Chapter 28: NEVA-NeverLand

"Look, there's a lot of demonic energy at this point." I said.

John threw the newspaper on the desk, "We're going to Kansas." He said.

"Kansas?" I asked, "Why Kansas? I mean, it's a little too close to home."

"Not my fault." John said, "Reports of a boy flying in windows and taking kids."

"Peter Pan at it again?" I asked.

"You go ahead and laugh but something's taking kids." John said, "An old friend of mine is going to help with the demonology."

"I was wondering how you survived this long." I said.

"What? I'm not smart enough?" John asked.

"I'm just saying, you're not the brightest bulb in dingy closet." I said, "If you lose your looks...well, you're kind of butch..."

"Tough, I'm tough." John sighed, "So, you got any family?"

"Not really." I said, "My mom and dad are dead. My grandparents are...not applicable and I have a few relatives, but nothing substantial."

"Substantial?" John asked.

"Yes, coming from the Latin word Sub of the –stantial." I said, "Aunts and uncles, but none good enough to give me security."

"So, you do have relatives?" John asked, "Then why be a hunter? Why live like this?"

"I'm not a hunter." I said, "I'm a Wiccan with attitude."

"You don't even do all that Wiccan stuff." He said.

"Okay, so I'm a witch, I was just trying to make it sound relatable."

"You don't want to just be a normal eighteen year old?" John asked.

"I'm not a normal eighteen year old, so that wouldn't work out." I said, "Besides, normal is boring."

"So, have you talked to Winchester?" John asked.

My cheerfully playful side died in that moment.

"I'll take that as no." John said after a moment of silence.

"Wanna know what I'm thinking? Cause it's pretty violent." I said.

"And why were you with two of the whitest boys I've ever met?" John asked, "You're not exactly..."

"I'm light brown." I said, "Caramel, if you will. Our parents were friends."

"We should be in Kansas in an hour." John said.

"Just so you know, I'mma lover, not a fighter." I said.

"Yeah, got it." John said.

We pulled up to an apartment complex. It wasn't the best looking place, but it wasn't too shabby. Whoever John's friend is must at least be decent...or as decent as someone who knows him can be. I followed him up the stairs to the second story and we stopped at apartment #17 and he knocked. I, ever the pessimist, prepared for the worst. When the door opened, a woman younger than John, around twenty one or twenty two, answered. She was African American, just a bit darker than John, and she stood just at my height.

"Johnny!" she shouted, hugging him.

"Nat!" Johnny said, hugging her back.

She stood, staring at me, "Who's this?" she asked.

I stretched my hand to her, "Chalis Gordon." I said.

She eyed me, then shook my hand, "Natalie. Natalie Harper." She said, "This is the...umm, witch?"

"Or you could call me Chalis." I said, looking around.

"Sorry, I...I've been researching different...and I've never met a witch, let alone a black one." Natalie said.

"You're a weird one, aren't ya?" I asked.

"Have you figured out anything else?" John asked, turning to me, "She's a student at KSU, that's how she knows about demons and stuff like that, she wrote her thesis on the witch's place in modern culture."

"And I never imagined...I mean, when you think of witch, you think of Samantha or that cute little lesbian witch from Buffy." Natalie said with intrigue, "Never really heard of a wizard besides, you know, Harry Potter, and even he was white."

I looked at John, "She's serious, isn't she?" I asked.

"Of course I'm serious," Natalie said, walking back into her apartment, which, besides the books laying everywhere, was impeccably clean, "The odds of you are astronomical. Do something witchy."

"You want me to do magic?" I asked.

"I insist, if you want my help." Natalie said.

"il vostro cappotto è giallo!" I said, causing her jacket to turn yellow.

"OH MY..." She said, surveying her shirt.

I chuckled, "Your sister is into this stuff, isn't she?" I asked.

"She's really into it." John said, "Thanks for..."

"Don't thank me, I like her." I smiled.

"Oh." Natalie said, staring at us.

"What?" We asked.

"You two are...well, it's a shock, but..."

"No!" we both said.

"We're friend, Nat." John said, "I'm not gay."

"I am." I said.

"Okay." Natalie said skeptically, "The story is that this is a demon is like Peter without the Pan."

"What?" John asked.

"Finally, someone is speaking my language." I smiled.

"Before Peter Pan was a cartoon, it was more like a legend. Some kid lives as a kid forever, it's not natural."

