Stay (Peter Pan / Once Upon A Time)

Do you hear the music?

*** Since I'm off to a theme park tomorrow I decided to update my story today instead of Monday, because 'I always keep my promises' < Robbie quote alert -ww- >  ***

When I wake up it’s still dark outside, but I can’t figure out whether that’s because it’s already night or because I’m in the woods.

‘Hello Wendy’.

I turn over and open my eyes. The guy with the green eyes is sitting beside me, his body resting on one knee.

‘What time is it, for how long have I been asleep?’

‘I don’t know anything about time,  but don’t worry, you just had a little catnap. We’re having dinner though, you want some?’

I’m confused. Who is this creepy guy? And why is he suddenly being so nice? Would he be the leader of these boys? I need some answers. 

‘Can I ask your name?’

At first the guy seems surprised, but then he gives me his evil smirk again.

 ‘Did I forget to introduce myself? I’m Peter, Peter Pan.’

Peter Pan? HE is Peter Pan?! My eyes get bigger and I pull over to slap his face, but he’s faster and blocks my arm as if he knew what I was going to do. I start screaming.

‘You bastard! You let that shadow kidnap poor little children out of their houses! How can you do that? You kidnapped Baelfire!’

The only thing Peter does is smirking back at me.

‘You’ve got fire, I like fire’.

That only makes me even more mad.

 ‘You’re proud of it?! You’re proud of being a bloody kidnapper?!!’

‘I don’t like to call it kidnapping. The children usually come to me out of free will. They are lonely, unloved and lost boys. Here they can do anything they want anytime they want. Don’t you see how happy they are?’

I look over at the boys behind him. They are dancing and shouting around a big bonfire, dressed in brown rags covered up with animal fur. They’re taken away from their family, yet it looks like they’re having a lot of fun. This is getting even more confusing.

‘Where are my brothers?! Michael and John? And where is Baelfire?!’

Pan stays very relaxed. ‘Dear Wendy, don’t you even recognize them? They’re dancing with all the others.’

I try to look for my brothers, but all the boys covered up half of their faces with a scarf.
‘I want to go home, let us go’. 

Peter’s smirk suddenly fades and his face becomes very serious. ‘

‘Look Wendy, when I took over this land I made some rules. No one leaves Neverland without my permission. Since I don’t want you to leave you’re not going anywhere.’

His piercing eyes are getting creepy again. They make me forget what I wanted to say. Instead of waiting for an answer Peter draws out a pipe.

‘Let’s make some music, it will relax you I’m sure’.  He puts his lips on the pipe but I don’t hear any music coming out.

‘Sorry, I can’t hear anything.’

Peter looks surprised.

‘Well, that’s interesting, you see, only certain children can hear the music.’

‘Well, maybe it’s because I’m not a child anymore.’

‘Of course you are, you look like a child to me’. 

‘How dare you say that, I’m already 18 young man!’

‘I’m 18 as well young lady, but I don’t consider myself a child.’

‘So technically you’re already grown up.’ I shouldn’t have said that. Peter abruptly moves forward and pushes his hand on  my mouth.

‘Don’t ever say that again, Wendy! In this land no one EVER grows up! We don’t look at the time nor age, we are as young as we feel ourselves, is that clear?!’

Peter’s so close to me I only dare to nod yes.

‘Well then.’ Peter reaches out his hand.

I hesitate. I shouldn’t take it.

‘Come on Wendy, let’s eat, I’m sure you’re hungry.’

Hungry I am, my stomach feels like it’s so hungry it’s starting to eat me from the inside out. Just a short bite won’t harm me. I take Peters hand and he pulls me up.

‘I’m sure my boys will be curious about you. We don’t have a lady guest around every day.’

That night I tasted the most delicious food ever. There were fruits and vegetables, chicken and pig, a rare kind of bread, juices, water and a special kind of wine I had never tasted before. 

‘Where do you get all this delicious stuff?’ I asked Peter.

‘Believe me, Neverland can provide you as much food as you want, you just have to look for it’ he answers.

The other boys, who Peter calls his ‘lost boys’, were all talking with each other about boy stuff. At first they were silent, but when they saw Peter was ok with me being around, they acted a little bit looser. Except for Felix though, he is just sitting in the middle, close to the bonfire and he is playing with some dagger while he is staring at me the whole time. That guy really creeps me out.

My brothers Michael and John look pretty happy, which I don’t understand. How can they not miss mother and father? I walk over and take a seat beside them, trying to ignore the deadly glance of Felix.

‘Listen boys, mother and father will be so worried by now, I think we should go home.’ I whisper, because I don’t want anyone else to hear our conversation. They look at me as if I am talking nonsense.

‘But it is so much fun over here, we can do whatever we want, all day long!’

‘Shhh no need to shout, Michael.  We can’t stay here, we have a family to go to.’

‘Wendy? What are you talking about, of course you can stay.’ Peter suddenly was beside me as well. God, that boy comes out of nowhere.

‘No we can’t Peter, I’m sure our mother and father were scared to death when they found out we were not in our room this morning.’

‘But can’t you see your brothers don’t want to go, Wendy? Do you really want to go home, back to your strict father who pushes you into things you don’t want?’ Peter looks at me very seriously right now. I was shocked. 

‘How do you know that Peter?’

‘Because all parents are the same.’

‘Oh really? How are your parents then?’

‘I don’t have any parents, they are dead to me. Come on, let’s dance lads, the night’s still young.’

‘But Peter!’ 

The guy ignored me, he didn’t want to talk about his family. If we want to get off this island I think we should become friends with mister Pan.