Neverland's Key

by R. V. Bowman

  Shaking his head, he stared down at his hands. Then he looked up and gave a hopeful smile. “Do you sing?”

  Rommy let out a half laugh. “Not hardly,” she said. “At least not so anyone would want to listen.”

  “That’s right,” he said. “You don’t sing; you fight.”

  She slid a glance at him from the corner of her eye and shrugged. “We all have our talents, I suppose—even you. ”

  “Not according to my Da,” said Pan. “He always told me I wasn’t good for nothing but costing money to feed.”

  Rommy drew in a sharp breath. “But surely your father didn’t mean it,” she said.

  Pan cackled, his laugh sounding more like his normal crow. “Oh, he meant it, all right, and I had the bruises to prove it.”

  Rommy frowned. Not knowing what to say in answer to that, she turned away to pick up some clothing that was hanging from an alcove. It was dirty but she folded it anyway and tucked it into the space.

  Pan shrugged. “It’s why he left, I suppose, but he must have been right because everyone leaves me...eventually.”

  Rommy continued her tidying as she gathered her thoughts. Despite how awful he’d been, Rommy felt an ache in her chest when she thought of a young boy being told he was worthless and being mistreated and finally abandoned. Was it any wonder he was twisted on the inside?

  Finally, she turned to face him. “That’s not completely true,” she said. “You have your Lost Boys, this island. You’ve found a place to belong here.”

  Pan stared down at his hands. “Nah, I haven’t found a place,” he said. “I’ve made a place. I’ve made a family, but some of ‘em, they don’t know they’re better off here. They don’t want to stay. Even Finn left.” He looked up at her, and his mouth curved into a sly smile. “But I can’t say that I blame him.”

  Rommy felt heat crawl up her neck, and she cleared her throat. Ignoring his last comment, she continued with her task. “Maybe if you asked people instead of making them, they’d be more inclined to stay with you.”

  Pan’s eyes narrowed. “I asked you,” he said.

  Rommy sighed. “But I don’t belong here...Peter,” she said. “You and I both know that.” Even though she knew it was the truth, she couldn’t help the prick of guilt his words caused, and she returned to her tidying, not wanting him to see her feelings which were probably clearly written on her face.

  “But you want me to be alone forever,” he said. He tossed his head to get the hair out of his eyes. “You want to seal me away here, and I’ll never have any more family.”

  The guilt reached up and choked her. Maybe he had made some mistakes, but look what she had done. If everyone knew, would they want to seal her here forever, too? She swallowed past the lump in her throat. All she wanted was to leave. She glanced at him over her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him more carefully. His posture was straighter, and his face had returned to a normal color. She also noticed his movements seemed sharper, less sluggish.

  Dusting her hands together, she gave a half smile. “You seem to be doing better,” she said. She pointed to the pail. “You’ve got water and food. I should probably be going.”

  Pan let out a long sigh. “I knew you were going to say that.” He swung his legs down. Rommy didn’t wait but moved toward the door. She glanced over her shoulder. Pan hadn’t moved but his eyes followed her.

  “Goodbye, Peter,” she said and walked through the door. The last thing she saw was Pan put his chin in his hands, a frown on his face. She hurriedly pushed the knot and the bark slid back into place. Then she leaped into the air. If she flew fast enough, maybe she’d get away, not just from Pan, but from the guilt.

  Chapter 18:

  To Do or Not to Do

  Rommy wove her way through the trunks of beeches, birches, and chestnuts that hugged the forested coastline where Pan’s hideout was located. Once she cleared the trees, she flew over the grasslands.

  But no matter how fast she flew, she couldn’t forget Peter Pan’s face when she hurried out the door. He was crazy and mean and scary.

  But he’d had a life before Neverland, and it sounded like it hadn’t been a very nice one. The people in it—his father—had been truly awful. Rommy blinked back the tears that suddenly threatened. Papa had yelled at her and hurt her feelings, but she knew, deep down, he loved her. Papa might have lost his way a bit since her younger brother was killed, but Peter’s father—he sounded hateful and mean. She swiped a hand across her eyes.

