Neverland

Chapter Fourteen

Wendy and I fly over the sea and into mouth of Skull Rock. Hook is next to the white circle. He stands so calm and still that I am utterly perplexed.

"Hook?" I say. "What are you doing?" Hook breaks his trance.

"I knew I would find you here," Hook says. He circles the white magic. I raise an eyebrow. Hook shows me the scrap of parchment.

"You will gain and lose much at your enemy's hidden lair," Hook reads. "I went looking, and found this hidden treasure."

"Harsh," I say. "But you know, I rather prefer the word, fortress." Hook's eyes travel down to my hand.

"We can stop the games, Peter," Hook says. "Give me the pixie dust, and I'll let you, the girl, and your Lost Boys return to your little camp by the Black Jungle."

"I don't believe what you say," I answer. This fazes Hook, but only for a moment. Hook turns back to the white circle. A tremor passes through Skull Rock.

"You don't know what you're doing!" I shout.

"Yes, I do," Hook says calmly. "But do you know what happens when you step in this circle?" I am stunned, and I don't answer.

"This circle is also magic," Hook says. More tremors pass through. "If a person steps in with the pixie dust, he or she has the power of Neverland."

"It's supposed to be me!" I insist. "If it's not, everything will fall."

"It's not always about you," Hook says. All this time, he hasn't turned around. He still faces the white circle, trying to get in without the pixie dust.

"I'm telling the truth, Lyam," I say.

"Peter we need to get out of here," Wendy says. I pause for a second. At that moment, Hook knocks me and Wendy to the ground. The pixie dust is released from my grasp and flies into the air.

Hook catches the drawstring bag and lunges to the circle. Before I can stop him, he enters onto the white magic. Time seems to slow down. There is another quake, stronger than before. I watch Wendy stumble and fall through the magical bonds around Hook. Both begin to glow, and the light becomes so bright I am forced to shut my eyes. The glow fades, leaving Hook and Wendy unconscious on the ground.

The shield around the circle is broken, so I rush to Wendy's side and try to wake her up. She doesn't move. I lock my hand around her wrist, giving me the chance to fly away with her. The flying is harder than it normally is, and when I look down I see why. Hook has his hand clamped around Wendy's ankle.

"Neverland's magic...." Hook pants. "Stays... with me." He pushes his palms out to me. A way pulses out, sending me into the air, my grip lost on Wendy. As I hurtle through the air at top speed, Skull Rock becomes smaller and smaller. It feels as if a piece of me has been left behind.

The Lost Boys have been taken into Hook's crew. The fire at my camp is cold and dark. I do not know what to do. About Wendy. About Hook. About everything.

I do have the map, though I don't think it will do any good for me now. The parchment becomes searing hot in my hands, and I throw it onto the ground. Stupid thing never did any good, anyway. I do pick up the map, but only with intentions to tear it into shreds. The magic protecting the map won't let me.

I turn the map over, and there are some words. The words are already in my language, so I don't need to use magic to decipher them.

"Your magic for Wendy and the Lost Boys. Mermaid Beach. -L. J. Hook." Somehow, the parchment scrap that Hook has, and this map are connected. Hook got a message to me. The thought scares me, it's almost like he knows my every move.

I remember Lyam Johnson, the boy who was in the catacombs with me. The boy who was my friend. Replaced by Hook.

Wendy. Wendy Darling. This girl makes me want to go back on my word about not trusting girls. She seems to innocent, so unlike any girl I have met. Do I want to trade my magic for her? My magic is everything I am. It will be like trading my soul. But what choice do I have? For once, I can be the brave hero I always wanted to be.

Your evil is not your own. That is what Karissa told me. Oh, no. I think I understand.

Tinkerbell poisoned me deeper than killing me. Her last words were, My gift to you. My evil, my darkness, hasn't been my own. It has been Tinkerbell's.

This makes me want to turn myself inside out. Then I breathe deeply. I can break through Tinkerbell. I have my own life, and I can start a new path.

But first I need to save Wendy Darling.

As promised, Hook is waiting by Mermaid Beach, but this time, on the Jolly Roger. Here we have met so many times, none of them turning good. My Lost Boys are tied against the mast, only five of them remain. Wendy is on the edge of the plank leading off Hook's ship. Her hands are bound behind her, and I notice how different she looks.

Neverland's magic must have changed a lot of things. Wendy is dressed a gold tunic that looks like it was made from sunlight. Her hair is braided down, and she is wear leather boots, like mine. And she looks utterly fearful.

"All right, Hook," I say. I spread my arms out. "I'm here."

"And so you are," he says. "I almost didn't think you would come."

"Just get on with it," I say. "What do I do."

"You need to stand there, and repeat a few words," Hook says. "Hold out your hand." I comply. Hook pulls out a knife and drags it across my palm. It stings, but I don't move a muscle. Hook cuts his own hand and mixes my blood with his.

"There. Now say these words," Hook says. "My magic is freely given to Lyam Johnson, also known as Hook." I say the words, and a blue light electrifies from me. After a moment I feel drained and exhausted, whereas Hook glows with new power.

"Neverland's magic has to work now!" he says triumphantly. Hook turns to his men. "Let the girl and boys go." His crew cuts the ropes on Wendy and the Lost Boys.

"Peter!" Wendy cries. She rushes to me, but Hook waves his hand. Wendy and the Lost Boys freeze in place. I feel so powerless and weak.

"Finally," Hook says. "I have the opportunity to kill the great Peter Pan." There is nothing I can do to stop him as he lowers his hook over my heart. As soon as the metal gets within a few centimeters of my chest, the hook instantly rebounds.

"What?" Hook cries. He attempts to stab me with the same reaction. Suddenly I feel surged with power. My magic flows back into me so fast it is painful.

"My magic must not work with you," I say. "And now I have my magic back, and all of Neverland's power." Wendy's face is frozen with exhaustion. The magic must've been drained from her as well. She and Hook both shared the island's power.

I unsheathe my sword above Hook for the final death blow. I stab into the air. Hook has vanished. Everyone aboard the Jolly Roger look perplexed.

"Where did he go?" I yell. Wendy and the Lost Boys become unfrozen. A coldness runs through the ship, chilling me to the bone. I have never felt like this in all my days on Neverland. The wind picks up, blowing everything askew. Something ancient has come, my newly-charged senses tell me this. My sword clatter on the ground.