At least the curse won’t reach me, he thought, as everything dimmed. It won’t, because I’ll already be dead.
Darkness surrounded him. Everything reminded him of Lori now, from the current that was hugging him close as it carried him along, to the soft, wispy bits of ocean that brushed against his face. This isn’t so bad. There were worse ways to die. He imagined Lori swimming with him, pulling him up to the surface, her long hair tickling his cheek. As she pulled him, he heard her begging him to stay with her, begging him never to leave.
I won’t leave. I promise I won’t ever leave you now. He smiled as the current carried him away. Yes, there were certainly much worse ways to die.
LORELEI STRUGGLED TO get to the surface. Jack was dead weight and for each inch she moved upward, he seemed to get only heavier.
Not dead weight, I’m just fighting the current, she reminded herself. Not dead. He isn’t dead…not yet.
She moved her hand just a bit and splayed her fingers against his chest just to feel the weak but reassuring beat of his heart. But each beat was fainter than the last.
I won’t live without him, I won’t! He has to live. He can’t drown…
Adrenaline pumping, she thrust every bit of energy she had into swimming as she clutched Jack tight to her and finally, a few horribly slow seconds later, broke the surface. She angled her body so that his head was above the water, starting toward the beach a short distance away.
Fear clutched at her when she realized he hadn’t took a breath. Shouldn’t he have spit the water out by now and taken a deep breath of air?
“Please, Jack. Please live,” she begged, furiously pulling them both to the shore. She ignored the rough sand as it scrubbed her tail and scratched at her stomach when she reached the shallows. She had to get him out of the water. Using the tide in her favor, she alternately pushed and tugged, until at last, Jack lay mostly out of the water, with only the ebbing water licking at his feet.
She pulled herself out of the sea as far as she dared and turned him over on his side, pounding her fists against his back with every bit of strength she had left. Finally, he coughed and took one ragged breath.
“Jack?”
When he didn’t answer, she pulled him onto his back and looked at him. His eyes were still closed and there were dark, bruise-like circles under them she had never noticed before. But even more alarming was the thin line of blood that ran from the corner of his mouth, down his cheek and into the sand. It was as if it had been his own blood that had been drowning him, instead of the ocean.
The curse.
The sudden realization hit her hard. Jack had mentioned one of the pirates falling into the ocean and dying of Nerida’s curse, but he hadn’t gone into detail and she hadn’t asked. She’d only been happy that Jack had come back to her. But now it was happening to him, she was sure of it, and she didn’t know what to do. As she watched his cheeks took on a hollowed look, the bones in his face becoming more pronounced.
He took one shallow, labored breath…and a few seconds later, took another. He was still breathing, but at this rate, he wouldn’t be when the morning came.
I have to do something. I have to find a way to save him.
Her mind scrambled for a solution as she watched Jack’s chest rise uneasily up, then go down. Only one person would be able to break the curse—the one who made it.
She took one last look to make sure the water wasn’t going to touch him while she was gone, brushed a few wet strands of hair back from his forehead, and gave him the solemn promise that she would be back soon.
As soon as I possibly can, she added inwardly. For if there is one creature I have no desire to spend time with, it is the sea witch.
LORELEI CRINGED, SWIMMING backward in an attempt to stay out of the clutches of a large, sticky-looking patch of sea grass. From the looks of things, more than a half dozen other sea creatures had met their end in its strangling vines. Various little corpses and skeletons lay wrapped in the vines.
The worst part was that this was only the beginning. The dark opening to Nerida’s lair was within sight, but far enough away that she would have to pass even more frightening things along the way to gain an audience with the sea witch.
A sudden splash overhead made her look up from the murderous grass in time to catch a glimpse of a dark form on the surface.
The crocodile. Lorelei shivered, hoping the big, scaly beast would stay where he was and not venture down to see what was going on at her level. A few seconds passed and he continued to float along, so she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Jack needed her help. She couldn’t just stay here.
