As the guy straightened and replaced his hat, I asked, “You mean like Robin Hood?”
When he nodded, I felt a wave of excitement flush through me. Did he even know how many marathons of shows about him I’d watched on Netflix?
“Indeed, many people like to address me with such a title. But I go by Robin.” He flashed us a charming smile, and Lox finally pressed down her and my swords. He obviously wasn’t a threat in her mind.
“Aren’t you supposed to be… old?” I blabbered, instantly regretting it.
I think he ignored my creepiness out of courtesy, since I was staring at him like he was the last piece of cake at the birthday party.
“I should be, but my story was written in such a way that I’ll always stay the same age—young.” He flashed us a full smile.
I cleared my throat. I was all sorts of flustered right now.
“Might I know your names?” he asked, his gaze steady on us.
“This’s Lacey. I’m Lox,” she replied shortly, but I could see the dark patches flushing her cheeks.
“A pleasure to meet you two.” He smiled kindly again and leaned into the bark of the tree. He must’ve noticed my eyes darting in the direction of the two men still standing behind him, because he continued to assure us, “Oh, they’ll be gone soon. My merry men only follow orders when needed. Aye, aye, go away.” He chuckled and shoed the men.
They left us alone in the moor, disappearing into the trees, blending in with the foliage. It made me feel a little less anxious, and I could tell Lox was, too, though in the back of my head, I knew to be cautious just in case this was another trap in itself.
Robin continued calmly. “Now, I couldn’t help but think you two are lost.”
I nodded, looking over to Lox, who was just staring him down as he flapped his hand in dismissal. She didn’t seem like she trusted him completely yet.
“My men and I have been watching you since you entered the deep forest. It’s rare we get visitors here, so I thought I’d help you out.” His sparkly eyes darted upward. “Where are you headed?”
I paused, thinking Lox would be the big talker here. But when she stayed quiet, I answered for her. “W-we’re trying to find Merlin’s place. We’re friends of Peter’s.”
“Hmm. You won’t be making it there before nightfall. And in this neck of the woods, it’s awfully dangerous to be traveling. Too much darkness,” he explained. Excitement seemed to flash over his features. “Suppose you two could join me and my men for dinner tonight, and then in the morning, we could personally escort you to the wizard’s?” he asked hopefully. “We saw his tower positioned about a half day’s journey from here. We could lead you there at dawn if you’d like.”
I was about to agree due to the grumbling in my stomach and the—hell-o—attractive man in front of us, but Lox didn’t think the same way.
“Thanks and all, but we need to find the library and head back home as soon as possible,” she stated forcefully. If she’d been any normal teenager, she would’ve said yes. But no.
“Lox?” I spoke through gritted teeth. “I think we should go with him.”
“And risk him turning on us like everyone else? No,” she concluded, sheathing her sword, her eyebrows drawn in anger. “It’s too good of an offer to not be a trap.”
Robin nodded respectfully. “Understood. But my men and I know the way to Merlin’s tower.” He raised his hands in surrender. “There’s no traitor in this part of the forest—we’re too busy trying to defend it. Besides, if you’re friends of the Neverking, then you are our friends as well.”
Lox looked angry, but only with herself. We’d probably been walking in circles for hours, knowing our luck, and the pride of trying to find the place on her own was putting a wall between us and a good meal with the Robin of Loxley. Which I was not okay with.
Stepping in front of her before she could overthink it, I smiled cheerfully. “You know what? I think we’re both really tired of wandering around aimlessly. Don’t you agree, Lox?” I peered back at her over my shoulder.
With a bland expression, she lifted her chin defiantly, but no words of disapproval left her lips.
Seeing this, Robin clapped his hands happily, moving to motion for us to walk toward the place where his two men had disappeared with a large sweep of his arms. “Wonderful! Right this way, ladies. Your feast awaits.”
