Growing Young

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We flew through the night sky like two birds experiencing their first flight. Peter may have done this a lot, but he seemed to enjoy it almost as much as I did.

He tried teaching me to fly by having me concentrate on the one thing that meant the most to me. I figured it would be a no brainer, although I had just met Peter only minutes ago I knew he had become my world. I found it very odd and shocking when I came to a ten story fall until I was quickly saved by Peter. I could tell it hurt him.

I had no idea what the most important thing to me was after that, so I flew hand-in-hand with Peter, somehow this made us both able to fly. I didn't complain, a small part of me preferred this over my failed solo flight.

"How long does it usually take you to fly from here to Neverland?" I asked, yelling over the extreme volume of the wind. I knew we had to be going fast; how fast, I wasn't sure. Even as we cruised peacefully through the sky, I knew a normal passenger airplane couldn't pass us.

"About an hour or two, depending on how strong the wind is blowing and if it's against me. Since you're slowing me down, it might take a bit more. Maybe three." Even though I couldn't turn my head enough to see his face, I could feel his smirk burn a hole through my chest. I wondered if I would ever get used to that.

"We're almost there" He said, for some reason reminding me of a small child. Peter Pan, reminding me of a small child. Imagine that.

"Cool." I tried to sound casual, hiding my excitement about everything. Who would have known that I'd meet Peter Pan and fly with him to Neverland? Mellow wasn't exactly on my menu of emotions for tonight.

"Close your eyes!" He called out, and I did as I was told. We slowed down, and I felt his hand find my waist. Chills shot through my entire body. We were losing altitude, that much I could tell.

"Ready," he began as I could feel myself stop in midair. "Open." His voice was even, but I could sense something else in it. Awe? No. Worry? Maybe. I did as I was told, opening each eyelid slowly.

What I saw below was not a tropical island getaway, but a threadbare island spotted with grief. I would have believed he was joking if I hadn't turned to look at Peter's face that exact moment. His expression mimicked that of a person attending the funeral of a very close loved one. He was devastated, that much I could tell.

"Peter, what happened?" I asked this, realizing too late that this probably wasn't the most appropriate question to start off with as I marveled at the island.

There were a few tall mountains, each one seemed to be on the outskirts of the island. Trees might have covered the entire island at one time, but, apart from the mountains which seemed to hold the majority of the trees, the land was bare. What must have once been a forest was now replaced by large huts and machinery. Bare trunks stuck out in groups. Some spots of the island even looked burnt. Everything looked like a war zone.

"Hook and his crew. Somehow his army has been growing, and he's taken over the island. I knew things were going to get bad, but I didn't realize how bad." His fists tightened as he said each word, making me almost glad he had let go of my hand. Almost.

"Why is he doing this?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer, but I knew if I was going to be with Peter, I was going to be at Neverland. Neverland intrigued me, much like Peter did.

"It's all a matter of when Hook first arrived here. My grandfather noticed a large ship sailing just outside the Triangle, and he sensed evil. Hook and his crew were going to start war with America. My grandfather captured their ship and crew, like I told you. He wanted to keep them prisoner here in Neverland, at least until they learned to give up on the idea of war and learn to live in peace here. My grandfather always believed he could change evil to good, he didn't believe some people had no boundaries. After Hook and his crew were held prisoners for about three months, Hook had decided he really liked Neverland, and talked my grandfather into releasing him. Hook didn't leave to start war right away, instead he saw Neverland as an opportunity to raise an entire army that he could use later to create a war so powerful that he could knock down all countries and take over as a leader of the world. We can't say he didn't have an imagination." He paused for just a second, as if to let it all sink in before starting back up.

"He must have known it would take a while to accumulate more people, so he would wait until he found ships filled with strong men, and capture them as his prisoners until they agreed to help him. Since then he's been building up a strong army. Only few have resisted, most of them being a part of the Lost Boys. Of course, I flew back and forth between America and here, thinking of ways to warn everyone. The thing is, people outside of Neverland can't see me unless they want to. The only person I've met there that can see me is you." The frost in his eyes began to melt as he focused on me. He gave a reassuring smile and brushed a hand through my hair. He never let go of my waist, for the obvious reason that I would fall. I wish I knew how to fly, I thought to myself just before Peter continued his story.

"I've tried again and again to kidnap his soldiers and make them switch sides, but it's like Hook has them brainwashed. I bring them to my hut, trying to explain that what they're doing is a suicide mission, but still they don't seem to hear me. They always find their way back to Hook, no matter how many times I chain them to a chair. I just don't understand." And the frost in his eyes came back.

So this is what Peter meant when he said things weren't like they were told in the storybook. Neverland was like a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode and destroy the world. Peter had to watch it all happen while he was invisible to everyone outside of Neverland. Peter was invisible but...

"Peter, I can fly back to America. I can warn them of the dangers coming. I'll think of a way to explain this, Hook won't get away with it!"

Peter gave a weak smile, nothing showing even a spark of acceptance in his face.

"You can't do that, Em. If that were the case I would have brought you here long ago. Something about me and you dulls the senses of people. Once you saw me for the first time, the world you knew disappeared. Which is why I waited until I knew you needed me. If you go back now, nobody will see you. Children will be able to detect a presence near them, but still, they won't be able to see you. I'm sorry Em, I couldn't watch you grow up. I need you." With those last words, I understood him. I wasn't angry, I knew I needed him, too. He dropped his head, looking down below him solemnly. I had to do something, this was the future of the world. If Hook's army continued to grow at the rate Peter made it sound like, we didn't have much time. I would help Peter defeat Hook, and in the back of my head I knew it wasn't only because the world depended on it, whether they knew this or not, but because Peter was losing hope. Once you lose hope, you lose everything. I wasn't prepared to lose Peter.