"Mr. Nolan, you wanted to see me?" Margaret asked as she peered into his office. Mr. Nolan looked up at the girl, nodding for her to come in. She entered the room and seated herself across from the principal, who wore an expression that almost betrayed his concern.
"I apologize for making you stay after school for this meeting. I can tell you, fortunately, that you haven't been asked here for another round of questioning from the police. I convinced them to give you a week of rest, considering how much they have questioned you as of late." Mr. Nolan sipped some tea. "Their investigation, as far as I have been told, has not resulted in any substantial developments since our last conversation. To our misfortunate, it appears that Mr. Hook has disappeared entirely. Rest assured that the police are doing everything they can to find him."
A small smile crawled across Margaret's face as she nodded. She knew well that they would never find him. "What have you called me here for?"
Mr. Nolan cleared his throat uncertainly. "Your teachers have notified me that your grades have appeared to fall since the incident with Mr. Hook." He paused for a moment, scratching his head. "Now, we all of course understand that what occurred was absolutely abhorrent, and we do understand that you would require time to feel comfortable in an academic environment following the incident. However, your teachers have also explained to me that your…demeanor has changed."
"How so?" Margaret asked, smiling slightly as she realized what Mr. Nolan would be discussing next.
Mr. Nolan cleared his throat again, attempting to find a diplomatic way to broach the next portion of this conversation. "You have traditionally shone a rather…reserved approach to socializing with your peers. Your teachers have observed that you appear to be spending much more time with schoolmates than you have previous. Of course, human connection is a remarkable thing. However, all things considered, we all have concerns about how you are enduring the longevity of your…situation."
Margaret smiled widely at Mr. Nolan. "As a matter of fact, I have felt the best I have in years."
Mr. Nolan stared at the young girl with pure confusion. Margaret stifled a laugh before continuing. "Of course, what I went through was horrible, Mr. Nolan. There is not debate on that matter. But I've mostly…made my peace with the situation. My grades haven't been up to my usual standards, I will admit, but I am maintaining all A's. On that front, I am not concerned with my drop in performance."
Mr. Nolan looked at Margaret in shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Margaret.
"And yes, I have begun to socialize with my peers. I would think that my previous 'demeanor', as you call it, would be concerning for anyone to observe without worrying of the potential harm it can enact upon an individual. Lacking social connections was truly harming my ability to cultivate my life outside of school," Margaret explained calmly. "I have found, now, a balance that I think rather enjoyable."
Mr. Nolan pulled off his glasses, considering them with great interest before looking at Margaret with something akin to disbelief. "Margaret, you must forgive me, but I am finding myself having a difficult time…I remember you distinctly discussing at length just a few weeks ago with a teacher about schools that would be adequate for a future in academia. And now, I've heard that you suddenly no longer wish to go to Cambridge or Oxford, but that you wish to travel for some time before continuing your education?"
Margaret looked down at her lap as she grinned secretively. "Mr. Nolan, my incident with Mr. Hook made me realize that I was watching life like it was a football match, rather than participating in the match itself. I do understand how these changes might be shocking, but I also have realized that the way I wish to live my life is different than how I previously imagined. I hope you can respect that."
Mr. Nolan swallowed, struggling to hear these words from Margaret, of all people. She had been Grim Prep's most accomplished student for many years. He had even grown to see Margaret as a daughter of sorts, with how often she sought his consul regarding her education and beyond. To have her no longer be Grim Prep's top student (even if she was still in the top 10) and have her lack concern for these matters was…beyond his understanding. Disappointment wasn't quite strong enough for him to describe the situation.
Yet, has he looked at the girl, seeing how she seemed so sure and secure of herself in these changes, he couldn't quite bring himself to be disappointed in her. No, Mr. Nolan couldn't be disappointed in Margaret, even if he thought her new dreams were a waste of her potential. With a sigh, Mr. Nolan leaned back in his chair.
"I see. Well, if things are you say they are, then I have nothing further to add, Ms. Darling."
