16: The Fallen and the Lost

"No... It can't be her... She died."

But it was her. She was alive. Tinker Bell looked no worse for wear, donning her usual green outfit and messy bun. Her green eyes mirrored my own in shock.

"Would you mind letting me down?" was the first thing I said to her.

She gave a brief nod, and I came crashing to the ground. The blonde held out her hand. "Come on, I'll take you to my treehouse."

When we arrived, she poured me a drink and sat across from me. "You're probably wondering what happened to me, aren't you?"

"I thought you were dead," I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

Tinker Bell lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry you thought that."

She sighed deeply. "After the fight against the beast at the cliff, I did fall into the chasm. I lay there on the brink of death and blacked out. However, when I woke up, I found myself on the other side of the island. There was no sign of the person who saved me. I was bedridden for weeks, trying to recover from my injuries. To this day, I still don't know who saved me."

"I see," was all I could muster. "But why didn't you try to find me when you healed?"

"I couldn't," Tinker Bell said. "Peter forbid it."

My eyes widened. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't work for him anymore," Tinker Bell said. "As part of a deal we have, I am banned from the camp."

"You could have let me know that you were at least alive," I said, hurt.

"I'm sorry, Jess," Tinker Bell said, her voice filled with regret.

She took a sip of water. "What are you doing on this side of the island? Peter doesn't usually let any of the Lost Boys venture out here."

"Pan had me visit the old territory of the Annamay Tribe for answers," I told her.

Her green eyes widened at the mention of the Annamay Tribe. Her fingers gripped the cup tightly. "Were you able to find the answers you seek?"

I nodded. "I am the daughter of the Annamay Chief, Cayden. Tink, do you know what happened to them?"

Tinker Bell stared down at the ground, her eyes filling with emotion. "The Annamay Tribe were a group of noble and peaceful people. They lived off the island and would pray to the spirits of the island for protection and prosperity. The tribe dedicated resources to protecting the island and its magic. Peter and the Lost Boys settled onto the island after the Annamay Tribe, and skirmishes ensued. I remember the fights. The Annamay felt threatened by the arrival of the demon and his group. Peter didn't perceive them as a threat at all."

"What changed this relationship?" I asked her.

Tinker Bell rose to her feet. "Let me show you something, Jess."

She led me back to the Annamay Tribe and walked towards a cave at the back of the former encampment. She lit up a torch, revealing a temple. On the wall were intricately drawn cave drawings.

"The Annamay believed in many spirits similar to a pantheon of gods. They would have celebrations to honour them in hopes of blessing the harvest and ensuring the resources on the island were plentiful. With the Lost Boys and Peter, that meant resources needed to be shared, sparking fear in the Annamay Tribe."

Tinker Bell took a deep breath before continuing. "Cayden's father was the current Chief of the Annamay Tribe when Peter first arrived. He viewed Peter and the Lost Boys as an enemy but believed coexistence was possible. He managed to form a Treaty between the two sides. However, this enraged some of the Annamay who sought to eliminate Pan and the Lost Boys."

Tinker Bell gestured to a darker painting that was scratched out intentionally. "The spirits of Neverland are benevolent, except one."

The fairy's eyes darkened. "Those with darkened hearts invoked the evil spirit to gain the power needed to kill Peter and the Lost Boys. In an event known as 'The Blight', the life on the island and its magic were being stripped away. It spread fast like the plague and killed Lost Boys and Annamay alike."

The jungle had transformed from something natural to one of ruin. They stood on top of a hill. Below them looked like a war zone. I gagged at the stench of death and decay that littered the area. Weapons were embedded into the earth, signifying a battle.

"This was the site of the worst battle," Tinker Bell said. "Here was where Cayden's father fell."

The fairy touched the end of the spear. "He was killed by his people, forcing Cayden to take control of the Annamay Tribe."

"Your father was young when he took the reign of the Annamay people and wanted to bring an end to the Blight. To do so, he did the one thing no one expected—he reached out to Peter for help. I still remember being there the day that the Blight was stopped. Those responsible were killed for their corruption. The damage from the catastrophe could not be undone but served as a reminder of what both sides wanted to preserve. From there, both Cayden and Peter vowed to never let such an evil take place. That was until she showed up."

"You're speaking of Wendy Darling?" I asked her.

"Indeed. Before she and her brothers were taken to Neverland, Peter was a different person. Sure, he was a demon, but compared to how he is now, he wasn't that bad. After the Blight, ties between the Annamay and the Lost Boys were healing as the Treaty between the two was reinstated. Cayden invited us to take part in their celebrations of the spirits of the island. They were such happy times."

