Page 68 of Veiled in Stars and Silver
“Why would she do that?”
“Perhaps to give you cheap thrills?” I looked down at the book in my hand. “Who was Stardust?”
“Stardust was a traitor,” he snarled. “He abandoned us. Then he created the spellbook and dagger that could destroy Neverland.”
“But he was your friend first? Why did he do that?”
“He and Tink were the fairies that first formed Neverland, but after a bit, they had a falling out.”
I blinked, curiosity growing in me. If Stardust had created Neverland with Tinker Bell, I thought Peter might have forgotten. He tended to have a hard time remembering. “How do you recall that? It was so long ago.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Peter looked mildly offended.
I raised an eyebrow.
“Fine.” He sighed. “I have this dream sometimes that Stardust casts a spell in my sleep. I think it was something about remembering.”
So Neverland must have been affecting Peter’s memory even back then.
“What was the falling out between Tinker Bell and Stardust about?” I asked.
“How should I know?” He shrugged, raising his eyes to the sky, avoiding my gaze.
“Peter.” I sheathed my knife, then stepped up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “It's me. You can tell me.”
He pressed his lips, but then nodded. “He didn’t like that she stopped time. And then she started bringing more people to Neverland.”
“People like Hook.”
“And the Lost Boys.”
“Maybe Stardust didn’t like that she enslaved people’s minds.”
“Tink can’t do that. She would never do that.” But at that moment, he didn’t appear so sure.
“And now Neverland is overflowing with fairies.”
“Because they’d die in your world. People don’t believe anymore, there isn’t as much wonder.”
I stared at him as the pieces fell into place. “But here there is belief. And wonder. You, the Lost Boys, and my brothers provide the belief and wonder.” My eyes widened. “And Tink uses everyone else to entertain you, to keep the wonder alive.”
Peter placed his hands on his hip, his face scrunched in confusion. He shook his head. “But Hook—”
“If you believe Hook being evil is an eternal truth, it's not. I believed that too. I thought that my memories, my beliefs from my childhood, couldn’t be wrong. But they were, and it's because I stopped growing, changing,questioning.”
But the boy of Neverland couldn’t seem to process the realization that was building in my mind. “If Hook isn’t evil, what is truth?”
I wished I knew. If the truth was always apparent, then perhaps I would have seen it when I was here the first time. “Something you figure out as you grow, I suppose. This land isn’t an escape, it's a prison. A prison meant to be broken out of. She’s using you, too. Keeping you here, lying to you, hurting others for your amusement. Don’t be her prisoner.” I took his hand. “Break out with me, Peter.”
He pulled from my grasp, for the first time looking frightened. “I-I can’t. This is my home. And Tink—no, this can’t be true. This is all lies. Hook put you up to this, didn’t he?”
“Peter,” I whispered.
“I won’t listen to you! I won’t!” And with that, he turned and flew off into the daylight.
A panic gripped me. What if he was off to tell Tink everything that I had discovered? I clutched the dagger and the book. I better get moving. Now. There was no time to form plans.
I’d have to decide which choice to make when I arrived.
