[ t h e   l o s t   b o y s . ]

     For the first time in three years, I open my eyes to green rather than the dull white ceiling of my hospital room. I stretch my arms and legs, shaking the disuse from each limb as I squeeze my eyes closed again. I hear the rustle of leaves above me, rather than the constant beeping of my heart monitor. Dirt brushes against me in a moist and earthy dance of soil and skin. I open my eyes and gaze around, only to get a face full of waxy, green leaves. I sit up to see that I am no longer in room 412 of Seoul National Hospital, but now surrounded by a lush, viridescent jungle full of lively plants and the chirping of birds.

I flex my legs, testing their strength. Propping myself up on my hands and knees, I continue the journey upward to find that I can stand, relishing in the freedom of the simple ability I struggled with on a daily basis. I peer around and quickly realize that I am alone in an unfamiliar place with no recollection of how I got here. Despite not having even the slightest clue as to how I came to be here, I feel a rush of sudden glee: no nagging doctors and nurses with questions of “Are you sure you can walk this far?” and “Do you remember what happened last time you stood up on your own?” Being outside the hospital walls, there are no limit to how far I can go. I decide to test my legs.

Starting slowly, I take hesitant steps, each one becoming easier and more natural. Within moments, I begin running through the trees, flying through the jungle, dodging branches and leaping over strange plants and bushes of varying colors, until I break through the treeline and into the open air of a sandy beach with blue water stretching as far as the eye can see. I collapse onto the powder white sand, rolling over to lay on my back. My breath comes in puffs of air, heavy and powerful.

I can’t contain the smile that sneaks onto my lips as I savor the feeling of fresh air in my lungs. Here I am, on some jungle beach, far from the comfort and safety of my hospital room, yet I feel better and healthier than ever. I don’t know what has come over me; why I can move as I just did, but I don’t want to think very much of it, in fear that my newfound freedom will come crashing down around me like many aspects of my life seem to have the habit of doing. I am rolling down the beach, laughing and hollering like someone who’s lost their mind, when he finds me.

    “What are you doing on my beach, boy?” A voice calls out. In the sudden awareness of another person’s presence, I stop my antics and look for the owner of the voice. With a lack of people on the beach, I find myself questioning my sanity for real.

    “Up here, you fool! And answer me when I ask you questions!” Following the directions given by the voice, I look up to see the speaker. A boy, who looks to be a few years younger than me, stands; no, floats above me. I blink, trying to clear my sight. Surely, I am crazy. I must have gone off the deep end from too many years spent confined to the small quarters and the monotonous routine I’d come to know in the hospital.

    “How…?” I begin, but trail off, as I try to make sense of the fact that the boy is nearly fifteen feet in the air.

    “What do you mean ‘how’? I asked you a question!” The boy huffs.

    “Oh… What did you ask?” I mumble, trying to remember the boy’s question. From his place in the air, he grumbles something about how I don’t know how to listen, before repeating himself.

    “Why are you on my beach?” He asks. I think for a moment. Why am I there? I honestly have no idea how I’d gotten into the jungle, but all the same, I came to the beach after finding myself there.

    “I came here from the jungle. I don’t know how I got here,” I explain.

    “You and all the rest of us,” the boy snorts, “So what gives you the right to be on my beach? Do you even know what could happen from being out in the open here? The Captain could come scoop you up and then you’d be lost forever!”

    “The Captain…? Listen, I don’t know where I am. I just woke up here,” I say. The boy nods thoughtfully before speaking.

    “That’s what happens to everyone. Boys like you and I wake up here all the time, but I’ve decided that I am going to stop it! No more of you will come from now on! There are too many people coming here,” the boy says firmly, putting a fist in his hand and nodding to emphasize his point.

    “Where exactly is ‘here’?” I ask. The boy’s eyes light up at my question, and he swoops down until his face is a mere two inches from my own.

    “Where, you ask! You’re in Neverland!” The boy exclaims. I fall back in surprise, but he only advances to keep the same distance between us before continuing, “And you have the privilege of being in the presence of the leader of Neverland!” I furrow my eyebrows at this.

    “The leader? You?” I squawk, finding laughter bubbling up my throat. The boy in front of me backs off and gives me an indignant stare.

    “Yes, me! And I think it rude that you find it so hilarious that I am leader!” The boy pouts slightly as he finishes, which only causes me to laugh more.

    “The oldest boy gets to be leader, and I’m the oldest, so I’m the leader! If you think it’s so funny, then are you any older? Hm?” The boy presses me. I contain my laughter long enough to answer him.

    “I’m turning sixteen this year,” I say. The boy smiles mischievously.

    “Then I’m still leader! I’m seventeen, ha!”

    “There is no way you’re seventeen! What year were you born?” I ask in disbelief.

    “I was born in 1990,” the boy replies proudly. I pause thinking this over.

    “Wait, if you were born in 1990, then you wouldn’t be seventeen. You’d be turning twenty this year! I was born in 1994, and I’m sixteen,” I explain. The boy shakes his head and hums.

    “Mm-mm. I’m seventeen! I might’ve been twenty if this were Earth, but we’re in Neverland! And I was seventeen when I came here and seventeen I’ll stay!” The boy cheers. I shake my head, giving up on the argument. It is pointless anyhow.

    “Fine. You can be leader, but tell me your name,” I request. The boy shakes his head.

    “Nope! You don’t get to know my name. You can just refer to me as ‘Leader’!” The boy laughs maniacally. I sigh in frustration.

    “And what will you call me then?” I ask.

    “You can simply stay ‘Boy’! That works for me,” the boy states brightly. I put my head in my hands, deciding that if this boy was the only other person on the island, maybe it would be better to be alone.

    “Great,” I say sarcastically, “I can be ‘Boy.’”

    “Yay! This works great. Even though I decided not to let anymore people come here, I guess it can’t be helped since you’re already here. But no one else can come, okay?” The boy says. I nod, just going along with whatever this kid said.

    “Okay! Now we should get you something else to wear. You stick out like a sore thumb wearing that,” the boy laughs, “Besides, we have much better clothes here, like-- Oh no,” the boy stops talking and drops down to the ground beside me.

    “What?” I ask, looking around.

    “Shhhhh! It’s the Captain!” The boy hisses.

    “The Captain?” I ask, “Who is he? You mentioned him before.” The boy looks at me warily.

    “He’s the one who’ll take you away from here. Once he gets you, you never come back!” The boy says seriously, “He… took my brother from me.”

    “I’m sorry,” I say, unsure of how to comfort him.

    “But he won’t take anyone else from me, not even you! Come on!” The boy exclaims, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. He drags me toward the trees, lifting me higher and higher until I can barely run since my feet were hardly on the ground.

    “Why don’t you fly?” The boy demands, “He’s going to see us if we don’t hurry!”

    “Fly?! You think I can fly? I couldn’t even walk before today!” I cry out. The boy shoots me an irritated look before lowering down so I may run faster. We clear the tree line, but we don’t stop there. Next thing I know, he’s leading me deeper into the jungle at a speed much faster than I had previously run. While before, I could duck under branches and could jump over the taller bushes, I found myself being smacked in the face by long waxy leaves and palm fronds while the boy pulled me over the plants on the ground. After the fifth time of being hit in the face, I called out to the boy.

    “Can we slow down? Where the heck are we going anyway?!” As if by magic, we stop as soon as the words had left my mouth.

    “We’re here!” The boy cheers. I look around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, just more trees and plants surrounding the small clearing we stood in.

    “Great, the jungle. What the heck is so different about these trees than the ones about five minutes back?” I ask.

    “Lots of things! But mostly the fact that this is my hideout,” the boy says to me and then calls out, “I’m back!” On cue, a small piece of grass lifts and a head pops out of the ground while the side of a tree swings open to reveal two more faces.

    “Welcome home!” The three newcomers call out. I jump in surprise at their appearance, and unconsciously grab onto the boy’s arm only to be slapped away.

    “Relax, Boy. They’re on our side,” he says, before moving toward the tree. The three new boys disappear, and the boy jumps down the hollow tree to follow. I stand there for a moment before trailing after the boy. Peering down the trunk, I can’t see anything aside from being able to tell that the area below is well lit. I sigh and ask myself what I’d gotten into to, but all the same, hop down the hole. The drop is short; however, it continues into a slide-like structure that pushes me along until I find myself tumbling off of it and into a heap on the floor.

    “Ha ha! He fell off it!” One of the other boys cries out before laughing. The others join him while their leader approaches me.

    “Stand up, Boy! It’s time for some introductions!” He says, pulling me up. I stand up and as the other three boys finish their laughter. “Okay, everyone! This is Boy. He’s just come here from Earth and will be joining us! Boy, these hooligans in front of you are Chanyeol,” he points to a tall lanky male, who had to have been the one peering up from the ground when we first arrived, “and Jongin,” he gestures to a tan boy around my height,” and last but not least, Joonmyun!” He finishes with a shorter male wearing a solemn smile. I nod to the three of them before speaking up.

    “Actually, my name is--” I begin.

    “Not important! Your name is Boy and that’s what we’ll call you,” I am interrupted by the boy. I sigh yet again, before trying to reason with him.

    “Fine! You can call me ‘Boy,’ but I refuse to call you ‘Leader,’ so tell me your name,” I demand.

    “Never!” He cries, taking off from the ground and sweeping up through the air before disappearing through a hole in the ceiling. I run to look up after him, but find nothing but darkness where he vanished.

