“Hey Lily,” he began, “I don’t really have a home or family either.” Lily looked up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Where is it you come from?” She finally asked.
“Well, this may be hard to believe, but I come from a place called Neverland.” Peter answered.
“Neverland? I’ve never heard of it. Is that near Greenland?” Lily questioned. Peter just laughed.
“No, it’s farther away than that.” He went on to describe Neverland’s lush green trees and waves of grass. He described the crystal clear water and crisp fresh air. Lily had never heard of anywhere like this. It was hard to imagine anywhere other than Boston and its smoke filled skies and dirty streets.
“Finally, it’s where dreams come true.” Peter finished.
And Lily almost believed that was true. It sounded exactly like the place she would dream about. A place where her family could be together.
Chapter 3
“MERMAIDS!?” Lily asked incredulously.
“Yep. Mermaids. We would swim around in the cove and look for treasure along the bottom of the sea.” Peter explained.
Lily gave him a doubtful look. Ever since she saw him fly, she was inclined to believe everything he said, but mermaids were a bit much. Lily couldn’t believe it’d been 3 weeks since Peter started coming to her window to talk. Lately, it’s what got her through her day. The more time passed, the more she felt Toodles pull away. He was more interested in playing with the boys, then going on their adventures. Normally, this would have devastated her, but having Peter in her life softened the blow. It also distracted her from her conversations with the moon. Lily felt bad for having ignored her friend these past weeks, but it just felt so good to have a conversation with another person. A conversation that gave back.
“Ok, so you swam with mermaids. Are they as lovely as they say in books? Or do they look like more like fish?” Lily figured she may as well go along with it.
If nothing else, it was fun to hear the stories. Even if they were kind of hard to believe.
“Mermaids are half human, so half of them looks like a human and the other half looks like a fish. Just like you’d expect.”
Lily wondered which half looked like a fish and which half looked like a human, but decided to just leave it alone for now. She would just hope it was the top that looked human. The other way gave her nightmares.
“What other friends do you have there? You said you have no family, so who else is there to keep you company?” She asked.
“Chief Tiger Claw and his tribe are also there in Neverland. He has 7 daughters. That’s who I go on most of my adventures with. I’m actually an honorary member of their tribe, ya know.” he bragged.
“Tribe? As in Indians?” Lily asked.
“Of course. We go on hunts together and play games. They have an entire village on the west side of the island. I sleep in a tree just outside the edge of it. ”
“Island? Neverland is an island?” Lily questioned.
“It is.” Was all he said.
Lily sat and thought about Neverland. It sounded amazing. She had never heard of anywhere like it and wanted so badly to go there someday.
Lily stretched and yawned and Peter knew he should let her sleep, but he was always hesitant to leave her. He hated the thought of her laying in her bed at night feeling alone in this house. She deserved to live in a happy home where she had a mother to sing to her and read her stories. And a father to carry her to bed when she fell asleep by the fire. More than anything, she deserved a home where she felt loved.
Peter reluctantly stood up.
“I’ll get going.” He said.
Despite being exhausted, the familiar rush of panic Lily got every time Peter left, came upon her.
“You’ll be back tomorrow, right?” She pressed.
“Always.” He replied and leaped out the window.
Lily laid her head down, comforted by his promise to return, and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning when Lily awoke, she expected a day like every other. She got out of bed and went downstairs to start breakfast, the way she did every morning. She found Emma sitting at the table, her head in her hands. Lily got a terrible sinking feeling in her stomach. Something was very wrong.
“Aunt Emma?” Lily felt terrible for disrupting her Aunt, but she didn’t know what else to do. Emma looked up, eyes bloodshot from crying.
“What?!” she snapped.
Lily jumped back. She knew her Aunt wouldn’t strike her, but she was afraid anyway.
“Emma, what’s going on?” She asked. Lily instantly regretted asking. She didn’t think her Aunt’s face could have been any harder, she was wrong.
“You’ll find out eventually anyway.” She stated, cold as ice. “Your Uncle was attacked on his way to open the shop. The officer said it looked as though they were searching for something. But nothing was missing. Not even his wallet.” Lily didn’t understand, sure Emma was shaken from Uncle Cole’s attack but they hadn’t even taken anything so what was the big deal? She just continued to stare at her Aunt. She was missing something.
Emma could tell by the look on Lily’s face that she just wasn’t understanding and she didn’t have the patience for her stupidity. It wasn’t the silly girl’s fault. Look at who her pathetic parents were. But she just couldn’t deal with her, not today.
“Cole died.” Emma said in a flat tone.
She watched Lily’s face as the words sunk in. She immediately regretted her harsh tone; she wasn’t trying to hurt the girl. And she knew how Lily felt about him. She had looked at him as a replacement for the man she could barely remember. She just lost another father.
