by R. V. Bowman
“Why, down in the hold with the other men,” said her father.
“But...”
Hook waved her objections away and said, “He’s glad to do it. I’ve never seen a man so besotted. He would probably try to hang the moon if you asked him, my dear.” Her father leaned down. “If I didn’t know better, I might doubt his loyalty if it came down to you or me.” Her father winked at her.
Rommy forced a smile and let her father lead her out of his cabin and around the corner. What she had assumed was entirely her father’s quarters, was really two cabins. Smee’s small cabin hugged the side of the Captain’s. Hook opened a small, hidden door and gestured inside. Although a fifth the size of her father’s cabin, it was still clean and cozy. An old, worn quilt covered the bed in the corner, a trunk at its foot. A tiny pot-bellied stove was near the wall the two cabins shared. Rommy realized its twin was just on the other side of the paneled wall. A small, squat chair crouched in front of the miniature stove. In the opposite corner stood a small washbasin.
She turned to her father. “It’s perfect, Papa. I’ll be quite comfortable here. I must thank Mr. Smee,” she said. In truth, Rommy couldn’t help thinking that for once, her father’s timing was perfect.
“He’s occupied at the moment, but I’ll pass your thanks along,” said Hook. “He was tickled to do it for you. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable? Smee’s washed some of your clothes and put them in that trunk, along with a few of my shirts you can use as nightclothes. Would you like me to have Stubbs bring you the bathing tub?”
Rommy glanced down at her clothes. They were the ones Smee had commandeered from someone this morning, she wasn’t sure who. The earlier clash with Pan had left them creased and grimy. A bath would give her time to think of a plan without being under her father’s watchful gaze.
“That sounds wonderful,” she said. She didn’t have to force her smile. A bath really did sound wonderful.
Her father took a step toward the door, and then he turned and swept her into a tight hug. “You know how important you are to me, don’t you?” he said into her hair.
Rommy felt tears well up in her eyes as she hugged him back. She nodded her head. “Yes, Papa,” she said. “I know.”
Chapter 9:
Rommy’s Decision
Rommy lay in the little bed listening to the creak of the ship and the sounds of the crew as things wound down for the night. She was still wearing her father’s shirt, which enveloped her in billows of fabric down to her shins. She absently played with the damp braid lying over her shoulder. Waiting was difficult, especially since all she could think of were the many ways this rescue attempt could go wrong.
Papa had already tucked her in quite a while ago, but Rommy knew it was entirely possible he might check on her before going to bed himself. If she got dressed too soon, the jig was up.
The coming confrontation with Pan turned over and over in her mind. There had to be a way for her to rescue Alice, but still not end up Pan’s hostage. While his note had said he’d let Alice go if she came, Rommy was under no delusions of how trustworthy Pan was.
Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer and sat up, swinging her legs off the bed. Tiptoeing to the door, she opened it and peeked her head out. Since the cabin door faced the side of the ship, she didn’t have a good view of the main deck. From here, it appeared quiet, but she’d have to get a closer look to be sure. If anyone asked what she was doing, she could claim she was looking for a chamber pot or something.
Hugging the cabin wall, she padded forward until she had reached the front corner. The deck was mostly empty. Lanterns hung from various places, their wicks trimmed for the night. She knew there was probably at least one man up in the crow’s nest, but he wasn’t likely to be looking down. Rommy stared toward the bow of the boat. She could see no movement from here. She let out a breath of relief. It looked like her father had turned in for the night.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, the door to her father’s cabin opened, spilling a square of light onto the shadowy deck. She jerked back, pressing herself against the cabin wall.
Smee backed out. “Yes, Captain,” he said. “I’ll just look in on her on my way below decks. The darling girl must be plumb tuckered out.” He chuckled. “She’s certainly had a busy few days.”
Rommy heard the growl of her father’s voice, and Smee bobbed his head up and down. “Yes, sir, of course, sir. You are exactly right; it isn’t anything to laugh about.”
