What had she been thinking, running away from her “home” with a stranger to a place she didn’t actually know for sure existed? Although, James had seemed pretty adamant that it existed too. But he hadn’t been there either. Maybe it really was just a fairy story. But wasn’t Peter the one who had first told her of Neverland? And hadn’t she doubted him before and been wrong. No, she trusted Peter with all of her heart. He never lied to her and always protected her. If Peter said Neverland was real, then it was real. Now whether or not she’d ever see it for herself was a different story.
They were just over the docks and Peter knew he had to make the right choice, now or never. He wanted to turn left, do the right thing. Take her there and be done with this whole thing. But he knew he couldn’t. Not now. Not after everything that had happened. No, he had to keep going straight. Straight would take them where they needed to go. In his heart he knew that to be true. His head was having a harder time catching up, though.
They flew past the turn they should have taken to get Lily home. She was confused. Was there another way home? A faster way? They flew another few minutes and then landed. It took Lily a moment to realize where they were. The ledge they were on led straight to a large steeple. They were on the Old North Church in downtown Boston. Lily had always loved this building and the stories that went with it. It had become famous with Paul Revere’s midnight ride and the lanterns he had hung there.
Lily could see everything up here. The street where Uncle Cole’s shop was. The yard where she and Toodles used to play. She could even see, far on the other side of town, the little house she barely remembered calling home. Another family lived there now. She had seen them in and out on her trips to the market. She often took the long way so she could sneak a peek at the family that lived there. They were usually busy with life. A life she pictured hers would have resembled if she still had her family. She shook her head, she was getting caught up on those painful, unattainable hopes and wishes again. Those were the kinds of wishes that made her life hard to bear. If she could just push them to the back of her thoughts, her life was actually not that terrible.
“Ready to go?” Peter asked.
She took in a deep breath, ready to face her fate and nodded. As least she’d be with Toodles again, if he didn’t hate her for abandoning him the way their father had. Peter leapt off the steeple and she followed, ready to turn around and head back home. But Peter headed the other direction. Again Lily was confused.
“Come on, Lily” Peter Shouted “Home is this way.”
Lily’s heart leaped. Did Peter mean what she hoped he did? Was she going home with Peter? To Neverland?
“Coming,” she replied back, trying to contain her excitement.
The higher they flew the more she began to believe that they weren’t going back to her home.
“See that star right there,” Peter pointed ahead at the brightest star. “That’s Neverland. That’s where we’re going.” Lily froze for a moment. Shocked. Peter just laughed.
“Let’s go!”
A star? Neverland was a star? Of course it’s a star!!!! She realized. That’s why James was so obsessed. He couldn’t get there. It also made sense as to why Lily had never seen it on a map. Or even heard of it, for that matter. Without Peter, you couldn’t get there. They continued their climb into the sky. Lily found it hard to breath, the farther up they got. Peter grabbed her hand to steady her.
“Just take a deep breath, we’ll be there soon” He assured.
The sky was so dark and yet bright and vibrant. Lily had never seen a sky like it. And here she was in it. She used to imagine she could reach up and pick a star out of the sky, like a lightning bug. She now realized how silly that was. The closer she got, the more she realized how enormous and far away each star was. The sky was so thick up here, Lily was practically swimming in it. She tirelessly stroked her way through. Past each part of the sky and onto the next. Occasionally she’d look ahead to see the star, soon to be her star, getting closer and closer. She was excited to get there, but was so absorbed in her flight, that she would have been happy to continue it forever.
Chapter 8
Lily wasn’t sure how long it had been when she could finally make out clouds, but she was exhausted. They approached the clouds, but she couldn’t see past them. Once they reached them, they pushed through. Lily had to close her eyes because they were so thick they made her eyes burn. She opened her eyes when they finally broke through. She couldn’t speak. It was breathtaking. Exactly as she pictured it. The beaches, the rocky cove, the fields and trees. All of it was exactly how Peter described. And it was beautiful. Almost magical. Probably magical. After all she had seen, Lily could not deny the hand of magic in all of this. She had never really believed in things like magic or wishes or dreams coming true before, but as she gazed down from the cloud at all that lay before her, she was filled with belief.
Lily was hesitant to leave her place in the clouds. She was afraid to wake up from this dream. She sat and thought about all of the things that Peter had told her about Neverland and wanted to go to all of them at once. Right now. Without hesitation. Yet again, she was reluctant to leave her spot.
“Peter,” she started, “Thank you so much for bringing me here. I’ve wanted it so badly for so long and I thought it would never happen. But now I’m here. I’m home. I know you didn’t want me here, but you did it anyway. Thank you for bringing me home, Peter.”
