Page 78 of Lost in the Never Woods

“We also need to be on the lookout for the search parties,” Wendy added, coming to a stop at Peter’s side. “I don’t know how long it’ll take them to comb through the woods, but they’re starting on the northern side and working south. It would be bad if we ran into them halfway,” she said, tucking the map into her bag. “Especially if we haven’t found the tree yet.”

“We should be able to hear them from pretty far off,” Peter said. He jerked his head and gave Wendy a small grin. “Come on.”

Long grass gently slapped Wendy’s legs as they moved deeper into the forest. She could feel the prickle of sunburn on her shoulders as the hot summer sun streamed through the trees. The air smelled of sweet cedar and tangy sap beading on bark. Black beetles bumbled over logs and the sharp cry of hunting birds sounded overhead. The sound of Peter and Wendy traversing the landscape joined the chorus.

Wendy frowned. She watched Peter navigate the fallen logs and underbrush and it occurred to her that he wasn’t moving with the same ease as he had last time they were in the woods. Peter kept his eyes trained on the ground, his footfalls as heavy as hers. He used to be so at home in nature, but now he was as unbalanced as she was.

Maybe it was because of his drastic growth spurts? He was almost a head taller than her now. His arms and legs were noticeably longer, and his movements made it seem like he was still getting used to them. The way he walked reminded her of a newborn deer trying to find its balance.

Following him closely, Wendy watched as he moved through the woods. Tendons stretched up his forearms, swelling at his biceps before disappearing under the sleeves of his T-shirt. She could see the muscles of his back shift and flex under the material. The sunlight filtering through the trees caught the red streaks in his auburn hair. A small trickle of sweat ran down the nape of his neck and disappeared into the collar of his shirt. His full lips were parted, his breaths a steady rhythm.

Wendy’s face grew unbearably hot and she cut her eyes away. She frowned at the ground. These changes Peter was going through were … distracting. And frustrating. Wendy was used to seeing guys in Speedos at swim practice. She was no stranger to the human anatomy of a teenage boy. Wendy was largely unaffected by it, and barely batted an eye when her teammates tried to flex and show off. Peter shouldn’t be any different. She just needed to get a grip. She was irritated with herself for being so flustered. There were important matters at hand, things she needed to focus on.

It was while she was staring determinedly at the ground that she realized Peter wasn’t wearing shoes.

“Peter, where are your shoes?” she asked.

“My feet got too big. They don’t fit anymore,” he told her with a shrug, as if walking through the woods barefoot was a perfectly reasonable solution.

“How does that not hurt?” she asked, face screwing up in confusion. She could hardly stand walking across the cement of her backyard to throw out the trash without flip-flops on.

“It’s not a big deal. I didn’t wear shoes in Neverland,” he pointed out, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve got some pretty serious calluses.” Peter’s lips teased a grin.

“Okay, but you’re here now,” she said. “You’ll call attention to yourself walking around without any shoes on.” If people saw him, they’d probably think he was a transient, or maybe even a runaway.

Peter blinked. “Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Should we stop by the hunting shack and get you another pair?” she asked. “You won’t be able to go back to it after today.” Which was another distressing thought. Another problem on their ever-growing list that needed a solution.

“I don’t have any more shoes that fit.” Peter still didn’t seem very worried. “I could try looking around the neighborhood for a pair,” he considered.

“No,” Wendy said firmly. “No stealing. The last thing we need is someone seeing you steal a pair of tennis shoes off their back porch.” Wendy racked her brain, trying to come up with a solution. The idea of taking Peter to go shopping for new shoes felt ridiculous. She couldn’t even picture him standing in the middle of a Fred Meyer. It’d be like seeing Bigfoot in a hipster café: wrong and laughable. “My dad has some old tennis shoes lying around you could try on?” They were probably too big, but at this rate, Peter would fit them fine in a matter of days. It gave her little comfort.

Peter nodded in agreement. His eyebrows pinched together. He looked bothered by something, but he didn’t say anything, and Wendy thought it best not to ask. There was tension in the air and heaviness between them.

Maybe he knew what she was thinking already.

Wendy spent so much time thinking about how all of this was affecting her, she hadn’t spent much time considering how Peter felt. It must be frightening, to be so far from his home, and alone. Except for Wendy, but she doubted that brought Peter much comfort. It must have been wearing on him to be holding the safety of all those kids on his shoulders. Not to mention, to be so unsure of his own fate. It made her chest ache to think about him going through that alone. How had she let herself get so caught up in her own nightmares that she didn’t consider what this was doing to him? Looking at him now, the effects seemed clear on his face, in the dark circles under his eyes and the way the corners of his lips tugged down when he wasn’t paying attention.

She wanted to reach out and touch him, to tell him that it would be okay and they would figure it out. But would he hear the doubt in her voice? Wendy chewed on her bottom lip. What did Peter have to keep the darkness away? After they got out of these woods, she would figure out how to keep him safe.

They crossed the first trail, which was just some gravel on hard dirt, pounded into place by logging trucks. The creek was a short hike past that, and they followed it downstream, sloping deeper into the woods. She started trailing closer to Peter again, but, this time, she was more careful not to step on him. The woods were vast. Even with a guided plan, it was a lot of ground to cover. Not to mention, the terrain became rough, which slowed Wendy and their progress.

The farther they went, the quieter the woods became. There were no more birds chirping or chipmunks scrabbling their claws against trees as they chased one another. The only sound left was the bubbling of water in the creek.

“Do you miss Neverland?” Wendy asked, wanting to break the eerie quiet.

Peter tilted his head back, looking up into the boughs of the trees as he considered her question. “Sort of. It’s a lot nicer there,” he said. “I miss the beaches, playing games with the lost kids, being able to spend all day just lounging in a hammock by the waterfall,” he said in a far-off tone with a sigh.

“That definitely sounds better than trudging through the woods, looking for your shadow with me,” Wendy agreed with an airy laugh. “How terribly dull Oregon must be in comparison to Neverland.”

“It’s not that bad. Being here has its perks.” He nudged his shoulder into Wendy’s. She pressed her lips together as they threatened to quirk into a smile. “What I really miss is being able to fly. This body”—he looked down at himself—“just feels weird.”

Wendy trained her eyes on Peter’s face, actively keeping herself from taking inventory. Again.

“What do you think started all of this in the first place?” she asked. “Losing your magic and growing up, I mean?”

“I don’t really know,” Peter confessed. “I just assume the shadow did it, but it did only start when you came to Neverland with me…” He squinted, giving Wendy a curious look. “This has something to do with you, but I’m not sure what.”