Tinker Bell hardened her gaze. "But that peace was not to last. As soon as your mother arrived in Neverland, she craved the power that Peter had and wanted to disrupt the balance of the island. She manipulated Cayden and Peter in hopes of turning Cayden against Peter. She succeeded in spreading mistrust on the island. To escape with Cayden, she reawakened the ancient evil that caused the Blight. Instead of summoning it for power as her predecessors did, Wendy took it one step further and brought it forth into a physical form to ravage the island."

Tinker Bell shuddered. "I remember the screams from the boys who perished that night. Peter was enraged and something in him snapped. He fought the evil spirit. It took all of Peter's power and energy to seal it away. It was only thanks to the pixies that Peter was saved from the clutches of death."

Tears fell down her face as she stood in front of mounds which I realized were graves.

"I helped Peter bury the brave boys who fought to protect the island. They were courageous, but they stood no chance. As Peter's Second in Command, I felt helpless watching as they gave their lives for us."

She met my gaze. "Peter changed that day after losing over half of his boys. He vowed that such an event would never happen again. The Annamay Tribe blamed Peter for the loss of their leader. They planned to kill him. But Peter got to them first. He tried to hunt down Wendy Darling and Cayden, but the two had left the island. Since then, a new way of life was created in Neverland that persists to the present day. It's kill or be killed."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked Tinker Bell.

She eyed my pendant. "Peter has a dark side, Jess. He always has an ulterior motive. If you don't want what happened to the Annamay to happen to you, you should join Baelfire and leave the island."

"Wait," I froze. "You know?"

Tinker Bell nodded her head. "He didn't exactly hide his actions while roaming the island. I will admit though, his plan is smart and hasn't been attempted before."

"Why did Peter keep this information from me?" I asked her. "What game is he playing?"

"Peter gave a lot of his power to save the island after your mother tried to destroy it," Tinker Bell said. "He is determined to regain that power by any means necessary. You are the key to his success."

The fairy glanced at the sky, seeing the sun starting to rise. "You should probably head back to the camp. Didn't you tell Baelfire that if you didn't return, Peter would come look for you?"

"Oh shoot," I muttered and looked at Tinker Bell. "Are you sure you don't want to come along?"

Tinker Bell shook her head. "No, my place is here."

She took her leave and I looked back at the blight-stricken land. Neverland's past was broken and bloody, but its future didn't have to be.

I bowed my head out of respect for the Lost Boys who gave their lives for Peter. My thoughts raced about the answers I had discovered. It didn't make sense to me. Why would my father help Wendy Darling? Especially after he worked alongside Peter to stop the Blight.

Footsteps could be heard coming towards me. I unsheathed my dagger in self-defence as the figure broke through.

"You look so cute thinking that will defeat me," Peter's devilish tone said.

"What are you doing here, Pan?" I asked him.

"You had been gone for a while," Peter shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't get killed by the Blight if that was what you were worried about," I said to him.

Peter flinched at the mention of the event. I sighed, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't your place to know," Peter answered, "It's only recently that the game moved forward and you were required to know the truth."

"Why didn't you try harder to save my father?" I gritted my teeth, "Why did you let him leave with Wendy Darling?"

"If I had done that," Peter's tone was cold, "You wouldn't have been born, my Lost girl. Besides, Cayden made his choice. He left the Annamay. Without him, the Treaty wasn't worth holding up anymore."

I turned away from his words and spoke bitterly, "So you just massacred them all out of anger, didn't you? You are a demon."

Peter had the nerve to grin at my words, "Peace doesn't exist in Neverland, only survival. It's best to remember that, Jessica."

"You don't have any remorse for your actions? What about the children you killed and all the innocents?" I asked him in disbelief.

"No one was innocent once Wendy Darling got to them," Peter said icily, "I did the island a favour. I got my revenge for the death of my boys. I will get what I want."

"You're sick," I pushed him away from me.

He grabbed my necklace and used it to pull me towards him, "I'm also the one in charge. Compared to me, you're a naive baby bird on Neverland. You don't know anything about the past. If you did, you would understand."

"Then why don't you enlighten me?" I snapped at him.

He kissed me on the lips and wrapped an arm around my waist, "Come on, let's get back to camp."

As much as I wanted to fight him, I knew I didn't have the power in the situation. We returned to the camp where the Lost Boys were still dancing around the dying fire pit with their sticks. Peter and I sat in the center on our tree stumps. I was still enraged at his words from earlier, but also wondered what other information he wasn't telling me.

"Why am I here?" I asked him.

"Whatever do you mean?" He asked me, confused.

"I have Annamay and Wendy Darling's blood in me and from what you told me, those affiliated with either deserve to die. Aren't you going to kill me too?"

Peter laughed darkly. "Kill you? Why would I do that?"

He played with the golden necklace. "Our fates are tied together, my Lost Girl. We're going to bring about a new age in Neverland."

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