Stepping into Robin’s camp was like stepping onto the set of my favorite TV series, but better. The men were dressed similar to Robin, and even some ladies in fancy dresses swirled around with them in glee. A large bonfire burned high over our heads from a wide teepee of wood at the center of camp. Tents were scattered around in our vision. Lox and I stayed close to each other, taking it all in like wide-eyed tourists.
When I looked at Lox as if to ask, Have you heard of this before? she shook her head vigorously and motioned toward the large table Robin was leading us to. To my disbelief, the table that could possibly seat fifty people was covered in towering foods—ten times more than I’d seen collectively while being in Neverland. Mouth instantly watering, I eagerly sat as a handmaiden pulled back a chair for me, then the same for Lox.
In tune to the crackling of the fire, four musicians played instruments nearby, filling a need I hadn’t realized I’d missed so much since being here. Music. We took our ability to play whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted for granted in the Mainland, and now that the sound had been so foreign to me for so long, I swayed to the easy chords, enjoying the song despite the melody only being about four notes repeated over and over again.
There was a rough poke on my shoulder, yanking me out of my thoughts. Lox leaned into me, hissing, “This doesn’t feel right, Lace. N-no one has ever been this nice here.”
Hearing this, I tried to see if I sensed the familiar feeling of darkness in the pit of my gut—any hint of warning that this place wasn’t where we needed to be. But when I didn’t feel a single thing, and the smell of the piles and piles of foods—fruits, breads, meats, baked goods—filled my senses instead, I shook my head. “I think we should still be cautious, but…” Reaching forward, I picked up a small bunch of grapes, holding it up in front of Lox’s face. Her amber eyes crossed while looking at it, and I laughed. “Have you ever seen this much food in one sitting? I think my stomach’s started to eat itself by now.”
This got at least a smile out of her before she took the grapes from my hand, picked one off, and popped it into her mouth. Chewing, her eyes fluttered in bliss as she nodded, agreeing with its juicy goodness. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”
As the others of the camp began to find their seats all along beside us, Robin stood on a chair directly adjacent to where we sat. His wine chalice was held high as he tapped it to get everyone’s attention. Smiling broadly, he waited for silence before clearing his throat to speak. “Merry men and women!” he greeted. “We have two very special guests joining our nightly feast. Lox and Lacey, weary travelers on a quest for the Neverking! May you feel welcome, our friends. Now, let us eat and be merry!”
Everyone laughed, including myself (the queen of puns), and then he began to dig into the food before them with no restraints. Sharing one last glance with Lox, we both reached forward and picked up things to eat from the table. And for a split second, I felt all doubt flutter away as I chewed on a large apple that crushed between my teeth wonderfully. But as the sun set on the horizon, burning through the trees like the fire in front of us, I couldn’t help but think of Peter.
It was stupid to keep dwelling on things I couldn’t fix, but as Robin began to sing happily with his camp and Lox, screeching like a monkey, joined in, the temperature became pleasant and everything felt peaceful for once. I wished Peter could’ve been with me experience it. To see not all of his land was turning evil. That there was still some good left in it. And even if it was in the form of a bunch of creepy thieves in the forest, feasting off way too much food and dancing around the fire like natives, it was still good.
But what if the darkness took over before we could wake him up? Would I be responsible for that much destruction to a land? The thought made me want to be sick.
A hand on my back startled me out of my trance and I blinked up to see Robin gazing into the sunset. “Though she may be dark, her stars are brilliant, don’t you think?”
As he walked away to join the others and their festivities, I wondered if he was right. Maybe he was just giving out false hope; that must’ve been better than none at all. Or maybe, deep down, he truly believed that there were still stars here in this land full of evil.
Truthfully, the Robin’s camp was too good to be true in the midst of this mess, and we could possibly die here or be hung by our toes as the party piñatas, but at least Lox and I would have full stomachs and a slight slice of hope in our hearts. Until tomorrow.
Looking over the dwellers here, jolly and seemingly worriless, I realized I was sick and tired of the darkness. It had been in my nightmares as a kid, and now that it had seeped into my reality, I was fed up. It ruined, it hurt, it tore apart. All of these innocent people would be affected by it if we didn’t do something.