After she finished her talk with Emma, Lily went upstairs looking for her cousins. She was so worried about them. They had just lost their dad and she knew how they felt. Well, sort of knew, anyway. Her own father hadn’t died, but being abandoned had to feel somewhat like losing them to death. And for all she knew, he was dead. He had certainly never made any attempt at contacting her or Thomas. She also knew that they must feel similar to the soul crushing pain she was feeling now. She understood that Cole wasn’t her father. But she had always looked up to him and loved him like one. She found them sitting in the middle of the floor in Timothy's bedroom. And Toodles was with them.
“Tim, I heard about your dad. I’m devastated. Are you ok?” she asked in a whisper.
“Of course I’m not ok!” he shouted at her. “He was MY dad!”
Tim turned his body away from her, indicating he wanted to hear nothing more from her. The other boys turned from her, as well. Toodles included. Lily just walked away, defeated. She was alone. She plopped onto her bed and sobbed. Not just for her Uncle Cole, who she loved dearly, but for everything that had happened in her life. And for Toodles, who she could feel pulling away from her. The more time he spent with their cousins, the less he wanted to do with her. And it broke her heart.
Lily woke to a soft brushing on her arm. She sat up and was surprised to find it was dark. She had slept and cried the day away. Peter stood over her with concern on his face.
“Lily, what’s wrong? What happened? Are you ok?”
Lily was warmed by his concern. It was nice to know that someone was worried about her. After she explained to him what had happened he pulled her into a hug and let her cry on his shoulder. Lily had had many hugs in her life from Toodles and Cole, once even from Emma, but having Peter hug her now, with caring and concern, made her realize she had never really had a hug before. She felt safe.
“Peter, please take me with you!” She blurted out.
Peter withdrew from the hug.
“What?” He responded.
“Please, Peter. Please take me to Neverland with you.”
“I can’t.” He explained. “I can’t bring you there. It isn’t a good place for you.”
“Please, Peter. There is nothing for me here. You have to take me.” Lily begged.
“No,”
replied Peter, in a whisper. ”I can’t and I won’t”
Lily’s crying began again.
“Fine! Go away and leave me alone.” She hissed. “You don’t care that I’m here alone.”
“Lily, you don’t understan….” Peter began, but Lily cut him off.
“I said go!” She shouted. “And I don’t care if you ever come back.”
Peter gave her a wistful look and then obeyed. As he flitted out the window, Lily was sure he knew that she didn’t mean a word of it.
Chapter 4
The next few days were long and tedious. With Uncle Cole gone, Emma had to run the store. Which meant that Lily had to run the house. On the 2nd night of Lily making dinner on her own, Teddy threw a fit and refused to eat. Then he started crying.
“I hate your food!” he screamed. “I want mommy’s dinner.” Lily again felt completely defeated, a feeling she was beginning to get used to. On top of all of her new responsibilities, the boys not eating their dinner was more than she could handle. And on top of everything else, it had been 4 days since her fight with Peter and there was no sign of him. She was afraid he thought she had meant the terrible things she’d said. She regretted ever letting the words escape her lips. She was just so angry. She thought Peter cared enough about her to help her escape her prison and she had been shocked to realize he didn’t. But that didn’t mean it was fair of her to attack him like that. She wished there was a way to tell him how sorry she was.
As Lily laid in bed that night she tried to think of ways to make things right with Peter. Then it came to her.
“I need to find him and apologize. He needs to know I understand.” she thought to herself.
Unfortunately the only way to do that is to go to him in Neverland. But how do you get to Neverland?
Lily decided the best place to find someone who can get her there was at the docks. Surely, a sailor there would have at least heard of Neverland. Better yet, sailed there! Oh she was so excited at the thought of finding Peter and seeing Neverland. She halted a moment when a thought crossed her mind.
“This rift between us began with him not wanting me in Neverland.” She thought, then stopped herself.
“No he’ll be so happy to see me and to know I’m not upset with him that he’ll finally get beyond that silly notion of Neverland not being the right place for me. Every time Peter tells me of his adventures there and the beautiful beaches and flowers and trees, I can’t help feeling like he is describing home. And how could a place so spectacular not be exactly where I should be?” And with that, Lily had the resolve she needed.
Thomas didn’t need her here looking after him anymore. He had Teddy and Ben. In fact, he had recently taken to sleeping in their room. No, he would be just fine without her. She would miss him terribly though. She needed to take something with her to help her remember her dear sweet brother and the games they used to play and stories they use to tell. She walked toward his old bed in the corner, looking for something she could take. As she approached, she stepped on something and flew into the air, landing on her backside. A marble rolled past her head as she laid on the floor.
“That’s it!” Lily smiled as she realized Thomas’s marbles were the best way to always keep him with her.
She scooped them all up with two hands and dropped them in her bag. Finally, she went to her dresser and opened the top drawer. She lifted a lace handkerchief and ran her fingers over the embroidered letters. LLM, they were her mother’s initials. She held the silk to her face and breathed in what remained of her mother’s scent. It didn’t actually smell like her mother anymore, but that smell was logged so deeply in her memory that she didn’t need it to. Finally she picked up the golden pocket watch her father had left her. She knew it had been his father’s before him, so she couldn’t find it in her to throw it out. After all, that was Uncle Cole’s father too. She turned it over to admire the map on the back. She often wondered where that map led. Unfortunately there was no one left alive to ask.