  Ahead lay the river and the willow where she and Alice had found shelter, at least for a little while, what seemed like a lifetime ago. She alighted on one of the branches and sat to catch her breath. She stared down at the water flowing below.

  She had been so certain what they needed to do—stop Pan. But now, she had seen past Pan to the boy Peter, and the idea of sealing that boy on this island forever made her stomach clench.

  They had to stop Pan, but at what cost to the boy, Peter? After all, everyone made mistakes. Look at what she had done, and she didn’t even have the excuse that Peter did. Suddenly, things weren’t as clear as they had been that morning.

  Rommy wished she could go back to before she had seen the lost, abandoned boy under Pan’s layer of crazy. She let out a long sigh.

  The sun was no longer high in the sky. It had to be afternoon. Rommy stood up. The last thing she wanted to do was spend the night alone anywhere on this island. The thought sent another tendril of guilt. If they succeeded, Pan would spend the rest of his nights mostly alone here.

  Rommy pushed off the branch into the sky. As she sped toward her friends, her mind churned. They had to stop Pan, but was sealing him here forever really the answer?

  Maybe Finn would have some insights. At that thought, she put on another burst of speed, but no matter how fast she flew, the question wouldn’t leave her alone.

  Chapter 19:

  The Green-Eyed Monster

  It was with a sigh of relief that Rommy heard the sound of the waterfall. Within a few moments, it came into view. As she flew around the last bend in the river, she came to a halt mid-air.

  Standing off by themselves near the waterfall were Finn and Francie. He was leaning in close to her, and she had her face tipped up to his.

  Cold iced over Rommy’s skin, and a hot feeling unfurled in her stomach. She wrapped her arms around her middle. She must have made some kind of sound because the two jerked apart and whirled toward her.

  She forced herself to straighten and smiled. “Hey, I’m back,” she said.

  Finn backed further from Francie. “She, uh, had this thing in her eye,” he said, but Rommy noticed he wouldn’t meet her gaze, and color had crept into his cheeks.

  Francie was oblivious to any tension. “Never mind about my eye,” she said. A grin lit up her face, and she ran toward Rommy. Francie threw her arms around Rommy. “I’m so glad you’re here and safe,” she said. “I still can’t believe you stayed back with that Peter Pan. My brothers are idiots sometimes, but he’s truly balmy on the crumpet.”

  Rommy nodded, but her eyes followed Finn who still wouldn’t look at her. She pulled away from Francie.

  “Yes, he’s got some problems, that’s for sure.” Francie made to link her arm in Rommy’s, but Rommy evaded her and walked quickly toward the others. Alice was playing some kind of game with Walter, the youngest Lost Boy, and Nissa was darting in and out. The little girl’s laughter rang out like a chime, and Walter had a big grin on his face. Alice motioned to a slight boy who was hanging back. Rommy remembered him from her time in Pan’s camp, but his name escaped her.

  On a nearby rock, a boy with brown hair and big dark eyes was feeding something to a squirrel perched on his shoulder. He pointedly ignored a redheaded boy hopping up and down in front of him. She smiled. She certainly remembered Henry, the redhead, and she thought the other boy’s name was George. Unless they were in the caves, it seemed like the older Lost Boys had elected to stay in Neverland. She w
ondered where they had been while she’d been with Peter.

  When Rommy entered the circle of stones around the fire pit, all the others stopped what they were doing and looked up at her. She swallowed. What would they say when she voiced her doubts? Should she voice her doubts?

  She cleared her throat. “Well, when I left, Peter seemed to be okay,” she said and then shrugged. “Tinkerbell didn’t kill him.” Glancing around, she continued, “Speaking of Tinkerbell, does anyone know where she went?”

  Finn shook his head. “When we were moving Pan, she took off. Nobody’s seen her since,” he said.

  Alice perched on the edge of one of the rocks. “So’s have you figured out how we’re going to get past them mermaids to that sighing cave?”

  Francie scrunched up her face. “Mermaids? You have to be joking.” She looked at Finn. “She’s making that up, right?”

  Finn shook his head.