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Nolan," Margaret said sweetly. She stood up and smiled on her way out.
!
"You know, it's quite a shame that we never really got to know each other well until now," a girl named Elizabeth said to Margaret as the pair walked home from school. Margaret shrugged her shoulders at Lizzy.
"I prioritized school over everything else. Since the incident, I've come to appreciate that life is more than that."
"And it's a good thing too. I swear, I wouldn't be able to endure maths without you there to carry me through that abysmal class," Lizzy chuckled.
"Mr. Barnes hasn't been so keen on us passing so many notes, though. We will really have to try creating a more efficient method of communication so that we won't receive so much scolding," Margaret said, shaking her head.
"You'd prefer if we never received a scolding at all, goody two shoes!" Elizabeth laughed. Margaret giggled.
"You're correct. Old habits cannot be shed overnight, it appears," Margaret said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Hmph. By the way, have you finished your next chapter yet?"
"Hm?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes playfully. "Of your story! Have you gone barmy or what?"
"Oh, that! No, I haven't," Margaret chuckled. "I can only write so fast! If you and Ava keep pestering me, I won't make any more progress!"
"Well, it was quite rude of you to leave us wondering when things just got good! I mean really, did you expect for us to simply lounge around nonchalantly when Margot has just been captured by the pirates and Peter is now parted from the love of his life? You must be a bit loony to think that!"
Margaret grinned. "I'll finish the next chapter during the weekend. Well, if I'm not consumed with studying for history and biology, that is."
"How will we survive?" Elizabeth asked sarcastically. The pair burst out laughing just as Margaret reached her home.
"I should head inside so I can begin my studying. Do call our home if you should need help. My Nana can usually answer quickly."
Elizabeth smiled. "Of course, Margaret. See you on Monday!"
!
Margaret sat by her window, the curtains flowing gracefully along with the nighttime breeze. As usual, Peter was late, leaving Margaret a bit of extra time to study her class material. Even though she wouldn't be continuing her education, Margaret didn't plan to let her grades sink entirely. After all, she still had a duty to maintain something akin to her old school performance.
A quiet woosh alerted Margaret to Peter's presence, she looked up, eyes sparkling as the boy landed in her room. "Good evening, Peter," Margaret greeted quietly. She placed a bookmark in her book before giving Peter a kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry, I know I'm late," Peter said sheepishly. "The Lost Boys kept on demanding that I ask you all sorts of questions as I was trying to leave. They send their love, by the way."
"I wouldn't expect anything else from them," Margaret replied with a light chuckle. "I never imagined they would be so curious about life here."
"Well, they're more interested in how you are doing. That was what Tootles asked me to pass on, anyway."
"You can tell Tootles that I'm doing fine, just as I told you to pass onto him yesterday," Margaret replied, striding over to her desk to sip a bit of tea.
"Slightly asked me if you needed him to get started on anything for when you move to the island," Peter said. "It seems like he believed we would want an area to ourselves," Peter continued in confusion. "The fairies had asked me a similar question, and so had Larissa."
Margaret's cheeks flamed as she wore a knowing smile. "That's…something we can discuss once I get to Neverland. I apologize for not being able to give a definitive answer now. Thinking about moving to Neverland has been nearly impossible with how tiring school has been."
"I can imagine. Watching you study that one time seemed horrible," Peter said, squinting his face. "I couldn't imagine reading so many books."
"Reading can be an enjoyable pastime, but I will admit that the activity can grow tiring if done for a long period of time."
Peter went quiet for a moment. "So, three weeks until you say goodbye to this place, hm?"
"Indeed. Three weeks. The time has truly flown by," Margaret stated, shaking her head.
"Are you still…do you still want to go through with this?" Peter walked behind Margaret, wrapping his arms around her gently. Margaret leaned into Peter's embrace, putting down her tea.
"I'm just as sure as the day I first declared I would move to Neverland."
