His smile changed into something warm the longer he watched her.
“What?”
Peter sighed and tilted his head, letting his cheek fall against his hand lazily. “You’re just smartandbrave,” he murmured.
Dash rapped his knuckles sharply against the table. “Before you fall back into love-bird land, can we talk about the elephant in the room?”
“What elephant?” Maggie asked, her nerves rising once more. Perhaps the Lost Boys were concerned about her and Peter’s budding relationship, and were going to use the time to express their concerns over it. It surely was an elephant in the room, since they were all more than aware of it. Maggiestraightened and readied herself to handle whatever it was they wanted to say.
Dash leaned forward expectantly. “Hook’s deal, of course!”
Maggie released a deep breath. “O-Of course?”
“How can you all be so certain that he’ll just follow through on it?” Dash asked.
Twitch raised his hand. “Don’t speak for me, Dash. I think that the pirates will keepbothstatues. Why wouldn’t they?”
Scamp and Dusty quickly followed with their own complaints. No one at the table seemed to believe that Hook would keep his end of the deal. Even when Maggie looked over to Peter, the way his eyes danced across the table told an entirely separate story. They were all ready to have to face off with the pirate and his crew another time.
“He will keep his end of the deal,” Maggie said amid their rising comments.
Peter looked over, his eyes narrowing. “We should be ready for any and all possibilities, Magpie.”
“Sure,” she murmured. “But I can tell you with full faith that he will keep his side of the bargain.”
Dash leaned toward her. “Then I ask my question again. How can you be so sure? What, through faith alone?”
Maggie was almost shocked to find herself in this position. Normally it seemed to always be the other way around. She would go about questioning the people of Neverland until their magic and positivity proved her wrong. But here, in an unexplained turn of events, Maggie was the one holding the optimism in the palm of her hand. They all watched her expectantly, waiting to be convinced that Hook was a trustworthy pirate.
Maggie sighed. “I’m not going to say that it is because I trust Hook as a person,” she explained. “Or that I see some shred of good inside him. There is only everything you have all taughtme! Maybe I’m wrong, or maybe I’m right. We won’t know until the very moment, but until then, I’m going to be hoping for the latter.”
Peter reached and rubbed his hand down Maggie’s back. “Optimism looks good on you, Magpie.”
As a blush swarmed through her cheeks, Maggie cleared her throat and pulled the conversation in the opposite direction. “H-How are things in Cricket Hollow?”
“Better than they’ve been in a while,” Scamp replied. “I’d say even better than when we had the Everything Plant.”
She gaped. “Really?”
“Don’t you see what kind of effect you’ve had on the island?” he asked. “All across Neverland, all sorts of creatures are learning to cook and make food for themselves. No one’s been dependent on the Everything Plant for weeks now. There’s your restaurant too, of course, but –”
“ButCricket Hollow thrives because of its wonderful teacher,” Dash finished for him, his smile wide and genuine. “It’s all anyone talks about these days. No one would’ve known how to even boil water if it wasn’t for you, Maggie.”
Peter tightened his arm around her. “There’s something about having the freedom to cook for oneself and one's family. It’s a blessing we never had – that is, until a certain Magpie came around.”
As they finished up their bountiful breakfast, Maggie remained at the table for a little while longer, just watching them move around. They picked up after themselves, collected the dirty dishes where the Brownies could easily access them – along with a few pancakes for the little creatures, of course. There wasn’t a single thing that was left for Maggie to worry about. To be cared for, to be heard, to be respected was still something that she struggled to get used to. But then, as Peterled her away from the dining table and up to her bedroom to get dressed, Maggie found it a very palpable thing to swallow.
She managed to change the way they lived on that island, even if it was filled to the brim with magic. Someone as simple as her left a lasting mark, one that she didn’t think would be leaving anytime soon. They would remember the things she taught them for the rest of their lives, and she doubted they would hesitate to share the lessons with their children, and their children after that.
Maggie, for the first time in her life, felt as though she mattered to an ever-changing and constantly evolving world.
9
Maggie
Why did I let Dash convince me into this?
The short dress Maggie wore clung tightly to her curved frame. It was meant for swimming, leaving the material thin and molding to her skin. The rosy red suit was off the shoulder, revealing her collarbones and rounded arms. The sleeves went down to her wrists, comfortably fitting her though she had never worn it before. The bodice cinched at the waist, following the natural hourglass shape of her body. The skirt, ruffled and made up a few different shades of red, stopped halfway down her thighs, leaving most of her legs exposed. The wind sliced against her as she flew above Neverland, trying her best to ignore what she was wearing.
