Forever - A Peter Pan Retelling

Glitter Dust

Winter Darling:

My hand moves along something soft and damp.

When I open my eyes, I'm lying down on a bed of moss and pacing in front of me is the fairy from earlier.

I can't believe I actually just called him a fairy. This is so weird...

"Where am I...?" I murmur as I push off of the ground, sitting up slowly.

The boy walks over to me as I rub the sleep out of my eyes. He places his pointer and middle fingers flat against my wrist, feeling my pulse.

"Your heartbeat's normal, that's good. How do you feel? Nauseous? Any headaches?" He looks at me as if he's some kind of doctor.

I shake my head in response and once he's satisfied, he takes my hand, pulling me up on my feet.

His grip is strong for someone who looks so young. My eyes travel up his forearm seeing the muscle bulging under the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt and the markings of tattoos creeping down from under them.

How old is this boy? I can't help but wonder.

He has sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. They're crisp and full of life. I haven't seen eyes like those in some time. Ones that belong to someone so lively.

"You'll have to come with me first before I fly us to the treehouse. I'm all out of magic right now..." His voice is a low grumble as if he's exhausted.

Before I can reply, he's already walking away. His strides are long so I have to run a little to catch up to him.

"You still haven't answered my question. Where am I?" I ask more sternly now as I'm begging to grow tired of my questions being left unanswered.

"Neverland" He replies simply.

Neverland? As in...?

I can't help but let out a laugh but he just responds to it with a cold glare.

"Are you serious? The fictional land where nobody ages and Peter Pan rules is real?" My tone is sarcastic as I look up at the serious look on his face.

"It's real, alright..." he nods. "But Peter Pan hasn't ruled in a while. Not since..." The boy's voice grows quiet as if he can't finish his words.

"Since Wendy Dar-?" But before I can ask, his hand clasps over my mouth once again.

Is this how he shuts people up all the time?

"We're not to speak her name. The shadow can hear..." He mutters to me as he leads me down a path in a forest.

I peer down at my naked feet while I walk along the trail. The ground seems softer than normal ground and the birds that fly through the trees around us look much more exotic.

For once, there isn't a bitter wind stinging my skin like the one back home and for that, I'm grateful.

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" I ask more questions, not caring if I'm bothering the boy because I'm in dire need of answers.

He sighs and takes a deep breath as if he needs mental preparation to answer me.

"I'm Ty Bell. I brought you to Neverland because this is normally where the banished and unwanted go" He explains, brushing his fluffy hair back with his hand.

"Unwanted? And what does that mean?" My tone shows I'm offended and so does the expression on my face when our eyes meet.

"Your father was the man in your room, yes? He didn't seem like a nice man. He hits you and I can tell you're not fed enough" Each judgment feels like a jab in the stomach, but only because I know it's true.

My father hasn't fed me in years.

Since I was young, I've been relying on being fed by other people: friends, neighbors, teachers and even random folks who knew I needed it more than them.

I cross my arms over my body, trying to let the big hoodie I'm wearing engulf me so he can't see my frail body.

I'm too skinny. Too bony. He can see that.

***

I'm so lost in my thoughts that the journey through the woods flies by until we stop at a clatter of bushes and branches.

Ty pulls one of the branches back, allowing me to climb through, the branches pulling my hair as I do.

When I emerge on the other side, I'm greeted by a magical sight: rows of tall trees that are all leaking some kind of golden glitter.

My mouth hangs open as I look around. There are pools of the shiny dust all around the trees, making it scatter along the path.

Ty walks over to one of the trees and I watch his every move, curious what he's going to do.

His hand reaches up, pulling one of the branches down and letting the dust shower him. It falls all down his head and face and it makes his wings flutter like he's excited.

He truly is something out of a fairytale.

The branch slowly moves back into place before Ty moves over to me, shaking the access dust off and it gets all over me like a wet dog getting its owner soaked as it tries to shake the water off.

"Ty!" I shriek and laugh.

I look up at him, seeing his pearly white teeth displayed in a smile. He's laughing too and I notice the features on his face are now sharper, making him look older.

His jaw is now strong and his cheeks slim. He looks at least my age: 19.

"What's this "treehouse" then?" I ask once our laughter dies down.

He looks much happier since pouring that dust all over himself.

"Think of it like a kingdom. Pan is King, then it's his royal court and then the rest of his men. We all live in the treehouse since it's so large" Hearing his voice, I also notice he sounds more awake, more alive.

I nod in understanding.

So Peter Pan really is seen as a King? Or by the sounds of things; he was...