Peter leaned forward to place a kiss on Margaret's cheek. Margaret turned around, allowing her to grasp Peter's hands. She smiled at him gently. Peter smiled back at her.
"Now, what were the other questions the Lost Boys had? You said you had been absolutely bombarded with them," Margaret teased. Peter rolled his eyes and plopped himself on the ground.
"Well, The Twins wanted me to ask…"
!
Margaret walked outside the doors of Grim Prep. Taking a deep breath, she allowed the fresh air to marinate in her lungs as she looked around at her peers walking away from the school doors. And for herself as well as everyone else in her year, it would be her final time stepping outside of the entrance.
Margaret turned around to study the building that she had attended for so many years. For so long before Neverland, she had imagined that she would have unquenchable grief at her parting from Grim Prep. That she might even be inconsolable.
No such emotions were within her now. All she felt was a sense of gratitude, but also a finality about her time. She did not have any desire to return to this place, although it had served her well. Margaret held no grievances with Grip Prep, as she still looked upon the place with fondness. However, it was time to leave the past be. Margaret would allow herself time to wash in the nodes of nostalgia that washed over her, but once she left the courtyard, she would put those memories to rest.
A cough caught Margaret's attention. She turned to see Mr. Nolan standing a few feet away from her. There were still plenty of students swarming the stairs and the courtyard, but not so many as there were earlier. That allowed Mr. Nolan and Margaret to congregate without fear of being victims to a stampede.
"Reliving memories, Ms. Darling?"
"In a way, yes," Margaret replied. "As I told you at the beginning of the term, 'everyone must grow up'. It appears now that my turn has come to do that."
Mr. Nolan nodded, thinking for a moment before speaking. "I want to apologize for my behavior, earlier this year. After the incident, I do not believe that I was respectful of your wishes to change your future. I…will admit that I fell into a bout of hubris."
The corners of Margaret's mouth turned upward. "I accept your apology, Mr. Nolan. I can understand how my decisions may have come across as hasty, at the time. But I am grateful that I came to my senses. I haven't been this happy since I was a child."
A sigh escaped Mr. Nolan's lips, betraying his continued vexation and dismay at Margaret's decision. Margaret smiled sympathetically before reaching down to rummage through her messenger bag. "I believe that there was some…missing, context that you might find helpful in understanding my decision. Admittedly, you may still have questions after reading this, but as someone who I have held in high esteem as a mentor for so many years, I felt it right to try and explain some aspects that went into my decision."
"I…thank you, Ms. Darling. That is kind of you," Mr. Nolan said, taking the enveloped letter delicately from Margaret's hands. "I do wish you sincere luck in your future journeys. And, if you ever wish for any assistance, I will be here."
"Thank you, Mr. Nolan. I shall keep that in mind."
!
Margaret knocked on a door that had become very familiar to her in the past nine months. Not even ten seconds after knocking, Elizabeth threw open the door, smiling widely at Margaret. "Oh, Margaret! Thank goodness you are here! I had truly thought you were loony enough to leave for America without even saying goodbye!"
"I could never!" Margaret jested. "However, I will have to make this meeting short. I will be leaving tonight and there are some things that I need to put in order before my departure. I just wanted to give you this." Margaret pulled out a journal from her bookbag, handing it over to Elizabeth gingerly.
"The last chapter? You finished it?!" Elizabeth gasped excitedly.
"I did. I figured it would be rude of me to not finish the story before leaving for…however long I will be gone for," Margaret chuckled.
"Oh, I'm so excited! You really have made my year with this!" Elizabeth squealed, pulling Margaret into a hug. "I'm such a terrible friend! You have a gift for me and I haven't anything to give you!"
"Your reaction is gift enough."
"Well, you will have to write me letters about your travels! I want to hear everything!"
"I will do my best to write, but I can't guarantee I'll be consistent," Margaret replied delicately. After all, Neverland couldn't be counted on to maintain a stable passage of time compared to the passage of time in London.
