Free Neverland by Anna Katmore Page B

along a path leading away from the shore for at least an hour and a half with night surrounding us, and still no one wants to tell me where we’re heading. Smee and Hook flank me, four pirates following us. They hollered and made dirty jokes for the better part of this journey, but since we reached the jungle a few minutes ago, their chatting has gradually ceased. Now they are so silent I peek over my shoulder to make sure they’re still there. And only in the dim moonlight can I make out their shapes.
    Hook didn’t say a word the entire time. He seemed deep in thought. Smee, apparently too scared to disturb his captain in his musing, was silent too. Or maybe they just didn’t want to discuss whatever they planned to do in front of me. However, while Hook set a fast pace at the beginning—I could hardly match his steps without jogging alongside him—I realize that his entire body has become cautious since we entered the thicker jungle, as if expecting trouble.
    “Light a torch,” he orders Smee.
    His companion pulls a long piece of wood from the bag he brought and kindles a flame with a match that he strikes on the sole of his boot. The burning torch casts a circle of comforting light around us. “Which way?” Smee asks then.
    “I don’t know.” Hook shrugs. “Why don’t we ask our little Angel?” His gaze skates to me. “If you’d be so kind and lead the way, Miss London.”
    My mouth sags open and I surely make wider eyes than a koala bear at him. “You want me to lead you through the jungle?”
    “And show us to the Pan’s hideout, yes. You’re the only one who knows where all the traps are.”
    I squeeze my eyes closed and would have pinched the spot between them, but I can’t because my wrists are still tied at my back. “What traps?” I say through gritted teeth.
    “The ones Peter Pan and the Lost Boys set up for us, of course,” Jack Smee explains with a parody of a smile.
    Last night haunts me. If there really are traps in the jungle, I was lucky I didn’t venture inside alone. “I don’t know of any traps! And I don’t know how to get to his place either! We never hiked through the jungle.” Biting pain shoots up my arms as I struggle against the rope around my wrist. It’s no use; they’re awfully tight. “If you know him so well, it’s probably not a secret to you that he’s capable of flying. And he does it a lot!” My head starts to ache. I feel groggy and tired. Stepping aside, I lean against a tree. “Go find the way yourself.”
    “You gave us a convincing show on the plank,” says Hook. “This time we won’t let you get away so easily. If you don’t know where the traps are, then you better start praying, because you will lead us through the jungle and to Pan’s den.”
    I want nothing more than to lie down and rest. When is this nightmare going to end? My legs feel like rubber and I can barely see straight. What wouldn’t I give for Peter to find me and lift me in his arms again, flying me back to their tree. The cozy sleeping booths inside are all I can think of right now.
    An idea pops up in my mind. Everything is quiet out here. My yell should carry over miles. I suck in a deep breath then scream, “Peeeeteeer!” with all the strength I have in my lungs. “Peter Pa—”
    Hook grabs my arm, spinning me around. My back is flush against his front and his big hand presses over my mouth. “If you want to survive the night, you better stop this shit,” he growls in my ear.
    Only when my thrashing and whimpering cease does he let go, turning me so he can glare at me. “Good. Now go and lead the way around the traps. And Angel…I swear if you’re trying to trick us, you’re going to regret it.”
    “How can I trick you? I don’t know the way nor where the traps are!” Tears spring to my eyes but I blink them back. “I’ll be the first to fall into one. And you won’t even take off the bonds.”
    “Better you fall into one than us ,” he says coldly.