Penny Pan the heir to neverland // Peter Pan

Wandering

     It had been 2 months of back and forth. Wandering through Neverland and adventuring Chicago and the boarder of Wisconsin. Peter went to a place called Summerfest and he fell in love with a band called Welshy Arms and loved that there was food everywhere. Darla brought him to three different Barnes and Nobles trying to find a certain edition of Peter Pan that she didn't have. She had a collection of books, old and new and multiple copies of Peter Pan novels and retellings. He definitely picked the right girl, she was already in love with him.

Then Darla took him to Lake Geneva where they walked the entire lake, half way through Peter jumped in, pulling Darla with him, they were soaked as they trudged along the rest of the trail but the water felt nice under the searing heat. On the way home from Geneva Darla took Peter to a Barkery, a dog bakery to get treats for her fur kids.

"Peter it is for animals, put it down," she said as Peter sniffed the biscuits.

"Bacon and cheese," he said holding it up. "Sounds like human food to me." He adjusted his attention to the clerk. "I will take a handful of these."

"You eat that," Darla started, holding a hand out for it, "and you won't be kissing me today." Peter took a bite and then immediately kissed her, she stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Peter," she yelled "that's so gross."

"No, it's actually quite good. I think Tank will like them." He put the other half in the doggie bag and Darla paid and thanked the woman behind the counter; the woman looked appalled but kept her mouth quiet. When they got back to the car Peter smiled a glorious smile.

"What?" she asked as she pulled out of the parking spot.

"Neverland." He said simply as he turned up the radio.

"What about it?"

"It's time to go back," Darla looked disappointed at Peter's statement. "And you are coming with." She smirked but kept driving trying not to look too excited. "Pack a bag, we leave tonight!"

Darla told her parents she was going to stay with a friend, which was obviously a lie but a convincing lie. This 'friend' lived on the college campus so Darla could get a lay of the land before moving there herself. She told them not worry and that she would be home in about a week. They kissed her goodbye, gave her some extra cash because they were the best parents ever and kissed her good bye again at the train station (which she didn't end up going on but it needed to look convincing). Peter then flew her out of the station and they were up and off.

It was pitch black as they flew to Neverland so Peter had to hold Darla close to him so he wouldn't lose her in the dark. When they arrived the sun was just hours from rising but Darla couldn't even think about sleeping. She had been to Neverland multiple times but always knew she had to go home, that she couldn't enjoy the land to its fullest. Knowing she was going to stay here for a full week, without distractions was like if a bookstore were selling books for a dollar to Darla, it was going to be like heaven.

"Get some rest," Peter demanded leading her back to his tree house. "When the lost boys and girls wake up you will be going nonstop basically this whole week." She did as he said and plopped down on his bed and he joined her kicking off his shoes. They just stared at the small hole in his home that revealed the night sky. Darla had no words to explain how happy she was to be here. No words at all.

"Darla!"

"We missed you!"

"Thank goodness you are back!"

"Can you make Bobby give me back my toy?"

Darla was flooded by children's dirty hands and smiling faces, all reaching out to her. They bombarded Peter's home and were piling up on top of them. Peter hadn't realized they fell asleep, that the sun had been up for hours and now the kids were all too excited to find them sleeping soundly. They all started yelling, telling their stories to Darla, not caring about Peter at all.

"Miss you too..." Peter said sarcastically as he followed them outside. "Hey Tink," Peter started but she too was more excited to see Darla than him. Anger rose in Peter's chest and he hated that they loved her more than him but then he let out a breath of relief. This was what he wanted. He wanted them to love her, if they loved her, she would stay. So what if they liked her more than him for now? They would eventually get bored and love them both equally, right?

"Let her breathe!" Peter called pulling her up out of their tiny grasp.

They played with the lost kids and then adventured beyond their grasp further towards the ocean and crocodile teeth. One thing Peter liked about Chicago was that he didn't have to share Darla with anyone. On Neverland he had to share her with everyone!

Peter showed Darla the pirate ships, she hadn't been down to see the pirate's when their ships were docked on the edge of the island before so she was all too excited to see them. She saw Hook's hat poking up over the deck and a mischievous smirk covered her face.

"What are thinking about?" Peter questioned as he pulled her down to the sandy beach.

"So you and the pirates are cool? You don't try and kill each other?" She knew the storybook stories and the things Peter and the lost kids told her, but no one really seemed to talk much of the pirates.

"Cool?" Peter jumped off a rock landing a feet few down, he held out an arm for Darla and she took it. Her feet met the warm sand as she landed and she wiggled her toes as she sunk down further into the sand. "I suppose we are cool. We don't talk, or share rabbit recipes."

"STOP IT!" Darla screamed, covering her hands over her ears, slightly running away from Peter.

"What?" Peter was so confused, was she hurt? Was she scared? What did he say?

"Rabbit?" She turned back to Peter shocked. "No, that is not acceptable."

"It's great you will love it-"
"STOP IT!" She bellowed again. "There will be no eating rabbits. EVER." She looked Peter in the eyes and made him promise, no more rabbit for meals. Obviously he agreed but he wasn't too happy about it.

"So the pirates and I, us," he corrected motioning to Darla and him. "We stay on the land and they stay on the water." Darla looked over to the ship again and saw what appeared to be a little boy.

"That's no life for a kid."

"That's not up to me." Peter caught Darla's eye and she watched him for a moment. She watched the boy slump across the ship, shoulders sagged, head down, he looked miserable. "I would bring him here if it wouldn't cause a war Darla." She nodded pulling her eyes away from the ship.

"Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirates life for me..." she sang softly as she walked away from the water and back into the jungle. A life on a ship is no life for a child, they need room to run and explore, she continued to think about the boy as Peter talked about what he wanted to do this week, where he wanted to take her but she couldn't hear him. She nodded as he talked and smiled, but she looked back to the ship. How different would a life on a ship be compared to a life in a never aging island? Dara thought to Wendy and how in the stories she wanted to bring the children home, to the mainland but they were so happy here, in Neverland. Darla was just being silly, the lost kids liked it here so the little boy on the ship must like it there as well. Within a moment of entering the camp they were mobbed by children again and Darla forgot all about the pirates.

Peter brought Darla, and all the lost kids down to the Indian tribal site for a feast and a party unlike anything Darla had ever seen. Everything in Neverland was just as she pictured, from the first time she read the book... she couldn't help but smile as she was handed a concoction of berries and nuts. This place, this entirely real place was so much better than she ever imagined.

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