"As long as I know you aren't dead, then I'll be happy with that!" Elizabeth giggled. She pulled Margaret in another hug. "I'll miss you!"
"I'll miss you, too. Say hi to Ava for me! Tell her I'm sorry that I couldn't stop by and say my farewells!"
"Of course! Goodbye, Margaret!"
Margaret smiled as she walked, waving at Elizabeth joyfully. "Goodbye, Lizzy!" A pang of bittersweet sadness washed over Margaret. She knew that she would most likely never see her friend again.
!
Margaret stood by her window, running a hand over the meager bag that she had packed. A few books (including some textbooks that Margaret would require the Lost Boys to learn from), clothes (that she would have to alter for adventuring), some fabric and sewing items, papers, pencils, and Wendy's necklace. Admittedly, Margaret knew she was packing a tad too much. However, if she were to live in Neverland forever, then it would be better to pack too much than too little.
Soft footsteps padded into the room. Wendy smiled at Margaret sadly, stroking her granddaughter's hair once she reached her. "Just wanted to see you off, dear. After all, it will be quite some time before we see one another again."
"Of course, Nana," Margaret said softly, squeezing one of Wendy's hands. "I would want you to be here." Margaret glanced outside. "Do you require a shawl? It's quite chilly out—"
"I'll be fine, dear. A little chill won't kill me," Wendy chuckled. "You don't need to worry about me."
A sigh escaped Margaret as she looked at her grandmother with creases of worry in her forehead. Old habits were not easily shed overnight, as she had said to Elizabeth once. This proved further truth to that statement.
"Peter will most likely arrive late, as he usually does."
"Peter wouldn't be Peter if he didn't. He usually arrived late even when I was a young girl," Wendy laughed. Margaret smiled anxiously, her gaze plastered to the world outside.
"I…are you still sure you will be alright? I—"
Wendy sat by Margaret's side, smirking as she reached a hand to pat Margaret's cheek. "Yes, dear. I will do fine on my own. We have plenty of family that can see to my wellbeing."
Margaret took a deep breath. "Ok."
A woosh startled the pair. Peter landed in the middle of the room, his eyes wide, mouth curved in a smile, and a nervous twitch about his demeanor. Upon seeing the boy, Margaret smiled widely at him, popping up from the bench to rush and hug him. They embraced tightly, allowing Wendy a moment to watch the pair with happiness.
Peter and Margaret pulled away from one another. "You ready, Margaret?"
"As much as I can be," Margaret said, a slight wobble in her voice. She turned to Wendy, who approached with Margaret's bag of belongings. "I…may have packed a bit too much."
"I'm certain the two of you will make do," Wendy said kindly.
Peter blinked, having just processed that it was Wendy standing before him. An old woman. Yet, looking in her eyes, he knew it was the same girl that he shared his first love with. Fondness swirled within him, but all the romance had disappeared. Feelings of romance only resurfaced when he looked Margaret, who looked at him with a shy smile as she pulled her bag from Wendy's grasp.
Peter looked at Wendy. When she looked back at him, the closure that he had never quite come to terms with in their history finally came to fruition. A slight burden lifted from Peter's chest. He smiled at her. Wendy smiled back. "Do take care of her, Peter," she requested softly. Peter nodded quickly.
"Of course," he replied matter-of-factly.
"And Margaret?"
Margaret, who had started to climb out of the window at this point with the bag hanging from her shoulders, turned to look back at Wendy. "Do take care of Peter, for me."
"Of course, Nana!" Margaret replied, her tone mirroring Peter's. After taking a moment to ponder, she carefully placed the bag down on the bench and rushed over to hug Wendy. The pair shared a tight, lingering hug, squeezing all the warmth and familiarity they could from it. It would be a long time before they would be able to hug again.
Peter assumed a position just in front of the window, taking care to hoist Margaret's bag onto his shoulders instead. When Margaret broke from Wendy's embrace, Peter reached a hand out to Margaret, allowing her to rush towards him and place her hand in his. The pair smiled at one another widely before jumping out of the window. Wendy sat on the bench, and watched the pair fly away to Neverland, not to be seen again for some time.