    “You’ll never know!” Chanyeol laughs as he takes off and flies circles above me. Jongin follows him laughing. Joonmyun approaches me and looks at me warmly.

    “Sorry about them… They tend to follow whatever Luhan decides to set up,” he says softly.

    “Luhan? Is that his name?” I ask, gesturing up the tube with wide eyes. Joonmyun chuckles softly.

    “Yes, that’s his name. He can be a bit difficult since he tends to build his walls up pretty high to hide behind the idea that he is our leader,” Joonmyun explains quietly.

    “Besides, he’s never really been the same since Yixing left,” Chanyeol calls out. Joonmyun visibly winces and stiffens at his words, closing his eyes tightly as though in pain.

    “Yixing?” I ask, furrowing my brow. Jongin lands beside me as Joonmyun quickly retreats to a small room off the entryway.

    “Luhan’s brother. The Captain took him a couple weeks back,” he tells me softly. My mouth gapes in understanding. Luhan had mentioned his brother earlier when we fled the beach, and I could hear the sorrow in his voice when he spoke of him.

    “Were Joonmyun and Yixing close? And what happens when the Captain takes you?” I ask. Chanyeol floats beside me, opposite from Jongin.

    “Joonmyun loved Yixing more than anyone. And Yixing felt the same. I guess you could say that they were lovers. As for the Captain, no one knows. You just disappear. Once you’re on that boat, you never come back,” Chanyeol says. It appears that even the goofy boy takes the subject of the Captain seriously.

    “But you can’t just disappear, you have to go somewhere!” I argue, not seeing the logic in the whole thing.

    “Well, of course you don’t just disappear,” a voice echoes eerily from above. Luhan floats down from where he’d disappeared, “But you’re never seen again. Whether you were forced to walk the plank or you were lost at sea, you don’t come back. Ever. And I’m not about to go asking questions about something like that. You’re here or you’re gone, but regardless, the Captain is merciless and will take anyone, no questions asked. You won’t see me going anywhere near him,” Luhan finishes. I swallow and avoid his gaze, knowing that his eyes have darkened from their bright mahogany hue to a black as dark as the night sky. In my discomfort, I can feel Jongin and Chanyeol standing awkwardly at my side. However, the tension lasts for only a moment, because as if a switch is flipped, Luhan switches subjects completely.

    “Now, I’m going to see the mermaids. They were expecting me earlier, before I found you, Boy, but I really must go see them or I’ll regret it for sure later,” Luhan says with a smile.

    “Mermaids?” I echo. Luhan’s smile only grows as he approaches me.

    “Oh, yes. Real, live mermaids! And you’re coming with me, Boy!”

    “What?! Why?” I object, not really sure why he was insisting.

    “Because you need to meet them, duh. You’re the only one they have yet to meet!” Luhan cries.

    “Really?” I ask, looking at Jongin and Chanyeol. The pair nod and cringe simultaneously as though recalling an unpleasant memory. I groan.

    “Was it that bad?” I ask. In reply, they nod and quickly fly off, before being roped into Luhan’s plan to visit.

    “But before we leave, you need to learn to fly!” Luhan announces.

    “Learn? I don’t think it’s possible for me to fly at all,” I explain. Luhan only shakes his head at my objection.

    “Uh-uh. You have the ability; you only need a little help finding it,” he says and with that, he scoops me up and pulls me up the hole he’d gone through earlier.

    “Luhan! Put me down!” I cry out. Luhan giggles in my ear.

    “Never! And hey, how’d you learn my name? Did Joonmyun tell you?!” Luhan whines.

    “Maybe, but that doesn’t matter. Put me down!” I yell.

    “Oh, pish posh. You’ll be fine. But still, it’s not fair that you know my name and I don’t know yours. Tell me, Boy!” Luhan demands as we clear the tube and arrive in a small room. Luhan drops me to the ground as I peer around. It appears to be a cave, covered in vines and plants hiding it from clear view, but it is open on one side and overlooks most of the jungle. I can see the beach, where I’d rolled around in the sand as well as the Captain’s ship in the distant waters.

    “Boy! What is your name?” Luhan repeats. I smirk, realizing, for the first time, I have something that he wants.

    “And why should I tell you?” I ask. Luhan puffs his cheeks up and pouts as his eyebrows draw together.

    “Because I’m leader and you have to!” Luhan whines. I shake my head.

    “I don’t think so! I might tell you if you give me something in return,” I say, still smiling evilly. Luhan mulls over what I said, before speaking warily with eyes narrowed.

    “And what would you want?”

    “A kiss,” I say, the word tumbling from my lips before I realize what I’d just said. Where did that come from? I hadn’t thought of kissing Luhan before, but after requesting it, I realize how unopposed I am to it.

    “A kiss?!” Luhan asks incredulously.

    “Um, yeah, a kiss,” I say almost as though I’m convincing myself. Luhan huffs and looks away. He doesn’t respond right away, but sounds uncertain when he does.

    “Just one?” He asks. I’m surprised that he even considers it, but I answer all the same.

    “Just one,” I confirm. Luhan thinks it over some more, his cheeks full of air and lips as pouty as ever, making me think of what it would be like to place my own over them.

    “Fine. But if you try anything! Anything at all, I swear, I’ll push you off this ledge with no hesitation!” Luhan declares. I nod, swallowing nervously now. I didn’t expect him to actually agree, but yet we were here. Luhan floats in front of me and takes a breath before closing his eyes. I take a step closer and begin closing in.

    “Wait!” He calls. I pause, a mere inch between us. I could feel his breath, warming my face as we stand close.

    “What is it?” I ask softly.

    “Well, I… Never mind; it’s nothing” Luhan whispers. If I was any further away, I most likely would’ve missed what he’d said, but with how close we were, I could practically hear his heart beating.

    “Relax,” I say, reassuring him. If anything, I am the one who needs to relax, considering I’d never kissed anyone. I’d been stuck in the hospital since I was thirteen, and honestly dating options were slim in halls full of the dying and wounded. Luhan’s head nods almost imperceptibly, and he lets out the breath he’d been holding.

    “Okay. I’m ready.” I shoot a quick glance at his lips, doubting myself and my lack of motives for asking for the kiss in the first place. A small scar on his lower lip brings a smile to my lips; he was just as human as me. Any qualms I’d previously had fly out the door, and I close the remaining distance between us and our lips meet. It’s hardly a brush, but still sweet. I feel him sink to the ground and I lean over in order to keep contact. I lift my hand to cup his face and press our lips together more firmly, in a proper kiss. And too soon, I find myself pulling away, out of respect for both him and the fact that I didn’t even know if I was doing it correctly. Luhan remains grounded before me, eyes closed in a peaceful expression. I am tempted to lean in again, but stop myself as Luhan’s eyes flutter open. He looks at me with a mixture of feelings before, like before, he snaps back into his facade.

    “Now what’s your name?” He demands childishly. So startled at his sudden shift in personality, I find myself at a loss for words. Luhan presses further, “So?” I shake my head.

    “My name is Boy, don’t you remember?” I sigh, realizing that even though he dropped his walls for a moment, it will take much more than a small kiss to get all the way through.

    “No!” He cries, “Your real name! I want to know your real name! I will push you of the ledge!” He threatens.

    “Fine, fine,” I laugh as he attempts to lift me from my armpits to drag me over, “My name is Sehun!” Luhan drops me and swings around to face me.

    “Sehun! Finally! I was worried that I’d actually have to toss you off!” Luhan says relieved.

“That would be a shame, wouldn’t it?” I say understatedly.

“It would! I mean, we just met, and I’d hate for the person I gave my first kiss to--” Luhan cuts himself off, realizing what he’d just said. I smirk as I walk up to him.

    “Oh?” I say, seeing that it was not only my own first kiss. I take a step toward him again, wanting to a bit more. Luhan blushes before yelling out.

    “Minseok!” He yells. I pause in my advance, looking for the owner of the name. I shrug when no one appears and continue cornering Luhan.

    “What is it, Luhan?” A voice says from seemingly nowhere. I look around once more, until I spot a small figure fluttering over Luhan’s shoulder. I squint to get a better look at the tiny person.

    “Minseok, we need some fairy dust! Quick!” Luhan squeaks. The small man, Minseok, nods and gestures toward me.

    “For him?” He asks. Luhan nods, still avoiding my gaze. Minseok flies over and reaches into a pouch at his waist before throwing what appeared to be glitter into my face. I sneeze as I inhale the small particles.

    “What the heck was that?” I ask indignantly.

    “That was fairy dust,” Minseok replies, “And it’s quite valuable, so don’t refer to it so simply,” he sniffs.

    “Okay? So what was the point of that?” I question. Seeming to have collected himself, Luhan speaks up.

    “It’s to help you find your flight! You can’t fly without a bit of fairy dust to help you remember how,” he tells me.

    “Right, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” I mumble, once again going along with whatever Luhan said despite the nonsense behind it. Be it mermaids or fairies alike, I seemed to just agree with whatever came out of his mouth, no matter how impossible it seemed. However, even so, I find myself screaming out in disagreement as he flies over, picks me up, and throws me off the ledge as he’d threatened to do multiple times. I find myself falling down and down, no signs of slowing down or stopping even with the addition of the fairy dust. I scream in terror as I see the ground rushing up toward me. I can hear Luhan’s voice from above me yelling out directions.

