Neverland (22 page)

“The twins,” I finish for him and a smile already tugs on my lips. Their laughter chimes out in my mind, filling my chest with warmth. When I close my eyes, I think I only have to reach out and I can touch them. Paulina and the fairy bug. If I do this right, I’ll see them in just a little while.

Loud cheering and whistling suddenly sounds from all directions. As I open my eyes again, Jamie is sinking to his knees in front of me—or so I assume at first when I look down at him. The truth is I started to levitate by only thinking of my baby sisters. Jamie smiles and pulls at my ankle when I drift away from him. “Not so fast, lass. You train on the ship. As long as you don’t know how to control…
this
”—he gestures up and down with his other hand—“I don’t like you going overboard.”

I nod and try to hold onto this special thought that makes me fly. Peter glides to my side and explains how to steer in the air. “You do the same thing as when you walk in a different direction. You just”—he shrugs—“change direction.”

At a slow speed, I circle around Jamie twice then again in the other direction. “Okay, I think I got that. Now how do I speed up?”

“Will yourself forward.”

I don’t know how. Rowing with my arms doesn’t get me anywhere. Neither does pedaling with my feet.

“With your thoughts you control your body. With your mind you just give a little
push
.” On the last word, Peter pushes me in the back and I zoom across the decks, aiming straight at the door of Jamie’s quarters.

“Oh no!”

“Go up!” Peter tells me, flying next to me. “Lift your head, look up, and then follow that direction!”

I do. And all of a sudden, the door is gone and so is the entire ship. There’s only a never-ending blue sky ahead and the wind slaps in my face. “Woo-hoo!” I laugh out loud and twist in the air.

Peter keeps close to my side the whole time. His eyes shine with pride. It’s infectious. “I did it!” I shout and spin again.

“Yes! Yes! But this is only the beginning. Now we need to work on your skills some more. Come down with me and take care that you aren’t losing your happy thought.”

Following him down to the tiny dot that is the Jolly Roger, I concentrate on Paulina and Brittney Renae’s laugh. It’s easy enough. Like they’re calling me home.

In front of Jamie’s quarters, I find him talking to Smee and holding something out to him on his palm. Something tiny. I can’t see what it is, but they seem engaged deep in conversation. With a quick turn just above the floorboards, I sail over and grab Jamie’s hat.

“Hey,” he calls after me and laughs. “Give that back, you…thief!”

Landing on deck, I put the hat on my head and walk over to Jamie. On tiptoes, I look him in the eyes. “Pirate,” I correct him and smirk.

He removes my hat, pursing his lips in a mocking manner. “Absolutely.”

When Peter calls to teach me the finer arts of flying, Jamie presses a quick kiss on my cheek. “Have fun. I need Smee to help me with something in my study. See you in half an hour.”

I nod and hurry to Peter. He tells me to find my happy thought again and lift up a few feet. Then he has me mirroring his moves. Left, right, left, up, down, left, up, a twist and a somersault. It’s fun. I shoot up a little higher to pirouette and dance some more. Then I race Peter around the ship. He’s enjoying this as much as I am. We zoom up and down, back and forth. I feel safer with every passing minute. Shaking with laughter, I glide so close above the waves that I can see my happy reflection on the glistening surface. Water splashes left and right as I lower my hand and cut through it.

Going up again, I see how Brant Skyler sneaks up behind Tami with an excited grin, grabs her shoulders and shakes her so quickly that golden dust rains down from her hair. He cups some in Fin Flannigan’s leather hat and pours it all over himself. Then he takes a few pixie-like jumps, dancing like an ugly-as-heck ballerina around the ship. Not flying but drifting really far on his jumps, he looks like he’s having the time of his life. Tami gives him a mean pixie-scowl and shakes her finger at him.

It makes me laugh out louder. Flying is a thrill that shoots through my body in waves. I grin at Peter and nod my head at the sea. He takes on the challenge with a glint in his eyes and we race toward the horizon. When I look down, I see Melody zooming through the water like a dolphin beneath me. A moment later she whips out of the waves, jumping a few feet up, and we high-five each other before she drops and dives again. Her water fountain gets me in the face. Flying is heady! Never do I want to stop.

“We have a natural talent here,” Peter cheers next to me. “I think you’re ready. If you go like this, I’m sure you’ll find home.”

