The Second Star to the Right

The Boy Who Was Losing Everything

Peter tightened his grip on Wendy's hand as they both left the treehouse to meet Michael at the Indian Camp. Since Tiger Lily was left in charge, he just figured that's where she took him.

His suspicions were correct when he saw a large bonfire across the way from the beach. Dragging Wendy along excitedly, he ran to the camp. Usually whenever a bonfire was set up, the natives were celebrating something. Nothing could cheer Peter up like a party. Tiger Lily came into his view, but no one else was around.

Peter had no words to explain his feelings for the few girls on the island. He wasn't on good terms with Tinkerbell at the moment, but he would always consider her his best friend. Looking at Tiger Lily, he had to admit, she was cute for a girl. Two long black braids were slung over her shoulders, and parts of the braids were delicately graced with feathers of various colors. She donned a long brown native dress. There was no doubt in his mind, that, for a girl, she was cute.

But she was no Wendy.

Wendy was someone he felt like he shared a larger-than-life connection with. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he felt better when Wendy was there. More energetic. More himself. He didn't like thinking as much as he had been recently. Tiger Lily thankfully stopped him from thinking too much.

"Peter." She smiled and bowed to both him and Wendy. "Thank you for joining us here for our celebration. Who have you brought with you...the girl from the beach?"

Wendy looked slightly offended that Tiger Lily didn't remember her but he wasn't surprised. "Her name is Wendy." He said, dismissing her with his hand.

"Whatever are you celebrating?" Wendy chimed in, asking what Peter had been thinking.

"A new ruler of Neverland. A new life for all of us. New energy." She said, smiling as if she wouldn't offend him with her words.

He scoffed at her in surprise. Was Neverland that desperate for someone new that they would push him away so easily? "I don't want to grow up! I'm not growing up!" He yelled like a boy throwing a tantrum.

Wendy stepped away, startled from his sudden outburst. "Peter-" she started, but Tiger Lily interrupted her. Peter could see in Wendy's eyes that she still wasn't very fond of Tiger Lily.

"Peter Pan, you cannot deny that your magic is running out. If you wait too long your magic will attach to any being it chooses. Give up your magic willingly and it will go to the new ruler."

Sometimes she really annoyed him with her knowledge of the land. He knew she had been hanging around the fairies lately. "My magic is not running out! I don't know where this is coming from!"

Tiger Lily moved closer to the both of them, with a frightening look in her eyes. "The fairies are never wrong. You have been growing up. Look at you Peter Pan. You are taller. You are losing your magic and Neverland is dying because you are too afraid to admit it. Peter Pan save us."

His mouth curled up and he felt ready to throw a fit. Wendy seemingly noticed this and grabbed his arm. He felt slightly relieved and the anger flooded out from him. "Peter.." She said softly. "Let's go visit Michael. He's probably in one of these tents."

Peter nodded and let Wendy lead him into one of the tents nearby. He sneered at Tiger Lily as they walked by her. Truthfully, he wasn't angry with her. She had done nothing wrong. She had only reminded him of something inevitable that he wasn't ready to face yet. It felt like he was constantly at war with himself. Every time he looked at Wendy...Every time he looked at her startling blue eyes, with her chocolate brown hair tied back in a bow away from her face, he had this feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had a feeling that he was never really sure of. It almost made him happy that people were telling him he was growing up. Because then...then he could grow up for her, and he would know that she would never cry because of him again like she used to.

On the other hand, he hated it altogether. If he had never felt these feelings before, why were they necessary now? He always wanted to be a boy and have fun. There was nothing he enjoyed more than fighting pirates and having the island idolize him. Except everything was different now. No one idolized him anymore, and he couldn't even win a fight with Hook. There was always a thought nagging at the back of his mind from when Wendy had last come to Neverland.

"I want always to be a boy and have fun." His words echoed in his mind.

"You say so..." She had whispered, stepping away slightly from her close position to him. "But I think it's your biggest pretend."

Even now those words still bothered him. Was he really just pretending? Michael distracted him, which made him grateful.

"Peter! Wendy! Boy, am I glad to see you guys!" He sat up from his resting position in the tent. "Tiger Lily told me everything that's been going on. I guess the Indians are celebrating me. Pretty cool huh?"

Just like Michael, Peter scoffed a little, remembering a little more about how Michael was when he was younger. Clueless was a good word for it.

"Yes Michael that's all well and good. We came to see how you're doing. I hate that you're mixed up in all of this." Wendy remarked, fixing the collar on his shirt and grabbing his cheeks like a mother would.

Peter almost smiled at the memory of Wendy bring their mother. "Stop Wendy." Michael laughed, swatting her hands away. She blushed embarrassingly and set her hands back in her lap. "So Peter..." Michael said, gaining somewhat of a serious tone. "I know... It's hard for you... But Neverland will die if you don't...worse could happen...the magic could leave you by itself..."

Wendy stopped him. "Now, Michael-"

Peter interrupted her as well. He felt like he was going to vomit. The only thing anyone would talk about was him giving up his magic. Wendy was the only one who hadn't been bothering him about it. It made him appreciate her even more. "I'm not growing up Michael! You don't need to worry."

Michael faltered. "Peter, you can't deny the inevitable. You're growing up."

Peter's nostrils flared, and he would have responded if a sharp pain hadn't dug into his side. He cried out and Wendy immediately grabbed him. It had felt like a thousand knives dug into him. What was this? This was awfully sudden. Wendy kept shaking him and saying things but he couldn't hear her very well. It was like he was underwater. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Michael get up and take off, presumably to get help.

He felt like he was being drained. Was this what Michael had been warning him about? Wendy was crying now, and he still couldn't respond or hear her. Sensations of pain were traveling all throughout his body and he finally heard something. He heard himself scream.

"Peter! Peter! What's going on?" Wendy's voice rang through his ears and tears were streaming down her face. She looked as if she had been in the same amount of pain as him. He suddenly became very aware of how close she was holding him, but he said nothing.

"I feel different...what's happening to me..." He groaned, clenching his teeth.

"I feel it too." She agreed as Peter looked up to see Tiger Lily and Michael enter the tent.

Tiger Lily pressed her hand to her cheek as she scanned him up and down. Suddenly he felt very self conscious. "It is as we all feared. Although I wasn't expecting it to come so fast."

He didn't have the energy to say anything, and Wendy rested her forehead against his, whispering soothing words to him to calm him down. In any normal circumstance he would have pushed away this sort of affection, but he felt so weak right now, it didn't seem to matter. Her breath was warm against his skin, and it comforted him.

"Peter. I'm afraid you've lost your magic." Tiger Lily finished.

Never had someone said something more heartbreaking to Peter than her.