    “Think of something happy!” He shouts. Happy? What makes me happy in life? Being confined to a hospital bed for the past three years didn’t exactly make for a very peachy life, let me tell you. Before being hospitalized, I’d lived with constant headaches and pain from symptoms I didn’t understand. What in my life had made it worth living? Then I think of Luhan and the kiss we’d shared moments before. I find myself falling at a decreasing rate. I focus on the memory of Luhan’s soft mouth pressed against mine in a sweet dance. I close my eyes and recall the light pressure that was created between our lips. I hear cheering from above me and open my eyes to see what it is, only to find that I had stopped falling and am floating about twenty feet above the treetops. I turn around to see Luhan and Minseok descending to where I was.

    “You did it!” Luhan cheers.

    “Congrats,” Minseok says. The two of them float opposite me, watching as I learn to move and slow down. When I am comfortable with it, I look to them for their approval.

    “Looks like you’ve got it down! Now we can go!” Luhan exclaims.

    “Oh? Where are you two heading off to?” Minseok asks.

    “We’re going to visit the mermaids! Do you want to come with us? It’ll be really fun!” Luhan asks. Minseok wrinkles his nose in distaste.

    “As much as you enjoy flying around their lagoon, I’d prefer to stay away and in the dryness of the hideout. While you two can fly all you want if splashed, I have wings to keep dry,” Minseok says, turning his nose up.

    “Fine, be like that. I think they’re great company though, so we’ll be off now,” Luhan says, grabbing my arm and pulling me along. I shoot a glance at Minseok and wave halfheartedly. Minseok laughs at the sight of us and turns to fly back to the cave I’d been pushed from. Thinking about the entire thing, I speak up.

    “How far away is this lagoon exactly? I didn’t see it from up there,” I question. Luhan thinks for a moment before releasing my arm and flying along on his back.

    “It’s only a little ways off. We should be there in no time!” Luhan exclaims. I should’ve known better than to trust Luhan’s sense of time. After being in a place where you don’t age for such a long time, his judgment must have been skewed. It was over an hour before we arrive at the pebbled shore of the mermaid’s lagoon. Rocks lay about and stick up from the water in smooth mounds and plants sprouting from their bases. Luhan and I land on the small stones, and I find myself peering around for the mermaids.

    “Baekhyun! Jongdae! I’m here!” Luhan yells out. Right on cue, a head emerges from the water.

    “You made it! What took you so long?” As the first mermaid asks, another emerges and pulls himself to sit on a rock. He sits tall with a straight back and hooded eyes.

    “You’re late,” he says, giving Luhan a haughty look.

    “Sorry, Baek,” Luhan says sheepishly, “I got caught up on my way over earlier when I found this one,” he continues, jabbing toward me. The judgmental mermaid, Baekhyun, turns his piercing gaze on me, and I shiver slightly.

    “And who are you?” He asks.

    “Sehun,” I reply meekly. Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun turns his attention back to Luhan.

    “Now that you’ve finally decided to grace us with your presence, explain why you, yet again, failed to bring my Channie along?” Luhan hunches his shoulders and scratches his head.

    “About that… I asked him to come and he said he’d rather not…” Luhan explains.

    “‘He’d rather not’? What the heck does that mean?” Baekhyun demands. The other mermaid--or as I now could see, merman--joins Baekhyun on his perch, placing an arm around his shoulders.

    “Maybe he’s just intimidated by your eyeliner-ed beauty?”

    “Shut up, Jongdae,” Baekhyun says pushing Jongdae off the rock and into the water. Jongdae huffs and chooses a different rock to sit on in order to continue speaking with us.

    “I think that Jongdae isn’t too far off,” I say. Baekhyun turns back to me with his eyes narrowed.

    “Why do you say that, human?” Baekhyun demands. I swallow nervously.

    “I think that Chanyeol is turned off--”

    “Turned off?” Baekhyun interrupts incredulously.

    “Not turned off, per say, but unenthusiastic, because he’s a bit scared of you. You have quite the personality,” I correct myself quickly. Baekhyun seems appeased by my words, but is only riled up again when Jongdae speaks.

    “Ha! ‘Quite the personality’! He just called you out on being y, Baek,” Jongdae laughs. Baekhyun turns back to me.

    “Is that what you meant, human? You dare to insult me?!” Baekhyun cries out. I try to come up with something to say in reply.

    “Well, no, not exactly… I mean, that you’re just--no, can’t say that. Um, you come off very strong?” I squeak. From the sidelines, Luhan and Jongdae stifle their laughter at the situation I’ve gotten myself into.

    “Oh, I’ll show you strong!” Baekhyun declares before launching himself off his rock, successfully sending a huge wave at me and dragging me into the lagoon.

    “Luhan!” I cry out for help. Luhan remains in his place, laughing loudly.

    “You got yourself into this mess; get yourself out!” He yells. I groan inwardly, unsure of how to placate the angry merman.

    “Wait!” I yell, stopping Baekhyun before he drags me under.

    “Speak quickly, but choose wisely, for your next words may be your last,” Baekhyun hisses. At the close distance, I can see the blue-green glow around his eyes in his anger. His teeth had come to points and his nails dig painfully into my arm. I wince as he tightens his grip.

    “I didn’t mean to offend you. I only meant to offer you advice from a human’s point of view. For example, right now, I’m terrified of you. If you like Chanyeol as much as you make it sound like you do, then maybe you should consider speaking on his level. Because humans are dumb, right?” I laugh nervously. Baekhyun stares into my eyes for a moment closely before humming thoughtfully.

    “Maybe you aren’t so bad, for a human, of course,” Baekhyun says.

    “Thanks? I think,” I reply. Baekhyun smirks at me, and I let out another nervous chuckle, hoping to soon be released and allowed to swim back to shore to dry off.

    “I think I should keep you around, don’t you think? That would be nice. wouldn’t it?” Baekhyun purrs. I tense up at the thought of being stuck with Baekhyun any longer.

    “You know, maybe not. I am a puny human after all, ha.. ha… Why keep me around?” I laugh nervously. Ignoring my response, Baekhyun calls out to the other two.

    “I’m going to keep this one around, I think! He at least knows his place, and he's not bad-looking either,” Baekhyun says, giving me a once over. I feel self conscious under his heavy stare, but can’t move in his strong grip. I look to Luhan for help and see that he is visibly flustered at Baekhyun’s words.

    “I found him first! You can’t have him, Baek. He’s mine!” Luhan yells. Despite Luhan’s words, Baekhyun does not release me, but he pulls me closer and gazes at my face again.

    “You know what they say, Luhan: finders, keepers! And I think he’s a keeper,” Baekhyun lowers his voice at the end so only I can hear him. I smile awkwardly, not wanting to offend the fiery merman again.

    “I’m really not, honestly. I’m a terrible person; you wouldn’t want me,” I reason.

    “I think I want you more than you know,” Baekhyun hums and grasps my shoulders before pulling me in for a kiss. I find myself kissing back at first, before realizing who it is, at which point I struggle in his vice-like grip. He isn’t a bad kisser, but the moment our lips met, I could easily think of another pair I’d rather share a kiss with. Speaking of which, Baekhyun and I are soon being ripped apart, myself being lifted from the water. Baekhyun cries out in indignation at our separation.

    “Come on, Sehun! Fly!” Luhan orders, pulling me away from the lagoon and back to the shore, “Stay away from Sehun, Baek! He’s mine and only mine!” Luhan calls out possessively. I want to object to his ownership over me, but don’t want to put myself back on the market for Baekhyun to sweep up, so I bite my tongue. Luhan doesn’t even allow us to land, before taking off back the way we came.

    “Where are we going, Lu?” I ask.

    “Back to the hideout,” Luhan says angrily. And even in the light of the setting sun, I could see a faint dusting of blush on his cheeks.

    We arrive back at the hideout in a shorter amount of time than we’d taken to get to the lagoon. However, by the time we do get back, it is pitch black outside. We land in the cave, and I collapse onto the floor in relief. Luhan continues past me and pushes through a curtain of leaves into what I assume to be his room. I roll over and look at the stars for a moment. They shine through the night sky with an ethereal beauty. I find myself searching for the familiar constellations, but find none. I suppose a place far from Earth would have a different sky as well. I stand from my place on the floor when I realize Luhan is not coming out of his room. I knock lightly on the stone wall beside the doorway, waiting for a reply. With a lack thereof, I lean through, separating the leaves to peer inside.

    “Hey, Lu?” I call. He doesn’t answer, so I push through and enter the dark room.

    “Luhan?” I try again with no success. A small amount of light filters in from an opening above, blocked for the most part by plants, but letting enough light in to see where I am putting my feet. As I come further into the room, I see Luhan laying in a hammock of vines, strewn up from the ceiling. I approach him in order to see him.

    “Luhan? Are you alright?” I ask. I wait a moment, before I hear a sniffle.

    “Lu? Hey, what’s wrong?” I pull aside the edge of the hammock to see his face. He has tears coming down his cheeks in a silent cry. I put my hand on his shoulder, not sure what to do to help.

    “What happened, Lu? We were having a good time, right?” I say, squeezing his arm lightly. Luhan sniffles again before shaking his head and trying to speak through his tears.

    “You… You were g-going to l-le-leave me!” Luhan cries, putting his face in his hands. My eyebrows raise in surprise, and I reach my arm around his shoulders to pull him closer to me.

    “No, no, I wasn’t, Lu. Shhh. It’s okay, I won’t leave you for Baekhyun if that’s what you’re worried about,” I comfort. Luhan hides his face in my neck, and I feel his breath coming in hot puffs of air.

