Planet Neverland: A Space Age Fairy Tale (Star-Crossed Tales)

by J. M. Page

  "Come on, slow poke. They're going to leave us behind at this rate and I don't think either of us want them to be loose without supervision."

  He'd caught her smiling and his answering smirk was contagious, making her smile even more.

  "No, I don't think we do," she said with a chuckle.

  "Oh look! There's a bit of levity under that hard shell after all," he teased.

  Wendy rolled her eyes and walked past him, still smiling, unable to force it to leave. She walked through the arch of the guardhouse portion of the castle and her knees nearly buckled with the sudden increase in gravity.

  Peter jumped forward to help steady her and looked serious for a split-second. "Yeah, that takes a bit of getting used to," he said, supporting her with an arm around her shoulders. "Should've warned you, I suppose."

  Wendy stumbled for the first few steps before she regained her footing and shrugged off his support. "That's okay, I'm alright," she said, soaking in the blast of cold air that came from beyond the guard house.

  It was hardly lit at all, just a blue glow creeping in through the edges of the tunnel and Wendy pressed forward, curious.

  She did not expect to be suddenly under the sea. It was clear from the size and shape of the room that the castle outside was merely a facade, but it lent itself to the overall feel of being by the sea. And then the inside was wall-to-wall aquariums. The aquariums stretched overhead to form a huge archway, putting guest literally under the sea.

  The boys stood in the middle of the room, gaping and pointing out exotic fish. A rainbow of sea life filled the tanks, everything from colorful corals to glittering little fish. It was jaw-dropping in the clearest sense of the word.

  Wendy stepped up to the glass, flattening her palm against it as she pressed her nose in to look closer.

  "This is so amazing," she said, not knowing if anyone was behind her.

  "The variety of marine life is astounding," John said from her side, equally enthralled. They'd gone to the aquarium a few times when the boys were younger, a way to distract them from the troubles that no little boys should ever have to deal with. She never knew if that made the boys fonder of this kind of thing, or if it reminded them of their difficult past.

  It seemed — to her relief — it was the former.

  "Woah, John, did you see this one?" Michael exclaimed, pointing at a fish that was probably bigger than him. "Look at his silly face." Michael laughed, mimicking the fish's expression, his cheeks puffed out, his mouth opening and closing like he was gasping for air.

  Wendy and John both laughed at his antics. John pointed out another, this one with shimmering green scales and a long flowy tail. "What about this guy," he said, sucking in his cheeks and bulging his eyes out. Michael and Wendy both dissolved into peals of laughter.

  "And this one," Wendy said, shoving her lips out. "Do I look like a fish?" she asked, her voice distorted by the weird shape of her mouth.

  Michael and John lost it, laughing until they struggled to breathe.

  Peter cleared his throat, pulling them all away from their silliness. "This is just the lobby, guys. The show is through there," he said, pointing to big double doors with handles that looked like Poseidon's trident. Strange how symbols like that were universal. It made Wendy wonder if the legends had basis in fact — just not on Earth. And what a bizarre concept that was. Knowing there were alien worlds was one thing, but visiting them and realizing they'd been civilized longer than Earth had been around — well, it made her feel weird. There was no other word for it. It made her feel small and insignificant. If their whole world was just a speck in the grand scheme of things, what did that mean for Wendy and her problems?

  Peter pulled the door open and they were greeted with a loud round of applause spilling forth. He frowned. "Looks like we'll just catch the tail end of it," he said. He paused, then broke out into a grin, laughing. "Get it? Tail end? I didn't even do that on purpose."

  John and Michael exchanged confused looks, turning to Wendy who shrugged too.

  Peter groaned and rolled his eyes again. "You'll get that in a minute."

  "Heard that before," Michael muttered. Wendy hid a giggle behind her hand and turned it into a cough as Peter glanced back looking slightly offended. She knew by the little sparkle in his eyes that he didn't mind really, he was just playing into the role for added comedic value.

  "If you're done making fun of me, we might be able to catch the finale," Peter said, clearly trying to suppress a smile. The boys walked past first and Peter held the door open until Wendy fell in line behind them.

