Second on the Right (39 page)

Retreating to his quarters, James paced
about. His mind wandered, reflecting on what Benedict had said. He
stared down at the hook placed on the table.

Was Benedict right? Am I becoming a
monster?
Is it the hook? Or is it something more?

The thought that he was turning into
something macabre, something Eileen would look on in horror, made
him uneasy. With a loud sigh, he looked around his quarters aboard
the
Jolly Roger
. It was spacious and impressive in carvings
and furniture, but it felt cold and lonely. Of all the things he
wished for at that moment, the one he wanted most was for Eileen to
be with him once again. He needed her confidence and her
encouragement. He needed to know she would have accepted him,
all
of him.

He looked back down at the empty space where
his right hand once was. Anxiety grew inside him. James could feel
the presence of his hand as if it were still there. The sensation
was odd and maddening. The muscles in his right arm strained and
tensed, doing their best to wake up a hand that wasn’t present. He
yelled out in frustration. Pushing everything off the table,
including the hook, he paced wildly. He needed her to be there to
calm him down.

Frowning, he thought,
She's gone. I'm on
my own now.

A lot of time had passed since losing Eileen,
Robbie, and the baby. James thought it would dull the pain, making
it easier to handle loss, but he was finding it quite the contrary.
Not a day had gone by that his thoughts did not dwell on his
family. With her absence, James felt less than half of a man.

The island lay quiet as the sun set. As a
cool breeze picked up, a faint rustle of leaves coursed through the
trees. Small animals scurried about, foraging for food before
turning in for the evening. The larger beasts of the island, the
wolves and bears, were stretching and yawning, as they prepared to
go out on their nightly hunt. As the dark sky shone above, stars
brightly twinkled and clouds parted, moving away with the
breeze.

The lost boys lay on their backs in a
clearing, deep in discussion. The boys were waiting anxiously for
their leader's return. They looked up to him as children would to a
father.

"I bet he's bringing us another friend," said
Tootles excitedly. The other boys shrugged and continued to look at
the stars.

One red-haired boy laid quietly, a tear
running from his eye, past his ear and falling to the ground.
Though he would never admit it to the others, he had a longing for
home. Faint memories haunted him. He knew he didn’t belong here,
but where? He knew he had a mother, but he was forgetting her. He
couldn’t remember her face, only her hair and skin. He recalled the
feeling of safety and love she had provided and that she always
smelled sweet. A ghostly smile hinted at his lips at the memory,
but quickly faded. Would he be on Neverland forever?

Neverland was home to Peter and his lost
boys. In the past, the number within the group varied, but
currently there were eight of them. All were under the age of
twelve, all taken from their families at some point in their lives.
In actuality, the boys were kidnapped at a young age. Peter would
entice the child to take a small amount of drug with the promise of
flight. The drug, called ‘dust’, could be found only in a few
select parts of the world. After the child was taught to fly, he
would be coerced back to Neverland. Due to the young age the victim
would forget his life before Neverland. Refusing access to dust,
the child would remain, unable to fly again. All he would come to
know and remember would be Neverland.

James was growing impatient. The
Mistral
Thief
remained anchored nearby Pirate’s river, but it might as
well have set sail. Benedict had washed his hands of anything to do
with Pan. James would have to handle this on his own. He and his
men had attempted to relocate the boys, but after hours of walking
the island there were still no signs of the lost boys. Urging his
men on, James caught sight of a boy running between trees. One of
the pirates pulled out his pistol to shoot, but James laid his cold
iron hook on the man's shoulder.

“Idiot!" he snapped threateningly. "Holster
that weapon!"

The pirate was confused. "But cap'n, it was
one o' those boys. I coulda shot 'im dead," he whispered.

"Aye, and the sound would have alerted the
others to hide," James replied. "We need to follow the boy in order
to locate the hideout. Most important of all, we need to ensure
Peter is among them before we strike. This boy is only one, and I
want to find the lot of them. Scatter and look for them. Find out
where it is they are hiding. I say now, do nothing to the auburn,
that is, the red-haired boy. If you find him, bring him to me,
unharmed."

"Captain, what if one o' us were to, uh, that
is to say, what if the boy slips and is injured?" one pirate
asked.

James looked menacingly at the pirate. "Then
this," he said raising his hook, "will
slip
into your gut.
Am I clear?"

"Aye, aye, captain!" all pirates replied.

As the crew disappeared among the trees, Smee
remained by Hook’s side. James sighed heavily, looking up at the
night’s sky. It was a beautiful night: the moon was casting soft
light over the forest, and a gentle breeze blew through the trees
creating a continual rustling sound. The sights and sounds left him
lost in thought about his life before he met Eileen, and his life
after he met her.

After a while, James could smell wood
burning. He squatted down and inspected the area. There definitely
were wisps of smoke rising from the ground. The two pirates looked
at each other.

"A chimney?" James murmured to himself.
"Smee…" James began, his thoughts racing.

"Yes cap'n?" Smee asked readily, again eager
as a dog to please its master.

"I believe we've discovered Peter's hideout,"
James replied. He knelt down low and picked up the sounds of
children's voices. "The lost boys," he whispered.

