Everland

by Wendy Spinale

  “But … how?” my mother says. “Even when we developed the antidote years ago, it never had the ability to heal that quickly. Some trials took years to show improvement.”

  “Two things,” Doc says, with raised brows. “Stem cells and lizards.”

  My mother stares at Doc, bewildered.

  Doc grins. “I’ve always been interested in the study of stem cells, mainly in the area of epimorphic regeneration.”

  “What is that?” Mikey asks.

  “Good question, Lost Boy. You know how lizards can lose a tail and grow it back?” Doc asks.

  Mikey nods.

  “Same thing. If lizards can regenerate their tails, why can’t people regrow body parts? In Bella’s case, I created a solution combining Bella’s cells with the protein that allows lizards to regrow their tails. Antibodies from the Lost Boys in the mixture helped Bella maintain her health, but did not cure the virus. It was too virulent. Something about Gwen’s antibodies not only appears to heal, but is reacting to the original solution to accelerate the healing process.”

  Hook grabs Bella’s hand and examines her pale pink fingers. He whips his head toward my mother. “Is what he says possible? Could this be done?”

  My mother shrugs. “I suppose, but stem cell study is not my area of expertise. And even though my partners and I came up with an antidote, it took us years to develop. It was never as effective as that,” she says, pointing to Bella’s hands.

  Hook’s eyes dart toward the glass vial. Pete grins, still gripping either end of the container. “You ready to cut a deal, Hook?” Pete says with a victorious smile.

  Hook doesn’t respond.

  “I developed what’s curing Bella,” Doc says, pointing at the vial. “I’m the only one who knows what is in it. You could take Gwen and the Professor, but the Professor does not know what I mixed in with Gwen’s antibodies. It will take her months, maybe years, to discover the solution.”

  “What do you propose?” Hook growls.

  Stepping in front of Hook, blocking his view of the Lost Boys, Bella, and my family, I take in a breath. “Let everyone go. In exchange, you can have the cure,” I say.

  “The cure will do me no good without someone to help reproduce it,” he says.

  “I’ll go with you to develop it,” Doc says, stepping next to me.

  “What?” I say, my heart skipping a beat. “You can’t mean that.”

  Doc smiles weakly and winks at Bella. “I’d do just about anything for a Lost Girl.”

  Pete joins us and laces his fingers through mine. “We all would.”

  “But you never said that your plan would include giving Doc up to Hook,” I say, shaking my head.

  “And you never said that your plan would include giving yourself up,” Pete says. He stares at me with intense eyes. He says nothing, but his steadfast and determined expression speaks a thousand words. He knew I’d sacrifice myself to save my mother.

  “Have you lost your marbles, Doc?” Jack says.

  Pete shoots Jack a dirty look. “Interesting choice of words coming from the Lost Boy turned Marauder.”

  Jack scowls.

  “So what do you say, Hook?” Pete asks. “Do we have ourselves a deal?”

  Hook rubs his chin in contemplation. He holds a palm out. “Deal. Give me the vial.”

  “Let them go first,” Pete says, gesturing toward my mother, Bella, Joanna, and Mikey.

  Hook turns his gun on me, pulling back the hammer. I gasp, my breath catching. “Fine, but the Immune stays.”

  “You won’t shoot her,” Pete says with a wide smile. “And even if you did, I’d crush this vial so fast you wouldn’t have a chance to retrieve it. Then you’d have nothing.”

  “Valid point, boy,” Hook says, but he grabs my wrist and pulls me into him, the barrel digging into my temple. “However, even you said we needed just a small sample of the Immune’s blood. I shoot her, take a sample, and Doc still comes with me. Meanwhile, your girlfriend lies dying on the cold, wet bricks.”

  “Pete!” I say, writhing in the crook of Hook’s arm.

  Pete’s gaze hardens as he takes slow, steady steps toward me. No, this isn’t right. Pete would never allow Doc to join Hook. In fact, Pete would never let Hook have the cure. Curious, I glance at Pete. He winks. As fast as his wink, his expression returns to that of reluctance, defeat. He’s up to something. He has to be.

