Chapter Nineteen
The closer she got to the surface, the harder the wind blew. It raged and howled, ripping branches off some trees, completely collapsing others. The clouds churned dark, anticipating. In the great cavern of The Sanctuary, it blew an eerie moan across the narrow opening of the ceiling, like when one blows on the top of an empty bottle, deep and low.
The Lost Boys ran in after Peter, alerted by fairies who had been watching over Kaytee. It was only their second visit since Kaytee had been brought here. Peter knew she wouldn't want them gawking down at her the whole time, so he kept them away until there was a change.
Now, they stumbled over each other, falling to their knees at the edge of her pool of dust just as Peter had. Nibs squeezed one of Peter's shoulders, nodding with a small, hopeful smile.
The majority of the fairy population, it seemed, also hovered around them, peering from above or behind each other, whispering excitedly.
The tip of Kaytee's nose touched the surface of the pool. Everyone held their breath.
And then she rose.
The dust slid off her like a sheet of feathers, tumbling down into the pool as she emerged. She didn't stop once out, she kept rising, her arms, legs, and hair floating in the air as if suspended in water.
"Why isn't she stopping?" asked Peter to no one in particular. Indeed, there was no answer for it.
She climbed further and further, a hush falling over the fairies. They grew completely silent as Kaytee ascended through the air. Then, one by one, the pixies settled onto the ground and covered their heads, as if in prayer, waiting.
The Lost Boys, unsure, mirrored their positions, and so did Peter, though he didn't cover his head, unable to look away from Kaytee as she suspended a few feet below the ceiling of the cavern. There, she was still.
Slowly, the air around her began to glow, swarming with dust that radiated off her skin, unaffected by the raging wind. Across the sky, blue lighting cracked and whizzed, dangerously close to her body. And then, she transformed.
Golden fairy dust exploded off her body in a great pulsing dome, like a soundwave. In a burst of pure energy and light and warmth, it raked across Neverland, healing everything it touched. The animals emerged from hiding, their noses sniffing tentatively at the fresh air that brushed passed them. The trees, damaged by fire, mended their leaves and branches. The mermaids could foresee the future once again and saw that it would be long and bright.
The Indians, unaware of what was occurring, found themselves filled with a sudden peace. Their bonfires grew larger, warmer. The sick regained their energy. The weight on the fairies' shoulders evaporated.
And the sky parted above Kaytee, golden rays of sunlight bursting through like a long overdue exhale, the clouds disappearing into the sky. Peter held up his hand to see better and watched her slowly begin to lower back down. With the help of the boys, they urged her onto the ground, her head on Peter's lap.
They waited, breath tense, unblinking. Would she wake?
With a gasp, she did.
Her brown eyes were streaked with gold, almost completely blocking out the color, giving her an ethereal appearance. Her nose and cheekbones were also highlighted with golden dust, along with her hair, which sparkled faintly in the new light. Peter cupped her cheek with a trembling hand; she felt like she'd been sitting in the sun for hours, soft and warm.
"Kaytee?" he whispered. Her gold eyes had been fixed on the sky, but now they fluttered and landed on his.
Her brow scrunched, "Peter?" He expected her voice to be hoarse, but instead it was clear and sweet, "Where are we?"
"We're with the fairies," Peter said, his voice shaking with suppressed excitement at her being awake, "Do you remember what happened?"
She paused and then gently nodded, a small frown on her lips, "Jude cheated. I got him though, didn't I?"
Peter smiled and touched his forehead to hers, kissing her nose, "You absolutely did."
"Mother?" a tentative voice whispered, and they looked over to see the Lost Boys peering at them eagerly, fidgeting and anxious. Kaytee smiled and sat up with Peter's help.
"Have you been just awful to your poor father while I've been gone?" She teased breathlessly.
"Only the very worst!" Slightly confirmed with a beaming grin and they swarmed her, a gentle pile of relieved hugs and kisses.
