Peter by day, Pan by night

Chapter 13

        Impossible.

        The word beats through me, but I have already thrown my arms around Peter Pan. Embarrassed, I stumble back. “You-you came! How? You said you couldn’t-”

        He grins at me. “I wasn’t supposed to leave Neverland, but I’m Peter Pan and I’ve never been good at following the rules.”

        “How did you find me?”

        “Kelvin helped.”

        The shadow darting across the balcony. Did Kelvin already return to Neverland?

        I look up. Gray clouds cover the sky, but I know that the stars are still there. They will always be there as the gateway between my world and Peter’s.

        “But I can’t fly in this world.” 

        “You can. It works the same way. You just have to believe.”

        I bit my lip. “I’ll try.”

        “Do you need me to drop you like last time?” He folds his arms and raises an eyebrow. His English accent is much thicker here. And there is something different about him, but I don’t know what it is.

        “Absolutely not! I hated falling.”

        “But you loved flying, Wendy-bird.” He holds out his hand. “I will help you. We don’t have much time. Morning is only a few hours away.”

        I smile and slip my hand into his. “What is the rush?”

        Peter forces a laugh, but his green eyes remain serious. “Isn’t it more likely someone will see us during day?”

        “Yes, of course. Silly me-” My words are cut off as Peter yanks me into the sky. I gasp, but don’t say anything. I wince as his fingers tighten around me.

        Peter only looks down at me the moment before we pass the second star to the right. For some reason I think of Felix as he says, “Here we go!”

        Light wraps around us.

        I close my eyes and hold onto Peter Pan.

**

        We spin into Neverland’s dark sky. I laugh and let his hand fall away while I fly in a loose circle. The wind dances around me.

        I forget the warnings about darkness. As long as Peter Pan is with me, I will be safe.

        He materializes next to me.

        I drift to a stop. “How do you do that?”

        He raises an eyebrow. “This?” He disappears.

        My heart speeds up as I jerk around. Where is he? “Peter? Peter!”

        The boy appears next to me. He bows slightly. “You called?” His smirk grows, but his eyes remain dark. It must be the lack of sunlight, because they almost seem black not green.

        I shake away the thought. “How is that possible? Is it magic? Can I learn how to do it, like I learned how to fly?”

        “It is magic, but I am not sure how I do it.”

        Peter rubs the back of his neck. “We never did look for the Indian’s hideout.”

        “Let’s do it. But what about the boys?”