Page 66 of Beneath the Starlight and Storms

“What powerful item gives you the ability to be so quick?” I ask as I take my fluffy dog out of its secured spot on my trousers and make sure he wasn’t harmed in our little game.

“This.” Hook raises his arm as we exit the tent and I spot the watch that pulled me under in the office a while ago.

An icy shiver crawls down my back as I remember what it did last time when I stared at it for too long.

“It can slow down time too?” I ask and he glances at me with furrowed brows.

“How did you…” He shakes his head. “Never mind. I should know better than to ask when it comes to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You always had this natural intuitive ability that would lead you in the right direction or reveal something you’d need. You always knew what to do and where to go even though you were never there to begin with. It made me think that even if you were a Fae without magic, that nature had a way to give you something back.”

“Is that why you called me Tink?” I ask, trying to subtly move us away from the lie I told him.

“One of the reasons,” he nods.

“And the other?”

“I’ll tell you another time.”

I smirk, shaking my head at his playful smile as we walk past a large crowd that is gathered around something. But I can’t see what has them all so enthralled and excited.

With a glare from Hook, they quickly part to reveal a man dressed in a black-and-white striped suit and large black hat as he demonstrates something.

“What is he doing?” I ask as he pulls a long piece of red ribbon from his sleeve. It goes on for a bit before he bows with a smile.

“Magic trick,” Hook mumbles with a frown watching him.

“That’s magic? But he could be just hiding them in his long sleeves.” Surely this can’t be magic. I reach trying to sense any powers or energy. But I get nothing.

He pulls a thicker piece of red ribbon from his left sleeve and does the same trick, garnering small claps and laughs. But as he takes another bow, the ribbon begins to float upward, slithering around his arm before wrapping around both his wrists and tying them together with a bow.

The claps grow as he frowns down at his wrists, now trapped together. He glances back up, quickly covering his frown with a wide smile before raising his arms.

The crowd cheers as I glance up at Hook and spot the twinkle in his eyes.

“You’re doing this.”

Hooks only reply is a dazzling smile.

I look back at the man just as a third piece of ribbon falls from his right sleeve and starts to wrap around his legs. Round and round it goes until the man is unable to do anything but jump a step forward.

I laugh at the confused look he tries to cover with another smile as the crowd cheers at him.

Glancing up at Hook, I find him smiling down at me. “Having fun?”

I nod, realizing Iwashaving fun. More fun than I had in a very long time.

“Come on. I want you to see the Ferris Wheel.” We move through the stalls to come to the large white circular machine with swinging seats.

It’s huge. Way taller than any of the trees we climbed in Neverland. There’s a long queue of people along the side of it, but Hook ignores them, moving straight past them.

“Don’t we have to go behind them?” I ask just as we come up to a man sitting behind a small, white desk. He gets up immediately and nods to Hook before opening a small rope for us, waving us forward with a smile.

Hook walks us over to one of the swinging chairs and waits until I get in before sitting down and pulling a long thick bar over us.

Placing my new soft dog on my lap, I look around just as the machine starts moving.

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