Never

Chapter Eight

That night, as the rest of the Lost Boys fell asleep, Lily was counting. She counted the seconds, the stars, the leaves on the trees. After the last Lost Boy fell asleep, she watched through slitted eyes as Pan looked around, eyes skipping over her, checking to make sure the boys were all asleep. Then, walking in his unnaturally silent way, he left the camp, headed towards the dark forest. Lily counted some more, until Pan had been gone for fifteen minutes. Without taking a second to wonder where he was headed, or what he was up to, Lily leapt to her feet, silently picking her way through the sleeping Boys.

Lily knelt next to Felix, who was splayed across his cot, sword left at the foot of his bed. His head was tilted back, mouth wide open, snoring loudly. Lily wrinkled her nose. She picked up his sword, testing the weight in her small hands. It didn't seem to fit her as well as her own sword used to, but it would have to do. She tucked it into her long-empty scabbard, grinning. This time she would get away for real. She would do it. She would leave this island once and for all.

Lily tiptoed to the edge of the camp, headed the opposite direction of Pan. She turned, looking back at the camp, at the fire casting shadows of the sleeping boys, at the rotting tree stump where she'd spent hours upon hours wishing for this, her chance at freedom. As if in a trance, she blew a kiss to what had become more her home than her prison, eyes betraying her glee at leaving it. Then, her hand morphing into a rude gesture, she ran off into the woods, hand on her sword.

Her bare feet pounded against the hard packed earth, brain switching into a trancelike mode, focusing on the simple beat of her footsteps, not a thought crossing her mind. The forest was dark and treacherous around her, slimy leaves and plants brushing at her skin, making her shiver. Something feathery and slimey flew through the air in front of her, wings brushing at her face. Lily slapped at it, gasping and spluttering, until it finally flew away. After that, she slower her pace, determined not to have anymore unplanned collisions with the jungle creatures.

When Lily finally reached the beach, she was short of breath and her legs were cramping up. She sat down for a minute, taking deep, heaving breaths as she watched the moon rise. Finally feeling back to normal, she stood, stepping over some rotting logs to where she knew the Lost Boys hid their carved canoes. Inside, Lily knew, there were emergency kits should one of the boys ever get lost at sea on one of their fishing trips, and she hoped it was enough to get her back to the Enchanted Forest. It couldn't be too long of a journey, considering the fact that it had taken them only one day to fly here.

As she heaved the heavy, sturdy canoe into the water, Lily found herself looking around, taking in every detail of her surroundings. She found herself not wanting to forget a single feature of the island, even though her time there had been anything but happy. The beach glittered silver in the night, the ocean black and reflective of the moon. Far out, silhouetted faintly against the sky, Skull Rock loomed, threatening yet intriguing. The trees on the shoreline were small and stunted, a great contrast to those farther inland, whose trunks seemed to reach to the sky and were as thick around as six or seven Lily's. Saying her final goodbyes, she slipped into her canoe, taking the paddle and pushing herself off shore.

Lily paddled as quietly as possible, wondering if somehow Pan would be able to hear her, to sense that she was running away. The wooden oar dipped smoothly in and out of the glassy surface of the sea, and Lily found herself mesmerised by the glistening droplets of salt water that sprayed through the air with each dip. She pushed herself, paddling until her arms grew weak and tired, slowly making her way out of the bay and around the cove, planning to make a sharp left and head straight until she reached land. If she remembered correctly, that was the right direction. If not, who knew what would become of her?

As she finally rounded the corner, Lily's heart just about stopped. There, looming above her, black and huge and threatening in the night, was a pirate ship. And standing at the bow, grinning devilishly down at her, was Captain Hook.