Thomas, Garret, and Eleazar interrupted them just long enough to assess Kaytee's recovery. With gentle voices, they explained exactly what they had done to her and where they were. She peered around them in awe when they told her about the pools of dust surrounding them, and their origins. Though she had been in the sacred place for nearly a week, it was brand new to her. Then they checked her wound, which was now only a small, pale scar on her stomach.
"We expect the only side effects should be that you can permanently fly now, as the fairy dust will forever be part of you," Thomas smiled, "Your eyes have also slightly altered in color as a result of the dust, and I'm afraid that will most likely not fade over time. Otherwise, do you feel alright?"
She did. Maybe a tad shaky, but otherwise fine.
"Bit hungry actually," She giggled and then turned to Peter, "I don't suppose we could go eat with the Indians tonight?"
"I think we could do just about anything you wanted at this point, Love." Peter laughed. She glanced down at her body, still wrapped in the thin spider silk, and blushed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"First, I need my clothes," She whispered and he nodded, reaching around to the pack they had left by her pool ever since the second day she had been there. Inside was a change of clothes and her fish tail comb, and he shooed out the boys so she could dress. Peter filled her in on everything that had been going on with the pouting Neverland and when she asked what they were going to do about it all, he paused, cocking his head to the side.
"Actually," His brow puckered in confusion, his hands splayed out to his sides, "I... think it's all done now. Everything feels... right again."
She twisted her hair into its usual ponytail and smiled. She took his hand, and nodded, "I couldn't agree more."
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The next day, after a long night of celebrating Kaytee's recovery, they discovered the other side effect no one anticipated. Peter, Kaytee, and the Lost Boys were on their way home, playing word games. Peter and Slightly whistled on their flutes, the air warm, comfortable, and heavily perfumed with wild honeysuckle and dew. The jungle was loud again with birdsong, frogs, crickets. Flocks of deer and rabbits passed them on their trail, neither really paying attention to each other. Butterflies kept landing on Peter and Kaytee, attracted to their sweet scents.
Then, Tootles tripped on an upturned root.
"Ah, blast it." he cursed, clutching his left forearm to his chest, wincing. In his effort to catch himself, he landed on a sharp, ill-placed rock.
"Way to go, you ogre." Slightly snickered and Peter whacked him on the shoulder with a sharp slap.
"Tootles, dear, are you hurt?" Kaytee bent down next to him. He nodded, his cheeks flaming red in embarrassment. Things like this always happened to him and never Slightly. It was all very unfair.
"Here, let me see." She held out her hand and he placed his arm in it, grimacing. A deep scrape, dirtied with grass and soil, started at the palm and worked its way up his wrist, bleeding.
"Ouch, that looks deep," She said and then glanced up at Peter, "Might need to fly him back to The Sanctuary, I don't like the look of-" Then she broke off, her eyes widening as she glanced back down to Tootles' arm.
"Mother?" Tootles said, confused, looking at his scrape as well, as if it might bite him. A moment passed.
"I think..." She breathed softly, "I want to try something."
Tentatively, she placed her hand over the length of the scrape, her touch warm and gentle. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, her mouth pinched in concentration. Tootles winced again at the initial sting and then relaxed at the pain eased. After a few tense moments, Kaytee opened her eyes and removed her hand. There, Tootle's skin was unmarked and perfect. The scrape was gone.
"Did... did you just... heal me?" Tootles asked, eyes wide.
"I-'' She sat back on her heels, suddenly tired, wiping sweat from her brow. "I think so. I don't know, I just got this feeling... didn't the Healers say the dust in the pool was the same stuff they always use to heal with?"
Peter nodded, disbelief flashing in his eyes, "Uh, yeah. But you're not a fairy. How could you channel it?"
She shrugged, and let Nibs and Curly help her to her feet, "I was in there for so long, it must've done more than we thought."
Tootles, still on the ground, held up his arm like he'd never seen it before, and nodded, "I'll say."