“You can’t leave.” I turn my back on Peter Pan and walk towards Tigerlily. “If you leave, then nothing will be able to stop the darkness. Neverland will be lost.” So will Peter Pan.

        “Darkness is too strong. We have no choice.” Tigerlily spins away from me, her boots digging into the dirt.

        I gape at her. “You are a warrior! You made Peter bleed! You need to stay, fight!”

        Several Indians climb out of their tents. Strong, hardened women and young men with fierce eyes. They circle us. And I know that if they try, they can defeat Peter and his lost boys.

        Maybe.

        “Come with me, lost girl. And you’ll understand.” Tigerlily weaves her way around the cluster of teepees. I follow her, my fingers twisting the end of my curls. If they don’t listen to me, all is lost. “What do you want me to see?”

        “Not what, but who. Be patient.”

        Tigerlily jumps over a small river. My eyes follow her pointing finger. A small bird’s nest rests on a tree stump. I hesitate, but she motions again.

        I move forward slowly. The nest is a mess of leaves and scraps of fur. A green hat with a long feather is tucked inside it.

        “What-?” I ask, but then the hat moves. I lean forward. There is something in it.  

        Is it a bird? What else would it be?

        A tiny arm stretches out of the green material. I yelp and jump back. Tigerlily moves past me. “Shh…”

        I clamp my hand over my mouth. The hat rustles again and another pale arm appears, followed by the head of a little girl.

        The creature continues to climb out of the hat. Blond curls tumble from her bun. A green leaf dress falls to her feet. Gossamer wings flutter behind her.

        A fairy.

        Of course! How dull can I be? This whole place is protected by fairy dust! The fairy sits up, her dress spilling around her. Her face is drawn and her blue eyes tired.

        Her pink lips part and the sound of tinkling bells fills the air. I smile. Is she laughing?

        “Tinkerbell welcomes you to the island.” Tigerlily translates.

        “Oh, well, thank her for me.” I nod at the older girl.

        Tigerlily rolls her eyes, “You may not understand her, but she understands you.”

        “Thank you then.” I blush. There is so much I don’t know. The fairy nods, her voice chiming again.

        My interpreter pushes her braids over her shoulder. “Tink accepts your thanks.”

        “Okay.” I smile, but then I study Tink’s gray skin and empty eyes. “Is something wrong with her?” I stand up. “Is she sick?”

        “She’s not sick. She’s dying.” Tigerlily frowns. “That is why we have no choice. Whether you found us or not doesn’t really matter. Tink is dying. She stayed behind when the rest of her people left.”

        “Because she wanted to keep you safe.” I look back at the small group of teepees. Fairy magic is powerful, because the fairies are so small that when they give, they give it all.

        Tigerlily runs her hand over the hat. “She didn’t just stay for us. She stayed for him. They were best friends. She was the one who brought him to the island in the first place. Neverland wasn’t always this way.”

        I brush my gaze over the green hat with its dramatic feather and the tiny green dress that Tink wears.

        Tink covers her face with her arms, her wings sparkling in the early sunlight. She looks fragile, breakable.

        “The pipe? His magic pipe, did you give it to him?”

        “Yes.” Tigerlily doesn’t even wait for Tink’s answer. She knows the story. “She saved him from his broken life and brought him here. Then he convinced her to let him find other lost boys and bring them here as well.”

        “Do you know where the curse came from?”

        “No one knows.” Tigerlily folds her arms. “Are you satisfied now? If we stay longer, Pan will attack. Either way Tink will die trying to keep us safe. She has sacrificed everything for the past century and it hasn’t helped.”

        I hold out my hands. “I am sorry. I didn’t know.” I lower my head until I am eye level with the fairy. “You did help. You held Peter and the darkness at bay for a hundred years. Thank you.”

        Tink lifts her head and smiles at me. Her wings flutter as I offer her my hand. She curls onto my palm, her warm body pressing against my skin.

        “Now can you understand me?” A thin, clear voice asks.

        I inhale sharply. “Tinkerbell?”

        “You have touched me and I trust you. That is why you can hear my words, not just my voice.”

        Tigerlily nods. “I must gather the people. Are you ready, Tink?”

        “Yes.” The fairy whispers as Tigerlily leaves us alone and strides back toward the tents.

        “I can’t go, Tink. I can’t leave Peter Pan alone. And the lost boys. They need someone to stay and help them.”

        The fairy rests her head on my hand. “This is your only chance to escape Neverland. I will not be able to help you after midnight.”

        “I know. But if darkness wins, it won’t stay on this island. It will invade my world as well. No one will be safe.”

        “You don’t know the future. Maybe he won’t make it to your world. Don’t give up on him yet.”

        I carefully brush back her blond curls. Curls like mine and blue eyes. Green outfit like Peter’s. “He is evil. I have seen it. I don’t know if there is any hope for him.”

        Tink sighs. “He is good, Wendy. But he is under the curse. And I am afraid nothing is strong enough to save him. Fairy magic can only delay him.”

        “Your dust was strong enough to hide this camp and it can hurt him.”

        “It is true. It has the power to kill him, but he is the only one who can do it.”

        I stand up, cradling the creature in my hand. “Do what?” Kill? Must Peter Pan die?

        “When you go to London, visit the Kensington Gardens. You’ve been there before. Find the fairy queen. She will help you.”

        “I told you, I am staying here. And how did you know that I’ve already been there?”

        Tink ignores my question. “Listen to me, Wendy. Tigerlily plans on evacuating the entire campsite before dark. And she will do it. I will stay here until sunset, but no longer. That way you can leave now with the first group and return before it is too late-if that is still your choice.” The fairy closes her eyes. “No one would blame you if you stayed in London. We can help you find a home.” The corner of her lips lift. “You could even become a fairy, if you wanted to.”

        “I think I’m good.” I laugh, but my eyes moisten. Am I really willing to give up my future? This is my only chance. But this isn’t just about me. It about every lost boy. Including their leader.

        They all deserve freedom. Freedom from the darkness.

        “I’ll go to London, but return tonight. I am staying.” I whisper.

        Tink settles down, her skin as gray as before, but life has returned to her eyes. “I knew you would. Save him, Wendy. Save them all. Finish what I cannot.”

        “I will.” I promise.

        And wonder if it is a promise I can keep.