Lost in the Never Woods(64)

Peter turned in a slow circle, looking at their surroundings. The filtered light caught the copper in his hair. “If the tree was really that old, and the other trees around it were really that dense, then we need to go right into the heart of the woods,” he explained. He stopped and turned to Wendy. “And that is going to take longer than just a few hours.”

As much as she hated the idea of going even farther into the woods, Wendy knew he was right. She wrapped her arms tightly around her middle. “You’re right,” she said. Thick defeat settled inside her. There would be no outsmarting the forest. “But we haven’t got enough time to do it now. We should probably head back for the day.”

Peter nodded.

Wendy closed her eyes for a moment, trying to fight off a sense of impending doom crawling under her skin.

There was a crunch of leaves and then the light pressure of Peter’s hand against her arm.

“Hey.” She opened her eyes to find his, brilliant and blue, watching her. “I’ve got an idea. Let’s go this way,” he told her with a quiet smile, tilting his head down the slope.

Seeing as she had no idea where they were, let alone how to get back home, Wendy nodded in agreement.

Instead of going back the way they’d come, Peter led her farther down the ravine. She did her best to navigate the flat rocks and boulders.

Peter was an entirely different creature. Instead of moving slow and lazy, taking his time teetering across the terrain, now he was alert. He leapt from rock to log, pausing every so often to listen before setting off again.

Wendy panted, doing her best to keep up, but the farther they went into the woods, the quicker Peter moved. Her hair clung to her sweaty forehead and stuck to her lips. “Is this the way back home?” she asked through huffs of air. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see!” Peter said, flashing her a smile over his shoulder.

Wendy scowled in reply. She was too hot and winded to argue. Gradually, she noticed slight changes in the scenery. The foliage was a darker green in this part of the woods. The earth was damp, and Wendy nearly broke her butt sliding on a patch of mushrooms. Gradually, she could hear a steady sound, like thunder, growing louder over her own heavy breathing. Was it passing traffic?

“Peter, where are we going?” she finally demanded, fatigued and annoyed.

He was up ahead, standing on a large boulder. Peter’s posture straightened and he let out a whoop. “Found it!” he cheered, beaming at Wendy before bounding out of sight.

“Ugh, Peter!” Wendy scrambled after him.

When she found him, he was standing on a flat rock at an outcropping, his back to her.

A frothy cascade of water tumbled from a cliff tucked into the back of the ravine. It spilled into a pool at its base before flowing over rocks and boulders down a stream and deeper into the woods. Wendy’s jaw went slack. It wasn’t a huge waterfall, maybe only thirty feet high, but the pool was a glistening blue-green. Mist ghosted over Wendy’s cheeks, cool and welcoming.

Peter turned to face her, his arms spread out wide. His excited, cheek-dimpling smile was infectious. Wendy couldn’t help returning it with one of her own. “How awesome is this?” he said, his words garbled with laughter.

“I had no idea this was even here!” Wendy called back.

“Me either!”

Wendy’s eyes went wide. “You just blindly led us deeper into the woods?”

Peter smirked. “Not blindly,” he denied with a nonchalant roll of his shoulders. “I followed the sound of the water, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Wendy echoed flatly, watching Peter as he edged around the pool. Wendy carefully navigated the slippery rocks and shifting, multicolored pebbles.

Meanwhile, Peter had found an old length of rope, sun faded and fraying, tied to an overhanging branch. He gave it a tug. Some leaves floated to the rippling water below. The branch creaked but held true.

Wendy didn’t like the mischievous grin on Peter’s face.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, but he was already tugging the faded pink shirt over his head.

Peter laughed and tossed his shirt to the side. “What does it look like I’m doing?” he asked. He stood there, fists on his hips, cocking an eyebrow.

Wendy glanced at his bare chest. It was tanned and toned, with more freckles splayed across his collarbone. A small trail of copper hair led down his flat stomach.

She forced her eyes back to Peter’s. “H-How do you know the water’s deep enough?” she stammered out, cutting a glance to the pool of water. Ripples from the waterfall made it impossible to see down.

Peter shrugged and turned back to the rope. “I don’t!”

“But what if the rope breaks?”

“Then I’ll fall into the water.” Peter laughed, gripping the rope with both hands.

He backed up a few steps and Wendy’s heart leapt into her throat. “But—”

“Peter Pan, remember?” he said, cutting her off and hooking a thumb at himself. “Not afraid of anything!”

Before Wendy could think of another objection, he took a running start off the rock. Hands gripping the rope and knees pulled up, Peter soared out over the water. He crowed loudly and it echoed against the rocky side of the cliff before he plummeted into the water.

Wendy scrambled to the edge of the rock. Below, the water bubbled where he had disappeared. She counted to three in her head, and the seconds dragged by. “Peter!” she shouted. Panic ripped through her. She shot to her feet, ready to jump in after him. She was on the swim team and had taken lifeguard lessons as an elective in the spring. If she dove out far enough, she could—