  Alice rolled her eyes. “You’d think you flitten’ through the sky and fairies buzzing around would make mermaids kinda believable.”

  Francie frowned at the little girl. “Well, excuse me,” she said. “It’s not like I’m used to all this...this craziness.”

  Rommy held up her hands. “Crazy or not, Alice is telling the truth, Francie. We have to swim down to the Cave of Sighs to turn the key in the lock and that will start closing the passage between Neverland and our world. We’ll have from sunrise to sunrise to get out. Anyone still here won’t ever be able to leave.” She looked at Alice. “And this place does take a bit of getting used to.”

  Alice softened a bit. “Yeah, and the thing ya gotta remember is just about everything here can kill you. Some of the creatures are downright helpful, but they could still kill ya, if they wanted to.”

  Francie stepped closer to Finn and leaned against his arm. Rommy noticed he didn’t move away. That feeling in her stomach flared again, and she dropped her eyes.

  Walter’s voice brought her back to the present. “How’re you gonna get past them mermaids?” He scrunched up his face. “How can anyone hold their breath that long?”

  Rommy sighed and plopped down on the sandy ground. “I don’t know that yet, Walter,” she said. She looked at the fairies. “Do you know of any way to magically extend how long we can stay underwater? I don’t know that we have any chance against the mermaids otherwise.”

  Balo tapped a finger against his mouth. “I’ve heard there’s a plant that can make you breathe underwater,” he said. Then he threw up his hands. “But I don’t know what it is or where to find it. It’s impossible.” He shook his head. “Whoever goes down there may as well plan on dying.”

  Francie’s eyes got big, but Rommy just rolled hers. She was used to Balo’s negativity.

  “Maybe Little Owl will know,” she said.

  Finn looked at her from across the fire, but she refused to meet his eyes. “We should go ask her sooner rather than later,” he said. “Not only is Pan weak at the moment, which gives us some breathing room, but the sooner we turn that key, the sooner we can all get out of here.”

  Again, Peter Pan’s face flashed through her mind as he told her that everyone in his life had left him. She swallowed down the guilt that kept forming a lump in her throat.

  “I don’t think Peter will be bothering us for a while yet,” she said. “There’s no need to rush into things. We want to be sure we’re doing the right thing.”

  Finn crossed his arms, and his eyes narrowed. “So, it’s Peter now?”

  Rommy jerked her head up and for the first time since she had returned their eyes met. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means, I’m wondering what ole Pan told you since this is the second time now that you’ve called him Peter. You’ve always called him Pan before,” said Finn. “And since when do you want to slow this quest down? This morning you were as eager to get shod of this place as any of us.” He nodded around the circle.

  Francie put her hand on Finn’s arm and squeezed. Rommy saw it but pulled her gaze away. She jutted out her chin.

  “I don’t think it’s wrong to make sure we’re doing the right thing when this is permanent,” she said. “I haven’t forgotten that we have to stop Peter...Pan, but he’s a person, too. I mean, we all make mistakes.” She faltered, the memory of Lobo rising up in her mind. “I just think...well...that maybe we have to understand why he does the things he does.” She shrugged. “I mean, what if we can help him?”

  Finn’s face softened, and he started to speak, but Francie cut him off. “How can you even think about wanting to help him? After everything I’ve heard about him, it sounds like he deserves what he gets,” she said, her voice loud. “The problem with you, Rommy, is you always feel so sorry for everyone.” Francie put her hands on her hips. “You need to be smarter than to fall for whatever sob story he told you.” She twisted back toward Finn. “Tell her, Finn. Tell her she’s letting that soft heart of hers get in the way.”

  Rommy felt like she’d been slapped. “I’m not falling for some sob story, as you put it,” she said. “What I’m saying is what we are going to do is permanent. It’s not only that it can’t be stopped once it’s started, but it can never be undone. Ever. Shouldn’t we be sure he’s beyond help before we lock him away here forever?”

  Francie snorted. “It sounds like that’s exactly what he deserves,” she said. “I mean, he kidnapped a bunch of little kids, and from what I’ve seen, he’s not too nice to them, either. And he certainly wasn’t nice to me. He deserves to pay for his mistakes, if you ask me.”

