The First Lost Boy (Wattys 2017) ON HOLD

t h i r t y • o n e

Unedited

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The ship jostled, startling Harry awake as he looked up with wild eyes. He'd been in such a deep sleep, that feeling of not knowing what day it was and where he were- passed over him. He blinked several times, looking around the ship to see pirates either lounging around or looking over the side of the ship before the memory of leaving Neverland came back to him. It almost felt like a dream, but seeing Hook standing at the other end of the deck was enough evidence to prove it was all real. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, or when he'd actually fallen asleep. One moment he was sitting beside Gwen in silence, staring at the empty sky and now here he was. He couldn't remember ever falling asleep.

Standing up on his feet, he looked over the side of the ship before his eyes widened. There, not too far in the distance, was England. He could see the buildings that lined the English Channel and despite the fact it'd been years since Harry had been there, he recognized it from the night he'd left England. This was the same place where he'd snuck upon the ship. He could see the big clock tower in the distance, the arm on the clock to small for him to read correctly but it was there. Lit up for everyone to see in the night along with the dim lights he could see were still on in the windows of the buildings. He wondered if it were late in the night, and if there were many people walking the streets at the moment. The thought made him suddenly nervous and he was all too aware of the lack of clothing he currently had on. His gaze fell to his torso, a feeling of trepidation passing over him when he saw the dirt over his stomach and feet. His hair was a stringy mess too. Surely, someone would notice him. He stood out like a sore thumb.

Shaking off his nerves, he reminded himself that none of that mattered. He needed to get Gwen the professional medical attention she needed, and at the remembrance of this, he looked down at her sleeping form. She was curled up against the floor of the deck, her arm tucked under her head while her other hand was curled in a fist just below her stomach. Any other time Harry would of thought it was sweet to see, but by the way she was shaking and her lips were a grayish purple, Harry knew something was wrong.

His eyebrows furrowed and he fell to his knees beside her, pressing his hand to her shoulder to gently shake her awake. "Gwen?" She didn't respond and he shook her a little harder the second time. "Gwen, wake up. We've made it."

She didn't open her eyes but a moan full of pain left her lips and he frowned, moving to press his hand against her forehead. She was freezing, yet her forehead left his hand wet. She was sweating. Harry could tell something was definitely wrong with her, especially when she curled in on herself and held her stomach. He immediately moved to pick her up, looking back over his shoulder to see Hook approaching them.

"We need to get to the docks quickly, I think she's gotten worse." He says in a rush, sliding his arm under the back of her knees in preparation to lift her. "Please tell me we're almost there."

"My men are anchoring the ship as we speak." Hook eyed her, crossing his arms over his chest while his hooked hand curled around his forearm. "Why isn't she waking up?"

"I don't know," Harry said in an irritated tone. He was impatient to get off the ship. "Will you help me lift her out of here?"

Hook met Harry's eye and pursed his lips. "I said I'd bring you to England, didn't I? I never said I'd help you once we arrived."

Harry breathed out a frustrated breath and shook his head. "Right, you're a pirate. Of course. Shouldn't have expected anything more from you." He gritted out through clenched teeth and looked on Gwen's other side to see Tristan still fast asleep. As much as he wanted to let the boy rest, he was the only help he was going to get. So he gently shook him by the leg until Tristan's eyes began to peel open.