  “Give me the vial. He can’t hurt you anymore. You can leave. The Lost Kids, my family, Bella … you’ll all be safe,” I say, blinking the rain from my eyes and meeting his. “Please, Pete. Let’s just get out of here.”

  The stubborn resistance I have come to appreciate and admire in him slips. He nods with reluctance and hands me the vial of iridescent, milky liquid. Carefully, I close my fingers over the tube. Doc gives me a weak grin. A strange expression crosses Pete’s face. He nods to Doc, and I get the impression that gesture is more than what it appears.

  Doc starts walking toward Hook when Pete grabs him by the arm.

  “Wait,” Pete says abruptly, his hand gripping Doc’s wrist. “It’s been a great adventure. Thanks for everything …”

  A crease forms between Doc’s brows and he drops his gaze to the ground. “It’s the least I could do. I know it doesn’t absolve me from what happened with Gabrielle, but at least … well, maybe it …”

  Pete pulls Doc into a hug. “All is forgiven,” Pete says. Their exchange lasts just a moment too long. That’s when I notice the glint of a dagger tucked at the small of Pete’s back. Pete steps back, his hand still gripping Doc’s. His eyes bore into Doc’s.

  My heart skips several beats. Hook barely acknowledges the exchange as his gun’s aim stays fixed on me. I struggle to think of an alternative plan. Stomp on the vial myself? Make a deal with Hook? Run? None of the options seems viable.

  “Let my family go,” I say, holding the glass container up and drawing Hook’s attention away from Pete and Doc.

  Hook’s eyes tear from the Lost Boys to me. From the corner of my eye, I see Pete quickly slipping the knife into Doc’s hand. Hook nods toward the two soldiers accompanying my mother. “Escort them from the palace.” The soldiers salute and turn toward my mother.

  “No!” my mother screams, wriggling in the soldiers’ grasp. “No, I won’t leave her.”

  Mikey wails as Joanna helps him to his feet. She gives me a worried glance, but I nod to her, encouraging her to continue. She and Mikey follow behind the soldier dragging my mother away. Another soldier escorts Bella out of the courtyard. Her voice fades in a trail of profanities.

  Hook erupts in manic laughter. “And what about you, stepbrother? Would you like to join the women and children?”

  Jack aims his sword at Hook. “I might be a pitiful pirate and an inadequate Lost Boy, but I think I’ll stay around just to make sure everyone keeps their end of the bargain.”

  Hook rolls his unpatched eye. “Good form, Jack. That’s exactly what I’d expect from you.” He sneers on the last word.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jack asks.

  “My mother was right about you. You’ve always been about what you think is right for everyone else, what you think is fair, and never about what is right for us, for our family,” Hook says. “You’re a disgrace to the family name.”

  Jack’s shoulders stiffen. “And you think only about yourself.”

  “‘The fairest,’ my mother mocked. ‘A weak leader, bending to the needs of others,’ she said of you,” Hook says. “She never loved you.”

  “I never wanted to be a leader,” Jack replies. “I just wanted my father’s legacy, his compassion for his people, to live on long after his death. He was a kind and fair king. And as far as her loving me, at least I had a parent. A father who loved me. You know what your mother did? Think about it. Do you really think she didn’t know what she was targeting? She sent her son to destroy the only weapons lab that contained the virus. She knew it was there. And guess who she sent to make sure it
was a done deal? You, stepbrother. She sent you knowing that once you bombed it, you and the rest of the Marauders would die like everyone else.”

  Hook releases me as he spins and charges his brother, his boots smacking the wet brick. He slaps Jack’s face, but Jack hardly flinches. “Lies!” Hook screams.

  “You think?” Jack says, unmoved. “She gave you the targets. She chose you and her best fleet of zeppelins to make sure it happened.”

  Hook stops a few steps away, fury forming deep lines in his face. Turning toward the stormy night sky, he screams. Breathing heavily, he gathers himself together. “Well, life isn’t fair, is it? Your father died a tragic death, and I was the scorn of my mother’s eye,” he yells, pointing the barrel of his gun at his patched eye.

  “Your mother killed my father,” Jack says, advancing on him. “She poisoned him for betraying her. For providing England with her weapon.”

