Lost in the Never Woods(54)

“Grass whistles,” Wendy repeated. She fought the urge to shove him over.

Cassidy beamed up at her. “I made Peter a crown,” she said in a small, shy voice. Her dad was an X-ray technician who worked with her mom. Wendy used to babysit Cassidy and her older sister, Rebecca, when they were younger.

Peter looked up at Wendy with a lopsided grin. It crinkled the freckles on his nose.

Wendy cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ears. He needed to stop looking at her like that. “You look ridiculous,” she told him.

“You’re just jealous she didn’t make you one,” he said with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders.

Cassidy giggled behind her hands.

Wendy shook her head. He looked so pleased with himself! “Cass, you really shouldn’t be talking to strangers, and you especially shouldn’t tell them your name!” she chided. Cassidy had just started elementary school, hadn’t they taught her about stranger danger yet?

Cassidy tried to wrestle the blade of grass back between her thumbs. “I know, but I didn’t. He already knew!” she said, face screwed up in concentration.

Wendy gave Peter a confused look.

He leaned back on one hand and made a wide sweeping gesture to himself with the other. “Peter Pan, remember?” he asked with a conspiratorial wink. “It’s kind of my job.”

Wendy let out a huff. “You’re impossible,” she muttered before turning back to Cassidy. “Well, where are your parents, Cass? They should be watching you.”

“They’re at work. Rebecca is supposed to be watching me,” she said, glaring in the direction of her house. Sure enough, Rebecca sat in a lounge chair on the porch. She seemed deeply engrossed in a book, a set of headphones covering her ears.

Wendy’s frustration boiled. How did Rebecca not notice her sister talking to a random guy?

As if he could hear her thoughts, Peter said, “Sometimes teenagers are just as bad as adults when it comes to noticing magic.” He raised an eyebrow, giving Wendy a pointed look, which she pointedly ignored.

Wendy glared at Rebecca, feeling a surge of protectiveness for Cassidy. “Well, this teenager has a lot of things she needs to talk to you about,” she told Peter. “Let’s go, Flower Prince.”

“Only if you promise to call me prince,” he said, helping Cassidy readjust her thumbs.

“Peter.”

“Your Highness is also acceptable.”

“Peter.”

Finally noticing her tone, Peter looked up. He gave her a quizzical look, cocking his head to the side. He took the flower crown off his head and held it out to Cassidy in both of his hands. “I think you should hold on to this,” he told her. Cassidy reached a hand out to take it, but before she could, Peter added, “But I think it needs to be a bit more fitting for a princess.”

Slowly, the small, wilting buds began to glow a faint gold. Cassidy gasped and Wendy’s heart fluttered.

The flowers swelled into huge blooms, the stems growing thick and knotted together. Rotating slowly, the circlet rose into mid-air. Eyes wide, Cassidy watched as it came down to rest around her neck, too large to perch on the top of her head.

“There!” Peter said, wiping his hands off on his worn jeans, looking pleased with his handiwork.

Pixie dust.

Cassidy let out a squeal of excitement and clapped her hands together. “Are you a magician?” she asked, bubbling over, her tiny body literally bouncing with glee.

“Actually—” Peter started, but Wendy quickly cut him off.

“Yes!” she said. “But you can’t tell anyone. It’s a secret, okay?”

Peter huffed.

Wendy narrowed her eyes at him.

Peter sighed.

He turned and gave Cassidy a look of mock seriousness and nodded solemnly.

“I won’t tell. I won’t!” Cassidy insisted.

Wendy doubted she could actually keep that promise, which meant they needed to get the hell out of there.

“Let’s go, Peter,” Wendy said, tugging on his arm. Before leaving, Wendy shouted across the yard, “HEY, REBECCA!”

Cassidy’s older sister jumped and yanked the headphones off. She looked startled, clearly having just now noticed Wendy and Peter with her sister.

Wendy waved enthusiastically, giving Rebecca the biggest, fakest smile she could. At least now she was paying attention.

Wendy stomped off and Peter followed. He looked back over his shoulder and waved good-bye to Cassidy, who cheerily waved back.

“Cassidy, get back on the porch!” Wendy heard Rebecca say.

Once they were out of earshot, Wendy threw her elbow into Peter’s side. “You can’t just go around hanging out with little girls in the middle of the street!” she hissed at him.

Peter laughed, rubbing at his ribs and furrowing his brow. “What do you mean?” he asked, as if he wasn’t sure if she was serious or not.

Wendy groaned. Did he really not get it? “Because!” she snapped, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. Clearly, living in Neverland didn’t leave him with a lot of knowledge of social etiquette in the real world. “People will think you’re up to something, maybe that you might hurt her,” she told him. “You could get into a lot of trouble—you could get us into a lot of trouble.”