Chapter 7 #2
“Cats are often thought to be solitary creatures,” Maggie suddenly said, the strength behind her voice catching them off guard.
“But that is hardly the case. They are loving and crave a long-time companion. Sunny is my family. And, he is quite sweet, once you get to know him.” She sighed as their faces remained unchanged. “Haven’t any of you had a pet before?”
Acknowledgement passed over them, but the confusion remained apparent.
Perhaps it was because Sunny was a small creature, even with his bounding paws and spiked ears.
He was nothing magic, like everything else on Neverland.
Maggie held him especially closer in that moment, murmuring a quiet blessing within his fur.
Not a day would go by where Maggie did not thank whatever being existed in the unknown for bringing Sunny into her life.
To be wandering through Neverland on her lonesome, with nothing but the Lost Boys and Peter himself, sounded far more frightening without having Sunny at her side.
As an easy silence settled through the group, Maggie continued to follow the Lost Boys and Peter through the treehouse.
They went down a series of stairs that led to the very bottom of the tall house.
Maggie gazed back up at it as they walked further away, amazed as to how high she had been in the first place.
At the bottom of the tree, bushes and blooming foliage decorated a series of pathways.
Lampposts with small flames burning at the center radiated a warm light, leading them through the growing evening of Neverland.
The group followed a winding path along the side of the tree, where a series of cherry blossom trees let their pink petals fly through the gentle breeze. Maggie was far too mesmerized by her surroundings to even notice where they were going, far less why they were out there in the first place.
“Here we are,” Peter exclaimed with a nervous exhale.
The boys parted in front of her and revealed an ornate entryway.
There was an arch, with pillars holding it up and ordained with naturally growing vines and blossoms. The earthy ambiance continued as Maggie pressed forward, cautiously wading into the building without the Lost Boys leading the way.
Within the building was a wide dining room on one side, and a classic bakery storefront on the other.
Round tables were littered across the floor in a rhythmic pattern, a bar following the wall and full of expensive looking bottles of alcohol.
On the opposite end, where the quiet bakery sat, the same theme followed, with earthy greens lining the walls and rustic wood building the furniture.
A rounded case sat empty and waiting. Behind it were a few cases for decorations, some pitchers and vases already stocked within.
The bakery and restaurant were connected through the combined kitchen.
When Maggie found her way within it, she had to hold her breath.
Everything was far too perfect. It was as if the architect of the building peered into her thoughts and sought to build the very thing she spent decades imagining.
It was everything she wanted, and that made it hurt far more.
How could she ever show a flicker of excitement, of pleasure?
The kitchen, the restaurant, the bakery was all from her captor.
The man who kidnapped her and his obvious accomplices could not see how happy she was, how much she wished to be in the midst of a busy service with a bustling group of line cooks surrounding her.
Just standing there, she heard the echoes of it, and almost found herself walking towards it.
Jerking backwards, Maggie slowly left the restaurant behind, and approached the Lost Boys once more. Her silence carried through to them, but she could hardly think of anything to say. She didn’t wish to conjure up a lie.
“The waiting is killing me,” Scamp blurted. “Do you like it, Maggie?”
Beside him, Twitch jerked forward, pushed by Scamp’s persistent elbow.
“Yeah, uh,” he paused, one hand sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
He purposefully kept his dark brown gaze in the opposite direction, a pinkish hue beginning to cross over his prominent nose. “Well. You like it, don’t you?”
They all seemed to share the same nervous energy as Maggie peered around the group. Though Peter kept quiet, there was something urgent about his stare, and how his hands were wound up nervously at his sides.
“It can be altered,” he finally said in a quiet, insecure voice. “We can change it to whatever you’d like, if that’s what you’d prefer.”
Her silence remained, as though Sunny had caught her by the tongue.
They grew more nervous as she did not speak, and her guilt mounted.
How could she admit that she adored what had been presented to her, what was being given to her by her kidnappers?
It felt entirely wrong, just as much as it felt right.
Peering down, Maggie caught onto Sunny’s almond shaped eyes.
The cat stared up at her with a warm expression, even though she was only a cat.
The longer they held each other’s gaze, the easier it became for Maggie’s wall to begin to crumble.
Maggie met their gazes. “I love it.”
A resounding whoop shot through the air as Scamp’s arms rose.
He reached for Dusty almost immediately, tackling the man to the ground as his excitement mounted.
Maggie yelped and jumped backwards, taken aback.
The other Lost Boys jumped into the fun, pulling each other into rough embraces and going so far as to wrestle on the floor.
They whooped and hollered in excitement, unafraid to show their racing emotions in whatever way they wished.
Maggie watched with a growing insecurity.
While they rolled around and frolicked in the youth they held onto, Maggie couldn’t help but feel like an aged old woman.
Her bones ached from her work at the tavern, and her mind grew weary as the lack of sleep went on and on.
A rumbling sound was beginning to echo from her stomach, but there was no urge to eat.
Maggie was far too bewildered by where she was to even consider doing something as normal as eating or sleeping.
But the exhaustion clung to her still, and she even swayed as the boys continued in their fun relentlessly.
“How rude of me, Magpie,” Peter said as he came upon her suddenly. One arm hooked around her waist. “I can’t imagine how tired you must be. And all the things you’ve seen in a day?” He shook his head. “Incredibly rude of me, Magpie.”
The Lost Boys whistled and nodded.
“Cut it out,” Peter snapped, though he was still grinning. “Come along this way, Magpie, and I’ll show you to your room.”
Unable to argue, Maggie allowed the King of Neverland to guide her back through his enormous treehouse.