  Hook aims his gun at Jack, but his brother is unshaken by the weapon aimed at his heart. He advances toward Hook. “The Horologia virus; how do you think England got it? Who do you think sent it to them?” Jack says, still moving forward with Hook’s gun pressed firmly against his waistcoat. Rain-soaked hair hangs heavy in Jack’s face, shielding his eyes as he shouts. “My father sent it to England, warning them of your mother’s intentions, and he died for it!”

  My breath catches; my heart stills. As the pieces connect, my heart is conflicted with anger, sorrow, and empathy for this Lost Boy. My saturated clothes anchor me as everything moves in slow motion.

  Shock crosses Hook’s face for a fraction of a moment before he regains his composure. “That is none of my concern. I came here to win England, not weep for your dead father.”

  “It appears no one got what they wanted. Not England, not her people, not even your mother. No one! No one except you, brother,” Jack says. He steps back and gives an exaggerated bow. “The cure is all yours. Long live the Captain.”

  “I intend to,” Hook says. He turns back to me, aiming the gun. “I’ve held up to my end of the bargain. Hand it over.”

  Wavering, I watch Pete, hoping he will tell me to stop, to run for our lives. Instead, he frowns. “There’s no way out of this,” he says. “He’s won.”

  “No,” I protest, counting four other soldiers including Hook nearby. Five against four—that is, if Jack is on our side. Blades against guns. Fear wells in me. Someone is going to die tonight, all because of me, because of what flows within my veins.

  Doc’s eyes flick between Hook and me. “Gwen, do as he says.” His voice is stern, commanding.

  Emotions collide inside me like a raging storm at sea. Tears burn my eyes, but I swallow back the lump in my throat, forbidding them to fall. I shake my head in protest. Doc gives me a slight nod and I see the glint of silver in his hand: Pete’s second dagger. I place one hand on his cheek and kiss the other. My heart shatters as I pull away.

  Please, please don’t let anyone die. Not on my account.

  Turning, I melt into Pete’s arms. He buries his face in my hair, and I can barely hear his whisper in the rain. “The first opportunity you have, I want you to run as fast as you can. Don’t look back no matter what. Don’t come back for me or Doc. Just run.”

  His fingers comb through my hair, his heartbeat thrumming against my own. I place my hands on his face, my palms running along his stubbled cheeks. Finally, he leans his forehead against mine. He whispers again, “Run, Gwen. Run away, and don’t you ever forget that you are always a Lost Girl.”

  Burning tears streak my cheeks. “Your Lost Girl,” I say, my grief drowning in his stare.

  “Well, isn’t that sweet?” Hook says. He lifts the barrel of his gun toward Pete. “Young love. Now bring me the vial, Immune, or it’ll come to an unfortunate end.”

  Reluctantly, I pull away from Pete’s arms. Wet, angry, and battling the ache of defeat, I step toward Hook, his palm held out, waiting for me to give him his prize.

  He grins wickedly. “Hand it over,” he says.

  He’s won, and that simple fact chokes me like his fat fingers wrapped around my neck, stealing my breath. I fix my gaze on Hook’s single dark eye and shove the vial into his outstretched hand.

  “That’s a good little girl.”

  “I am not a little girl,” I say, tightening my jaw.

  “Oh, aren’t you cute? It’s absolutely …,” Hook says, scratching his head, “darling.”

  As soon as Hook wraps his fingers around the glass tube, he turns to his soldiers. “Cuff the girl and the young doctor. We’re taking the cure, the boy, and the Immune. As for Pete,” Hook says, looking Pete up and down, “kill him!”

  “No!” I shout as the soldiers move on Doc and Pete. A third guard moves toward me, but Jack steps in between us. He turns his sword on the soldiers. “No, that’s not what you agreed on.”

  “Plans have changed,” Hook says. “It’s time you two get an up-close tour of the Jolly—”

  Another explosion erupts outside the palace, followed by a dozen more. The ground shakes, sending lanterns smashing to the ground.

  “Captain!” a Marauder says, running into the courtyard, breathless. “The soldiers! They’ve abandoned their posts. The ships … they’re spooked! Phantoms, I tell you. Firing on our own men!”

  “What?” Hook says.