The boys chattered and squealed below without
fear of discovery. Hearing their laughter, a hopeful smile lit up
James’ handsome face. He eavesdropped on their conversation.

“I can’t wait for Peter!” one boy exclaimed.
The other boys cheered in response.

“Do you think he’ll bring a friend too?”
another asked.

“Of course! He always does,” a boy
responded.

“Maybe this time it will be a girl,” an older
boy commented.

There was a collective “eww” and giggles
among the group, after which silence reigned.

"Do you remember your mother?" one boy asked.
There was a moment of silence.

One boasted, "Of course I remember my mother.
She's prettier 'en the rest of yer mothers."

"Is not!" shouted another.

"Is so!" replied the first.

"Is not!" countered the boy.

The argument went on for a while until
another boy yelled for them to stop. Silence again fell over the
boys in the underground hideout. All were lost in thought. Another
boy broke it. “What about you, Beary? Do you remember your
mother?”

A voice familiar to James spoke softly. It
was the voice of his son, Robbie. "I only remember a little of my
mother," Beary said. "I remember she had soft skin, long wavy hair
and was always smiling. She would read stories to me. She would…she
would play with me." There was a sniffle.

The other boys remained quiet, listening
intently.

"I miss my mother," he finished.

Hearing his son speak about Eileen made
James' heart ache. Standing up, he surveyed the area and noted
seven trees with larger than average holes in them. James concluded
the holes must be the means to travel down to the underground
hiding place.

Still in hushed tones, he whispered, "Smee,
gather the men. We head back to the
Jolly Roger
.” His eyes
darted back and forth as he formulated a plan.

"But sir! We've found them!" Smee said
confused as to why they would now leave.

"Aye, but we need the means to capture them,
such as rope to bind them in order to prevent them from flying.
We've found all but one, I believe," James replied. "Quickly now!"
He shoved Smee off in the direction of the other pirates.

James’ mind whirled with thoughts on how to
exact his revenge. When he reached the shore, he stood still for a
while, silently wishing things could be different. Despite the odd
crew, the loss of everything, he was beginning to find himself, to
feel comfortable in his own skin, even as a pirate.

Back on board the
Jolly Roger,
James
remained in his quarters, making plans, preparing his weapons,
anything to keep time from slowing as he waited for Peter's return.
He had overheard the boys discussing their leader's absence. They
were anticipating the arrival of another boy.

His thoughts veered towards his son, Robbie.
The poor boy was kidnapped from his parents, and forced to remain a
captive. James vowed to save him at all cost. Eileen might be lost
forever, but his son still had a chance to be saved.

While lost in thought, his ears began to pick
up an unusual sound.

Tick. Hiss.

He blinked, confused. He stood still,
straining to hear the sound.

Tick. Hiss.

The color drained from his face.
The
crocodile!
He ran over to one of the windows. The moonlight was
fickle, rippling here and there over the water, frustrating James
as he couldn’t see clearly. His ears, though, could hear perfectly.
To James, it sounded like a clock, though he knew full well what it
was.

Tick. Hiss.

James shuddered. The enormous crocodile
waited for him below.
How on Earth did it know where I was?
With a shiver, he shut and locked the window. It was ridiculous to
think that a crocodile could climb up the side of a ship, but he
was not going to take the chance. Eventually, the noises of the
crocodile ceased as the creature swam off, lured by the sounds
within the woods of the island. However, despite its absence, James
was still wary to set foot on deck for a while.

James burst through the open door. The
scraggly haired boys rushed him, but he was too quick. Unsheathing
his sword, he ran them all through, killing every last one. Pushing
the bodies aside, the captain’s eyes came to rest on a young boy
huddled in the dark corner.

James cautiously approached him, sword
sheathed, hand outstretched. "Robbie? Son, it’s all right. Daddy's
here now," he said softly, tenderly to the boy. The closer he
approached, the more the boy hid his face from view.

"Robbie, please. I'm your father. It’s all
right. I'm here to save you from this place. To take you home." He
smiled warmly, hoping Robbie would remember him.

The boy stirred. Without warning, a shadowy
face with glowing red eyes screamed and lunged at James, biting off
his left hand. James cried out in pain and terror, stumbling back
as the boy rebounded for another attack. Just as he was about to
leap again, James woke to pounding on his cabin door.

"Capt’n?" Smee called out. "Capt’n Hook!
We've sighted somethin’!"

James took a moment to catch his breath. He
understood how Eileen felt about dreams. Rubbing his eyes, he
slipped on his coat and hat and stepped out onto the deck. He
followed Smee’s gaze. There, high above the clouds, he spotted four
children flying in the air. One appeared to be Peter.

"Spyglass!" James called out. Smee scrambled
and ran back, handing the captain a telescope. James could see
there were three boys and one young girl. The girl was flying hand
in hand with one of the boys. James assumed it was Peter himself.
"Make ready the cannon!"

"Aye, aye Cap'in!" Smee answered. "Make ready
the cannon!" he shouted with enthusiasm. "What now, Cap'in?"