Hook's Daughter (Peter Pan)
Rebecca had never been your usual girl, sure she had always worn the typical girly dresses with the frills and the bows, and lately she had even begun to mess with her mother's makeup. But she wanted better things for herself than lounging around going to tea parties at the country club, and acting ladylike all the time. A thirteen year old girl was bound for more adventures! Better adventures. She wanted to sail across the world like her father did when he was alive. Mother always told her he was a fierce pirate, one of the few left in the world! Sometimes, Rebbecca wished he was the one who was still alive. Not that she didn't love mother, but she was always so demanding. All Rebecca wanted was to be a kid, to run around in her underclothes and climb trees like the other kids. She hated having to wear fancy dresses all the time, it made it impossible to do anything fun. And what's more, her mother refused to let her cut her hair. She always said, "A true lady knows how to smile and bear her weight." Rebecca had tried her best to be patient, smiling at parties, being on her best behavior in front of guests but sometimes she just couldn't bear it! Like today of all day s when mother planned her birthday party.
It seemed just like every other day. Rebecca managed to pull on a tight, flowy lavender gown that drifted just to her knees, and even managed to reach around and tie the huge bow on the back all by herself. Outside, she could hear the chatter of the guests as they arrived, and she looked longingly outside at a group of kids playing tag by the trees. If only she could join them instead of having to wear this stupid dress. She sighed and ran a hand through her golden-brown curls. Her mom had insisted in putting her hair up the night before so it was curlier than usual and naturally Rebecca resolved to muss it up a bit. Mother would fuss later, but Rebecca was determined to have at least one thing her way. She looked into the mirror, admiring how the slant of light caught her blue eyes and made them glow. Had she always had so many freckles across her nose? Her dad had told her as a child that each freckle meant the number of years before her most special wish came true. She had 13 freckles on her nose so that meant her wish was sure to come true this year! Every year, she made the same wish, to go on a wild adventure and find her father.
This morning had been her 13th birthday. Her mom was still upset about her running her party dress, it wasn't her fault Jack and George had taunted her. She told them she could climb that tree and she did! The jerks hadn't even been able to make it half way up and they dared to call her a coward.
Well this year, she was through with waiting around. Surely her wish would come true at midnight, or perhaps she would make her own wish come true. Over the years, Rebecca had noticed her younger brother John never had the same problems she did. As a boy, he could eat what he wanted, wear what he wanted, do what he wanted! That's when it hit her. Rebecca realized if she was a boy, she wouldn't have to sit at 7 course meals or wear fancy dresses that were so tight she could hardly breathe. She could keep food until she was so full a slight poke would cause the food to come pouring out, and forget table manners! What had she been thinking all these years, the solution was obvious. She would become a boy. Well, maybe not become one so much as disguise herself as one.
So she did was any normal 13 year old girl would do, she cut off her hair. Her nanny was the first to freak. She ran around the entire parlor screaming and gathering bits of the hair on the floor as if she could somehow pull the hair together and stick it back on Rebecca's head. "What have you done to your hair?!" she shrieked, her gray bob jumping as she finally stopped racing around the room, she looked very frazzled and for a moment Rebecca was concerned she might have a heart attack. "There, there Mrs. Dunshe" she said calmly. "It will grow back."
"But why?!" the nanny cried, "all that beautiful hair!" Rebecca shrugged. It was true, Rebecca's hair had once been flowing golden curls that stretched down to her waist. Her mother refused to let her cut it, instead she relished showing it off at the country club. And everyone clapped and went on about how splendid her hair was. She'd like to see them try to play with the other kids or climb trees with this stupid long hair in the way. Satisified, she looked at the scissors and placed them gently away in her cupboard and helped Mrs. Dunshe to her room, she had had a long day and would need to rest.