  "I didn't know you had it in you," he whispered as she walked past.

  Wendy shivered involuntarily at the sound of his voice so low and husky right in her ear. She turned to him, her head canted to the side, her eyebrows lifted in a question. "What are you talking about?"

  "You can't fool me. I saw you back there having fun. And here I thought you might be allergic." He sent her a lopsided grin that both excited and infuriated her.

  Eventually, she settled in the middle, giving only the hint of a smirk as she rolled her eyes playfully. "The twins got it from somewhere, you know."

  Peter clucked his tongue, shaking his head, his shoulders bouncing with silent laughter. "You are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

  Wendy grinned, trying her best to look coy. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

  Chapter Twelve

  Peter

  Peter watched Wendy saunter over to her brothers, a sway in her hips he hadn't noticed before. Was that just to tease him? Or was he looking into it too deeply?

  He shook his head. This woman was proving to be a distraction. He should be focusing on the boys, getting them ready to go on stage in a few days. He should be promoting all over town, announcing their return. He should be doing a million other things that weren't flirting with this girl who was only proving to be a thorn in his side.

  He followed into the blue-green glow of the theater space, where giant cylindrical tanks were dotted through the room like support beams. Between the tanks were a crisscrossed network of water-filled tubes that could take the performers from one spot to the other. There were a few patrons gathered around each of the big tubes, but the crowds were small. Nothing like the packed house they'd once had here.

  Hook again, Peter was sure of it.

  The boys wasted no time running up into the crowd to get a better look at the performers, but Wendy stood only a few paces ahead of him, her jaw hanging slack.

  As he walked up and past her, Wendy reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling Peter back. "Are those mermaids?" she hissed in a whisper.

  Peter laughed. "Yeah, sure, if that's what you want to call them."

  There was a different name for them in almost every culture he'd encountered throughout the galaxy, but it seemed everyone — except those from desert worlds — knew about the beautiful girls with fish tails.

  Wendy's eyes went even wider and she rushed up to the side of the tank, just as the girls started their finale — they each spun in place, creating a vortex of water. Lost in the swirling whirlpool, the girls disappeared, one by one, reappearing in the tubes above their heads, the faint lighting glinting off their scales and casting the room in a million tiny points of light.

  The whirlpools spun themselves out, sloshing water over the top of the tanks, soaking a few unsuspecting patrons as the mermaids swam up and out of view.

  Wendy had managed to jump out of the way of the splash just in the nick of time, a giant puddle at her feet.

  "That's it?" Michael pouted as the lights came on and guests started to filter toward the exit.

  Peter saw the disappointment Michael voiced mirrored on his twin's face and already knew what he had to do to appease them.

  "You don't think I'd bring you all the way here just for that, do you?" he asked. "Come on, boys. Have a bit more faith in me, would you?"

  He started off in the opposite direction of the crowd flow, heading for the back
stage area.

  A big muscly security guard stood at the door, his beefy arms crossed menacingly over his chest.

  "Here to see the girls," Peter said, not even considering the guy would try to stop him. But the big oaf didn't budge.

  "No one gets backstage," he grumbled, his voice like gravel.

  Peter frowned. "They'll wanna see me. Tell them Peter's here."

  The guard looked unimpressed, his face still twisted in a scowl, but he reached in his pocket and pulled out a tablet that was dwarfed by his giant hand. He tapped the screen and a girlish giggle came through.

  "What is it Roland?"

  The faintest bit of color rose to Roland's cheeks and he cleared his throat before speaking. "There's ah... a guy here, to see you?"

  "Oh? Who is it?"

  Roland cleared his throat again, trying not to look at the screen. Peter guessed — by the color in the giant's face — that the girls were changing post-show. "He uh..." Roland coughed, his face reddening even more. "Uh... says his name's Peter."

  "PETER?!" she squealed. "Send him in! Hey everyone, Peter's here!"

