by R. V. Bowman
Finn looked away and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. Rommy could feel heat rising in her cheeks, and she cleared her throat.
“I don’t know, Alice,” she said. “He was so angry before, and this will be worse.”
“Old Captain Hook might be a pirate, but he’s your father, too,” said Alice.
A loud screech made all three of them whip their heads around to find Tinkerbell vibrating in front of them, her arms and legs a fantastical fire-engine red. “Captain Hook?” she spluttered. “You’re Captain Hook’s daughter? I’m going on a quest with Captain Hook’s daughter? No! No! I won’t do it. I won’t help that fiend.” Her voice climbed so high and loud Rommy thought her eardrums might burst.
Finn put his hands out. “Hey, Tinkerbell, take it easy,” he said. “You aren’t helping Captain Hook. You’re getting him out of Neverland. Forever.”
“What about her?” Tinkerbell pointed a shaking finger at Rommy. “She’s Hook’s daughter. I’m not giving her my key. I’m going back to my nest.”
Something in Rommy snapped. She was tired of this stupid island and feeling like she was at the mercy of these stubborn creatures. She stood up and moved in front of the angry fairy. “I might be Hook’s daughter, but I’m the one who found out how to seal Pan on this island, and I’m the one who’s going to get us all off of here, including Captain Hook. If you’d like to see Pan free to come and go as he pleases and let my Papa stay here forever, keep your key. Go back to your tree, and see if Pan even notices or cares.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Finn shaking his head. Even Talen and Kalen were staring at her, wide-eyed.
Tinkerbell glared at her for a long moment, and then she bent over double laughing. Balo and Nissa had flown up with their arms full of berries. They stopped and gaped at Tinkerbell, who was rolling one way and then the other, her loud laughter sounding like a crazed bell.
Finally, she stopped and wiped her eyes. She buzzed over to hover in front of Rommy’s face. “You’re the only one that isn’t afraid of me,” she said. She pointed around the circle. “The rest of them, they’re all afraid of what I’ll do because,” she leaned in close and bared her small, pointed teeth, “I’m crazy. But not you.” She let out a tinkling laugh again and then stuck out her tiny hand. “I’ll help you.” Rommy used one finger to “shake” on it. Then Tinkerbell gave a sly smile and winked. “But I’m still coming with you.” She patted the bag at her waist. “And I’m keeping the key until you need it.”
Chapter 12:
Anticlimax
Rommy and Finn crouched behind the rocks that marked the outskirts of Pan’s hiding place. By the time they had gotten here and sneaked into position, a purply twilight lay over the island. In the semi-darkness, Rommy squinted but didn’t see any movement.
It made her nervous.
She glanced behind her. Alice, along with Kalen and Talen, were secreted further away. Rommy didn’t want to rescue Francie only to find Alice Pan’s hostage instead. It hadn’t taken much persuading for Alice to agree to stay behind.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t been as successful with Tinkerbell. The fairy’s eagerness sent a ripple of unease through Rommy. Despite Tinkerbell’s agreement to help, she was a loose cannon. Rommy just hoped she would stick to the plan.
Rommy leaned closer to Finn. “Do you see anyone?” she asked.
Finn shook his head. “I don’t think they’re here.” He cautiously stepped out from behind the rock, and Rommy grabbed the back of his shirt.
“What are you doing? What if Pan is just waiting to ambush us?”
Finn grinned. “Unless he can read minds, I doubt it.” He shook off her hand and moved closer to the caves.
The rocks were still in a circle, but the campfire was completely out and looked like it had been for a while.
Rommy followed Finn as they walked around the deserted camp. Balo and Nissa dimmed their glow and flew into the various caves.
When they came out, they shook their heads.
“Nobody is here,” said Nissa.
“They’ve left,” said Balo, “and I don’t think they are coming back.” He let out a loud sigh.
Rommy looked at Finn. “What do we do now?” she asked. “Do you have any idea where Pan could be?”
