Page 48 of Lost in the Never Woods

Peter nodded vigorously. “Yes, super close.”

Now, Wendy could see he was trying not to laugh at her. She wanted to shove him but refrained.

“Okay, well, if you’re sure,” Mrs. Darling said, but Wendy was already pushing Peter toward the front door.

“Just going to walk him to the porch!” Wendy called over her shoulder. She pulled open the front door. As Peter turned to wave good-bye to her mom, Wendy placed both of her hands against his back and pushed him out.

Outside, everything was quiet except for the sound of traffic filtering down from the main road.

Wendy shut the door behind her and let out a long sigh of relief. “That was close,” she said, pressing her palm against her forehead as she willed her heartbeat to slow down. They were lucky it hadn’t been her father, but still, running into her mother was bad enough. Peter needed to keep a low profile—the fewer people to see him, the better.

Peter didn’t say anything. He stared at the closed door, just above her shoulder. His eyebrows pinched together and his jaw moved like he was chewing on the inside of his cheek.

Wendy’s thoughts immediately went to Peter’s interaction with her mother. How curious Peter was, how lost in memory her mother seemed to be. It was like overhearing a private conversation. Wendy folded her arms and leaned back against the door. “Did you know my mom? When she was younger?” she asked quietly as she watched him.

Peter nodded. “Yeah, those stories she used to tell you weren’t just stories. Better sword fighter than you, in fact,” Peter added with a short laugh, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I mean, she doesn’t remember it now, obviously.” He shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing, but there was a clear tone of hurt in his voice. “But that’s what happens when you grow up—you forget about the magic you’ve seen.”

Wendy idly wondered what it was like to be Peter, to meet people when they were young and could still believe in magic. To take them on adventures, to places they could never imagine in their wildest dreams, only to be forgotten with time and age. It must be a lonely existence …

Peter nodded at Wendy. “That’s probably why you forgot. When you turned thirteen, you weren’t a kid anymore, so when I rescued you and brought you back to the woods, you forgot about Neverland … and me.”

Wendy bit her lip. Did that explain why she couldn’t remember what had happened to her during those six months?

“Do you think that’s why things started going wrong in Neverland?” Wendy asked.

Peter frowned and shook his head slightly, not understanding the question.

“I turned thirteen the day you brought me back, right? What if all the weird things that started to happen on the island were because I was too old? If getting older means losing magic, maybe me being there was what started all the problems?”

“It might have,” Peter considered hesitantly. “But that still doesn’t explain me and my shadow. You being too old and defying the rules of Neverland could’ve caused the animals and the fairies to start acting strangely, sure, but why would I start getting older and losing my magic?” he asked.

Wendy sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know,” she told him. “But it’s a start.” She shivered. A breeze was starting to pick up. “Are you okay to get back to the hunting shack?” she asked.

Now, more than ever, she was completely terrified by the prospect of being in the woods, especially alone at night. She didn’t like the idea of Peter being in them, either. What if something happened and the shadow tried to go after him next? She wanted to ask him to stay, but the words caught in her throat.

Peter laughed and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Uh, yeah. Thanks, Mom, but I can take care of myself.”

Wendy scowled and nudged her elbow into his side. “Oh, shut up. When can I see you tomorrow? We need to come up with a game plan. Should we meet up somewhere?” she asked. This would be a lot easier if he were a normal teenager and had a cell phone.

“Don’t worry,” Peter replied. He wiggled his eyebrows and dropped his voice to an ominous tone. “I’ll find you when the time comes.”

Wendy narrowed her eyes at him. “Wait, seriously?”

Peter laughed, a large grin cracking across his face, showing off the small chip in his tooth. It was the first genuine smile she’d seen on him today that wasn’t edged with worry or apprehension. It was a welcome relief.

“Uh, no, actually,” he said, rocking on the balls of his feet, satisfied with himself for being so clever. “You should probably tell me when and where to meet you.”

Wendy rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips. “Just meet me at the corner of my street by the orange house at noon tomorrow, okay?”

“Aye aye, captain,” Peter replied with a sweeping salute. He jumped off the porch and started walking across the yard.

As she watched his retreating back, Wendy couldn’t help herself. “Be careful going into the woods, okay?” she called after him as quietly as possible.

Peter turned around and gave her an amused smirk. “You know, if you keep worrying like that you’re going to give yourself wrinkles,” he said, walking backward as he reached the driveway. “Just there.” He tapped his finger on the middle of his forehead.

Wendy shook her head, conjuring up her best look of disdain. “Good night, Peter,” she told him.

“Sweet dreams, Wendy.”