Someone had to be behind all of this; something had to be corrupting the good. So whoever they were and wherever they were trying to get away with it, I pledged to myself that I’d try and stop it. I was no hero, but I was also not going to let Peter’s home be torn to pieces by whatever this opposing force had to offer.
There was a reason my mother’s locket was so powerful and why Peter needed me here to help. There had to be.
As the night went on, the fire burned higher and higher, the people became merrier and merrier, and I felt myself being drawn into it like a trance. We danced, we laughed, we sang, and we jumped. It all passed by in such a blur, but at the end of the night, as we gazed upon the stars, the glowing remains of the fire popping as we nestled down to sleep, I let myself breathe peacefully and take in this moment. I had a feeling after tonight, I would never feel like this again in Neverland. So embracing the twinkle of the stars and the contentedness of my mind, I fell asleep easily next to Lox and some of the other merry women.
And for the first night since being in Neverland, I dreamed.
Nineteen
The sound of crashing waves filled my ears as I blinked against the burning sunset’s light, using my hands to shield my face. When my eyes finally adjusted, I was looking out over open air, the wind buffeting my skin and hair all around me. Gazing down, I noticed I was wearing the outfit I’d originally worn here—my familiar red high-tops, jeans, and T-shirt. I also saw my feet were perched closely to the edge of the cliff that loomed over the unsettled sea below.
I jostled back in surprise, my back scratched suddenly by a dead, twisting tree that fingered up into the sky like a skeleton’s hand. Crumbling bark fell after I pulled away, trapped between the tree and a small patch of earth below my toes.
“H-help!” I cried out, but my voice sounded distant.
Looking out over the shining ocean, my eyes found what looked like a large island covered in forest and mountains. Somehow I knew it was Neverland. Somehow, I knew this was me gazing out at the island I’d been trapped on for weeks now.
Suddenly, there was a shout to my right, and I jerked to see where it came from, falling to my knees and grabbing onto the edge of the cliff.
What was it with this place and cliffs?
Down below, another point of rock held up a dark-haired boy wearing a glistening leather jacket. Zane. His hair gusted about his head and into his eyes as he shouted again, cupping his hands around his mouth.
I tried to cry out to him. “Zane! Up here!” He didn’t even glance my way.
I didn’t have much time to think about this before there was another large burst of wind and my locket caught it, jerking right off my neck. Thankfully, my hand reached out just in time to clutch it. I’d never let it go.
Never again.
Just then, a shadow fell over my face. I covered my eyes with my free hand in order to see the figure flying my way, heart leaping at the sight of him.
“Lacey.” Peter hovered before me. My whole body relaxed now that he was here. He could save me, get me off this terrifying cliff and away from here. Then I could figure out why Zane was stuck as well, who had put us here.
“Help me! I’m going to fall!” I exclaimed. Beside him, the infamous ball of bright light, Tinkerbell, circled him in a constant swirl of pixie dust, but I wasn’t afraid of her.
“I can’t help you. You’re the only one who can do that,” he said, not having to shout at all. It was like I could hear him speaking in my thoughts.
“Please, please help me. I-I can’t do this without you. I can’t get out of here,” I begged, stepping closer toward him, only to have some of the rock crumble away at my feet. I stumbled back into the tree and held on to it with every ounce of strength I had.
“You have the power to defeat whatever demons you face, Lacey. I taught you that,” Peter told me.
“But I can’t fly right now. I don’t have any pixie dust.” I looked over at the fairy expectantly. She could help me.
“I learned to fly without it, Lacey. You can, too.” Peter sounded angrier now, like it was some huge burden to save me.
I started to cry in angry fear. “That’s impossible!” I spat.
But his figure was already backing away toward the island.
His voice was getting farther and farther away. “Hope can be dangerous, Lacey. Watch out for hope.”