Peter wasn’t sure what to say. It’s true, he didn’t want to bring her here. But he couldn’t explain why. It was never about not wanting her here, like she assumed. It was about it not being safe for her here. Until he could figure out what was going on with his home that he loved, it wasn’t safe for anyone. But with everything that had happened on that ship, he knew that this was the only place she’d be safe. The only place James wouldn’t be able to get to her. James was obsessed and angry and something else…. Something Peter couldn’t quite put a finger on. Peter had already let Lily down by making her think he’d abandoned her, just like her father did. He had to do everything he could to make that up to her. And that meant keeping her safe.
“Peter, I’m ready.” Lily stated.
“Ready for what?” Peter asked.
“Ready to see my new home.” Lily replied.
“Ok, then let's go.” Peter commanded.
They leapt back into the air and she followed him down to the beach. She hesitated before landing, nervous about what touching this strange magical land would do to her. She softly touched down on one foot. She could feel each individual grain of sand under her feet and between her toes. It was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. It was rough and smooth at the same time. SO unfamiliar and amazing. She figured it was probably exactly how the beaches at home felt, but since she had never been, she couldn’t know for sure. She put her other foot down and squished her feet deep in the sand. A small wave brought the water up to her feet, burying her to her ankle. It was cold and refreshing and, again, amazing.
Lily reached down and flung water up at Peter, hitting him square in the face.
“Now you’re in trouble.” Peter laughed, as he ran after her flinging water back up at her.
He chased her down the beach and back over to the tree line.
There was a distinct line where the beach ended and the forest began, like an invisible fence keeping the trees at bay. Lily was ready to continue on to see what her new island had in store for her.
“Wait,” Peter warned.
“What is it, Peter?” She stopped.
“Lily, there are some things, details, I left out when I was telling you about Neverland.” He explained.
“What kind of details?” she asked, now worried that there might be something dangerous lurking in the woods.
“I can show you better than tell you.” He answered.
He took her hand and led her into the forest. She was hesitant to enter in, now worried about his warning and tone. But she also had l
earned to always trust him, so she allowed herself to be pulled behind him. As first, everything looked the way Lily thought a forest should look. Trees, dirt, grass, sticks, rocks, flowers. It was all here. Then she slowly started to notice. On every petal, every leaf was a dark spot. Like death was consuming them. On some, it had already taken the entire thing and was slowing moving up to the rest of the tree or plant or flower. Most of the grass was dead. Dead branches were falling off of trees.
“Peter, I’m confused. I thought Neverland was beautiful and green and lush.”
“It used to be” Peter explained, “then one day, this started. Gradually at first, but as time goes it seems to be spreading faster.” Peter put his head down.
He looked so defeated. Peter’s poor island was dying and he didn’t know why. Lily reached out for him and pulled him into a hug.
“I’ll help you.” She offered. “I’ll help you figure out what’s going on.”
Peter was touched by Lily’s offer. Grateful that she cared enough about him and his home to help. The only problem was, if the Indians, Mermaids, even the fairies couldn’t figure it out, he doubted Lily could. But he wouldn’t tell her of their failures. He didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm. Besides, maybe a fresh perspective was just what he needed. He needed to introduce her to the island anyway, he could tell her what they’d discovered so far while he showed her around. He would need to explain the fairies absence. He hoped that didn’t worry her.
“Well, I might as well get you acquainted with Neverland.” Peter said, and headed off into the woods.
They walked for a bit before Lily started slowing.
“Peter, I’m so tired.” She mumbled through a yawn and a stretch.
“Of course you are, you’ve been up for ages.” Peter agreed. “We can settle in for the night and I’ll show you around in the morning. It’ll be easier to see than anyway.”
Lily hadn’t even noticed it getting dark around her. She had been so caught up in the excitement and her exhaustion. She followed Peter a ways farther toward the west side of the island. They approached what she assumed was an Indian village. There were tents placed in a circle. At the center of it all was a large fire. It seemed late enough that everyone was probably already asleep. Or they could have been out? All Lily knew was that the place looked abandoned. There wasn’t a person or animal in sight. Instead of turning into the village, Lily followed Peter to a large tree, just outside the encampment.
Peter leapt into the air and up to a large branch. Lily tried to leap after him, but it wasn’t as easy as it had been before. She was able to take flight, but it was slow and awkward. Nothing like the graceful bird she had been just hours before. She finally made it to the same branch as Peter, but had to pull herself part of the way up.
“We’ll, sleep here.” Peter announced.
Lily looked around. The branch was barely thick enough for her to stand on. She wasn’t sure how in the world she was supposed to sleep here.
Peter laughed at her bewildered look.
“If you wedge yourself back against the trunk, you can lay securely against the leaves and smaller branches.”
“I think I’d rather sleep on the ground” Lily stated.
“You’ll be safe up here. And you can’t sleep on the ground. There are wild animals. You are better off up here.” He promised.
Lily figured he knew better than she did so she positioned herself as he had suggested. She was surprised to find that she was actually comfortable. And only slightly scared. She shifted until she found just the right spot and dozed off.
