AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But Michael hesitated. His eyes darted to Barrie. “But he did know the code.”
“Yeah—and it’s not all I know,” Barrie said, seizing on the opening. “Remember how in kindergarten, you lost your first tooth during recess on the very first day of school? And I helped you find it?”
“That could’ve happened to anyone,” Michael said. “Just a good guess—”
“It was under the monkey bars,” Barrie went on, searching his memory for every detail. “We’d been playing chicken, trying to knock each other off. And when you fell, it popped right out of your mouth.”
John snickered. “He’s right. That was classic. I can’t believe we found it.”
“Yeah, but it was just us,” Michael said, nodding to John. “You weren’t there.”
“But I was there,” Barrie insisted. “You just don’t remember me. The tooth fairy brought you a whole ten bucks for your tooth. It was like a tooth fairy record. We spent it all on candy and comics. We were on a sugar-and-superhero high like all week.”
“Wait, how’d you know about that?” Michael said.
“Because I told you already…I’m your best friend,” Barrie said. Before they could doubt him, he recounted other memories from their years of friendship—secrets and details about their lives—things that only the Lost Boys knew.
John started to look afraid. “But how…is this possible? I’ve never even seen you before today.”
“Yeah, how can you know all of that?” Michael went on with a frown.
“Secret handshake?” Barrie said, reaching his hand out.
He knew this would seal the deal.
They hesitated, but then John shrugged, and Barrie’s heart leaped. They executed their secret handshake to perfection. “Lost Boys forever!” they chanted together. As Barrie slid his hands from Michael’s and John’s grips, he could tell that he’d won them over.
For now.
They all grinned, and if felt like old times. But then they fell more serious.
“But why don’t we remember you?” John said. “If you’re our best friend?”
Barrie unzipped his backpack and showed them the hook. It glinted in the fading daylight. “Because I stole this from the pirate ship at the maritime museum and made a wish to never grow up, and it worked…only it was a huge mistake.”
“Whoa,” John said, his eyes wide as he checked out the hook. “Pirate magic?”
“You didn’t want to grow up?” Michael asked.
“Well, I thought staying a kid sounded great—until it actually happened,” Barrie said. “Now everybody is growing up without me, and I’m stuck as a kid forever.”
“What do you mean?” Michael said. “Is that why we can’t remember you?”
Barrie nodded. “That’s what I think. Let me in, and I’ll explain everything. I have to find a way to make it stop.”
Michael hesitated. John looked worried. For a second, Barrie thought he’d lost them. He knew how crazy it all sounded, and he hadn’t even told them about Captain Hook’s ghost haunting him and wanting revenge.
But then Michael slid the window open and gestured for Barrie to climb in.
“Lost Boys don’t forget their friends,” Michael said in a firm voice. “If we can find a way to help you, then we’ll do it.”
“Yeah, if anyone can fix it,” John chimed in, “it’s the Lost Boys, right?”
As Barrie climbed through the window and joined his friends inside, one thought shot through his head: I just hope it’s true.
“It’s a long story,” Barrie said, settling onto Michael’s outer space comforter. Everything in this bedroom felt as familiar as his own house because he’d practically grown up here.
The paused video game flickered on the screen and lit up the room as the sun began its lazy summer descent outside, painting the sky bright pink.
