Hi everybody, here I am again poking my nose into more stories.. Here I have gotten a fascination with Peter Pan.. I have always loved the Disney and the live action film and decided to make my own adaptation of it. My story may seem a little depressing and sad at the start but I must inform you, this story will be a happy one.. I hope..
But this is just a story I am poking at and if i get enough positive feedback I shall update more. But I am working on my other title 'Silhouettes' and if this story gains popularity I will juggle accordingly. Ok here are the first few chapters of 'Star of the Forgotten'.
Chapter 1-
Regret
Most times it is the doubt and the regret that weighs one's spirit down.
Wendy Darling hummed her way through her house. The sun was darkening outside and a soft breeze fluttered the curtains as she walked into the nursery. She set down the pitcher of water on the small cabinet beside the door and went over to the window to gently close it but not shutting it entirely.
As she did so she couldn't help but smile to herself serenely. She refrained a giggle and turned around to see the lumbering figure of Nana stride in.
The large Newfoundland had her small nurse hat on that had precariously slipped from her head and shaking hers Wendy went over and fixed it up for her when she finally asked a question. "You would tell me if 'he' came back wouldn't you Nana?" Wendy stood back folding her hands behind her back. Nana lifted her large brown eyes to Wendy then sniffed indignantly. She went over to the rumpled beds and smoothed the blankets out with her paw.
Wendy smiled still shaking her head.
She knew that Nana didn't have a particularly high opinion of that particular 'he'. Nana may have been a dog but she had her intelligence. When Wendy had moved out of the Nursery, Nana had even gone through the lengths to make sure that the window in Wendy's room was locked at night.
Wendy picked up some stray items that had been thrown haphazardly onto the floor and put them into the toy chest that sat at the foot of Michael's bed.
The boys were still allowed to play games and tell stories of Peter Pan.
But Wendy had to walk the path of growing up.
She was almost 15 now, the absolute limit to go to Neverland and Wendy never stopped wishing. Peter would have to be that age as well so Wendy had a glimmer of hope that danced in her chest.
Growing up didn't stop Wendy from dreaming and wishing to return to Neverland. Growing up was hard and difficult, something that Wendy did not enjoy. She was constantly looked down upon, rebuffed or rebuked. Her storytelling was frowned down upon and Wendy was forced to become somebody she didn't know and very much disliked.
She prayed to the second star on the right every night, wishing to be taken away. She regretted coming home.
She walked to the doorway of the bedroom and saw the silhouettes of her brothers coming up the stairs. When they appeared, they both wore identical expressions of fear and sadness.
Wendy inwardly groaned and ushered them into the Nursery. Nana snuffed in annoyance and pushed the door closed with her head.
As she did so, there was a loud, sharp slap that resonated through out the entire Darling residence.
It had happened again.
Wendy sat on Michael's bed and hugged both of her brothers to her with a suffocating grip. Their once incredibly loving parents were once again, fighting. Ever since Father, George Darling had lost his job at the Bank, he lost his mind with it, taking it all out on Mother, Mary Darling.
Everything had gone downhill from there; the family had no money and was set to lose their entire house. Wendy was old enough to understand and know all of the dire consequences. But she had over and over again tried to conceal it from her brothers John and Michael.
The silence had become their mortal enemy, as they heard Mother yell, her voice angry. "No more will I suffer by your hand George Darling. I have had enough, enough of everything, I'm going."
Michael gasped and Wendy panicked, she took in a deep breath, her mind was in an absolute whirl. She would usually tell a story but unable to properly think she said, "Boys, remember when we first met Peter Pan?"
It was by far their fondest memory and usually got all their minds off their predicaments and troubled times.
She rushed on, hearing the shouting get even louder downstairs. "He took us to Neverland, we flew over London and we soared right on until morning?" Wendy watched her brothers start to remember and she continued, "And we saw Hook, he tried to fire cannons at us but he failed terribly! We met the Lost Boys as well, do you remember their names?"
At her question Michael brightened, "Oh Wendy, I remember them, there was Slightly."
Wendy chuckled, smiling at her baby brother, "What outfit did her wear Michael?"
John piqued up, "Why he wore the Fox costume." Michael frowned "didn't he wear the Rabbit suit?" Wendy shook her head and John replied "No he didn't that was-." he didn't get to finish when Michael exclaimed, "oh silly me, that was Nibbs." The boys laughed and John said, "Cubby was the boy bear." "Then there was Toodles the skunk" Michael added and then at the same time the boys said together, "and the racoon twins."
