Wendy Darlin'

Chapter Twenty - A Reason to Smile

It's night time.

Twin has fallen asleep on the floor, and I will have to leave. These boys are far too ill to cure, I have to save Peter now.

I have to leave John again.

No time for that now. Tootles is alone in the woods, I don't want him to get hurt either.

I scurry to my feet and cringe as the front door creaks open. There is no sign of the boys.

I make it half way across the camp when I hear Twin stirring, followed by his soft, sleepy footsteps padding across the clearing.

"You said you wouldn't leave!" He says, eyes hard with hatred. "YOU PROMISED!"

To my utter delight, he manages to wake the whole camp.

John stampedes across the ground from the tree he was in, followed by his cronies, weapons raised. I kneel down and pick up my lost dagger, holding it towards them dangerously. They stop suddenly.

The smallest boy steps out from behind John's hulking figure. "Mother," He whimpers "you wouldn't hurt us, would you?"

My blood boils. I shake nervously, and I fear the dagger shall fall from my grip as I begin to sweat. "I'm not your mother!" I cry, my eyes wild. "You have to understand!"

John's face contorts in anger. "She's right." He says quietly. "She's just a stranger..."

"KILL HER!"

"DO IT! DO IT!"

"Please, no!"

The boys crowd around me, despite my failing attempts to ward them off with the dagger. Their slashes at my body are messy and their infected weapons are dull. Pains rips through me, cuts aimed at my face, their knives biting like a starved beast. I kick and cry out but their insane cat calls hide my pleas for help.

Amongst the writhing bodies as they try to take a stab into my flesh, I catch a glimpse of a small boy on the outskirts of the camp.

""Tootles," I cry, "I appeal to you."

"I am just Tootles," he says, "and nobody minds me. But the first who does not behave to Wendy like an English gentleman I will blood him severely.""*

When none of the boys hear him, he begins to pick up rocks and throw them at their heads. They progress towards him, eyes raged and weapons high. Tootles throws my pack towards me, over the stampede of the ravaged children. I catch it with a stroke of luck and tear through the contents, longing for something helpful.

The small boy that hid behind John notices me, and tiptoes towards me, much like a dog trying to heard sheep. Without a second thought, I grab my dagger and throw it at his torso, sending his mangled corpse to the ground.

I pull out the box of matches from my pack and light one with shaking hands. Tootles tries to hold off the boys but being naturally small, fails as a knife stabs into his arm. I throw the lit match into the small hut in hope to steal their attention away from Tootles.

It doesn't work.

I light another and jump into battle, the flame catching on their dry clothes, but it does not faze them. They are completely focused on Tootles.

Slightly falls from the sky, a fearful glint in his eye. I look up at him from the feet of the slowly burning boys. He grabs Tootles around the waist and heaves him to the stars. One of the best friends I can ever hope for returned in a time of need.

"Fire!"

And I realise I'm in worse danger than before, caged in by skinny legs as the boys slap themselves madly in trying to put out the fire. I light another though, and leave it to catch on to the leafy ground as I crawl out.

With one last look at my insane brother, I grab my pack and run.

***

I cough and heave, occasionally bringing up bile due to the ever catching fire and its smoke. I pray for rain, in hope my luck has not ran out.

I find a cave that is wet enough to hold back the fire incase it ever spreads this far. I light a candle in the dark, and set it down in front of me.

I think about Peter. I think about how long it has been since I have last seen him, and I think about the taste of his lips on mine, his hands cradling my back. The ghost of his kiss lingers in the back of my mind and I hold on to the memory that feels like years ago.

I remember his quirky ways and crooked smile, the way it spreads from the left to the right of his lips, two rows of perfect teeth despite his years in the forest. I remember his gentlemanly ways, when we slept in the same bed but refused to touch me because I did not ask. What a wonderful, confusing, lost boy.

I miss him more than anything in the world.

I try to be constructive and focus my mind on the task ahead, despite my lack of information. I wipe the tears that roll down my cheeks and dig in my pack for the book I took.

Cinderella. I couldn't have picked up anything more useful.

Something about the pages sparks a memory, and I shove a hand in my pocket to find the wad of parchment that fell out when I picked it up. I flick through the pages with minor curiosity, and as if my accident, I fall across a page on information about the island and all its creatures and inhabitants.

To take my mind of him, I decide to read about mermaids, something he'd promised we'd see when he flew into the nursery that night.

"Mermaids are rare and foreign creatures to Neverland, washed in by a terrible storm some hundred years ago. It is believed they originated from the giants of the land that could only find a feast large enough in the water, henceforth, used ancient magic to develop their legs into fish tails, to make catching their prey easier.

Mermaids have been known to be beautiful women, which makes their breeding habits a curiosity. Mermaids do not, however, need a mate to breed, and most children, once born, are left to find their own way as soon as possible.

Mermaids range from seven to ten metres long, and have been recognised for their extreme beauty and haunting songs that lure many men to their deaths. Their eyes are completely black, as to see underwater, they require the biggest of pupils, making no room at all for an iris.

Their tears are most valuable, as they can cure any poison or illness-"

I slam the book over the loose parchment and throw it into my pack, excitement flooding my veins. I blow out the candle, flip my pack over my shoulders and grab my map.

***

*this part was taken from the original story of Peter Pan and belongs to JM Barrie and I thought it would be artistic to use it but now I don't know if it allowed as I adapted it slightly to fit the first personess I am using

HEY

this is an authors note

I hope you've enjoyed my story as of so far, all the votes mean a lot to me and are gratefully accepted and appreciated.

I really want to hear more of you and if you are lost don't be afraid to inbox me, I rarely bite

What's your opinion? Do you enjoy this or is it frustrating?

This will probably be my last a/n, so...

I'll see you on the other side, folks.

(Minor sad emotions whilst writing this and listening to all about you by the beloved McFLY)

(It is, all about you)

This is ruining it, sorry

BYE