She lifts the collar of her nightgown over her mouth to stop from breathing the intoxicating smell. Where is she? She’s never seen this part of the island before. She was in the camp and… and she ran. Peter on the path, and then the game. She stares at the boy, but he makes no move to tag her, or give her position away.

“Are you all right, Wendy?”

“That’s not my name. I’m…”

Oh, she wants to shout in frustration, but if any of the other boys are near, she’ll give them both away. She tucked the stone from her soup, the one that was almost in her throat, into her sleeve earlier, and she slips it free now, squeezing it until her hand hurts and her eyes sting.

“Did Peter make up a new name for you too?” Above his fingers covering his nose and mouth, the boy’s eyes are wide with curiosity now instead of fear. “I used to be called something else, but I’m called Timothy now. Peter gave me a name, but I didn’t like it so I chose a new one. We’re allowed sometimes if…”

He darts a glance away down the path, body tense. She follows his gaze to a scrap of shadow shifting beneath one of the trees.

“What—” But Timothy is already gone, flying down the path and leaving her alone.

She squints, but she can no longer see the shadow. Maybe it was only her imagination. An insect chirrs, a sound like a cricket, but also like rubbing a finger around the rim of a dampened glass to make it sing. If only she had her collecting net and specimen jars. She takes a step forward. The sound cuts off abruptly and a sudden chill passes over her. Between one footfall and the next, the sense of someone watching her creeps over her, certain and unshakeable. She spins around, expecting to find Bertie, or even Peter, ready to leap out and tag her. But there’s no one. It’s like hearing someone call her name in an empty room, except worse, because she doesn’t even know her name right now.

She puts her shoulders back and lifts her chin. She will not cry again, and she will not let the weight of what she doesn’t know crush her. And she will certainly not let any of the boys play tricks to scare her just because she’s a girl.

“Hello?” She makes her voice loud, stepping forward as she calls out. “Is someone there?”