The Boy Who Could Fly

chapter four

As Aimee drew closer to the island of Neverland, Jack began to call out instructions on how to land. Her siblings, who were ahead of her, landed gracefully on the beach, still giggling. Despite following all Jack's directions, Aimee, on the other hand, came in much too quickly. Much to Jack's surprise, Aimee came crashing into him, bringing them both tumbling into the sand.

Aimee quickly stood up, brushing the sand off her clothes and trying to get it out of her hair. Jack took a bit longer to get up, but he was laughing.

"I thought I told ya to slow down," he said, grinning at her.

"I did!" She defended herself, looking up at him defiantly. "I did everything you told me to. How did they land so perfectly?" She gestured to Sebastien and Sally.

Jack shrugged. "Hm. Guess you ain't a natural like they are."

Aimee crossed her arms, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Aren't."

"What?"

"Guess you aren't a natural. Ain't is not a word," she corrected.

Amused, Jack chuckled softly. "I can say what I want to. It's pretty much my island, afta' all."

"You can't own an island without buying it."

He shrugged, going to gather her siblings. "I do! Come on, I'll take ya to our camp." He herded the two kids in the direction of the forest, but Aimee was skeptical.

"How are we supposed to trust you?" She asked. She knew that he had safely guided them to the island, but she still didn't like him.

"You just gotta." Jack shrugged again. "If ya want to stay on the beach, be my guest. But just know that Neverland ain't very friendly to newcomers such as ya'self." He walked into the forest, taking Sally and Sebastien with him. After a moment, Aimee hurried to catch up with them. The beach was nice, but she wasn't eager to see what he meant.

After twenty minutes of tramping the forest, they came upon a clearing. Aimee looked around in awe. Treehouses sat on almost every tree in the clearing, with rope bridges connecting them all. Small buildings were constructed on the ground as well. Boys ran all through the camp, playing with each other in the trees or bustling about on the ground. One boy tended to a large fire in the middle of the clearing.

Jack stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly to call their attention. "Lost Boys of Neverland! Gather 'round." Within moments, the boys hurried to the middle of the camp, all of them eyeing Aimee and her siblings curiously.

"Why'd ya bring a girl?" One of them shouted. Jack held up his hand to silence the boys.

"I want to introduce ya to my guests. This here's Sebastien, Sally, and Aimee." Jack gestured to each of the three when he said their names. "They came all the way from New York City. So make sure ta' welcome 'em warmly. Got it?" The boys all nodded in agreement. One blonde boy in the back raised his hand. Jack acknowledged him with a nod. "Yes, Race?"

The boy had to remove a cigar from his mouth before speaking. "How come ya have another girl?"

"Another girl? Are there more around here?" Aimee asked curiously, turning to Jack. He was about to speak but another boy with dark hair and striped socks interrupted.

"Nope. No girls, sadly. At least not since Kather-"

Jack cut him off with a sharp glare. "Shut it," he said quickly, suddenly more tense than he had been. He raised his voice again to address everyone. "I expect ya to treat these kids with respect, as my guests. Now get back to your jobs." He dismissed the boys, and they went right back to what they had been doing before.

"What do we do now?" Sally asked Jack, looking up at him.

Jack scanned the faces of the boys, looking for someone in particular. "Mush!" He called. A boy with brown hair and blue eyes came over to them. "This is Mush, he'll show ya around. He's been here a long time."

Mush smiled at Aimee. "Nice to meet ya," he said with a nod. "Welcome to Neverland. I'll show ya where you can stay. Good thing we have an empty treehouse." He started walking, and Aimee followed him. Sally and Sebastien quickly made friends with some of the boys and began to play with them. Before she left them, Aimee sternly instructed them to stay in the clearing.

"How long have you been here?" Aimee asked Mush, catching up with him after talking to her siblings.

Mush hesitated. "A long time, I think. Time passes diff'rently here. You'll see." He easily climbed a ladder nailed to a tree. Aimee followed after him at a slower pace. Once she reached the top, Mush offered her a hand to help her stand. "Here we are. This is where you'll stay."

"How come it's empty?" Aimee asked curiously.

"Oh, it used to belong to..." He trailed off, obviously not wanting to finish his sentence. Aimee quickly guessed who he was talking about, and it only made her more curious.

"Who's Katherine?" She hoped she'd be able to get information out of the Lost Boys rather than going directly to Jack. He seemed like he didn't want to talk about it with her. Or anyone, for that matter.

Mush didn't want to answer that question. So he just avoided it. "You and your sister and brother can stay here. I dunno how long Jack wants ya to stay, but if ya need anything, I'm right over there." He pointed at a treehouse close to the one they stood in. "I'll leave ya to get settled." Seemingly eager to get out of there, Mush crossed a bridge connected to the treehouse and made his way to another.

Aimee looked down at the clearing. Sebastien was trailing after Jack like a puppy, and Jack didn't seem to mind. Sally had found a boy that looked to be about her age. They were talking enthusiastically. Maybe Neverland wasn't so bad. Mush said that time worked differently, so maybe that meant that when they returned to New York, no time would have passed. She hoped that was the case. As much as Aimee wanted to get home, she also didn't want to leave the island. In the past hour, something about it had drawn her in. She wanted to see more of the island, to explore it.

Her whole life, she had been wishing for an adventure. She gave up once she realized that most people don't go on adventures. But here she was, on a magical island with a magical boy. If she didn't go home soon, she might as well try to make the best of the situation. She would explore, make friends, and learn skills she'd always wanted. Even though she had left her favorite books at home, she had a feeling that she was about to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Aimee's lifelong wish had just been handed to her. And she decided she didn't want to mess this up.