“What does that mean? Wait!” I stumbled a little as more rocks began to crumble from under my shoes into the raging blackness below. “You can’t just leave me!”
Peter shook his head slowly. “Watch out for hope,” he echoed before swirling midair, Tinkerbell right on his heels.
The second I took my eyes off him, too blinded by the sunlight, I noticed a figure more horrifying than any I’d ever seen. A mega-sized Hook was crawling over the surface of the island, where Peter was zipping forward with Tink, his dagger drawn, shooting across the sky like a star.
The last thing I saw was the mutilated, disgusting image of the captain coming to tear me apart.
Then the scene changed.
I was standing back at Robin’s camp, the sun was setting behind the trees, and the festival around us started up again. The glittering bodies, marvelous orbs of lights like those from the fairy hospital, twirled through the air, causing the darkening grassland around us to come to life. Lights twinkled, sprinkling bell songs were sung.
It was blurry, but I could still see close. Peter, he was there again. No, here beside me. He stepped toward me, grabbing my hand, and we held each other like that while the festival continued around us. No Lox, no Robin Hood. Just him and me, very close and very, very light on our feet. It all felt strikingly familiar, yet something was off. Something felt surreal, but it was as real to the touch as to my sight. I could feel his palm against mine, guiding me along in rhythm with the chimes.
Peter looked over at me, radiant, beaming, and then spun me around in his arms, mimicking the fairies. His smile was askew, but I couldn’t help but admire it. His eyes flashed radiantly, like he didn’t want to be anywhere else but there with me. I felt it like the slam of a train into a mountainside. My chest heaved with the feeling of butterflies released into my stomach too suddenly and the lightness of my head with dizziness.
“Dream catcher…” Peter said softly, but I could’ve sworn his mouth never moved.
“What?” I asked, but it felt aloof, up in the air. I didn’t think I’d actually said it.
Peter moved to twirl me again, this time bringing me close so our bodies were together, sucking all air from my lungs as I felt his palm encompass my lower back securely.
His other hand held mine out to steer us. “Dream catcher,” he whispered gently beside my ear, but again, his lips hadn’t moved. Before I could question it, he was spinning me outward, away from his warmth, and the lights around me reel
ed so quickly in my vision that I couldn’t focus well. “Find her. She will teach you.”
“F-find who? Who will teach me? Teach me what?”
Letting go, Peter stood before me, eyes meaningful and mouth twisted slyly. He slowly began to bow, and for some unknown reason, I did as well. But something caught my eye halfway, forcing me to stop. It was my necklace, held out to me in Peter’s hand. But when I tried to walk toward him to take it back, my feet wouldn’t budge. The earth was clawing at my ankles, holding me in place, not letting me go near the Neverking.
“You will find out soon enough.”
“P-Peter, wait. I’m stuck,” I told him, looking between my frozen legs and Peter’s rising form. Now he didn’t look magical or anything of the sort. He looked sardonic, still holding the locket out to me.
“Lacey,” he said, his voice deep. “Darkness, Lacey.”
I found myself actually filled with terror, gripping at my legs to try and pull them free. Why did he have my necklace? What was he talking about?
“Peter! Peter, what’s going on?” I shouted, the fairy lights around us beginning to die hauntingly, floating to the ground in disgusting heaps, extinguishing like embers.
The blue of Peter’s eyes was replaced by darkness—a shifting face that was hungry for something I was terrified to see. It wasn’t him anymore.
It was a haggard, wretched old woman with missing teeth and beady, black eyes, snatching my necklace back in her own palm.
Her cloak grew to the ground and swayed around her. She cackled, the noise ringing in my ears like nails on a chalkboard. I cried out, trying to claw at the sound and move my legs. But I was petrified, fear confining me like a tight blanket, suffocating me.
“Lacey…” the voice hissed again, and I recognized it this time. Rhiannon.
“Lacey!” another voice called to me, but I was trying to cover my ears. Everything around me moved to darkness, simultaneously bursting in light.
Mere Phantasy Page 20
