Peter:It Only Takes A Wish... (The UnFairytales Saga, Book 2)

Chapter 8 - Peter

I double checked the bag in my lap, making sure I had everything I needed for the Other Side. 

"And you'll be back later today, right?" Books asked for the third time. 

I sighed. "Yes, we'll be back today. It'll only be a couple of hours here." I put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine. There's a reason I put you in charge this time." 

"What reason is that?" He pushed his glasses back into place as I closed the bag. 

"It'll take you longer to mess things up. By the time we get back, catastrophe should just be starting." 

"Oh, right." 

I patted him on the back when I walked past him. I had only gotten a few feet when I heard him shout at me. 

"Hey, I won't mess anything up!" 

I laughed. Angie entered the living room just as I walked in. She smiled at me as I slipped my bag over my shoulder, allowing it to sling across my middle. 

"Are you ready?" 

She nodded. "Yup, ready as I'll ever be, at least." 

We walked out of the house and started our way down the path. It was quiet most of the trip, the only noises being our footsteps and the waves of the nearby sea crashing against the shore.  

"So, how are we getting back to the Other Side?" Angie finally asked, adjusting one of the straps on her back. 

"We can go through an Entrance, like the one you and the Cat came through. When we come back, though, we'll need to come through the Star." 

"What's 'the Star'?"  

I smiled to myself at her question. "It's the only Entrance into Neverland from the Other Side. You know 'Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning'? It's like the Rabbit Hole is the only entrance directly into Wonderland. Each Corner has one; it's just a matter of finding it. All the other Entrances lead to the Square."  

"How many corners are there, exactly?" 

"Umm, no one really knows for sure, except for the Queens, of course. There's one inhabited corner for every 'fairytale', and then the Square. Other than that, there's an endless amount of Dark Corners." 

"And, Dark Corners are ones that don't have a story, right?" 

"Yeah, they're pretty much just an empty space." I scratched my head, messing up my hair. "I have to ask, not that I mind or anything, but why all the questions?" 

She shrugged. "I just figured if I'm going to be living here, I might as well know more about it." 

I nodded. "Good idea. I'll answer the questions I can. But, for the ones I can't, we can ask Books." 

"Why Books, couldn't we just ask the Keeper?" 

"We could, but Books learned everything he knows about this place from the Queens. He spent the first few months he was here in the Square, learning everything he could. He literally knows the entire history of the Realm." 

"He's pretty smart then, huh?" 

I laughed again. "Smart is an understatement. He's like a sponge. He remembers everything." 

"Everything?" She asked incredulously. 

"Everything; that's the reason the Keeper won't let Books be his apprentice yet." 

"What do you mean?" 

"The Keeper knows everything about everything, and he's made many enemies from that. Like the small number of people in the Realm who haven't found their Other Halves yet, one day his story will fade and will be continued by someone else. Books will replace him, if you want to put it that way.  

"In order for him to have the least number of enemies possible, the Keeper is waiting until the very last possible second to teach Books everything he knows." 

"Those are pretty big shoes to fill, huh?" She finally said after quite a few minutes of silence. 

I chuckled lightly. "You have no idea." 

We walked in another comfortable silence before she spoke again. "So, what exactly am I supposed to tell people when we get to the Other Side? About why I'm leaving, I mean." 

"Why not tell them the truth?" Tell them that you met an incredibly handsome guy who will never get any older at your friends wedding, and you fell head over heels for him.' 

She threw a handful of leaves at me, and I barely dodged them before they hit my face. "Incredibly handsome? Why not tell them you're unnaturally modest, while we're stretching the truth." 

I noticed that, though she kind of insulted me, she didn't deny that she was head-over-heels for me. The thought caused the butterflies in my stomach to start up again. The fact that I might have a chance with her brought a smile to my face. 

I threw some leaves back at her, and she walked through the assault with ease. "Sam told me immortal guys were all the rage right now on the Other Side. Throw some glitter on me, and they might just believe it." 

I tripped over a branch and she laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Just forget it, I'll think of something." 

Getting off the ground, I brushed some dust off my pants before shrugging my shoulders. "Whatever you say."