Wendy giggled lightly but her smile dropped when she still heard the yelling downstairs.
She flew through the darkness of the clouds, the water flicking her face as she flew.
Below her, London shone brightly and the lights hurt her eyes. Violet eyes narrowed and she began her descent.
The moon shone its silver light upon her as she darted through the buildings. It wasn't a night to be out, but she needed to escape. Her tortures were far too troublesome to comprehend.
Through her thin starry garments a small head with orange eyes regarded her and a soft voice hissed within her soul, "You are foolish, not are you only endangering yourself, but the others as well. Using your ability to fly shouldn't be used for this."
"Hush" she rebuked the shadow, "I shall use it accordingly, if there is to be punishment I shall go to receive it, but I need to do this."
The buildings got closer and closer and a certain house on the corner came into sight. She flew into the shadows under on of the windows where there was a lot of shouting.
The shadows flickered and all she heard were the words of an angry man.
"So you are going to leave everything behind Mary? Even your children?" he said it as a sneer and a deathly soft female voice came out.
"You have broken me George, I care for nothing, the children will not lift my broken spirit they will forever be a burden on my soul."
From beneath the window the girl frowned, her eyes hardening dangerously. What a cruel thing to say, even by her standards. Her hands fluttered to her chest as the shadows burned them. Her ears, sensitive to all around her picked up soft children's laughter. Those three children had no idea.
Then the father spoke again, "So you will leave them Mary? Just to inform you, when you leave they will not be staying with me. I have no money as it is. I do not need those three leeching off me."
The mother spoke, "Fine, choose an orphanage then George, I will leave you with their hatred."
"Oh that's what you think Mary; the kids would know that their mother walked out on them, not a care in their life. The hatred is put upon your shoulders." The man, George spoke in a sarcastic tone.
"How dare you" hissed the mother.
The shadows licked at the window frame and the black sky peeked in to see the mother shout accusingly, "I blame you George, may the bowels of the earth swallow you whole and you suffer in Hell for the rest of Eternity."
The mother spun on her heels and walked out of them room. The girls in the shadows darted up the house and saw three children upon one of the two beds. The girl looked terribly concerned the shadows thought.
"So that is the one that he likes" her soul whispered in disdain. She looked down briefly to the creature in her coat and hissed, "Do not mention him, I say quiet and leave me to do this."
She glanced back through the window and to the left of her the window blazed with light and creeping over the shadows the window panes made the girl looked in and saw the mother packing.
So she was indeed going to leave everything behind.
Wendy gasped as echoing footsteps made their way up. They weren't heavy footfalls as they walked past and Wendy knew that it was Mother. She was on her way to bed. She heard the light click on from the room beside the Nursery and then was followed by a large dragging sound.
What on Earth was Mother doing?
Michael looked up to Wendy in fear and voiced her thought, "What is Mother doing Wendy?" John looked at her as well and all Wendy could do was answer helplessly, "I don't know."
Nana rested her head in Wendy's lap groaning and whining and Wendy didn't know whether or not to go and check what her mother was doing.
Mary Darling had been terribly distant from her children. Even acting that they didn't exist, it only heightened Wendy's hesitation.
Finally John whispered, "Its quiet." He looked at both siblings "Do you think mother is in bed?"
In answer to his question, the light next door clicked off and the door creaked as it was fully opened. There were sluggish footfalls like Mother was holding something heavy. Wendy's eyes widened, Nana yelped softly as the Eldest Darling child went to the door and opened it.
John and Michael were right behind her and they all saw Mother walking down the stairs with a large suitcase in her hands. She didn't even look back at them; she pulled the suitcase down the stairs where they heard Father say in a low rough voice, "So you're leaving, that's it then!"
Then Mother said in a soft voice, "I won't come back George, goodbye."
The front door opened and shut and Wendy ran to the window and threw them open to see her Mother walking away. "Mother" she cried, "Mother please don't leave us, Mother!" Their Mother didn't even falter or stop, she walked out of sight and she was gone.
Wendy felt the bite of tears and spun around to see John and Michael already crying. They ran to her and Wendy hugged them both tightly and Michael cried, "Why doesn't she love us anymore?" and John said tearfully, "She simply left us!"