Peter hung from the roof, trying to be as quiet as he could. He could tell Lily was packing for something, but what? Was her Aunt sending her away? He couldn’t figure out why she would pack Thomas’ marbles. And then she took something from her drawer, but it was too hard to see in that dark corner. He couldn’t figure out what in the world she was doing! Then she started to approach the window. Peter backed up onto the roof and into the shadows. The window opened and out popped Lily. She walked to the ledge outside her window and sat down. Then she turned around and pushed herself toward the edge. Now she was hanging off and Peter was afraid she’d fall. He had to resist the urge to grab her hand. He just sat back and watched as both of her hands disappeared. He tip-toed to the ledge, where Lily had gone down, and peeked over just in time to see her swing to the final window ledge before jumping to the ground. She hit with a thud, brushed herself off and ran into the city. It was hard to keep track of where she was going, while also staying hidden. There were a few moments where he knew he’d been caught, for sure. But she was so focused on where she was going that she somehow hadn’t notice him.
Lily’s confidence wavered as she approached the dock. It was dark out and there were so many people shuffling in every direction, yet she couldn’t see a single face. Part of her wanted to run back home and yet she knew she couldn’t go back. There was no way she would ever be able to make the climb back up to her room. And if she knocked on the door, well, there was no telling how Aunt Emma would react. She had been unstable the past few days, ever since Cole had died. No, she was here. Committed. She knew what she had to do. Lily took in a deep breath and marched off into the sea of people.
The smell of fish and dirty men assaulted her. She had to fight the urge to cover her nose. She was afraid walking around with her nose plugged would be a dead giveaway that she didn’t belong here. And she needed people to believe she knew what she was doing. No one would want to take on a scared little girl as a passenger.
“Excuse me. Excuse me, sir.”
Lily tried stopping several people, but everyone was too busy. She finally got lucky when she found an old man sitting on a stool, just watching the bustle.
“Excuse me, sir. Would you happen to know if there is anyone sailing to Neverland?” She asked.
The man laughed at her.
“Nobody here has time for fairy stories,” he told her and then turned away.
Lily was feeling frustrated. There had to be someone who could help her. She continued on her path down the dock, stopping periodically to inquire about Neverland. The crowd and noise began to overwhelm her. She found a clear spot and sat down with her feet dangling off the edge. Once again, she tried considering the possibility of just going back home. And again, her fear of Aunt Emma stopped her. What was she going to do? Lily took a deep breath and tried to hold the tears back. She had always felt lost, but now she really was. She had nowhere to go. She watched as a few tears slid down her cheek and fell into the water below.
“Excuse me, Lass.” Lily heard a voice behind her.
She turned to see a kind, handsome face looking at her straight on. She was startled by the attention. She had been searching all night for someone to notice and help her, but now that it was happening she was nervous.
“What are you doing sitting here by your lonesome?” he asked with his strange foreign accent and smile on his face.
“I...I’m looking for someone.” she hesitated answering too many of this strange man’s questions.
“Right, I heard you asking about Neverland. “ He admitted. “Turns out it’s your lucky day, lass.”
She gave him a confused look.
“Just so happens I’m headed there myself.”
Lily couldn’t believe what she was hearing. After searching all night she had finally found someone to get her where she needed to be. Actually, this someone found her. She knew she was meant to find Peter and Neverland and now that was happening. But she knew she needed to be cautious too.
Chapter 5
“The name is James.” The strange man announced.
Lily just stared at him. She felt conflicted. She had no idea who this man was or whether or not she should trust him. But Neverland? He could be her only way there. What if she let him leave and never found another way? No, she’d have to give him a chance. Besides, he’d given her no reason to distrust him. He had actually been polite and he had a very inviting smile. This man was her way to Peter. When she had left her home she had promised herself she’d let nothing stop her, so here it goes.
“Ahem,” James cleared his voice and broke Lily’s thoughts.
“Oh, Pardon me,” Lily felt embarrassed, she prided herself on her manners.” I’m Lily. Very pleased to meet you.
“You as well, Lass.” James replied. “If you want to follow me to my ship, we’re about to head out.”
He looked around, and saw Lily’s bag.
“Can I take that for you?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Lily felt so lucky to have found such a kind person to help her. Everything was working out and she was on her way to find Peter.
The wooden planks under her feet creaked as she stepped aboard the beautiful boat. It wasn’t huge, but it looked sturdy. She felt proud as she looked upon the place that would be her home for the next….. Wait, she didn’t know how long the trip would take.
“James, how long will it take to get to Neverland?” Lily asked.
“We’re planning on it being about a fortnight or two.“ He responded.
That felt so long to Lily. But since she couldn’t fly like Peter, she would just have to make due. Deep down she knew she’d been waiting her whole life to go there. What was a few more weeks?
Lost Girl (The Lost Series Book 1) Page 2