"Given." John said.

"Well, kids've been disappearing, with their windows open for centuries and guess what, there's even stuff about a shadow moving on its own. And in some countries, they got the kids back." Natalie said.

"I feel a but coming on." I said.

"But the kids were insane, they babbled about Neverland, a place where kids never grew up, yada yada yada..." Natalie said.

"We get it." John said.

I shrugged, "So, any idea where this Pan'll be?" I asked.

"Most of the attacks have been random, but then a pattern showed up," Natalie said, grabbing a flyer, "Believe it or not, there's a group of people, kids and pedophiles, who come together to do Pan type things." Nat said.

"Michael will love this." I said.

"And the kids in this group have been targeted?" John asked.

"Yeah, and the dumb-ass cops haven't figured it out, they're saying it's random and they're believing it." Nat said, "There are two girls left from the entire group."

"Names?" I asked.

"I still haven't figured out which one is next." Nat said, "The first kid was this kid," she flashed a blonde boy, "His name is Kris Bonem."

"I might be able to help." I said.

"You can see into the future?" Nat asked.

"Don't ask." John said.

"Kimberly Fletcher and Genevieve Horton." Nat said.

I closed my eyes and breathed deep, "Kimberly." I said, opening my eyes.

"Are you sure?" John asked.

"How can you be sure?" Nat asked.

"I just am." I said, "It's a strong feeling."

Nat looked at John, who just shrugged.

"We know who, we just need the how." I said quickly.

Little Kimberly Fletcher lay in her bed, dreaming about being an astronaut. Her mother had taught her that no dream was impossible, even after her father left them. He hadn't completely left, he paid child support and every now and then he'd come by to see her mom. Kimberly always wondered why he'd come to see her mom and not her. Even though she was a little girl, she was still smarter than most adults. Adults were weird and awkward, whereas she was very literal and calm. She was more mature than most at her age, the kids at school teased her and called her a geek and besides one, she had no friends. In any case, she lay in her bed, dreaming when she heard a noise. She sat up quickly and saw a shadow move across the room.

"Who's there?" Kim asked.

Suddenly, there was a boy, hovering just outside her window.

Kim smiled, "Are you Peter Pan?" she asked.

The boy laughed, "Will you help me catch my shadow?" he asked.

"Yes," Kim said, crawling out of the bed, "But how do I catch it."

"Come here and I'll show you." He said.

Downstairs, there was a knock at the door and Ms. Fletcher answered. We stood outside the door, John wearing a suit while I wore my normal jeans, a shirt, and a jacket.

"Hello," Ms. Fletcher said, "Who are you?"

John flashed a badge, "FBI," he said, "Agent Flynn."

"And you are?" she asked me.

"I'm agent Trump." I said.

"We apologize for coming so late, but our investigation ran late." John said nervously, "It's stilling running."

"Come in." Ms. Fletcher said, gesturing for us to sit on the couch while she sat in the recliner, "You're investigating the missing kids."

John nodded, "Yes, Mrs. Fletcher." He said.

"Ms." She smiled at him, "And call me Lynn."

I chuckled at her come on.

"We're just here to make sure everything's okay." John said, "We found a trend in the kids that have gone missing."

"All the kids in the Pan Project." She finished.

"What now?" I asked.

"That's the name of the Peter Pan club." Lynn said, "You're an agent?"

"Well, for this." I said, "I'm a psychic."

John elbowed me, "He's a rebel." He said, "How is Kimberly?"

"She's fine." Lynn said.

There was a sound, like footsteps, and then a scream and we bolted across the room and bound up the stairs! As we got to the room, there was NO ONE there. There was no sign of struggle or anything. Lynn began sobbing uncontrollably, and then attached herself to John. I walked over the window. Someone had been here.

"The other kid." I said, "We've got to get to her."

Across town...

"Come with me, to Neverland." The young boy smiled, extending his hand.

Little Genevieve Horton walked towards him, but as she did, the door flew open and a man with a gun came in and shot poor Peter Pan. Genevieve grabbed his arm to unsteady his shot and they struggled for a minute.

"We're here to help." I said, pulling her away, "That's not Peter Pan."

"Where is he?" John asked.

The parents had just made it in the room as we looked around. We stopped and looked at each other, then up at the ceiling, but as we did, Pan grabbed me and flew out the window!

"CHALIS!!!!!" John shouted out the window, trying to aim.

