The ferry drops us off at the dock. The captain leads us into his car to drive us to my brother's place. I can't believe I have his address memorized when I've never been over. I've never even been invited over. I guess I always hoped I would be.
The captain doesn't ever tell us his name but he doesn't let the secrecy of that stop him from being conversational and friendly. He asks us about ten times if the AC is too high or if we want to listen to any music. I eventually ask him to turn something on because the quiet is too loud. The radio plays a country love song that makes me imagine a couple slow dancing in an old saloon after hours. I try to stay in my imagination for as long asI can.
In the backseat of the car, I sit closer to Charlie than I need to. During the middle of the song, he looks down at me with a smile but I haven't been paying close enough attention to the song to notice if the lyrics are funny. He snakes his arm around my shoulders and for a second I think he's going to kiss me right then and there - with an old man in the front seat, in a car littered with scratch off tickets. Instead, he rests his arm there and lets me lay my head on his shoulder.
The captain lets us out a block away from my brother's house. I thank him and let him know I think what he's doing - helping us take down Nakpuna - is really brave. When he hears this, he nearly throws a fit.
"If I'm brave," he says, pointing a wrinkled finger at his chest, "then there aren't any words to describe what you are."
Brendan's house isn't big. It's one floor with a strangely long rear and a driveway. The view from inside must not be too stellar. It's located only a minute from a highway and overlooks a four lane street from above the hill. The night out here is vastly different from the night on Neverland. Out here, there are street lamps galore that make everything not illuminated seem untrustworthy and scary.
The porch lights turn on as I step up to the door. Taking a breath, I stop thinking and just do. My fist pounds on the door.
Nothing.
I glance back at Charlie.
"Try again."
I knock harder.
Rustling stirs from inside. Footsteps make their way to the door and I see an eyeball appear through the peephole. The locks go undone.
"Dovie."
Brendan is a deer caught in the headlights. He rubs his face as if to collect himself while I take him in. He still has my dad's eyes and mother's bronze skin. His hair still isn't curly like mine and I remember the gaps in between his teeth being there years ago. He's put on some muscle and has a thick beard. I never thought he'd be the kind of guy to grow a beard.
"You're missing."
I shrug, tucking my hands into my pockets. "Not anymore. Not to you, at least."
He squints at Charlie. "Who is that?"
"My friend."
Another set of footsteps wander over to the front of the house, this set lighter. A figure appears behind Brendan. She's tall and slender with short, white blonde hair.
"Is everything alright?" Recognition encompasses her features while I'm left to gape at her. "Dovie! Oh my goodness gracious, we were hanging up flyers for you the other day! You're alright! I mean, are you alright?"
"I . . ." I don't know what to say.
"For crying out loud, Brendan, invite them in!"
Charlie and I are led into the living room. The furniture looks thrifted - if that's even a thing - with its retro classic style. It's as if their theme was Grandma's House but make it trendy.
The woman dashes across the space in her nightgown to get us water, asking if we're hungry or need anything. She goes as far as to fluff the couch cushions from behind us.
I gasp at the ring on her finger.
The woman notices and ceases her fluffing. She holds out her hand for me to see it better. The diamond sparkles in the lamplight.
"I always forget to take off my wedding ring before bed. Guess I just love being married to your brother that much." She grins at it, tilting her head like she's been struck by cupid. "I'm gonna lose it someday like the fool I am - I just know it."
I look up at Brendan. He scratches the back of his neck.
"This is my wife, Leslie."
She frowns at me. "We eloped a few months ago. He's been meaning to call. Right, sweetie?"
"Of course."
I feel frustrated at the rush of betrayal that runs through my veins. He was probably waiting for the annual Christmas card to introduce his new wife. Instead of a generic store bought one, he'd spice it up and send those ones with the cheesy family photo on it. It would be completely like him.
"I figured you had run away with your boyfriend," Brendan says. The disappointment in his tone makes me wince. How can he be disappointed in someone he doesn't even know? "Mom and Dad said he's a bad influence on you. I don't know how true that is but you should know better than to be so reckless. If you want to get out of that house you can. I'm proof you can-"
"Did Mom and Dad tell you I was in the hospital for weeks before I ran away? I broke my leg real bad and now I can never cheer again."
I had expected a "Get Well Soon" card for him at the very least. Maybe a generic bouquet of flowers. I wanted to believe maybe he didn't know what happened because if he did and hadn't reached out . . . it would hurt.
He falls forward in his seat. His mouth hangs open as he stares at my leg. "What happened?"
I guess he didn't know.
"The hospital marked it down as a suicide attempt."
Charlie sucks in a breath from beside me.
Brendan buries his head in his hands. I hate that he won't even look at me. "Dovie, you could have called. If it was that bad, you could have called."
The answer sends my blood boiling. He knows that our parents are enough to provoke such actions. Not a trace of shock registered on his person and yet, he left me there with them.
"Why do I have to be the one to call? You're the big brother! The least you can do is check in to see if I'm alive every once in a while!"
"I'm going to have to let Mom and Dad know you're here."
"No, don't!"
