Chapter 2: ✩

                                    

                                          
A man with black hair and beard stepped out of the darkness. He had a hook instead of a hand. I guess that's why Peter called him that - Hook. 
"Is that a pirate?", I whispered.
"I am, love", he said with a little vow and a mocking smile on his face. Of course he heard me. 
"What brings you here? I didn't think you'd come back", Peter said.
Hook's facial expression changed instantly into pure anger.
"Since you already heard about my new nickname", he held up his hook, "you'll probably know about other things that happened as well."
"I'm sorry about your loss. Well, both of them. First your brother. Now Mila."
In Hook's eyes I saw pain when Peter said these words. I wondered who Mila was. Probably the pirate's lover. Peter on the other side didn't seem to pity their deaths at all.
                          
"You knew he would die. My brother. You knew he couldn't leave the Island, but you didn't tell me."
"I did tell you. And you know that. All magic comes..."
"With a price. Yes, I know that too well now."
"I think it would be best if you'd go back to your ship. I'm not gonna send you away, but you're free to go." 
With that Peter grabbed my arm and pulled me with him as he walked away from Hook. 
"I'm not gonna ask", I said to Peter as we left Hook behind.
"Good idea."
"You  can tell me anyway."
He didn't say anything. We just walked next to each other without saying another word. 
                          
Finally the trees got less and we came to another place that looked a bit like a camp. There were wooden huts in the trees and wooden sitting places around a bonfire in the middle. A group of boys were sitting at the fire or dancing around it. They just looked so free as they danced in the night with nothing, but the fire giving them light. Wait, the night?
"The sun was out when I arrived. Now it's dark. How's that possible?"
"Anything's possible in Neverland", Peter said looking down at me.
"Who are these boys?"
"I call them the Lost Boys."
"Why?"
"They came here, because they didn't feel loved."
"Is that why you're here?"
"I'd like to show you something", he said and started to walk away.
"Do we have to walk again? My feet hurt", I whined as I tried to catch up with him.
"It's not far from here. I promise." 
He looked at me, then smiled.
"What?", I asked confused.
Peter just grabbed me as response and picked me up bridal style.
"What are you doing?", I shriecked.
"Making it easier for you", he said with an adorable chuckle.
                          
Then we suddenly stood at a cliff. Peter must have teleported us here the way he did earlier when he appeared in front of me. He softly put me down to the ground. Silently he sat besides me.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Look up."
"Wow."
Above us were like a thousand stars. 
"That's so beautiful."
I looked at the stars for a few minutes until I looked at Peter again. I noticed that he was staring at me when he quickly looked away. 
"My parents died when I was young. I cant even really remember them. I lived in a children's home for two years. That wasn't a pleasurable, really. It's not like anybody liked me. Whether the children nor the people who worked there. After that I lived in a foster family. I remember how happy I was. Finally someone accepted me. The middle aged couple seemed to be so nice at first. But they weren't. They screamed at me and hit me. All I wanted was to leave this place. So I found this magic bean that could take you to other worlds. I remembered how I dreamed about Neverland so many times and we... I mean I decided to go there. Other boys got here and now you're here. Still you're the first person I've ever opened up to. "
I listened to his story without interrupting him. It actually made my eyes water. Nobody should live this way. Ever.
"So this is why you came here."
"I'm not gonna lie. I've done bad things as well in my past. A lot of them."
"I don't mind."
He looked at me with a dark expression.
"Maybe I'm still bad."
"I don't think so."
"How?"
"I don't know. It's just a feeling."
"Just be careful."
                          
I didn't know what to say to that. Why would I had to be careful? Who did I need to fear? The Lost Boys? Hook? Someone from home? Or even Peter himself?
We talked a lot after that. He opened up a bit and I told him about my family and my life at home. And he told me about Neverland and all the amazing stuff you can do here.
"I need to get back to my family."
I waited for him to object, but he just said: "Yeah, you're probably right. My shadow will take you home."
The shadow appeared so quickly as if it only had waited to make its next appearance.
Just like a few hours a go, which felt like a lifetime, it reached down for my hand. Before I grabbed it I turned to Peter again.
"Will I see you again?"
"Maybe."
"See you then", I said and did something really brave: I kissed him on the cheek. The left one. I felt him tensing up under my touch. After that I took the shadow's offered hand and we flew into the night without looking back. I didn't even realize that Peter Pan watched me as I flew away with his shadow.