Wendy Darlin'

Chapter Eleven - Neverland

We run through the dense forest, not wanting to give away our location by flying to the pirates. My small, satin slippers are not made for running and my feet burn as sharp twigs break the thin fabric and stab into my foot.

I hear the birds and midnight creatures busy around with seeking out their next meal. The air is so much thicker here and smells like moss and rain. I keep my eyes on Slightly as he runs fast ahead of me. My heart pounds against my chest with excitement. I am no longer sitting around, I am going to see Peter again!

I gain a few scrapes and bruises from the wild plants and thorns, but I shake the pain off. Nothing can slow me down from seeing him again.

We located the ships whereabouts when we flew into the island. It sits on the sandy shore, the freezing water gently lapping against the side. Only then it was full of pirates. No matter how much I begged Slightly, he promised he wouldn't put my life on the line, which only angered me more because I am not his to save, but I was forced to give in when he landed in the tree. I had no clue where we were.

But that is irrelevant, because now, with every aching step I take, I am becoming closer and closer to the boy I love.

We are as silent as the creatures of the night, our only noise being our heavy breath and light steps as we gain speed. My mind is racing; it feels impossible that I am going to see Peter again, it hasn't been so long from when I saw him last, but with the aching in my heart, it gives me the pain of an old widow. It scares me, the amount of pain I feel for a boy.

But I can't imagine a single place I would rather be, other than in his arms.

My heart races at the thought of him. 

Our feet plunge into the cold, moonlit sand, and it slows me down but I keep running, always running. I scale the ship myself, cramming my hands and feet into the elaborately carved display on the side of the ship. Slightly follows close behind, and I realise I must have over-taken him at one point or another. 

The deck is eerily silent. Peters blood still stains the floorboards from where he took a beating, but the pile of bodies left over from the fight with the Picaninnies is gone. I help Slightly up and walk over to the stairwell. 

"I'll stand guard," Slightly says. "He needs you more than me." 

I nod in agreement and continue down the stairs. 

Then I hear-

I hear-

Peter. 

It's a soft wailing, like a small child. I creep to the bottoms of the stairs. The walls are lined with prison cells and all are empty except one.

"Father?" Says the black shadow looming in the corner of the cell. 

"No, Peter, it's me, Wendy?"

"Wendy?"

I hear him scurrying and he comes closer.

He wraps his hands over the bars of the cell, still on his knees. 

I wish I was brave. I wish I was brave enough to look my love in the eye, but I don't think I am. 

He's completely naked, striped of all dignity and warmth, but I doubt he notices at all. His eyes are bloodshot and are constantly flicking from hazel to green, every time he blinks. His skin is pale and hangs slightly, and his back has curved from sitting down without a chair too often. 

And his eyes turn hazel, and he looks utterly horrified. I can't help myself as I reach through the bars and put a hand to his cheek. He does the same to me, and we are lost in the moment, just him and I, not kissing, not holding one another, just interlocked in each others touch. 

Then he blinks again, and his eyes turn a dangerous green, more bright than I have ever seen before. 

"Father! FATHER!"

"Calm down!" Booms an all-too-familiar voice from the top of the stairwell. Slightly falls down the hard, wooden stairs. 

"Take the girl to my Quarters and bind the spare to the mast. Can somebody shut that bloody kid up, as well?!" 

I scream. Peter screams. Slightly screams but I can't hear what he's trying to say over Peter. I get up and run to the stairwell, vowing to myself to find the Natives and ask them to help rescue the boys. 

But Aiden stands in my way, and hatred floods me to the toes. 

He grins smugly, and I hesitate. He clamps a hand over my mouth and spins me around, my back to his chest. Wrapping an arm around my chest, I scream and kick with all my might, but I am helpless. 

Peter's wails and Slightly's yells stop as soon as the door to his Quarters slams shut. 

He throws me to the ground and turns the key in the lock. I swing my leg out at his ankles and he plummets to the floor, his hand crunching as he tries to keep himself steady. I crawl over to him and punch him square in the nose. Mother would box my ears for a week, but I couldn't care less right now. 

All of a sudden, he throws his weight upon me and I'm pinned to the ground. He presses his hand to my mouth again. 

"I'm going to make a proposal, and you better listen up, bloody woman." I stop squirming. I hate Aiden, but when he negotiates, he always keeps his promise. 

He offers me a hand up and I take it. He sits behind his desk, motioning for me to sit opposite him. As he wraps his broken hand in bandages, he begins. 

"I have a cure."

I sit a bit straighter. 

"At what cost?" I ask. I'm not stupid, I know he wants something in return. 

"As you know," He makes his way towards me, leaning on the desk as he does so. "I am not one to break a promise, my lady, so I shall remind you of the first time you got away." 

I close my eyes. I remember his promise. 

"Even though I do not need you, it's always nice to have... Female company..."

My guts twist. 

"I'll give you the cure, my lady," Aiden crouches down behind me, his breath on my neck, making me shiver down to the bone. "If you will take my hand in marriage."

"Never." I say.

"Oh you will," he says. "Or your blond companion will be pushing up daisies in a blink of an eye."