Paul's life is proceeding along just fine until a tragedy strikes his family that results in his father telling him that he has to be the man of the house, and his mother telling him that it's time to grow up. As growing up means no longer talking to pixies or seeing The Boy in the mirror, his mother takes him to a doctor who gives him pills that will ensure he grows up. Paul knows the only way he can make his mother happy again — and pull the family out of its tragedy — is by going to Anyplace. For that, he has to believe.
A chance meeting with an ex-pirate in the park sends him on a quest to a curio shop where he finds the mummified remains of Flickerbell the pixie. Through the standard practice of clapping his hands and saying, "I Believe," he is able to revive what turns out to be a very pissed off pixie. She promises to take Paul to Anyplace if he will exact revenge upon the person responsible for "killing" her: The Boy. Obviously there's something rotten in the state of Anyplace, and The Boy's denial of Flickerbell's existence (pixies can only die if people stop believing in them) is only the tip of the iceberg.
Welcome to the dark side of Peter Pan. The Boy is selfish, egocentric, lies to ensure that he is the centre of attention, and is firm in the belief that nothing can happen in Anyplace that he doesn't want to happen. Like all spoiled children who are used to getting their own way, he is blind to anything but his own needs, and sulks when he's not the centre of attention. Even when Paul saves The Boy’s life, more by fluke than anything else, The Boy convinces himself that he wasn't really in any danger and that Paul's intervention hadn't really been necessary.
For The Boy, not growing up means not accepting responsibility for his actions and not caring about the feelings of others. For Paul, growing up doesn't mean giving up all he loves in the world or his ability to talk to animals and pixies; it means opening up your world to include others in it. The Boy only thinks of others in terms of what's in it for him. He doesn't rescue Flickerbell from pirates because he particularly cares what happens to her one way or another, but because it gives him an opportunity to be the centre of attention by being brave.
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