The second star to the right, the brightest star in the sky.
Beyond the trees, the birds and the clouds, you'll find a wonderful place.
And that wonderful place . . . is called Neverland.
Neverland, the magical place where No One Grows Up.
The place where you'll find Captain Hook and Mister Smee on the Jolly Roger, trying to fool that dastardly Tick-Tick Croc.
Where you'll find Tiger Lily and the Indians, making camp up in the mountains.
Where you'll find Tinkerbell and the fairies, hiding safely in the Home Tree.
Where you'll find the Lost Boys, playing tricks to try and outsmart each other.
And where you'll find Peter Pan, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up,
Waiting for the next Darling who'll steal his heart . . . and the one who'll grow up with it.
Chapter One
What was that?
The flash of green out of the corner of his eye caught Peter off guard and he turned slightly on his motorcycle to see someone dressed like . . . well . . . like him. Brown pointy shoes, light green tights, dark green tunic, brown leather belt around the waist, and a pointy green hat with a red feather tucked into it. Well, this was how he used to dress, of course; Jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, his leather jacket and a green knit cap to hide his ears were more his style now.
He stared at the girl on the pedal bike, pumping her legs as she raced faster and faster toward him. Her bright, intelligent green eyes kept darting up to look at ol' Big Ben and a sudden tingle went down his spine. He recognized those eyes, he actually recognized them. But the point was, where had he seen them? Surely, in all his time in London, after every girl, he would've remembered a girl with those eyes.
A smiling face with bright green eyes suddenly flashed in his mind and he gasped. Margaret! That's who those eyes reminded him of! Jane's daughter, Margaret Darling.
Then, as the green-eyed girl raced past him on her bike, he saw the hilt of a wooden sword and a Peter Pan doll sticking out from her backpack, and he knew, he just knew that he had to follow her.
"Yo, Darling, hurry up! The kids are gettin' antsy!"
Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Jane Darling quickly hopped off her bike and practically threw it onto the sidewalk as she raced for the 2,500 square-foot library's doors. She tossed her jacket and bike lock at her friend Donovan and shouted: "Lock up for me, will ya? I'll get the kids started!"
"Will do, Char! Hurry!" he replied, his pirate hat almost slipping off his head as he bent down to retrieve her bike.
Charlotte raced through the doors just as she heard the rumble of an engine cut off behind her and she dropped her bag down by one the bookshelves, making sure none of the kids could see her. Digging her hand into the bag, she pulled out the sword and her treasured Peter doll, then crouched down low to make her way behind the group of seated children.
"Avast ye scurvy dogs!" she suddenly shouted, jumping out from behind the bookshelf and brandishing her wooden sword high; every kid turned to look at her. "Who today is ready for another wonderful tale from Neverland?"
The kids shouted out, some raising their hands and others jumping up and down to get a better look.
"Right!" she said with a smile, moving toward the front of the room where the stage was set. "But first, who gets ta be the brave Lost Kid tha' gets ta keep Mini Pan safe from harm today, huh?"
Several kids raised their hands, bouncing in their seats, but a small girl in the back caught her eye.
"May! How 'bout you?" she said happily, and the girl's head jerked up to stare at her. A couple of kids protested but Charlotte quickly shushed them. "A lot of ya have had your turn as Lost Kid, now it's May's."
"But she's a girl," several boy's protested as she handed the doll over to May, who hugged it protectively to her chest.
"What does it matter if May's a girl?" she asked them. "Actually, who here remembers how many Lost Girls I've had in Neverland?"
A throat suddenly cleared and a deep voice said, "Only one."
Charlotte spun around and her eyes narrowed at the boy in the leather jacket and green knit cap leaning up against one of the bookshelves. "Alright, Mr. Bigshot, since you're so keen on no' lettin' one ah the kids answer . . . Can ya tell me the name of tha' particular Lost Girl?"
"Her name was Jane," he replied with a smirk. "But she almost didn't become an official Lost Girl because she sold Peter and the Boys out to Hook so she could get home."
"Yeah," Charlotte said, "but she didn't really mean it. She wanted ta get home to her family because she couldn't fly an' Hook said he could take her home in the Jolly Roger. She was focused on getting back to her family because of the war going on outside her front door."
"The only reason Jane couldn't fly was because she didn't believe. She almost killed Tink by causing her light go out."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed at the boy. "And how do ya know that?"
The boy shrugged. "Contrary to popular belief, you're not the only one who has their fair share of Peter Pan stories."
"Peter's never taken boys to Neverland," she retorted angrily.
"John and Michael, Wendy's brothers." He raised an eyebrow when her jaw dropped and his smirk widened as he shook his head. "Forgot didn't you? Silly girl."
Charlotte slowly dropped the hand holding the sword to her side. He was right. He was right. How in God's name had she forgotten one of the most important details of the most famous of all Peter stories? Peter had taken her great grandmother Wendy's brothers to Neverland, not just Wendy herslf. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could she be so stupid?
The boy suddenly came forward and stuck out his hand. "My name's Peter, by the way. And you?"
She raised an eyebrow at him as she shook his hand. "Charlotte, but everyone calls me-"
"Char!" Donovan exclaimed, coming around the corner in his Hook garb."What're you doin'? We've gotta get started!"
Charlotte, being the great story-teller that she was, immediately sprung into action and brandished her wooden sword at her best friend. "Look! It's that dastardly codfish Captain Hook!" She raced away from the Peter boy to jump onto the nearest table. "Prepare yourself, Hook, for I've brought a little surprise for ya. Oh, Octo! Come're boy!"
