“You’ve shown me incredible things.” Maggie pulled back, her cheeks hurting from how hard she had been smiling. “And I don’t think I’ll ever know how to repay such a generous gift.”
The King of Neverland watched her with an unreadable expression. She was barely aware of his hands resting against her hips, of how one slipped to her lower back, of how he tugged her closer, of how the space between them was quickly disappearing. It wasn’t until his gaze dropped to her lips, holding onto their rosy color, that her heart skipped a beat.
Something was about to happen.
Something that would change so much, though Maggie wasn’t entirely sure what or why.
Peter leaned forward and touched her lips with his own. It was a feather-like touch, one that she almost believed never happened. It wasn’t until he released a deep breath, warm air that smelt of cinnamon and citrus fanning over her face, that Peter captured her mouth in a feverish embrace. The kiss was empowering, the kiss was fiery, the kiss was soft, the kiss was quiet. It was everything all at once, wrapped up into a single moment that seemed to only last for a split second. By the timeMaggie realized what was happening, her shoulders slacking and eyes fluttering shut, Peter was already pulling away.
“P-Peter,” she breathed, her voice shaky and hoarse. “What –”
His long fingers intertwined with her own, holding her close to his side. “Let’s go home,” he whispered. “Okay?”
Maggie didn’t even know if she responded. All she knew was that Peter was in front of her, and his hand wasn’t daring to leave her own. He led the way forward, and she eagerly followed. The world around her was blurry and hazy, with Peter the only figure there that her eyes could focus on. Shock and desire and embarrassment coursed through Maggie, but there was only one sentence going through her mind, over and over again, like a mantra.
He kissed me.
5
Maggie could hardly recognize herself.
In the room given to her by the Lost Boys, within their gigantic treehouse, a full-sized mirror rested against the tall wooden walls. Ornate gold lacing decorated the edges of the mirror, almost making her feel as though she was a Princess within an elaborate castle. But those weren’t at all the things she was looking at.
When she and Peter arrived back at the treehouse, their kiss still lingering on her lips like a secret, the Lost Boys were right at the front door waiting. Each held a sneaky grin on his face, something hidden behind the mischievous twinkle in their eyes. Peter was quick to stand alongside them, suddenly holding the same tricky expression. They rushed her upstairs to her bedroom, telling her that there wasn’t much time but she needed to get “prettied up” as soon as possible. The moment they uttered the words, Maggie felt her age-old insecurities quickly rise to the surface, but she tried to push them down.
Neverland was a beautiful place for many reasons, magic being at the forefront of them, but that wasn’t entirely why Maggie felt so at home on the mysterious island. There was an unspoken idea that anything was possible there, as thoughall unheard dreams could be made a reality, no matter how hidden they are. She couldn’t help but wonder if the answer to everything that had once haunted her lay within the island, just out of reach. Everything she believed herself unworthy of was being handed to her with no questions asked.
A stunning green dress was already laid out for her when she arrived in her bedroom. For a few minutes she could only stare, her eyes clinging to the places that would hug her curved waist, that would reveal her round stomach, that would expose her arms, that would accentuate her figure. Back home, she would never dare to wear such a thing. It was not meant for someone like her, not at all! But the longer she stared, the more tempted she became. Touching the dress felt like a sin, and putting it on seemed like an insult to all the women who might wear it better. Perhaps it was only the dark insecurities Maggie had harboured for so long taking their moment to rise to the surface, but there was something that felt as right as rain telling her that it was wrong.
Maggie snatched the dress off the bed and went to change behind the partition. There was something devilish about it, something that felt like she was breaking the rules, as she removed her comfortable clothes and donned something far grander. Ever since she first arrived in Neverland, the Lost Boys and Peter took to providing her with clothes she would’ve never worn in the human lands. They were mainly dresses, all meant for being out in the sun. They were brightly colored, not afraid to show off skin, not afraid to cling to the figure it was made for. Sure she had grown used to them, and found them to even be far better than what she once preferred, but the green dress? Thegown?
Maggie stepped out from behind the partition, the ends of the dress trailing behind her slightly. She slipped on a pair of matching shoes on her way back to the mirror, the short heelsclicking rhythmically against the floor. She sauntered forward, careful not to meet her reflection at first. She simply tested herself, only eyeing her legs before trailing up to her waist. She lingered there, swallowing the figure she had been given, before meeting herself in the eye.
And, for a moment, she didn’t recognize herself.
But then, the longer she stared, the easier it was for Maggie to realize the truth. She had never quite looked in the mirror and seenherselfbefore. What she saw was what the human world made her out to be: someone who ran, someone who hid, someone who was afraid. In Neverland, as she peered into her own chestnut eyes, Maggie felt as though she was finally seeing herself for the first time in her entire life.
Pretty or beautiful were never words she used to describe herself. The Lost Boys and Peter had the uncanny ability of making her feel as though she had always been that, always a diamond in the rough, always a Princess amongst a sea of paupers. And now, as Maggie looked into the mirror, she was finally beginning to see the same thing.
Was it possible that, after all this time, Maggie had been beautiful all along?
The emerald green dress clung to her curves in the best way possible. The bodice was shaped like a heart around her chest, the straps delicately snug around her shoulders. The corset hugged her stomach before falling into a few layers of satin skirts, the fabric luxurious against her skin. And below, matching green heels sat on her feet with a few pieces of jewelry adorning her neck and wrists. Maggie grasped at her long brown hair, no longer thinking that it was a simple boring mop of hair, and twisted it up into a bun. A few curls draped along her face pleasantly, and Maggie smiled at herself.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A slurry of fists against the door almost made Maggie jump in the air. Gathering her skirts, she strolled across the room and pulled the bedroom door open. For a moment, she could only hold her breath, afraid of the expressions she might find on the other side.
But there was only happiness.
The Lost Boys all dressed in similar attire: three piece suits with their long hair pulled back with a bit of gel. They grinned as they looked over her dress, nodding as though it was what they had imagined all along. And though Maggie was delighted at their pleased response, there was only one set of eyes she was looking for in particular.
Peter dressed differently than the rest of them. His dress pants were a steely grey, with the dress coat already gone. A puffy white button down, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, charmingly showed off his muscular frame. A few popped bottoms revealed wispy blonde hairs growing along the center of his chest.
“Maggie Hart,” Peter murmured, his eyes shamelessly touching every inch of her. “You are a woman after my entire soul, aren’t you?”
Fiery heat burnt across Maggie’s face. She was at a loss for words, but that seemed to be just what the boys wanted.
“We’ve got a big surprise for you, Magpie,” Twitch said, his eyes twinkling playfully. “But you’ll need to have your eyes covered to get there.”
