Page 27 of The First Lost Boy (The Shadows of Neverland Duet #2)

Belle

After she makes shadows for everyone barren of them and affixes them to their bodies and minds with a glowing, gentle touch, the First Star walks away from us and back up the shore where she begins to blaze. Gathering energy, she launches herself into the sky once more in a trajectory that traces right to the spot where two beautiful stars seem to burn brighter than they ever have.

It’s up to us to pick up the pieces of the lives left ruined.

My parents are caring for the still-sleeping Ava and Hudson. My family watches over the other Lost still on Neverland, and those aboard the ship are being cared for by the ones Ava returned the shadows to before Imani resurfaced.

Back home in Savannah, I’d almost convinced myself that she’d already left Ava and had poured herself into a new host. There had been no sign of her for so long. But I was wrong.

Ezryn had long-since torched our homes, so we take the ones the Lost left behind as shelter for our elders tonight. Tomorrow, new ones will be built.

As would the memories of those lying asleep on the shore and aboard Hudson’s ship.

Most of the treehouses were occupied, but one had been used for storage and housed old furniture, tools, and weapons in need of repair. I might have knocked over a dozen dusty fishing poles when I forced the stuck door open and unleashed a billion dust motes into the air. Another treehouse revealed Ezryn’s personal treasure trove.

That’s where I focus my attention.

Ezryn’s trove looks like the apartment Ava and I left behind. Its walls are lined in copies of Peter Pan, a story Ezryn thought himself so clever to inspire.

I laugh, wondering if Mrs. Jennings has forced her nosy self inside and seen my little collection.

Unlike the books in our home, these have important information scrawled just inside their covers. The tomes are numbered. All have names. Some even have addresses, descriptions of pets, and what the child was wearing when they were taken to Neverland.

None of them but Ava, thanks to Imani, remembered much of anything of their lives by the time they got to the island, and I can’t imagine how difficult it will be to tell if their families are still in these places, or if grief and time forced them to move out and move on.

In a simple wooden box, its top carved with oak leaves and acorns, are trinkets. More pocket watches, a thimble that Wendy Darling had in her pocket when she arrived, too many coins to count, a Babe Ruth baseball card… which I slip into my pocket… candies whose once-vivid wrappers have dulled, a couple bottle caps, a key, a small model car, snail shells, and rocks.

I fish around to see if I’ve missed anything and rake over something surprising. Ava’s obliterated cell phone and several of the pieces that it once held inside. Ezryn must have gone into the cave and found it at some point. Maybe when he was looking for Grim the day he cornered Hudson and Ava inside.

Easing the lid closed, I look around, overwhelmed.

How are we going to get everyone home, and when we do, what then? The world has expanded in ways most of them won’t understand.

There’s a knock at the door.

My father waits just outside. “Peter is awake. I thought you’d like to see him.”

“Thank you.”

He focuses on the books stacked around the small room. It’s a wonder their weight didn’t buckle this shack.

“There’s one for everyone he took from Neverland, except for Ava.”

“Why not her?” he asks, leaning against the frame.

“She was taken from outside. Most of the others he took at night, from their bedrooms.”

Bones told me of his memories. How Ezryn took Wendy, then Michael, and finally returned for him. Many of the others whose true shadows were returned have similar stories.

“Is Ava still sleeping?” I ask.

Father nods.

I want her to wake up. I want to see her eyes and be in one of the first memories she makes while wearing her new shadow. I don’t want her to forget me when she leaves Neverland.

He clears his throat. “We’ve fully restored the ship you raised.”

“Already?”

Father nods. “It will carry them home. Several pixies have offered to go along and help them find their way – or provide them with resources to start anew – depending on the situation.”

“The mainland has many shores, Father.”

He smiles. “Indeed it does. I believe we should endeavor to reach the one you called home for so long.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“I’ll have someone start distributing these books to their rightful owners,” he offers. “You should go to Peter.”

“Thank you, Father.”

He regally inclines his head and steps aside to give me room to leave this house and worry behind.

“Belle,” he says as I start past him. When he holds out an arm, I run to him, hugging his neck and squeezing him as tightly as he does me. “I missed you.”

Relief courses through me. “I missed you, too. I thought you would be angry with me.”

“Oh, sweet girl. I understand why you left and know that you wouldn’t have if there were any other way.”

AVA

When I wake, someone is sitting in a chair, watching me.

And as I look him over, my chest tightens. Not uncomfortably, but strangely…

Who is he?

From his scuffed boots to the dark pants hugging his thighs, from the broad leather belt cinched at his waist to the white shirt buttoned over his tanned chest, and from his long, dark hair to the silver scar that streaks through his brow like a meteor across the night sky, to the intricate silver hook in place of his left hand, he looks as confused as I feel.

Maybe it’s the way his brows meet, or the pinch of his lips. Maybe it’s the way his dark lashes flutter over dark green eyes – the shade of a forest’s heart – like he’s trying to understand or remember me, too.

I know him from somewhere.

He smells like the sea.

It’s a comforting scent.

I sit up on the thin bed and a strange patchwork quilt falls to my waist. I’m wearing cut-off shorts and a tank top that reads: Lifeguard .

“Hello,” he rasps.

“Hey,” I greet before looking around.

The room is rustic and unfamiliar, and outside the propped-open window is a bird perched on the branch of a tree. It trills, then skips sideways as it sidles closer to us. A loud bang from somewhere outside sends it flying away.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know your name…” he starts. “But do you know where we are?”

My lips peel apart. “No.” And I don’t know my name, either.

“I just woke up here a few minutes ago. I think I’m going to go find out what’s going on.” He stands, inclines his head to me, and leaves the room.

I scramble to my feet. “Wait! I’m coming with you.”

He gives an ornery smile, his green eyes flicking to read the word on my shirt. “Think I’ll need saving?”

Butterflies flip in my stomach. “You never know.”