Magic ➙ Ethan Dolan

chapter twenty one

Annie didn't sleep well that night. She couldn't seem to get comfortable, and sighed in defeat. Annie threw the blankets off of herself, and grabbed a hoodie out of her dresser. She slipped her feet into some running shoes, and left her tent.

Everyone was in their tents, so Annie knew she wouldn't get caught if she went for a quick walk. The forest was dark, and Annie struggled to see where she was going. She went down many random paths, until she came across a tall hill.

Annie climbed up the hill, and sat down. She looked out at the horizon, where the sun was just starting to rise. For the first time in a while, Annie's mind was clear. She didn't think about her mother, or Peter. She didn't even think about Wendy, or Grayson. she didn't really think about anything. She just sat still, and watched the sun rise.

The Neverland sky turned an orange colour, then pink, then blue. The sun was high in the sky, and the world around Annie was light again. Everything was in colour, as opposed to the dark shapes of the trees. 

"Enjoying the view?" A voice asked. Annie turned around to see Peter standing behind her.

"Pan, I'm sorry. I just couldn't sleep last night so I went-"

"It's fine, Annie." Peter replied. He sat down beside the confused girl, and stared out at the sky.

"It's fine?" Annie asked.

"Yes, I don't care. I realized that I was too harsh with you and all the boys."

"Oh," was all Annie said. Peter and Annie sat in silence for a while, until they heard lots of yelling in the distance. Peter stood up, and teleported himself away. Annie groaned in frustration as she stood up, and ran down the hill. She started running in the direction of the voices, and found herself back at camp.

"What's going on?" She yelled. All the Lost boys were out of their tents. The yelling had stopped, but Peter was missing.

"Luke's gone," was all Tanner said, as he looked at Annie with a pained expression on his face. His younger brother stood beside him, gripping Tanner's hand.

"What do you mean gone? Where is he?" Annie demanded.

"He wasn't here when I woke up this morning, and no one can find him." Felix replied. Annie was shocked at how much he said, as she had barely heard him speak before.

"You share a tent with him?" Annie asked. Felix just nodded.

"He's always talking about leaving Neverland. He hates it here, but I never thought he'd actually try to leave." Felix said.

"Would there be any clues as to why he left in your tent?"

"Maybe. You can go check."

Annie nodded, and walked past all the worried Lost boys. She went inside Felix's tent, and started looking around. She shuffled through the dresser drawers, and checked under the bed.

The last place she had to look was the drawer of the bedside table. Annie pulled the drawer open, and looked through it's contents. She pulled out a folded up piece of paper, and unfolded it. Annie sat down at the edge of the bed, and began reading the letter to herself.

"To whom it may concern,

As you've probably noticed, I'm missing. But do you know where I am?

I've gone to the place were the creatures call, and their magic heals. The ripples leave people dazed, and I was just as amazed.

I was pulled in as a young boy, a new lost one, and a new toy.

Please come save me, or you'll see, just how scary Neverland can be.

I hope you know where I am,

Luke"

Annie put the letter down on her lap, before standing up and walking out of the tent.

"Did you find something?" Tanner asked. Annie nodded, and lifted up the letter to show the Lost boys.

"What does it say?" Felix asked.

"That's not important, because we don't have alot of time. But I know where he is." Annie replied before walking into the woods. She heard footsteps and tree branches snapping as the boys followed behind her.