  Roland ended the call, but not before there was a chorus of excited girls all saying his name. Even Peter couldn't deny how that made his chest swell with masculine pride.

  He looked over his shoulder to reassure everyone in his party. The boys looked equal parts awed and giddy. Wendy, on the other hand, looked like she'd just sniffed her produce and discovered it was off.

  He decided not to dwell too much on that, instead focusing on the boys who seemed much more enthusiastic.

  "Alright, I guess you're okay," Roland gruffed, stepping aside to open the door for them.

  Backstage, there were shallower tanks with sandy beaches and rocks for lounging. He'd often heard that the mermaids had a way to walk on dry land, but whenever he asked them about it, they were very cagey. Mermaids tended to be secretive as a whole and he knew when to press his luck and when to let something go.

  "Peter!" the chorus rose up again. "Peter's here." "Peter's here?" And on and on. He was used to this treatment here and basked in the adoration like a lizard under a heat lamp, just soaking it all in.

  One of the girls rose up out of the water, resting her forearms on the lip of the tank, her chin sitting on her crossed arms. "Hi, Peter," she said with a sly grin, her blue and indigo tail swishing under the water. "Who are your friends?" she asked, eying the boys.

  "Hi, Alina," Peter grinned, shaking his head. "This is—"

  "John," John interjected, stepping forward. Alina extended her hand to him.

  "Hi, John," she said, batting her lashes.

  He took her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss that lasted a second too long to be innocent. "A pleasure to meet you," he said.

  "I'm Michael," the other twin said, shoving his brother aside to also kiss the mermaid's hand. Alina giggled and swished her tail again.

  "You're cute. Peter, why don't you bring cute boys by more often?"

  He watched both twins turn positively crimson and couldn't hide his amusement. "A thousand apologies," he said with a half-bow.

  "You boys should go meet the other girls, they'll be excited," Alina said, her violet eyes glittering. John and Michael didn't need to be told twice. There was a whole school of mermaids gathered at the opposite end of the tank, some of them finding comfortable spots to lounge in the sand under the artificial sun lamp.

  In moments, both boys were coaxed onto the beach, burying their toes in the sand while beautiful mermaids cooed and fawned over them.

  "What brings you by?" Alina asked, her lavender hair spilling over the side of the tank.

  Peter shrugged and looked back at Wendy, waving her forward. Everyone seemed to have forgotten her for a moment. "Well, I was just out and about, giving my friends here a tour of the city."

  Alina's eyes narrowed at Wendy and she swished her tail like an irritated cat, splashing water over the lip of the tank. Wendy jumped back to avoid getting splashed, but Alina only looked amused by it. Peter rolled his eyes internally. Women.

  "Your friends, huh? Word on the street is your show's on the outs, Peter darling."

  Irritation flared up inside of him and Peter thought to argue, but instead, harnessed his charm and plastered on an easy smile, offering a shrug. "Well, you can't always trust word on the streets, now can you?"

  The mermaid's eyebrows raised. "No?"

  Peter inclined his head toward the twins. "New performers," he said. Then, looking pointedly at Michael's bandaged arm, he added, "Real daredevil act. Gonna pack the house like the old days," he said, ignoring the confused look Wendy sent his way. No matter how friendly these mermaids seemed, one could never trust them. Not completely.

  Alina squealed, her face lighting up. "Oh, that is such good news! We were all so sad for you," she pouted. "We'd hate to see you taken down by..." Alina looked around and narrowed her eyes. "You know?"

  "Hook?" Peter asked, eliciting gasps from some of the girls. Michael had been twirling one girl's silken hair between his fingertips, but at the sound of Hook's name, she leaped back into the water, leaving the boy dumbstruck.

  "Shh!" Alina hissed, leaning even further forward. "We don't say his name around here."

  Wendy scoffed. "Well that's ridiculous. There's no harm in a name."

  Alina ignored her completely, only her tail swish giving her away as more water spilled over the side of the glass.

  "What's up?" Peter asked, his brows knitted together.