Rommy didn’t wait but ran back to her own cabin. She rushed through the door on bare feet and forced herself to pull the door shut softly, even though everything in her was screaming at her to hurry.
She slipped into the bed and pulled the covers to her chin, shutting her eyes just as the door cracked back open. She didn’t dare move or even breathe. There was a pause, and then Smee sighed. The door clicked shut a moment later.
Rommy let out the breath she was holding and lay there for a long moment before sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. The room was dark, the only lantern turned down to a mere flicker. Moving silently through the shadowy darkness, Rommy pulled her nightgown over her head and slipped into the shirt and breeches Smee had found for her. She thought they were Tommy’s, since he was the only person on this boat remotely near to her own size, but the clothes were still too big. She was just thankful that she could wear breeches instead of being forced to mount a rescue expedition in a dress and petticoats.
Rommy wanted nothing more than to dash out the door, but caution made her pause. Just because Smee had checked on her didn’t mean he had gone below decks just yet. She sat on the edge of her bed, beating out a rhythm with her feet. Slowly she counted to 500 before walking over to the door and cracking it open.
The space outside her door was empty. She stuck her head out, and a thought hit her. What if her father, or even Smee, checked on her again during the night? Her father didn’t seem to sleep all that much. It wouldn’t do to raise the alarm too early. Hurriedly, she knelt by the trunk and pulled out her other shirt and breeches. Rolling them into a bundle, she stuffed them under the quilt. She arranged the pillow to look like someone was lying on it.
She looked at the bed critically. If anyone just peeked in, it would appear like someone were sleeping in the bed. With any luck, her father or Smee wouldn’t look any closer.
With quiet steps, Rommy slipped out of her cabin again and sneaked toward the back of the boat. Once again, she realized how much flying came in handy when trying to sneak off somewhere. It certainly would have made leaving Chattingham’s loads easier. She stifled a giggle, imagining her and Francie flying out their bedroom window.
She glanced around one more time before she slid over the railing and floated down the side of the boat. She would have to stay close to the water and maybe go around the long way so nobody in the crow’s nest would see her.
Rommy sunk toward the small waves that were lapping at the hull of the boat. She remembered the long, difficult path she had walked when she had first found her father’s ship. The entire route would take twice as long, but she knew she’d be visible to anyone on deck if she went the shorter way. Edging out past the side of the boat, she focused on a rocky section that wouldn’t be too far from the more open riverbank. Suddenly, she was yanked backward. She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand clamped over it.
Chapter 10:
Finn Has a Plan
Bucking and twisting, Rommy kicked at her captor, trying to get her teeth into the hand over her mouth.
“Knock it off! It’s me, Finn,” said a voice close to her ear. She stopped thrashing and felt his arm loosen, and the hand disappeared from her mouth. She whirled to face him, shocked at how easily he had snuck up on her.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered. “If my father or his men see you, we’ll both be in a trouble.”
He smirked. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ve had lots of practice not being seen
. After all, I followed you for over a year and you never saw me, not once!”
Rommy felt her cheeks redden, reminded that despite his help on several occasions, Finn had been spying on her. She’d do well to remember the original reason he brought her to Neverland was as bait to get her father to let the Lost Boys go.
“You still didn’t answer my question—what are you doing here?” Getting Finn to answer questions was like trying to nail down a moonbeam.
He flashed a grin. “Just think of me as your escort,” he said.
“Escort? What are you talking about?”
“He sent me to make sure you didn’t sneak up on him or bring anyone with you.”
“How’d he even know I’d come?” Rommy asked.
“Pan knew you’d come for Alice,” said Finn. He grimaced. “He said you had to be the hero; you couldn’t help it.”
“If by that he means I can’t let someone I care about come to harm, well, I guess he’s right,” said Rommy, lifting her chin.
Finn held out his hands. “Look, don’t get mad at me. I’m just telling you what he said.”
