The Boy Who Could Fly

chapter six

As the cool ocean water lapped at Aimee's feet, she watched her siblings splash around with their newfound friends. Sally and Les played in the shallow water. The two had become nearly inseparable since they met. Sebastien had found a friend in one of the younger Lost Boys, Buttons. Buttons was several years older than Sebastien, but he didn't seem to mind the younger boy's company. Aimee smiled a bit wider as Buttons chased Sebastien around in the sand.

All three of them had a happy home life, but they'd become more joyful during their stay in Neverland. Sebastien loved being around more boys. While he enjoyed spending time with his sisters, he was obviously deprived of having older brothers to look up to. It seemed like every single Lost Boy had very quickly become Sebastien's older brother. He went from having no brothers to suddenly having around twenty. Sally had always been able to make friends quickly, so she had no issue with that. But Aimee could tell that Sally thrived when she was outside. Neverland was absolutely nothing like New York City. Sally opened up much more when she was surrounded by trees and nature rather than concrete buildings. She had even begged to sleep outside at the campfire almost every night.

Aimee had been enjoying the trip immensely. She longed for an adventure her whole life, and it was suddenly staring her right in the face. She had an entire island to explore, and several new friends. She could finally learn skills that would never benefit her in her city life. She could learn how to survive in nature. She had even considered asking Jack if he would teach her how to swordfight. She had seen him practicing in the mornings and she wanted to learn.

While they had much more freedom than they had ever had, Aimee still wanted to explore the island. All of it. She had given up on asking what was on the far side of the island. If Jack wouldn't let any of the Lost Boys tell her, maybe she'd just have to find out on her own.

After a while, the sun began to set. All five of them left the beach and headed back to camp for dinner, and then for a bonfire, which the boys were all very excited about. Aimee learned that it didn't happen very often, and they were having one to welcome her family to the island.

Back at camp, the boys were running around to prepare for the evening's activities. Several came in and out of the kitchen building, helping to cook the meal. Others gathered wood and sticks to burn during the fire. Two of the older boys began to build the fire, setting the wood up like a lean-to. There was a small flame flickering, but the wood hadn't been touched by the fire yet. Within minutes, everyone gathered around the kitchen as plates of cooked fish were filled, along with some wild greens from the island. Once she got her plate, Aimme found a small log serving as a bench, and she sat down to enjoy her meal. Moments after she sat down, Jack joined her.

"Can I sit here?" He asked, gesturing to the spot next to her. Aimee nodded, and Jack sat. "So, you enjoyin' your stay so far?"

Aimee nodded. "Very much so," she said, pausing to take a bite of her food. "It's...incredibly different here than it is where I'm from," she said. "The change is refreshing." She smiled slightly at him, and Jack returned it with one of his grins.

"I'm glad ya like it." Jack nodded happily. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he hesitated as if he didn't know how to say it.

"Yeah," Aimee said once she was sure he had nothing else to say. "I do want to explore some more, though. Are you sure you can't take me to see what's on the other side of the island?" She couldn't help herself, and she had to ask the question. That way once she snuck off, she could say that she gave him the chance to tell her.

"Stop askin' that, ya ain't gonna get an answer," he said. "All you gotta know is that you should stay on this side. You don't wanna know what's over there."

"But-"

"Stop askin', Aimee,'' Jack said, looking at her sternly. The look effectively shut her up. She wouldn't ask any more. But she planned to find out on her own.

Once the boys finished their dinner, they built up the fire even more. As the flames grew, the boys gathered around it, chatting happily with one another. Aimee kept trying to find a moment to get away, but it seemed that every Lost Boy wanted to speak with her and ask how she'd been enjoying her stay. Aimee felt a little bad that they were being so friendly and she was about to run away, but she told herself that she'd be back before they noticed she was gone.

After about an hour, the sun had set fully. Aimee was taking a break from the evening's festivities by sitting on another log bench. She watched the boys dance around the fire, and she watched her siblings, who looked like they felt more at home than ever.

Jack glanced at Aimee and caught her eye from across the clearing. The expression on his face asked her if she was okay. Aimee nodded in response, and Jack seemed satisfied with that answer. She watched him carefully. The minute he turned his head, she stood up, sticking to the shadows, and carefully crept towards the trees. She hadn't wanted to leave when it was this dark, but she had no other option. With one glance back at the clearing illuminated by the bonfire, Aimee turned and plunged into the dark jungle, headed directly for the opposite side of the island.