Neverland Academy

by Daelynn Quinn

  “Come visit any time,” Lily said as she hugged Daphne. “They may shut down the school, but this is still my home, and I’ll be here until I start college.”

  “I’ll try.” Daphne wiped a tear from her cheek. One by one, Daphne hugged each of the boys. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling, but smiled and slapped Shag playfully, when he tried to cop a feel.

  As she was leaving, Daphne turned back to Lily.

  “Take care of Finn?”

  Lily smiled and nodded.

  Reluctantly, Daphne went home.

  ***

  As the police cruiser pulled into the driveway, Daphne noted the unfamiliarity of the home. When she ran away, she’d only been living here for about two weeks, hardly enough time to get attached. The tunnels underneath Neverland Academy felt more like home than this place.

  The light in the kitchen switched on and Daphne saw her mother step out onto the porch, wearing her fluffy red bathrobe. Behind her, her father stepped out and held her mother by the shoulders.

  Daphne waited for Sgt. Lynn to open her door. She stepped out tentatively, wondering if her parents would be angry with her for running away. She wanted to tell the police that Trappe had kidnapped her, but that seemed too contrived, so she told the truth. She didn’t need to embellish it anyway, since he had actually held her prisoner, even if it was only for a few hours.

  She walked slowly toward the house, painfully aware of the bloody nightgown that she still had on, and her parents rushed to meet her, cradling her from both sides in a hug to end all hugs. Daphne thought she might suffocate if her parents didn’t let go soon.

  “Don’t ever do that to us again, Daphne,” her mother cried. “We were so scared. We thought you were . . . were . . .” She broke off into a gushing of sniffles and gibberish.

  “I’m home now, mom,” Daphne assured. “I’m okay.”

  “We missed you so much, Daph,” her father added, squeezing her tightly before releasing her. He looked down at her gown. “Is that . . . blood?”

  “Uh, yeah. Can we talk about this tomorrow,” Daphne yawned. “I really need some sleep.”

  ***

  It was like moving into a new home all over again. The house looked the same as how she had left it, but it was still so new. There was little comfort in her bedroom where, despite it being a different room, all of her prior belongings remained just as she had left them.

  The next morning it was not only in the local paper, but every nationwide news network was reporting on the scandal at the renowned Neverland Academy. Daphne sat between her parents on the couch in the living room, eyes glued to the wide-screen TV mounted above the fireplace. Her brothers were home now, too. After learning of what had happened at the academy, Mr. Werring rushed off in the middle of the night to pick them up. Max lounged on the loveseat while Josh stood behind the couch, unable to take his eyes off the screen.

  Byron Trappe had been arrested and charged with aggravated assault, sexual assault of a minor, unlawful restraint of a minor, endangering the welfare of a minor, false imprisonment, possession of child pornography, and murder of two professors. He was currently in the hospital under high security while he recovered from his injuries. Six professors and Father Warren had also been arrested and charged with aiding and abetting on all seven counts. In addition, two of them had been charged with embezzlement and tax evasion. Video footage of Neverland Academy showed a maelstrom of activity while frantic parents searched for their children. It was a madhouse there. Some boys enthusiastically stood for interviews with the press. Most were happy to be going home. Daphne watched the screen intently searching for Finn, though she knew he wouldn’t be there.

  Daphne thought often of the green-eyed boy that ignited that blazing fire deep within her. Some nights she would stay up late and wait by her window for hours, hoping to see him, and wake up still leaning on the sill. She would stare out at the darkness, reminiscing on the good times they’d had together and some of the bad. He never came. She missed him dearly. But it was clearly time for her to move on.

  Epilogue

  The humidity was drowning the students on that mid-afternoon in May. Young adults in gold and burgundy gowns streamed down the football field in disheveled lines. Many were excitedly dancing and throwing their fists up in the air triumphantly. Some young ladies were blowing their noses into wet tissues and wiping away tears. Still others were calm and resolute.

  Daphne took her seat alphabetically in the back row of the folded chairs that had been set out for the graduation ceremony. Her parents worried that her escapades at Neverland Academy would have caused her to miss so much school she’d have to attend another year to catch up, since they cancelled summer school in the district. But she wouldn’t let that happen. Daphne worked hard, putting in extra hours that she might have spent socializing into studying at the library and in her bedroom. By the end of March she’d almost caught up to her classmates and surpassed many in her academic progress. She even skipped prom, though she had little interest in attending anyway. She’d done so well that she had signed up for some college computer science courses over the summer.

  In truth, it wasn’t just her lagging behind in academics that motivated Daphne to busy herself with work. She truly missed Finn. She’d thought about him every day. A few times, she’d called Lily to talk, and it was always about Finn. Lily said she didn’t see him much anymore, but she’d always promise to tell him Daphne said “hi” if she saw him. The last time they’d spoken, Lily had told Daphne that Neverland Academy had been taken over by the bank since the owner would be in prison for the rest of his life and had no living relatives apart from Belle, who wanted nothing to do with the place. The remaining staff that lived there, including Lily and her mother, pitched in to hire an attorney. After all, Lily and her mother were Trappe’s kin and if they could prove it the academy would be theirs. Lily even spent her savings that was allocated for her first year at Brown. She said it was worth it. They were going to reopen the academy the following academic year, hiring all new professors and welcoming female students. She didn’t know who the new headmaster would be, but she sounded confident that whoever it was, would be nothing like Byron Trappe.

