Erin heard Winston catch his breath. "Winston, have you ever been to New
York?"
Winston flipped over onto his stomach to stare that puzzled stare of his at
Erin. She smiled secretively. "Uh, say that again, will you?" Winston
cocked his head with confusion, gazing quizzically into Erin's hazelnut-
green eyes.
"I said 'Have you ever been to New York?' We could go there. Live in
Central Park, eat hot dogs and roasted corn, run away from all this." She
swished her hand toward the pirate ship and the opposite shore. Winston
bit his lip and gazed into the black forest.
"But, well, that's a good idea and all, but where'd we get the money from?
Where would we sleep, and doesn't it snow in New York? This will take a lot
of planning. Besides, don't you want to prove to them that you didn't do
any of that stuff they're accusing you of?"
Erin stuck her lip out in frustration. "Well, we can't stay here. That is
for sure. The other lost boys will scalp us when they find us. We can't
hide forever. Plus, who cares what the lost boys think? Let them think I
stole the Mona Lisa, I don't give a--"
"Not proving you didn't kidnap Tucker and Tinkerbell would be living a
lie," Winston interrupted, "and I couldn't do that. Could you really live
like that, Erin? "
Erin was sucked into Winston's bottomless blue eyes. She was pulled into
his whirlpool gaze, the setting around her swirling, mixing into one color.
All she could see were the eyes, clear and bright. She was drowning in
those eyes, those bottom-of-the-sea-blue eyes and for a moment, she didn't
even care. Erin slowly shook her head, and then laid her cheek down to the
ground. The scenery shifted, a little bit puzzled, into its original
colors, as if she was getting off a spiraling merry-go-round. A tear
dripped down her cheek, and the dam that Erin had been holding up all night
cracked. Erin threw her hands up to her face, trying to cover up her
outburst. Her shoulders shook with disappointment and defeat. Winston
rose to his feet, helping Erin up with him. He gently put his arms around
her shoulders and hugged her to his chest. Erin buried her head in his
shoulder, letting the tears run along her nose. Even through her tears,
Erin noticed that Winston smelled like pine trees and seawater.
Eventually, Erin pushed away from Winston, rubbing her eyes with closed
fists. "What am I going to do, Winston? When I got here, I thought that I
would change, turn into a better person. Be strong, be brave. But, here I
am, the same pitiful girl who can't really do anything!"
"Erin! Calm down. You have done so many things here, even though you were
in Neverland for such a short time. You saved the lost boys from the
Indians, you thought up an almost perfect plan to rescue Tiger Lily, and
you are going to rescue us from our plight. I know you are. What more
could a person ask for?"
"But."
"But nothing! Get to work, Erin -- 'cause we have to plan a vacation to New
York City!" Erin tried a tentative smile.
"I.I suppose that you're right."
"Of course I am," Winston assured her, wiping the tears from her face.
"Everything is going to be wonderful. Let's go." He took her hand and led
her through the dark woods. Tree branches reached for their faces;
moonlight dancing through the trees and the darkness closing in around
them. They walked in silence. Winston knew his way well, and sooner than
perhaps Erin might have liked, they found themselves under the massive old
Hangman's Tree. I would have loved to stay, she thought to herself as they
entered the hideout. This is all I've ever daydreamed about and now.I'm
leaving. She looked up at Winston and smiled. Well, I'm not leaving
everything.
"Here." Winston interrupted her thoughts and led her to a part of the
ancient tree that she hadn't seen while she was there. There was a long,
narrow staircase carved into the trunk, twisting into the uppermost
branches. "It's just here," he beckoned, leading her onto a bough. "This
is where Tink lives." They were standing in front of a large, luminously
beautiful white flower that seemed to be glowing. "A moonflower," Winston
explained, "they open at night." The words had barely excaped his lips
when the great petals folded gracefully open in a movement that was just a
breath of the dance of the night. Erin had never seen anything like it in
her entire life. But then again, she had never seen anything at all like
Neverland before this day, either. The inside of the flower was glowing
brilliantly gold, illuminating their faces in the darkness. "Pixie dust,"
Winston informed her, a smile breaking across his face at her amazement.
Erin noticed her mouth was open and closed it quickly. He laughed, a laugh
that lit up Erin's feeling of being lost like the shimmer of the pixie dust
cast a golden shadow of light on the darkened branches around them. "You
take it like this." Winston dipped his hand into the flower, a magnificent
gold powder covering his fingertips. He sprinkled it over his head. The
dust shimmered in his hair for a moment, and then disappeared. ".and you
think a happy thought." Winston closed his eyes. "And." Winston rose into
the air steadily and hovered a few feet above the branch. Erin's mouth
fell open again. "Now you." A rush of exhilaration filled her body. To
fly. Suddenly, she remembered something her mother had repeated to her
when she was very young. Flying really is possible, if you believe in your
dreams. Not everyone believes, so it's not possible for them. But you'll
fly, Erin, you'll soar right up there to the tops of your dreams. Erin
closed her eyes for a moment, turning her face up to the sky to drink in
the light of the full moon. Her hand shaking with anticipation, she dipped
it into the very center of the moonflower. She instantly felt a warm,
tingling feeling in her fingers. Anxiously, she showered herself in the
sparkling powder, and thought of the happiest thing she could. Winston.
My best friend in the whole world.Neverland or New York. He alone believes
in me. He alone understands me. He alone respects me. And with him,
mother, I really will even higher than the tops of my dreams. She felt the
wonderful ecstasy of the dust flow through herself, and her feet left the
ground behind.
******A/N********** I am SOOO sorry for the lack of updates. I hope that
this section is make up from my horribleness (is that a word?) Also, I know
that this is kinda cheesy, but I didn't really write it. My friend
"indigospice" did. Yes, well, that's a long story. ENJOY! And thanks for
all the reviews. =)