    “But he was going to take you! He… He wanted you for his own. And you kissed him!” Luhan sobs.

    “He kissed me, Lu; it’s not like I made the choice,” I explain.

    “But you kissed back!” Luhan retorts. I pause. Luhan wasn’t wrong. I did kiss Baekhyun back. I can’t really argue on that one, but I attempt to comfort him as best I can.

    “I guess I did,” I sigh, “But if it makes you feel better, I was thinking of you,” I finish cringing at my own cheesiness. Luhan pulls away from me and looks me in the eyes. He switches between the two, getting a good look at both before speaking.

    “You… were thinking… of me?” He whispers. I nod, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek.

    “Yes. I don’t know why, but you just popped into my head and then--” I’m cut off by Luhan throwing his arms around my neck and hugging me tight. I freeze and tense up, before slowly relaxing and bringing my own arms up to return the hug. I pat his back awkwardly.

    “Thank you,” I hear mumbled in my ear. I pull away and smile wryly.

    “Don’t worry, Lu. I’m not going to leave you,” I promise. For the first time since meeting him, I see Luhan smile genuinely; even with tears in his eyes and on his face, he truly looks the happiest I’ve seen him.

    “Are you ready to sleep? Because I’m exhausted,” I say. Luhan widens his eyes at my words, as though realizing that we need to sleep tonight.

    “Oh! Sleep, right… Well, you can stay in here with me if you want to. I mean, in another hammock. Because Chanyeol snores, Jongin kicks, and Joonmyun usually doesn’t sleep very much,” Luhan explains.

    “Joonmyun doesn’t sleep?” I ask. Luhan shakes his head.

    “No. He and Yi… Yixing were very close--almost as close as I was to him.”

    “Oh. I’m sorry,” I say. Luhan just turns and shakes his head.

    “It’s fine. I… I miss him, but I think I’ll be okay now,” he says, looking at me warmly. I return the smile and ask about the extra hammock. Luhan scrambles up from his and picks the end of a vine up from the ground, pulling it across the floor to a hook on the wall. He hangs it, and I see that there had been an extra there the entire time. I don’t ask, knowing that the answer had to do with the subject we’d just moved on from. Luhan gets one of the many blankets from his hammock and hands it to me.

    “Is that good?” He asks, wanting to know my opinion. I smile and nod, thanking him before laying down. I hear him crawl into his own bunk, and I soon find myself falling asleep to the soft breaths coming from across the room.

    I wake the next morning to the impact of a large weight landing heavily on my chest. My eyes open and I groan in response.

    “Wake up, wake up, wake up! We’re going to see the tribe today! You have to get up!” Luhan yells in my face. I try to roll over and burrow into my blanket, but find that I can’t move with him on top of me.

    “Get off, Lu. I just want to sleep… Like, five more hours,” I plead. Luhan doesn’t relent, however, and I am soon forced out of bed and down into the main room of the hideout. Chanyeol and Joonmyun sit on the floor at a table, eating bread and berries. I look around for Jongin, but can not seem to spot the boy.

    “Where’s Jongin?” I ask. Chanyeol snorts and almost spits berries all over the table.

    “You won’t ever see Jongin out of bed before the day is half over. He prefers to sleep in. And don’t even suggest waking him up,” Chanyeol shudders. I chuckle and sit as Luhan hands me a plate. We help ourselves to the remaining food laid on the table, seeing how there was no need to save any since Jongin wouldn’t be up in time for breakfast. I chew on a rather stale bit of bread as Luhan recounts our adventure yesterday.

    “Baekhyun asked about you again too, Chanyeol,” Luhan adds when he’s finished. Chanyeol drops the bread in his hand and looks at Luhan wide-eyed.

    “You didn’t tell him that I’m avoiding him, did you?” Chanyeol gasps. Luhan snickers to himself before answering.

    “No, but you might find him to be a bit more… gentle, next time you see each other. Sehun was able to calm him down and give him a little advice on how to not scare you away,” Luhan explains.

    “Next time we see each other?! I don’t really plan on there being a next time! I mean, it’s not like he can come find me: he’s a mermaid,” Chanyeol balks.

    “You never really know though, do you?” I add.

“For all you know, he could be sitting in the bathtub!” Even Joonmyun begins teasing Chanyeol. The three of us laugh as Chanyeol bolts to check the bathroom for any mermaids.

“Sehunnie and I are going to visit the tribe today,” Luhan announces. I furrow my brow when I hear my new nickname.

“Sehunnie?” I question. Joonmyun laughs as he stands and collects our plates, ruffling my hair as he passes by.

“Yup!” Luhan chirps, “Anyway, I’m hoping we can get some more fresh bread. The stuff we have here is a bit hard,” he knocks it on the table to demonstrate his point.

“And what do you think you’re going to give them in exchange?” Joonmyun asks, returning from dropping the plates in a tub of water that served as the sink. Luhan only shrugs and mutters that he’ll find something.Remembering our trip last night, I speak up and ask in advance this time.

“Exactly how far away is this place? It’s not as far as the lagoon is it? Because you said that was close,” I sass. Luhan pouts at my words and Joonmyun outright laughs.

“Don’t listen to a word Luhan says about distance. This kid could fly for days on end and not get tired!” Joonmyun exclaims, “And the tribe’s camp isn’t all that far away. It’s much closer than Baekhyun’s lagoon. You can see it from Luhan’s watchtower,” Joonmyun says, referring to the cave at the top of the hideout.

    “Fantastic, because I’d rather not fly that far again anytime soon. I’m still exhausted.”

    “It’s not like it was that far! Quit complaining,” Luhan whines. I quirk an eyebrow at him, and he sniffs in response and looks away. I roll my eyes, but stand up. Luhan’s eyes light up as he realizes that I will go with him. He reaches his hands up for me to pull him up, and despite the desire to drop him halfway up from the ground, I pull him all the way up.

    “We’ll be going now then!” Luhan cheers. Joonmyeon calls after us, shouting his goodbyes and a request for some candied nuts, but Luhan and I are already halfway up the hole leading to his watchtower. We don’t even bother stopping at the top, but continue on our way, shooting out of the opening as fast as we could fly.

    “See! You can already see the camp!” Luhan shouts to me as a group of teepees and tents comes into view. The camp lay in a clearing, just far inside the jungle to not be seen from the water.

    “There isn’t anything I should be sure not to mention or bring up here, is there?” I ask cautiously, not wanting to get into another tough situation like I had with Baekhyun. Luhan thinks for a moment, his hand tapping his chin, eyes narrowed and lips pouted. He shrugs.

    “Nope! Everyone is pretty great!” He says as we begin our descent.

    “Okay, so if something goes wrong, I’m blaming you,” I retort.

    “Hey!” Luhan squawks, “That’s no fair!”

    “Life’s not fair, princess!” I call, moving faster to get ahead of him.

    “I’m not a princess!” Luhan yells and chases me. I laugh as we land and break into a run. Luhan continues flying and manages to tackle me to the ground right in the middle of the tribe’s camp.

    “Take it back!” He shouts, successfully gaining the attention of the surrounding natives, “I’m not a girl!” I laugh and politely decline his request, standing by my statement. Luhan sits on top of my back, pushing my face into the dirt. I could easily shake him off if I wanted to, but decide to give him the satisfaction of letting him think he’s stronger than me.

    “What seems to be the problem, Xiao Lu?” A voice asks. I try to turn my head, but end up getting it ground farther into the ground.

    “Taozi!” Luhan calls out in greeting, “Nothing’s really wrong. It’s just that Sehun, here, decided to question my masculinity!” I snort from my place under him, only to earn a smack to the back of the head.

    “Take it back, you pile of beetle dung!” Luhan cries.

    “I stand by my statement,” I reply before flipping the two of us over so that I was over top of him. Luhan makes an odd noise as he’s being flipped that could be likened to the call of a peacock .

    “Just accept the fact, Lu: you’re not as manly as you like to think,” I say, smirking.

    “Luhan is actually quite manly!” The native boy says, “He’s a very good fighter.” I look from the boy to my right to Luhan and back again.

    “You think he’s” I say, gesturing to Luhan, “A good fighter?” The boy nods.

    “But not as good as I am!” He replies. Luhan tries to argue, but gets shot down as the rest of the tribe laughs at his attempt to one-up the native boy. I stand up and help Luhan up, feeling his ego had been bruised enough.

    “Give it a rest, Lu,” I whisper in his ear as the laughter dies down. Luhan huffs, but stops arguing in order to introduce me to the native boy.

    “Sehunnie, this is Zitao. We all just call him Tao though! And Taozi, this is Sehun. He’s new here!” Luhan says. Tao nods his head and holds his hand out for a handshake. I return the gesture, and he grasps my wrist in a firm hold. Unsure of what to do, I hold his as well. He pulls me in and kisses my cheek before pulling away and releasing me. I stand there shocked as he and Luhan exchange the same greeting. Tao begins walking toward a teepee in the middle of camp, smoke escaping from an opening in the fabric at the top. Luhan follows, and I find myself running to catch up as I realize that they have left me. I push the soft leather aside to see a medium-sized fire going in the middle of the tent. The fire serves as the only light inside, casting warm orange and yellow light throughout the small area. Tao and Luhan are seated upon the furs of animals, lying comfortably and snacking on small bits of candied fruit and nuts. I approach the pair to sit beside Luhan, only for the two of them to begin screeching in objection.

