Peter by day, Pan by night

Chapter 2

        Someone shakes my arm.

        I open my eyes and blink as a boy’s face comes into view. I don’t know him. Wait…my eyes trace the scar on his cheek and everything comes back to me.

        Music in an alley and a hooded boy.

        Did we really fly? I look around. We are still floating in the air. It wasn’t a dream! Or maybe I am still asleep.

        “Kelvin? Are you all right?” I look past our kidnapper to the smaller boy.

        He doesn’t answer me.

        “Kelvin!” I gasp, panic and adrenaline mixing inside me.

        He still doesn’t look at me, but points at the world underneath us. I jerk my gaze down. Oh, no.

        This isn’t London. It isn’t even England.

        A green island stretches below us. The blue ocean touches each side of it. The sun is just rising, extending its rays across the hills and pools of glistening water.

        “Neverland.”

        I am not sure who said it, but the word fills me with wonder and awe.

        A rainbow stretches across one of the lakes and for some reason I don’t feel afraid anymore.

        Felix grabs our hands and flies us down to this magical land. What did he say before? Something about lost boys and never growing up. What a strange and beautiful thought. A world without adults or rules or time.

         As we get closer, our feet skim the leaves on the trees. Kelvin lets out a laugh. “We’re flying, Wendy, flying!”

        “Yes, we are.” It’s impossible, yet this all feels too real to be a dream.

        Felix weaves his way past two lakes and a hill covered in flowers. I hold onto his arm tightly. I may not trust him or even like him, but at least he hasn’t let us fall to our deaths.

        We land in a clearing in the woods. I let out a sigh of relief when my feet touch the ground.

        Our captor pulls off his hood and scratches his messy blond hair. “Let’s see what Peter Pan has to say to you.” For some reason I know he is talking to me, not Kelvin. I was the one who forced my way into Neverland.

        Peter Pan. What sort of silly name is that? I shrug, but bite my lip. What’s going to happen next?

        Felix reaches over and knocks on a nearby tree. Kelvin shrinks behind me as the loud noise rings out. I have to pretend to be brave…for his sake.

        “It’ll be all right.” I say, wondering if my words are true.

        A part of the tree opens, revealing a hidden door.

        Wild cries fill the air. Laughter joins the yells as boy after boy tumbles out of the tree.

        I take a step back, pulling Kelvin with me. I wish I knew how to fly without Felix’s help.

        These must be the lost boys. There are about twenty or so. Some of them are taller than me, but most look like they are closer to Kelvin’s age. Their loud words fall away when they see us standing behind Felix.

        “What is she doing here?” One of the boys whispers, red bangs falling over blue eyes.

        “Is that a girl?”