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Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
It was soft but clearly audible. Barrie glanced up at the wall. He was standing under a wall clock, the old-fashioned kind with hands that ticked around the numbers on the face.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
He braced himself for Hook’s ghost to strike him down with his sword.
But when he looked back, the pirate was gone.
* * *
Barrie scrambled through the library window and tumbled out, landing flat in the bushes next to his skateboard with a loud thud. It knocked the wind out of him.
Bright sunlight glared down, momentarily blinding him. He struggled to catch his breath and blinked to clear his vision, then skated away from the school in a panic. He didn’t know why Hook’s ghost had vanished back there. The last thing he remembered was backing up against the wall under that clock. Then when he turned back, the pirate was gone.
But he didn’t plan to stick around to find out if Hook was coming back.
As he skated away from the school cutting back toward his cul-de-sac, the horror of what he’d found in the library rushed through him—the school pictures of him as a fifth grader, year after year after year. When he’d made his wish to stay a kid forever, that wasn’t what he’d meant.
Even worse, Hook’s ghost was still after him and wanted revenge. Clearly, he was growing more impatient, too. This time, Hook came after him in broad daylight in a public place. That meant that Barrie didn’t have much time left. It kept getting worse.
He had to find a way to make it stop. He had to reverse his wish.
But how was he going to do that?
He felt completely alone and lost. Usually, whenever he had a problem, he would talk to Michael and John. They were the Lost Boys. They always helped him, no matter what. Even in his books, the brothers solved mysteries together. They each had different skills and abilities. They needed each other to solve the cases. They couldn’t do it alone.
That’s when Barrie realized—I need my friends to help me.
Even if they don’t remember me.
Barrie cut back through the skate park, but his friends were gone. He hopped on his skateboard, heading for their cul-de-sac. He rode up to Michael’s two-story redbrick house, then slipped around back through the backyard, peering through his bedroom window.
Just as expected, Michael and John were hunched on the bed playing a video game, having sought refuge from the afternoon heat in the air-conditioning. Their skateboards lay abandoned by the door, along with their Vans. Candy wrappers littered the bedspread. Usually, Barrie would be there with them, and he felt a sharp pang over being left out.
I’m going to fix this, he thought. I just need to convince them to help.
With a deep breath, Barrie reached out and rapped on the door. Tat-tat-tat-tat-a-tat. He used their “secret code.”
Michael and John both startled. They paused the game and padded over to the window. Their eyes landed on Barrie. They didn’t look happy to see him.
“It’s that weird kid from the park,” John whispered. Michael slid the window partway open.
“How do you know the secret Lost Boys code?” Michael demanded.
“Yeah, have you been spying on us?” John added, his eyes narrowed.
Barrie took a deep breath.
“I know the code because I’m your best friend,” he said firmly. “I’m one of the Lost Boys, too. The code was my idea. I helped invent it.”
“What do you mean?” Michael said, glancing uneasily at John.
“Oh, please. Don’t start listening to him,” John scoffed. Then he scowled at Barrie. “Nice try, dude. But we don’t even know you—”
“Yeah, but you did know me,” Barrie said, plowing forward. “We used to do everything together! Only I made a terrible mistake. That’s why I’m here. I need your help. I don’t know where else to turn. You’re my only chance.”
“Come on, shut the window,” John said, rolling his eyes. “I wanna beat my high score.”