Completely out of nowhere, a girl in an orange octopus costume jumped out from behind a bookcase, making clicking noises with her tongue.
"Ah!" Donovan cried, scrambling to get onto another table. "It's the octopus again! After I'd gotten rid of that damned Tic-Tock Croc surely-Smee! Smee! Where ah ye?"
A cubby boy wearing glasses, a red cap, and a blue and white t-shirt came barreling around the corner with several other boys dressed as pirates. "Cap'n, Cap'n, Peter Pan has taken our treasure again!"
"You swine, Pan!" Donovan cried, waving his hook hand in the air.
"That treasure never belonged ta ya in the first place!" Charlotte shouted. "It belongs to Tiger Lily an' the Indians, ya old codfish!"
A small girl about the age of fifteen with long black hair and reddish skin dressed in Indian garb came around the corner with feathers in her hair.
"Tiger Lily, Tiger Lily!" Charlotte cried happily when she saw the girl. "I've gotten your treasure back!"
Tiger Lily clapped her hands and smiled.
Charlotte's eyes roved around room until Peter's eyes caught hers. He winked and her breath caught.
Gosh did this girl, with her outrageous story-telling, remind him of Wendy.
He watched for an hour as this Charlotte girl dashed around the library, the kids jumping up from their seats to follow as 'Peter' and 'Hook' moved their fight scene to the lobby of the library. He watched as the light of magic filled the kids eyes and his heart ached at the thought of how much Wendy would've loved to see this. To see her Peter stories carried down through generations to be told for everyone to hear. Jane would've loved this, too, and Margaret especially. Vaguely, he wondered if Molly was still alive, and it brought forth a thought that if this girl, this Char, was the girl he'd been looking for, he would be able to go back to Never Never with Tink and the Lost Boys in the Spring. That if this girl was a Darling, he'd be able to return home.
Soon after the fight, there was a great applause and he snapped back from his thoughts just in time to clap for Charlotte and her friends as they bowed before the kids and their rapidly appearing parents. May, the girl Charlotte had entrusted in keeping the Peter doll safe, bounded up to her and said goodbye with a hug before returning the doll. Charlotte smiled broadly, her green eyes sparkling, and Peter was once again reminded of Margaret.
His eyes flicked toward the clock on the wall and he cursed under his breath. He had to get back to The Hideout before the Lost Boys got worried. He strode quickly over toward the door, but his name being called behind him made him stop in his tracks and he turned. It was Charlotte, pulling the green hat off her head and untying her hair to allow a cascade of orange, wavy locks tumble down to her shoulders. His heart started to beat faster at the sight.
"Peter, wait a second!" she cried, skidding to a halt in front of him, and brushed her bangs out of her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.
He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"I-" She blushed, tugging at her green leotard. "I, uh, I wanted ta talk to ya."
"About what?"
"How-how did ya know all about Jane?"
"I told you, I've got my fair share of Peter Pan stores just like you do."
"But how?" she asked. "Not a lot of people know tha' much abou' the Peter stories unless they're part ah my family."
"And who's your family?"
Her eyes widened. "Ya don' know? Everyone in London knows my family."
"Well, obviously I don't," he said with a roll of his brown eyes. "So why don't you tell me?"
"The Darling family," she said, and he stiffened. Could she really be- "My name's Charlotte, again by the way, Charlotte Darling."
"And my name's Peter," he tried to joke as his mind went crazy from the fact that the one girl he'd been searching for all these years was standing right in front of him.
She stared at him skeptically. "That's it? Just Peter?"
He nodded. "Just Peter."
"No last name?"
"I don't think you're ready for it yet, Charlie," he told her with a wink. She stared at him for a moment and his expression faltered. "What? Is something wrong?"
"No one's ever called me Charlie before . . . I kinda like it."
"Well I'm glad," he replied with a grin. "Mind if I ask you a question, then, Charlie?"
"Shoot."
"Are you related to a Molly Darling by any chance?"
Her green eyes narrowed at him. "Yeaaahh . . . She's my grandmother. Why?"
Peter's breath caught. "So she's still alive then?"
Charlie suddenly looked offended. "Why of course she is! She's only 83 years old!"
"Okay, okay. Alright, Charlie, jeez," he said, holding up his hands defensively. "I just wanted to know."
"Why did you want to know, Peter?" she asked.
"She's an old friend," he replied with a shrug.
"But she's older than you," Charlie pointed out.
"Then I'm a younger friend."
"Peter . . ."
He stared at her for a moment then sighed. "Right," he said, "I'll make you a deal, Charlie. You let me meet with your Grandmother, and I'll tell you how I know all about your Peter stories." He stuck out his hand with a mischievous gleam in his chocolate brown eyes. "Deal?"
She regarded him curiously for a moment before shaking his hand. "Alrigh' then. We got a deal."
His eyes cut to the clock. "Well, I've gotta get going now." He turned to leave but a tug on his sleeve had him turning back to look at her. "What?"
"Will I-" She coughed nervously, blushing, and brushed her bangs out of her eyes again. "Will I see ya again, Peter?"
His expression softened. "Later tonight good for you? By old Big Ben?"
Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened, but she quickly pulled herself together. "Are you asking me out on a date?"
He smirked. "I just might be. You interested, Ms. Darling?"
"I just might be, Mr . . ." Her voice trailed off and her brows furrowed in confusion.
"I'll let you know soon enough, yeah?" he told her.
She nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Alrigh'."