At least I can see what is around me, she thought, looking at a large coral that seemed to be bending at odd angles in an effort to grab her. The sharp ends glowed a soft blue, reminding her of the flowers that kept the ocean bottom illuminated at all hours of the day and night in the caverns around the castle.
She swam carefully past the coral, surprised when she made it safely passed without it touching her. She ducked under a jagged rock that seemed ready to fall on her and ignored the electric eel that slithered across her path.
Before she knew it, she was at the dark hole that lead beneath the island. Dozens of sea serpents crawled and slithered around the circular opening, their bodies sliding over one another, fangs glinting as they struck at the water, daring her to come any closer.
I’ve come this far, I won’t go back, she thought resolutely, taking a deep breath. She darted straight through the small space in the center of the serpents. They hissed, arching their necks before they struck at her.
She kept swimming, expecting the pain of their sharp fangs piercing her body. One serpent was larger than all of the others and it slithered in front of her, its jaws opened wide. She saw it arch its back, then it came at her, fangs poised to sink into her face. She closed her eyes and thrashed her tail harder, waiting for it to strike, but nothing happened.
She opened her eyes. Nothing was there. She glanced over her shoulder. Every serpent had disappeared and the walls and floor of the cavern she had swam into were covered in the same flowers that every mermaid on the ocean floor used. The blooms bathed the cavern in a soft light that led her deeper under the isle. The path narrowed as she went along, widening at the end as it spilled into a large room.
Perched on a large rock, her legs folded under her, sat the sea witch. Nerida’s wings fluttered with the current as she stroked the stingray floating next to her, a smile on her face as she looked down at her companion.
Nerida’s head snapped up as she realized she was being watched, the smile melting away, her eyes narrowing.
“Annalise.” The word sounded as if it was coated in venom.
“N-no,” Lorelei shook her head. Up until now, the sea witch hadn’t looked so frightening, but as she stared into Nerida’s face, she was so afraid that she felt herself shake. “Annalise is my mother. My name is Lorelei.” The sea witch’s gaze traveled over her, from her head to the tip of her tail.
“You have her looks,” she finally remarked. “Tell me, daughter of Annalise, what brings you under my isle? Surely you didn’t come out of curiosity.” Though Lorelei could tell she was waiting for an answer, Nerida’s attention dropped back to the stingray. She ran her fingers lightly down its back.
“I came because I need your help.”
That got a response. Nerida looked up and tilted her head to the side. “No one has ever dared to ask me for help. You have my attention.”
Feeling much more confident, Lorelei swam closer. “I need you to lift the curse from the Never Sea. There is a human named Jack who fell under the surface. He’ll die soon unless you help me.”
Nerida arched a brow. “Is that so, then? I did warn them to stay out of my sea. I told them to fear my curse. They shouldn’t have taken it so lightly. What’s done is done.”
“I believe that it was an accident, or perhaps one of the others threw him from the ship.” Lorelei’s hea
rt pounded in her chest as anxiety took over. Nerida didn’t seem to care. What if she wouldn’t help her? “He’ll die soon. You have to help me.”
She swam directly in front of Nerida and sat in front of the rock, bowing her head. “Please. I’ll do anything you ask.”
There was nothing but silence for a long moment. Wondering what she should do next, she slowly lifted her head and found Nerida watching her thoughtfully.
“You have more courage than is usual for the merpeople,” she said quietly, as if she was thinking more to herself than actually speaking to Lorelei. “Too bad there aren’t more of them like you. Things could have been very different.” She flexed her wings and small bits of glittering black dust sprinkled on the rock around her.
“Please,” Lorelei begged her again. “There isn’t much time.”
Seeming to come out of her trance, Nerida’s eyes locked onto hers. “Only the kiss of true love from a selfless soul shall break the curse of the Never Sea.”
“A kiss? That is all?” she asked, springing up from her place in front of the rock. “A kiss will save him?”