    “Only those who are worthy may sit upon my furs!” Tao cries. I stand quickly from my half-seated position and hold my hands up in surrender.

    “Worthy? What does that mean?” I ask confused.

    “Only those who we’ve given permission to may sit with us. Otherwise, you must sit upon the ground,” Luhan explains rather superiorly. I scoff and sit down next to Luhan, despite their previous objection.

    “No!” They yell simultaneously and both dive at me. My eyes widen in surprise as two furious boys collide with me, knocking me to the ground. The pair seem to have not planned their attack very wisely, since Luhan, being the one closer to me in the first place, is now sandwiched between Tao and I. I begin laughing at their poor planning, but ultimately end of wheezing and coughing my chuckles. Luhan tries to get Tao off by flailing around above me, causing me to laugh harder. Tao, finding it equally funny from his place above, laughs joyously at Luhan’s predicament.

    “Tao! Get off!” Luhan shouts. Getting a wicked idea, I begin poking Luhan’s sides in an attempt to tickle him. Luhan squeals at the first jab and flails even harder. Tao rocks back and forth on our tower of people before toppling over onto the fur behind him. Luhan tries to get up and flee my tickling, but I wrap my arms around his middle to stop him from doing so.

    “Tao, tickle him!” I instruct, trying to get the native boy in on my evildoing. Seeing the fun in it, Tao’s eyes light up with a mischievous glint, and he joins me. Once Luhan begins screaming in my ear with laughter and objection, I decide to give him a break and release my hold on him. He bolts up and runs to the opposite side of the teepee from Tao and I, breathing heavily as he recovers from his laughing fit. Tao shoots me a look of approval as catches his own breath.

    “You’re alright, Sehun,” Tao says as he finishes chuckling, “You may sit with us on the furs if you’d like.” I wipe the tears created by my own laughter from the corners of my eyes and sit up. Grasping Tao’s outstretched hand, I stand and join him where he and Luhan had been sitting when I entered.

    “Come on, Xiao Lu; join us on the furs and have some more to eat,” Tao invites. Luhan eyes us warily from across the tent.

    “Should I sit with you and risk being attacked again?” Luhan asks skeptically. I snicker softly to myself.

    “Get over it, Lu. We’re done messing with you; just come sit down,” I laugh. Luhan grumbles as he walks around the fire and plops down beside me, opting not to chance sitting between his could-be attackers. Tao offers me some of the fruit and nuts from the bowl, which I gladly accept. I pass them to Luhan, who snatches it and hoards them all for himself, still bitter over our ‘betrayal’.

    “So how long have you been a Lost Boy, Sehun?” Tao asks.

    “A what?” I ask in return.

    “A Lost Boy. You know…” Tao trails off. I narrow my eyes in confusion, taking a peek at Luhan to see if he can help me. However, the other boy is far too absorbed in his bowl of food to pay me any mind.

    “I don’t really know what you’re talking about, sorry. Could you explain it a bit better?” I ask. Tao nods to himself and mulls the question over.

    “A Lost Boy is what we call the boys who appear on our shores. We don’t really know where they come from or how they came to be here. They simply appear and find their place in our realm. Luhan has taken in a lot in the past couple years, but some choose to join my tribe,” Tao elaborates.

    “How many of them have their been?” I ask, looking at Luhan for the answer. However, Tao replies in his stead.

    “We lost track of how many. A countless number of boys have appeared on the shores with no memory whatsoever of how they got there and only their name to give. I’ve taken in all of the most recent boys, since Yixing… Well, since Luhan hasn’t been in a good state to care for the new boys.” I turn from Tao to Luhan. I can tell he is trying hard to ignore the mention of his brother, but his body is visibly more tense. I reach for his hand and grasp it within my own, before turning back to Tao to ask another question.

    “If there have been so many boys, then where are they now?” I say. Luhan’s hand tightens around my own like a vice, causing me to wince.

    “He takes them,” Luhan whispers.

    “Who takes them? The Captain?” I ask.

    “The Captain,” Tao confirm. nodding, “We have to guard all of our boys, whether they’re simply a Lost Boy with Luhan or a Lost Boy who joined the tribe. All who join the tribe are trained to fight the pirates off. Luhan and his crew can all fly, thanks to Minseok’s fairy dust, but still, a lot of boys are taken before they can even get to safety, plucked off the sand and taken into the Captain’s ship. No one sees them again, and no one knows what happens to them,” Tao finishes. I furrow my eyebrows, trying to understand everything.

    “But the Captain can’t possibly keep a countless number of boys on his ship! There’s no way there’s enough room for them on one boat,” I argue. Tao shakes his head and shrugs.

    “Still, we have no explanation as to what happens to them. They’re taken, and we’re left with the memories they leave behind,” Tao sighs. I look to Luhan, who has all but folded himself in half.

    “Lu, I’m sure they aren’t really gone. The Captain probably knows of another island and takes them there. There’s no way that he would keep them all aboard,” I reason. Luhan flicks his head up, tears on the brink of flowing and anger in his eyes.

    “No, there isn’t a way that he would keep them all aboard. But there is a way he could easily do away with them. He probably kills them all without any hesitation, and then tosses their bodies overboard!” Luhan cries.

    “That’s not possible. He wouldn’t do that!” I argue. Luhan wipes his tears in an attempt to contain himself.

    “And how do you know that?” He asks, “How could you possibly know what he does? You’ve never been aboard!” I falter in my rebuttal, realizing he’s right; I don’t know.

    “I’m not sure, but I just know that they’re not dead. They can’t be dead. Your brother is alive! I feel it!” Luhan glares at me through his tears.

    “You don’t understand at all!” He yells before charging out of the teepee, the opening flapping shut behind him. I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

    “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have started this here. Thank you for having us and for answering my questions,” I say to Tao, standing and bowing before running after Luhan. I burst through the flap to see him taking flight and heading toward the ocean. I get a running start before following.

    I find him sitting in the sand, feet just touching the water and his back facing me. I sigh yet again and approach him, sitting beside him. I don’t say anything at first--mostly because I am unsure of what to say after what had just happened. I run my fingers through the smooth, white sand, letting it sift between them before falling to the ground again. The water bobs at our feet as a soft reminder of its very presence. We were in a small cove, protected from the water’s rougher waves. As if sensing my observations of the cove, Luhan speaks up.

    “This was Yixing’s place. He always came here to be alone… It was also the last place we saw him,” Luhan says quietly. I turn my gaze to him, reaching my hand out to once again join his.

    “I’m sorry,” I whisper, “I shouldn’t have pushed you like I did back there.” Luhan looks at our joint hands in the sand. He smiles sadly and nods almost imperceptibly.

    “It’s alright. I’m sorry for running away like I did,” Luhan apologizes. I squeeze his hand to reassure him that all was fine between us. Luhan finally meets my gaze and visibly swallows.

    “I know that I’m annoying and cry a lot, but I don’t want to lose anyone else again. I vowed that I wouldn’t take any more Lost Boys in, because I was tired of becoming their friend, only to have them taken away in the end,” Luhan began, “But then I saw you on the beach, and I don’t know why I didn’t just bring you to Tao in the first place. I probably should have, but even now, I don’t regret taking you with me to our hideout.”

    “I’m glad you did,” I say with a smile, “I’m not sure how well I would’ve coped with the tribe,” I say, trying to lighten the mood with a joke. Luhan smiles in return.

    “Thank you for staying this long,” he says, “No one other than Jongin, Chanyeol, or Joonmyun has stayed as long as you. They all leave on the Captain’s boat,” Luhan explains.

    “I don’t plan on leaving so soon,” I say, answering the question Luhan didn’t truly dare ask: how soon would I be leaving? Luhan turns his gaze back to the horizon, watching as the waves crashed at a sandbar out in the water. I tug at his hand to bring his gaze back to me.

    “Lu,” I begin, “I just want you to know that even if the Captain takes me, I will never stop fighting to find a way back to you. I won’t just leave you behind; you have my word,” I promise. Luhan smiles genuinely, eyes sparkling, but sadness still present.

    “You also have my word that I will never stop searching for you. I will hunt high and low so that when you do return, I will be the first to find you,” he promises in exchange. I feel happiness and love bubbling out of me despite our grim conversation. I find myself leaning in as though to place a kiss on his lips. He doesn’t lean away from me, but I see him close his eyes in anticipation. I lay a small and innocent kiss upon his lips, before retreating. He opens his eyes in surprise at the gentility of it all. We stare at each other for a moment, before he begins leaning in to kiss me. However, he never quite makes it before we hear an enormous crack in the distance and see a net flying toward us. The Captain’s ship can be seen in the distance and a small boat is being paddled ashore by a group of men. The net fired at us hits me directly and sends me toppling backward. I can hear Luhan gasp beside me.

    “No!” Luhan screams, drawing a small shiv from somewhere under his clothing. He launches himself forward and begins slicing at the net in an attempt to set me free.

    “You can’t have him!” He yells at the top of his lungs, “He’s not yours to take!” Luhan finally manages to cut a hole large enough for me to come through. He grabs my hand and yanks me toward the trees as the pirates hit the shore and begin chasing after us. We run through the jungle, dodging branches and ducking under vines as we go. The whole situation reminds me quite a bit of our first journey through the trees together. Luhan doesn’t stop, and I soon realize that he is no longer running, but rather flying close to the ground in order to go faster. I peer over my shoulder to see we’ve lost the pirates, likely a ways back, but Luhan refuses to stop until we reach the hideout. At last, it comes into view, and we take off toward Luhan’s personal entrance. He releases my hand upon entering, and I fall to the ground, out of breath and panting.