  The mermaid pursed her lips together and leaned in close enough that Peter could feel the breath of her words as she spoke. "I'm not really supposed to talk about this," she said with a sigh. "But if you're going to be around still, maybe you can find out..."

  She looked over her shoulder to find that most of her sisters were back underwater. Only one was left on the rocks, talking very closely with John while Wendy sent increasingly worried looks their way.

  "You can tell me, whatever it is," Peter reassured her. He didn't have the faintest idea what about Hook would make the mermaids so terrified, but he was desperate to know.

  Alina blew out a breath. "Well, sometimes we... walk among you," she said carefully. He knew how secretive they were about that aspect of their species. He didn't know why, but he'd learned long ago it was best not to question a mermaid's motives. It only led to frustration.

  "Go on," he said gently.

  "The girls who have gone out recently... they haven't come back, Peter."

  Icy dread ran down his back and sent his heart racing. The mermaids had lost people too? He'd thought it was just normal Neverland antics, but the mermaids didn't stay away from their kind for long. If those girls didn't come back, something happened to them.

  "How many?"

  "Four. I've forbidden anyone else from leaving for the time, but... the girls are scared. Someone came in last week and said they saw Marietta performing at the Jolly Roger," Alina said, her face hardening. "I don't know how, but he took them."

  Peter frowned, the wheels in his mind nearly smoking from the way they turned and spun. He looked over to ask Wendy's impression of everything, but spotted her climbing up to the beach where John was still talking — very closely — to a pretty redheaded mermaid.

  Wendy pointed at the pair and said something he couldn't hear. The mermaid turned a dark pink and dove into the water, purposely splashing Wendy as she did. Wendy stood there, open-mouthed, soaked from head to toe.

  "I think we should go," he said. "But if you hear anything, let me know."

  Alina nodded solemnly. "Likewise. I'll do anything to save my girls, Pan. If you need anything..."

  "I know where to find you," he finished with a smile. "Thank you for your hospitality and information," he said, kissing the back of her hand gently before scurrying over to Wendy who still stood frozen in shock.

  "What'd you do that for?" John accused. "She was going to come visit me!"

  Wendy spluttered something about 'har
lots' that Peter didn't quite catch. He hoped none of the mermaids did either.

  "Come on you three, we've overstayed our welcome," he said, practically having to shove John down from the sandy beach. He herded them all towards the exit, a new knot of worry twisting in his gut.

  It was one thing if Hook was poaching performers who went willingly, but was that what he was doing? Did Slim and Monroe and Curly go willingly? Had any of the mermaids? Or was he abducting them somehow? Forcing them to perform in his second-rate show for the masses?

  Peter ground his molars together at the thought, gnashing his teeth until his jaw hurt.

  They stepped out onto the street, and even Wendy's startled bouncing couldn't bring a smile to his face. This was a lot to soak in. A lot to process. He needed to talk to Tink about it.

  They all walked down the sidewalk, the boys leading the way since Peter was off in thought. Wendy trudged along, leaving a trail of water behind her, her arms wrapped around herself as her teeth clattered together. He should take them back to the theater.

  "Come see the greatest show in all of Neverland!" a feminine voice said.

  "We have fine dining, entertainment, and resort amenities unlike anywhere else!" said another.

  The boys were already heading straight for the women who were handing out fliers. They looked identical, wearing wigs of platinum white and skimpy satin dresses that showed more glittering blue skin than they covered up.

  "Come see us! We have free casino chips and coupons for everyone!"

  Peter's skin crawled. He didn't know why until one of the girls said, "Visit the Jolly Roger today!"

  He darted forward, snatching each of the twins by their collars and ripping them away.

  "Hey!"

  "What was that for?" They spoke over one another, each sending him the same offended look.

  Peter dragged them far enough away from the sidewalk hawkers to talk openly. "You cannot go to that place," he said, remembering the fear in Alina's eyes when she talked about her missing sisters. "It's dangerous. You can go anywhere else in Neverland, but not there, understand?"

  Michael's eyes drifted back toward the pretty smiling girls in scanty outfits and scowled. "You never let us have any fun," he said.