Nerida’s smile was a wry one that didn’t hold any real warmth. “Yes, but be warned. To leave the ocean makes you as human as he. You must ask yourself if his life is worth the loss of your own.”
Lorelei’s mind raced to the place where Jack lay, in their perfect place between the dunes. Unless he had somehow dragged himself farther up the beach, she should be able to reach him without leaving the water. But even if she couldn’t, she knew she would go to him, wherever he was.
“Yes, his life is worth it. I will gladly give my life for his.”
A small smile painted Nerida’s lips. “Then it would seem you love him. I suggest you get started. As you have been so kind to remind me several times in the last few moments, you don’t have much time to waste.”
Whispering a quick “thank you,” Lorelei sped through the cavern’s opening and back toward the island. She kept replaying Nerida’s words in her head. Only the kiss of true love from a selfless soul…
Her heart ached. True love. She knew she loved him. But a selfless soul? She knew what that meant. As much as she loved Jack, she was going to have to let him go. If he awoke and chose to leave Neverland, she knew she had to let him go, even if it meant never seeing him again. To choose life for him would be to choose to live without him.
As long as he lives, that is all that matters.
TINK FUMED, RESISTING the urge to kick the wall and shake more dirt loose. The mother girl had gotten on her last nerve. All day she had bossed the others, telling them they must keep their new house clean and tidy, no small feat when their home was under a tree in a hollowed out bit of earth.
The silly girl had spent the better part of the day moving small piles of dirt around, proudly thinking she was making progress of some sort. She hummed and sang, happily dusting and sweeping as she ordered everyone about, then, after everyone was exhausted, she’d sang and hummed until, finally, every last one of her Lost Ones went to sleep. The whole thing had gone on so long that the pixie’s ears absolutely ached for silence.
She couldn’t take it anymore, Tink decided. She had to get away. She looked over at Peter, who was still busy making noise on his flute-thing in the far side of the room.
A wonder any of them are sleeping through that. She hovered in front of him for a second, but he didn’t so much as look at her, much less offer to accompany her, so she flew up and out of one of the hollow limbs of the tree, intending to get a much-needed breath of fresh air—and a bit of quiet.
She spotted Round sitting at the base of the tree. He hadn’t been pleased today, either. As the house had been built while he had been off having an adventure with the pirates, the other Lost Ones hadn’t built an opening to the house wide enough for him to pass through. He’d gotten stuck earlier trying to get inside, half of him in the house, the other half out. She hadn’t thought they’d ever get him loose, but finally, after lots of pulling and pushing—and threats from Peter to never again feed him breakfast—he popped free, and had been sitting there sulking ever since. Now he was asleep, his head lolling down to his chest. She thought of curling up on his shoulder and going to sleep on the soft fur of his shirt. After all, the ones against this house-and-mother thing must surely stick together, but he took one loud noisy breath and she decided against it. He was snoring and there was no way to sleep with that.
Was quiet too much to ask for? she wondered as she whizzed between more tree branches in an effort to put some distance between herself and all of the racket. She flew, and flew, and flew some more, until she reached the edge of Neverland. It wasn’t quiet here, either, but at least it was a different kind of noise. The water coming in and out on the beach was pretty in its own way, much nicer than the mother girl’s singing or Peter’s attempts at making music, though she’d never admit that to a water sprite. One tree’s limbs hovered over the Never Sea, so she sat on one low branch and curled up on some leaves. This would do, she decided with a yawn. She settled down and propped her head on her hands, watching the hypnotic waves as the tide washed over the beach, her eyelids growing heavy.
Something broke the surface with a light splash. It bobbed in the water for a second, completely disrupting the rhythm of the waves. Tink sat up and scowled, displeased that something else had shown up, likely something that was going to make noise and mess everything up.
