I was walking home from a long day at school, still having no luck on the Peter front, none of my mates had seen him or heard of him. I groaned on the way home, thinking of the long walk that I had to trek alone. I usually walk with Binks but he said he had some unfinished business to attend to. I didn't pry to much into this excuse though, Binks usually leaves me at least once a week as he is never up to date with his class work and ends up with some other detention. I was brooding on my thoughts as I finally turned down my road.
I woke up the next morning and got ready for another school day. I ventured out the house, walking to the park where I normally meet Binks before school. Unluckily for me I was early, not having checked the time before I left. Although a 45 minuet wait lay ahead of me I decided not to go back home and come back later. I sat in the park, on the swings where I could gently rock and watch the world pass by in a blur.
A boy, not much older than me, was standing lonesome at the other end of the park, watching me. His unnervingly still figure shadowed by the trees. I looked up towards him, his lanky figure a statue in the same position. I got off the swing, slowly walking towards him, hoping to get an answer and explanation to why he had been staring at me. "Hello?" I said as I neared him. He nodded at me, showing me my presence had been acknowledged. His eyes following my movement, his face unchanging. "Do you mind if I ask why your staring at me?" I asked. The boy nodded.
"I've heard a lot about you" he said, his voice both deep and high, as if in the middle of breaking. I looked up at his face, taking his features in, young and youthful, thin and slender, perfect for a boy his age, although his eyes gave away mystery, showing a dark past that was ever lasting, his eyes looked old, mature, as though they were too old for his face, kind of like Peter's eyes.
"Who from?" I asked, finally glancing away at his eyes. He looked away, for the first time in 5 minuets he turned his gaze away from me.
"I have to go" he said quickly, turning away from me and walking away quickly. Not a second after he turned away Binks turned up.
School was dull, once again no sign of Peter, I waited in the hall for Binks, where we usually meet up before lunch, but he didn't show. Starting to get worried I got out my phone, noticing it was dead. I wonder how long that had been dead for. I saw Chaz, asking if she had seen Binks, she nodded, spinning me some story about how not doing his work had landed him with a lunchtime detention this time. I shook my head, stupid Binks, he had to get his head together sooner or later. I thanked her and headed to the library without him, almost welcoming the thought of a lunch time by myself.
I enter the library, almost immediately noticing the boy I had seen at the park, sitting at the table me and Binks did. I headed over to him. "Sorry I had to rush off at the park, but he'd seen me, we're not meant to talk to you you see, stay away from Wendy he warned us, he's afraid. He doesn't want to be near you, he's never going to admit it, but he's fallen in love" he said as soon as I sat down.
"Who has?" I questioned.
"I can't say… all I'm going to say is, you need to get him back, he's miserable without you." And with that, he'd disappeared. I sighed. Riddles were never my forte.
Binks was walking home with me today, I didn't tell him about the boy I'd seen. He noticed I wasn't telling him something but he let it lie, knowing if I wanted to, I'd tell him. Our walk home was slow, we were dawdling as we talked about nothing in particular. Finally I got home and ran to my bedroom, quickly changing clothes and clambering to the roof like I had done with Peter. I was leaning back against the chimney, watching the road before me, the children playing, the adults gossiping and the old folk entering their house with bags of shopping in their hands.
Sitting on the roof I noticed a scrap bit of paper sell taped to the chimney. 'Wend' was scrawled across it. I unfolded it with trembling fingers. 'Dear Wendy, I'm sorry I had to leave so quickly without any explanation, but here it is: I can't see you, I'm a child, immature and juvenile and you, you're amazing, older, and wiser. I need to stay a boy, I can't get older, not yet. I can't feel like this, it can't look at you and be blown away every time I see hear you breath. I can't stay here if I'm gonna be in love with you. To stay young forever I can't fall in love, and seen as I already have, I have to leave. I can't grow old, I'm sorry, but I refuse to grow up. With love. Peter.'
I smiled, a few tears falling onto my cheeks as I reread the letter. He wasn't coming back. I was confused though, he wanted to stay young forever, but how was that possible. I sniffed, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. He had to go, he couldn't stay here.
Weeks had passed without Peter, fleeting glances of the boy from the park became more frequent and I finally got the chance to talk to him today. "You were talking about Peter" I said. He nodded, smiling.
"Yes, he wants to forget you, but he's sending me to watch you, checking if your alright." The boy sighed.
"Where can I meet him?" I asked.
"You can't" he muttered. My smiled fell.
"I need to talk to him" I shouted.
"He's gone, he moved back, he went to the lost boys, back to Neverland"
"Take me there" I ordered. The boy looked to the floor, shaking his head.
"It's not that easy, I can't get there without Peter, he's the only one of us that can get there, the only one with enough youth to fly, he's a child, he was born to be a child for the rest of his life, you can't change a boy like that"
"You don't have to grow up to grow old" I pointed out.
"You can't go there, but he can come here" the boy said. "I'm Slightly, at your service" he smiled, holding out his hand for me to take.
We'd worked out a plan, Slightly said although Peter had said he didn't want to see me, he could see it was driving him insane, and that Peter had to grow old sometime, or else he would forever be alone. I was going to see Peter tomorrow. No doubt about it.