Chapter Ten

"Wendy..." a soft voice whispered from the dark.

Stirring in her bed, Wendy recognized the familiar voice immediately. Her heart began to race.

"Pete?" she asked, sitting up. She felt a little weak, but tried not to let it show.

"Hi," Pete smiled shyly. He was sitting on her bed, just inches away from her. "I hope you don't mind me visiting so soon. I know that we just saw each other this afternoon."

Shaking her head emphatically, she answered, "I don't mind, Pete. I was hoping you would come back."

Wendy's eyes adjusted to the warm glow of the night light in her room. Or was the glow coming from Pete? It was so hard to tell! Her tired gaze settled on his hypnotic smile. It was possibly the nicest smile she had ever seen, and she vaguely wondered how she hadn't noticed it before.

"Do you wanna have some fun?" he asked in a playful manner.

"Well, I don't know. What did you have in mind?" Wendy asked, trying not to sound too excited. Meeting Pete was one of the most thrilling things that had happened to her in a long while and she was anxious to do whatever he wanted. But she was stubborn, and didn't want to let him see how eager she felt.

"I was wondering if you'd like to see where I live?"

Where he lives? Wendy asked herself. She had never thought of him living anywhere before.

"Where do you live, Pete?" she asked, suddenly very curious.

"I live in The Neverlands, and it's the most amazing place in all of the universe!" he explained, excitement highlighting his voice.

"Is it far?'' Wendy asked.

"Not at all, as a matter of fact. *It's just past the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning."

"What?!" she laughed, unable to contain her disbelief.

"Will you come with me?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"How...will we get there?" Wendy asked, realizing he was serious.

"We're going to fly, of course! We'll use the stars to guide our way."

Reaching for Pete's outstretched hand, she stood up from the bed and walked with him toward the window. Wendy was excited that they were going to fly again, but unsure as to where Pete was planning on taking her.

"Pete," she hesitated, "I'm not so sure about this..."

"It's okay, Wendy, everything will be fine. Do you trust me?"

There was that question again. Yes, she trusted him. She wasn't sure why, but she trusted him with her life.

"Are we really flying to the stars?" she asked cautiously.

Pete laughed, "I'm sorry. That was a little complicated," he grinned. "It's easy, really. All you have to do is think of a wonderful thought."

"A wonderful thought? Like presents on Christmas morning?" Wendy asked, feeling herself giggle with anticipation.

"Like presents on Christmas morning! Or maybe mermaids in a lagoon, underneath a magic moon! When there's a smile in your heart, you can achieve anything!"

Wendy gripped Pete's hand tighter as they walked to the open window. The cool night air gently moved her lace curtains, and she inhaled deeply, excited to see where their adventure would take them.

When they jumped from the window, Wendy let out a small cry of joy. It felt like her stomach had flown away, just like when she rode the roller coasters at the amusement park. How scary and exhilarating and dangerous and free! She had felt so many emotions at the same time she swore her heart would burst from the excitement of it all.

She looked at Pete, who was watching her intently. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked with a knowing smile on his lips.

"You know I am!" she laughed, and nudged his shoulder with hers.

She noticed her hand was still in his, and she didn't dare let go.

A thought suddenly occurred to her and her free hand flew to her head. Her wig! She was not wearing it.

Wendy's eyes darted anxiously to Pete's face and she noticed a look of worry shadow across his handsome features.

"Wendy...it's okay," Pete began softly. "You don't have to put on an act for me. I enjoy being with you no matter what you look like. To me, you are always beautiful," he said and looked away, embarrassed by his confession.

Shyly, she dropped her hand from her head. She didn't have to pretend with him. Deep down, she knew that she didn't... He wasn't afraid of her. And when he said it out loud, she felt like he had set her free. She didn't have to worry about what she looked like, and she didn't have to worry about being sick. She could enjoy the moment. And it was unlike any moment that she had ever experienced before in her life. She was flying...again! And it was all because of this magical boy who invaded her dreams.

Well now, it wasn't really invading if she wanted him there, right?

"Thank you, Pete," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She coughed lightly to keep from crying out loud.

Pete stared at her and gave her a small smile, but didn't say a word. He held her hand tightly and looked into her eyes. Wendy felt her heart leap, and this time it wasn't from their flight. Her stomach felt like there were hundreds of chaotic butterflies chasing each other!

Pete's eyes danced with unspoken words, but she sensed that he felt the same way. Finally, he broke their gaze. "Here we are."

"Already?" Wendy gasped. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but she imagined The Neverlands would have been much farther away. She hadn't even noticed how they had gotten there!

Looking beneath them, she noticed they were quickly approaching an immense tree-covered mountain surrounded by a beautiful body of water that glistened as blue as the sky.

