Happily Ever After

Chapter Sixteen-The Secret Cove

I woke up to a slight pecking on my nose. At first, I thought it was Peter so I swatted my hand in the air, murmuring, "Peter, stop." Then, when it continued, I swatted harder, hitting nothing but air.

"Peter! Stop." I said, annoyed that I had to wake up. I opened my eyes, squinting at the brightness of the sun through the leaves, only to see Peter wasn't in front of me like he was last night. Confused, I looked around the fur and wood covered room. But no boys were to be found.

My eyes skimmed the room till they landed on a little blue bird, just perching on my shoulder. My eyes widened and I sat up, startling the bird. It flew up slightly then landed on the ground in front of me, not seeming to mind my shock. I just stared at its little beady, black eyes.

"Well, good morning." I turned to see Peter leaning against the tree the spiral staircase went around, smiling at me.

I pointed at the bird. "What is this bird doing here?" I asked.

"We're in a tree, Wendy. Birds like trees." He answered, simply.

I just stared at the bird. I mean his reason was valid...but still. He walked over to me and took my hand, pulling me up. I tore my eyes from the blue bird and looked over at his beautiful green eyes. We were so close, that if he got any closer, he probably would've heard my racing heart beat.

For a few seconds, we both just gazed at each other, getting lost in the other's eyes. Then, he smiled and I felt my stomach flip.

"I want to show you something." He said, leading me towards the staircase. I followed, curious.

Just as I was about to take the first step down, the bird flew over and sat on my shoulder. I shrieked, getting Peter's attention. He turned around, saw the blue bird, and smirked. "It looks like you have a new pet."

I just narrowed my eyes at him, frowning. He chuckled and pulled me along. As long as the bird wasn't going to peck my eyes out and poop on my dress, I was fine with him on my shoulder.

We walked down the stairs, never stopping. We passed the huge dinning room from last night, several swaying bridges, and many little huts but I never saw any of the boys.

"Where are the boys?" I asked, worriedly.

"Out hunting, getting food for tonight and Tink went with them. I stayed to watch over you so you don't do anything stupid."

I just nodded.

It wasn't until I saw the ground that I realized we were going down the trunk of the tree, all the way to the bottom. Having the idea of solid ground made me smile.

Once we reached the ground, I sighed. It was like this wave of relief crashed over me and all this tension was lifted from my shoulders. I didn't even know I was tensed up. I closed my eyes and felt the wind rustle through my hair and it only added to the feeling. It was, honestly, amazing and I don't even know why.

I opened my eyes to see Peter smiling. I cocked my head, confused.

"Look." He said, and pointed to my feet. Where I was standing, bright green grass and little pink flowers grew right before my eyes. Gosh, I really need to get used to this whole nature thing.

We started walking into the forest, away from the giant tree. Every step I took, grass grew and it amazed me. This doesn't happen back home, and if it did I'd probably be labeled a science experiment.

Wanting to fill the silence, I asked, "So, um, there's more people here?" It was a stupid question but it was my only idea of conversation.

"Oh yeah, a whole village. But we don't really talk to them."