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?”

        Peter pulls me towards the ground. “Oh, they’ll be fine.”

        We drop into the middle of the forest. “I know it is around here somewhere.”

        I should be tired, but something about Neverland’s dark night fills me with energy. I rub my hands together. “You’ve never been able to find it?”

        Peter’s eyes darken. “There is a spell over it.”

        “Oh, then how are we going to find it?”

        He steps toward me. “You’ll be able to find it.”

        I turn around, taking in the dark trees that tower above us. Shadows stretch between each trunk. How will I be able to find anything here? I want an adventure, but what if I can’t help Peter Pan find this place? “What if I can’t?”

        “Wendy...at least we have to try. Besides, he whole point is to have an adventure. If you’d prefer we can find something else to do. Felix knows this island almost as well as I do and might be able to find some interesting place for you to visit.”

        “No!” I lower my voice. I know better than to judge people I barely know, but from the moment I met the dark boy in the alley, Felix has rubbed me wrong. I am not sure what it is about him, but I don’t trust him. I look up at Peter. “I want to try to find it. With you.”

        He smiles. His English accent shades every word. I never noticed how strong it was.

        “If that is what you want. Shall we?”

        Before I can return his grin, his fingers tangle with mine and he runs forward.

        He is as fast on the ground as he is in the air.

        “Peter, slow down!” He should have heard me, but he goes even faster.

        I force oxygen into my lungs and try to keep up. My bare feet scrape against the dirt ground cluttered with fallen leaves. The forest is beautiful. At night and during day, there is some sort of magic caught between the trees and silence. Not the magic that belongs solely to Neverland, but the magic of beauty that comes from wild nature.

        “This is it.” Peter jerks us to a stop in a clearing much like the one where the lost boys cook their food. “This is where the Indians used to be.”

        I look around the clearing. Weeds and thick roots sprawl across it. Young trees sprout up in the middle. “How long ago did the Indians disappear?”

        “About a century or so.”

        “Are you sure that they’re still in Neverland?”

        Peter narrows his eyes. His hand curls into a fist. “I’m sure.”

        “Okay…but how do we start-Oh, Peter! Look!” I cry as I lurch toward one of the trees. A strand of golden dust trails along the side. “Is that fairy dust?”

        Peter stands behind me. “What are you talking about?”

        “Can’t you see it? The pieces of light around the tree?” I run my fingers throw the dust. It glimmers, casting light on my skin. “Beautiful.”

        He pushes past me. A dagger flashes in his hand as he jerks it into the bark.

        “What are you doing?” I gasp. The gold light starts to fade away.

        “I am marking the tree so we can find our way-”

        I knock his hand away. “The fairy dust is disappearing!” Then I see gold flicker out of the corner of my eyes. I turn towards it. The strand isn’t fading, it’s moving! Moving from one tree to another, and I know I must follow it. “Put your knife away.” I whisper.

        Peter says something, but I only hear his voice, not the words.

        “Was it a fairy spell that hid the Indian’s camp?” I ask.

        “Yes.”

        I smile. “Then I believe I’ve found the trail.” I lead Peter away from the clearing and through the tangle of branches and leaves. The fairy dust shimmers from trunk to trunk.

        A thrill taps its way down my spine.

        My first adventure in Neverland. And certainly not my last.

**

        There it is.

        I stop and stare. A cluster of teepees surround a large campfire. Movement flickers inside the tents. So this is the Indian’s campground.

        A step closer shows me how it stays hidden. The moonlight slants off of a dome of fairy dust.

        “It’s right there!” I point towards the hideout.

        Peter drops his hand over my mouth and pulls me back behind a tree. Years of living on the street has given me instinct. I kick Peter’s knees and slam my hands into his chest. He should have fallen backwards, but he doesn’t even flinch. He tilts his head and raises both eyebrows.

        “I’m sorry.” Why am I apologizing? He clearly isn’t hurt. “But why would you…do that?”

        “I can’t see the hideout, but you can. Which means they can probably see us.”

        I step away from him, but stay behind the trunk. “Who cares?”

        Peter peers around the tree, a smirk curling his lips. There is darkness in his eyes. Darkness I had seen before, but chose to ignore.

        “You wanted to find it. Not just to have an adventure.” The words tear my throat. Am I right? I hope I’m not, but what if I am? I lick my lips and force out the last question. “Are they hiding from…you?”