The Captive (First Book in the Neverland Bound Series)

Chapter 22 (Catherine)

Picture of Collin attached! :D

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(A few minutes earlier.)

I feel adrenaline coarse through me when I think of what we are about to do. Hook's pirate ship floats silently on the surface of the water, and in the sky above, dark clouds are beginning to form.

"Storm's brewing," Collin declares from where he is crouched next to me.

"In more ways than one," I reply and he nods solemnly in silent agreement.

We then watch silently as Ethan and the rest of the Lost Boys silently emerge from the tree line and slink stealthily beneath the surface of the lagoon. I placed a Sea Dweller Charm on them earlier so that they would have the ability to breath under water and therefore be able to get to the floating vessel undetected. They are the primary force and the distraction that Collin and I are going to use to board the ship without being noticed.

I hear a bird call in the distance that I recognize as the signal Tiger Lily said she'd use to alert us of her troops arrival.

Before even attempting this rescue, I knew that we would need some reinforcements, so I went to Chief Great Big Little Panther and asked if he would help. Considering his history with Peter, I believed that he would turn me away. However, I was pleasantly surprised when he said, "Peter Pan may have wronged us many times, but you have been nothing but kind to us. My men and I shall follow you into battle, Catherine."

I had gratefully accepted his help and now, after hearing Tiger Lily's call, I am reassured of the outcome of today's battle.

"Thank you for coming with me, Collin," I whisper to the boy next to me.

"It's not a problem, lass," he replies. "Besides, I knew yer brother woul' not be easy 'til someone agreed to go with you."

I chuckle at the truth of his words. "Yeah. He did seem a bit tense when I told him my role in Peter's rescue."

"Don' worry, Cat. We'll get him back," he reassures, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I nod to him and give him a small smile. "With you all at my side, we can't fail," I say.

"Tha's the spirit, lass," he says and we both fall silent once more.

I allow a few more minutes to pass before I motion to Collin that it's time for us to go. I also placed the Sea Dweller Charm upon the two of us as well so that we may move along under water without detection.

We silently move to the beach and quickly sink beneath the surface. We walk along the ocean floor until we find ourselves directly beneath the Jolly Roger. Only then do we begin to rise.

When our heads break the surface, I can hear a discussion taking place on deck. It's Ethan attempting to negotiate Peter's release with Hook, even though we already know what the answer will be.

I look to Collin and gesture for him to start climbing. When we get about halfway up the ships helm, shouting can be heard and the clanging of metal-on-metal signals the beginning of battle.

Collin and I stealthily slink over the rail of the ship and duck behind a stack of barrels that stink of rum. I curl my nose at the smell, never having been very fond of the smell of alcohol.

I then proceed to scan the deck for any trace of a door that could lead us below. Collin taps my shoulder and points towards a small hatch just a few feet away in the floor next to wall. He takes a step forward, but I grab hold of his shirt to pull him back.