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“Neverland is beautiful in its own way.” She wraps her arms around her legs and folds into herself. “All of it is magic, so much of it you can feel it on your skin, taste it on the tip of your tongue. Like honeysuckle and cloudberries.” She lifts her head, eyes wide. “I do miss the cloudberries. He misses the magic.”
Mom lays her cheek to her knees. “They broke their promise,” she mutters. “They broke their promise to me.” “What promise?” “I don’t know how to stop him,” Mom whispers, ignoring me. “I don’t know if it’s enough.”
None of this is real. Except for the madness. That I am worried about.
Will it be like a light switch? One minute I’m sane, the next I’m not? The thought of losing my mind terrifies me more than some boogeyman.
I don’t want to be mad. I reach out for a bottle of ibuprofen. I’ve taken so many over the years, I barely know relief from them anymore. The floor creaks beyond the hall. I snatch my hand back.
Mom. I race down the hall and hurry into the room, but she’s still on the cot sleeping soundly. My heart rams into my throat. Another board creaks.
Slowly, I shut the bedroom door behind me, and slide the lock closed. We don’t have any weapons, nothing practical. We spent all of our money on useless magic.
Breath held, I grit my teeth together. The doorknob turns. I slowly back away from it. Has it started already? Have I already lost my mind? Thunder cracks through the sky. The lock thunks open as if by magic and a boot pushes the door in. The hinges squeak.
I look at Mom again. Was there more to her stories than I was willing to beli...
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Mom lurches awake. “Baby, what’s the time—” “Shhhh.” I hurry to her side and give her a shake. But it’s too late. The door is open and he fil...
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Silver rings on his fingers reflect the flame. Dark tattoos cover his hands. There are several strips of string and leather tied around his wrists. He’s tall, broad shouldered, and wearing a long coat with a stiff collar that stands up around his sharp jaw.
“Meredith,” he says, “it’s been too long.” Mom’s breath catches beside me. Is this really happening?
“You can’t have her!” she yells. “As if you could stop me.” My heart leaps to my throat. “Please,” Mom says.
He takes a fistful of my t-shirt dress and yanks me to my feet. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Darling. Which will it be?”
“Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.” He turns back to me. “Go on, Darling.” He gets in close to my face, white teeth gleaming in the moonlight. He’s almost too beautiful, too dream-like.
“I’m waiting,” he says. “The easy way, obviously.” His brow lifts in amusement. “Obviously?” “Why would I choose the hard way?”
“First lesson,” he says. “There is no easy way.” He turns to Mom. “I’ll bring her back, Merry. You know they always come back.” Then he drops her, snaps his fingers, and everything goes dark.
It’s not carrying her that makes the trip harder—it’s the shifting between two worlds and my waning magic. I have so little left to spare. This one has to be the one. I don’t know what happens if she isn’t. I am this island. It won’t survive without me.
Leaves are floating down from the branches of the Never Tree. It’s growing thinner by the day. The tree is dying. Little pixie bugs glow bright yellow amongst the leaves that remain and whenever I see that glow, it reminds me of Tink and it makes me angry all over again.
“Watch her,” I order as I get up and make my way for the door. “But don’t touch.” “We know the rules,” Bash says, a little annoyed to be told what to do. But Bash has always loved pretty things and this Darling is prettier than the rest. “Don’t fuck the Darlings,” I say, just to be sure he hears me.
It’s the only rule we have. We don’t fuck the Darlings because fucking Darlings is what got us into this mess. We don’t fuck the Darlings. We just break them.
I’ve always loved the water. It makes me happy. I hear an intake of breath after the gulls and the breath isn’t mine. When I open my eyes, I find a boy peering down at me. No, not a boy exactly. He has the youth of a boy, but the presence of a man.
Long black hair is tied into a bun at the back of his head. His gaze is knife-like, sharp and glinting as he takes in the sight of me. His skin is the color of the bright side of a blood moon and black tattoos run over his bare chest.
“Good morning, Darling,” he says. “Where am I?” I lurch upright only to find I’m chained to a wall. That’s kinky. “For your safety,” he says, nodding at the chain. “From what?” “Wandering off.” He smirks. He has full, puffy lips. “She awake?”
“Before you ask,” the new one says, “yes, you are hallucinating.” The other grunts. “Don’t fuck with her, Bash. She’ll get plenty of that later.”