"What in the Hell was that?" Genevieve's father asked.

-

The place was dingy and dirty and not like any Neverland I had heard about. We were in the woods, we had passed them coming in. I was tied to a tree and a few yards ahead of me was what looked like a bunch of trees, but with doors. Somebody had gone through a lot of trouble to make this look like Neverland. I tried to move, but it hurt to move. The kids were all there, there were bodies on the floor, the kids who didn't make it, I guessed.

"It's to Lazarus." Pan said jollily, hovering around the trees.

Around us, kids moved, I noticed their eyes. Some of the kids looked gaunt and malnourished; others looked completely blank in their eyes.

"Meet my lost boys." Pan said, hovering in my face, "Boys, meet Captain Hook."

"You are one twisted demon." I said quickly.

Pan had started to fly over to Kimberly, who seemed different from the other children, and turned to me, "Demon? I am no demon." He said, "I am Peter Pan." He said as he hovered into the light.

"Kris?" I asked, "Kris Bonem?"

It was then that I saw his arm, John had clipped him.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"You're kidding me? You have got to be kidding me." I sighed, trying to move.

"Shut your mouth, Captain Hook!" Kris said.

"Oy, did he got you, Peter?" a chubby boy I noticed from the files asked.

"Derek," I said, "That's your name."

Kris hovered into the air, "We'll make him walk the plank." He said.

"Plank?" I asked.

"Or a sword fight!" Kris said.

"Wait; hold on, I don't have a sword." I said.

"Too bad!" Kris said loosening the ropes he'd tied me with.

"You need to stop this." I said, "Look at the Lost...kids, they're..."

"Lost boys." He said, "And our mothers."

"What?" I asked.

"Our mothers." He repeated.

There were jeers and protests that we fight.

"You're draining them." I said, "I thought you were a demon."

"Why would you think that?" Kris asked.

"You kidnapped these kids and then drained them." I said, "And also, you can fly."

"Fairy dust must've fallen on me." Kris said.

"Me too." I said, "Look, this isn't right. You have families to get back to, they miss you."

"I don't have a family."

"You guys have to go back to your families." I said to them.

I felt a foot slide across my face and it sent me to the ground, "Some of us don't have family and shall never grow old!" Kris said, flying at me with his sword out in front of him.

I ducked and rolled, "We don't have to do this." I said.

"On guard!" he said, lunging at me once again.

I ducked and grabbed his hand, but he punched me. I stumbled back and ducked in time to miss his sword and focused on his sword. I felt it shake in his hand and suddenly, it flew backwards.

"My sword!" Kris shouted.

"You won't be needing it." I said angrily.

"What are you some kind of witch?!" he shouted.

A chant of Witch began through the dingy forest.

"You're right and so is Kris, he has you under a spell." I said, taking a guess.

"Shut your mouth!" he said, flying at me.

"Li lego, dal fare il danno contro altri ed il danno contro di lei." I chanted.

"He is a witch!" a skinny boy shouted.

Kris was almost to me when he fell from the sky and skidded to a stop at my feet! Suddenly, there was a collective sigh and the kids looked around, confused. There was a rustling and suddenly, John burst through the trees, gun raised and scared the kids.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I wiped the blood from my nose and smiled at him, "Okie-dokie." I said breathlessly.

-           

I looked out the windows of the car as we drove away from the little town. We had said goodbye to Natalie and been on our way after we had delivered the kids all back to their homes and Kris to the shelter. He had been a witch and now he wasn't. It was sad, apparently his parents had died a few weeks before and he had run away.

"Are you okay?" John asked, "I can't believe that little monster."

"He wasn't..." I said, "He was sad."

"So he drained kids and made them do his bidding?" John asked.

"Misguided." I said, "He meant well."

"What?" John asked.

"I just feel bad for him, his parents died and he was just trying to build himself a family." I said, "How did you find us anyways?"

"It was the only place that made sense." John said.

"It's better when you explain." I said.

"Well, Neverland was trees and stuff." John said.

"Uh huh." I said.

"And," he continued, "The forest is trees and stuff."

"You liked Peter Pan." I said.

John looked over at me nervously, "You reading my mind?" he asked.

"No." I groaned, "You don't have to be afraid of me, I'm not like that."

"But you could be." John said.

I looked away and pulled out my phone and dialed, "Sam." I said, "I know a way you can bring Dean back...Ever heard of the Lazarus Pit."