Wendy walked into her flat, feeling both relieved and depressed. Amazingly, nothing more had happened to the apartment, even though the door had been unlocked and the window was still open. Her heart tightened when she looked at the spot on the floor where Peter had fallen after she knocked him out with the ladder rung. When was that? Three, four days ago? It seemed like an eternity. She had learned and forgotten and felt so many things, and now she was back home where it was drab and empty. It was almost cruel to think of the wonders and experiences of Neverland in comparison to her real life. She would always be grateful for the time she had spent there, and she would never forget Peter, regardless of how he felt about her, but she knew she couldn't go back. Already the past few days were beginning to feel like a dream.
She heard something buzzing and it took her several moments to register that it was her phone. She grabbed it out of her bag on the table. She had 17 missed calls. Most were from Mrs. Nancy, but there were a couple from the hospital. Wendy skipped over some frantic sounding voice messages from Mrs. Nancy until she heard the one from the hospital. Her mom was awake.
Wendy flew out the door and headed towards the Underground station to get to the hospital. On her way she called Mrs. Nancy and left a message.
"I'm so sorry I've been absent, but my mother's been in the hospital and things have been... complicated," she explained vaguely. "I'll be in as soon as I can."
Once she got to the hospital she virtually ran to her mother's room, upsetting quite a few nurses and patients along the way. She halted at the door and slowly pushed it open.
"Wendy? Is that you?" Came a soft voice from behind a thin dividing curtain.
Wendy rushed forward and fell into a chair by the bed, taking in the sight of her mother as she clutched her hand. There was still a bruise on her head and she looked a little weak, but her eyes were wide open and she was smiling.
"Mom, I'm so glad you're awake!" Wendy said, tears springing to her eyes. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"
"I'm fine. I'm just a little out of sorts, I think," she replied. "Honestly, Wendy, I'm a little glad you weren't here when I first woke up. I was babbling on about flying boys and pirates and mermaids. I think I was hallucinating."
Wendy nearly choked. "I think I might have been having some of those hallucinations myself," she muttered.
"Wendy, have you been alright? I hope this ordeal hasn't put too much stress on you. You look a bit... distracted. And honey, what are you wearing?"
Wendy followed her mother's gaze down to her feet. She gasped. She was still wearing Peter's shoes.
"I, um, had to borrow them from someone..."
"They're quite odd, and a little too big for you," her mother observed. Then her eyes lit up. "Did you meet a boy?"
"Did I wh-what?" She stammered. "No! I mean, yes. It's just... I don't..."
Her mother's expression turned dark. "Oh dear, he didn't take advantage of you, did he?"
Wendy couldn't help laughing at the loaded question. Yes, he most definitely had, but not in the way her mother was insinuating.
"No, mom, we're just friends," Wendy replied, a twinge of sadness running through her.
"Well, you'll have to tell me all about him. Goodness, I'm unconscious for a few days and I miss everything!"
Wendy smiled. It was such a relief to have her mother back, to know that she would probably be okay. Her tears began to flow freely and she leaned forward and put her head on her mother's shoulder.
"Mom, I'm so sorry," she cried. "Maybe if I had been there, this wouldn't have happened. I had to stay late at work, and... it's my fault! It's always my fault!"
"Wendy, what are you talking about?"
"I should have been there. It would have been alright," she sobbed. "And I never should have suggested that cruise. I forced everyone to go, and now dad and John and Micheal..."
Her mother grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back with surprising strength.
"Wendy! Have you always felt this way? That you were responsible for their deaths?"
"Of course! If we hadn't gone on that trip..."
"Stop! Wendy, this is dangerous and irrational thinking. Accidents happen and we lose people we love, but please understand that it was absolutely not your fault!" She pulled Wendy into her arms and stroked her hair. "I wish you had told me before. I can't believe you've been carrying this with you all this time."
Wendy nodded, letting the truth of her mother's words soothe her. But now she felt guilty that she was causing her mother stress when she should be recovering. This was clearly a flaw she needed to fix.
"As for this incident," her mother continued, "there was no way you could have stopped it. It happened too early in the day. It was strange, really. I was painting the wall in our flat and a boy opened the door and startled me."
