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Caitlin coughed again and again and again, causing an awfully loud racket. The pain just wouldn't stop, but she didn't want to bother her mum and dad again. They'd already had too many sleepless nights. Besides, there was less blood than usual that night. Maybe her consumption was getting better.
A few minutes without any more shaking passed, and she felt herself beginning to nod off.
Until she saw a shadow in the open windowsill, which made her eyes snap right back open. Was it an angel? Was she dead?
That wasn't much use- her eyes couldn't make out anything in the dark.
Thud.
Caitlin's heart was pounding as she curled up underneath the covers, trying to make out a shape in the darkness. She didn't want to die.
"Hello?" Caitlin asked, shaking. She had to calm down, or else-
She launched into another coughing fit before she was halfway through the thought.
"I'm not going to hurt you," a voice cautioned. Her heart caught in her throat and she froze. The lights turned on to reveal a slightly older boy in green tights with an odd hat.
They stared at each other in fascination for a good two minutes before Caitlin managed to ask, "W-who are y-you?"
"I'm Peter, Peter Pan," the boy introduced, scratching his red hair. "I flew by and heard you coughing- are you alright?" He seemed genuinely concerned.
"No, I'm not. But did you say you flew by? Are you an angel? How did you do that?" asked Caitlin.
The boy scratched his head again. "I suppose I just did it," he remarked. "But that isn't nearly as important. Why aren't you all right?"
Caitlin's cheeks burned. "I-I have consumption, you see," she mumbled. "I'm not well."
"Is there any way I could make you well?" Peter wondered aloud. Caitlin frowned. "I don't believe-"
"I've got it!" he crowed, leaping into the air. "I'll take you to Neverland! You'll surely get better there!"
"Where's Neverland?"
Peter stopped in his tracks. "Second star to the left and straight on 'till morning?" he asked. Caitlin shook her head.
"Captain Hook? Peter Pan? You've heard of none of it?"
She shook her head again.
"Well, I guess that means I've got to take you there!"
"Wait- is there a cure there or something? When will I be back?"
Peter frowned. "I think you'd have to stay with us."
"But- my parents-"
"You could leave them a note," Peter suggested.
"But I'd never see them again?"
"You could bring pictures," Peter added.
"I'd never be well otherwise, but they want me to be happy, right?"
"I'm pretty sure that's how parents work."
"Well…"
;-;-;-;-;
Neverland, land of the Lost Boys and Hook's pirates and Peter and the mermaids and the fairykind and, most recently, Caitlin, now known as Linny.
Neverland was Linny's saving grace; Neverland keeps you in your purest state, which, for Linny, was before consumption. She regained strength, muscle, and her even breathing. She met James and the rest of the Lost Boys, fought Captain Hook, earned her place on the island as equal to James, Peter's second-in-command. She became pretty dang good at flying and improvised island food, bonded with the mermaids, and even saw glimpses of the fairy people here and there. She was alive and free like she had never been, happier than she'd ever imagined back in London.
;-;-;-;-;
"So you want to take the mango," Peter coached, "and aim in the direction of Hook and his pirates. Five points on the legs or arms, ten for in the heart, twenty for on their heads, in the face, or in their hats, and thirty if you can get it stuck on Hook's hook."
Linny nodded, glancing at the mushy mango in her hand. The rest of the Lost Boys grinned, eager to win the game. Each pair was ready to go.
"But don't get hit by the pirates," Peter cautioned, "definitely not a good idea. And if one o' them nails you back with another mango, that's minus thirty points. Got it?"
"Okay," Linny replied, feeling confident.
"On the count of three, boys. One… two…"
The Lost Boys edged forwards, ready to swoop to the ship with fairy dust lent to them by Peter. Linny grinned. She and James, her partner, exchanged a glance. James winked.
"Three!"
While Peter and the Lost Boys flew forward at top speed, Linny swooped down into the treeline, hiding herself from their sights. Linny knew the direction of the ship- and if she got lost, she could always emerge back on top.
As predicted, Linny arrived at the ship first. Did she want to try for a leg or an arm? Did she want to risk the head or the hook and possibly end up with nothing?
She decided to ambush the man on the really high up thing, the man with the spyglass. Before the boys could get to her, she dove into the cover of the clouds, hovering just above her target.