Finn ran a hand through his hair. “Could be any number of places,” he said, kicking a stone across the clearing. “No telling how long it’ll take to find him. I should have known he’d get the jump on us.” He kicked another rock, harder this time.
Rommy laid a hand on his arm. “It’s not your fault,” she said. “And maybe this is better. We all need some rest. We’ll have more time to make a plan that’s not as risky. Maybe this will help us in the long run.”
Finn put his hand over hers. They looked at each other, both of them smiling.
“Thanks,” said Finn. “You’re probably right.”
He shifted closer.
Rommy couldn’t seem to look away.
He leaned forward, his eyes starting to close.
Rommy felt hers sliding shut, too.
A bright light buzzed between them.
“I know where he is!” said Tinkerbell. “When you two are done mooning over each other, I’ll show you.”
Finn and Rommy jerked apart.
Rommy’s face felt like it was on fire, and Finn looked everywhere but at her.
Tinkerbell crossed her arms and tapped her foot in the air. “Well? What are you just standing there for? I said I know where Peter Pan is.”
Rommy shook her head to clear it. “That’s great,” she said. “But I still think we should rest up before we go anywhere else tonight. I know I’m tired and everyone else has to be too—even you, Tinkerbell.”
“I suppose I could do with a rest,” said Tinkerbell slowly and then whirled in a circle. “But not before I tell you where he is.” She zipped back and forth. “I know I’m right.”
Before Rommy could call Alice’s name, she appeared with Kalen and Talen. When Rommy looked at her, Alice said, “What? I’d have to be deaf not to hear the crazy fairy.” She jerked her thumb in Tinkerbell’s direction.
Tinkerbell narrowed her eyes at Alice but didn’t say anything. Instead, she grabbed a stick and began drawing with it on the ground. In the dim light from the moon, the outline of the island began to take shape. Tinkerbell drew a large X and tapped it with her stick.
“This is where we’re at,” she said. Taking her stick she dragged it across the island until she stopped at a point that was almost exactly on the other side of her drawing. She made another X. “This is where Peter is. I know it.”
Finn grinned. “You’re right,” he said. Then he smacked his forehead. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. Of course, he went back to the old hideout. Your old man smoked him out, but most of it is still intact.”
Tinkerbell glowed brightly, the tarnished pewter color turning more silver. She wore a large grin across her face.
Rommy couldn’t help but smile back. “You’re brilliant, Tinkerbell.”
The glow got brighter. “I told you I needed to come with you.”
“And you were right,” said Rommy.
Then she looked around at the others. “Now that we have a good idea where Pan’s at, we should all get some rest. We can go over a plan in the morning.”
Alice and Finn nodded in agreement.
Together they made their way to the main cave. Several of the woven sleeping sacks that Rommy remembered when Peter Pan had kidnapped her and Alice were still hanging in various places. Despite this, the place truly looked deserted.
Rommy, Finn, and Alice each chose a sleeping sack and carefully made their way inside. Nissa slipped into Finn’s sack, and Rommy was surprised to find Balo hovering in hers.
“Don’t get any ideas,” he said. “Yours just looks the most comfortable.”
Rommy hid a smile. “Of course, Balo,” she said. “You are more than welcome to share with me.”
/> Balo huffed, but Rommy noticed he curled up close to her head. Maybe he did like her after all.
Kalen and Talen found a natural shelf in the rock and gathered some leaves to make a bed.
“We will take turns standing guard,” said Kalen. “I will let my sister sleep first.”
Rommy looked out the sliver of opening in her sleeping sack. She could see the lavender moon, which had grown from a slim crescent to a quarter. The pastel-colored stars were already singing.
She felt a small bubble of hope in her chest. Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to do this thing. Her mind wandered to Francie. She wondered what her friend thought of Neverland so far.
She turned her head. Balo was curled into a tight ball, and she could hear his soft snores. She watched him for a moment, and when she knew he was really sleeping, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the leaves. There were three of them. The moonlight reflected silver off their crinkled surfaces. She turned them over in her hand. Tears pressed at the back of her eyes. Could one of these have saved Lobo?
