chapter seven

60 9 12
                                    

As soon as she left the clearing, Aimee wished she had brought a light with her. She could barely see directly in front of her face, so she had to walk carefully in order to avoid tripping over roots. The trees were full of strange noises. She recognized the chirping of crickets, but there were other noises she didn't know. She assumed they belonged to the bugs of Neverland. They didn't sound like creatures she'd want to run into.

Soon, Aimee heard the noise of running water. She quickly came upon a small creek, which she followed to a crystal clear pond. The moonlight reflected off the water, lighting up the area surrounding it. Aimee stopped to look around, and she spotted small lights floating among the treetops. Intrigued, Aimee quietly snuck towards the lowest light, which was close to eye level.

As she approached, she heard the faint sound of bells or chimes. After a bit of investigation, she realized the sound came from the small lights. And as she got closer, Aimee found that the small lights weren't lights at all. They were fairies. The one closest to her had beautiful dark skin, and she was wearing a dress made of pink and purple flower petals. Warm light emanated off her and the other fairies.

Just as she got closer, Aimee stepped on a small twig. The cracking noise caused all the fairies to turn and look at Aimee. Before she knew it, they zipped off into the night, taking their light with them. Once the small group was out of sight, Aimee continued her journey with a small sigh. She walked through the dark trees once again, hoping that there was some light source on the other side of the island.

~ * ~ * ~

Aimee wasn't sure how far or how long she had walked, but it felt like an eternity. She could faintly hear the ocean, so she assumed she was on the other side of the island. As she got closer, she began to wonder what actually was on the other side. Maybe it was another group like the Lost Boys or the Brookies. Or it could be something completely different. There could be beautiful beaches on the other side that Jack wanted to hide for some reason. Maybe there were animals native to Neverland there. Whatever it was, all the secrets made Aimee even more curious.

Suddenly, something near her rustled in the bushes. Aimee froze, her mind running through the multiple possibilities of what could be there. An animal, maybe. Something not dangerous. But on the other hand, it could be a person. It could be someone from the other side of the island.

With a soft gasp, Aimee suddenly realized why Jack hadn't wanted her to visit this side of the island. With the amount of times she had read about Neverland, she was shocked that it hadn't occurred to her before. Pirates. The pirate ship must have been docked on the other side of the island, and that was why Jack told her to stay away.

Aimee realized she was a complete idiot. She had gotten too close to the ship. They had found her and they would take her captive. Something else rustled in the brush behind her. Aimee's heart was pounding. She'd have to run. So she did. She didn't get very far before running straight into someone.

"Well, what have we here?" The person asked in a somewhat low voice. Aimee couldn't see who she had run into, but they were much taller than her.

"It's a girl!" Someone from behind Aimee exclaimed. "Someone get Spot!"

At the mention of Spot, Aimee was put slightly at ease. She hoped that these people were Brookies, not pirates. Especially since they talked about Spot as if he was their leader.

"I'm here." Aimee turned at the third voice. She couldn't see much, but she could make out Spot's silhouette. "Get me a light."

One of the other boys returned in a matter of seconds with a lantern and handed it to Spot. As the light illuminated Spot's face, Aimee had a sudden realization.

"You're...you're a girl?" Aimee said, the words slipping past her lips before she knew it.

"And so are you, doll," Spot countered. She wasn't very tall, but the way she carried herself made it obvious that she was a leader. Her dark hair was pulled to the side in a single braid, and she wore a black and red striped shirt. "An' you're not from 'round here."

"Is it that obvious?" Aimee asked, looking down at herself.

"Very," Spot replied. "What are you doin' on my turf?"

Aimee hesitated a minute before replying. "W-well, I thought I would see the other side of the island. Because Jack-"

"Oh." Spot nodded as she interrupted Aimee. "Jack brought ya here. He's got to stop bringin' people to the island. Come on, I'm takin' ya back."

"I wanted to see this side of the island," Aimee argued.

Spot shook her head. "Somehow you wandered onto my turf, and I ain't gonna let ya stay. If ya wanted to go to the other side, you'd run into pirates. Consider yourself lucky. Now let's go." She pushed past Aimee. "C'mon, boys." At that, the small group of boys with Spot followed along behind her. Aimee didn't have much of a choice. She didn't want to be alone in the dark, so she followed them back to the camp. She hoped that no one had noticed her absence, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sneak back as long as she was with Spot and her crew.

It didn't take long at all to return to the camp. Just as she had suspected, the presence of Spot and her Brookies caused quite a stir. Once the boys noticed the group, they quit celebrating.

"Jack Kelly!" Spot called out, walking up to him. "Keep a better eye on ya guests." She motioned at Aimee. "She was on my turf, headed for the pirates. Unless ya want her to end up bein' crocodile chow, I suggest you watch 'er from now on."

"It won't happen again," Jack said, giving Aimee another stern look. He took Aimee's arm. "Racer! Take Aimee to her treehouse." Then, looking at Aimee, he told her quietly, "We will talk about this later."

With that, Aimee was taken up to her treehouse. "How come no one told me Spot is a girl?" She asked Race.

"Does it matter if she's a girl?" He asked.

"Well, no. I guess not," Aimee answered after a moment.

"Exactly. Why'd ya run off?"

"I wanted to see what's on the other side of the island, since no one would take me. Why didn't anyone tell me that there's-"

"Pirates?" Race asked, stopping her. "'Cause. Jack don't want to draw attention to the pirates anymore." Aimee got the sense that he didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't ask. "Just...stay here. Jack'll be up soon." Race left her alone in the treehouse.

As Aimee sat on her bed, she wondered how bad it would have been if she had been caught by pirates rather than Brookies. She guessed Spot was right. She was lucky that it hadn't been the pirates.

~~~~~
no thoughts, just girlsie spot

The Boy Who Could FlyWhere stories live. Discover now