Once again, as predicted, many of the Boys managed (or didn't) to hit the pirates. She almost gave herself away by whooping as James tossed a mushy fruit into Smee's pants. That had to be worth some kind of extra points.
Peter was stalking Hook- he had to get his shot in, seeing as his partner was Tubby Ted and had already missed. The captain was twitchy, nervous- the pirates knew they were there by then, waiting to catch them in the act. Peter was forced to execute all sorts of fancy flying to escape Hook's gaze.
Peter was flying back to their base when he heard crying; immediately, he knew it was Linny once again, just like that fateful night such a long time ago- what was it, months ago? Years ago? Peter hadn't taken a trip to the mainland for some time now.
He touched down gently behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Linny? Are you well?"
Linny shuddered. "I miss my mum and dad," she sobbed. "I feel guilty."
"Don't feel guilty; we left them a note, remember? They know where you went."
"I'm not sure if I should be here, Peter. Or if I should even be alive right now. I shouldn't. I can't be," Linny replied.
"You are," Peter comforted. "You're alive here, with me and James and the rest of the boys."
"Peter-" Linny coughed.
"Please don't go, Linny," Peter pleaded. "We need you here."
"But I think my mum and dad need me too." She made a face. It was obvious she'd been thinking about this for a while.
"It's only malaise," Peter argued. "That's all; you're just feeling uneasy." Fear was creeping into his voice. He couldn't lose Linny.
"I'll stay a little while more," Linny compromised. "But then… I think I'll have to go, Peter."
;-;-;-;-;
Linny stayed days more, but each day, Linny got worse and worse; she was quieter, joked less, and worst of all, she couldn't stop coughing; by the third day, the coughs were wet with blood. Her breathing was shortened, her body thinned, and her skin had a sheen of sweat layered on it. She was losing brave, adventurous Linny and regaining fearful, somewhat depressed Caitlin. By the sixth day, she stopped leaving her bed. Her nighttime cough sessions grew louder and louder until they matched the ones Peter had heard all that time ago.
Desperately trying to save the Linny he'd come to love like a sister, Peter pleaded for help from the fairykind that lived on the island.
By this time, Linny was violently refusing food. The fairy sent by their Queen felt Linny's heated forehead with concern.
You cannot keep her here, Peter. She must go back, the fairy tinkled.
"But-"
There is no other option. If she stays, she will die.
"Can't you fix her here?"
This disease… unknown to us. Nothing like it has ever been seen on Neverland.
"Linny said it was called consumption."
Whatever she calls it can only be cured where she comes from, Peter. There is no other option. She desires to return to her home, and forcing her to stay will only weaken her further. You must leave at the first opportunity, or she will die in vain.
"But she was dying anyway!"
Maybe. But if your Linny must die, would you want her to die here, causing Neverland great damage, or at home, with her family?
"How would Neverland be damaged?" Peter demanded.
What keeps you alive for the ages? Neverland. What keeps fairies alive? Children. We die when they tell us they don't believe- that is enough. Imagine if a child was to die here. What would happen to my race? The one that has been here since the beginning? Fairies and Neverland together create your immortality. Without the fairies, Neverland itself would die. And so would you.
"Oh."
Peter, if you send her home, she might live and we all definitely would. Keep her here and we all die.
Peter glanced at Linny, who was mumbling nonsense in her sleep. As he studied her tangled, thick brown hair, formerly-tan but currently pale skin, and the freckles across the bridge of her nose, Linny's eyes shot open.
"Peter…" she croaked.
You know what to do, Peter. Take Linny back to her home before it's too late.
Peter scooped Linny up from the bed. Her dark blue eyes were beginning to flutter shut again. "Peter? Where're we goin'?" she mumbled, too weak to say anything else. She was nearly dead with fatigue.
"You're going home," Peter replied. He tucked a blanket around her small form and swooped up into Neverland's cheery blue sky.
;-;-;-;-;
Peter placed Linny back in her bed gently, tucking her new and old blankets around her. Linny, who had been asleep the entire flight, opened her eyes again groggily. "Peter?"
"Shhh," he invited. "Go back to sleep."
"B-but…" Linny tried to sit up. She was even weaker than before. Had become even sicker even faster than the first time. Peter pushed her back into her bed.
