The Boy Who Could Fly

chapter five

"And ya can't leave the camp without askin' Jack. The woods are full o' bad stuff. Don't wander off by ya'self. And stay away from the other side of the island. Oh, and the cliffs near the beach," Race said, concluding the list of rules that he was supposed to deliver to Aimee.

"What's on the other side of the island?" She asked curiously. "If I'm supposed to stay away from it, I should know what's over there."

Race hesitated. "I'd ask Jack about that if I was you."

"What about on the cliffs? I saw them when we came in and it looked like there was a settlement there. Who lives there?" As she spoke, another Lost Boy, Albert, joined the conversation.

"The Brookies," he replied simply.

Aimee paused. "Brookies as in Brooklyn?" She asked.

Race nodded. "Yeah. They's kinda like us, only not so nice. Spot's the name of their leader. They all came from Brooklyn around the same time Jack came. Jack and Spot are on good terms, but Spot's real picky 'bout territory."

"So are the rest of 'em," Albert added. "You don't wanna meet 'em, trust me. They don't take likings to new people."

"Oh." Aimee nodded a bit. This Spot did sound a bit intimidating. She'd make sure not to venture out into the woods alone so she wouldn't cross into Brookie territory.

"Oh, here comes Jack. We'll leave ya be." Race grinned as he and Albert left, each doing a little salute when they passed Jack. Aimee noticed that the other Lost Boys would always greet Jack like that.

"Race wasn't talkin' ya ear off, was he?" Jack asked, smiling a bit as he stopped next to Aimee.

"Not really." She shrugged. "He seems to like talking, and he answered my questions. Well, most of them."

"Well let me see if I can help ya there," Jack offered, but then he paused as he noticed a boy walk by. "Oh, hang on. Davey!" He called out to the boy, who walked over to Jack once called. "Aimee, I want ya to meet Davey. He and his brother Les are the newest ones here. Thought ya might want to know who prob'ly has the most smarts." Jack chuckled softly.

"Nice to meet you," Davey said, giving Aimee a kind smile. He didn't have a thick accent like the rest of the boys. "I think my brother, Les, has already met your sister. Her name is Sally, right?"

Aimee nodded. "I've seen them playing together. I think Les is the only one around her age, so I'm sure she's glad to have a playmate." She smiled back at him. "And it's nice to meet you, too."

"Anyway, I've got to get back to helping in the kitchen. Someone found recipe books washed up and a good amount of these boys can't read." Davey gave Aimee one more smile before turning and disappearing inside the kitchen building.

"He's nice," Aimee commented.

Jack nodded. "Yep. Davey's the most civilized Lost Boy we've got. I thought you two would get along just fine." He shrugged. "Anyway, I came over here for a reason. I'm headed into the woods to the stream. Wanna come?"

Aimee nodded quickly. She really wanted to explore the island, and this was her chance. "Sure."

Jack grinned. "Great. Come on." He led her across the clearing and into the trees. As he led her along an overgrown path, he cut branches in their way with a sharp machete. Soon, Aimee could hear the sound of running water. Within minutes, they came upon a stream running with the clearest water Aimee had ever seen.

"It's beautiful," she said softly, going over to the water's edge. She crouched down and gently stuck her hand in the light turquoise water. "Oh, and cold."

Jack chuckled, squatting down next to her. "It's magical. So's everything on this island."

"What does it do?" She asked.

"Well, the further away ya are from the mountain, the less magical it is. The mountain's where the fairies are," he explained. "The water up on the mountain is what keeps everyone so young. And it's the best tastin' water on the island. So I usually fly up there to get some. This water just tastes good. Try some."

Aimee scooped up some of the water in her hands and sipped it. Jack was right. She didn't know how water could taste so good. It was cold and tasted fresh, but there was a slight sweetness to it. Jack watched her expression with a smile. "Wow," she said after her sip.

"I know." He laughed a little. "I told ya it was good. I like to come out here to think sometimes. It's peaceful. And quiet."

"And gorgeous," Aimee added, looking around. "Is the whole island like this?"

"Pretty much." Jack nodded. "And most of it is free for us ta' explore. But not the far side of the island," he added quickly, suddenly much more serious.

"Why? What's over there?" Aimee questioned curiously. "I asked Race but he said to ask you instead. He wouldn't answer."

"He was right not to answer," Jack said. "Don't go on the far side of the island. And that's that."

Aimee huffed a bit, frustrated that he wouldn't give her a straight answer. She would push him, but she had so many more questions. In the past day, she had attempted to get any of the Lost Boys to tell her who this Katherine was. But every time she asked, they either left or avoided the question. She took a deep breath, and looked at Jack. "Who's Katherine?"

Jack stiffened and stood up. "We should be getting back," he said coldly. "It'll be gettin' dark soon." Without another word, he turned and walked back the way they had come. Aimee quickly stood and followed him so she wouldn't get lost.

"Mush said that the treehouse I'm in used to be hers. What happened to her?" Aimee pushed, determined to get an answer. "Was she a Lost Girl? Where is she?"

Jack stopped and spun around to face her, anger glinting in his eyes. The look scared Aimee. He seemed so easygoing, but she had found a topic he did not want to talk about. "Do not ask another question about her," he said lowly, glaring at Aimee. "I don't want to hear her name come out of your mouth again."

Aimee would argue, but she was too surprised by his sudden outburst, so she just nodded. Satisfied with her answer, Jack continued back to camp, and Aimee followed him at a short distance. She wanted to give him a bit of space. She didn't want to make him upset, but all this secrecy made her incredibly curious about what else Jack was hiding. What really was on the other side of the island? And what other secrets could be hidden all across the island?