Everland(71)

The Professor, still unaware of my presence, reads about tiny elves that sneak into an old clockmaker’s workshop to restore a magical grandfather clock. I feel a flare of jealousy for all the times my mother didn’t read to me as a child.

I storm over to her, ready to wrench her from the floor. Just as I place my hand on her arm, her daughter dashes from her lap. I see the Professor reach for her pocket, and something silver glints in the lamplight. Swiftly I grip her other wrist with my free hand, just as she’s about to plunge a needle into my chest. My fingers squeeze, digging into her soft flesh. She cries in pain, sending the needle smashing to the floor.

“Story time is over!” I shout.





No! No! No!” I scream as Pete drags me from the closet and into the infirmary.

Lily carefully shuts the steel door and follows us into the room along with everyone else.

I rip myself from Pete’s grasp. “I’m not leaving them!”

“Stop it!” he yells, a finger pointed into my face. “You’re going to get us all killed carrying on like that.”

“Pete, you can’t possibly believe my mother can save all of those kids on her own,” I protest. “My entire family is locked in that palace. We have to save them.”

Pete returns to the closet and leans against the door, his ear pressed up against the steel. “You’re absolutely right, and no offense, but I trust your mother about as much as I trust Hook. Anyone who aligns themselves with a Marauder is a traitor.”

The hair on the back of my neck bristles. “My mother is not a traitor! You heard what she said. She’s willing to risk her life and stay here to rescue the entire group of Lost Boys.”

Pete says nothing.

“Are you listening to me?” I ask, tugging his arm and pulling him around to face me.

“Not really,” he says, annoyed. “I’m trying to figure out if the soldiers have left yet.”

I lean my cheek against the cold metal. Holding my breath, I listen for the deep, husky voices belonging to the Marauders. Their words are nothing but murmurs behind the steel door. I strain to make sense of their muted voices. My mother responds in loud protest. Finally, a heavy door slams shut and the adjacent room is silent.

“They must have taken them from the lab,” Pete says.

“Pete, what are we going to do?” I ask.

“We are not doing anything,” he says, waving a hand in a gesture that appears to indicate he is speaking of the entire group. “Doc, Pickpocket, Mole, and I will rescue the boys. You and Bella are going with Lily.”

“What about my mother? Joanna and Mikey?” I protest.

“I’ll do my best to get them out, along with the rest of the Lost Boys, but she’s been sending kids north for months. She’ll find a way to get herself and your siblings to the safe lands,” Pete says. “But there’s no way she can get all of those Lost Kids out on her own, even if she isn’t conspiring with Hook. I’m not leaving without those boys.”

“And I’m not leaving my family behind,” I say, clenching my teeth. “Besides, even if you manage to rescue the Lost Boys, who knows what Hook will do to my family?”

“Look, if I can, I will try to get your family out, too. But I’m not going to risk you being captured. You are the key to curing the virus. We need you!” Pete shouts, startling me. His expression softens as he takes in my surprise. He reaches for both of my hands. “I need you,” he says, stumbling through those three words in a quiet voice. His eyes meet mine. “I’ve lost almost everything important to me. My parents, my sister—and I nearly lost Bella.” He glances at Bella, and she gives him a shy smile. His eyes turn back to me. They are marked with worry. “I can’t lose you, too.”

I ignore the tingle in my chest at the words I need you echoing in my mind. “You’re not leaving me behind. Pickpocket, you have to be the voice of reason here,” I object.

“Better get this door unlocked again,” Pickpocket says without looking at me. He struggles with the lock before it gives a distinct click. Opening the door, he peeks through the gap. He clears his throat. “The coast is clear,” he says, sliding the cabinet open.

Lily glances at me, grimaces, marches up to us, and paces. The bent metal chain on the pocket watch clinks with every stride. “Gwen is right. You would be outnumbered at least twofold even if the Lost Boys were capable of fighting for themselves. You’re going to need our help. It is unreasonable to believe that the Professor and a few Lost Boys can take on an entire army of Marauders and lead the escape of … how many Lost Boys did you say?” she asks, halting in place.

“A little more than a hundred,” Pete says.

Lily shakes her head. “Her Majesty’s train was meant only for her, her family, and her personal guards. Two dozen at most. The train will not hold all of the Lost Boys. It was constructed with a single car intended for a quick escape. They’d have to hunker down here too long. They’ll surely be caught. We will have to find another way to get everyone out of Everland,” she says, pacing again.

“Blast!” Pete says, kicking the steel door.

“Wait! What if … ?” I waver, thinking of the numerous things that could go wrong. Biting down on my lip, I weigh the pros and cons. It’ll be risky, but it’ll ensure that everyone escapes. Everyone … but me.