When they disappeared, Wendy smiled to herself. She pulled out a notebook that had been left to her by Margaret. Wendy flipped through the pages that included Margaret's handwriting until she reached the final page. The page was unfinished by Margaret, but she knew just what to write following Margaret's paragraph.
The young couple waited months and months for Margot's term to end. At times, the waiting sparked poisonous doubts about living in Neverland forever. However, these doubts would always be soothed the next time the couple saw one another, reaffirming Margot's decision in her mind.
Finally, on the fateful day, when Margot was taken away to live in Neverland, her Nana could not find it in herself to have a heavy heart. For, she knew, that they would live happily ever after.
!
A/N: (Just a quick note that there is some bonus content following this author's note). Wow! I honestly didn't believe I would be able to finish this story before my trip. However, here we are! I realize the ending might seem a bit cheesy, but I feel like the ending fits the story.
I would like to acknowledge the people who have been invested in this story and give a thanks to the people who have followed (if you do not wish for me to keep your username listed here, then feel free to dm me to have it removed). My special thanks go to: Aminelover, Elanor12345, Pineapples and Papes, Zimtzicke23, gaylordkitten, gogominjo, leylaforleva77, and san.77 for all following this story. Special thanks to Beatriz Regina, NeverlandDreamer23, .Rosea, Sparrowhawk8.20, StarwarsFan88, Wolfyness, em1999, gaylordkitten, leylakoroleva77, and san.77 for all the favorites. I want to give a special shoutout and apologies to em1999 who favorited this story back in 2017, just a few months after I started. Another special shoutout to Elanor12345 for reviewing my story, as I enjoyed seeing your engagement in what I had written.
I feel horrible for making everyone wait for such a long time to see its conclusion. I can't guarantee that my writing is stellar, but I feel that overall, I managed to accomplish the vision that I had in a manner that I'm mostly happy with. I think it's a great accomplishment to finish a story (especially one as long as this, as it is longer than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone including my lengthy author's notes).
I do plan to write a set of one shots/an extended epilogue somewhat soon, but I cannot say when that will be out. What I can say, is thank you to everyone who has kept up with this story and has patiently waited for me to finish. It took me almost 5 years to complete, which is way longer than necessary, but I'm glad to have finished.
Thank you all, and I hope everyone has a good morning, afternoon, evening, or night wherever you are.
!
BONUS CONTENT
Margaret's Letter to Mr. Nolan
Dear Mr. Nolan 25/07/1969
I hope this letter reaches you well. I may have mentioned this to you, when I gave you this letter, but I wanted to expand upon some information that I feel may be pertinent in understanding why I made the changes in my life that I did.
You see, I don't believe I was ever truly happy in the state that I was. In truth, since childhood, I had always desperately wished to grow up, to gain control over my life that I felt lacking from the day that I learned my parents had died. I unduly placed much blame on myself, for I felt that I was responsible for their deaths.
My adamant feelings toward growing up left me a hollow version of myself. I didn't cultivate a joy for life. I was alone, and deep within myself, afraid.
The incident with Mr. Hook allowed me to meet an individual that has been significant to my family's history. I was taken to a place that forced me to reflect on myself, my wants, and my dreams. Upon leaving that place and returning home, I realized that my wants and dreams changed.
I apologize for keeping the details of my situation vague. If you truly want more answers, then you may contact my grandmother, who has a manuscript that details my experiences with an air of creative liberty to allow for a more digestible read. A similar version of the manuscript has circulated among my group of friends, although there are a few differences that would be notable. Either way, I hope that any requirements for answers would be quenched with the materials I have left for you.
Please know that I hold you in high esteem as a mentor, and that I will carry the lessons I have learned from you for the rest of my life. I will forever be grateful for your mentorship. Thank you so much, and I hope that our paths will cross in the future.
Sincerely,
Margaret Darling