  Finn stepped forward and put one hand on Francie’s shoulder and held the other one out to Rommy. “Francie’s right...” he started.

  “Of course she is,” muttered Rommy. She felt ridiculously close to tears, and the last thing she wanted to do was to start crying in front of everyone. She scrambled to her feet. “I...I...I need to go wash up,” she said and turned away from the group. She walked toward the pool at the base of the waterfall. She hadn’t gone more than a few steps when a small hand slipped into hers.

  “I know she’s yer friend, but that Francie sure has a lot to say,” said Alice.

  Rommy gave a watery smile. “That’s just Francie’s way,” she said. “She means well, but sometimes, she can be...”

  “Bossy? A know-it-all?” Alice said, lifting an eyebrow.

  A small laugh escaped Rommy’s mouth. “You could say that,” she said.

  “But she does have a point.” Alice held up her hands. “I’m on your side, but you have to admit, you’ve kinda gone and done an about-face. What did Pan say to you?”

  Rommy bit her lip. “Look, I know he has to be stopped. I didn’t suddenly lose all my reason, even though you all probably think that,” she said. “It’s just his father told him he was worthless and then just abandoned him. And...and...doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance, even if they make a really big mistake?”

  Alice whistled. “Well, I’d say he’s done more than make a mistake. But havin’ a pop like that’d mess a person up,” she said. “Some of them street kids I ran with, they had pops that were nasty pieces of work. It can send you ‘round the bend.”

  “That’s what I mean,” said Rommy. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t close the passage, but knowing what I know, it’s not as easy to do. Before, Pan was just the enemy.”

  Alice squeezed her hand. The two of them stood on the edge of the pool. Rommy pulled off her boots and rolled up her pant legs, letting her feet dangle in the cool water. Alice plopped down next to her. She bumped Rommy’s shoulder with her own.

  “And just so’s you know, Finn ain’t taken with her,” she said.

  Rommy whipped her head in Alice’s direction, her cheeks turning pink. “What in the world does that have to do with anything?”

  Alice chuckled. “I may only be six, but I gots two eyes. It’s not just Pan that’s got yer feathers ruffled.”

  Rommy crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
>
  Alice grinned. “Okay, whatever you say,” she said. “But Francie has been batting her eyes at Finn ever since she got here.” She clasped her hands under her chin and fluttered her eyelashes. “Ooh, Finn, you’re so big and strong. Ooh, Finn, I needs yer help.”

  Rommy laughed and pushed Alice’s shoulder. “Francie’s just that way,” she said. “She flirts with anything in pants.”

  “Well, I don’t think Finn is too impressed, is all I’m saying.”

  Rommy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know,” she said. “He didn’t seem to mind.”

  “Ha!” said Alice. “I knew you two was sweet on each other.”

  Her face red, Rommy waved a hand. “We’re friends, Alice, but all that doesn’t really matter. I don’t know what to do now.” She gestured back toward the campfire. “And everyone is looking at me to say what we’re going to do next.” She shook her head and put her face in her hands. “And I just don’t know anymore.”

  Alice put a small hand on her back. “Maybe you should talk to Little Owl,” she said. “She always knows what to do.”

  Rommy lifted her head and threw her arms around Alice. “Alice, you’re a genius,” she said. “That’s just what I’m going to do.”

  “Well, this genius needs to breathe,” came Alice’s muffled reply. “Do ya mind?”

  Rommy let her go. “Tell the others where I’m going so they don’t worry, but wait until I’m gone.”

  Alice frowned. “Do you think it’s a good idea to go alone?”

  Rommy looked at the sky. The sun was low, but it wasn’t twilight yet. “I have enough time to get there before it’s dark,” she said. “I have to talk to Little Owl alone.”

  Alice nodded reluctantly. “Okay, I guess,” she said. Then she grabbed Rommy’s hand and squeezed. “But promise you’ll be real careful.”

  Rommy smiled. “Of course, I will.” Without waiting, she jumped up and stuck her wet feet back into her boots and lifted into the air. Little Owl would know what to do.