Neverland

Chapter Eighteen

I wake with my hands and ankles tied. Wendy is beside me treated in the same manner. I am stiff and sore, possibly because I am in a wooden cage, similar to the one Wendy was in when she first came to Neverland. Wendy is passed out, but her face is contorted in pain.

My left foot is on fire. Each time I move it, it feels as if a needle is stabbing me. Since I can more the foot, I conclude that it is a sprain, not a break.

The cage I am imprisoned in is set on wheels. A hooded figure leads the way, as two push the cage. A rock juts out from the ground, and the jolt wakes Wendy. She shakes her head disorientedly. Wendy opens her mouth to say something, but I quickly cover it with my hand. Staring at me, confused, I raise a finger to my lips. Our captors can't know we are awake, not yet.

What happened to Neverland? If these are my Lost Boys, they will pay. Fire is lit along a trail. The dim glow gives me one observation: this looks nothing like Neverland. Wendy taps my arm and motions breaking something in her hand. She points to the wooden bars. Wendy's right, of course. We need to escape.

I set my fingers on the cell. Blue flames escape my hands, and almost immediately disappear. Frustrated, I try again. Nothing. some is blocking my magic. Pressing her mouth against my ear, Wendy breathes, "This isn't Neverland." I nod grimy in agreement. If this isn't Neverland, though, what is this place?

We ride in silence until our captors stop. I am frozen in place, determined not to strike until the final moment. The smooth wood slides to the left, revealing a gap big enough to crawl through. A large hand seizes my foot and drags me out. My head hits the wood, then the ground. When the figure turns for Wendy, I kick and turn, sending our subduer sprawling. I help Wendy out of the cage and we take off running.

My left foot burns with every other step I take. A thin line ensnares around my legs and yanks me off my feet. A large net has me and Wendy tangled. I hear scuffling not too far from where we dangle. The scratch of a knife unsheathing sound right behind me. I try to turn, and in an instant the netting falls to the earth.

Boots stomp toward me and Wendy. I lay flat on my stomach, recovering from the wind being knocked out of me. Dirt is kicked in my face, making me cough and gasp for more breath. The person chuckles.

Anger bubbles inside of me. I stand, enraged, ready to destroy whoever is in charge of this plan. I realize I don't know what this "plan" is, but they will pay for trying to bring me down. Then I remember that my magic is useless.

The glow from the torches gives a little more than some lighting. I can barely make out a circle of shadowed fighters, ones that have spears ready. The boy standing in front of me looks all too familiar. The brown hair, tall stature. I feel like the wind is knocked out of me again as I realize why a part of me recognized this boy.

The boy has a mask of shock and terror, quite similar to my own face. He blinks several times before saying, "Capture these prisoners and take them down with the other one."

"But-" one protests. The boy standing in front of me raises his hand.

"Do as I say!" Several take me and Wendy and begin to drag us through the forest. In a desperate attempt, I shout the name I thought I would never again utter.