Peter stepped closer to her, staring at the marks in dis-belief.
“I’ve been drawing that same tree for weeks now,” Wendy murmured, unable to find her voice with Peter standing so close. “But not on purpose.” Peter gave her a confused look. “Like, I wouldn’t notice I was doing it. I would be writing a grocery list and then I’d space out for a second, and the next thing I knew there would be drawings all over it.”
Peter took her arm carefully with one hand and gently brushed his fingers along the faded red marks. There was a deep crease between his freckled brows. The sudden closeness made warmth swell in Wendy’s chest.
“I think there’s a part of me that remembers what happened, and it’s trying to lead me in the right direction. I think that’s why I keep drawing that tree…” She paused, collecting her bravery before adding, “And you.”
Peter’s eyes snagged hers, still worried but with a touch of curiosity. “Me?”
Wendy could only nod. Heat flamed in her cheeks.
She was acutely aware that she hadn’t been this close to him since she found him on the road. The light flecks in his deep blue eyes sparked in the sunlight.
She couldn’t think clearly with him this close. Wendy cleared her throat and took a step back, pulling her arm away from him.
Peter seemed unfazed by it and let his hands fall back to his sides, still stuck in his own head.
Wendy knew the feeling. She started walking down the road again and Peter followed.
“This is bad,” he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “It’s never been this strong before. With all of the kids it’s taken, it’s getting too powerful,” Peter tried to explain. “Every day I’m getting weaker, and it’s getting stronger. We need to stop it, Wendy. And soon. If we don’t, who knows what it’ll be able to do.”
Wendy thought for a moment. They still needed more answers, and there was really only one way of doing that, right? She shook her head and rubbed her collarbone. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” she mumbled to herself, “but I think we need to go into the woods and find that tree.”
Peter reeled back. “What?”
“If what I saw was a memory, then there’s obviously something important about that tree,” she told him. “And all those drawings? They have to be some sort of clue. I mean, I saw your shadow there, too—maybe that’s where it’s hiding? Maybe that’s where they are—those missing kids and my brothers?” She hated herself for even suggesting it, but if it meant getting her brothers back, then she had no choice.
“It might just be an imaginary tree,” Peter pressed. “It might not mean anything at all. Or what if it’s a trap being set up by my shadow?” He gestured toward the woods.
“I can’t say that it’s not a trap,” Wendy confessed. “But we have to try.”
Peter glanced over his shoulder into the trees. “I don’t know, Wendy,” he said uneasily.
“What other option do we have?” Wendy asked. Peter didn’t seem to have an answer. “We should try to find it. Maybe today? We still have enough daylight to at least start looking.”
He still seemed unconvinced.
“Look, you’re the one who said you needed my help to stop your shadow, remember?” Wendy pointed out. “And since when is Peter Pan afraid of danger?”
Peter scowled at her. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
Wendy couldn’t help but grin.
They stopped at the corner of the street. They had made it to a small shopping area between Wendy’s house and downtown. There was a convenience store, a gas station, and a couple of mom-and-pop shops. A pair of women were out, walking their kids in strollers, but a majority of the people meandering about were other teenagers enjoying their summer break.
“Should we head back and start looking now?” Wendy asked, turning to Peter. “I think we’re going to have to go pretty deep into the woods because of how old that tree looked…”
Peter didn’t seem to be listening. He was craning his neck around, looking down the different streets.
“Should we look for clues somewhere?” She had no idea how to go about solving a mystery. She felt like she had been dropped into the middle of a Scooby Doo episode. “How do you even go about looking for clues that’ll lead you to a supernatural shadow? This is all new to me,” she said.
And Peter was entirely useless.