“Nicely done,” called out a voice from behind them. Peter twisted around the beaten Lost Boys, his short wooden blade resting at his side. “You’re getting better with every day.”
“But?” Maggie raised a brow, sensing the teasing humor in his voice.
He pressed forward, the smirk undeniable as it tugged at his lip. “Sure, you can learn all our techniques, but there’s one thing no one else on Neverland haseverdone.”
With her curiosity piqued, Maggie began to lower the blade. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“Well, beat Peter Pan in araceof course!”
Maggie exploded through the air before any more words could be said. She didn’t need to know any rules, to know where they would be racing too. By that point, she felt as though shehad lived in Neverland for all her life, and racing Peter Pan and his Lost Boys was just another day. An average, fun-filled day.
The world of the island raced by as Maggie centered in on the treehouse. The patio they usually flew into was already open, the wooden doors pulled out wide to let them in. Even at her distance, Maggie made out a small golden shape waiting on the patio, a yellow tail swishing happily above the creature’s furry head.
Maggie flew through the doors, skidding against the wooden floors before she came to a halting stop beside the back wall.
“Nice try,” Peter said, already leaning against the wall, as if he had been waiting for a while. “But you’ll have to be faster than that next time.”
Maggie’s jaw dropped. “How – but – you – how –?”
One by one, the Lost Boys trickled in behind her. They were already laughing as they tossed their wooden swords onto a pile on the floor. Sunny, who was sunbathing on the patio, rushed to greet everyone as they returned. With his tail erected up in a straight line high above his head, Sunny rubbed along all their ankles before pausing beside Maggie lovingly. She squatted down to pet him between his ears.
“I don’t understand,” Maggie murmured. “I didn’t even see you. How did you beat me back here?”
Peter smirked and shrugged. “Well, IamPeter Pan, after all.”
“Alright, alright,” she muttered as she straightened back up, a laugh caught on the back of her throat. “Now, if I recall correctly, I had a freshly baked pie cooling in the –”
Before she even had the chance to finish speaking, the boys were racing to reach the kitchen first. Maggie sighed as she followed behind them, Sunny trotting at the same pace as her. The Lost Boys tumbled and rolled down the stairs, Peter leading the way. Dash gained speed and slipped by Twitch, only to lunge and wrap his arms around his King’s long legs, in the samefashion as a toddler. Peter went crashing to the floor below, his groan echoing through the stairwell.
Maggie watched their race unfold. Of course, none of them waited long enough to hear her say that there were plenty of pieces to go around, but that was besides the point. She simply enjoyed experiencing their freedom, their will to have fun, their insistence to be happy. It seeped into her the longer she remained in Neverland, the sadness she once might've carried on her shoulders slipping away with every passing day.
Once they reached the kitchen, the Lost Boys were in a pile on the floor, with Peter being the only one left standing. Maggie seamlessly stepped around their dogpile and pressed into the kitchen. Peter’s comfortable steps followed close behind, the swinging doors opening and falling behind them. Maggie reached her cooling pie, the fruits on top glistening with the crystallized simple syrup she'd brushed over them. She grabbed the knife to slice the pie when the rest of the Lost Boys funneled into the kitchen, not hesitating to tackle their beloved King to the ground with a loud, floor shakingthud.
“Would you guys relax?” Maggie asked through a laugh, already placing the pieces on the round dessert plates. “There’s more than enough for everyone.”
Their rushed shouts came so fast that Maggie hardly had the chance to even know who was speaking.
“I did the most work this week, I deserve the largest piece.”
“And who areyouexactly? Not the King of Neverland, last I checked!”
“Tallest gets the biggest!”
“Since when was that a rule?”
“Sincenow,shorty!”
Their arguments rose and reached the ceiling as Maggie simply dished out the plates across the long table. The boys ran forward with no regard for each other, seeking out whicheverslice they wanted the most. Eventually, silence overtook the kitchen, as they happily downed their sweet delights.
Dash was the first to finish, wiping the stray crumbs off his chin. “Say, Peter,” he called out from down the table, “I think Maggie’s picked up on swordplay pretty well. Do you think she’s ready to meet with the pirates?”
A scoff came from Twitch. “I’m sure they’ll be surprised.”
Maggie’s eyes raised. From across the table, Peter remained quiet as the Lost Boys made fun of the pirates all around him. He kept his steely gaze focused on the plate in front of him, his mouth in a hard line.
“Not sure,” he finally said. “Everyone could always use more practice.”
Scamp grinned. “You’re just being overprotective.”