Swinging her legs over the edge of the branch, she gripped the corners of her leaf and watched the shape come closer. It hadn’t made any other sound thus far, which was nice, but it had piqued her curiosity enough that sleep wasn’t an option anymore.
It disappeared abruptly in a swell of dark water. Well, that wasn’t going to work, Tink decided. If it popped back up, that huge mountain of sand is going to be in the way. I won’t be able to see it. She sighed, but got up, dusted the dirt off her legs, and zipped around the sand. She flew into the gulley where another sand mountain rose up on the opposite side of the one blocking her view.
Her heart stopped. There, lying on the sand, was her smallest Lost One, the one who Peter had named Runt. He wasn’t moving and didn’t show any signs of being alive. She dropped to the sand near his head and patted his hair as she had done so many times when he was smaller. When he didn’t respond, she moved closer and patted the springy hair on his cheek.
Still nothing. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she plopped down on the sand and leaned her head against his, still patting, though now it was more for herself than for him. He had been one of her favorite Lost Ones, even though she hadn’t wanted Peter to bring him here in the beginning. She stopped patting long enough to wipe her running nose on the back of her hand, then patted some more.
Was this what happened when the grown-ups stayed at Neverland too long? Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of the other ones on the ship—the ones she had chosen to bring here. Would they be lying still too?
The need to check on her grown-up Lost Ones sweeping through her, Tink gave the one who had been named Runt a final pat and flew over the ocean toward the ship that sat dark, foreboding, and still.
As she flew overhead, she noticed the thing that had been bobbing in the water was one of the fish people. A girl one, from the looks of things. What had the water sprites called them? Ah, yes, mermaids. Well, she had no time to sit and watch the happenings of fish people. They weren’t her responsibility. Her Lost Ones were—and one of them was gone now. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do about it, but she did know that she didn’t intend to lose any others. She continued on her way, sprinkling the water with gold dust until she reached the ship that bobbed on the waves like an enormous piece of driftwood.
There were very few pirates on the top of the boat, but one of them called out excitedly as she zipped beneath his nose in an effort to get a better look at him. He was the big one that usually stayed near the wheel. Happy that he seemed to look as intimidating as the last time she’
d seen him, she moved away as he swatted at her. Most of the others were below asleep, she supposed, though she didn’t think they’d be there much longer. Even if they did manage to sleep through his racket, it would be morning soon and they would be up and about—that is, if they hadn’t suffered the same fate as Runt. She shuddered and flew down the steps, bracing herself for what she might find.
She zipped directly to the belly of the ship and dodged around the hammocks, listening to various snores. Thus far, everything seemed to be as it should. She stopped and looked around for a moment, satisfied. Now she only had to check on her favorite grown one—the one that disliked Peter so much.
Knowing he would be in a different room at the end of the ship, she made her way there, trying to be as quiet as she possibly could so as not to wake any of the others.
The small dull glow of a candle flickered in the crack beneath the closed door. Finding no other way to get in, she dropped to the floor and ducked under, scowling when the rough wood pulled at her hair. She knew, unlike the others, he would be awake. The candle told her as much. But even if by some miracle he was asleep, she had every intention of getting him to open the door when she left.
She blew a loose strand of hair out of her face and put her hand up to pat the top of her head and make sure none of it was missing, then froze, her hands still in mid-air. There, sitting at the table, was her Lost One, tied to a chair, his gaze locked on something that sat before him.
Curious, she flew up and landed beside of the candle in the center of the table. The familiar curved hook sat on the scarred wood, and at first she thought he was staring at it. But then she noticed the curled piece of paper propped against it. Slowly, she walked forward to the thing that held her Lost One’s attention so well that he hadn’t even acknowledged her presence. If there was one thing he was, it was polite, and that was what she loved about him most. After the typical rough nature of her small Lost Ones, a quick visit with the one in charge of the ship was always a nice change. Never had he not greeted her and inquired to her well-being. Well, until now, that is.
The Untold Stories of Neverland: The Complete Box Set Page 44