Rommy heard Unilisi’s voice again. “Wishes for you, but use them wisely.”
She had certainly made a mess of that, hadn’t she? When she had run out of the grove, her friends had started asking her questions. The one thing that had burned bright in her brain was the quest. In all the excitement of telling Finn and Alice what Unilisi had said, the leaves were forgotten.
Rommy clenched them in her hand, crushing them. Their sharp edges pressed into her hand painfully. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly. How could she have been so stupid as to forget magical wishes?
She opened her hand again. The leaves slowly unfurled back to their original shape. Two red lines were carved into her palm from where the leaves had dug into her skin.
Rommy pressed her lips together and shoved the leaves back into her pocket. She would just focus on the quest. That was the important thing, that and rescuing Francie. After all, there was nothing she could do about Lobo now. He was gone, and not even magical leaves could bring him back. A knot formed in her stomach, but she ignored it. Nobody could find out about her secret. If they could just get off this island maybe, in time, she’d forget it was her fault Lobo was dead.
Chapter 13:
Regroup
The next morning, everyone was in a much better mood. Rommy reflected that being somewhat clean and rested definitely improved her outlook.
Finn had gotten up early and caught enough fish for all of them. After reviving the dead fire, he had made them breakfast. Now, they were all gathered around to eat and plan how they would get Francie and whichever Lost Boys wanted to leave Pan.
“I think we should keep this as our hideout,” said Finn. “It’s close to the Mermaid Lagoon, and Pan probably won’t check it out.”
Rommy nodded between bites of roasted fish. “Do you really think Pan won’t realize we’re here?” she asked.
Finn shrugged. “Peter isn’t one to look back,” he said. “He’s moved on from here, so it won’t even enter his head that someone would do anything different.”
Alice wiped her hand across her mouth. “This place still kinda gives me the creeps.” Then she shrugged. “But I guess it’s better than sleeping out in the open.”
Rommy smiled at the little girl’s pragmatism. “I don’t know that we can go back to Little Owl,” she said. “First off, my father might come back there. I’m sure he’s still looking for me. Second, we can’t trust Tiger Lily not to inform Pan we were there, and you know she’d find out if we were there for any length of time.”
Tinkerbell made a hissing noise and everyone’s heads swiveled in her direction. She was perched on a large boulder, rocking back and forth, her eyes closed. Feeling everyone’s stare, her eyes popped open.
“What?” she demanded.
“Is...is something wrong?” asked Rommy.
“No,” snapped the fairy and then closed her eyes again. She resumed her rocking.
Rommy exchanged a glance with Nissa, who only shook her head. Rommy put down her food and looked at Finn and Alice. “We need to get Francie away from Pan,” she said, “but how do we determine which Lost Boys want to go or stay?”
Finn leaned forward. “I’m glad you brought that up,” he said. “I think we need to give them a choice. Just explain what’s going on and then let them decide. We can’t force them; it has to be their decision.”
“How you gonna do that?” asked Alice. “I don’t think ole Pan is going to let you stand up and make a fancy speech.”
“Alice is right,” said Rommy. “I agree that they should be told what’s going to happen and be allowed to choose, but how will you do that?”
Finn grinned. “It’s simple,” he said. “We lure Pan away from the group.”
Rommy snorted. “Simple, yes, but not easy,” she said. “How do you propose we do that?”
“That’s where you come in,” said Finn. “Pan is obsessed with you, and if he thinks he can get you, he’ll be stupid.”
Rommy raised both her eyebrows.
Finn winked. “What? You said you didn’t want to be tucked away anymore. Plus, we have to get Pan away from the Lost Boys. And I have to be the one to talk to them. If we get Francie, Pan will be hoppin’ mad. He’ll be ready to come after you to get her back, and if he thinks he can get you too, it will be too much for him to resist.” He paused. “But you have to be sure you don’t get caught or all this will be for nothing.”
“We will protect Rommy,” said Talen. Kalen simply nodded his agreement. “Pan can think he has Rommy and her friend alone, but we will be there too. He won’t hurt either of them. This we swear.” Both Talen and Kalen placed their tiny fists over their hearts and thumped their spears on the rock on which they were perched.
