Here's to Never Growing Up

Chapter 4

Lola tried to speak but words evaded her. "Y-you're Peter P-p-pan."

"Indeed I am. Glad to be of acquaintance Lola Milson, six years old." Peter held out a hand for Lola to shake but the fairy who Lola presumed would be Tink sat on Peter's finger.

"Now, Tink." Peter shook the fairy off him causing her to splutter and cough with shock. She folded her arms and turned her back. When would Peter just be hers and nobody else's?

+++

"I'm here to help." Peter insisted.

"I know but I don't need help anymore." She lied. "I wrote that when I was six, eleven years ago. " Peter looked from the paper to Lola and then back again.

"You have grown up?" Peter sounded more curious than upset about someone growing up. "What's it like?"

"Well, I'm the same age as you." Peter, Lola knew, had been back and forth from Neverland and England that he had aged slowly and subtly. She had always been a fan of the folklore so she was constantly updating her own blog about him and what she believed.

"No. I'm still eleven." Peter corrected her.

"You aren't. Look." Lola held up a compact mirror and Peter saw that a little stubble ran along his jaw. He knew from observations of the grown ups that the hair that ran along his face was a sign of ageing. How did he make it stop?

"I think it looks nice." Lola commented as she closed the mirror and set it back on the windowsill. At this, Tink sulked even harder, already feeling jealousy.

+++

"Lola, if you're going to invite Nico over, I suggest that you make him use the door next time." Nicole shouted into her daughter's room as she heard the ruckus and mumbling coming from behind Lola's door.

"Yes mum." Lola replied flatly.

"Who's Nico?" Peter whispered.

"No one to worry about." At this, her chest deflated. After a whole two years with Nico, it hurt to know that she wasn't with him. At the same time, a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Relief and grief mixed together still but Lola wasn't going to worry about that right now.

"So, do you still need help?" Peter's boyish grin widened and Lola could hardy refuse.

Before letting Peter in, she pinched herself in the arm to make sure that she wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. It was definitely real.

Peter saw her doing this and did it to himself, resulting in an ow! And a giggle from Tink.

"Come on." Lola laughed quietly and offered a hand to help Peter in.
Peter entered through the window awkwardly. When Peter was firmly perched on the inside windowsill, he tried to climb down which resulted in him falling down and taking Lola's dresser with him.

"Come on now, sleep Lola." Nicole could be heard from the other side of the door. She pushed the door open and what she saw was a mess of things on the floor and two figures underneath the quilt. She sighed as she exited.

+++

Being in such close proximity to her childhood hero made Lola giddy. As they laid under the covers, they huddled together and their legs were touching a little, Tink perched on the toe of Peter's shoe, trying to shoo Lola away from her Peter.

The door closed and they both jumped out from underneath, the stuffy atmosphere becoming too much for the both of them. This made Tink fly in relief as Peter and Lola stood at opposite sides of the room looking across at each other. A cheeky glint was in Peter's eyes as he smirked.

"I want to show you something." Peter announced as he flew onto the bed and banged his head on the low ceiling.
"Like what?" Lola followed him up on the bed and he pulled out a bag from his back pocket.

In it, Lola could see that fairy dust was lining the small bag. Peter pinched a little bit and sprinkled some onto Lola. As soon as it hit her, she began to float closer to the ceiling.

"Woah, you must truly believe in all of this. Nobody has ever been able to do that before, in all these times that I've done this." Peter stood shell shocked on the mattress. He put some fairy dust in himself again so that he could fly to join her. "I want to help you. I want to take you back to Neverland with me."