It was ...
Wendy Darling felt like she had been sitting in this cage for far too long. The first two weeks were bearable knowing that she had saved Baelfire.
But now … it was almost impossible to stay calm. She felt like an animal; she just wanted to escape this madness. Still she knew that escaping this cage wouldn't save her. If she really wanted to be free she'd have to flee from the island.
'However nobody leaves the island without his permission. Nobody leaves unless they pay the price' she thought.
A face appeared. "Wendy, come out. It's time to play" Peter whispered, a smile played on his lips. Wendy shivered. She couldn't understand how such an innocent looking boy would be able to contain this incredible darkness within oneself.
He opened the cage and grabbed her arm to pull her out of it. Then he smiled. "I hope you're alright. I couldn't help but overhear that some of the boys wanted to play a trick on you."
'Yes. It really is unbelievable that he is the devil sometimes' Wendy thought to herself.
"I'm fine. They didn't do it" she replied. It was funny how he said it. I couldn't help but overhear …
She was certain that he was perfectly aware of everything that was happening in Neverland. Or maybe almost everything.
Arriving at the bonfire, she was surprised that not a single lost boy showed up. She looked at Peter with furrowed brows. "Why isn't anybody here?" she asked confused. He laughed. "They're out in the forest. Playing, I suppose."
"That is not the answer to my question."
"Well … I sent them there" was his only explanation. Wendy crossed her arms. He laughed again. "I wanted to talk."
"Why?"
"It's all about the why, isn't it?" He seemed rather amused than angry which relieved her.
"I'm sorry."
"Oh, don't be."
They sat down and Wendy opened her mouth to ask another question. "You're different today -" she stopped.
"And you want to know why?" he added raising his eyebrows. She nodded.
Peter sighed. It was a strange sound to hear from him. From him who was always laughing. Always happy. It almost sounded like he was suffering.
"I took its price to be forever young. And it took its price to be a child again. They might sound the same however they are not. And I'm not sure if I would pay those prices ever again." He paused to take a heavy breath. Before he continued he darted a glance at Wendy.
"Sometimes I think all this made me lose my mind. But then I have those moments of pure clarity and I realize what's going on. They don't last very long."
They remained silent for a bit until she worked up the courage to raise her voice once more.
"What were those prices?" she asked
As he answered he looked straight into her eyes and she was able to see all this pain inside of him.
"My son and my humanity. That's the thing about children. They know neither right nor wrong."
"How old are you exactly?"
He laughed again. „I'm nothing older than you. The day I turned young I really became this young. I might remember a longer life than you but I didn't age. My body didn't. My mind didn't. My heart didn't. Nor did my soul. I'm not as young as I look but on the other hand I am."
Somehow she understood. There was something about this boy - and that's what he was after all - that kept her drawing back to him whenever she wanted to renounce.
But she clearly couldn't. It wasn't his magic or the magic of the island. It was the boy he was when he wasn't the boy he wasn't. It was just him.
She whispered "In another time, another place." He shook his head. "There is no other time, no other place."
She understood and she accepted his words but that didn't stop her from doing what she wanted to do.
She leaned towards him, interlaced their fingers and then she kissed him.
There was no desire in their kiss. Just sadness and tenderness. It was a good kiss. 'A good first kiss and a good last kiss' she figured. And she didn't want it to end.
Eventually they moved apart and Wendy could see the tears in his eyes.
"That's it?" she asked realizing that she was crying too.
He nodded.
Back in her cage Wendy started to think about that night. She had so many questions left and so did he. But it was the last and first kiss they shared. The last and first time they connected. He came back to her many nights however it was never the same. He was never the same.
Many years later, after she left Neverland and he wasn't there anymore, she realized that she didn't want anybody else. That she didn't need anybody else. Since she already had what she needed. Only for such a short time but she had him, he had her and that was all she could ever ask for. And that was enough.
Thank you for reading. I'm sorry if you found any major or minor errors. I'm not a native speaker. I hope you enjoyed it. Love, Daer.