Rommy rolled her eyes. “Maybe you should consider being more than Pan’s mouthpiece,” she said.
“Hey, there’s no need to get nasty,” said Finn, crossing his arms. “And for your information, Miss Know-It-All, I have a plan to help you and Alice get away. I don’t want to see you or Alice get hurt, either.” Finn looked up toward the deck of the boat and tipped his head toward the shoreline. “We need to get away from this boat, and then I can tell you what I’m thinking.”
Rommy hated to agree with him, but he was right. The longer she was gone, the more chance there was that someone would notice. It was one thing if her father caught her, but it would be entirely different if he found her with Finn. As annoying as he could be, she’d rather not see Papa impale Finn with his hook or something.
“Follow me,” Finn said and flitted across the water toward the far shore. Rommy followed at his heels, expecting at any moment for a shout to come from her father’s ship, but nobody noticed them zipping over the waves.
The two landed behind an outcropping of rocks. Rommy turned to face Finn. “Do you truly expect Alice and I can both get away?” she asked. “I’ve been thinking and thinking, and I haven’t come up with a way to get the better of Pan if he knows I’m coming.”
“Of course you can’t,” Finn said, smirking again. Rommy felt an itch to slap it off of his face but controlled the impulse. “You just need a little help from your friends, or rather my friends.”
Before Rommy could ask any more questions, Finn motioned to her and they picked their way along the rocky shoreline. Once they were in the sky again, Finn told her the rest of his plan.
“Look, you’re not the only one who thinks Pan is kinda off his feed around here,” he said. “Most of the people and creatures on the island want to stay on Pan’s good side, but that doesn’t mean they like him.”
“If they don’t like him, why would they help you?” asked Rommy.
Finn spun to face her, flying backwards. “Because, as Pan’s, what did you call me—mouthpiece—he sends me to smooth things over all the time, and I’ve made friends with everyone.”
He tapped his upper lip and added, “Sometimes, I figure that’s one of the only reasons Pan doesn’t get rid of me. He knows I keep the balance on this island from tipping against him.”
Finn returned to his spot next to her, and the two flew onward. “That might be, but how will your friends help us exactly?” Rommy asked.
Finn grinned again. “The big question is, are you a good swimmer?”
The question so surprised Rommy that she stopped mid-air. “What has that got to do with anything?”
Finn came back to hover beside her. “Just answer the question,” he said.
Rommy huffed out a breath. “Yes, we had swimming at Chattingham’s. Why is that so important?”
Finn nodded. “Good. When my friends provide the distraction, you and Alice have swim underneath the waterfall. There’s a tunnel that will take you out to the far side of the cliffs. You can circle around and get back to the boat that way.”
“Won’t Pan know about that tunnel and be suspicious? Won’t he be watching for us to come back?”
Finn grinned, his gray eyes sparkling. “Not if I point him in the wrong direction, he won’t. Besides, he doesn’t know about that tunnel. Nissa showed it to me. Like I said, a lot of the fairies aren’t too fond of Pan.”
Rommy grabbed Finn’s arm. “But what if he finds out you tricked him? Pan seems like the type to hold a grudge. Won’t that put you in danger?”
“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay,” said Finn. He put his hand on top of hers.
Rommy’s eyes flew up to his, and for a moment Finn looked like he had swallowed something the wrong way. Then his cocky grin returned.
“Awww, don’t tell me you’re worried about me,” he said, pulling his hand away and giving her a playful shove. “I know how to get around old Pan.”
The tension in her shoulders eased, and relief spread through Rommy. She had been willing to sacrifice herself for Alice. But knowing that she had Finn on her side—and apparently his friends, too—gave her hope that this wouldn’t be a huge disaster.
As the two continued flying, a thought hit Rommy. “What is Pan planning on doing with me, anyway? I assume this has to do with getting to my father and perhaps revenge because I beat him in our fight.” She paused and swallowed. “Is he going to try to...kill me?”
