I looked at the ground. The flowers began unfurling, a red one particularly, one that was almost translucent and had golden and pink sparkles dusted over it. A.... Magical poppy.

"Yes, exactly," Felix said as I picked up the flower, I held it to the light.

The sparkles started to lift off the petals, and float in the sunlight. "Maria," Felix said cautiously, his hand held up in caution, he put a cover over his mouth. Through the cover he spoke, his voice muffled, "drop the flower, and walk away Maria,"

I suddenly felt extremely dizzy, my vision blurred before my eyes. "Okay Felix, I'm just going to sleep now."

I was out before I hit the ground.