I nod and we return to the Jolly Roger. “Will you fly with me?” I ask him.

“I can come for a bit. A few miles, probably, but not all the way.”

We sink to the quarter deck. Smee is outside now, obviously finished with whatever Jamie wanted done. Next to him is Loney, with his hands shoved into his pockets. He grins up at Smee and pokes him in the ribs with his elbow. “Didn’t ever think we’d become friends one day, eh?”

Jack Smee gazes straight ahead as he pulls out his rapier and sets the blade flat against Loney’s throat. “The captain said no killing the boys,” he states in an indifferent voice. “He didn’t say no cutting out their tongues if they get annoying.”

Loney gulps and eases a few steps away from Smee and out of his sword’s reach. It makes me giggle to watch Smee sheathe the rapier again and direct a smug grin to no one in particular.

Looking for Jamie, I turn and find him right behind me. His hands are clasped behind his back. “So, you’re ready to go now?” He’s smiling, but I know it’s forced.

I shrug and grimace. “I guess.”

Taking a deep breath, he reaches for my hand and leads me to the rest of the crew and Peter’s friends. “You probably want to say goodbye to some of them.”

Since I don’t know most of the pirates very well, I just wave at them and tell them thanks for not killing me. But I shake hands with Jack Smee and I hug the tall and skinny Potato Ralph. He smells of onions and bacon.

Then I turn to the Lost Boys and Tami. The pixie grabs both my hands and flaps her butterfly wings until we’re at eye level. “Have a save journey home, Angel!” she wishes me and smiles bright like only a fairy-tale creature can do. Shaking her head, she powders me in an extra layer of pixie dust. As she flitters away, I step up to Loney.

He remains silent, but he hugs me tight, then he hands me on to Skippy, Toby, and Sparky. Last in line is Stan. “You were the best Lost Girl we ever had,” he says with a sad pout.

“Because I was the
only
Lost Girl you ever had,” I state and manage to tease a smile out of him. Then I kiss his cheek and wave at them all as they leave the ship on the gangplank leading to the shore. Peter is the only one who stays on board.

“Are you ready?” he asks me.

“Not quite.” I turn around and catch Jamie’s eyes across the deck. Not tearing my gaze away from him, I tell Peter, “Give me a minute with the captain then we can go.”

Jamie is waiting for me by the wooden boxes. Slowly, I walk up to him, feeling how my happy thought slips away the farther I go. When I stand in front of him and he looks down at me with sad eyes, giant fists seem to crush my chest.

“Well, I guess this is it,” I mumble.

He nods and draws in a deep breath. “This is it.”

“I want to thank you, Jamie. I know what you’re giving up so I can go home.”

“Ah, it’s okay. I’ve been living to find this goddamn treasure and the watch for so long, a few more years won’t kill me.” Rolling his eyes, Jamie shrugs. “Peter doesn’t know what to do with the watch. I only have to find it
and
the key now.”

“Yeah. A never-ending game, huh?”

He chuckles and graces my jaw with his knuckle. “That’s what Neverland is, love.”

His last word makes me smile. “Don’t be too hard on Peter,” I tell him.

Jamie waves it off. “Ah, he can handle it.”

It feels like we’re talking about trivial things, just to avoid speaking the one word we both dread. Goodbye.

A moment later Jamie’s eyes turn serious. “It’s time. You should be going now so you get home before you fall asleep and forget everything again.”

I nod. Then I hug myself because I know if I touch him now, tears will spill over and I won't be able to make them stop.

“But before you leave, I have something for you.” He reaches into his chest pocket and pulls out a tiny red thing on a silver chain.

“The ruby,” I breathe. Somehow he managed to drill a tiny hole through the gem and threaded the chain through. I wonder if this was what he was doing with Smee in his study while I learned to fly.

“It’s not much. The only thing that I have left of my treasure.” Jamie places the ruby heart on my bare skin and fastens the link behind my neck. “But I guess it’s enough for you to remember us by. Me. The pirates. And Peter,” he adds with a playful grunt and rolls his eyes. Then he takes my face between his hands and touches his forehead to mine. “It was a pleasure to have you on board,
Fancy-pants
Angelina McFarland.”

Reaching up for his arms, I giggle, though I don’t feel like giggling at all. I feel like I’m breaking apart.

“Okay. And now…think a happy thought.” With that he touches his lips very gently to mine. I wrap my arms around him and he crushes me to his chest for a long moment. Then he lets go and I step away.