Wendy pulled back and stared at her mother. "A boy?"
"Yes. He just peeked his head in and then left, but he had the most startling green eyes."
Wendy shook her head. Peter. He had said it was his fault. He had tried to apologize. He wanted to make it up to her by showing her Neverland.
Wendy's phone rang, startling her. It was Mrs. Nancy again.
"Mom, I need to go to work," Wendy said, conveniently leaving out the fact that she hadn't been to work in three days. "Will you be alright? I'll be back as soon as I'm done."
"Don't worry about me, they take very good care of me here. Actually, one doctor pays me a little too much attention, I think."
Wendy smiled and kissed her mother's cheek. "I love you. I'll be back soon."
*****
Wendy expected a frantic lecture from Mrs. Nancy when she got to the children's home, so she was surprised when the woman took a look at her with forlorn eyes and silently gestured for her to come inside. She looked completely defeated. The boys were running around in differing levels of chaos, and Arthur and James alone were attempting to calm the rest. The house was a mess, and she could hear Nana barking madly from upstairs.
"It's a disaster," Mrs. Nancy wailed. "I'm the worst person in the world!"
"That can't be true," Wendy replied. Mrs. Nancy only gazed vacantly above Wendy's head.
"I've lost him," she cried. "What kind of a professional, what kind of a woman loses her charge?"
"Mrs. Nancy, what's going on?"
"Trevor! He's gone! I've lost him! That sweet boy!" She collapsed into a chair, slowly shaking her head back and forth.
Wendy began to panic. "How long has he been gone? Have you alerted the police?"
"Since yesterday. And yes, I've alerted the police, the neighborhood... I've been considering calling the military."
"No, I'm sure he'll be found," Wendy said, although she couldn't help the feeling of despair that crept into her heart. Not Trevor, she thought, picturing his innocent face and his red curls. Then something clicked in her brain and she let out a small cry.
"I know where he is!" She exclaimed.
"You do?" Mrs. Nancy said, bolting out of her chair.
"Yes, he's in Neverland." Wendy was furious at herself for not recognizing him sooner, although she had been impaired by that medicine.
"Neverland? Is that an amusement park or something?"
"Yes, something like that. I can't believe it! Tootles!" Wendy began pacing. "I don't know if I'll be able to find it again, but I have to try. Plus, I have to give Peter's shoes back."
"Oh dear, I went a bit crazy myself," Mrs. Nancy said knowingly, but Wendy ignored her.
"Boys!" Wendy called, and a few of them appeared before her. "If you all tidy up the house and get your studies done before I get back, you'll all get ice cream."
"Yes, Miss Wendy," the boys sang, rushing off to clean.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Wendy said as she ran out the door, leaving a dumbfounded Mrs. Nancy staring out after her.
Wendy had been groggy when Tink had guided her through the tunnels that morning, but she was confident that she at least knew where she had emerged. She walked through the streets of Chinatown until she saw the red lanterns overhead and detected the strong scents of ginger coming from a small restaurant. She turned into an alley and entered the second tunnel on the right. She reached down and pulled off one of the baubles from Peter's shoe, remembering that he had used it as a lantern before. She twisted the device and the tunnel filled with light.
She went about 20 paces before she came to a section that split off into three different paths.
"Oh, this is hopeless," she murmured, recalling how many twists and turns there had been, how many hours it had taken to get there and back. Suddenly she heard a scratching sound coming from the path on the left, and swallowing her fear, she followed it.
She came upon a squirrel chewing on some piece of food. It froze when she came near, but after a few seconds it resumed it's munching, then continued on a few meters to find another piece of food. Wendy studied the parcel in the animal's mouth. She looked on down the tunnel and saw another one ahead. She walked forwards and bent down to inspect it. It looked like a broken piece of those animal crackers they had at Mrs. Nancy's. The ones Trevor liked so much.
She slapped her hand to her head and laughed. That clever, clever boy. He had remembered the story of Hansel and Gretel, and this was the trail he had left. Wendy rushed ahead, following the cracker pieces and praying that other animals hadn't already scavenged the rest of them.
