Wendy grinned. “So help me, Peter Pan,” she said, gently shaking her head, “if you start this whole thing all over again, I will kill you myself.”
He laughed and it sounded like music. “Noted,” he said.
They landed on solid ground. When Peter leaned back to look her in the face, it was hard not to chase after him, to burrow back into his warmth.
“You did it!” Peter beamed.
Wendy could only nod and laugh, rubbing her blurry eyes with the heel of her palm.
Peter’s head tipped to the side. “But how?”
Sniffling, her shoulders bunched up in a shrug. “It tried to take you—”
“Wendy?” The quiet, trembling voice came from behind her.
Alex stood there, knees wobbling under the hem of his hoodie. His fists, knotted into the long sleeves, covered his mouth as he stared up at Wendy with worried brown eyes. Behind him, Matthew and Joel still huddled close, their heads swiveling as they looked around the clearing. Ashley stood erect and tense, the muscles in her throat taut. Off to the side, Benjamin openly gaped at Peter.
“It tried to take you,” Wendy repeated, “but we didn’t let it.”
“Are you all right?” Matthew asked, worry pinching his expression.
Wendy nodded, a relieved laugh escaping her.
Peter stooped down in front of Alex. “Everything is all right!” he said cheerily, placing a hand on the boy’s small shoulder. “You were incredibly brave,” he said, beaming at each of them in turn. “That shadow didn’t stand a chance!”
“Is it going to come back?” Ashley asked, her voice tight.
Peter stood, his fists resting on his hips. Automatically, Wendy’s eyes went to the ground beneath Peter—but, of course, it was nighttime and they were standing in the middle of the woods. There wasn’t enough light to check for his shadow. Wendy’s stomach gave an uneasy twist, but Peter’s expression was confident.
“After what you did to it?” He waved a hand dismissively. “That shadow is too cowardly to try messing with you again.”
The air shifted, the tension easing with relieved sighs and slumping shoulders.
Benjamin, however, still had the same bug-eyed look of astonishment on his face as he stared at Peter.
“Ben—？”
“Are you Peter Pan?” he blurted out.
Wendy froze. She looked at Peter.
“Who?” He glanced around, pointing a finger at himself. “Me?” His head tipped back and he let out a sharp laugh. “Of course not!” Slowly, he lifted off the ground, hovering in mid-air. Hands on his hips, head cocked, and eyebrows raised. “Everyone knows fairy tales aren’t real.”
Benjamin stumbled back, eyes bulging.
Sounds of shock and amazement went through the group. Their faces lit up with smiles.
Peter threw Wendy a wink. A slow smile curved her lips.
“Hello?” A distant voice rang out, causing everyone to jump. Alex was suddenly latched to Wendy’s leg.
Far off, beams of light cut back and forth among the densely crowded trees. Voices bounced around the woods, accompanied by the soft thuds of footfalls and rustling underbrush.
“Is anybody out there?” another voice echoed.
“The search parties,” Wendy breathed with a sigh of relief.
Peter landed soundlessly at her side. “I can’t let them see me,” he told her.
“No—you need to go,” she told him, already pressing her hands to his chest.
Peter hesitated, a mixture of emotions flickering across his face.
Wendy felt it, too—the unwillingness to leave his side—but it was going to be a very long and complicated night, and Peter’s involvement would just make matters worse. Wendy gave him another gentle push. “Find me after,” Wendy told him firmly, her fingers gripping the front of his shirt.
It took another moment, but Peter sucked his lips between his teeth and gave a curt nod. His T-shirt slipped between her fingers, and he flew off into trees.
The flashlights got brighter, joined by more voices and footsteps.
“We’re over here!” Wendy called, waving her arm and squinting into the lights.
CHAPTER 22
Found
It seemed like only minutes before the entire clearing was filled with people. Their vehicles couldn’t make it all the way in because of the dense trees, but they pulled up to the nearest logging road. Paramedics and cops swarmed Wendy and the children, asking questions and checking to be sure they were all right.
Wendy was worried they’d say something about Peter. She kept getting distracted from what the medic was asking her, cutting glances over to the kids being questioned by the cops. But every snippet of conversation she caught was distinctly absent of Peter. They exchanged looks and caught glances from one another between the cops and paramedics. They were all nervous, maybe even a little scared, but under that Wendy could feel the pulse of excitement and triumph. She felt it in her own veins and caught a glimpse of it in the smiles that flickered over their faces.