  I turn toward Jack, and he meets my stare. I nod toward the katana in his hand.

  Hook regards the vial in his grip, like the wheels of a clock turning in his mind, trying to find a solution to his predicament. “No worries. We still have the cure and the little girl,” he says. “As long as we have them both, I’ll be the most powerful man in the world.”

  Rage erupts within me. I must end this. I will end this … for good!

  I signal to Jack. He tosses the katana, and I catch it as Hook turns his attention to me.

  Thoughts of my family flood my mind. Mikey’s panicked face as he dangled over the crocodile pit. My mother’s surprised expression after being held hostage, waiting for her children to be brought to the palace to save them. The night Joanna was taken from me, and the hurt in her eyes about broken pinkie promises to never grow up. And a final thought for my father, the clinking of his tags reminding me I will never see him again.

  “I am not a little girl!” I scream. Lifting the sword over my head, I slam the blade down.

  Hook’s guttural scream is drowned out by the crack of thunder and the pouring of rain. I watch as his right arm, the antidote still clenched in his severed hand, one finger adorned with the skull-and-crossbones ring, falls into the crocodile pit. The coppery smell of fresh blood hangs in the air as Captain Hook falls to his knees. He tries to stop the blood with his gloved hand, but to no avail. With his teeth he rips his glove off his remaining hand and holds his bleeding stump to his chest. He stares into the dark chasm as the crunch of bones and broken glass echoes from the pit. In the distance, Big Ben chimes for the first time in a year, its clang announcing midnight in Everland.

  The world around me slows. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as the Lost Boys fight off the Marauders beneath a lightning-streaked sky. As the storm rages around me, I drop the sword, sending it clattering to the wet stone. When I lift my eyes, the leader of the Marauders is staring straight at me.

  Hook turns his gaze to the sky, his square jaw clenching with a grimace. Pain etches the lines on his face, but I am certain it is from more than just his arm. Trembling in the heavy rain, he turns his dark, glassy gaze toward my sword and then locks eyes with me.

  “I came to England to win her for my mother,” he shouts above the roar of the rain. “For once in my life, to prove to her I’m more than just a worthless child. And now …” He scans the smoky clouds and the flames licking toward the night sky.

  Hook covers his grief-stricken face with his hand. It is then I see them, the oozing blisters covering his fingers and the blackened fingernails, and I feel as if I’ve been punched in the gut. Why didn’t I see it? Consider that he,
too, could be vulnerable?

  “You’ve contracted the virus,” I say, hearing the shock in my voice. “All this time … this whole time your soldiers wore the masks, but you … you didn’t.”

  Hook grimaces, averting his gaze. “When I discovered what I had done, when I killed nearly everyone in London, it was too late. Even for me.”

  Hesitantly, I kneel and place a hand on his shoulder. As if surprised by my touch, he flinches. He stares at me with the single frightened and wide eye of a boy, a Lost Boy. Acquiring the cure to rule the world may have been his goal, but it was never his primary agenda. He was after the cure because he needed it.

  He hangs his head, anger twisting his features. “I couldn’t go back to Germany like this,” he says, holding up his infected hand. “I’ve destroyed England and possibly all of humankind. If I returned to my mother infected … she already sees me as a monster, but this …” He stares at his stump. “Now I can never go back.”

  The rain washes away my disdain for this boy, sympathy replacing it in the hollows of my heart. My soul shattered when I lost my mother, but I found her, was reunited into her loving arms. Hook, on the other hand, has never known nor will ever know a mother’s love.

  “I’m so sorry,” I say, the words catching in my throat as I hold back my tears.

  He smiles weakly and crumbles to the ground. “What have I done?” he whispers.

  Despite my reluctance and weak stomach, I force myself to look at his stump. I have never purposely hurt another, not until tonight. “What have we done?” I whisper.

  An explosion in the distance rocks the ground beneath us, drawing my attention to the wall of fire surrounding us. My pulse races and I search for an escape. Pete’s face appears in my vision and he is shouting, but his voice is lost. He places a hand on each of my arms and shakes me. “Let’s go!” he yells.

  “We can’t leave him here,” I shout, gesturing toward Hook, who has curled into a ball around his ruined arm.