Every snap of twigs heightened her paranoia, making her afraid that the Red Skulls would return for her. As much as they scared her, as much as she didn’t want to do it again, she needed help. She needed to get back to the school. Her anger and fear helped her as she called the shadows to her. This time, they came willingly, and no one kept them at bay.

They pulled her with them into the dark place where shadows go. Screams and cries greeted her as they passed through, and she tried not to look, tried to ignore all she heard. Jax’s warning haunted her. “I just know that the more you travel into their plane, the more of your scent you leave behind . . . the more of you that you leave behind. You shouldn’t do that. Promise me that you will never do that again.” She’d have to take that chance.

Her body was already cold as ice from the river, and traveling through the shadow plane only chilled her further.

In a whirl of shadow and sound, Wendy stepped into hallway outside her bedroom. With the morphlings gone, the boys had retreated into the school and were defending it against a far more physical attack by the Red Skulls. She could hear their arsenal of guns and explosions. Smoke was filling the hall from the smoke screen grenades. Seeing an abandoned toy in the middle of the hall filled her with trepidation.

“Oh no!” She had abandoned Michael and Tootles. Wendy searched through the hallways, calling their names. She’d reached the front foyer when an explosion from above knocked her off her feet.

The ceiling was gone, and a ring of fire surrounded her—ashes falling like snow.

Perry was running toward the fire, and then streams of water shot from his hands and doused the flames. Then, Onyx, leading a charge of boys, rushed to where she was. She could hear the rapid fire of guns, and Wendy felt the terror from years ago take hold. She was reliving Neverland all over again.

A rope dropped from the ceiling, and Red Skulls rappelled into the mass of boys, shooting and picking off running lost boys and dropping them.

The room began to hum as Onyx’s eyes turned black, coming to life with power. A mercenary descending from above caught Onyx’s gaze, and the Red Skull’s body turned to polished stone. The soldier fell from the rope, his body shattering into a million sparkling pieces of gemstone.

Onyx turned and spotted Wendy, and he fought valiantly to try and make his way to her side.

“Cover your eyes!” he warned. Wendy shut her eyes tight, using her hands to block out the sight of him, terrified of being caught unaware in his Medusa-like gaze. She felt the room hum again, and something large fell behind her. She peeked between her fingers and saw another Red Skull turned to stone.

“Wendy, run!” Onyx yelled as he pushed her toward the hall, his eyes no longer dark, but he gasped as something hit him from behind.

Wendy held back a scream as Onyx dropped at her feet, his body going still. She reached down to help him and saw the silver dart in his back. She pulled it out and felt for a pulse. He was still breathing—just out cold. They weren’t there to kill the boys. The Red Skulls were there to take them, just like Peter.

A flash of light streaked through the doorway horizontally, and a human shape of light appeared in front of her and kneeled by Onyx. The streak departed the same way, and Onyx was gone. It had taken him.

“No!”

She caught a glimpse of Michael hiding behind the rubble, and she made her way to him. He was cowering, his hands covering his ears. His mouth was working, and she could see him saying something over and over.

“Michael, it will be okay,” Wendy yelled, pulling his hands away from his head. “We just need to leave now.”

“I can’t stop them.” His breathing was ragged, and his eyes were pinpricks of black. He hit his head again and grimaced in pain. She slipped her hands around his wrists to keep them steady.

“What’s wrong?”

He pushed her away from him. “I can’t stop it!”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Leave me!” he screamed at her.

“Stop it!”

“You don’t know what I’m doing.”

Pffft! A tranquilizer dart hit Michael in the arm, and Wendy yelled, pulling him down, out of view. She cradled his head in her lap, and he stared at the dart.

“Finally, this will help.” A smile played on his lips.

“What will?” she asked.

A blast knocked Wendy from her feet, and she flew through the air. Fire and rubble erupted around her, littering her with a cloud of white. She lay sprawled on the hardwood floor. Dust covered her, and she looked up just as one of the pillars and walls collapsed inward.

She lifted her hands to cover her head, and another explosion detonated around her, deafening her. Her ears rung painfully, and as the dust began to settle, the dark outline of a familiar body took shape before her, his back to her, his hands extended outward to protect them both. He had taken the brunt of the blast, shielding her.

“Peter,” she cried out, relieved that he was all right.

He turned, and she saw his face and realized her mistake.

“No, not Peter.” Jax’s hands were glowing red with power, his face a mask of grief.

He didn’t touch her, just turned and began to throw blasts of fire at the Red Skulls coming through the roof. She couldn’t help but once again wonder—whose side was he on?