I think back to where I’d found Tinker Bell’s room when I went exploring. I think it’s straight ahead and then to the left somewhere far past the kitchen. That means I need to break off from the main hall and search for a way out, somewhere far away from wherever Peter is headed.
“Moira?” Slightly appears ahead of me, his face grim. “Don’t try anything. Peter sent me to …” He trails off.
“To what?” I snap back at him. “To hold me prisoner?”
He winces. “You’re drugged.”
“No shit.”
“Hook poisoned you. That’s why you’re acting this way.”
I gawk at him, then a laugh bubbles up from me as I advance on him. He didn’t count on that, because his eyebrows hit his hairline when I poke my finger into his chest.
“Peterdrugged me. Not Hook.Peteris a fucking villain. Did you know that?” My voice breaks, changing from laughter to anger in a heartbeat. “Did you know what he was doing to me?”
He stares down at me, and for a moment I think he might strike me. But then he shakes his head.
“Not at first.” He sounds defeated. “At first I had no idea. But then …” He runs his hand along his youthful cheeks. “We started to get young again. But you … You were looking worse and worse.”
“You knew, and you didnothing,” I hiss.
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand that you and Peter and all the rest of the Lost Boys have been using me like a fucking battery,” I snarl at him. “You all knew, and you let it go on. Even …” God this hurts to think, much less to say. “Even Coy.”
He doesn’t deny it, and that’s all the confirmation I need.
“I’m leaving. Get out of my way.”
“I can’t.” He backs away a step, his arms out, blocking the hallway.
“Youcan.” I step to him and eye the blade he has strapped to his belt.
“Like I said, you don’t understand.” He grimaces. “I can’t help you. Coy tried. He went to Peter—we all did—and asked him to stop, to let you go back to the Mainland.”
“What?”
He nods. “Coy didn’t want this anymore. I didn’t either. If I had to age and die, then I could accept it. But Peter wouldn’t have it.”
I’m struck not by what he’s saying, but by what he doesn’t realize—he’salreadydead. But I don’t have time for this. I’ve already been here too long. Peter and Tinker Bell could be on their way back.
“Let me pass.” I move toward him, but he sidesteps to block me. “Slightly, I swear to god—”
“I can’t.” He winces. “I can’t, Moira. I’m so sorry. Peter—I can’t disobey.”
“Why not? What will he do to you?”
“No, it’s not like that.” He shakes his head. “It’s not that I won’t. It’s that Ican’t.”
When he says it, it’s like a rubber band pops in my brain. So much becomes clear in that one millisecond.
“You have to do what Peter tells you. That’s what it is, isn’t it? Youcan’tdisobey him?”
He shakes his head. “We never could. I don’t know what it is. A curse, or maybe Tinker Bell—but we can’t go against him. It’s why we couldn’t tell you what he was doing, why we couldn’t stop it.”
“Holy shit.” I swallow hard. “No wonder.”
“Coy was the only one who got close to standing up to him, but he still couldn’t. Peter’s curse is too strong. He wanted to tell you. We all did.” His voice is tortured, but he still blocks my way.