    “You know, we lost them… a really long way back there,” I say, struggling to catch my breath.

    “I’m not taking any chances, Sehun,” Luhan says, “I won’t let them take you.” I am about to respond when Jongin, Chanyeol and Joonmyun come flying into the room.

    “You two sure were in a hurry,” Jongin says, entering first. Chanyeol follows, hitting his head on the roof before catching his balance midair.

    “Yeah, what was that all about?”

    “We saw you from the dining table. Is everything alright?” Joonmyun asks, floating in with worry painting his affect. I raise my brows at the three of them, but answer nonetheless.

    “We’re fine now, but we were running from the Captain’s pirates,” I explain. The three gasp audibly.

    “The Captain?!” Chanyeol exclaims.

    “He sent his men ashore to pursue us,” Luhan says, “They shot a net and chased us through the jungle.”

    “Why would they follow you into the trees? They never leave the shore!” Jongin says with a grimace. Luhan shrugs and shakes his head.

    “Who knows? But they tried to follow us. We lost them easily though,” Luhan boasts, a bit of his true colors showing through despite the heavy discussion.

    “Do you think we’re safe here?” Joonmyun asks, “They wouldn’t dare look for our hideout right? Especially at this hour! It’s almost dark…”

    “I don’t think they’d come looking for the hideout, no,” Luhan decides after giving it some thought, “But it wouldn’t hurt to ask Minseok to give us some extra protection!” At the mention of his name, I see Minseok’s head poke from behind the leaf curtain leading to Luhan’s room.

“Let’s do this now, so as not to risk anything. Where is Minseok?” Luhan asks. I nod my head in the fairy’s direction, and the other four boys all turn simultaneously to see the fairy as well, wearing identical smiles and mischievous glints in their eyes. Minseok’s eyes bulge out at their intensity.

    “What is it that you want?” He asks nervously. The boys begin making their way toward the cornered fairy.

    “Nothing much… Just some fairy dust and an enchantment or two,” Luhan says offhandedly. Minseok screams once and disappears behind the curtain. The boys follow him in pursuit. I remain in the cave entrance, afraid to see what poor Minseok was doing in order to protect his limited amount of fairy dust. I give in to my curiosity and push the leaves aside, only to see Chanyeol flying into a wall, Jongin tangled up in Luhan’s hammock, Luhan stuck to the wall by a glittery substance, and Joonmyun holding a jar with a victorious smirk on his face. From inside the jar, I see Minseok trying to break free by pounding his small fists against the glass.

    “We caught you so now you have to do what we say!” Luhan taunts from his place on the wall.

    “That’s not fair!” Minseok cries, “Four against one!”

    “You agreed that you would help us when we needed it as long as we could catch you! And in exchange, we let you live with us,” Joonmyun reminds the trapped fairy. Minseok visibly huffs, still unhappy at the turn of events.

    “Fine. I’ll do as you say,” he grumbles.

    Later that night, with the protection enchantments cast and extra fairy dust given to each boy, we all sit around a fire, eating fish Chanyeol and Jongin caught earlier that day. I bite into the cooked meat, surprised at the sharpness of flavor created by the fire’s smoke. Luhan sits beside me, laughing at some stupid story Chanyeol tells about their fishing trip. I finish my food and relax as each boy recalls a fond memory of their time on the island. Jongin tells of how they all were once attacked by angry dolphins for swimming in their cove; Chanyeol recounts his first encounter with Baekhyun and the mermaids; Luhan laughs as he remembers when they first forced Minseok to do their bidding. When it comes to be Joonmyun’s turn, he begins telling the story of when he first woke up on the island.

    “It was quite cloudy actually,” he says, “I didn’t really notice it then, but now that I’ve seen how sunny it usually is here, I guess it was pretty overcast. I woke up with my body halfway underwater, as if I’d just washed ashore. I don’t really remember being on a boat or even near water before waking up on the beach, but I found myself here,” he laughs softly, “And then next thing I knew, my face was being shoved back into the sand by a certain someone,” Joonmyun looks pointedly at Luhan, who smiles sheepishly, “And I heard a lot of laughter before a pair of hands lifted my face from the sand and helped me up. That was how I met Yixing. He smiled kindly, introduced himself and asked my name. However, before I could answer, I was dubbed ‘Boy,’ and went by that for days, until finally being asked my real name. You can probably guess who decided to change my name,” Joonmyun adds to me.

    “All Lost Boys are to be called ‘Boy,’ until they pass their trial time!” Luhan calls out indignantly.

    “Trial time! What are we? A magazine subscription?” Jongin retorts. Luhan turns on him and begins to argue, Chanyeol joining in. Joonmyun laughs at the trio before continuing his story for my ears.

    “Yixing helped me adjust to being on the island. He made staying here worth it all, and when he was taken, I intended to follow. The only reason I didn’t was because I saw how much the other boys still needed me here. Luhan was a mess afterwards, and while I had lost the person I loved, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t lost anyone--they lost their brother. So I held on. And I desperately hope that they don’t have to go through that again,” Joonmyun says, looking at me.

    “I don’t plan to leave anytime soon,” I assure him as I had done so with Luhan only hours before.

“None of them planned to leave. The Captain simply took them. What I’m saying is, I can tell you’re curious about what happens on the Captain’s ship, but don’t go seeking him out,” Joonmyun pleads.

“I won’t,” I promise. Joonmyun smiles and turns back to watch the boys begin wrestling on the sandy ground.

    “I think I should turn in for the night pretty soon,” I say with a yawn.

    “Alright. Good night, Sehun,” Joonmyun says. I stand and announce that I’ll be heading up to bed, causing the others to freeze in their rather ridiculous positions.

    “It’s still so early though!” Chanyeol protests.

    “Yeah! You’re more of a gramps than Joonmyun,” Jongin says.

    “I can hear you,” Joonmyun says from his seat. Jongin sticks his tongue out and pulls an ugly face, but doesn’t take his statement back.

    “I should really get some rest though. It’s been a pretty long day, all things considered,” I point out. Jongin humphs, but no one protests any longer. Luhan pushes Chanyeol from his place on the smaller boy’s chest and jumps up.

    “I’ll come with you,” he says, coming up to me. I nod, and we head back to the hideout. We fly up to his room and get comfortable in our respective beds. Yawning quite loudly, Luhan rolls to face me.

    “We should go see the fairies tomorrow,” he says, close to falling asleep, “Minseok is from their glenn. It’s really… really pretty,” Luhan trails off.

    “Okay, Lu. Whatever you say,” I reply as I hear his breathing even out into slow, steady breaths.

“Goodnight,” I say, my whispers falling on deaf ears as the boy across the room dreams of happier places without the threat of pirates and men who will steal away those you love.

I wake up the same way I had the previous morning: Luhan catapulting himself onto my chest relentlessly until I agreed to get up and join him for breakfast. The others were nowhere in sight even after we make our way down to the main room of the hideout.

“No one else wants breakfast?” I ask.

“They’re all asleep still! They stayed up a lot longer than us since you decided to go to bed at a grandpa’s time,” Luhan teases. I scoff in reply.

“That was hardly early; you all are simply used to staying up so late,” I defend. Luhan hums from the other side of the room, unimpressed with my excuse. He digs through cabinets in search of food, but comes up with nothing.

“Those dung beetles!” Luhan cries out, “They ate all the food!”

“Didn’t you say we were going to get more when we visited the tribe?” I point out. Luhan stiffens, remembering that he said those very words. He turns slowly to me, looking me dead in the eye in realization.

“Well, it looks like we’ll have to go back,” he sighs, closing the cupboards and slumping to the ground dramatically. I laugh and drag him up to stand.

“Come on; there’s no point in putting it off any longer. I’m quite hungry,” I say. Luhan whines in response to my logic.

“I don’t want to! I’m so hungry, I don’t think I can even fly,” he complains, flopping back to the ground in what could only be likened to a tantrum. I refuse to release his hand and end up dragging him out the front entrance of the hideout. He whines the entire way out.

“Sehun! You just bumped my head again!” I roll my eyes.

“Then maybe you should stand up and walk for yourself,” I say.

“I’m too hungry to walk! Sehun!” Luhan cries out in pain as I pull him over a patch of gravel. I throw his hand down and turn to him. Looking down on the pouting boy, I feel my patience leave me.

“If you are going to complain, then stand up and walk. If you don’t want to walk, then you can stay here, and I’ll go get the food from Tao by myself,” I tell him. Luhan puffs his cheeks in annoyance.

“I don’t want you to go alone. No one else is awake to keep me company,” Luhan says. I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose.

“Then stand up and walk,” I finish, turning around and stalking off into the jungle. I hear Luhan traipsing a few steps behind me. I take a peek at him, watching as he shuffles his feet to kick up leaves and sand. I spot a rock and run forward only to kick it back at Luhan. He looks up at me after seeing the rock, and I smirk. He returns the look and kicks the rock back to me. I return it to him, but give it some air so it might hit him.

“You tried to hit me!” He squawks, seeing through my plan from the start.

“Maybe,” I say wickedly. Luhan narrows his eye and kicks the rock as hard as he can toward me. It flies by my head and lands among some ferns. I throw him a look as I move to retrieve the rock.