"Goodbye, Linny," Peter told her quietly, hoping Linny didn't see the tears shining in his eyes. He was blinking furiously.
"Peter…" Linny mumbled. Her eyes fluttered shut again and Linny was once again deeply asleep.
But now, her breathing seemed easier, deeper. Her skin less shiny with sweat. Her forehead, when Peter brushed his hand on it, was less heated.
Careful not to disturb her, Peter gave Linny one last hug before shutting the window behind him as he flew back to Neverland.
;-;-;-;-;
Peter visited Linny's window every night for about a week after he brought her back. When he was with James and the rest on Neverland, he was more subdued- not that he was the only one. James and the rest of the Lost Boys were too. Raids on Hook's ships quietly stopped. The weather was cloudier and it rained for the first time in a long time.
Even then, Peter would have continued visiting Linny, but her better condition didn't last. She was returned to the state she was in before Peter and Neverland. Away from Neverland, Linny lost its protection… and a week later, her life.
It had been a real shock when Peter had visited her bedside only to find Linny's bed empty. At first, he was in denial. So he had waited, despite the sinking feeling in his chest. Then he had realized that she was really, truly gone.
And then it hit him, he truly understood, that he would never see Linny again, because Linny was dead.
;-;-;-;-;
The night before the last night, the night before the night her bed was empty, Linny had been awake.
"Peter," she whispered, her voice raspy, "I know you're here."
Peter slid in from the window he'd been watching her from.
"Oh, Peter," Linny whispered, "don't be sad."
Peter cursed himself. He knew he didn't blink that fast normally.
His second thought was, how am I supposed to not be sad? Linny is lying here dying.
Linny had become like a Lost Girl during her time on Neverland; Peter loved her like a sister as much as he loved James like a brother. Watching her, seeing her like this and being able to do nothing about it was one of the worst things Peter had ever experienced. No, the worst thing.
"But I want you to get better," Peter told her, "and you've already given up on yourself, Linny. I've never seen you give up, ever. Not even that time I lost my shadow and you had to help me find it. You can't just give up now."
Linny coughed, blood leaking from between her fingers and onto her bedspread, which was already stained in many places.
Eventually, she replied, "Peter, when you found me… I thought you were an angel. That's how far gone I was. I'm past recovery, and while I wish I wasn't, I cannot keep hanging on anymore. I think… Peter, I think…"
Peter was filled with horror. "No! You… you have to stay! You can't be implying that…"
Linny smiled sadly. "Peter, I'll always be with you. In here," she said, pointing to her heart.
"No… please…"
"Thank you for a last adventure, Peter. And for being my brother. I really do appreciate it."
Peter shook his head. "You can't give up."
"It's not giving up." A little of her resilience trickled back into her voice.
"Then what is it, Linny? What is it?" Peter asked desperately.
"It's inevitable." She took his hand. "Look at me, for Hook's sake."
He looked at her. She was so… small. Frail. Sad. Her eyes struggling to stay bright and losing.
A tear leaked down his cheek. She grinned. "If only I could tell the Boys I saw you cry."
He wiped it away furiously. "Linny!"
Her smile slipped away as she coughed. Blood rained upon her covers and Peter's arm. He didn't care.
She sat and looked at the blood for a minute. They were silent. "It looks like a feather," she finally remarked.
"What?"
"The blood. It looks like a feather."
Peter looked back up at her. "Linny?"
"Yeah?"
Her voice was weak. She coughed softly.
"I'll never forget you."
"Me neither."
He glanced at the window. It was beginning to lighten. "I have to leave."
Linny watched him walk to the window.
"Remember, if you need me, fly to the second star to the left, straight on 'till morning."
She grinned again as he stepped out the window and flew away, with only a quick glance over his shoulder.
;-;-;-;-;
The next day, Linny was gone.
Neverland mourned. She even had a little headstone out in a secret nook. Cait-Linny, it read. A true Lost Girl.
Peter would fly by her empty bedroom window for years, until another family moved in. Then it was a little too much to bear, and he stopped. Instead, he put a red feather in his cap to remember her by. It was enough.
A long time after her death, he flew by again. Just for old time's sake. Plus, if his shadow had gone anywhere, it would have gone straight to her. It hadn't forgotten. Tink came along for help.
In the room was a girl and two boys.
Their names were Michael, John, and Wendy.