  As the graduation ceremony came to a close, Daphne sneaked out among the falling caps and tassels to greet her parents who were watching nearby.

  “Don’t you want to say goodbye to your friends?” her mother asked.

  Daphne looked back at the crowd. She didn’t really have many friends at school, none as close as Lily and the outcasts. Somehow everyone seemed so much younger than her, in spite of his or her age. They hadn’t experienced the blinding trauma and unforgettable time she had spent with the boy with the green eyes. Somehow, all of those people seemed irrelevant.

  “No,” Daphne replied. “Besides, Athens is a small city. I’ll see them around. Most will probably end up at UGA next year anyway.”

  And as silently as the quiet life she made for herself, Daphne slipped away forgotten and unnoticed.

  ***

  Tossing her cap and gown on her bed, Daphne sat down at her vanity table with her laptop resting against her crossed legs. She had an email from her old friend, Carrie. They’d had little communication since her time at Neverland Academy—only one short email asking for details, which Daphne ignored. Daphne deleted the message without even reading it. That part of her life was over and she didn’t want to bring back the memories or make her old friend hang on to their nonexistent relationship. There were also three emails from Rocks. Two of them were simply announcements for upcoming shows. Daphne deleted them. The most recent one seemed to be addressed directly to her.

  Hey Daphne,

  I know u probly hate me since u wont return my messages. Just wanted to let u know I’m moving w/the band to LA. Already got some gigs lined up. If u change ur mind I’ll save a spot on the bed 4 u.

  Rocks

  Daphne’s stomach twisted with nausea. She couldn’t hit delete quickly enou
gh.

  “Note to self,” Daphne murmured. “Change email address.”

  In the background Daphne heard the doorbell ring. She groaned and planted her face in her palms. Her mother had invited some relatives to come celebrate Daphne’s graduation and her grandmother had actually accepted. This seemed to be a new thing with Mrs. Werring. Since Daphne returned she found excuses to celebrate anything and make a party out of it. She’d actually taken the entire family out for a celebratory dinner after Daphne passed her first calculus test. She’d even offered to invite Daphne’s classmates for a huge end of the school year bash, but Daphne vehemently insisted she didn’t. She just wanted to be alone. So her mother invited close family instead.

  “Daphne!” her mother called out.

  With a frustrated sigh, Daphne slapped her laptop shut, pushed her chair back with a screech and ambled downstairs to greet her visitor.

  When she’d reached the bottom step she found her mother still standing at the door. Daphne wondered why she would leave her grandmother waiting outside. When Mrs. Werring stepped aside, she saw why. Daphne’s legs suddenly couldn’t move. All the energy in her body seemed to be sucked into her chest cavity as her heart beat like an uncontrollable jackhammer.

  Finn stood on the porch, his bright green eyes searching Daphne for some kind of reaction.

  “Hey, Daffy,” he said quietly. He’d hoped for acceptance, but if she’d reject him, he was ready to leave. But Daphne didn’t reject him. Her eyes glistened and a smile broadened her face. Finally her legs found movement and she leaped into Finn’s arms.

  “What are you doing here?” Daphne asked.

  “Do you want me to go?”

  “Don’t you dare!” Daphne commanded, squeezing him tighter. She looked back briefly at her mother, who eyed the two with wariness, and insisted that they be alone. Mrs. Werring stepped away reluctantly. Daphne took Finn by the arm and led him out onto the swinging bench on the front porch.

  “Where have you been? Why haven’t you come to see me? I’ve been waiting, calling Lily to ask about you. I thought you’d forgotten me.”

  “Oh Daffy, I could never forget you.” His finger stroked her face, just like he’d done the last time he saw her. “I haven’t come to see you because . . .” Finn paused to find his words. “Because I love you.”

  “You’re not making any sense, Finn.”

  He sighed. “It’s Preston now. Finn is gone.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Daffy, after you left I spent a lot of time thinking. Things just weren’t the same. With you gone and the boys gone—even Belle left to go live with her cousin—everyone gone really, it just wasn’t fun anymore. You were right. It was time to grow up. There just wasn’t anything left there for me. Life got boring. So, with Lily’s help, I got a job working with a landscaping company. Got my GED. And I registered at the university. I start next semester.”

  “Really?” Daphne could hardly believe her ears. He’d really done it. He’d really grown up. “You really did all that?”

  “I did it for you, Daffy. I told you. I think I’m in love with you.”

  In the orange glow of the setting sun, Preston Price took Daphne in his arms and kissed her. While her grandmother and a few of her mother’s friends came to wish Daphne a happy graduation, the couple remained on the creaking bench swing mapping out their future and basking in their happy ending.

  If you enjoyed your adventure to Neverland Academy, be sure to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Thanks for reading!

  Other Books by Daelynn Quinn

  Fall of Venus

  Crimson Return

  The Trinity

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  Website: http://www.daelynnquinn.com