“Seriously, Lu? Is that the best you’ve got?” I say. I can practically feel Luhan pouting behind me as I bend over to pick up the rock. While I am near the ground, I notice what looks like an old fishing net, laying among the bed of ferns. I am about to tell Luhan to come look at it too, when I realize it is not a mere fishing net. The net springs up at me as it is triggered by an unknown force. I turn to see an identical net shot at Luhan, knocking him to his right to land in a bush. I can see him struggling to draw his knife and cut through the net.

“Sehun!” He cries out. A group of burly men come stomping through the palm fronds, grasping the net I was in and hoisting me up like a sack of potatoes.

“Luhan!” I call back.

“Shut it, boy,” one of the men say. I struggle within the net, but to no avail. I see one pirate go toward Luhan, only to be told to leave him, since he wasn’t worth the hassle of a knife fight.

“Luhan! I’ll come back for you! I’m not giving up on you!” I cry.

“Shut up!” A man says. I continue yelling to Luhan until one man swings the of his sword down upon my head and everything goes dark.

When I wake, I’m not sure if my eyes are open or closed. It is pitch black wherever I am, and I find myself lulled into a calmness by a gentle rocking. That’s when it hits me: the gentle rocking of a boat on the ocean. There was only one place I could be, and that was aboard the Captain’s ship. I peer around in the darkness, my eyes quickly coming to focus. There was a small amount of light coming from above, but still muted as though covered by something. I move toward it, determined to find a way out and get back to Luhan. As I reach up to touch the door, the fabric covering it is ripped back, blinding me as the full force of the day’s sunlight hit my face. I fell to the ground and attempted to shield my eyes.

“‘e’s awake. Bring ‘im up. The Captain’ll like to ‘ave a word,” a voice says from above. I hear a squealing noise as the grate covering what I now realize is the brig is pulled open and two men drag me onto the deck of the ship. I fight back and resist their hold, wanting to find my way back to the island. As I break free of one man’s hold, I feel a sharp pain in my stomach as someone sends a knee into my gut. I fall to the ground, gasping for breath. Far too soon, I’m being pulled up by my hair and being held backward against a man much smaller than myself. Undoubtedly the man who kneed me, he pulls my head down so that my ear is near his mouth and holds a knife to my throat from behind.

“You’ll do best to avoid fightin’ back,” he says, “There’s not a place on this ship, where we won’t find ye. And not a place to run as of late,” the man spins us around to show me that there is nothing as far as the eye can see, except the smooth water of the ocean. The island was nowhere in sight.

“Will you stop fightin’ back now and see the Captain?” He asks. I swallow heavily and nod slowly. He pushes me away from him and I fall to the ground in front of him as he sheathes his blade. I turn to face him and am surprised to see such a young face with his gruff actions and brute strength.

“I’m the First Mate of this ‘ere ship, and m’name is Kyungsoo. For the short remainder of your time aboard, you may refer to me as ‘sir,’” Kyungsoo says.

“You’re hardly much older than me,” I grumble. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes.

“What was that?” He asks. I look away.

“Nothing…”

“Nothin’?” He presses. I sigh, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of obeying his demands.

“Nothing, sir,” I correct with my teeth grit.

“As I thought. Now, stand up and follow me to the Captain’s quarters.” I stand as he ordered and follow him up to the door at the stern. We pass many other pirates along the way who all glare at me with equal hatred. I shudder as we finally pass the last group of them. Kyungsoo knocks sharply two times on the elegant door.

“Enter,” a voice says from within. Kyungsoo opens the door and drags me along when I lag too far behind.

“The boy’s awake. I’ve brought ‘im t’you as requested,” he says with a bow. I look over Kyungsoo’s head into the room and see a large desk and chair in the middle of it. Windows line the back wall and look out over the ocean. A tall man stands to the right of the desk, gazing out at the sea.

“Very good. Thank you, Kyungsoo. You may leave us now,” he says. Kyungsoo nods curtly, bows again, and leaves, closing the door behind him. I feel myself tense up in the Captain’s presence. This was the man who took boys from the island and did who knows what to them. There were definitely not hoards of boys with me while I was in the brig, so where did they go? Did he torture them? Kill them outright? My mind was full of possibilities, but was silenced as the Captain turned to me. He was very tall, possibly taller than Chanyeol, but much more graceful about his height than the clumsy boy. He had sharp features and sandy blonde hair, giving him a stern appearance.

“Sehun, was it?” He asks my name. I nod slowly.

“Well, I’m sorry about the way you had to come aboard, but it was necessary, I’m afraid. Please, sit,” he invites, gesturing to a chair in front of the large desk. I approach it and cautiously sit, my eyes never leaving him.

“My name is Yifan, and I am the captain of this fine ship. I do hope you haven’t been treated too poorly during your stay,” he says politely. I narrow my eyes, assessing my situation.

“I was thrown in the brig,” I point out. Yifan nods in understanding.

“Ah, yes. I apologize, but we tend to throw all Lost Boys into the brig for their first night, so they don’t harm my men. I hope you understand,” Yifan explains sincerely. He didn’t seem like a bad man. He was very polite and clearly cared about his men’s well-being, but I couldn’t let myself trust him.

“Why am I here? Why did you take me from the island? The other boys will be worried,” I say, not quite yelling. Luhan will be worried, a little voice whispers.

“Yes, they will be worried, but there’s nothing we can do. They should just surrender to us and be done with it. Afterall, it’s for their own good,” Yifan says, moving pens and ink around his already neat desk.

“For their own good?! You take them--us away from the only comfort we have on a godforsaken island and drag us out to sea, never to be seen again! How is that for our good?” I yell, losing the last bit of willpower holding my temper in. Yifan sighs and looks at me.

“Why is it that every boy who comes aboard sees us as evil? Why do they all seem hell-bent on not leaving that damn island when it is the island itself that is holding you captive?” Yifan says wearily.

“The island?” I ask, not sure what he was saying.

“Yes. You woke up there didn’t you? No explanation as to how, correct?” Yifan says, “How did you get there?”

“I don’t know how I got there. One moment, I was in bed and the next, I wake up with sand in my mouth!” I reply.

“Exactly. You didn’t belong there in the first place. No one belongs there, not even Luhan, who has fought with me and run away from his fate since the day he arrived,” Yifan says.

“What do you know about Luhan?” I yell, “You took his brother from him! Do you even know how much you hurt him?”

“I took Yixing back to their family! While Luhan insists on being a brat and staying on the island, I took his brother back to their family, so that maybe they could find some comfort in mourning the loss of only one child instead of two!” Yifan says, breathing deeply.

“Mourning the loss? So you’re saying we’re dead?” I ask, startled at the idea that I could have passed without even realizing it. I suppose it would be quite easy, considering my body’s state.

“No, you’re not dead. Your body is in a coma, sending you into your dreams and to Neverland, where you’ll never wake up so long as you remain. I serve to pull the Lost Boys back to the surface and back to reality. My men and I ‘hunt you down’ as you all see it, only to return you to your families,” Yifan explains.

“So this isn’t… real?” I ask. Yifan chuckles.

“Is reality too tough for you? Perhaps that’s why you chose to come here?” He muses, “But nonetheless, I have to return you to your family. It’s time.”

“Time?” I ask as Yifan strides across the room to me.

“Yes; time. Let’s go,” he says, grabbing my arm and pulling me up with ease. He brings be out onto the deck and I realize the ship has come to a halt, all sails tied up and away. Kyungsoo appears at Yifan’s side like a shadow.

“Everything is ready, Captain. We’re just waitin’ for you, sir,” Kyungsoo says quietly.

“Thank you, Kyungsoo. Is the plank readied?” Yifan asks nonchalantly.

“Plank?!” I exclaim. They wanted me to walk the plank!

“Aye, sir. Everything is ready, as per your request,” Kyungsoo confirms. I feel the blood leave my face as we turn away from the mast and head to the side of the ship, plank extending from the edge as Kyungsoo promised. Yifan leads me to the edge and pushes me forward. Kyungsoo hands him a rapier with a sparkling gold handle--only the best for the Captain--and Yifan nudges me forward with the sharp point.

“It’s time for you to go home,” he says. I feel myself torn in two at the prospect of leaving. On one hand, I’d get to see my family and end their inevitable worrying. However, I’d be leaving Luhan behind and thus, breaking my promise to him to fight back. Plus the fact that I would lose my newfound freedom of living outside of the hospital walls I’d been confined to.

“I’m not done here yet! They still need me,” I say. Yifan shakes his head and walks closer, sword poking into the first layer of skin on my abdomen.

“Too bad. You have to go; it’s your time, whether they need you or not,” he says without any sign of letting me back onto the island.

“If you just let me tell them the truth about you! They’ll all be willing to return to reality if they knew the truth! They miss their families and want to return!” I argue.

“But would they? There’s a reason they haven’t woken up on their own! If they truly wanted to return, they would, but they haven’t. Would you return so easily? You have everything you could desire here and more! You can fly, play with fairies, swim with mermaids, and hunt with your very own native tribe. Not every boy would so easily give up on that, especially considering their reality was bad enough to send them here in the first place,” Yifan argues, “You will be walking off this plank today. That is the only way this ends; whether I stab you through and kill you as you do so or you walk willingly is your choice.” As if just to prove his point, Yifan pushes forward more, drawing blood from my skin as the sharp tip of his sword pierces my skin. I wince and step backward, seeing what lay below me. A large whirlpool was directly under the plank--how the ship did not descend into it was a mystery to me. Yifan stepped forward again, forcing me back.