Rommy glanced over at Tinkerbell and then back at Finn. “Tinkerbell can come with me,” said Finn. “I’m sure there are a few of the Lost Boys that will remember her and be happy to see her.”
“No,” said Tinkerbell, her eyes still closed.
Everyone looked at her.
“No,” she repeated. After a moment, her eyes opened, and she stood up. “I will come with Rommy to lure Pan away.”
Rommy grimaced. “I’m not sure that is the best...”
“I’m coming with you.” Tinkerbell’s voice started to climb.
“Okay, okay,” said Rommy, trying to head off another outburst. “You can come with me, but you have to agree to the plan. No doing your own thing.”
Tinkerbell looked offended. “I may be crazy, but I am not stupid,” she said lifting her chin.
“Okay, then,” said Rommy. “We get Francie, and then she and I will lure Pan away so you can talk to the Lost Boys.”
“How we goin’ to do that?” asked Alice, scrunching up her face. “Won’t yer friend be smack in the middle of Pan and his pals? We can’t just mosey on in and say come with me.”
“No, we’ll have to be more sneaky than that,” said Rommy, laughing. “But if Francie knows we’re there, she’ll play along with whatever we come up with. She’s sharp.” Rommy grinned. “In fact, Pan might find out he bit off more than he can chew by taking Francie. She does have half a dozen brothers, after all.”
Finn placed his chin in his hands. “It’s still pretty early,” he said. “Usually, Pan and the boys aren’t up much before noon. If we can get over there soon, maybe we get Francie out before they really know what’s happening. If all else fails, you’ll just have to snatch her and run. That will play into our plan, anyway.”
Rommy pushed to her feet. “Well, we might as well get started. If all goes well, we can get the key turned at sunrise tomorrow and be back home the next day.” She paused and looked at Finn. “You are coming with us, to London, I mean?” Finn stood up, too.
“If your old man doesn’t hang me by my toes from the highest mast, I will,” he said, wrinkling his nose. Rommy smiled up at him, not wanting to admit how relieved she was to hear him say that. She
took a deep breath and blew it out.
“Okay, then,” she said, “let’s go get Francie.”
Chapter 14:
No Wrath Like a Fairy Scorned
The large chestnut tree was nestled in a tract of forest that surrounded a small inlet of water. It was much smaller than The Cove where Papa’s shipped had been anchored, but it was still a pretty spot that provided both water to drink and fish to eat. It also provided a lot more cover than the Salt Marshes had.
Rommy, Alice, Balo, and Tinkerbell were crouched behind a cluster of trees. Tinkerbell narrowed her eyes and pointed at a large stump. It was about half a dozen yards from the chestnut tree where Pan, the Lost Boys, and Francie were supposedly camped out.
Rommy raised an eyebrow at Tinkerbell. The fairy grimaced. “That’s the entrance,” she said.
Finn, who was hiding behind a large beech tree with Nissa, Talen, and Kalen, nodded his head. “That’s the back door,” he said, his voice low. “There’s a slide inside there that shoots you right into the hideout.”
“Well, we can’t just shoot into the hideout without a way to get out again,” said Rommy, her voice rising in her frustration.
Balo clapped a small hand on her mouth. “Just announce our arrival, why don’t you?” he hissed at her. Rommy glared at him until he took his hand away.
Finn pointed a finger toward the branches. Rommy squinted into the foliage, and after a moment made out a leg hanging down. The longer she looked, the more legs and arms she could see tucked into the branches. Toward the very top of the tree, in the vee of a main branch, she spotted black curls. A smile spread over her face. She slid out from behind the tree, nodding her head toward Francie. Tinkerbell followed her.
Rommy waved a hand at her. “No, stay here until I get Francie,” she whispered.
Tinkerbell shook her head violently. Rommy noticed the fairy’s eyes had started to dilate. She didn’t want the creature to start screeching and blasting magic all over, announcing their presence to everyone.