It broke Wendy's heart and they all fell back against the seat under the window. They all cried their hearts and souls out. Long after they had settled, the brothers had fallen asleep and Wendy was dozing.
She woke immediately when the front door opened, she saw Father walk out. He coughed once then walked away also.
Wendy had no more tears left to cry.
"I knew it" the girl hissed. She re-adjusted her black hat and pushed off from the roof. She saw Wendy, the eldest staring after her retreating father. She couldn't risk being seen, she raised her hands to the dark sky and evaporated into the dark mist encircling her.
She floated down the street after George Darling. He walked down numerous streets until he reached an abandoned back alley.
A lone tree grew in the centre, its branches protruding out in different angles.
George approached the tree and from his coat he brandished a rope. The shadow girl's eyes glinted; she could taste the fear and the death already. The creature from her coat hissed in satisfaction and whispered, "I will be eating tonight after all."
George Darling climbed the tree and hung the rope off a high branch and all the girl saw was the fashioned hangman's noose. She watched the rope go around the man's neck and then he simply stood there and began to sob.
Tears fell and the shadows seethed, "He is chickening out, if he doesn't jump I will push him."
The girl frowned, the man was a coward. Her darkness pulsed with pleasure but the small part she called her moral conscience was enraged. He abandoned 3 children, giving her a more arduous job to perform without being caught.
Now he let his cowardice show even more. With more venom to kill a death adder, the girl spiralled up the tree and onto the branch.
The mist gathered next to George and his eyes were drawn to the accumulating mist and his lips parted in a silent scream. Her head appeared from the fog revealing long pointed teeth. She hissed menacingly and then she landed delicately on the branch as George Darling lost his balance and fell. The branch jerked violently and the air was filled with coking noises before it was all silent again.
Suddenly the girl hissed in pain as her shadow creature slithered from her garments and snaked towards the now dead body. It transformed into a fine black mist and entered the ear.
It was eating the soul before it died, she shook her head as the blood fell from the mouth of the dead man and the mist came out before it transformed into a huge shadow wolf with menacing red eyes. It glared at the girl and snarled savagely. She simply scoffed and hissed, "There, I got you your last soul, you are complete, happy now?" she stared at the body as she jumped back down to earth. She snarled "Selfish man."
She shook her head and then averted her eyes back to the shadow wolf, "You better get back inside me Wolfie, you can't live for five minutes after you're fully extracted like that, and I really don't feel like dying tonight."
She opened her arms and the wolf lunged at her fangs dripping with blood. There was a flurry of shadows when the two different entities became one and her creature hissed as it melted back into its rightful half of the soul.
"You underestimate my power."
The girl snorted, "Well five minutes of extraction is better than thirty five seconds."
"Well I don't have to extract again" the voice said, "I can shape change now, so I can always leave a bit of myself in you while I do what I want to do."
The girl scoffed, "I know, just don't kill us ok? I take care of you; let you leech off my heart and soul to turn you into this willingly.
She took off into the sky and said darkly, "Most others at home would kill you leeches, if I get found to have you Tsilla, they'll pull you out."
She flew through the shadows and finally her shadow creature, Tsilla, said "I know, I will be careful, I am grateful for letting me in the way you did."
They were silent for a moment and the girl murmured when she saw the Darling household. "You aren't going to like this Tsilla, but we need to go to Neverland first."
Wendy woke groggily when the lamplight distorted briefly. She had never been much of a deep sleeper, she looked around the Nursery as the lights flickered again and she heard Nana whimper fearfully.
Nana was never afraid and now Wendy was terrified. She unwedged herself from the still sleeping figures of John and Michael and glanced around for the dog.
"Nana" she whispered, "come on Nana, where are you?" she froze when she saw a looming silhouette of a person on the wall.
It couldn't be Peter Pan
Wendy spun around to the open window but saw nobody there. Fear coursed through her and unintentionally she whimpered. The light went out suddenly.
Bathed in misty, silvery moonlight Wendy jumped and heard Nana whimper again.
Wendy bit her lip, and then from the shadows a large black wolf appeared. His eyes were fixed on Wendy.
Then the light flicked back on, waking John and Michael.
When Wendy saw a girl and a wolf in the bedroom all she did was scream.