“Please, just let me tell him the truth! Luhan would come if he knew,” I argue one last time.

“I will not waver, boy. Jump now or be killed: it is your choice,” Yifan yells over the raging waters below. I swallow, glancing down again, before back to Yifan.

“Please--” I begin, only to see Yifan raise his sword back and begin its descent toward me. I feel my body instinctively lean backwards to avoid being pierced by the blade, causing me to lose my balance and go tumbling into the water below. My lungs quickly fill with water and breathing becomes impossible as I’m dragged farther into the depths. Finally, I feel my body go numb, and my vision fades to black.

After spending the past days sleeping in Luhan’s room, I find it unsettling to open my eyes to a dull white ceiling rather than the lush green leaves I’d become accustomed to. I attempt to move my arms and legs, but find them heavier than they’ve ever felt before. In the background, I hear a steady beeping, which I would rather trade for the gentle rustle of leaves, and I feel the starchy fabric of bed sheets under me. I turn my head to gaze around, not waking up nearly as fast as I did when I had Luhan jumping up and down me. Despite the fact that there was no boy sitting on me, I still felt a heavy weight on my chest, pressing uncomfortably right above my solar plexus and preventing me from sitting up. I look around to see that I am no longer surrounded by lush green jungle, full of lively plants and the chirping of birds, but am, once again, in room 412 of Seoul National Hospital.

“No,” I try to say, stopped by the hoarseness of my own voice, “No!” It had been as Yifan had said: I had returned to reality. I curse and struggle to sit up, but am too weak to muster up the small amount of strength it required to do so. I glance to my left and see the familiar button to call for a nurse. I lift my arm, using all my strength, and reach for it. Shaking, shivering and trembling terribly, I manage to hit it before my arm gives out on me. I let it fall off the edge of the bed and wait, unable to do anything else. A nurse comes running into the room, surprise written on her face.

“You’re awake!” She cries out. I blink calmly and try to nod. She enters the room and checks my heart monitor to make sure all is well for the time being.

“How do you feel? Do you need anything right away?” She asks. I tell her no, and she leaves to get the doctor and call my mother. I lay in bed, motionless and unable to do anything. Soon enough, the doctor enters the room. He was a familiar face around the hospital--I’d been present through his last year as a student and the first couple years of his career.

“Sehun, how are you feeling?” He asks upon entering.

“I feel tired,” I say honestly, “And it feels like there’s a weight on my chest. I feel weak and can’t move.” The doctor nods, picking up the clipboard at the end of my bed and taking some notes.

“You’re very lucky to be awake right now. We didn’t know if we’d ever get you back. I’m sure you’re aware of the fact that most people become comatose at this late of a stage of cancer, because their body is beginning to shut down,” he says, reminding me of a fact that I would much rather forget.

“Yes,” I say plainly. The doctor does the usual check ups on my depleting health. As I realize that I am stuck back in reality, I feel all the life drain out of me. It’s as though my trip to Neverland had been my last chance to live before I died. After all, as the doctor had said, most people in my situation would’ve died after being comatose, considering that I had a terminal brain tumor. As he finishes up his tests, my mother bursts into the room.

“Sehun!” She cries, tears already streaming from her eyes, “I thought I’d lost you, baby.” She runs across the room and collapses beside my bed on the floor. She grabs for my hand, holding it tightly in her grasp.

“I thought you were gone,” she sobs. I squeeze her hand back as hard as I could--which wasn’t much, all things considered.

“How is he doing?” She asks the doctor through her tears. The doctor flips through his clipboard, looking over all the data and notes he’d just taken.

“He is stable for now. However, there isn’t much more we can do. The tumor is still unaffected by the chemotherapy, so all that’s left are the radiation treatments,” the doctor offers. My mother nods in understanding, tears still pouring down her face.

“Alright, let’s discuss it later. I want to spend time with him while he’s awake,” she says, dismissing the doctor. He bows and leaves the room. I avoid making eye contact with my mother, not wanting to see her grief-stricken face.

“How are you feeling?” She asks. I sigh exasperatedly, sick of the same question.

“Fine,” I say, not willing to elaborate. I look to the window, finding the unfamiliar sight of a cherry blossom tree. My room always had a clear view of the sky. I furrow my brows and watch as some of the blossoms are blown from their branch by a wayward breeze.

“Was I moved? This isn’t my room,” I say. I see my mother nod from my peripheral vision, refusing to release my hand.

“They moved you down the hall from your other room, since you… slipped into a coma. They decided to put you in the same room as a patient in the same state. He’s behind the curtain,” she explains, gesturing to the fabric behind her that separated my bed from my roommate’s, “Poor boy was in a car accident years ago.” I pause, my train of thought broken by one question.

“How long was I asleep?” I ask, meeting my mother’s gaze for the first time since she entered. She remains still, mouth open in shock.

“You were out for almost a month,” she whispers, “I thought you were gone for good.” My mind reels. A month? I hadn’t been in Neverland for even a week, yet a month had passed by in reality. How long had Luhan been absent from reality then?

“The important thing is that you’re awake now, baby. We can move on from this,” my mother says. I narrow my eyes and meet her gaze unwavering.

“We can move on from this? I might’ve woken up, but I’m still dying. I have terminal cancer, Mom. It can’t be cured by slipping into a coma for a month,” I hiss. My mother winces, but I don’t stop there.

“You insist I continue treatment with no consideration for me! Do you not care how I feel about all of it? You’re prolonging the inevitable: I am going to die,” I finish mercilessly. Part of it was my own bitterness over the fact that I had a very limited time left on Earth, which would be spent in a hospital bed, and the other half of my outburst could be explained by the anger I felt toward myself for failing her, failing Luhan, and failing life.

“I’d like to go to sleep now,” I announce, not wanting to see her face after I had hurt her.

“A-alright,” she says, voice cracking, “I’ll go then. Please, get some rest. I… I love you, Sehun.” She stands and walks to the door. I hear her hesitate before opening and walking out, but I make no move to stop her. I lay in bed, soaking in self-pity and stewing in self-loathing. I’d been too harsh on her, but she didn’t consider me when deciding my treatment. She prolonged my life for her own selfish desires to keep me in her life longer. The chemotherapy had stopped working on my tumor long ago, and it was clear that they had stopped radiation therapy while I had been comatose because I was beginning to grow my hair back on my head. If anything, this coma had only worsened my state. I decide that my time is almost up on Earth. I decide to tell her that I will not take any more treatments, only live out the remainder of my life in what will hopefully be painless. Right as I vow to myself that I won’t let her push me around anymore, Luhan crosses my mind. What would he say about my giving up? Where was he in reality? Was everything okay in Neverland? How was he coping with my absence? A thousand and one questions cross my mind, and I sigh. None of them mattered anyhow, because I would never see Luhan again. He refused to leave Neverland, while I was cast out by Yifan. I was exhausted, feeling the hope of seeing Luhan again leave me.. I let myself succumb to darkness and pray that it wouldn’t be the last thing I saw.

I thank whatever god there may be when I wake up the following morning. I’d managed to make it through the night, and if I know anything about how hospitals work, I would likely be having tests and scans done today to see the condition of my head. I opened my eyes and glanced out the window, happy to have a new thing at which to look. The blossoms were blowing in the breeze again, falling slowly from their places upon the branches. I hear a nurse enter the room and greet me. She opens the curtain separating my space from my roommate’s, but I don’t take my eyes from the window. It is the door closing behind her that draws me from my blossom-watching stupor. I jump at the sharpness of the sound and whip my head toward the door.

“Could she close the door any louder?” I mumble to myself. I glance around my new surroundings, not yet familiar with them yet. It’s almost the same setup as my old room: the two hospital beds against one wall, heart monitors and screens displaying our vitals, bags hung up on hooks beside us, a couple of chairs against the wall adjacent to my bed, and a small counter-like table on the opposite me with vases for any flowers we might receive. I flop back to my pillow, already bored of my new room. I turn my head over and glance at my roommate.

“You’ve been here for a while, haven’t you?” I ask. I receive no answer, but never expected one in the first place, so I look back up to the plain, white ceiling.  

“What’s so great about this room that you’d want to spend the rest of your days here? Or is it what’s happening in your head that is preventing you from returning?” I say to him, thinking of the adventures I had while sleeping. I look back to him and squint a bit, trying to get a better idea of what he might look like if awake. I could tell from his profile that he had a small nose and sharp chin. His lashes were quite long and brushed the tops of his cheeks. He had fluffy, blonde-ish hair that was rather shiny for a person who’d been in a coma for an extended period of time. His lips were thin and a light shade of pink, but it was one particular detail about them that caused my breath to hitch in my throat. My roommate had a scar on his bottom lip. It was as though everything clicked into place; my mind clearly recognizing his face at the sight of that one detail. He was here. He was right in front of me. His name escapes my lips as a breathless exhale, desperate and almost soundless.

“Luhan.”

-----

a message from a lost girl

Thank you everyone for reading! This story has kind of been my baby for the past few months, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it! I left it at a sort of cliffhanger, so make of it what you will. I am not promising a sequel, but I would be willing to write more if enough people would be interested in reading it. If not, then I suppose it is open to your own interpretation ;) Please comment to let me know what you thought! I’m really curious to see what you think. Feel free to subscribe to stay updated with the story and upvote if you’d like as well <3