Page 27 of Never Landing

“And you were stuck until . . . ?”

“A couple days ago.”

“That must’ve been really confusing and hard. Growing up is hard enough, but to start and stop like that...”

I nodded. “I didn’t fit anymore, with the other lost kids. But I—I wasn’t sure what else to do.”

“You were out there for a long time. Was it the only home you ever knew?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sure the other kids in the forest appreciated you staying with them.”

“I guess so. Maybe.” I hadn’t thought about it like that, but I hoped the kids liked me, that me being there had been good for them. Mostly, it had been for me. They were my family.

I’d just missed so much.

“If it’s okay with you both,” Dr. Hawking said, “I’d love to talk to Peter alone for a little while.”

I stared down at where my fingers laced with Everett’s. I didn’t want to let him go, ever really, but right then, it felt...okay.

Everett was staring at me when I looked at him, and I realized he was going to take my lead on this. I could ask him to stay, and he would.

“That’s fine,” I said.

“Okay.” Everett stood up when I let him go. “I’ll just be right outside in the waiting room.”

“Okay.”

He gave me one more smile before he slipped out.

“He’s a really good friend, isn’t he?” Dr. Hawking asked.

“The very best,” I repeated.

“Are you staying with him right now?”

I nodded.

“And are you happy there?”

“I don’t know that I’ve ever been happier. I mean, all of this makes me kind of sad, but having Everett? That could never make me sad. I always want to be with him.”

She nodded, and then she went quiet for a second. I didn’t know if I’d said the wrong thing, but I’d definitely told her the truth, so I wasn’t going to worry about it.

That was all we did for most of the hour—we talked.

She’d ask me questions about the kids in the forest and what they were like. She wanted to know what it was like meeting Everett for the first time, and why I started to grow up.

It was like we were getting to know one another, but it was also...nice, like talking about some of this stuff made it feel less tight and hard in my chest.

When I started feeling kind of tired, our time was up. Dr. Hawking stood up with me and led me to the door of her office.

“It’s been really nice to meet you, Peter. I’d love to talk to you again soon.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” I agreed, sticking my hands in my pockets.

“Could we talk again on Monday?”

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