There it is. Peter dipped low, careful not to be seen, and soared to the small dark spot on the rooftop that not many people would be able to make out. The girl sat back on her elbows, barely moving except for her billowing black hair. As he came closer her eyes fixed on him, and she stood, lifting a pink backpack stuffed to bursting, which she pulled over her shoulders.
Peter landed softly on the roof so as not to disturb those who were sleeping inside. “Are you ready?’
“Yes.” The girl didn’t seem to have any doubts.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Can we go now?”
This one will be trouble, he thought. He held out his hand. “All right. Hold on to me.”
“Wait, why do I have to hold on to you?”
Peter started to say something but instead placed two of his fingers into his mouth and blew. It took two more times before the high-pitched whistle brought the whine in the air like an insect and the spark of lights that cascaded over the girl like falling stars.
The girl wavered where she stood, and then fell forward. “Whoa!! What was…?” Her legs lifted and she tentatively reached out. She drifted for a few seconds, then extended her arms in front of her and accelerated away from him.
“Hold on!” Peter shouted. “Stop! You don’t know where you’re going!”
“Then, hurry up!” The girl headed directly toward the sliver of moon, exactly the direction he wanted her to go. Peter paused for a moment to wonder briefly about who remained behind in that house. Then he shot upward, an insignificant blip on a radar screen, before converting to a narrow streak across the evening sky as he caught up with the girl who’d already flown far ahead of him.