Charlie probably thinks I'm doing an awfully great job at acting but the truth is, the strain in my voice is real. I will forever remember what he decides to do here. If Brendan turns me in, he's choosing to save himself all over again. He'll be wiping his hands clean of me to secure the space he's put between his world and our parents. It's as good as telling me I don't matter to him. He can save me. I know he won't but he can.
"Brendan, that's real fear in her eyes. Something's not right in that house." Leslie perches herself beside me on the arm of the couch and gives me a tender expression. "Hun, if your parents hurt you then you don't have to go back. We can get things straightened out with the police and get you out of there."
I press my lips together. I force myself to remember the incident when I tried telling. I force myself to recall how far reaching this thing is and how powerful it is. The sketches of the boys and Willow circle my mind. It's not only about getting myself out.
Brendan is practically drilling a hole through my forehead. "Do they?"
Charlie huffs. His leg is bobbing up and down beside him.
I can't. I saw all the kids on Neverland. There's more like them that are depending on me.
"Do me a favor and call my parents, Leslie. Maybe get this kid to help you make some tea before I clock him for running away with my sister."
She pouts at Brendan and then motions for Charlie to follow her into the kitchen. He glances back before he rounds the corner and I shoot him a look that should say it all: Stick to the plan.
There's a round of silence. I pick at the couch's fabric and Brendan stares at his hands.
"Our parents' business failed a while ago."
Stop talking, I tell myself.
I don't listen.
"How do you think they've remained financially stable?"
"I don't know and frankly, I don't care."
My teeth clench. "Exactly."
"Dovie, this is about you!"
My eyes sting. I ball my fists as the lamp across from me begins to rock in place. I reign my powers in. "Exactly."
Brendan leans forward on his elbows. His eyes fill with suspicion. "What are you trying to tell me?"
Stick to the plan.
Pretend everything is okay. Do what needs to be done.
Rinse and repeat.
"Nothing."
+++
I think the whole lecture Charlie and I are given could have been cut short if it weren't for Brendan, Leslie, and Lizzie. If they weren't here, my parents wouldn't have to pretend that they were worried I was lying dead in an alley somewhere or squatting in a condemned building with Charlie. They'd be more honest and compare the situation to losing the key to the locker you stuffed all your money in.
Nakpuna doesn't say much and I gather that he is soft spoken with Lizzie because she doesn't seem phased by it. He looms over us and periodically adds a phrase into the lecture like "That was irresponsible" or "You caused us great distress".
I'm sure we did.
I pity Lizzie so much it hurts. She definitely hasn't slept well in ages and she keeps staring at us like she did something wrong. She repeatedly asks why we ran away to which my parents or Nakpuna swoop in to steal any chance of us answering.
If Lizzie and Leslie got together, I know they'd probably stage a whole investigation to find out what's really going on. That's why I'm relieved Brendan and Leslie left the room to give us all some privacy.
"Your mother and I have been looking into some boarding schools for you to attend. We think some time away will give you a better perspective on things," my father says. He seems proud to have remembered his line.
Boarding school? Is that what Nakpuna calls his ship now?
Charlie snickers and shakes his head. "Liar," he hisses under his breath.
Lizzie's eyes dart between Charlie and my father. "With all due respect, Mr. Scarlet, isn't that a bit extreme? Dovie is obviously crying out for help here. Don't you think getting her to see a professional would be better?"
"The Scarlets know what's best for their child just like we know what's best for Charlie. He needs some space from this girl. He should focus on school and baseball. He will leave for college in another year and she will be nothing more than a silly crush."
She poked a nerve with that one. She finally got him to say more than a sentence.
"It's nearly six in the morning," my mother says, checking the watch she probably bought with the money she received by selling me out. "We should get going."
Brendan holds the door open as we all file out. He doesn't even look at me, let alone say goodbye. The sensation of suffocating overtakes me when my parents and I split off from Charlie and his family.
This is it.
Nakpuna's going to make sure I don't see Charlie or anyone else for a long time. Why? Because my parents like the big check he promised for me.
My father holds the car door open for me with a glare. I wouldn't be surprised if he reached out to shove me in. I glance back at Charlie. He's paused outside of the car, one hand on the handle. He catches my eye.
I'm running. With the same vigor I did to scale the crates on the Jolly Roger, I sprint over to Charlie. My limp slows my pace so that he has enough time to meet me in the middle. We crash into each other and I'm stumbling for words. I want to say the perfect goodbye but I don't know how.
I bury my head in his chest. "In case I don't escape -"
"You will escape."
"But if I don't -"
"Don't say that."
"Shut up!" I grab his face in my hands. It's something I have wanted to do forever. "It's always been you. I've always loved you and not just as a friend. I don't know what that means for us but I just needed to tell you before I go."
His lips crash into mine, desperate and passionate. They refuse to waste anymore time on fear. I soak in every second and wish this collection of seconds to last forever.
He presses his forehead into mine, breathless.
"There you go with that smile."
"I know. It's repulsive."
"I was going to say it's beautiful." He plants a kiss on my forehead. "I'll see you again, Dove."
"Goodbye, Charlie."
When I get into the car, I notice the sun is rising. The light casts a luscious magenta on the sky that fades into purple as it climbs higher. The night is being chased away, transforming the black nothingness to a deep blue dotted with stars that shine like glimmers in a child's eye.
The stars are beginning to hide. I think they know what happens next.