Finn’s face darkened and a frown replaced his grin. He seemed to pick his words carefully. “Pan gets, I don’t know, fixed on things and people sometimes, and he’s fixed on you. Oh sure, he wants to use you to get to your father, but it’s more than that.” Finn glanced at her. “He’s convinced he can get you to join him.”
“Join him? Is he crazy? No, don’t answer that,” Rommy said and shook her head. “I would think it would be clear by now there’s no chance of that happening.”
“Yeah, well, Pan gets crazier every day, and there’s no talking him out of something once he’s decided it’s what he wants. Just be careful. He gets vicious if he doesn’t get what he wants.”
Rommy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I kind of realized that.”
Finn chuckled. “I guess you would, wouldn’t you?”
As the two flew onward to the meeting with Pan, Rommy turned this new information over her mind. On the one hand, it was rather nerve-racking to realize she was Pan’s new focus, but maybe—just maybe—she could use that to her advantage.
Chapter 11:
So, We Meet Again
Rommy and Finn landed on the riverbank and hunkered down in the tall grass. Up ahead, the cliffs loomed. She could see where the water tumbled over the cliff face and splashed down into a deep pool before taking off again in the river.
To one side of the churning pool and in front of the cliff face, a fire crackled merrily. Various rocks and branches circled around it like so many chairs. Boys of various sizes slouched on or tumbled around them, laughing and shouting. Flute music floated on the breeze.
This was it. A weight settled in Rommy’s stomach. Finn looked at her. “Remember, follow my lead, and look for that distraction,” he said.
“How will I know?” Rommy asked.
Finn grinned. “Oh, you’ll know,” he said.
Rommy felt an answering grin spread across her face. The two lifted off the ground, and Finn clamped a hand on her arm. She looked at him in surprise.
“Escort, remember?”
She nodded and let him pull her forward. As they drew near the group, her stomach clenched. She just hoped this went the way they had planned.
Pan heard them before anyone else, and a smile spread across his face and he lowered the instrument he was playing. Rommy shivered as she and Finn landed at the edge of the circle of light thrown from the fire.
Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, Rommy stepped into the f
irelight, Finn still hanging onto her arm. “I’m here,” she said. “Now where’s Alice?”
The laughter and voices immediately fell silent as a dozen pair of eyes all swiveled in her direction.
Pan crowed in delight and pushed up from the rock that he was lounging against. “I knew you’d come,” he said. He looked around at the circle of boys. “Didn’t I say she’d come? And I was right!”
A small, dirty boy with dark hair and golden eyes piped up. “You’re always right, Peter. It’s why you’re the leader.”
“He ain’t always right,” said a boy with light brown hair. He was built square and thick. “He said we would beat ole Captain Hook, but then a girl...” The boy next to him, who looked like his mirror image, hit him and shook his head, but it was too late.
Pan was already hovering in front the speaker; a small, lethal-looking dagger was in his hand. “What’s that you said, Charlie?” He leaned close to the boy and flicked at the button on the boy’s tunic with the knife. The boy swallowed hard and mumbled, “Nothin’.”
Pan cocked his head. “No, Charlie, speak up, since you’re so smart.” The boy remained mute, staring at his bare feet.
Pan smirked and pointed at the smaller boy who had spoken. “I always knew you were a smart one, Willie. Not like old Charlie over here. He’s full of beans.” Still looking at Willie, Pan’s hand snaked out and drove the dagger into the tree immediately behind Charlie’s head. A thin trickle of blood appeared on the boy’s cheek. He didn’t move to wipe it away.
All the boys laughed, but the sound was uneasy.
Rommy’s eyes roamed around the circle of faces. She recognized the white-blond hair that belonged to Walter. A boy perched on one of the larger rocks had a small creature curled up on his shoulder. His guarded dark eyes watched her from under a fringe of black hair.
Another boy, his hair a dirty blond, hung back, shifting from foot to foot. He chewed on his thumbnail. His hazel eyes looked worried rather than watchful.