When did the sun come out? Wendy observed. It's rays showered everything with a brilliant golden light more radiant than anything she had ever seen.

"Oh my goodness! Pete..." Wendy felt breathless with awe.

"I told you it was amazing," he commented in his matter-of-fact way as they began their descension down the mountain.

They landed with a soft thud, and Wendy looked around her in delight.

The mountain was the tallest peak in The Neverlands, from what she could tell, and it felt like she could see for an eternity in every direction.

The backdrop was an array of colors ranging from pastel blues to rich burgundies and every color in between. The trees that littered the mountain made up many of those hues and were the most peculiar shapes she had ever seen. She felt like she was in the middle of a Picasso painting! In fact, everywhere she looked reminded her of a brightly colored work of art, from the ships in the bay to the clouds in the sky. Everything appeared to be magical.

"This is where you live?" Wendy asked Pete in wonder.

"This is where I live," Pete smiled proudly. "Welcome to The Neverlands. This is Neverspeak Mountain. It's the central landmark in The Neverlands."

Wendy looked all around, "This is amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" she exclaimed, taking it all in. "The view is incredible!"

"That's because you can see anywhere in the world when you stand on top of this mountain. This is where I first saw you," he added with a shy smile. "Look over there..." he said and directed her sharply to the right. "You'll have to squint your eyes and stand on your tip toes, but you'll see it."

Obediently, Wendy did as Pete had instructed. Just as she was about to complain that she didn't see anything special...there it was.

"My house!" she squealed in delight. "That is my house, isn't it?"

"It is," Pete laughed, enjoying Wendy's excitement.

"I can't believe it! But...how?" she questioned.

*"Because this is where dreams are born...and time is never planned," he answered solemnly, the smile leaving his face.

A chill went up Wendy's spine as she looked at Pete. He was staring off into the distance, the twinkle in his eye faded. He looked so pensive that it made Wendy nervous. Was something wrong?

But just as quickly as the moment appeared, it passed, and Pete looked at Wendy with a smile.

There is something that he is not telling, Wendy thought to herself. But before she had a chance to question it further, Pete's smile brightened, as though he had an idea.

"Let's go down to the bay and I will show you what swims there!"

Before Wendy could answer, they were flying through the sky again, heading toward the enchanting blue water.

They landed on the white sandy beach and walked onto a dock. The dock was long and made of a beautiful knotty wood, and at the end stood a picturesque lighthouse.

"This is absolutely amazing, Pete! I have never been to any place so beautiful!"

Pete laughed, "This is Neverbay, and you haven't seen anything yet!"

Walking down the dock toward the lighthouse, they stopped so that Wendy could look into the crystal blue water. Suddenly, she saw what appeared to be a large and colorful fish swimming purposely toward them. She grabbed ahold of Pete's arm, worried that the fish might jump and she would lose her balance.

Pete laughed quietly next to her and put his arm around her waist to steady her. Without warning, a large splash erupted,  causing Wendy to blink her eyes in disbelief.

Emerging from the bay was a beautiful young girl with golden hair that fell in soft waves down her back. Even though she had been completely emerged in the deep water, her hair was as glorious as if she had just had it curled.

"Hello, Pete," the enchanting girl smiled.

"Hello, Lorelei! It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Pete asked with a charming smile.

"Isn't it always?" Lorelei laughed lightly. "Who's your friend?" she asked, looking at Wendy.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Where are my manners? Lorelei, this is Wendy... And Wendy, allow me to introduce you to Lorelei," he smiled.

"Ahhh, Wendy. It's nice to finally meet you." She gave Wendy a spectacular grin.

Finally? 

"It's nice to meet you, Lorelei," Wendy said, but did not return the smile. She felt a little jealous, in spite of herself.

As if reading her mind, Lorelei laughed and bid them farewell, "Catch you later, Pete," she said with a wink, and with that made an impressive flip into the deep blue water, her long fin gleaming brilliant shades of gold and pink in the sunlight.

Wendy gasped, "A mermaid?" she exclaimed to herself.

Pete chuckled, enjoying every moment of Wendy's shock. She looked at him with wide eyes, and then joined him in his laughter.

"I can't believe this is where you live! Do you have a house?" she questioned, her eyes alive with enthusiasm.

"Of course I have a house," Pete chuckled. "Would you like to see it?"

Wendy shook her head yes, and reached for Pete's hand. She knew it was a prerequisite in order to fly, and she was more then happy to feel his hand around hers.

Pete laughed and their feet left the ground.

Welcome to Chasing Neverland!

If you enjoyed this chapter, I ask that you kindly consider leaving me a vote/comment. Thank you so much for reading!

This chapter is dedicated to the amazing author @KatieSpektor! Check out her story Seize the Day!

*J.M. Barrie quote from original Peter Pan