Peter lands on the railing next to me. He holds out his hand and helps me up. When I sigh and turn to look out at the horizon, my chest aches so bad that I think there are stones inside that will pull me underwater as soon as I take a step forward, off the railing.

“A happy thought, Angel,” Jamie says softly behind me. He skims his fingers over the back of my hand. I don’t turn around to him. I can’t. From the deepest part of my heart, I pull the thought of my sisters’ laughter and wait until the lightness of before comes over me again. Then I slowly lift into the air with Peter by my side.

“I’ll miss you, Jamie,” I say. But I don’t look back.

James Hook

I DON’T KNOW how long I stand by the railing and watch the sky that has swallowed the only girl that I have ever felt something for. Every time I think of her name, of her soft hand on my cheek or even just her gentle voice, an invisible sword pierces my heart anew. It feels like I’m bleeding to death from the pain.

“Cap’n, the crew wants to know when we’re setting sail again.”

I turn around to Jack. His face is grave. Although he doesn’t experience the pain I’m feeling, he understands. Placing a hand on my shoulder, his eyes fill with empathy. “It’s best for the lass, you know,” he says.

I nod and step away from the railing. “We’ve anchored long enough! Put her out, ye scabby rats!” I bark at the crew. Only my voice breaks midsentence. I can’t get rid of the bile in my throat. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tell Smee through clenched teeth, “Take over.”

When he’s gone, driving the men to set sail and steer the ship out of Mermaid Lagoon, I slump down by the wooden boxes, lean back and gaze at the sky. Here I kissed Angel for the first time. A sad smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. Blow me down, it was a mighty fine kiss.

As the captain of the Jolly Roger, I should get over myself and be a man again. A pirate. Their leader, goddammit. But I just don’t want to leave this spot. Not yet. Maybe in an hour or two. Or maybe I’ll just sit here and watch the sky the entire night. After all, I have all the time in Neverland, don’t I? And I’ll spend it alone. Well, with a crew of sixteen pirates and a handful of rats in the bilge.

Breathing deep, I put on my hat. I’d taken it off before Angel came to say goodbye. She should remember me as
just Jamie
and not the ruthless pirate she’d gotten to know first.

I rub my hands over my face and sigh. In the sky, two dots appear at the horizon. They are growing bigger. Gripped by strange excitement, I sit straight and narrow my eyes to make out what’s coming toward us. Holy hell, is it Angel and Peter? What if she changed her mind? I jump to my feet and cross to the railing, leaning out far. The small spots come nearer and nearer. I can barely breathe.

Moments later, the things in the sky become a pair of seagulls that sail over the ship on the breeze. I angle my head and follow their path to the shore. My heart sinks. I fall to my knees. It’s over. Angel is gone. She won’t come back.

Chapter 13

THE LAUGHTER OF two little girls. That’s what keeps me going on through the sky with my arms spread-eagle and my gaze strictly focused frontward. Peter and I glide through a layer of clouds, climbing higher and higher. Neverland is now a small spot in the ocean behind us.

After everything I’ve seen and gone through the past few days, nothing will ever amaze me again. And still, here I fly and can’t believe it. This is the most unlikely thing I could ever imagine doing…apart from kissing a pirate.

“So, you and Hook, huh?” Peter asks after some time of silently gliding next to me.

Cutting him a brief glance, I purse my lips. What’ll his next comment be? That I couldn’t sink any lower than making out with a pirate?

Peter startles me. “You’re good for him. I’ve never seen him act so…
human
. It’s a shame you’re leaving.”

I turn to him again, but this time he keeps his attention focused in front and ignores my baffled stare. Maybe he enjoyed the afternoon on board the Jolly Roger. It must have been a great experience to work with and not against his own brother for the first time in his life.

I only wish they’d find a way of keeping this up after I'm gone. But then, what’s it to me, really? I’ll never find out once I’m back. I mean, it’s not like I can grab my phone and call Jamie to check in on him.

A sad feeling claws at my heart at the memory of our last real kiss. The one we shared at Mermaid Lagoon at night. His scent of tangerines and seawater has seeped into my pores and settled in my heart. It will remain with me always. If only he could kiss me just one more time. Or hold me like he did when we said goodbye. I miss him, and part of me wants to turn around and fly back into his arms.