There were only a few turns where Wendy got lost, but she doubled back until she found Trevor's trail. After a few hours she arrived at the door of the huge cavern. Her spirits sank as she looked at the numeric pad. It had been a complicated code and she couldn't even begin to guess what it was. She supposed she could just wait there until someone came out, but as far as she knew the only people that came through here were Peter and Tink. She could be waiting for days.
"But the Crocodile must come this way too," she mused aloud, recalling that the mysterious woman brought in their supplies. She must have brought Trevor in as well. Wendy glanced around and saw a slim box next to the door. She pried the box open and found an intercom.
Peering down at Peter's shoes, she saw the device with the small microphone and speaker. The voice changer. She grabbed it off the shoe and turned the dial until it read: Crocodile. She took a deep breath and pushed the intercom button. This was her only chance.
"James!" She yelled into the voice changer. "Open the portal!"
The voice had definitely not sounded like her own, but she didn't know if the tone was convincing enough. She stood there in silence for several terrifying moments, and then the door slid open. Beyond it, she saw the far wall of the cavern splitting open to reveal Neverland.
"Okay, that obstacle is out of the way," she murmured. "Now how do I get down there?" She didn't know how to call up the basket, so the only other option was to... fly? She dashed into the supply depot and grabbed out anything metallic that she could wear; a couple belts, a weird bracelet, and a vest that was covered in buttons. Wendy then pulled the lever that released the pixie dust and did the best she could to rub it onto her clothes, skin, and into her hair.
Then she stood on the ledge, shaking.
There is a very good chance I'll die, she thought. All at once the walls began to close, and her fear was enveloped by a sense of urgency. She screamed and jumped out into the air, plummeting down towards the beautiful landscape of Neverland.
Wendy felt pulses of the repelling forces as she neared the ground, but they only sent her spinning in different directions. She spread her arms and legs out and felt a little more resistance, but she was still falling far too quickly. What had Peter said? Avoid the lagoon and the silver mountains. She focused on the jungle and tried to guide her body towards the towering trees. With some effort she got her feet under her, where she knew she had the most power on the soles of her shoes. She lifted a little. She clumsily wove back and forth above a grouping of large rocks, stalling and falling at turns. She was still descending too fast when she hit the ground, but to her surprise, the ground swallowed her.
For several horrific moments she was engulfed in something spongy, and then the matter seized up and shot her back into the air. She had completely forgotten about the trampoline moss. She quickly repositioned herself with her feet towards the ground and her arms spread wide. She hit the jungle floor hard and rolled to the side. Her feet and legs stung, but otherwise she was fine.
Wendy let out a long breath and slowly got to her feet, trying to get her bearings. She had just recognized a path that led to the lost boys' house when she heard a voice behind her.
"Ah, Miss Wendy, I should have known."
She spun around and found herself face to face with Captain Hook. His eyes darted around and then he pulled Wendy underneath the canopy of a large tree.
"You shouldn't have come back," he hissed.
"But, I had to! I-"
"Ah yes, young love," he interrupted, his eyes misting over. "I suspect you can't bear to be away from him. He's very lucky to have found you."
"What? No, I didn't-"
"Don't worry, I understand. I was once in love myself." His face hardened. "And it got me into this mess, which is why I must urge you again to leave Neverland! It's even more dangerous now than ever!"
"No!" Wendy protested. "I can't leave until-"
"Well, if you're determined, I won't try to stop you. But I did warn you, so now my hands are clean." He looked like he was going to leave, but then he stopped and considered Wendy. "You're a bright girl, aren't you?"
"I... suppose."
"Maybe you can help." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large key. He pressed it into her hand and looked at her meaningfully. "I seem to have misplaced this key to the cabin of the ship where all the lost boys and pirates are locked up," he whispered. "The Crocodile would be so angry if they got out. It might even thwart her plans to kill Peter in the Imagination Tower." Wendy gasped and Hook put his finger to her lips. "And I believe Tink is trapped in central control with no oxygen supply."
He pulled away from her, grinning.
"Oh dear, I've said too much." Then he turned and disappeared into the trees.