Angela Darling tried to hide her giddiness as she gazed across the lagoon from the pirate ship. It had taken some convincing for James to let her come along, but she wasn't about to pass on an opportunity to search for buried treasure. She had even delayed her return to London in order to participate in this once in a lifetime experience. They had gotten their network partially functioning and would be able to lift her up to the manhole in an elevator of sorts, but she had pressed James to let her help find the treasure before she went back.
Although Mrs. Darling was stressed about the time she had been away from work and from Wendy, she had become fascinated by this underground world and had found great joy in exploring it. It was like a childhood fantasy come to life. She had even spent some time with James and had come to understand in part why he had retreated to this place for so long, and she had forgiven him of some of his faults. She knew it was impossible for her to stay in Neverland, but she relished the opportunity of this one last adventure before her return to her normal life.
"How much longer is this going to take?" Detective Dugglesworth whined. "I think I'm getting seasick."
"Just a few minutes more," James replied from the helm, looking quite impressive as he steered the ship. "And my dear detective, I assure you these will be among the calmest waters you will ever sail."
Detective Dugglesworth turned away, his perpetually sour expression altered by the odd gleam in his eye. James, perhaps in an effort to be completely honest, had told Angela about the deal he had made with the detective. She couldn't say she approved of the plan, that treasure should be returned to the bank, but she was sympathetic to his need for self preservation.
Next to Detective Dugglesworth was his young associate, Jack Baker. After the initial shock of finding himself in Neverland, this young man had become as intrigued by it as Angela was. He was inquisitive and affable, and he got along with both the boys and the pirates. Angela wondered if he was also going to receive compensation for his silence. He didn't seem like the underhanded type, but then, she didn't know him that well. The other member of their expedition was a boy called Nibs. While he was one of the shortest of his cohort, he seemed to be the most mature. Maybe that was why James had chosen him to come, along with his extensive supply of tools and gadgets. Everyone else was going to stay on the ship for backup, except for that mouthy girl, Tink, who apparently almost always stayed in central control.
"Here we are," announced James, slowing the ship as they neared some steep cliffs.
The boy Nibs jumped up and pulled several small contraptions from his pack. "Put this on," he instructed, handing Angela what appeared to be goggles and tubes.
"What is it?"
"It's a forever breathe mask."
It took a little bit of time to get the tubes figured out, but once she had secured the mask, she followed the others to the side of the ship. James climbed up on the edge and faced them.
"It shouldn't be too far to the chambers, but stay close to me." And with that, he dove into the lagoon.
They all followed him in one by one. Angela had just a moment of anxiety before she jumped off the ship. The water was pleasant and clear, and for several seconds she just concentrated on following James as they swam down into the lagoon. But then she started to notice the fish. Huge, glistening fish in the most vibrant colors. Every now and then she would see a sea turtle lazily swimming among the other aquatic life.
Angela was studying a particularly colorful fish when she felt a tug on her arm. She turned her head and nearly screamed. Floating before her was a girl, a beautiful girl with golden hair and glistening skin and bright blue eyes. Angela looked down and saw a large pink tail where the girl's legs should be. A mermaid, Angela thought. But how could it be? Mesmerized, Angela swam a bit closer. The girl smiled at her, but in the next instant she ripped the forever breathe mask off of Angela's face and began to strangle her. Angela struggled to get the girl's slender fingers off of her neck, but her grip was astonishingly strong. Angela looked around for help, but saw three or four other mermaids attacking the others. Flashes of blue, red, gold and green came in and out of her vision as she watched the girls wrap their tails around their victims and drag them down into the depths of the lagoon.
Suddenly something big and fast hit Angela in the side and the mermaid released her. Angela floundered for a bit and then found her bearings and tried to see what was going on. A blur of purple and black was swimming extremely fast around the others. Every once in a while, Angela would catch a purple tail slapping at the mermaids. When it finally slowed, Angela saw that it was yet another mermaid, with a dark purple tail and a fierce expression. She made large gestures with her hands, and although Angela didn't understand the sign language, she could guess the nature of the message. Finally, the purple-tailed mermaid made an elaborate gesture with her hips that seemed to provoke the other mermaids. They all made horrid screeching noises and charged at her as she swam off into the darkness.
When they had all disappeared, she felt a hand around her waist and something being shoved into her face. At first she resisted, but then she saw it was James, forcing his own mask over her mouth. She took several deep breaths. With all the chaos, she hadn't realized how long she had been without air. James motioned for the others to follow, then swam with Angela towards an ornate, circular door embedded into the cliffs. It appeared that Jack Baker had also lost his mask and was sharing with Nibs. The door was covered with carvings of shapes and animals. James studied it for a moment, then nodded and pressed a bird, a star, and a spiderweb simultaneously. The door slid open and James gestured for everyone to swim inside.
The space inside the door was only about the size of a small closet, and it was a tight squeeze to get all five of them in. Angela wasn't the only one who panicked when the door began to close behind them. Detective Dugglesworth was thrashing about, and James had to restrain him. They were in complete darkness for a few seconds, and then Angela felt the water being expelled from the room. Suddenly, there was a series of clicking noises, and the wall in front of them split open to reveal a large, empty chamber.