Growing Young

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Would you like to follow me on the grand tour of Neverland?" Peter asked, trying to put as much sarcasm into his voice as possible. I could see in his eyes that he was still distraught. There wasn't anything in that moment I wished more than to fix the broken boy.

I nodded my head, putting on my best reassuring smile. I was still trying to soak up all the information Peter had just told me. Why didn't Peter expect things to be this bad? He must have known what Hook was up to. Did Hook and his crew ever age? How exactly were they planning to take over the world? I had so many questions, but I knew Peter wasn't in the mood to answer them. Still, they were tugging at the back of my mind...

"Peter, how long were you gone from Neverland?" I knew I should have saved this question for later, but I couldn't hold it in. The question hesitated between us as we flew toward the island, waiting for an answer it seemed to think it would never get.

"That night I first saw you, I knew I had found something better than never aging. I flew back here to Neverland and told the Lost Boys I had found a new adventure. I claimed it would be my most astounding adventure yet, and that it was one I had to journey on myself. They agreed to let me go after a long debate. I never came back, Emma. I left them here alone." His eyes were becoming stones, the blue turning into a cold grey.

Now I really had to do something about Hook. If it wasn't for me, Peter would have stayed in Neverland and maybe even stopped Hook before things got this bad. I was at fault.

As if Peter could read my mind, he spoke up again, making his voice sound strong and rigid. "You listen here, Em. None of this is your fault, you understand that right?" As I began to answer his question, he continued on. "You are what keeps me going. As long as you're safe, I know that whatever happens will be alright." I watched him as he said these words. Even through all his sadness, I could see a spark of happiness. Could I really be the reason behind that?

I was so lost in thought that I had almost forgotten we were headed down to the island. Our feet landed on solid ground all too soon.

We were in the midst of the forest, which means we must have touched foot on one of the mountains. Although I would never admit to it, I did find the woods a bit creepy, given the circumstances. We were surrounded by complete darkness, and it seemed to be almost soundless underneath the thinning trees. Peter didn't let go of my hand, and I was secretly happy for this.

"Where are we headed to?" I asked, wondering how Peter could possibly know where we were. He did grow up here, for how long I wasn't sure. I would make sure to find an appropriate time to ask.

"About a mile from my underground hut. The Lost Boys should be there, they detested Hook far too much to ever give in." He started to walk and I did my best not to trip over the abyss called the ground. I didn't want to slow him down.

I wanted to ask Peter more questions, but I was afraid of blowing our cover as we walked through the unwelcoming woods. What if Hook had seen us fly in, and had his crew spying on us?

We reached the spot in no time at all thanks to Peter's quick walk and my no-trip journey. He fumbled around for only a bit before he found what he must have been looking for, pulling a hatch up from the ground and finally adding a little light to the forest floor.

"I'll go first to make sure it's safe, don't come down until I say." And he disappeared down the ladder. He took a second to scan below, and gave me a shout to come down.

When I reached the ground below I was surprised to find myself in a small, empty room. Before I had time to think, Peter yanked me against the nearest wall to our left. Footsteps echoed down a hall that must have been nearby.

"Do ye' really think this is gonna work?" A congested, deep voice spoke.

"It has to. If we catch Peter, hook'll be happier than Nimrod with a case o' grub. Plus, rumor has it Peter's left America and is on his way home now. If we can get 'em while he's in flight, there's no way he could survive that fall." A much more gruff voice said, though I felt like I could sense a nervous note in the boys remark.

"We can't kill 'em. He's our friend." The congested boy's voice seemed sad as he said this.

"Peter left us, Bimbo. He didn't care about what happened to us or Neverland. All 'e cared about was some stupid girl accordin' to Hookie's pirates." I could hear the boy spit after saying this, as though he were trying to look tough to the other boy. I could tell it pained him to say what he did.

"I s'pose so. I still think we should give 'em a chance to talk, make sure we know all the facts 'for we go 'round accusin' the boy." The boy who was called Bimbo seemed much softer than the other accusing boy.

I didn't realize how close their voices were until they appeared next to Peter in the empty room, walking straight for the ladder outside. They didn't even notice us.

"Who in their right mind left the hatch open? Don't people realize what kinda creatures this light'll attract? The nerve." The devious boy spat once again, luckily turning his head to the opposite wall of me and Peter.

The two boys climbed up the ladder, shutting the hatch behind them. The light seemed to grow brighter after that.

"I can't believe it. Hook's captured the boys. They're against me now. They want to kill me." Peter kicked a rock across the dirt floor. Before Peter looked solemn, now he looked on the verge of tearing apart. Peter was strong, there was no doubt, but you could only hide so much hurt before it would start to show.

"Maybe if you explained why you left they would understand" I suggested, trying to word my sentence carefully. Peter's eyes met mine, two frozen coals that still seemed to stop time. Incredible.

"They wouldn't understand, Em. I can't tell them I left so I could go spy on a girl. That would give them even more reason to want to kill me." He dug his heels into the ground, staring at a wall that he seemed to burn a hole through, much like the effect his smirks left on me.

Though I knew he was deeply sad, I could still sense charisma in him. If I could think of something quickly before even that drained, leaving him a lifeless stone, maybe I could help him gain back his hope.

"I can talk to them. I will talk to them Peter, despite what you say. They'll have to listen to me, they'll want to hear where you've been. You're still their friend." I practically begged. I could do this, it would at least make me feel like I'd done something right for Neverland, no matter how small it might be. I owed Peter.

"No. They'd kill you in absolutely no time. Do you really think they want to waste their time speaking to a girl, especially the one I left them for? You're not going Em, and that's final." His face hardened as he said this. He let out a sigh and walked so he was only a few feet in front of me.

"I'm sorry, it's just I can't let anything happen to you. I won't risk it for some dumb old boys! Besides, you wouldn't last. One whiff of those boys and it'll send you flying out of Neverland in no time, realizing the most important thing in your life is a good bath." The sarcasm was back. I smiled as Peter gave a tiny smirk, sending bullets throughout my body.

"Alright, fine. We at least need to find a place to stay tonight. We don't want those nasty boys finding you sleeping, then we'd really be in trouble." With that he led me out of the underground room, checking the darkness around him as well as he could before allowing me to come up.

"There's an old hut just a couple miles north. Unless Hook's gotten desperate, it should still be there. We can make camp there and hopefully run into some food on the way." As if on cue, my stomach let out a low growl. I hadn't realized how hungry I was from all the excitement.

We began our walk to the hut, and I made myself a promise that I would not break. I was going to talk to the Lost Boys. I would leave the hut after I was sure Peter had fallen asleep. I was the reason Peter left, and I won't be the reason Peter gets killed. I had to save my world before I could save everyone else's.