Lily jolted awake to the sound of nothing. It took her a moment to realize it had been her dream that woke her up. IT was a very strange and familiar dream and yet she couldn’t recall a second of it. It was so familiar it must have been a dream she had before. She looked around and noticed that the sun was just barely beginning to peak above the mountain top. She also noticed that Peter was nowhere in sight. How was he already up and gone? She was starving and had no idea where to get something to eat. She also had no idea how to get down. After her stumbling up here last night, she was afraid her ability to fly had depleted enough to make a flight down dangerous. After sitting for a few minutes and realizing Peter wasn’t coming back anytime soon,
Lily’s hunger got the better of her and she decided to get creative with her descent. She took both arms and wrapped them as far around the trunk of the tree as they would go, which wasn’t very far. Then, she placed both of her feet on the trunk, directly in front of her, causing her bum to stick straight out. She began to do a jump walk down the tree. The bark stuck to her arms as she slid down, but the pain of it wasn’t enough to deter her. She was starving and needed food.
Peter was flying above the trees enjoying the crisp morning air. The kind of air you could only experience right before the sun rose. These flights were his opportunity to get away and clear his head. There was so much in it since Lily entered his life. And even more since her adventure on the high seas. He needed to figure out what to do with her. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t want to sleep in the tree every night. And Neverland. What was he going to do about Neverland? At this rate, there’d be no Neverland left by the time he figured out what to do about it.
The sun was fully up now, so Peter decided to head back. He was sure Lily would be up soon. As he approached his tree, he noticed something sliding up or down it. As he got closer, he realized it was Lily. He ducked down behind a large oak and landed in a crouch behind it. Watching Lily climb down the tree in her absurd position was the funniest thing he’d seen in a long time. She finally landed on the ground with a thud and Peter couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer.
“What are you laughing at?” Lily scolded.
“Why in the world did you climb down yourself? You could have flown or waited.” Peter suggested.
“Well…. Flying isn't coming as easy and I was too hungry to wait.” She declared, hands on her hips, still sitting on the ground.
Peter offered her a hand up and she accepted. He felt terrible. Lily hadn’t eaten since James’ ship. She was probably starving to death. How could he have been so careless? He would often go for days without eating, but he forgot that others couldn’t do that.
“I’m so sorry, Lily. Let’s find you some breakfast.”
And again, Lily followed Peter off into the woods.
They wandered for a while and Lily wasn’t sure she could go on. It had been a day since she’d eaten anything, but she’d have sworn it was weeks. What she wouldn’t give to have some of Emma’s sweet bread with honey. It was her favorite treat. However, at this point she wasn’t picky and would have settled for a loaf of stale bread.
“Here we are.” Peter announced. Lily looked around and saw bushes and trees full of berries and fruit. Some of them she recognized. Strawberries, apples, oranges, bananas, blueberries, peaches. But some of them were the strangest things she’d ever seen.
“What is this?” Lily asked, holding up a bright purple fruit the size of an apple, but with spikes.
“It’s a fistleferp.” Peter answered.
“A fistleferp?” She asked. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“It’s kind of like a blueberry and a peach. Try it.” He suggested.
Lily bit into the strange looking fruit. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was starving or because it really was wonderful, but it was the most amazing thing she had ever tasted. Juicy bite after juicy bite, she finished it in record time. After she had devoured another fistleferp, 2 bananas, what Peter had referred to as a gander pear and an apple, Lily was stuffed. She flopped onto the ground and declared herself as such. Then she popped right back up, shocked that she could have forgotten her manners.
“I apologize, Peter. I shouldn’t have laid down in the middle of the ground like that and without even a thank you for breakfast.” She explained.
Peter just chuckled.
“You don’t have to be so proper all of the tim
e. Especially here. No one in Neverland cares about manners.”
Lily found that to be a revolting thought. She had always prided herself on her manners.
Peter and Lily just sat on the beach and soaked up the sun for a while. The smells, and sounds and colors were unlike anything she had ever experienced. She wasn't sure she’d ever be able to go back home. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to.
“Well, we’d better get going. There is still a lot to see.” Peter said.
Lily stood up next to him, both still staring out at the cove.
“Where are we headed now?” She asked.
“It’s about time you meant some of the locals, don’t ya think?”
Chapter 9
Lily fell quite a ways behind Peter on their hike to the village. She was so nervous to meet another person here. So far everything else had been so different from home, the people probably were too. Peter said that manners weren’t an issue here, but then how did she address people? She had kind of wished that Peter had given her more prep before hauling her off to meet an entire Indian tribe.
They approached the entrance of the village. There wasn’t a distinct line to tell you that you were officially there, you just kind of were all of a sudden. They weaved in and out of tents. Lily wasn’t sure what they were made of. Canvas? Animal skins? She just knew she was intrigued by the thought of sleeping under one. They continued on through the tents until they finally came to the middle of the camp. The camp had seemed so much smaller from up in her tree. Not that she was down on the ground, Lily felt overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. This was no tiny village.
Lost Girl (The Lost Series Book 1) Page 4