“What am I doing here?” The boys share a look and I swear I hear the distant chiming of bells. Goddamn. I really am losing my mind. “How much was your mother able to tell you?” Bash asks. “Not much.”
They look like trouble. They feel like the wrong kind of temptation. Like a pretty tree frog that can kill you with a touch.
“I’m Kastian,” the closest twin says. “You can call me Kas.” He hitches his thumb over his broad, bare shoulder. “That’s my twin, Sebastian.” “Bash,” the other twin says. “Hi,” I say to them.
“We’re the nice ones,” Bash says and pushes away from the wall.
They could take me easily, in any way they wanted. Fighting them would be like fighting the ocean—pointless, futile. But why would I? They look like they’d be a wild ride.
“If you’re the nice ones,” I say, “then who are the mean ones?” The twins share a look. “Peter Pan?” I guess. “Meaner than us,” Kas admits. “Not the meanest,” Bash adds. “Then who—”
This one isn’t as muscular as the twins, but there’s something distinctly more sinister about him. The scar. The eyes. Three long, jagged scars cut his face in half diagonally from one temple to his jaw. It’s changed his gaze. One eye is bright violet. The other pure black.
“What the hell was that?” I pant. “Darling,” Kas says, and gestures to Vane with a flourish of his hand, “meet the scary one.” “What?” I’m still gasping for oxygen, tears streaming down my face. What the fuck?
“I told you they all cry eventually,” Vane says. “Unchain her. Bring her out. I can only take dumb Darlings for so long.” He disappears out the door.
The twins make their way to the door and wait for me at the threshold. “We promise we won’t bite,” Kas says. “Not yet, anyway,” Bash adds.
They’re dead now. Mortals decay. Lost Boys never die.
Kas sits beside the girl. “What’s your name, Darling?” His size dwarfs her. We could all break her. “Like it fucking matters,” Vane says. Vane especially. “Don’t be a dick.” To the Darling, Kas says, “For the most part, you can ignore him. He’s always got a stick up his ass.”
“Go on,” Kas says, keeping his tone of voice light. “Winnie,” she answers. “It’s Winnie Darling.” “Nice to finally meet you, Winnie. You’re Merry’s daughter, right?” She nods. There is an emotion that comes across her face at the mention of her mother. Defeat, I think.
“We’ve been looking for something that was stolen from us,” he says. “And we think you might be able to help us find it.” “What is it?” she asks. That’s what they all ask.
“All you need to know,” Kas says, “is that you’re safe here so long as you follow the rules and cooperate.” “And for fuck’s sake, don’t run,” Vane adds. “Why?” she quips, a bit of fire in her voice. Oh, I can see she and Vane are going to get along real well. “Because I will chase you,” he says, with a sinister bend to his voice. “And you don’t want to know what happens when I catch you.”
Something is different about this one. I know, I answer.
We’re the Lost Boys and there’s plenty of lost pussy looking to be found.
“Dig in, Darling,” I say. “I dare you to tell me they’re horrible.”
She cuts out a bite with the fork and when she puts it in her mouth, her eyes widen and a little moan escapes her. My cock takes notice and I have to fight the urge to readjust. Kas gives me a look. I know, asshole,
Kas leans into her, spreads his arm over the back of her stool and steals the fork from her hand. I’m envious of his proximity to her. What does she smell like? I ask him. Like secrets and forbidden fruit.
Kas takes a bite off her plate. “Well done, brother,” he says around a mouthful of food, then winks at me, the fucking prick.
“What’s the tartness?” she asks. “Cloudberries,” Kas answers. “Cloudberries are real?...
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“Oh, she’s here!” Cherry says from the doorway. “Christ.” Vane pushes away from the counter and makes his way to the door. I can’t see his eyes. I don’t know if he’s gotten control of his shadow or not. Cherry is a good excuse for him to leave anyway. She’s got the biggest crush on him, though only the gods know why. He’s a fucking surly asshole on his best days. Downright scary on his worst.
He detests Cherry. He detests most of the women he fucks, but Cherry especially. “She stinks like pirates,” is his favorite thing to say.
“Are they being nice to you?” Cherry asks. “Sometimes they can be a little rough. Most Lost Boys are. They’ve been abandoned by their mothers and—”
